House at Forest Manor

A Magical Snowfall for The Record Books

2026-02-04T15:07:00.002-05:00

Hello again! We're having quite the winter, huh? Here in North Carolina, we got record snowfall on January 31st. Our coastal towns had the most snow they've gotten since 1989 -- almost 40 years ago. Our town received 8 to 10 inches, but the nearby town of Lexington got 16 inches of snow on Saturday. The town of Wilmington, North Carolina, on the coast got almost 18 inches of snow. The town that had the most snowfall is Faust, North Carolina, which is part of the Asheville Metropolitan area. Faust received 22.5 inches of snow! Where we live, it snowed continuously for about 24 hours. It really was beautiful! Our meteorologist said we rarely get a snow like this -- soft and powdery with no ice, which is a good thing because we already had ice on the ground from winter storm Fern.

I took these pictures from our front porch early afternoon on Saturday.

It felt like we were in a snow globe -- just beautiful!

I couldn't resist taking a picture of the snow on our doormat; it reminds me of the wrought iron gates in Charleston.

The view out back...

This picture was taken later in the afternoon when the snow had accumulated on the tree branches.

I took these two pics the next morning after the snow had stopped. I love to see the shadows on the snow.

Today, Wednesday, the snow is still out there. We have several melted patches in the front, but the back yard is the same, except for lots of animal tracks to and from the woods. :) We've always heard that when the snow lies on the ground for three days or more, it's waiting for more. What do you think? Did you get snow over the weekend, too? Thank you for stopping by today and have a wonderful week wherever you may be.

A Bird Tree For Winter

2026-02-02T20:53:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone and Happy February! I just read that our little buddy Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today, so six more weeks of winter. People have mixed feelings about Phil (depending on what his verdict is in February), but I think he's mighty cute. 😊 However, I think he and his kin are much cuter when they're not in our yard. They can sure make a mess with all their holes everywhere. I wanted to share our small bird tree in the den, which I put together after taking down the Christmas decorations. This tree is in our den where we can enjoy it in the evening. It's decorated with ornaments that I've collected over the years and previously hung on our big Christmas tree. My mom has a winter cardinal tree that sits on the floor at her house from winter until spring, so that gave me the idea to do a bird tree of our own.

Some of these ornaments came from our local Wild Birds Unlimited store, others came from craft fairs, gift shops, and there's even a pottery bird on here from Seagrove, North Carolina. Seagrove is a small town in rural North Carolina where potters have been making pottery since before the American Revolution.

I love this redware pottery bird, made by Mary Farrell at Westmore Pottery in Seagrove.

The little bird house made from a blown egg on the left here was made for us one Christmas many years ago by a dear friend. I think of her every year when I hang it on our tree.

I found this painted wooden cardinal with metal wings many years ago at a craft show; he's still one of my favorites.

Love the sprig of berries he's carrying in his beak.

A jingle bell cardinal and --

black-capped chickadee.

Here is a red bird house brought to me from Rock City, Tennessee, and a wee, small, sweet grass basket from Charleston, South Carolina. I'm pretending it has bird seed in it. 😉

This is only the second year I've done a bird tree, so I'll probably add more ideas next year. I had fun putting this together, and we enjoy looking at it in the evenings. We love watching and feeding the birds, do you? They definitely need some extra food with the winter we're having this year! I hope you're staying warm and cozy wherever you are, and thanks so much for stopping by today. Have a great week!

