Substance of Living

This is a super exciting day for me.  Not only do I get to share with you the newest addition to Castello family - Burger Blue Cheese, but we are celebrating my fabulous husband's birthday and 4th of July!  (Although you've seen bits and pieces of him from time to time, he really does not like being in the limelight and yet he did an amazing job as Nathan Detroit in "Guys and Dolls" musical. I can go on and on and on about how adorable and wonderful my husband is, but you really want to know about this new cheese that people are talking about. "Transform your burger into an epicurean delight" "Top burgers with a perfectly-sized slice of NEW Castello ® Burger Blue cheese to give them a bold and sophisticated taste found in the kitchens of gourmet chefs across the country. With perfectly sized and supremely meltable Castello ® Burger Blue cheese, the messy, inconsistent coverage of blue cheese crumbles is a thing of the past. T...

Are you new to our book club?  If so, WELCOME!  In case you're up to your ears in hearts , pink, love, and chocolate ; we have mystery, murder, comedy, and of course some flowers for you in this month's reading selection. Join us once again as we find out what Myrtle Clover is doing...  A BODY IN THE BACKYARD - written by Elizabeth Spann Craig  A DYEING SHAME - written by Elizabeth Spann Craig  We promised you some flowers...   THE FINAL ARRANGMENT - written by Annie Adams Each month we have a selection of books that might include different genres or a particular theme.  To find out more, please visit our Book Club page. BEVERLY HILLS DEAD - written by Stuart Woods We wish you all a month (not just a day) full of love and happiness.  Enjoy your reading and let us know what you thought.  Now grab that box of chocolates, a cozy blanket and snuggle up for some hilarious and thoughtful reading. ...

What I've learned living in the south is that Southerners really are about family.  I think it might be because they like to cook.  ( Or is that me wanting to fit in because I have lived in the south for so long, enjoy cooking, and having company around my table? )  It's common to find the family gathered together for Sunday suppers. Thanksgiving seems to be an excuse to have a Sunday supper during the week. Another thing I've learned living in the south is that holidays are HUGE events.  Everyone is invited.   Not enough room or tables?  No problem.  Move the furniture around and instead of eating in the dining room, eat in the family room or spread the tables throughout the house.  The finest dishes are used no matter how fancy or simple and whether or not they match. This first table makes me think of a tea house or a romantic setting in an historical hotel.  The rich colors, napkin holders, and the overall elegance takes me ba...

Bandanas have to be one of the most widely used pieces of fabric known to mankind. Bandanas hid the faces of the bad guys (Bandits) in the old Western movies, they held back ladies' hair in the '70s,  bikers use them to keep the sweat from soaking into their helmets and of course keeping their hair nice and neat.  Bandanas are used as handkerchiefs, napkins, used to tie a pant leg so it doesn't get caught in a bicycle chain, and used as an over-all fashion statement. Did you know that besides wearing a bandana, it can be used to decorate your home or next party/event? Kates, the hostess of Kates Entertaining Ideas draws out her tables showing where everything goes.  Isn't that a great idea?  I need to start doing that in addition to pre-setting my table with dishes and labels. Burlap and Bandanas Table Emma over at Hello Beautiful used her bandanas as a banner welcoming guests. Bandana Banner I really like how Unique Baby Gear Ideas used bandan...

Last year, when we had our new house built, we initially wanted a paver patio with a wall.  Then after further consderation, we opted not to have the builder install the patio.  We figured we would take some time and look around at patio flooring options. We are so happy with our patio; the shape, size, type of paver used.  It looks like stone but is actually a paver. We had the guys dig out an area completely around the patio so we could put in shrubs and other plants.  We still like that idea but now we are rethinking the wall. In this first picture, I like the shape of the patio.  It resembles our patio shape a bit.  The wall around the outside is nice for additional seating and distinguishes the patio from the yard. Source This next patio is nice with the vegetation on the inside of the wall.  This is nice since the patio opens onto the back yard but doesn't actually add additional seating.  This is something of what we were...