It a quiet night here and I love that. The cold weather seems to bring that on. And it is a chilly 44 degrees here in the upper Midwest. I love it! But please don't ask me how I feel when it is in the single digits! I'm not a happy camper. Lights like these above make me happy. Candles can't keep us warm, but they make our hearts warm and our faces glow. Everything is softer and more gentle with candlelight. I like to burn a big old Yankee candles during the day to fill my home with amazing scent. In the evening...when I know we are staying in, I burn a lot of tea lights and votives just for ambiance. I like the tiny little light and flicker they give...alone or in groups.
I did a little more holiday shopping online this week and I am making a good size dent in my shopping and that always takes a lot of holiday stress off me. So many bloggers are saying that they like to have their homes decorated and shopping done so they can enjoy the whole holiday season without pressure and you know...that is smart advice!! I'm doing a lot to make this advice work for me but first, I wanted to talk about holiday shopping online a little briefly because I consider myself a little {ahem} experienced in this area. Actually, it is about mistakes you can make when you think you are getting a deal that would never have happened if you were in the store. 
Never buy a candle online. That involves sniffing and maybe someday we will be able to that through a device on our computers. Who would ever think that Pomegranate Tea would smell so awful, but I ordered a huge pillar from Kohl's and I thought it smelled horrible. Think: Couldn't sell, big markdown. Ironically, I also bought a big hurricane for it and plopped the candle in. It melted all over and there is no way to get the wax out. That's the end of both of those deals.
I consider these above a good mistake. I was expecting something much smaller...described for tea light candles, they are quite generously sized. I can also fit a votive in these. I bought some for the lakehouse, too, as they are on clearance. 99.9% of what I order online is on sale or clearance. But in any event...always check dimensions and size. 
I packed up a lot of my fall pieces today and kept most surfaces down to a bare minimum with company coming {including babies} on Thanksgiving. I am liking the editing...it gets to be too much considering this has all been out since mid~October. Is anyone else ready to get the shovel? lol!! Getting Christmas ready will be a lot easier without as much packing up the fall.
Tomorrow I am off to the Holiday Market in Morris, Illinois. I am hoping to meet some bloggers I have never met before and do a little more shopping. I'm hoping they have a lot of hot chocolate {maybe mixed with a little Bailey's ;-D}. I'll have my camera so look for a great post next week! Hope you are having a snuggly Friday night! :-)
Bottles and candles are from Wisteria.
Good morning ladies. It's a beautiful day in Chicago. A perfect day to get out and do some Christmas shopping, which I think I will. Since I have sworn off decorating for Christmas so soon, and I had to stop buying fall things on clearance {I already have waaaaay too many things}, getting into the Christmas spirit by buying gifts sounds just like the perfect day to me. Look out. 
Yesterday I went grocery shopping and picked up this bunch of spray roses, which were marked down. I love the blush color and they are so pretty to look at aside from all the browns and reds and golds of fall. I made a little vignette with some silver dessert cups that remind me that I have a ton of silver to finish polishing. Other than that, I think I am ready for Thanksgiving. I picked up my turkey yesterday {I have a big freezer downstairs}, and all of the trimmings. I also picked up ingredients for some baking, which I will start on and freeze. Each year we have a baking contest...the ladies bake and the men are the judges. No prize, just a lot of compliments. I haven't decided what to make, but over the years I have found that men love chocolate just as much as women and if it's combined with peanut butter, it's an even bigger hit. I'll let you know what I make.
I had daughter Emily and her boyfriend Mike over for dinner last night. This is no small feat since Emily is a vegan and I follow a low carb diet which includes a lot of lean meat. I made chicken {again}, which Emily skipped, a salad, potato pancakes, steamed broccoli, corn and dinner rolls. It turned out pretty well and I am happy to be entertaining a bit more these days. 
I didn't take pictures like a traditional tablescape, but I wanted to show you the new dishes I recently bought from Ballard Design. I know I promised no more dishes, but I bought a complete set, service for 8, rather than bits and pieces that I frequently find at Homegoods or TJ Maxx. I needed a whole set of everyday dishes. 