January 2026

2026-01-26T16:05:00.001-05:00

Hi Friends! How are you today? I hope you're having a good 2026 so far. We have snow and ice in our part of North Carolina today, and it really is quite lovely. Hal and I have been hoping for a pretty snow for a few years now, so this is just perfect for us. I know a large part of the country has been hit with a major winter storm, and we were quite nervous a few days ago, I can tell you. The forecast was for lots of freezing rain, sleet, and snow. We were out there with the rest of North Carolina stocking up on food, bottled water, and gasoline in the car. The worst part of our forecast as of Thursday and Friday was a good chance of losing power and we were told that the power outages might be for an extended period. I know a lot of people who enjoy a pretty snow, but I don't know any who wish for their power to go out, especially as cold as it was here for the last three days. Bitter cold wind and temps. in the low 20's down into the teens. We were extremely fortunate -- our power didn't so much as blink at all during the storm, so we stayed quite comfortable. Today is actually very pleasant, but the cold temperatures are supposed to return starting tomorrow. Here are some pics from our front porch this morning. Notice the blue, blue sky out there, often the case after a big storm.

I was so happy to see this morning that it looks like my pansies survived the wind, sleet, and snow from the weekend. Keeping my fingers crossed they survive the upcoming cold temperatures this week.

My mom made the snowman wreath for me a few Christmases ago. 😊

In autumn of 2021, we had a long strip of enormous, old, unhealthy, and unattractive trees taken down along the side of our property. That sparked another landscaping project of planting new, more decorative and trees around our yard. At the back of our yard, we had someone plant ten arborvitae trees to make a sort of sight barrier between us and the unkempt vacant lot behind us. The lot behind us is wooded, and parts of it are pretty, but naturally the part nearest us is not pretty.

These trees were not quite as tall as me when first planted, and I'm short.

We had a total of ten of these trees planted. This was the way they looked in April 2022, and here's how they look now in January of 2026 --

We were told when we purchased these trees that they would grow about two feet per year, and we haven't been disappointed. They haven't all grown at exactly the same rate because of differences in amount of sunlight, and the deer munched on a few the first year. We spray them with Liquid Fence now.

The one on the right above is much smaller because it was shaded from the sunlight by this evil tree on our neighbors' property (of course) --

The tree in the picture above was much taller than this, and it was most definitely dead. There was no living foliage on the branches for a few years, and during that time, it came down in bits and pieces. Unfortunately, at that height those "bits and pieces" could have seriously injured or killed someone. I worried and prayed a lot every time Hal or Will was mowing down there. Sometime last year, Hal came home from swimming, and the whole top part of the tree had come down. I hadn't noticed, and when he came in the house, he asked me if I had finally given the tree a good, hard kick. 😄

It doesn't seem to be nearly as much of a menace now, at least I hope not. Anyway, when the top of the tree fell, it smushed the arborvitae in front of it, and it cost us $1,500 to have someone cut up the tree trunk and branches and haul it off. Now we have eight healthy arborvitaes, one stunted tree, and a gap in the middle. Not sure what we want to do about the empty space.

So that's it for my snow pictures, unless we get more. We were so thankful to have kept our power on all through the storm, as did everyone in our family. Were you affected by the big winter storm where you live? I hope you've all stayed warm and well-fed. Thanks so much for your visit today, and have a wonderful week!

Merry Christmas 2025

2025-12-25T21:06:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas, dear Friends!! I hope you are all having a joyous Christmas and I wish you happiness in the coming year. Thank you for reading House at Forest Manor, your visits make my day. 😊

A Ralph Lauren Table and Dining Room

2025-12-16T20:37:00.006-05:00

Season's Greetings! I hope you are all well and busy. Thank you for your kind words about Hal's hand injury; he saw the surgeon again today, and unfortunately, the top joint of that finger will have to be amputated. We are sorry that has to be done, but we know it could have been much worse. Today is his birthday, and I love him dearly. Happy Birthday, Hal!!

About the title of this post -- it should read a Ralph Lauren-style table and dining room. There is nothing on the table that actually has a Ralph Lauren label. But you know the old saying, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." 😉 Earlier in the season, I started seeing things online about Ralph Lauren Christmas. I didn't see it on Tik Tok (I don't do Tik Tok), which is apparently where the craze took off. I pride myself on never following trends (almost never) but when I saw these two words, Ralph and Lauren, I jumped in with both feet. I love his style, and we already have several things that fit right in with this Christmas aesthetic. I have seen the Ralph Lauren Christmas style described as, "English country meets western ski lodge," "dark and moody," and "old money". 😄😄😄 I would describe the look as English country, and masculine, yet cozy. At any rate, I love the English country style, so here we are. I will be doing some new things this year but will always include my most meaningful decorations, as well.

