Archive for November 2012
A birthday cake for Conor
My boy turns 16 today, and I say , “Yikes! How’d that happen?” Every Thanksgiving weekend is Conor’s birthday weekend. This year, as part of the Thanksgiving/Birthday celebration I planned on baking him a cake – a very vanilla cake. But you see, Conor doesn’t like cake. Yes, I can’t believe it either. All these…
Keep ReadingForcing a favorite: Paperwhites
I love to decorate for the holidays as naturally as possible. And finding just the right mix of planted and cut foliage and flowers is my well-balanced decorating solution. Every year, one of my absolute favorites is the Narcissus Papyraceus – a part of the Daffodil family, also commonly known as Paperwhites. They grow to…
Keep ReadingThankfully merry and cozy
Found the early cinnamon brown chintz quilt – with the allover pheasant pattern – folded in a basket at the bottom of the linen closet. I thought it would bring a lot of charm as an unexpected tablecloth for the old farmhouse table. I cut fresh bittersweet from a tree on the side of the road and…
Keep ReadingFrench Apple Tart – Take 2
A “Happy Thanksgiving” e-mail yesterday from a really lovely lady, Julia, inspires today’s posting. We met a year ago, just before Thanksgiving, when I showed her the blog I was then working on – Homemaker2words.com – and the posting titled “Oo-la-la!”, featuring the step by step recipe for a fabulous French apple tart inspired by…
Keep ReadingBeautiful self-serve
About a year ago, I took a good hard objective look at my dinnerware – especially my serving pieces. They were all over the place in color and style. Quite honestly I felt like the food we were creating and plating was not showcased in the best way it could be. Here’s all this hard…
Keep ReadingHello Monday!
Azaleas blooming in Connecticut – in November? That’s right. And in my powder room, to boot! I have a pair of freaky miniature Azalea topiaries that bloom twice a year – late spring, and fall. This sweetest pair of Mother’s Day presents from the boys is truly a gift that keeps on giving. I’ve nurtured…
Keep ReadingHoliday Into Winter Decorating: Amaryllis
As a rule of thumb, I love to use nature – in some form – in decorating throughout my home. And the beauty in decorating with nature is that I can create a very natural ebb and flow attitude in my home, so there is always a nice natural transitioning from one season to the…
Keep ReadingQuiet and cozy
On the 6th day there was light. Hurricane Sandy packed a huge punch, but fortunately our loss of power was the very worst of it. So needless to say, I am so very grateful. On Monday, during the thick of things, I paced around the house like a caged animal – very anxious and worried…
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