Outdoor Dilemma

  Let's join Sherry at The Charm of Home for this blog party...
and   Beverly at  Pink Saturday

Now that the tree is up   it is time to think about   the outside decor....

 Last year  the   house looked like  this....

 Even the   full moon  hung in the trees for   a  wonderful   addition to the festivities!

 Other houses  along our block     drape  the   icicle lights around their eaves,,,  IM not into that so much....

 I liked these  lights  and may  use them at the  back door this time around   so  my  dilemma is what to do about the front!!!   Today is the day to   get it done,,, so IM looking for  a  lot of inspiration !!!I am  hoping for  something  fun and welcoming  as I will be having   about  24 here for a progressive  sit down  supper in 2 weeks time!

PS...... now that  my  wreaths  are up and   I   am   putting     lighted garland up  at the  back door, I am thinking   I may just go ahead with the  same   front porch lighting effects as seen above... I   love the above photo so much!!! Our home sits so far  off the road  anything else  on the front porch  is negligible!   But   please visit  Beverly's   site   the porches  will be awesome!

Skywatch

Check out Skyley for more 
wonderful photos!

Getting There

I was just visiting  at The Rose Chintz  Cottage and discovered  we only have  26 more days til  Christmas....  Sandi a t the Cottage  is also  hosting a Christmas Tea on December  10...   that sounds so fun..... hope I can     get  my act together to join into that   party!!!!

I  must say though  that   all in all  today was fairly productive...

After   my dear  hubby and I got the  living  room decorated,  we  actually had time to go over to   my parents  home and move the  bedroom  furniture  back into the bedrooms....   Lynn has been working over there  trying to get it  all  cleaned up, painted, and     repaired  to  put it on the market....  the  furniture  has  all been   crowded into the living and  den areas....   now  we can actually  begin   working  in the den  and   it's almost time to  have the   estate  sale   administrator   come over and have our wee   talk....  I doubt we  will  have the sale   before Christmas    but      things  there are  looking up....which is good because the sign goes  up   early December!

It feels great to have gotten   all of this done today!!!!  Perhaps tomorrow   we can  get  some decorating outside accomplished!!!!!That's my plan anyway!!!

A Tree's Up!

Katherine's Corner is home to this blog party!
One of my  favorite things is decorating for  Christmas!!!!   I am so  excited to have  one of my trees up and decorated today!!!  I dont know why  but  it has  been     a  time trying to get my  dear  hubby to help  get   the tree going...   he is  such a  whiz  with the lights....!!!   It is a very sad thing to see a pre-lit tree  lose its    illumination.....   but the tree is  so   nice..  I   will not despair  just  call for  recruits to add more!!!

Once the  lights are   affixed then  it's my baby!!! 

But  until   Lynn  has   set it  aright I   spend my time   working on   small  vignettes around the room..... 

 I   really     had  a   difficult   time with the mantel....   I   tried various   things.....  and nothing  would quite come together....   until   I  brought out Mr. and Mrs. Fox.....   

HAHAH,   immediately   one of my   favorite  Aesop's  tales   came to my mind....

The Fox and the Grapes  ONE hot summer’s day a Fox was strolling through an orchard till he came to a bunch of Grapes just ripening on a vine which had been trained over a lofty branch. “Just the things to quench my thirst,” quoth he. Drawing back a few paces, he took a run and a jump, and just missed the bunch. Turning round again with a One, Two, Three, he jumped up, but with no greater success. Again and again he tried after the tempting morsel, but at last had to give it up, and walked away with his nose in the air, saying: “I am sure they are sour.”“IT IS EASY TO DESPISE WHAT YOU CANNOT GET.”

Well,  my   friendly   foxy  couple   need not fear ....  having  tasty grapes and apples   at arm's length  all through the holiday... that will make for a happy   duo   through to Epiphany! 

And that      takes care of   two major   areas...   but alas,  it does   make  so many  areas  of the house  scream..." what's next???"

It's back to the drawing board!!

The Leaves are Gone!!

Visit A Southern Daydreamer  for  more  Outdoor Wednesday.. 

Before   we    can   think about   the outdoor  decor for the holidays.....     we  had to   deal with  L**E**A**V**E**S!!!

I actually took these  photos last year,   but      believe me   this  scene  never changes...   We have a ton of  leaves and  Lynn typically waits until they a re all off the trees....   Poor baby, raked all afternoon  in the night  on Monday and praise the lord they were   picked up today!!!!  YAYAYAYAY!

 Now   we can think about  lights  and   garlands!!!