I've had this centerpiece for many years; I just added in some guinea and pheasant feathers to change the look slightly. I've also had the twisted barley candlesticks and the faux antlers for several years.

I purchased the two pheasants on the table from Amazon this fall. I have looked for some brass pheasants for years, but I always seem to miss out. This year when I searched online, these came up, and I am really pleased with the way they look. I had planned to use them on my Thanksgiving table but didn't do a table this year.

The plaid chargers are Tommy Bahama from Home Goods last year. The plaid napkin rings are Lenox, and this is only the second time I've used them. White dinner plates are Lenox, and flatware is Hampton Forge "Sophia". The green velvet table runner is normally in the foyer with a nativity scene resting on top. The white napkins came from Horchow many years ago.

I later added gold foil Christmas crackers to the table setting.

This small Christmas tree normally resides in the kitchen at Christmas, but this year I wanted to do something different. I love having the tree in this chinoiserie flowerpot, which called for a more elegant location than the kitchen. 😉 The handsome stag with red velvet bow I've had for some years.

I didn't buy a single new thing to create this look in the dining room. The glass Christmas tree was a gift last year from a good friend.

The tiny wooden Santa jumping jack ornament was given to us by a neighbor in Greensboro, and it was our son's favorite when he was small. Such sweet memories.

I treasure all the things my mom has made over the years, and this terra cotta nativity set is one of them. It shows up well on the tartan plaid table runner.

I took all these pictures on two different days at different times, hence the variation in lighting.

I do love candlelight in the winter, do you?

Have you finished with your Christmas preparations yet? Unfortunately, I'm way behind on everything. It will all get done somehow. I'll be joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for "Tablescape Thursday". Thanks so very much for visiting and reading. Have a wonderful rest of your week!

First Christmas Post 2025

2025-12-05T16:03:00.000-05:00

Hello sweet friends. The season of Advent is upon us, and it's such a special time. We hung our Moravian Star on Sunday, the first day of Advent.

I wish our porch didn't have these white stains; I think they are old water stains caused by water draining from my planters. I try to be more careful when I water now, but I need to find out how to get rid of the white spots, if possible. We had an exciting Thanksgiving this year, but not the kind of excitement one would wish for. The day before Thanksgiving, Hal and I were working outside; I was planting pansies in my pots on the porch, and Hal was making holes along the front of our Crape Myrtle trees. He had a small auger attached to a drill that would drill down the right depth for planting bulbs. We were finally going to plant some daffodil bulbs after living here for almost 30 years. Hal had laid a string out so he would plant the bulbs in a mostly straight line down the yard, and the string got caught around the auger with his finger trapped beneath it. He tried to reverse the drill to unwind the string, and instead it quickly tightened and snapped the top joint of his finger almost completely off. He made an angry exclamation, and I asked if everything was okay. He said, "No, I cut my finger off." I couldn't believe it; my stomach just rolled over. I ran to where he was working, dreading to see his finger on the ground, but it was still attached, barely. I drove him to the urgent care clinic about five minutes from our house. When the doctor saw his finger, he said we would have to go the ER because they were not equipped to handle that at the clinic -- it needed a plastic surgeon. The doctor said, "I'll be honest -- the finger is basically amputated." Thankfully, the emergency room is only about ten minutes from the clinic, so we drove right over and they were able to see him immediately. The plastic surgeon cleaned the wound and reattached the end of his finger, and they gave him a shot for pain and some prescriptions. They made an appointment for us with an Orthopedic Surgeon for the day after Thanksgiving, but the doctor said he didn't have a lot of hope that Hal would be able to keep the whole finger. We saw the Orthopedic Surgeon on Friday, and he seemed pretty hopeful, as the skin was a healthy color. An appointment was made for the surgery on Tuesday, December 2nd. Afterward the surgery, the surgeon said he felt there is a 50/50 chance that the finger joint will rejuvenate. There was a lot of damage on the inside that he couldn't see before the surgery. We were disappointed, as this is his right hand, and Hal is right-handed; however, we will make the best of it. People have some terrible accidents while working outside, and we're thankful it wasn't worse. I was able to finish planting my pansies yesterday and Wednesday, so I took a few quick pics of the porch.

