Switching Gears

It's been a flurry of Christmas decorating over here, but if you've come a callin' you would never know that by the lingering Thanksgiving look on ye olde blog.  Turns out it's the last thing to be decorated .  

Up above is the apple pie that I made for Thanksgiving day.  I'd hoped to do a post about the way I cut out the crust using a giant pie-sized cookie cutter that I found last year at TJMaxx.  That isn't likely to happen now as the pie is long gone.  

Oh well, we all know this is the season for time moving along at an accelerated pace. 

   

 One last photo of my sister-in-law's pretty Thanksgiving table and it will be time to switch gears and welcome the beauty of the Christmas season.  I've got lots of things that I want to share, but so far they exist only in my head.  I'll be spending some time with the camera today because . . .

♫  we need a little Christmas

right this very minute ♫

la de da de da de da de da da da da da

Oh we need a little Christmas   

right this very minute,

we need a little Christmas

NOW ♫♫♫ 

~ Kim

Thanksgiving Wishes

 

Happy Thanksgiving

I couldn't let this day go by without wishing my blog friends in America a Happy Thanksgiving.  

To all who read and comment here, it's a fitting time to say. . .

I am truly thankful to all of you.  Through my years of blogging, it has been a wonderful pleasure to have come to know each and every one of you.   

Cranberry Orange Pancakes

Around here we love breakfast.

Not only do we love it, but we like to shake it up a bit each day.

One morning it might be cereal with mixed berries, the next day it might be oatmeal with bananas, pecans, milk and a bit of brown sugar.  Once in a while it's eggs and toast or maybe a yogurt parfait.

Sometimes as I lay in bed at night waiting to fall asleep, I'm thinking about what I'll be eating the next morning.  
Now I know there are people who can't stand the thoughts of eating in the morning.  

What about you, are you a breakfast person?

      

When two breakfast lovers like us are faced with a leisurely weekend morning, it's a pretty good chance pancakes will be on the menu.  At some point in our marriage, Brett became the chief pancake and waffle maker.  He makes them from scratch too.  No box mixes for him. 

This weekend he tried a new recipe that contained two of my very favorite fall flavors.

Cranberry Orange  Pancakes.

Oh my goodness were they ever good!

If you like that flavor combination and you're a fan of breakfast, you may want need to try them.

A perfect breakfast for a cool fall morning.

We paired ours with turkey bacon.  

A little hint of the upcoming American holiday ;-).

Speaking of the upcoming holiday, how are your Thanksgiving plans shaping up? 

 

My Garden in November

Part of my weekend was spent in the garden.

With temperatures in the low 70s, it was a delightful time to be outside digging in the dirt.

Some of the leaves have fallen, but many are still putting on their colorful show.  I thought they looked particularly beautiful against our clear blue skies.

It was a nice surprise to find some hydrangeas blooming away in the back corner of the garden.

Also nice to see the pink geranium loaded with blooms.  Just before the frost hits I set it in the garage for the winter and basically ignore it until springtime.  I've had it going for several years.

The morning glories are thriving now, climbing all through the camellia bushes.  On this day they seemed to have their faces to the sun as if to say "We're going to enjoy it while it lasts."  Once they are done blooming, I'll collect seeds to store in a jar in the refrigerator to be planted early next spring.

We haven't had a killing frost here yet, but I know it can't be long until that day comes.  So, in the meantime, I'll be taking a cue from the morning glories and enjoy it while it lasts.

 

Tales From the Laundry Room

Through the years I've collected a few vintage laundry-related items.

I think it all started with this picture found in an antique shop many years ago.  It hung in the laundry room of my first house with a little clothesline strung underneath it.  On the clothesline were antique baby clothes.  The baby clothes are packed away in a box with other vintage baby items waiting for the day... (well let's just say it's kind of like my hope chest for someday becoming a grandma). 

Anyhow, I recently decided to hang that old picture in my laundry room in this house and dust off the vintage collection.  There seemed to be one thing missing and that was a child sized iron.  You may remember in this post there was a hint of one small item I couldn't pass up at the antique store. 

I've been looking for one for quite awhile now.  

This one caught my eye.  As I was looking at it, the owner of the shop came over to show me how the top portion came off.  He explained how once the heavy bottom portion was heated up, the part with the handle on it was clasped to the bottom.  While I did find this interesting, I must say my decision to purchase it was instantly made when I read the words...

Dover

Made USA

Dolly Iron

And now you know what we empty nesters without grandchildren do for thrills.  ;-)

Hello November

Good  Morning November!

Walking into the kitchen this morning I was greeted by Fall's vibrant colors peeking in through my transom window.  

Not a bad way to begin a new month.

 Once I got the coffee brewing, I headed into the laundry room to toss in a load of whites and this was the sight out the laundry room window.  So sweet how he was perched on the rock.  I think he was saying a morning prayer of thanksgiving for the abundant acorn crop in this backyard. . . either that or he was plotting how to raid the bird feeders :D.

~ Kim

Inspired by a Paper Napkin

While planning for a recent impromptu dinner party, I decided to let the napkin be my inspiration for setting the table.  I am always amazed by the beautiful paper napkins that are available out there.  Some of them are almost too pretty to use.  I say almost for a reason ... more on that later in the post.

 I went peeking around in my "prop closet" and found some beaded fruit and velvety leaves.  Did any of you used to watch Christopher Lowell on the Discovery Channel?  He had a home decorating show (in the 90s, I think).  Anyhow, he had a "prop closet" where he stored things that he used to decorate with when they weren't in use.  Often when he was going to begin a new project he would first visit his "prop closet".  I haven't seen him in years, but a quick Google search led me to this page .  I didn't take the time to read through it, but it does look like he offers some good holiday tips on his blog so I'll be back to visit him again later.  His taste in decorating wasn't necessarily my style, but I always found him to be inspiring.

Anyhow, I digress. . .

 

 I gathered up my leafy glasses and candle holders.

Must have candles to cozy things up on a cool Fall evening.

In my dining room I have an antique dresser that is used for storing tablecloths, napkins, etc.  During my recent organizing flurry, I designated one drawer for each season.  To set the table for this dinner I opened the Fall drawer and chose the tablecloth and candles too.  It was so nice to have everything all organized.  Wonder what took me so long? :).

With little effort and no expense, my table took shape. . . all thanks to my dinner napkin.

Oh, and about those napkins being almost too pretty to use . . .

when it became evident that my mom could no longer live on her own and we were helping her pack up her belongings, we came across a big bag full of napkins for all occasions.  As I looked through them I was reminded of the many times she has hosted happy gatherings and used many of these napkins.  Perhaps there were some left in the package and perhaps some of the packages she found too pretty to open.  Either way her days of creating pretty tables and happy get-togethers was now behind her.  For reasons I can't quite explain, it made me sad to know those napkins would never be involved in her "company's coming" plans again.  In a strange way it was a reminder to me that the time to use the pretty napkins and the good china is now.

Since I have a drawer full of pretty napkins for all occasions, 

I'm challenging myself to use them now to make memories with my family and friends.  I think I tend to be a procrastinator when it comes to entertaining... always thinking someday I'll do it and then someday never seems to come.  I guess inspiration can come in all forms and for me a simple napkin is just the inspiration I seem to need. :)

Today I am tuned to CNN and keeping those of you in the path of Hurricane Sandy in my thoughts.  Stay safe.