Preholiday Planning

Seasonal Sunday hosts   a wonderful blog that inspires   wonderful seasonal ideas for around the home.This week,   we are asked to share   our ideas for  our holiday  decorating.

I am , also,   sharing on

 Tabletop Tuesday

 and  and  Teacup Tuesday 

....
 and here

at  Artful Affirmations !

This morning I brewed a cup of Winter Spice  and  am sitting here at the dining table enjoying  the ambiance of the wee  bit of decorating  I have  here so far assembled.... I love using my  red transfer wear in my  winter vignettes.....I started collecting   the red  just a couple of years ago....I love just adding in  different  patterns as I find them... but  I always choose  from the English  design instead of the  Eastern.... since I live in an English Tudor home...Today   I chose a Spode Botanical cup  for my morning tea!

I  particularly love  it  against the    Stewart plaid of the  cloth.... this   cloth is the   staple   cloth I use   throughout the holidays  and have   used it for  over  30 years....   a bought a  bolt of the  stuff  back in the  70's   when I was   actively involved in the Scottish Society when I made a few  items of clothing with it...  I had  several yards left over....   I was  able to make   3  large  cloths   from the leftovers....   It   is such  great   weight and weave....  It will never  wear out....  and  launders like a dream with  absolutely no ironing.....

I  am so  excited about some of my new finds  for my holiday spruce up....    I  found this   wreath  at   the consignment shop....   It  appeared  brand new and   is the perfect size  to offset my  cloche  which  I am housing  my   favorite   furry  friend....

I   have a   limited   bunny collection,    but this one    seems to reside   closest  to my heart 

My  black   place mats with  holly  stitched  so  dramatically around  are  so striking  in the morning   sun!

 I have  gotten a few lit garlands and    items   going   ....  but   no tree  yet!

But  another   terrific  find last week at  a  lovely Primitive  Shop   nearby   are  these  fabulous  stems of greenery  that  so happily replaced the old ones...

I  do  love this  wall hanging  container for  seasonal  decorating...Since I  am   trying to achieve  an olde world    setting  I like to  employ  stems of  a natural   "woodsy" variety....   nothing  too  affected or   over the top...   something the lady of the manor may  have   picked on her morning  walk...

Obviously the mantel is far  from   finished....   just  experimenting really....   the mantel  usually  changes  several times   before I am completely happy with it...  one thing is for sure I need more pre-lit stems!!!

And so  for this week  I am definitely in  the  planning and  accumulating stages  of  Christmas  redo-ing!!!!  And   fun  for me... it is my favorite part!!!! 

I

Blue Monday

   For more   visit Smiling Sally.

A  lovely    wintry  sunset!

One Thousand Gifts (290-295)

Ann  Voskamp     @  A Holy Experience   wrote the  book   One Thousand  Gifts....   which  I  absolutely  love...    and  I share in  the   gratitude   journal   beginning  today  with 

290.    I  am  so grateful that  we  were able to have   another   wonderful  thanksgiving  celebration with 

my parents  in our home last week.

We  were able to   bring  mom and dad in   from their   respective  nursing  facilities    for  a  great  time of sharing and remembering!  At  nearly 94 and  nearly 90   we  dont  know  how many more  times  like this  that  we  will  be  able to  share  all together!!!

291.  It  was also  our   great pleasure and honor  to  enjoy our dearest friends, Dottie and B ill   around our  table....Just  like a sister and brother,    Thanksgiving  is  the best  time for "Family'' to   be  together!!! 

292.  Today  as    I sat in the car waiting for Lynn to drop something off  at  mom's  old house  we are working on   ...  I  heard   a   wonderful chatter  right beside me...  it didnt take me long to   be introduced to my   chatty  friend....

  Such a  handsome  fellow.. the most gregarious sort of chap....  I dont   really  know what  he was  trying to tell me,  but   he lingered  there for  quite sometime  as we  checked each other out!!!

293.  I  love   the sweet  uplifting   movies   we   are  offered   during the holiday  season.  Whether  a made for  Christmas special or   a  reprisal of   a grand   old  classic,  this is my favorite season  for   tv watching....   almost always something   worth   giving   any hour or two  to..

294.Leftovers   this year   are   quite  enjoyable.....   My  mother's dressing  recipe   almost hit the mark this time.....  makes that   leftover turkey  so much the sweeter!!!

295.   The  thanksgiving   colors and   autumn  leaves  are   all put away and   it's beginning to  look a bit like  Christmas  around the house.... hopefully,  the tree will   go  up   soon!!!