Ribbon Goes The Distance

December Blessings to you! HomeHaven stretched the dollar just alittle bit with ribbon. A little ribbon can go along ways when decorating for the Holidays or other special occasions.

Ribbon tied around silverware can enhance the table when serving a Buffet.

When silverware is placed on top of the dish or to the side, the silverware grouped together with ribbon holding it in place, just shines. Shines...I tell ya!

Using a couple of different colored ribbons together would really be sweeeet.

Some ribbon tied around a pillar candle adds extra sparkle. Simple. AND I need simple.

Isn't this great...you don't have to spend a whole lot of money. You can warm the hearts of others by blessing them with that pleasant smile of yours and a warm personality.

4 things to consider not talking about while entertaining would be age, weight, politics and religion. Thank heaven that list doesn't include the weather. Also try to not talk ONLY about oneself.

May you have the most wonderful time of the year decorating for Christmas and CELEBRATING the LORD'S Birthday.

God Bless you today and everyday.

He's got the whole world in His Hands,

~Deanna~

Personal Thanksgiving in Oklahoma

Hello from HomeHaven as we celebrate Thanksgiving 2009. This is one of my sweet daughter-in-laws, Shell. Quick get the camera...she's wearing an apron. She told me she never wears an apron, but was wearing one just for me!!! She's this years Hostess and we were well taken care of.

We celebrated Thanksgiving with Family in Oklahoma. We rolled into their town Wednesday night, celebrated Thanksgiving on Thursday, ventured out on BLACK FRIDAY, had a Santa Photo Session on Saturday and then traveled to where my folks live. Visited a few hours. Then returned HOME to unpack, unwind and sleep.

Before we advance to Thanksgiving Dinner, let's check out some of Shell's Interior Decorating. It's pretty with earth tones.

I tried really hard to capture our 2 year old Grandson in action and see what I came up with? The camera focused when he had his back side to the camera! He is an active little guy. It melts my heart when he looks up at me and smiles.

Cousins played together. Here our 8 year old Grand decorates her 2 year old cousin. When the Thanksgiving Parade came on the television, the kids would cheer and hollar about who they were seeing.

The youngest addition was decked out in Autumn Colors and is such a sweetie. Absolutely adorable at one month old. I was honored to feed him while Shell prepared the feast. I didn't have to fix a thing. My daughter joined in to help. We had a wonderful time and dined on a delicious traditional Thanksgiving Meal.

There was a Pilgrim there and several Native American Indians. They came in peace and were nice to be around.

Our Traditional Thanksgiving Meal was delicious.

Menu:

Relish assortment:

Black and Green Olives

Sweet Pickles

Cranberry Sauce

Bread:

Hawaiian Dinner Rolls with Butter

Main Dishes:

Smoked Turkey

Chicken and Dumplings

Dressing

Mashed Potatoes with Gravy

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Corn

Green Bean Casserole

Desserts:

Double Layer Pineapple Cake

Cherry Cheese Cake

Pumpkin Pie with Whipped Cream

Sweet Potato Pie

Beverages:

Iced Tea

Hot Coffee with Cream and Sugar

This Cheesecake is something to SMILE about! My little 8 year old Grand FIXED THIS!!!

And this about sums it all up!!!

God Bless you. May we continue to focus on the goodness of God and the many Blessings we have. December is here. May you have the most wonderful time of the year decorating for Christmas and celebrating Our LORD Jesus's Birthday. God says in HIS word to remember His benefits. So I shall.

Psalm 103:1-5

1) Praise the LORD, O my soul;

all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

2) Praise the LORD, O my soul,

and forget not his benefits-

3) who forgives all your sins

and heals all of your diseases,

4) who redeems your life from the pit

and crowns you with love and compassion,

5) who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Yum...everything and I mean everything was soooooo good.

~Deanna~

Something Delightful To See

December Blessings to you, Beloved!

