A Li'l Luau!

What fun I had this weekend! I was hostess for a home party, and it gave me a great excuse to do a tiny tablescape as the theme for the party was Hawaiian Luau. It also gave me a great reason to clean my house, and it probably won't be quite this pristine again for a while.

I had so much fun putting this together! Just a tropical green bottle with faux lilies, a pineapple, coconut, and bananas placed on a bright strip of fabric, and tied with coordinating ribbon.

The Hawaiian-looking napkins were left over from my son's birthday party over a year ago.

I even wore this tropical print shirt. It was purchased this summer at Goodwill for a luau at a camp event.


Though I had invited many people, only one person...just ONE!...was able to make it. So disheartening. This is why I never hold home parties. *sigh*

A post by my friend BJ at Sweet Nothings (she's in my sidebar) got me to thinking about tables. When I got my first apartment, my parents gave me their old drop leaf table. I loved it because when it was just my daughter and I, I would drop both ends down and it was perfect for the two of us. When I had a party or get-together, like the little party I just had, I could put the ends up and put the leaf in the center, and have enough room for 8-10 people. I loved it! Alas, during a home move, my ex dismantled it and didn't put it back together right, so nothing slid into place any more, plus my children just about ruined it during their young destructive years.

I have a table that I adore now, but sometimes I do miss that little table, especially when I lived in my last apartment which had less room for my dining room table.

Some of you may have guessed, and yep, this is a teaser post for another great CSN review! I absolutely adore the beautiful lamp I got with my gift certificate last time. I was floored with their quick shipping. Stay tuned to see what I review next, and please do click on the link above to check out some drop leaf tables.

Maybe you'll find one to love as much as I loved my table!

I'll leave you with a recipe for a dish I served at my luau. So easy to make, and really delicious, even for those who normally don't like a dessert with Jello:

Pineapple-Lime Delight

1 can crushed pineapple
1 6 oz. pkg lime Jello
1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese, softened
1 8 oz. container Cool Whip

Drain the pineapple and reserve the juice. Add enough water to the juice to measure two cups. Boil and stir in gelatin. Add to bowl and chill until thick (like molasses), but not solid. In another bowl, mix together the softened cream cheese and the fruit. Add into the thickened Jello, then fold in Cool Whip until all is mixed thoroughly. Chill.

You can also make this with sliced strawberries instead of pineapple, and strawberrry gelatin instead of lime. I like that version even better, and sent my honey home with the strawberry dessert tonight.

Stay tuned...in addition to the upcoming review, there is more excitement in the works!

Hiking at Goll Woods

My sweetheart Mike, his children, and I took a walking tour of a state park last month. Our visit was to Goll Woods in Fulton County, Ohio, and a park ranger led a group of people along the trails, pointing out interesting things.


It was an unseasonably warm day, about 75 degrees, so there was a nice group of people. Right before the tour began, the ranger pointed out a little woodland critter, and here is the group getting a gander of this...


...a little frog! Not sure what kind of frog, but it was native to the woodlands.


One of the first things we learned about was the paw paw tree, which grows a fruit that tastes similar to a wild banana. There were none left for us to try though as the deer and squirrels got first dibs.


There were some very tall trees here. This is one of the very few remaining virgin forests in Ohio. Here is Holden craning his neck to look up at one while Corinne keeps her eyes close to the boggy area on the ground.


This is the largest oak in the area.


I kept taking pics of Mike because I think he is so cute! Love this pic of him.


I thought this rotting log was interesting as it was covered in moss.



The ranger was pointing to this tree and telling about how the peeling bark is often a good place for bats to nest and live. Glad I didn't see a bat!


I thought the tree stump was interesting too.


Red leaves in the trees. Unfortunately, due to the dry summer, there were not as many pretty red leaves as usual.


I liked the look of the sunny sky through the tree branches.


More pretties on the trail.


This tree looked interesting, especially the roots. I think that the roots on the right side of the second pic look a lot like a dragon's head.



The group on the move.


I couldn't resist a pic of my honey's cute butt as he hiked.


Holden in profile.


And Mike in profile.


A closeup of Corinne who has no idea of how beautiful she is!


And a pic of the three of them. No pics of me today. I was called home unexpectedly due to my son needing a ride to work, two hours earlier than he planned.


I found a pretty red leaf untrampled on the trail.


These heart berries were pretty. Bet they would be nice in a romantic centerpiece for the table.


More things that I found to be photo-worthy on the trail.



Before we left, we also toured an historic barn on the property. It is about 150 years old and was recently restored and being shown for the first time that weekend.



The view through a door in the barn. I call it "Oops, your barn door is open, but wow, I sure do love what I see!"


On the way to my car, I spotted this trail through a pine forest. It beckoned to me, so I will have to come back another time to explore.


A tree tunnel! I think these are so cool, and there are more down the road. What a unique way to leave the park!


It was a great afternoon with my sweetie and his great children. I liked that it was also totally free. You really can have fun in these trying times if you look for events like this. We all learned a little something too.

Hope you are still having wonderful autumn days!