MY FAVORITE EASTER STORY

In the end of the sabbath,

as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week,

came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.

And, behold, there was a great earthquake:

for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven,

and came and rolled back the stone from the door,

and sat upon it.

His countenance was like lightning,

and his raiment white as snow:

And for fear of him the keepers did shake,

and became as dead men.

And the angel answered and said unto the women,

Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.

He is not here: for HE IS RISEN, as he said,

Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

Matthew 28:1-6
(King James Version of the Holy Bible)

Carry My Cross...video by Third Day...know that Jesus did this for YOU...

(this is very graphic, please use parental discretion if children are present)

Not attending church this Easter Sunday?....Please feel free to listen live to my pastor as he shares with us Christ's passion...service starts 10:00 a.m. central time...just click the pic below and ENJOY...

HAPPY EASTER!

I am joining My Romantic Home for Show & Tell Friday....please join me there.

SPECIAL DELIVERY

Have you ever been asked to do a job for someone that you just really did NOT want to tackle...and have you ever said YES although you REALLY didn't want to...even to the point of biting your own tongue off...Yes, I'm pretty sure we all have at least once...well, I am notorious for doing this very thing...

...my dear friend from church asked me once again to do her taxes...and, of course....(biting my tongue the whole time as I hate doing my own taxes much less someone else's) I said "oh sure, I'll do them, just bring me your paperwork"....knowing my friend, I should have said bring me your paperwork YESTERDAY...as I knew she would wait until the last minute to get it all together...boy was I right...she waited until APRIL 13...

...I worked feverishly to get them done before the deadline...pestering her every half-hour as she didn't bring me all the necessary information...only to e-file them and have them REJECTED by the IRS...rejected, why?

...Well, it turns out my friend FORGOT what year her husband was born so I plugged in the wrong date on the tax form...tell me...how exactly does a woman forget such a thing...well, thankfully this was a QUICK fix and I was able to refile just in the nick of time...Praiseallujah...they were ACCEPTED...

...WHEW, what a relief...I think my friend must have SENSED my nervousness over the whole situation...hmmm, maybe it was my huge PANIC ATTACK that lead her to this conclusion...and so in her infinate wisdom...

...she had this very lovely little bouquet special delivered to the office...for MOI...

...AWWWW, isn't he just soooooo cute? Instantly...

...frustration, aggrevation...headache....GONE!!...aren't flowers just wonderful that way...they make everything better, brighter and cheerier...and all the better when they are hand delivered by a sweet little florist....

....flowers are a GOD SEND...as they always put us in a better frame of mind...don't you think?

ROADSIDE BOUQUET

On my little LUNCH time drive yesterday, I spotted these cute little PURPLE flowers....

...yes, I know they're just WEEDS...but I couldn't resist stopping and PLUCKING them right up out of the ground...after all I needed a little JOY for my desk at work...it's just such a dismal place most days...

...I stopped at the thrift store behind the office and found the SWEET little white vase for .25 cents...It was just the PERFECT size for my little ROADSIDE BOUQUET...

DINNER IN THE TROPICS

I am becoming rather FOND of this tablescaping business...and have put together ANOTHER little tablescape using some thrift store finds...I call this one DINNER IN THE TROPICS...

...I apologize up front for the dark pictures...I was having some TECHNICAL issues...

...I found this palm tree dinnerware by Home Trends (5 dinner plates and 5 salad plates) at a local thrift shop for $6.00...more than I normally would spend....but I REALLY liked the pattern and so I SNATCHED them up...

...I found the white linen napkins and wooden napkin rings there also (on different occasions)...I gave $1.00 for the napkins and $1.00 for the napkin rings...I thought they were perfect for these dishes...

...I've used my everyday flatware and smoky brown drinking glasses which I already had....I have been on the hunt for some COCONUT drinkware to go with this...wouldn't that be so cute?...

...I found a LEAFY green placemat for .25 cents at another thrift shop and two RATTAN chargers for .50 cents that I thought would be perfect for the centerpiece...I used one of the chargers, the remaining plates, a treasure chest full of greenery and frame (which I already had but were all thrift store finds a few years back), and my newest candlestick from Hob Lob (clearanced at $2.00)...

...had a little trouble getting the plate to stay up after my little one bumped the table...but still turned out okay...

...to add a little more green to the table and balance everything out, I used a green salad plate as a candle plate on either side of the centerpiece...the runner is a white sheer curtain panel....shhhh don't tell anyone...

...I really like this look...now if only I were on a BEACH somewhere...sipping an ICE COLD drink...dining on some delicious LOBSTER or shrimp...ISLAND BREEZES blowing...and soaking in some SUNSHINE...I would HAVE it made!!!...

...HAPPY DINING!!!

I am joining these fabulous parties...won't you join me...

Tabletop Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life
Nifty Thrify Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps On The Porch 
Open House Thursday @ No Minimalist Here
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
Whassup Wednesday @ Elements Interiors
Show And Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home 

TIME TO GARDEN

I LOVE the gardening season although I don't get to do very much of it....TIME just doesn't allow...

