A few thoughts

Thanksgiving was nice in every way. It was good to have family together and for them to be in such a good mood. Of course, we ate way too much. We drew names for Christmas and talked about it being only a few weeks away. Two of my sons gave me an early birthday gift . . . to unpack, assemble, and check lights on both trees. YEAH!

Yesterday and today I spent most of my time decorating. Unwrapping the ornaments brought a bit of sadness . . . remembering other Christmases . . . missing those not with us. Today the family came together again to help me celebrate my birthday. It was a fun evening with a pizza supper, trick birthday candles, and a scavenger hunt for hidden gifts.Tonight I may be older, but it's definitely OK!

It has begun . . .

the preparations for Thanksgiving, that is.

Thank goodness, ours is a group

affair. My husband

makes fantastic dressing as well as a delicious sweet potato and marshmallow bake. I contribute corn pudding (thanks, Brenda, for your wonderful recipe) and tea cake cookies. Certain kids bring green bean casserole, deviled eggs, desserts, and the turkey. A honey-baked ham rounds out our menu. We always end up with a grand meal. We are blessed to have food, home, family, and friends. I'd like to wish you a HAPPY THANKSGIVING. Thanks for dropping by.

Decorating Dreams

Guess you can tell by the picture what I did today. Have been pouring over December issues dreaming of doing all sorts of lovely decorating . . . key word dreaming. For the most part I will use decorations I have had for years, but I enjoy seeing how others deck out their homes for the holidays.

Day of Memories

Simple everyday activities are now memorable. I took my mom to her regular hair appointment. Then we stopped by a florist shop to see the decorated trees, browsed inside another store, and ate lunch at a local restaurant. Today is my mother's 86th birthday. She has Alzheimer's, and this disease has altered her life as well as mine. Coming home I baked one of her favorite cakes. Little things . . . a phone call from her brother, cards in the mail, a hug, the spoken "I love you". . . are not little at all.

Outside to Inside

This little girl stole my heart on one of my stops at a local antique store. One of those "I can't leave her behind" moments. She has been a joy to see this past summer in one of my flowerbeds. I decided to bring her inside for the coming winter months. She tenderly holds an injured bird. Closer to Christmas I may be tempted to hang a holiday necklace around her neck. I wonder about the person or persons who owned her first. Was she a favorite possession? Did she bring smiles to others? Did she inspire hope or compassion? For a while I will be her guardian . . . then perhaps another . . . and on and on.

Nature's gifts

Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved pine trees. My brother and I used to climb to the very tops of them on my grandparents' farm in Louisiana. In grammar school my classmates and I would take the dry needles and construct "rooms" on the playground. I remember making pinecone turkeys for take-home art around the Thanksgiving holidays. Now that I'm a lot older I gather pinecones to decorate my home. Sometimes I leave them in their natural state . . . other times I coat them with gold spray paint. Where we live now there are several tall pine trees that provide an abundance of cones. My husband remembers planting those trees on his aunt and uncle's property when he was about fourteen years old. Those tiny pines have grown to be the giants of the yard.

Special Words

It is hard for me to realize that Thanksgiving is next week. This has been a very fast year. Joy and heartache have been a part of it . . . but blessings have far outnumbered any troubles.

A Sweater Day

I wasn't outside for very long this afternoon. . . not used to the cooler temperature
. . .even my sweater did not warm me enough.

The once golden tree is bare.

Great to see holly tree with berries, and that

geraniums are still blooming.

Saturday Changes

Leaves are everywhere. Due to last night's gusty winds, the trees in our yard are almost bare. It's chilly out, and I'm staying in.With a few quiet hours to myself this morning I have begun the process of storing away some objects so I can get ready for those I use at Christmas. I move things a dozen times before I'm satisfied. Today I'm just clearing spaces. Christmas decorating for me starts after Thanksgiving. In the guest bedroom there's a reversible comforter . . . so goodbye soft green and hello to a deep blue with gold accents. Green plates were replaced with blue and white ones. Small changes in the house today, but big seasonal change outdoors. However, whatever the season, try to remember Flavia's words - "Save time for books and laughter and Saturday dreams." Have a peaceful Saturday.

Scissorscut Designs

One of the first ones I stumbled across at an antique mall . . .I was hooked!

This snowy village scene comes out of storage around Christmastime.

This sweet one was sold at a gift shop that had many scissorscuts. The shop is now gone, but I still remember the layout of the shop and its fondness for these works of art.

A dear friend gave me this one . . . each month represented with a symbol . . .

ah, as teachers we knew, loved, and followed these decorative symbols.

Another one I couldn't resist . . the alphabet. . . 26 letters with picture symbols.

This pineapple cutout hangs to the side of the front door in the entryway.

Please excuse the poor quality of some of the photos. This one might be hard

to read. It says: When life gives you scraps, Make Quilts

Fascination

Whenever I am outside, I find myself looking down to view the colors of newly fallen leaves. There have been other autumns, but I don't think I paid as much attention to them as I have this one. I seem to be fascinated with the beauty of leaves this year. I stoop and pick up one, two, or more. Later a resting place

on a journal page . . . a chance to save a few of so many.

Every leaf speaks

bliss to me,

fluttering from the

autumn tree.

-Emily Bronte

In a Merry Mood

Today was spent inside. . . damp and rainy
out. . .finally got around to making a garland
similar to one Allison displayed in her home
last Christmas(My Cozy Home blog). I used
old postcards and letters cut from magazines.

I also made these tag sets . . . a relaxing way to spend time when you don't want to clean house.

Revealing Saying

Time

Saturday shopping had me checking out Halloween markdowns, seeing Thanksgiving decor, and spying Christmas delights. Time moves forward as we try to savor each special holiday. My head spins with thoughts of how to get the house ready for Thanksgiving and then how to decorate it for Christmas. I must remind myself to slow down and enjoy the blessing of time.

Loving Autumn

This morning I ran errands. Now I'm having a cup of hot tea as I write this. It's good to be back home with some of my TO DO things done.

A little bit of orange in my kitchen.

I do believe Tennessee is having a New England autumn. As I drove some winding roads near home, I couldn't believe the rich and varied colors of this fall. This golden tree is in our front yard, but today's wind is taking away much of its beauty.

Treasures of the Heart

This pillow was a wonderful gift from a very special friend. The fall colors on it are perfect for this time of year. The message is soooooo true.

The heart inside a heart . . .displayed flat or leaning. . . is a real favorite of mine. I found the hearts at different times but decided to keep them together.

A phone call yesterday from a longtime friend (we go back to our youthful college days) made any problems seem so much lighter. How wonderful it is to know someone who can say the right words at the right time! Some time ago she gave me the framed picture below. I love the message and enjoy it every day.

The top book PoemsThat Live Forever was given to me by a high school friend. Inside she wrote To my dearest friend - may our friendship be like a poem that lives forever. Sadly she died too soon from kidney failure. Some friendships are meant to last a lifetime while others only for a little while.

Journaling

This simple journaling page provided the name of my blog. On 7/27/07 I wrote "I like this strange bowl that someone decorated with favorite bits and pieces. Such is life- bits and pieces that add up to a whole."

Finding Gold

Each leaf

is worthy of

a photograph.

I carried a bunch inside

for pressing. . . will probably

use them as Thanksgiving placecards.

Another perfect autumn day . . . how many more will we have?

Seeing Brown

Brown is such a warm, comforting color. I seem to have it all over my house. Remember the brown leaves from Louisiana . . . for now they are on a small table in the guest bedroom. Whether baskets, dishes, birds or birdnests, crocks, bowls, pitchers, or wooden containers the color brown calls to me.