Home Accessory Exchange
Spring cleaning or rather Spring cleaning-out. If you are like me you are ready to lighten the load in the Spring, open things up, air out and start anew. When we do this we always have things we no longer want to keep and usually end up with a stack of things to give away. This year, since my mom and sisters do the same with lots of their own stuff, I thought it would be fun to do a home accessory exchange.
I asked my mom to host this party at her home and my sisters, mom, and myself would all bring several things we no longer wanted to keep and exchange them with each other. It's fun and kind of like shopping for something new to bring home, only it doesn't cost us anything.
Having a good meal together, laughter and exchanging stuff is always a good time. Isn't mom's table pretty? Her everyday dishes are MACINTOSH from Pier 1. I love the rich colors in the fruit and her blue glasses are so dainty.
I love this sweet little jam dish she has had for years. I wish this were on the "exchange table." The centerpiece was her pretty vase with butterflies and four small arrangements of Lilac flowers and Chinese Fringe bush flowers. I love the star shaped flowers against the beautiful round clusters on the Lilac. Also used on the table were grapes that fit in very nicely with the fruit on the plates.
Mom has a beautiful deck overlooking acres of woods. I always enjoy sitting out there listening to the birds sing and hoping to see wild turkey or deer.
Chicken Divan with fresh fruit on the side and sweet iced tea is the menu. Here's our recipe for the Chicken Divan:
Sauce:
2 Cans of Cream of Chicken soup
1 Cup Mayonnaise
8 oz sour cream
1 Cup cheese
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp curry
Mix all of the above in a small bowl
Cook a head of broccoli and approximately 4-6 cups chicken
Put this in a baking dish.
Sprinkle with 1/2 c Parmesan cheese, salt & pepper.
Next pour sauce over. This will be thick.
Bake 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.
It is delicious.
I hope you will have an exchange for yourself. It's so much fun and another excuse to get together with family or friends.
I'm linking to: 
What a fun way to get different accessories for your home, it would be fun to do with a bunch of girlfriends, too.
ReplyDeleteI am anxiously awaiting the lilacs, right now they are just little clusters at the ends of each branch. I noticed the fat buds of the iris are also forming.
Beautiful table...you just can't go wrong with anything blue! Chicken divan sounds wonderful...thanks for the recipe.
Have a great week, Susan!
I love your blue setting table! Cristina
ReplyDeleteThis is a great idea. I love the rich color of the table...but I was hoping to see the exchange table.
ReplyDelete- The Tablescaper
What a pretty table! Love the dishes! Sounds like a fun time and a good way to get rid of stuff and get new stuff without spending any money!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous outdoor setting and it is the perfect place to enjoy a meal. Your mother's tablescape with the fruit on the china is so lovely. I also like her centerpiece with the vase. What a great idea to exchange stuff and have new to you ar no cost. Hope you show us what your new pieces are in another posting!
ReplyDeletePam
Beautiful table! I love her china! What a relaxed setting to have lunch.... I love your idea of exchanging stuff! You didn't show us the exchange table....I am looking forward to seeing your new stuff in another post! I think that is a great idea!
ReplyDeleteBlessings My Friend,
I like your idea, I've done something similar with my friends. By the way, I have the same dishes and I usually use them at Thanksgiving but now that I see how pretty they are on a Spring table I'm going to use them more often. Thanks for the idea!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this idea! I am going to see if can get some friends to do this too! Thanks for the inspiration. Your Mom's view is exactly what we had at the old house. It is just going on the market today so we finished up cleaning, painting, and staging yesterday. It is bittersweet, we built that house and lived there 29 years. XO, pinky
ReplyDelete