...while our new yard is pretty barren except for an abundance of forsythia bushes, a few TREES....and one lone HYDRANGEA bush....I dream of someday having a beautiful, lush, flower laden garden on my little half acre...

...and while that DREAM is probably going to take several YEARS to come to fruition....I just couldn't pass the opportunity to STROLL through the gardening section of some of our local stores this year to see what kind of gardening treasures are on their shelves...on my little stroll through K-Mart and Big Lots a few weeks ago I found a few things I thought you might enjoy...

I love the mosaic wings on this angel...she is so beautiful...wouldn't she be a GORGEOUS addition to a beautiful rose garden...

...this little LEO is no cowardly lion from the Wizard of Oz...he is so stately and ready to guard the garden gates...

What a beautiful couple they make...

...I just love this little cherub...and really wanted to take her home with me...but alas no place for her right now...in fact all of the little cherub figurines were so cute I couldn't resist taking a little picture of all of them...aren't they soooooooo sweet....

....to go along with this little white cherubs...how about a few lovely white urns....I'll take two, orrrr maybe 4...I just love these...

...there's always a little spot in the garden for our favorite little birds...

...aren't they just so sweet...now how about a little MORE whimsy in the garden...how about a nice worn out work boot....

...and my personal favorite...a big ol' TOAD...lol...

...your prince has finally come....won't you KISS the FROG...

...or FROGS....well, that's all I have...cause I was starting to feel a little (well maybe a lot) self-conscious taking pictures in the middle of the store isles with loads of strangers around...

...so for now...CHEERS...and HAPPY GARDENING...

A LITTLE LIGHTENING UP...

NO, NO WAIT, DON'T GO AWAY,  this is still the same ol' BEYOND THE PORTICO...but since SPRING has finally arrived...I have decided to do a little SPRINGATIZING...you know a little LIGHTENING up and have given my blog a little facelift...

...it's waaaay easier to give my blog a facelift for spring than it is the house...you know what I mean...painting every room a fresh spring color would take weeks (or more like months for me)...so no new spring color at home...but a NEW LOOK for my blog...I have a few more changes to make...but I really like the lighter, fresher look...hope you do too...

Ta Ta for now...

VINEYARD ROMANCE TABLESCAPE

I had so much FUN putting together my FIRST ever tablescape last week....the little blue and white one HERE...that I just couldn't resist playing in the dishes again this week...

...this week's little tablescape features touches of PLUM and SAGE green...I call this GORGEOUS table...VINEYARD ROMANCE...

...I loved it soooooo much...wrinkles and all...that I snapped a bazillion shots of it and YOU are going to get to see most of them....LUCKY YOU!...

...LAYERING, LAYERING, LAYERING...it's sooooo important for romance, don't you think?....(would you listen to me..I sound as if I know what I'm doing here and this is only my second tablescape, lol)...Anyway, I just love this look...I started with a wrinkle textured white organza tablecloth...then added a swatch of a soft sage green BROCADE fabric to the center as a runner...I topped that with a vintage FRINGED white linen table scarf...

...a little glimpse of the hubster at the door...

....for the centerpiece I used my new LANTERN I got from Hob Lob for $9.00 a few weeks ago...a bargain at 80% off...added some vineyard inspired GREENERY I already had, and my favorite little BIRD statues (see them HERE too)...I just love this centerpiece...I think it's why I named this table VINEYARD ROMANCE...It's just so vineyardy romantic...

...the sun streaming through the window just made everything that much more romantic...for balance I placed a sweet little rose vinyette on either side of the centerpiece...

...I found these adorable footed crystal plates and the pewter candle plates at a thrift shop a few months back and thought they made a beautiful little addition to this table...I was fresh out of wine (don't drink), grapes and cheese, but wouldn't that have been divine?...

...now onto the most important part of setting the table...THE DISHES...

...I used my Royal Duchess, Bavarian china (won at auction many years ago...I think for $3.00...4 place settings)...

...the flower is GERMAN MOUNTAIN BELL...it's so delicate and beautiful...I love the sparkle of the SILVER rim...and the little touch of GREEN in the leaves goes PERFECT with this table...I've used the dinner plates, tea cups and saucers...wouldn't this table be just perfect for BRUNCH or high TEA with the girls?...

...this table even makes my everyday flatware look good...I've used the same soft sage green brocade fabric for napkins...simply folded in thirds...GORGEOUS...

...as day gave way to evening and night settled in...I just couldn't resist but take a few more shots of this beautiful table...

...a touch of candlelight...

...a golden glow...

 ...well...there you have it....my VINEYARD ROMANCE tablescape...I had so much fun putting this table together...too bad about the wine, grapes and cheese...but...I still loved it...In fact, I loved it sooooo much that I changed some things up, and used the fabrics and centerpiece as a vingette someplace else in the house...perhaps a post on that later...

...Thank you so much for stopping by ...I hope you have enjoyed your little visit here today...and please...don't be shy, feel free to comment...I love hearing from YOU!

I am linking up to these FABULOUS parties this week...won't you JOIN me...

Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps On The Porch 
Open House Thursday @ No Minimalist Here
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
Whassup Wednesday @ Elements Interiors
Show And Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home