It rained last night, so the porch was still wet when I took these pictures.

This is the wreath my mom and I made at her house back when my Dad was still living.

I'm feeling good that I've got the porch done; now it's on to the inside of the house. We purchased an artificial tree online because Hal is not allowed to lift anything with his right hand, and we couldn't have managed a real tree this year. We'll probably go back to a real tree next year because we love them, but I told Hal it will be good to have the artificial tree for when we are decrepit someday. 😉 How are your Christmas preparations coming along? We've been looking at Christmas decorations and Christmas markets in Europe on YouTube. It's all very pretty, although I find some of it way too gaudy and commercialized. I've been thinking about how I love Christmas; I love being with family, but I also love celebrating the birth of the Christ child. When you think about it, the Reason for the Season is with us always, every day. Somehow, that's a very comforting thought. Thank you for stopping by and reading.
Blessings,

Another Autumn Table

2025-11-20T14:37:00.001-05:00

I almost didn't share this table today because we're all so busy at this time of year. I enjoyed setting it up, though, so I decided to go ahead and write a quick post to go with.

I adore copper, and I feel like it lights up a table or a kitchen in fall and winter. That warm glow never fails to delight me. 😊 I especially love the way copper pairs with blue, and thus the idea for this table.

I think I most appreciate copper in the fall because it reminds me of the fall foliage that I love so much and look forward to every year.

I decided to gather the flatware in brown velvet ribbon for more fall color. This ribbon is a favorite of mine; I purchased it from Amazon a few years ago. The color is "coffee," and it looks like they are still carrying it. This is such a rich shade of brown and really makes a statement.

I used my everyday blue and white dishes, Churchill "Finlandia." The blue napkins were brought to me by my mother-in-law from France many years ago. I really treasure them. The hammered copper napkin rings I purchased at a gift shop either in the mountains or at the coast; I can't remember which. I'm so glad I bought those, as I have really enjoyed them. The Moscow Mule mugs I purchased on Amazon and at Hobby Lobby. The centerpiece is a Longaberger pottery pitcher that came from my husband's grandmother.

These faux flowers are some of my favorites; I found them at a gift shop (now closed) that my mom and I used to go to in Virginia. They had the best artificial greenery and flowers I've ever found anywhere.

I added a copper ice bucket to my little buffet table, along with a wheat stack tied with the velvet coffee ribbon.

Do you like to use copper in your home? Do you ever cook with copper? We are thoroughly enjoying this fall season here at Forest Manor. It's my favorite time of year, and we've been pretty busy. I'm sure it's the same for you. 😊 Do you have your Thanksgiving menu planned out yet? I hope you all have a wonderful week and weekend!! I'll be linking this post to "Tablescape Thursday" at Between Naps on the Porch blog, hosted by Susan.
Blessings,

A Fall Apple Tablescape

2025-10-15T10:58:00.003-04:00

Down through the ancient StrandThe spirit of October, mild and boonAnd sauntering takes his wayThis golden end of afternoon,As though the corn stood yellow in all the landAnd the ripe apples dropped to the harvest-moon.~William Ernest Henley, "London Voluntaries," 1892

Hello Dear Readers! Are you happy to be in the midst of fall? I definitely am! This is my favorite time of year -- so many things to do and so much beauty to enjoy! Do you have autumn color yet where you live? We have some, but not a lot. I set a fall table in the dining room a few weeks ago, and I've enjoyed looking at it, along with our other autumn decor around the house. This is sort of a re-boot of a fall tablescape I put together the first year of my blog (2011). I always liked that table, and I think I like this one even better.

