Soup and Sandwiches for Dinner

Hi everyone!  How has your week been?  Are you enjoying a beautiful spring?  We are here, but the rain is supposed to return for Thursday and Friday.

I've had good success with trying some blogger recipes this week, which means I'll be adding a few new recipe cards to my recipe box.  The first recipe I made was a delicious chocolate pie shared on a food blog that I subscribe to.  I have no pictures to show you because I took it to our Easter lunch at my in-laws' on Sunday, and there wasn't a bite left to bring home.  I will be making another one of those pies.  :)

This evening, I made a soup recipe that my my blogging friend and cook extraordinaire, Kitty, shared on her blog back in 2012.  I pinned the recipe then, and I finally got around to trying it out.  It's a shame it took me so long, because it was very good and so easy to make.

A Trip to Replacements Ltd.

Those of you who haven't the slightest bit of interest in "dishes" -- china, crystal, silver, glassware, etc., might want to skip this post.  I just love dishes, etc., and periodically, it's fun for me to indulge myself.  Last Friday, Mr. Forest Manor and I went to Greensboro, had lunch, and then drove to Replacements, Ltd., which is just outside of Greensboro in McCleansville, N.C.  Five years ago, in 2011, we visited around Christmas time; my husband took a lot of pictures and I shared them in an after-Christmas post.

This time around, I went for the sole purpose of purchasing four cups and saucers to go with a set of my dishes.  I got those right away and then had so much fun looking around the store.  The displays were wonderful -- anything and everything spring and Easter.  I'd forgotten just how creative those folks are with their displays, and they have a small museum area as well.  They had even changed out many of the exhibits in the museum since our last visit.

Happy Easter

I hope you have a Blessed Easter in celebration of the risen Christ.

Mom's Easter Table

Hi everyone!  I'm sort of on a tablescaping kick at the moment.  Do you know, that's originally why I started blogging?  I liked setting pretty tables, and I wanted to participate in the various link parties for tablescapes.  I kind of knew when I started that I would want to expand and write about more than just dishes and such.  Sure enough, last year I wrote about travel, books, decorating, etc., but I only did one tablescape all year.  In 2012, we were having our kitchen remodeled, and I think I only did two tablescapes that entire year.  Now I'm in the mood to play with the dishes again.  ;)

This tablescape was actually not done by me; my mom put this Easter table together back in 2011.  Hal took pictures and we put them on the computer, and then I forgot we had them.  I came across them this past weekend and realized I needed to put them in a post.

Five on Friday

I decided I wanted to join a new-to-me blog party today, called "Five on Friday."  It's hosted by Amy, who blogs at Love Made My Home.  After my long blogging break, I'd like to visit some new folks.  ;)  I was sick from Thanksgiving into the middle of February this year, so I blogged very little during that time.  I don't have a lot of recent stuff to show, but I can pull from past blog posts to come up with five subjects for today's post.

St. Patrick's Day Table 2016

It's almost time for the wearin' of the green -- are you ready?  :-D  It's St. Patrick's Eve, and I've set an Irish-themed table so I can participate in Kathleen's Annual St. Paddy's Day Blog Crawl.  If you'd like to join in the fun, head over to Cuisine Kathleen's blog and prepare to be Irish for the evening.

St. Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh, Northern Ireland

Recently, I came across these pictures among our many hundreds of old photographs.  My husband had taken these snaps on a business trip to his company facility in Kilkeel, Northern Ireland.  While there, he visited Armagh, the county town of Armagh County and a civil parish.  The town of Armagh is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland.  Following are some pictures of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh.

Spring Is In The Air

My heart is light today, dear readers.  Although the first day of Spring is officially a little over a week away, dare we hope that it has arrived early this year?  I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, because I feel like surely winter isn't done with us yet; but right now, I'm enjoying this beautiful weather.