It is called Antique Beaded Dinnerware. Each piece is hand finished and has a light glaze. I love the footed bowls and the beading around the edges. I have hinted that I want the serving bowl and platter for Christmas. Hey, a little hinting doesn't hurt. 
We have plans to go on a little jaunt Saturday morning to this Holiday Market, about 50 minutes away. I read about it on a blog. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures. Doesn't it look fun? I hope to do some serious Christmas shopping at this event, too. So that is all I have today. I have to get moving if I am going to get out and shop. Have you seen the Salvation Army volunteers outside the stores yet? They always put me in the Christmas spirit. And Christmas carols on the radio. I love it!
I am linking with Marty from A Stroll Through Life for Table Top Tuesday. Have a wonderful week! :-)
Maybe it's the rainy, blustery weather we are having but I am so ready to take a warm bath, put on some flannel pajamas and snuggle up in front of the fire. I think Chinese food will be on the menu tonight. I've had the sniffles the past few days and I was pushing on until today and when I woke up to the rain this morning I decided to just stay in and stay warm. Other than running out for some firewood, I have been in my little nest. 
My posts revolve around my pictures {I have taken all of these}. They get me talking, so to speak. So today I was relegated to walking around the house, taking pictures here and there and I edited them to those only in the bathrooms. Pretty weird, huh? The bathrooms in my home are just about the only rooms that aren't cluttered, I guess because they are small. I keep only pretty things in them without letting them become too feminine. So I'm very fussy about what I put on the walls and counter tops. 
Fresh flowers, dried flowers and prints of flowers make me smile. 
And a little French twist never hurts since The Husband is half French.
We didn't make it to the lake this weekend, my brother is visiting from Louisville. I had to cancel our lunch date due to said sniffles, which were really awful this morning, but I will see him again soon. I sure wanted to have that bonfire though.
Well off I go to make that big bubble bath while The Husband orders the Chinese and then we are going to watch a movie via some new contraption he has called a Boxy Box. I keep calling it a Busy Box and since it seems to reference a child's toy, he's not amused. What are you doing on this Saturday night? Have you had a better weekend than me? Please don't tell me you are putting up Christmas decorations because I may become envious and I don't like myself that way.
Hope you are having better weather than Chicago. Stay warm and dry and I will be back soon!
Yesterday was a beautiful day to get outside. The temperatures have been in the high 60's, which is strange because last week we were wearing winter coats and mittens. Go figure. I realized that I hadn't taken any outdoor pictures of my fall decor and I thought I'd share a little with you. I didn't do as much as I usually do because I wasn't up at the lake as much to buy the usual straw, pumpkins, gourds and other fun stuff. Having to pay Chicago prices, I kept it at a minimum.
I also heard about an end of season sale at Kohls recently and coupled with a trip to CVS, I found some great fall items to stock up on for next year; place mats, runners, napkins and candles. I couldn't even look in the Christmas aisles. 
I like to leave my fall things out until the weekend after Thanksgiving...
...especially outdoors. The squirrels didn't get these pumpkins because Milo is usually standing guard in the window.
We have missed a few weekends at the lake but I still want to get up there soon to see how the leaves have changed, to feel the acorns crunching under my feet. I want to have a bonfire and roast hot dogs and marshmallows. Once December comes, we will be too busy to go. Has anyone started their Christmas shopping yet?
My mums are still going strong. I think the key is lots of water. I give them a good drink every other day.
How does everyone like having shorter days since we turned the clocks back? I like when it starts to get dark out about 4:30...it's sort of a down time. The Husband doesn't usually get home from work until about 7:00 p.m., so I have a little stretch of time before I have to start dinner. I like to read or watch television of see what all of you are up to during that time. I'm planning my Thanksgiving menu, which rarely changes from year to year, and trying to come up with dessert ideas that I can make and freeze. This year dessert is at my house and although everyone makes something, I try to make at least a pie, cookies and a cake or tart {yes, this coming from the girl who doesn't like to bake}. Which brings me to a correction I want to make from my last post. The little cakelet pan was a big hit with so many of you but I mistakenly said that I bought it at Sur La Table when I actually ordered it from Williams-Sonoma. You can find it under New Bakeware. I'm glad so many of you liked it and would love to see some of your creations.
