Happy May

Happy May !

May is so beautiful as everything begins to bloom - and this month always reminds me of lilacs in bloom.   As a young girl in a Catholic Elementary school May was the "month of Mary" and each classroom had a "May Altar".   It was the custom to bring flowers to decorate the altar as mentioned in the lyrics to this hymn "Bring Flowers of the Rarest"

I can still close my eyes and smell the lilacs on the May Altar, the long window shades flapping in the breeze, and the anticipation of May Crowning - when the statue of Mary would be crowned with flowers.  They are happy memories...so when creating a wreath for the month of May it had to be a lilac theme.

Of course...May is also the time for Cinco de Mayo - and since we were having guests close to the date I decided to do a Mexican themed table and make Chicken Santa Fe for dinner.

For my centerpiece I used a rattan tray I had from Target, a colorful plate from my collection, flowers placed in a pot that a friend made back in 1975 when we were in college, my repurposed/spray painted candlesticks ( one on a custard cup as a riser), a maraca that I had since high school - LOL - and the little figurine that was a gift from the guests we were having for dinner.

 I used natural color place mats topped with colorful flower and butterfly mats.  Plain white dishes, red salad plates, and mixed up the colors of the napkins.   The small glasses were for margaritas and the blue stemmed glasses held water.  All glasses were in my collection and purchase at Dollar Tree.

I thought it looked good for a fun dinner with friends.  I did not remember to take a photo of the Chicken Santa Fe....but it looked great in a blue and tan baking dish.  I am still new to this blogging world and have to remember to take more photos of the preparation...and the recipes!   We topped the chicken/corn/black beans/salsa and rice with avocado chunks, sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips.   A simple salad of mixed greens with strawberries and mandarin oranges and crusty bread filled out the menu.  For dessert...banana layer cake with cream cheese frosting, walnuts, and banana chips - yum!  But the best part was sharing a great visit with old friends!

So - do you celebrate Cinco de Mayo ?   What do you do to make the occasion special?  Any memories of Parochial School and May ?  

Please leave a comment - I would love to hear from you!

Enjoy the "merry month of MAY"!!!