SPRING TREASURES FROM TARGET

I really needed a day out today so I took a drive to Target, my favorite place to browse! 

I headed for that cute little section in the front of the store that displays everything that is currently in season. It's all well priced and it makes me feel like I'm getting a "great deal" since the prices are quite reasonable. 

I was primarily looking for something Easter/Springish (if that's a phrase) for the center of our kitchen table. Well I hit the jackpot, come take a look.......

EASTER SWEETS AND AN ADORABLE EASTER CENTERPIECE

Hi TLB friends,

Today I'm sharing an Easter post from 2014 that was a HUGE hit! Hope you get some EASTER ideas to use this year!
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No Easter is complete without some sweet little morsels. I love Easter cookies. They are so colorful and festive........it reminds me when the girls were little. They used to love to help cut out cookies and decorate them. Too bad they weren't here with me today....we would have had allot of fun!  I miss those days and those messy little fingers!

I found a new recipe for Shortbread cookies in the April 2014 issue of Southern Living. I am just going to warn you, they are rather decadent.  Instead of using the frosting recipe that went along with the cookie recipe, I just bought Wilton Cookie Icing from Michaels. It's easy, tastes great,  and there is no mess.

Here is the link to the cookie recipe:
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/easter-egg-shortbread-cookies-50400000134440/

I dipped Peep Bunnies in chocolate, and then in some sprinkles, then added them to the cookie platter. It just adds a bit of fun to the presentation.

I saw this easy centerpiece a while back in one of my magazines and decided it would be a nice add to the cookie tray vignette. 

You will need:

This is what I used because I had these items on hand.

1-4 inch cube vase
1-small round  jelly jar the same height of cube  Make sure there is enough room for the peeps and jelly beans to fit in around the perimeter if you choose to use this.
Jelly Beans (your color choice)
Bunny Peeps (your color choice)

I have also seen it made this way--the choice is yours.

1-4 inch  cube vase
1-6 inch  cube vase
Jelly Beans (your color choice)
Bunny Peeps (your color choice)

Place the smaller jar/cube inside the larger. Add jelly bean layer between the walls, making sure to leave enough room for the bunnies ears to fit inside the top edge of the cube. Then layer the Peep bunnies around the edges. Fill the vase with your favorite flowers and water. 

So easy and so cute!

I hope you enjoyed my bit of Foodie Friday Easter today. The added bonus of my Easter centerpiece is something easy we can all do. Children and adults alike will love it.

Thanks for visiting The Lavender Bouquet today. Please stop back on MY STYLE Monday to see what I have in store for you.

                                                      Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

                                                                      Kathleen

****Please feel free to leave comments or questions. We would love to hear from you.

                                                                 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

After the dreary winter months I am so ready for something Springy on my front door. First impressions are everything.......

THE INCREDIBLE EGG

Photo of GREENWISE ORGANIC EGGS FROM PUBLIX SUPERMARKETS

It's the year of the incredible egg!

Eggs of all kinds are everywhere. We see paper, plastic, chocolate and yes, the original "incredible egg!" Well, "most of us" got some good news from the Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee's recommendation to lift the limit on dietary cholesterol. (Each individual should always follow their own doctor's advice.)

The study shows that in "most of us" the saturated fat rather than the cholesterol we eat  is what significantly raises our blood cholesterol. Foods like shellfish and eggs are no longer part of the restriction. Perfect timing for the upcoming Easter egg season!

One egg is 70 calories and is packed full of vitamins, minerals, high-quality protein and antioxidants. The fact that it is full of good protein can help keep us alert and give us more
physical energy. WOW!

Never fear Food Network has come up with "50" Egg Ideas to help us incorporate eggs into our diet. Now that's alot of ideas!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/articles/50-egg-ideas.html

Do you love deviled eggs? I've got a recipe that was passed along from my blogger friend Beth that is unbelieveably outstanding! Every time I serve them to guests they request the recipe. Take a look at this yummy high-protein food and see the recipe below:

Ingredients:

Hard boiled eggs
Mustard (I use French's)
Curry
Currants
Mayonaise
Slivered almonds or chives sprinkled on top

There is no magic number as far as measuring. Adjust the ingredients to your own taste. The unusual combination of curry and currants is so delicious. Your guests will LOVE them!

I hope most of you can now enjoy a delicious "incredible edible" egg without the guilt!

Wishing you a wonderful Wednesday!

                         Kathleen

***SOURCE: http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015-scientific-report/PDFs/Scientific-Report-of-the-2015-Dietary-Guidelines-Advisory-Committee.pdf

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EASTER BASKET CONTEST WINNER!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter. My husband and I attended an awesome party at our neighbor's house. It was a beautiful day...we ate delicious food, met lots of new people and really enjoyed ourselves.

We missed our girls, but were surrounded by so many little munchkins running around Easter egg hunting, getting their faces painted and playing ball......we were kept more than busy.

I previously mentioned our middle daughter was hosting an Easter brunch yesterday for her friends. She decided to have each guest bring a decorated Easter basket containing contents of their choice, with a total price tag of no more than $25.00. Ultimately, this basket was to be judged on their creativity.

She asked me if I would be the judge for this contest. Of course I said, yes...OH THE PRESSURE!

I've never been a judge before! My daughter kept her submission on the QT so that I didn't even know which basket was hers!!! 

After everyone arrived I received a "Facetime" call from North Carolina. Each baskets' contents were described to me as I was shown the photo.  All of the baskets had been so carefully thought out, and everyone had put so much time and effort into making them, I wanted to give everyone a gift card and tell them they were all winners in my mind.......but that's not what a contest is all about. Darn!

