Tablecloth 1

Here is one of the tablecloths. I decided to go with my Homer Laughlin teacups and desert plates. (I just love this pattern by Homer Laughlin, Georgian Eggshell.) The vase in the middle I thought was so pretty with the old-time look. It is made by Burton & Burton. Went with Brown Betty for tea and the napkins I got in the brown bag also.

Now, I realize there is no silverware on the table. Hum. This is a hard one for me. The stainless I have matches, it is serviceable, but not for show. So I just won't show it. (Just pretend it's there and is like slightly tarnished mostly gold.) Works for me!

Trying to simplify

So, there I was at The Salvation Army Thrift Store...

Being good, minding my own business...

Up to the register I went with a couple of tablecloths, a couple of sets of napkins...

Adding it up in my head, could I get away with a 10 spot or would I have to pull out one of the big bills, $3.50 + $3.50, a couple more bucks,

My turn came up, I am at the register and the clerk tells me, "you know today is fill a bag day, you fill a bag it is $5.00." I say, hum, okay, I can either pay like $12.00 for the stuff I have or go back and fill this brown paper bag up and pay $5.00. WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE???? Sure 'nough, I went back.

Do you know how much stuff actually fits into a brown paper grocery bag? A lot. Approximately 8, could have been 9 tablecloths later, and about 30 to 40 cloth napkins I left the store. That was 1 paper bag, 3 loads of laundry. I am trying so hard NOT to collect stuff. I went over to my daughter's house and we tried the tablecloths on her table. The ones that fit my daughter's table she kept and I went home with the rest. Oh well. Good thing I have that big garage.

Hee, hee, my table is gonna looks so pretty, my table is gonna look so pretty!!!! (I'll take pictures)

Christmas Eve

We love how the snow has settled on the table outside, looks like a cake don't you think? A few huge candles to go on top would be fun. That's a lot of snow!

We went on a little tour about town today to check out some of the local church buildings.

They have some very pretty ones here. I did not take pictures of all of them.

Stopped to look at the river. It's been so cold here there is a layer of ice on it. Looks as though people have been on it. I'm not that trusting, but it's been very cold. One day it was -22.

Stopped by McDonalds to feed some hungry folks that went on my little tour about town with me. Look at that smile on Steve! Anabelle's winking. She thinks she may well be on Santa's naughty list! Ha

Made Steve hold these shoes like they were his, ha, what a good sport!

This was my favorite church building on the tour. Although it looks closed up, it looks very much like a picture my first husband painted in watercolor and gave to my grandma before he passed on. It hangs in her little apartment today.

Wanted to wish my new blogging friends peace, joy, and much love this Christmas and throughout the coming year!

Last year, at this time....

Okay, just a couple pictures from last year. Here we have granddaughter Anabelle floating parachuting guys over the stairs and making everyone catch them.

Let me introduce you to my kids there in the hall. Chad, married, (number 4 child) has his back to us, he's working on his doctorates in medical physics at MD Anderson in Houston, TX. Steve you met before, a virtual snow shoveling machine and gonna be accountant (20, single, overall good guy, single). Mom, Heidi, married (the nurse practitioner) is in her hello kitty britches by the rail, and hiding out in the back is number 3 in line Kammi, married, living in Germany with her husband who is in the Air Force. She just got her master's degree in education and right now is in Ghana on a mission trip.

I like this picture a lot. Chad (the physicist) trying to get the gingerbread house to work right. Pictured there at the table is my very sweet daughter-in-law Kristy. My oldest, and of course favorite child, is not pictured but can be found at http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=292559127. He has his master's degree from Yale in opera performance and has a particularly beautiful rendition of Peace in the Valley on his website. Chad and Kristy have just had a little baby boy, the first grandson, and Danny and Kathryn have two beautiful little girls. That's the family. I had a lot of fun raising those 5.

I have a lot of fun now too now that they are grown and on their own, hahahahah!!!!

Snowmen and Robert Louis Stevenson

These are my latest finds. These pieces are really fun. There were 4 plates, 4 salad plates, 4 bowls, and 4 mugs for $9.99, I think that's a good price for this set. It's going to be so cute. The big plates are just a bit different than the little ones, so adds some variety. Could not get both in the pictures. A couple of records in the background. Love my LPs, but that's another post!

The really BIG, BIG news is that we are under a BLIZZARD WARNING!!!! They are expecting it to be... -20 degrees there. YES, that's twenty below 0. We are pretty well stocked. We have extra fuses (yes, I said fuses) and food, although not sure if there is enough chocolate. I mean, is there ever enough chocolate?

I leave you with a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson.

The Celestial Surgeon

If I have faltered more or less

In my great task of happiness;

If I have moved among my race

And shown no shining morning face;

If beams from happy human eyes

Have moved me not; if morning skies,

Books, and my food, and summer rain

Knocked on my sullen heart in vain: -

Lord, thy most pointed pleasure take

And stab my spirit broad awake.

Sit with me in front of the fireplace

Here is my fireplace this year. How fun is this. My aunt had given me the little elf about 20 years go and I found the little fireplace by accident on a quest for something else a couple of days ago. A little tea candle fits right inside. Unlike your "full size" fireplace, this one is easy to clean. When I saw it, it made me smile and I wanted to share that with you!

Hello!

Well here was our Thanksgiving tablescape. We had a lot of fun with this. Anabelle and I made the placemats. We used Homer Laughlin restaurant-style china. We also chose retro glasses and our napkin fold was diamond in a square. Everything had to be short and compact to be able to see each other and still put food on the table. We had a great time with this project.

We also made the Thanksgiving turkeys CeeKay shared with us at Thinkin' of Home. Thanks CeeKay!

I so enjoyed seeing everyone's Thanksgiving and fall pictures and look forward to sharing the Christmas season with you all over the miles.

Time for a poem!

The Winds of Fate

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

One ship drives east and another drives west

With the selfsame winds that blow,

'Tis the set of the sails

And not the gales

Which tells us the way to go.

Like the winds of the sea are the ways of fate,

As we voyage along through life:

'Tis the set of a soul

That decides its goal,

And not the calm or the strife.