I used these same dishes, Johnson Brothers Old Britain Castles in that original tablescape back in 2011. The maple leaf plates are Olfaire, made in Portugal. I love the fall touch they add to a table.

Here's a closeup of the maple leaf plate. I've used my Wallace Napolean Bee flatware on the table. I love that I can use this flatware spring through fall. Up until just a few weeks ago, there were still monarch butterflies and bees on our butterfly bush out front.

I'm also using La Rochere bee glasses.

In the dough bowl are faux apples and two faux yellow pears. In the center is a Limelight hydrangea blossom that I dried a few years ago. I've brought a few more inside to dry this year. The pewter apple and pear salt and pepper shakers continue the fall fruit theme. We received these as a wedding gift almost 40 years ago, and I think they're darling. I used this same table runner on that 2011 tablescape. I purchased it from Sherry, who blogs at The Charm of Home. She was making these at that time, and I have enjoyed mine through the years. Sherry has a lovely blog, and I would recommend checking it out. 😊

The napkins came from Bed, Bath and Beyond many years ago. I found a lot of good table linens there, and I'm sorry they've gone out of business. At any rate, I tried to get a closeup of this fall leaf pattern, so hopefully you can see the oak leaf here. Basket weave napkin rings remind me of orchard baskets.

These were the first new dishes I purchased when I started my blog in 2011, and I still love the pattern today.

To my mind, fall is the perfect time to use the twisted barley candlesticks.

My favorite thing about this tablescape is that it features all the vibrant colors that we typically see in the fall -- red, gold, green and brown.

Now for a few evening shots with candlelight...

I hope the colors will soon look like this in our area and in the mountains. I'm not so sure we'll have a pretty fall this year because it's been so dry here recently. Still, there is beauty to be found if we look hard enough. I love this time of the year; it makes me happy just to be here. 😊

Thanks so much for stopping by here today. I truly appreciate your visits. Happy Fall dear friends!!

Joining the "Tablescape Thursday" blog party, hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch.

Blessings,

July On Our Front Porch

2025-07-29T15:34:00.004-04:00

Hi there!! Have you had a good summer so far? Since I haven't been posting much, I thought I would take some time to do a re-cap of July. First of all, it's unbelievably hot here (for us). These temps. would be no big deal for people in Texas and Arizona, but whew! I even saw that North Carolina was mentioned in the The New York Times yesterday in reference to the heat wave we're having. I'm not a fan of The New York Times, but I get e-mails from them because I play Wordle on their website. Anyhoo, the temperatures have been in the 90's consistently, with the heat index in the triple digits. Aside from this heat wave, July has been a nice month for us. We made homemade ice cream to take to my mom's house for July 4th. We had a cookout, and I got to see my niece's little foster child; I tell you I'm smitten with that child. 😊 I've gotten some really nice fresh vegetables and fruit so far; this has been a good summer for the produce. We're engaging in our annual tradition of watching the Tour de France here. It actually ended Sunday, but we're a few days behind.

In addition to enjoying fresh produce, we've really enjoyed our flowers this summer, so I'm sharing some pictures of the front porch plantings this year. I have to tell you; I've been so pleased with them this year! I gave up on those silly boxwoods that died after being pampered for a couple of years. This spring, I asked the owner at our local nursery, and she recommended these dwarf Arborvitaes for our largest pots, and I love them.

They're soft and ruffly and so green. These are a variety of the Arborvitae we have planted in our backyard.

The above picture was taken in 2022, and you wouldn't believe how much these trees have grown since then. They were babies in this picture! 😁 I'll have to take a current picture and share with you.