After careful decision I chose Kelly as the winner of the contest. Kelly had fully created her own basket by sewing the creation herself. She also made some adorable little bunny pouches filled with candy in coordinating fabric. The basket was filled with all sorts of other goodies as well. There were so many good ideas submitted, it really was a tough decision.

I think this was such a great idea on my daughter's part. A little creativity, some competitive fun with friends, and outstanding food, certainly made her Easter brunch a great time!

                                                    Wishing you all marvelous Monday!

                                                                     Kathleen

****What did you do for Easter? Drop us a line and share with us.

PRETTY AND DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE BUNNY BARK!!

Good Morning Friends---- I can't believe it's Wednesday already! Easter will be here in just a few days.
Are you ready? Are you hosting Easter dinner or brunch? I'm not this year. The girls decided to come home over the 4th of July so that we have more time to spend with each other. That's okay with my husband and I because we like the longer visits with them anyway!!

We currently have two invites out for Sunday and am working out the logistics to see if we are able to do both. Either way....we will be with friends and we are very thankful!

Today I'm making a sweet "thank you" for one of our neighbors. As soon as warm weather hit, many of us were in our yards trying to get a head start on erasing Winter and welcoming Springtime. One of our neighbors offered us their wheel barrel to speed up the process of getting the mulch to the beds. And of course we said, "sure, and thanks a bunch!" This meant that we now had two wheel barrels, one for each of us......ending up cutting hours off our mulch spreading project. YAY!

I think it's always nice to "thank" someone when  they go out of their way to help us with a little something. It was the perfect time to make a batch of Chocolate Bunny Bark, being Easter is only a few days away. Our youngest daughter had found the recipe and passed it along to all of us. We all were looking for a good excuse to make it so that we could sample it.

I love to make bark, especially colorful bark! Pastel colors, deep dark chocolate, and a pretty white chocolate swirl....so easy and delish.

The recipe link is below,just copy and paste the link-----I did use a 17 1/2 inch by 13 inch pan for mine. I like the thickness best by using this size pan.

http://greatideas.people.com/2014/04/11/bakerella-chocolate-bark-recipe-easter/

Do you have someone on your Easter list that would love this beautiful sight?  I sure hope our neighbor does!

                                                         Wishing you a sweet Wednesday!

                                                                          Kathleen

       ** Please feel free to leave us a comment. We'd love to hear how we are doing. THANK YOU!

IT"S MY STYLE MONDAY---BEAUTIFUL WOODSY EASTER TABLESCAPE

Well I am back in the North. What a flight. Thank goodness my sweet husband made sure I was in First Class on my return flight. Let's just say there was allot of motion going on. It was so bumpy that seat belts were always required, and the rear cabin received no snack or beverage service during the whole 3 hour flight. I was never so happy to hear the squeal of tires on the runway........we made it! YAY!

It's  MY STYLE blog day today and I wanted to have some fun.  I was up early and put together an Easter Tablescape for you that I hope you enjoy. While shopping a week ago in Williams Sonoma, I came across this beautiful tablecloth which was the inspiration for the tablescape today. 

The entire perimeter has a beautiful design. There are Easter bunnies, Lilies, and Dragonflies. I loved the subtle greens and golden yellows on the cream background. It's not always easy to work with any type of print on a tablecloth and a bit more challenging to display it in photos for your viewing. However, I tried as much as possible to capture glimpses here and there so you are able to see where my inspiration came from.

By keeping the center of the table very simple the beauty in the detail of the tablecloth becomes the a large part of the focal point. Simple Pussy Willows and bright yellow Daffodils compliment the woodsy feel that generates from the tablecloth design. I used rattan chargers that bring another more relaxed feel to the table by resembling wood.

 
I used a simple Spring brooch as a decorative feature on the yellow polka dot napkins instead of a napkin ring. This one happens to be one that belonged to my Grandmother.

The egg cups holding the beautiful brown eggs, a gift from my husband's tailor, Frank, who raises chickens.....love those fresh eggs! 

I hope you were inspired by today's Easter Table decor. Easter will be here before we know it!

Wishing you a wonderful day!

Kathleen

***Feel free to leave  a comment. I would love to hear from you!

 See you on Wednesday!

It's DIY Wednesday----EASTER EGG WREATH

I'm at the Florida house and we are having a gorgeous day today. I know back home we are predicted to get snow and really cold temps, so I am enjoying every minute I am here.

When I arrived here, and hung up my clothes, there was a sweet little Easter project sitting on a shelf in my closet. I had completely forgotten about a DIY Easter Wreath I had made about 3 years ago. (my sister made one for her door too!) I just love the way this wreath turned out. The pretty pastel display of eggs looks great anywhere. How festive Easter is this? When I saw it I immediately thought...I've got to get this on the blog for all of my Lavender Bouquet friends.

MATERIALS REQUIRED
1- 20 inch straw wreath
130--(approx.) plastic eggs
Ribbon of your choice to hang

I started in the center and secured a fairly even ring of eggs with glue around the complete center. I then worked outward, placing the eggs in places that look pleasing to the eye, trying to keep them uniform in a line....and not to hodpodgey. Use your judgement here.

It's simple and easy, but allow yourself some time to do it. It is time consuming.

I hope you have enjoyed this DIY segment. Please share your photos with us when you complete your wreath. Sending warm thoughts your way---see you Foodie Friday!

Kathleen

***Thank you all so much for visiting The Lavender Bouquet. I can't tell you how exciting it is to see the growth and comments coming in from many of you. Keep 'em coming!