Tablescape Thursday/Foodie Friday/Pink Saturday/And A Birthday Older Than Dirt Giveaway!

Beginning in May and continuing through the summer, there have been a lot of birthdays around here, Addie's and Cecelia's just to name two...



And their family makes it a point to have at least one birthday celebration be with family. The first cake (shown above) is from Addie's family party (Mr. Magpie and I being adopted members).

This wilder mod cake is from Addie's (wiggly, giggly, girly ) party with her buddies...



Addie was allowed to pick out her own decorations, and she opted for this hot pink lantern, black "pleather" tablecloth, and zebra-stripe runner to match her zebra-stripe cake (Rhoda, has she been reading your blog???)...



Her tableware, of course, was pink, and she chose the new square look...



And her glassware was black to coordinate (see the cup on the far side of the table)...



At the family party, her grandmother ordered a white cake with white icing which is still in keeping with her pink theme...



And it was elevated (as was the other cake) on a glass brick pedestal. This girl thought of everything...



And though more traditional, the flowers on this cake still have a bit of a mod feel to them...







Both Miss Addie the Hostess and her mother, Cece, donned their pinks for the occasion. Addie even chose black and white check slacks to coordinate. This was serious business, after swimming, of course...





Cece (left) with Addie (right)







And to my delight, there were polka dot napkins (BJ, these are for you!)...



That cake is just BEGGING to be cut...



And would you look at that snazzy bow on the cake knife/server (yeah, baby, yeah!)...



Okay, one...



Two...



Three...



Birthday wishes coming true...



Now, let's have our cake and eat it, too...



I want that hot pink flower. Which one do you want...



Then came Cecelia's birthday that started with a tea party at Disney with her best friend in the whole wide world (a party which I was unable to attend, being sick that day, and hated to miss)...



Then there was the family birthday which included some little friends and their parents as well. And like her cousin Addie, Cecelia LUVS pink! So for her special occasion, she selected pink "flatware," pink "goblets," coordinating pink napkins, and pink AND white "china"...



There was a chocolate ganache cake from Publix for the chocolate lovers (this is the third time I've had it, and it's GREAT!)...



And there was a pink and white cake with pink sparkler-type candles for the pink and white birthday girl...



Pink paper flowers (like Martha uses, of course)...



And here is the birthday girl herself, dressed to match her party theme. She threw in green and yellow, too for the tables. Cecelia likes color...



Here's a shot of the table BEFORE things were set (I like to get shots of the prep work)...



Lemons and oranges are always a nice addition to a tablescape because not only are they pretty, they are handy when you want to make a big pitcher of lemonade or fresh-squeezed orange juice or lemon squares or orange chicken or a pie or some other tasty treat...



And limes look good mixed with them...



FOOD ALERT: For those of you who have visited Florida's famous Columbia Restaurant in one of several locations, this is the 1905 Salad...



This salad is what I always order when I go there to eat. It is divine. You can even order the salad dressing from them online...



The restaurant also has a cookbook with their famous recipes in it, and I'm 99.9 per cent positive that this one is in it...



I never eat iceberg lettuce, but I make an exception with this salad. It has tomatoes, pimentos, olives, strips of turkey and/or ham, cheese, lemon juice, Worcestershire Sauce, and and I think anchovy paste among other things...



And this is Cuban bread ready to go into the oven. The glory of living in Florida is that we have Spanish and Cuban markets/restaurants nearby. The Cubans have long been a part of our culture here, and of course, we were settled by Spain...



Cecelia's other grandmother is famous for making a chicken and rice (arroz con pollo)dish. She makes it a little differently each time, but it is SO good. Many times she serves it with yellow rice, but this time she tried something different. Shown here, it is garnished with peas, pimentos, and asparagus...



And you can bet there wasn't a bite of this left, even though the Munchkins had pizza...



One last quiet moment in the kitchen before the dishes are served and the feeding frenzy begins (naturally I got so excited about eating that I forgot to film the final tablescapes, but I hope you won't mind this one time)...



