Coastal Collection At West End...

Hello everyone from the exciting city of Montreal.  It's been an incredibly busy last two weeks for me so I've been left with little time to catch up on all my favorite blogs...and am hoping to get a chance to do so these next couple of days.  I feel like I am missing out on so many of my favorite places.  

So with that, I wanted to share some wonderful things from the Coastal collection of this new online site I have discovered...At West End.  I recently received one of their catalogs in the mail and I love so many of their offerings.  The prices are great and the items are unique.  I hope you enjoy some of my favorite selections....I especially love the driftwood pieces.  

What's your favorite?

Hope your having a great week!!

Watermelon Wednesdays #2....A Yummy Dessert Basket

Not only is this a healthy dessert from Martha Stewart...it's a pretty one.  

Directions

• 1 medium oblong seedless watermelon, (10 to 12 pounds)
• 5 to 6 pounds mixed cantaloupe and honeydew melons, seeds and rinds removed, cut into 1/2-to 1-inch-thick wedges (32 to 36 slices)
• 3 pounds red papaya, seeds and skin removed, cut into 1-inch-thick wedges (8 to 10 slices)
• Lime zest, for sprinkling
• Pink Hawaiian sea salt
• Raspberry-Lime Ginger Sauce
• Toasted Coconut Brittle

1. Trim ends off watermelon, then cut watermelon in half at an angle. Remove flesh from each half with a melon baller; set aside. Scrape out any excess flesh with a spoon for a clean, smooth interior.
2. Stand watermelon baskets upright on trimmed ends. Fill bottom third of each basket with about 40 watermelon balls. Place assorted melon and papaya slices on top of watermelon balls against the back of the basket, evenly dividing fruit between baskets. Fill in front with remaining watermelon balls. Sprinkle with lime zest. Serve with sea salt, sauce, and brittle as accompaniments.
   
   
   
   
   ENJOY!!
   
   
   
   

Springtime table ideas...

Well I've been a bit quiet this week...as I've been experiencing some serious computer issues.  I started the week off by dropping my laptop and well, one thing led to another and I've learned a very hard lesson about not backing up your hard drive.  Unfortunately, my hard drive was shot and I lost 5 years of photographs, music, books, papers, all my contacts...well the list goes on and on.

So I bought a new laptop and have sent my old hard drive off to this place in California that Apple referred me to...in hopes that they can recover my photographs.  The rest I can eventually replace but I've been heartbroken about losing all my photos.  This is a big lesson learned...and now I will be backing everything up on a regular basis. I'm not very computer savvy so I didn't realize how important backing up your hard drive is.  Well - I know now.  

So anyway - onto more pleasant subjects...Spring table decor. I thought I'd share some beautiful coastal accessories from Williams-Sonoma's new catalog.  

  

Hope you enjoyed browsing this awesome coastal collection. Now I'm off to catch up on reading all my favorite blogs.  Have a great Sunday!!

Watermelon Wednesday's #1....Refreshing Punch

Kicking off Spring and going into Summer, every other Wednesday I'll be posting creative food and beverage recipes to infuse watermelon (my favorite fruit) into your spring and summer season.  This first week starts off with a fabulous punch recipe from Martha Stewart Living...

Ingredients

Serves 8 to 10

• 1 oblong seedless watermelon (about 14 pounds)
• 3 cups seltzer

Directions

1. Cut top third off watermelon; trim bottom just enough to make a flat surface. Scoop out flesh.
2. Working in batches, puree watermelon in a food processor. Strain through a fine sieve; discard solids. (You should have about 9 cups juice.) Cover rind with plastic wrap. Refrigerate juice and rind until chilled, about 1 hour. Combine juice with seltzer; transfer to rind.

Doesn't this look so refreshing?

So excited it's almost Spring.

Loving the smell of lavender.....

I recently discovered the online shop Dreamy Whites....and decided to order a lavender pillow for my living room.  It arrived yesterday and it is so pretty I thought I would share some photos of it.

It came so beautifully packaged....along with a matching sachet,
 a burlap sachet of lavender and a bouquet of lavender.

I just love this little pillow.  It smells so wonderful. 

A Sunny Saturday.....

Well Spring is officially in the air here in South Florida.  It's a gorgeous day.  So with that...I thought I would spend my afternoon shopping around for some springy outdoor accessories to spruce my backyard up. And here are some sunny photos to keep all of you who are still struggling with cold weather optimistic that warm weather is right around the corner.  

Have a happy Saturday.