I didn't plant any petunias this year. They're pretty for a while, and then they get leggy and spindly looking. That just doesn't work for me. Mine never seem to look like the ones I see in pictures. My mother-in-law had some pink begonias left over from her planting, so she kindly shared them with me. I love, love this combination. Caladiums are one of my all-time favorites, along with the variegated vinca vine and the begonias. I found the cute snail at Home Goods at the beginning of summer.

A big change that I made this summer is my geraniums. I have always had salmon pink geraniums everywhere we've lived, but this year I got a late start and salmon pink geraniums were thin on the ground. I saw these bright pink ones where I bought the Arborvitaes, and they came home with me. I have so enjoyed having something different. They blend so well with the other plantings, and these will probably be my new color in the future.

Bought a new house number plaque last summer; it looks so much better than the old, tarnished brass numbers we had.

We purchased a new front doormat this spring. I loved our other one, but some critter ate part of it. Sigh. Hal has had to spray my geraniums multiple times with Liquid Fence because something was pulling the leaves off. We've had a few baby fawns this year (still with their Bambi spots). They live in the woods behind us. They're so cute, but I really don't want them to eat my flowers.

My autumn fern is doing much better than the one I had last year.

The limelight hydrangeas are loaded with blooms. I can't get over how much they've grown in just a few years.

Limelights in 2021.

These were our Crape Myrtle trees in April 2022,

and the Crape Myrtles this week. Some of these trees are larger than others; we're going to prune them this fall to make them more uniform in shape. We made sure to keep them well watered the first summer, and they've grown like gangbusters.

Our Eastern Redbud tree in 2022,

and this week, 2025.

Love this spinner my mom gave me!

We are so glad we took the plunge to have all those ugly, overgrown poplars removed from our yard. It has made a world of difference, and we don't miss them a bit. Do you enjoy gardening? What is growing in your garden this summer? I'd love to hear from you! If you enjoy reading blogs about gardening and gardens, you might enjoy visiting The Charm of Home blog. Sherry has a charming cottage garden, and she makes lovely bouquets and does posts on tea, as well. Thank you so much for visiting, dear Friends, and stay cool!!

Hugs,

Fresh Flowers for the House

2025-05-12T16:25:00.000-04:00

It seems I've taken a four-month sabbatical, and I certainly didn't intend to. I've discovered the longer I stay away, the harder it is to think what to write on my blog. I hope that all of you had a lovely Mother's Day yesterday; I most certainly did. Went to lunch on Saturday with my mom, my sister, my niece and her adorable foster child. I so wish I could share pictures of the little girl, but I completely understand why that is not allowed. Yesterday, our son came over and the three of us went to dinner at a nice restaurant. Afterwards, we visited my mother-in-law, so I think we all had a good family weekend.

Last Friday, May 2nd, Hal and I went to the Piedmont Farmer's Market. Strawberries were already in, and we bought a gallon. I also bought a large bouquet of flowers, from which I was able to make four good-sized bouquets. I would love to see where some of these folks grow their flowers, because they are just exquisite. I could probably find them cheaper at our Trader Joe's, but these at the Farmer's Market are the absolute freshest. They lasted about a week, and some of the flowers are still good now. This might have been the prettiest bouquet I've ever gotten there.

The bouquet included snapdragons (one of my all-time favorites) daisies, Sweet William, anemones, mums, baby's breath, and a big pink rose -- so many of my cottage garden favorites.

I was also happy to discover a creamy, fragrant peony, as well.

Flowers for the dining room, living room, den, and kitchen. What a treat!

