Easter Weekend - Pinehurst and Easter Lunch Tablescape

As I mentioned in yesterday's post we traveled to my parents house for the Easter holiday weekend.

They moved to Eastern NC just over a year ago and live about 40-minutes from the city of Pinehurst.

So, on Saturday while all the guys were playing golf on my parents club course, we ladies headed to PH for a little lunching and shopping.

This was every one's first visit except for my Mom's so we stopped by the Pinehurst Resort to see what it is all about.

 It reminds me a lot of the Jekyll Island Club down in Southern Georgia if any of you are familiar with it.

 Super Southern!

I wasn't embarrassed to ask the first person we saw to get a group picture of us in front of the hotel.

 The place was decked out with Easter decor and they were even having festivities on the lawn for families.

 My MIL, being a puzzle lover, couldn't resist checking out the one they had on display inside.

 And, being that it was a lovely day there was a wedding taking place at the Resort.

 Bagpipes and all.

 Everything is so charming especially their porches and dozens of rocking chairs.

 We grabbed a drink and relaxed for a minute or two.

 Such a fun ladies day trip and so much fun doing it with both my MIL and Mother!

 And, my brother's girlfriend Tiffany.

 Next we headed to the Village to shop around and have lunch.

This area was cute and charming as well with flowers in full bloom. 

 It didn't take us long to choose Theos Taverna for lunch once we saw their cute courtyard from a distance.

 I'm a sucker for these types of restaurants because I love being outside and I love ambiance.

We enjoyed an amazing lunch here.

I would suggest trying it out if in the area.

 After lunch we shopped some more, posed with the Easter bunny and then headed home.

 Speaking of the Easter bunny...

The next morning he paid Buddy a visit and stocked him full of new toys and treats!

I helped Mom reset the table for Easter lunch and even made the cupcakes in advance for each place setting.

 There's a rabbit theme going on with each person getting a chocolate bunny.

Our meal consisted of ham, scalloped potatoes, deviled eggs, salad, bread and cupcakes with ice cream!

 And, before we headed back to Charlotte we paused to take a few family pictures.

The Wallace side of the family minus my brother's 3-kids.

 The Stephens side of the family minus my BIL and SIL and their 2-kids.

 What a fantastic weekend and we can't wait to do it again!!!

Mardi Gras Themed Super Bowl Party

Super Bowl Sunday is a whole lot more fun when your team is playing.

This year, of course, none of my favorites were(Panthers/Saints).

 Despite that fact, we had a Super Bowl Party!

Giving we weren't into either of the teams I decided we would make it a Mardi Gras themed Super Bowl Bash!

Beer, Beads and Super Bowl!

 

Of course, I did a tablescape!

As I mentioned last week, my co-worker brought me a whole boat load of beads and several feather masks.

From there I took the ribbon I bought for 70% off and used linens I already had and went to town!

I made a sign for the table too using Paperless Post that my blogger b/f/f, I Do Declare, introduced me to during the holidays.

The food was amazing as to be expected.

Along, with our neighbors LeAne and Keith, we made some food and then had some of our guests bring items too.

Our friends Katie and Josh made homemade Cajun turkey meatballs.

These were delish!

We had drinks!
Since it was a work night we didn't do hurricanes after all.

Just wine and beer.

I used one of my decorative wine bottles in the bar area.

Back to the food.

LeAne made fried macaroni and cheese!

Another friend brought chicken buffalo dip.

Baked potato dip with waffle fries!

Brad smoked wings..

And, LeAne's husband Keith made ribs!

There was a ton of yummy food!

No party is complete without a few favors for the guests.

I made Fleur de lis cookies and LeAne made football shaped cake pops.

We'll both be posting about these tomorrow.

More, LeAne, who's a bakerella, with a tutorial on how to make these cute pops!

I had tons of Abita Purple Haze on hand for the party.
If you've never tried one, you should run to your nearest store and get some right away!

Aside from the Abita beer from Louisiana, I also had a King Cake shipped in from Haydel's Bakery in New Orleans.
A majority of our guests had never had one before.

Delicious as well!
I brought the half left over to work.

A good time for sure!

Everyone stayed way past the halftime show!

Thanks to my new b/f/f neighbor LeAne for all of her help!
We had a lot of fun baking and decorating together and are looking forward to our next event!

I'm sure it won't be as much fun as the Mardi Gras theme but we can try!

Brad and LeAne's husband Keith had a blast as well, smoking up the meat all weekend.
At times, maybe even a little too much fun!

HA!

Thanks to everyone who came!

And, CONGRATS to the New York Giants on their big win!

It was quite a game!

Down to the very end!

Happy Monday! and Happy Mardi Gras!

The season officially kicked off this weekend!

Perfect timing for our party!

Mardi Gras/Super Bowl Madness

I need to seriously calm down!

Along with our neighbors we have decided to have a 'few people over' for the Super Bowl and I now have this hair-brain idea we're making it a Mardi Gras party too!

I just can't help myself!

My Mother In-Law and I hit a store over the weekend where all of their Christmas decor was 70% off and I found items that can be used for a Mardi Gras table scape!

Now, I'm getting on Pinterest (follow me here)and going nuts!

RIDICULOUS!
We're doing everything at our house but my neighbor LeAne is helping with the decor too.

We're inviting people outside the hood as well and told the neighbors to do the same!

I still have a few things Mardi Gras but having moved so many times over the years I've thrown out all my beads and such.

So, I talked to my niece Hannah the other night and she's sending me some of hers to decorate with.

Here's a few inspiration photos I found on Pinterest.

Of course, I have ideas in my mind with items I already have at the house because I'm determined to spend little or no $$.

Our official theme?

Beer, Beads and The Super Bowl!

I love this for a center piece.

I think I have everything except for the flowers.

We might serve up some good ole' fashion Hurricanes!

Source: blog.mardigrasoutlet.com via Annie on Pinterest

I'm loving this wreath!

Source: blogs.babble.com via Annie on Pinterest

Source: fancyfaces.com via Darlene on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Anne Marie on Pinterest

Source: homeiswheretheholmansare.blogspot.com via Kristy on Pinterest

And, you know I've already ordered a King Cake from New Orleans.

I'm planning on making it the anchor for the table.

I just hope I'm able to be creative as I hope I can be!!!

My neighbor LeAne is pretty crafty so I'm hoping she can help.

BTW - check out her new fabulous blog by clicking here!

Any other cool ideas for me that won't break the bank?!

Happy Mardi Gras 2012 and Super Bowl XLVI!