A Productive Weekend and My Grandma's China

Good Sunday evening dear readers... I am sitting here typing with my feet propped up because I am tired with a capital T, people! We have had a great weekend, but it was not incredibly relaxing. That's okay though, I actually prefer them that way. We have been doing a ton of yard work (by we I mean Mitch, don't you know. ha!) and accomplished our entire weekend to-do list on Saturday so we have been hitting it pretty hard and heavy. Though I do really enjoy being productive, I figured I should go ahead and sit down for a little while :)

We worked in the nursery this morning at church. We love working the nursery... it gives us the opportunity to see Scarlett in action with other children, lets us love on other precious babies and plus we really like that it gives other parents the opportunity to focus more intently on meeting Jesus on Sunday mornings because they know their children are in good hands (or at least I hope they feel that way!)

Here is little missy before we left this morning...

Scarlett wore a little pillow-case top that her Nonni monogrammed for her.

I am telling y'all, this girl is a character! Her new favorite thing is to do something we have decided to call "scream fests." This happens at meal time (usually after we are done eating)... she will scream (and I mean loud, at octaves I did not know were possible) and then look at you and smile. She does it to get a rise and it is pretty hard to resist. Mitch and I laugh, is that bad? We are still trying to figure out this whole parenting thing!

Does Scarlett not look like she is from Whoville in this picture? Mitch and I laughed about this for a while. Little sweetie pie.

We entertained one of Mitch's classmates and her husband for dinner tonight. I do love entertaining. One of my favorite books (given to me by my most darling little Southern Belle friend, Laurelee) is Puttin' on the GRITS. My do I love my signed copy! It sits on my desk along with my other favorite books... Just a fun and inspiring read that always makes me laugh. I will share one of my favorite "Pearl Girl" quotes with y'all (btw. a "pearl girl" represents those of us southern girls who like to entertain).... A Pearl Girl Knows -- If conversation flags, there are two topics we Pearl Girls could talk about for hours: "How's your motha?" and "I love your haira!"

Anyhow, entertaining makes me think of preparations, setting a beautiful table, making people feel comfortable as if you have been expecting and anticipating their visit for weeks (even if your husband told you about it only 2 days before... that may or may not have happened!).

I set our table very simply but I thought I would show y'all....

I did not have any fresh flowers on hand so I just cut some ivy and wild strawberries out of my backyard!

Soon after Mitch and I got engaged my mom opened up a box of gorgeous blue and white china that had been my Grandmother's (her mama, Jean, whom Scarlett is named after). It was not a complete set and had several chipped pieces, but I fell in love with it. I already knew I wanted my kitchen to be blue & white because I think it looks so fresh. So, my mom gave it to me.

I love it because it was my NaeNae's (that is what we called her) and she was such a precious lady to me. I think of her when I walk by my China cabinet and see it displayed. I ended up adding some coordinating pieces from Macy's that we registered for. It is so fun to find pieces of 'Blue Danube' at antique stores and flea markets. I always feel like I have found a treasure when I do! I don't use my China much, but I like putting a few pieces in when we have guests or for special occasions. It was fun tonight to serve our dessert in the little 'Blue Danube' soup mugs... we had warm chocolate chip cookies and peach ice-cream.

Finally, I have to share with y'all a recipe from one of my dearest friends, and one of the best cooks I know, Beth. It is usually a faux pas to try a new recipe when you are expecting company, but I felt totally confident since this recipe came from Beth.

Roasted Veggie Pasta

It is so yummy and is a great way to get your veggies in.... plus it uses all the vegetables that are in season right now! I will leave the recipe below...

ROASTED VEGGIE PASTA

1 - 2 zucchini (not peeled), cut into bite sized pieces
1 onion, chopped
2 yellow squash (not peeled), cut into bite sized pieces
1 yellow pepper, bite sized pieces
1 cup baby carrots, bite sized pieces
2 Tablespoons olive oil
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
garlic powder, to taste

Add all of the above ingredients into a bowl and stir until coated with the olive oil and seasonings. Then transfer to a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 450 for around 15 minutes, until crisp-tender. Then set aside.

1 box rotini pasta
8 oz. provolone cheese (It's okay if you can't find shredded. Just tear the slices in pieces)
About 1/2 - 1 cup milk (I always guess!)
1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided in half

Cook pasta and drain. Return to pot and add provolone cheese and milk. (This is hard to mix b/c the cheese is really stringy at first. Just keep stirring. You may even need to turn the burner on low to get it melted good. It will eventually melt and mix together.) Add tomatoes and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Stir in vegetables. Taste it and add more salt, pepper, and garlic if you think it needs it. (Use real garlic cloves if you want. I do sometimes.) If it's not cheesy enough, add more cheese! If it's too dry, add more milk! You want it to end up being bubbly and a little creamy.
Transfer to a greased baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese. Bake at 375, uncovered for 20 -25 minutes until bubbly.
I think I have even added mozzarella cheese before to make it more cheesy. Just experiment. This is delish!!!!!!!!!