So that is all that is really going on with me. Just enjoying these beautiful days and hoping you are too. I'm linking again with Courtney of French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Fridays. Have a good week! :-)
I really don't like to bake, I don't have much patience for it and I don't like to measure things. Maybe I have been bored or a little cooped up lately, but I have had a craving to bake. The down side to this is that I have been on a diet...well I am always on a diet, but on this one I have sworn off all sweets and I have really been good {other than my Tootsie Roll binge on Halloween}. So truth be told I am baking and then giving it away. The Husband likes his sweets as well, but he is trying to shave a few inches off his waist so he has been substituting yogurt for his desserts. Ugh.
I spotted this very cool pan on the Sur La Table website and I just had to have it. Since I don't bake a lot, I am equally as bad at decorating cakes and cookies. A few sprinkles of colored candies and I am finished. This pan makes little acorns, squashes and pine cones...totally takes away all the confusion of baking something cute.
The pan is not recommended for making anything cake like. It came with a mix for Butter Pecan Bread which was perfect. Any type of quick bread would be great. This time I thought I would crank it up a notch and experiment with cookie dough. Pretty brave for someone as pathetic as me. I just rolled the dough into 3/4" balls and popped them in the pan. Easy as pie, er...cookies.
Aren't they darling? Everyone seemed to like them and I even have a boxful for Papa if I can nab him again. And if I keep up with the baking frenzy, I will have a nice stash in the freezer for the holidays.
I think they go well with a cup of tea. Have you tried the new Lady Grey tea? It sounds delicious and if she is related to Earl, I'm sure it is.
Not much else new in my world. It is getting colder and colder by the day and we rarely see the sun. Rain today. I'm hunting for a new pair of slippers, putting extra blankets on the beds and constantly reminding myself to order a load of firewood. We are supposed to have snow on Saturday...the first snow is always exciting and after that, the forecast is met with a groan. I'm ready to break into the Christmas funds soon, my problem lies in hiding the gifts. My daughters are like hunting dogs when it comes to presents. And then there is the yearly pleading prior to Christmas Day, "If you got the black boots that were on my list, can I please have them now to wear tonight." I have fallen for that many times. I am a complete pushover.
I hope everyone has had a good week and that you have fun plans for the weekend. And I hope we get a little snow to cover up the leaves I haven't raked up! Take care! :-)
Happy middle of the week. We have survived the wind and rain here in the Midwest, and today is sunny. Yay! I have to admit, I like the rain in the fall, it can be gentle and soothing, especially at night when I hear it on the roof. It lulls me to sleep. Which leads me to the picture of the master bedroom above. I did a post awhile back about the duvet cover I found at Pottery Barn. I was waiting for the pillow shams to come before I put it on my bed, but I finally caved and did it anyway. {Please ignore the stack of magazines piled on the floor, I have told you before that I subscribe to a zillion}. It made me look around and want to get sorted out. I had found some really neat baskets from Wisteria and I am sorting out everything piled on my quilt stand. We are starting to need those quilts for snuggling and they are buried under my sewing things, books and the throw pillows that I bought during a recent pillow frenzy. Anyway, I love the duvet, it has a sort of rough antique wash that makes it look and feel really old. I am really loving it. It is one of the few times I have paid full price at PB. And I broke down and ordered the European pillow shams. I'm sleeping good.
I went to Target to look for a ruffly shower curtain {they didn't have it, but I found it online and ordered it}. I made daughter Abby promise that she wouldn't let me buy anything else. Along with some sweat pants, a couple of pairs of boots and a jacket, I found these salad plates, a set of four, marked down to $6.98. I literally froze in front of them. I had made a promise to myself...no more dishes. But this was just too good to pass up. They are perfect for fall. I'm planning on having Kevin and Mary Clare here for dinner and I'll take pictures of the table all set. Oh, and I found this wonderful burlap tablecloth at Wisteria also. I love the smell of it in the morning mixed with my Honeysuckle Jasmine candle and Vanilla Dunkin Donuts coffee. Heaven.