Before dinner, there was a lot of this (notice the pink madras PLAID)...



Then after (and during from the look of those pizza slices on that napkin! LOL!), there was of coure this...



Ooooh, yum, and this...



And lots and lots of this...



Which means another fun birthday to tuck away for safe-keeping...



And before I go onto some fun giveaways, I want to wish Baby Kitty, the co-star of Confessions of a Plate Addict, a very Happy Birthday today! :-) His mother, Debbie or Ms. Plate Addict, has written the most charming tribute to him! Baby Kitty, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Interestingly, I found this out yesterday AFTER I posted this, and you will see why I say it is interesting later in the post. ;-)



GIVEAWAY CORNER: Now, I mentioned a birthday that is older than dirt. That would be mine on Friday, and no, I'm not tellling. Let me just say that I'm well on my way to becoming a true antique. That being said, I am having a Birthday Giveaway...



BUT wait, what about the Shiny Objects Giveaway I had for my 100th Post??? Don't think I've forgotten. Life got in the way last spring, so I was waiting to draw that one on my birthday. The problem is, Cecelia (my very own Vanna White) is in North Carolina on vacation, and I'm leaving on a trip, too. So that drawing will have to wait till later. Besides, Mr. Magpie and I have to cut up HUNDREDS of names (I offered numerous chances over numerous days) to put in the pile for Cecelia to draw! While that drawing has been closed, Cecelia will draw the winner sometime in August!



For the BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY, you can leave your name on this post, and when we draw it, I will pick something out JUST FOR YOU! You must understand that my friends tell me I should be a professional shopper, and I take great joy in finding personal gifts. When I get back, I will have Addie draw for this. Everyone has an equal shot, so if you sign on this post, you're entered! Then I will spy on your blog and see what you like! ;-)



But just in case, you think that I'm not going to give away SOMETHING on my birthday, think again! This giveaway you didn't even know about, and it's a FOLLOWERS GIVEAWAY. I know who won already (I drew this one myself), but I'm not telling till Friday (my real birthday). So come back and visit for Foodie Friday and see who won! And NO, they did not win this cake. This is just another shiny food object for Foodie Friday. [You'll find out at the bottom of the post on 7/23 who won the FOLLOWERS GIVEAWAY!]



With that, I bid you a very Happy Tablescape Thursday, Foodie Friday, and Pink Saturday! I want to take this opportunity to thank Susan, Michael, and Beverly for hosting these fun events at their beautiful blogs. They are so sweet to do this, week after week, and I want them to know how much we enjoy playing along!

Please click on Between Naps on the Porch to visit Susan and view more fun tablescapes...



Then click on Designs by Gollum to visit Michael and view some wonderful Foodie posts...



And click on How Sweet the Sound to visit Beverly and see lots and lots of pink. Oh, and I found out that Beverly is having a birthday on Sunday and her mother's birthday is Friday so be sure and wish them well...



Thanks for visiting, and I look forward to visiting you!

Warmly,


An Older Than Dirt Mrs. Magpie (Sheila)

P.S. Note to Pinkies: I will be traveling beginning on Saturday so if I don't make it to visit, I might need a raincheck!

While the Birthday Drawing is still going on and will be until I get back from where I'm going, the Followers Drawing was won by none other than Debbie at Confessions of A Plate Addict and her co-host Baby Kitty. Imagine my shock when I found out Baby Kitty's Birthday is TODAY! I could not have timed this more perfectly! LOL! And I'll give you a little hint of what they won, but only a hint. I want them to have the surprise of opening the packages...




And this one is a little sneakier...



Can't guess??? Well, I'll reveal it to you after Debbie and Baby Kitty receive their gifts! ;-)

Congratulations, Ms. Plate Addict and Baby Kitty! :-) :-)

And good luck to the rest of you on the next drawing!

Edit: Many, many thanks for your kind birthday wishes. You have touched my heart more than I can say, and I thank you. See you when I get back! :-)