Went shopping for a new white fridge and this sight caught my eye.

Did you have any idea that there are so many colors to choose from when selecting a MIXER?

KitchenAid has out done themselves this time.

What a sweet sight. Something delightful to see.

Perhaps you'll find one of these under your Christmas Tree. One size fits all.

God Bless you and your family as December becomes a reality.

~Deanna~

Caring For Stainless Steel Flatware

Is this an exciting topic or what?!?

Hi HomeHaven Buddies.

As a TOMBOY gone Domestic, I just couldn't let this topic go unmentioned as I learned a bunch of tidbits that I truly hadn't paid attention to or heard before.

I know if I existed on the PLANET there are others that haven't heard this news either.

It's about caring for Stainless Steel Flatware or where I came from Silverware (that's not silver) and used everyday to eat with.

Truthfully, one of the big reasons the family that I grew up in used utensils made out of easy care materials was to simplify life. I carried this knowledge into my marriage of 35 years.

In fact, the wedding gift from my Parents was a set of stainless steel flatware that we called silverware that doesn't have any silver in it for easy care and everyday use utensils.

As I was reading how to care for my new set of 6 demitasse spoons that are dishwasher safe and never needs polishing with a 25 year limited warranty that I bought on BLACK FRIDAY, I was reading things I didn't know about concerning the care of easy care Stainless Steel Flatware that I continue to call Silverware.

Boy, have I made mistakes with caring for easy to care for silverware which isn't actually silver, but stainless steel! I have soaked my everyday easy to care for utensils over night in the kitchen sink...a huge no-no.

Perhaps you are way more sophisticated than I and I'm sure you are...I am blessed to know you...and you already know all there is to know about caring for easy to care for Stainless Steel Flatware that we call Silverware even when it's not silver for everyday use to eat with.

Here are some hints/tips my 6 piece set came with:

*Wash flatware prior to using for the first time. (I'm safe here.)

*Avoid soaking stainless steel flatware in water for a prolonged period of time or overnight. (OOPS...and again I say OOPS. I am so quilty.)

*Before placing in washer, rinse food from flatware. (OOPS!)

*When loading your dishwasher, make sure knife blades do not come into contact with other utensils. This will prevent blades from nicking or scratching other pieces. (We don't have a dishwasher right now, but when we did...Oh no...again quilty.)

*Use mild non-chloride detergent. Never pour detergent directly onto flatware. (Oh OOPS again.)

*In hard water areas, use a water-softening agent to avoid spotting or pitting.

(I am so bad...did the literature actually say pitting?)

*Always remove stainless flatware from the dishwasher shortly after the drying cycle is complete. Avoiding prolonged exposure to this moist and hot environment is best for the care of your flatware. (Oh dear, how many times have I left the flatware in the dryer over night? Countless.)

*Should detergent film build up on your flatware, wash (either by hand or in a dishwasher) and hand-dry to remove film. (I haven't experienced this yet, but at the rate I'm going, it won't be long.)

*If stubborn stains or rust should occur, use a non-abrasive stainless or metal polish paste or cream. Avoid grainy cleaners. (New adventure.)

*Limit exposure to water that has a high mineral content, high-chloride dishwashing detergent and foods that contain chloride (table salt, mustard, mayonnaise and eggs) as pitting or spotting may occur. (I'll probably get arrested for this one...definately have done over exposure!)

The ideal method for washing gold-accented, gold plated or frosted stainless steel is to wash seperately and by hand.

When washing by hand, remember to:

*Use a mild dishwashing liquid.

*Rinse in hot water.

*Immediately dry pieces completely with a soft cloth.

Oh my goodness...you know Santa Claus is coming to town. Perhaps we will want to put an order in for new stainless steel flatware that we replace our old stainless steel flatware with that we call silverware to use everyday for a simpler lifestyle so we have more free time to enjoy life!

God bless us as we tend to the details of home life.

~Deanna~