I love the pale green color...like a Granny Smith apple.
I promised to show off my goodies from the Shop The Shed Party we went to last week at the home of Joy from Savvy City Farmer. By the way, Joy mentioned there are still things for sale if you want to contact her. If you saw anything you like in my pictures from my last post, you might want to email her. This is a pillow that Joy made. It was love at first sight and I was clutching it like a baby blanket throughout the sale. 
I love the fabric and the hemp tied closure on the side. How creative is this?
You can see it on my bed in the first picture.
I also bought this post that Joy made out of salvaged wood and then filled with a sheaf of wheat. I'm going to bring it up to the lake to put on the hearth. She actually had 4 of these for sale and might have a few left...
It's been a busy week without really going anywhere in particular. Sunday I baked some cranberry~orange bread which I am happy to say I did not so much as sample! My restraint has been admirable...
And I have been purging, er...cleaning up a lot of clutter. The magazine stack for instance. The hall closet, my den. Emily sat me down for a daughter~mother talk, starting with the subject of the UPS man stopping by every afternoon {and not to chat}.
She is convinced I am becoming a hoarder. I argue that I am simply not that organized. I function better when I can see everything. She differs, and so with a few days off from school, she got to work whipping the house {and me} into shape. The den is the dropping ground for all my purchases, the way some of you use the dining room table. It's a formal/never gets used room, so all my purchases and things I am going to bring to the lakehouse and forget, go into this room. You couldn't walk through it. Well today you can. Everything for the lake is boxed. We made about 5 large bags of stuff I didn't need. I couldn't even remember where I got half the stuff. Emily's philosophy is that if I don't have a place to put it, I can't buy it. I am going to try to abide by that. ;-D
Sorry for such a long post. Papa stopped by in the middle of writing it and I gave him the rest of the cranberry~orange bread. I'm safe having it out of the house. I hope everyone is having a wonderful week, whether it's cleaning, baking, sorting or just trying to not blow over in the wind. I'm linking up with Courtney of French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday. Have a great day! :-)
It a quiet night here and I love that. The cold weather seems to bring that on. And it is a chilly 44 degrees here in the upper Midwest. I love it! But please don't ask me how I feel when it is in the single digits! I'm not a happy camper. Lights like these above make me happy. Candles can't keep us warm, but they make our hearts warm and our faces glow. Everything is softer and more gentle with candlelight. I like to burn a big old Yankee candles during the day to fill my home with amazing scent. In the evening...when I know we are staying in, I burn a lot of tea lights and votives just for ambiance. I like the tiny little light and flicker they give...alone or in groups.
I did a little more holiday shopping online this week and I am making a good size dent in my shopping and that always takes a lot of holiday stress off me. So many bloggers are saying that they like to have their homes decorated and shopping done so they can enjoy the whole holiday season without pressure and you know...that is smart advice!! I'm doing a lot to make this advice work for me but first, I wanted to talk about holiday shopping online a little briefly because I consider myself a little {ahem} experienced in this area. Actually, it is about mistakes you can make when you think you are getting a deal that would never have happened if you were in the store. 
Never buy a candle online. That involves sniffing and maybe someday we will be able to that through a device on our computers. Who would ever think that Pomegranate Tea would smell so awful, but I ordered a huge pillar from Kohl's and I thought it smelled horrible. Think: Couldn't sell, big markdown. Ironically, I also bought a big hurricane for it and plopped the candle in. It melted all over and there is no way to get the wax out. That's the end of both of those deals.
I consider these above a good mistake. I was expecting something much smaller...described for tea light candles, they are quite generously sized. I can also fit a votive in these. I bought some for the lakehouse, too, as they are on clearance. 99.9% of what I order online is on sale or clearance. But in any event...always check dimensions and size. 
I packed up a lot of my fall pieces today and kept most surfaces down to a bare minimum with company coming {including babies} on Thanksgiving. I am liking the editing...it gets to be too much considering this has all been out since mid~October. Is anyone else ready to get the shovel? lol!! Getting Christmas ready will be a lot easier without as much packing up the fall.