I'm still struggling to get my perennials established here, so I really appreciate being able to get fresh flowers for the house. We have had a very pretty spring here in North Carolina -- not too hot so far. Are you having a good spring where you are? I know many of you grow beautiful flowers of your own -- I hope the weather has been kind to them so far. For anyone who's still reading here, thanks so much for stopping by today! Have a wonderful week!!
Joining: "Metamorphosis Monday" at Between Naps on the Porch

On A Cold Winter's Day

2025-01-07T12:53:00.001-05:00

**I actually started this post on Sunday, and today is Tuesday. We never got the snow I was hoping for when I started writing this, but there is still hope. They are now forecasting snow for this coming Saturday.** It's Sunday afternoon, and we are having a bit of snow here, off and on (mostly off). In the part of town where my mom, sister, and niece live, they have a few inches covering the ground already. Hal and I have really hoped for a pretty snow this year, so we shall see. It has been bitterly cold here for the last few days, for sure. Is it cold where you are? Our son gave us a jigsaw puzzle for Christmas (750 pieces) and we started on it Friday night. It's challenging! We've got sections put together, but we've got a long way to go. I thought I would share some of the things I've been reading lately.

I just finished "Magpie Murders" yesterday; Hal gave it to me for Christmas. It was a good read; I thoroughly enjoyed it. My father-in-law watched the series on PBS, so we will probably watch it now that I've read the book. I will be looking at some more of this author's books for sure. I got several books for Christmas this year -- one of my favorite gifts to get.

Our son gave me the Elizabeth David cookbook, as much for the historical context as for the recipes,

and ditto for "Tasting History," by Max Miller. I love food, but I love history, too. 😉

My sister gave me the Ben Pentreath book, which I had on my Amazon wish list.

My mom gave me the "Southern Entertainer's Cookbook," also on my Amazon list. It has some wonderful-looking recipes inside.

I purchased this book for myself with some of my Christmas money. I already had the one about England. These are such lovely books; I enjoy them a lot. I've heard of people having to buy a bigger house for various reasons, but not often because they have too many books. That is starting to be the case here. We have so many books, but they are one of my great loves in life. In other forms of entertainment, we've been watching football, of course. We always watch during football season, but not to excess. By the time the Super Bowl is over, however, I'm ready to be done with football for the year. The current thing we're enjoying is --

"Northern Exposure" Another gift from our son; he's heard me talk about how much I enjoyed watching this show when it was first telecast back in the 90's. Hal and I are having fun re-watching these. And on YouTube --

"Tasting History" with Max Miller

"How To Renovate A Chateau" with Phillip and Anna

Life in the Finnish Countryside with Sanna Vaara Are you reading or watching anything good at the moment? Have you seen any of the You Tube channels I mentioned? I hope you're staying warm and cozy, wherever you may be. Thank you for stopping by and have a wonderful week!

Happy New Year 2025!

2025-01-02T16:23:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone! It's been a minute, no? Five months since I've posted a real post here on the blog. I've missed blogging and I've missed you. Our year got very busy in the last half, and then I kind of lost my blogging mojo. Writing takes practice, and I'm a bit out of practice.

Did you have a good Christmas? We did. It was the first Christmas in years that I haven't made pictures of the house and tried to do Christmas posts before January 1st. I have to admit that I enjoyed just focusing on family, home and hearth, and the reason for the season.

We really had a wonderful family Christmas. We met friends of ours for dinner one evening, which is always fun. Hal's birthday falls the week before Christmas, and this year, I made a birthday dinner for him and invited his parents and of course, our son. I think everyone enjoyed it. On the 21st, we went to a town nearby and met with Hal's uncles and cousins for lunch at a restaurant. We attended the candlelight Christmas Eve service at my sister's church, along with our son, my mom, and Hal's parents. It was a special evening. Christmas Day, it was my turn to host my side of the family, and we actually had a youngster with us this year. My niece and her husband are fostering a little three-year-old girl, and she's so cute!! Funny, and lots of fun, she keeps everyone hopping. 😉 Then on Friday, the 27th, we went to Hal's parents' home for Christmas with his side of the family. Whew! We were all worn out on December 28th after all those get-togethers.

I decorated mostly the same way I do every year. The emphasis was on Merry and Bright.

I added some faux fruit and red velvet ribbon to the mantel this year, and I love the way it turned out. Also, our den got a mini makeover back in the fall, and we're really enjoying that. I traded the valances we've had at the windows in here for the last 15 years or more for velvet, floor-length drapes. I absolutely love them!!

Also, this dry sink with the tabletop tree was somewhere else, and we moved it to this spot, where it fits perfectly. Another surface to decorate. 😜

Another part of the mini makeover was this desk. I would have never shown this desk on the blog previously. It was always a hot mess -- I mean a dumpster fire. It was originally Hal's desk, where he sat and used the computer in the evenings. But he's used his laptop for years, as he prefers to sit on the sofa, and this is where I usually work on my blog. He has a small office area in the spare bedroom now, so I took ownership of this desk. I cleaned it up, got rid of all the papers and files we didn't need, and put the others in the office. I purchased a leather pad and matching desk caddy. I brought the fox lamp out of storage, and it's a perfect fit for the desk. I'm a happy camper now. 😀

I've worked at the desk today and enjoyed the warmth from our "electric fire." These days after the holidays are some of my favorites all year. I'm enjoying my coffee with my new book in the mornings and relaxing in the evenings. Do you like this time of year? I'd love to hear about your Christmas and what you're doing in the start of a new year. Thanks so much for stopping by; I so appreciate all of you who visit, read, and comment! Have a wonderful weekend!!

It's Christmas 2024

2024-12-25T11:49:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas Dear Ones!! I wish you a happy day with those you love most.

Joy to the World, the Lord is come!!

For The Bees

2024-08-01T14:56:00.002-04:00

I wanted to set a table with a bee theme this summer but had not gotten around to it. I dithered over purchasing a La Rochere carafe or some glass bowls to go with our bee goblets, but in the end, I decided I couldn't justify buying those right now. I had planned to try and gather enough flowers (but was pretty sure there wouldn't be enough in my young flower garden) to make a center piece. Then, I was gifted a lovely flower arrangement on Sunday, and I decided it was time to do my bee table, even though I didn't have all the elements that I wanted for it.

I love these flowers; they're so much more than I could have gotten from my flowerbed right now. They also have sentimental meaning because they were in my mom's church sanctuary in memory of my Dad this past Sunday. His birthday was July 3rd, and he would have been 83 this year.

You can see above that there are two identical arrangements here, and the talented lady in the picture is the artist who put these together. If a church member wants flowers in the sanctuary in honor, or in memory, of someone special, they give Barbara $20, and she does beautiful arrangements because she has a talent for this and she loves doing it. My mom had my sister and I take the flowers to enjoy in our homes, and I have truly enjoyed mine this week. We went to church with Mom on Sunday, so we got to see how pretty they looked there, as well. Back to the tablescape, I wanted bee napkin rings for this table but felt that I wouldn't have time to get them from Amazon in time to take my pictures. Some of the flowers were starting to wilt, so I needed to get busy photographing. 😊

This is a very simple table, but I'm pleased with the way it turned out. I don't own any bee plates, per se, but I purchased four bread and butter/dessert plates from eBay to add color to my white plates.

The bread and butter plates are Johnson Brothers Rose Chintz, and they were listed as "new" rather than vintage. The vintage plates (made in England) were much pricier, and I love these, as they have no scratches, chips, or crazing. The napkins were a gift from my mother-in-law some years ago.

I chose this particular pattern because I've always liked it, but also because flowers and bees just belong together.

I used our Wallace "Napoleon Bee" flatware,

and the La Rochere goblets, as well. I find myself using these goblets and the flatware often during the summer because I love the look, but also, their quality is outstanding. The small bee skep seen here behind the goblet was one I found at a local thrift shop a few years ago.

I'm using the French table runner we purchased from a vendor at the City Market in Charleston on one of our visits. Again, I felt the lavender worked well with the bee theme.

The candles I used are beeswax tapers with a honeycomb texture.

You can see the texture of the candles better in this picture.

The first pictures I took of this tablescape were taken in the evening before dark, but I always like to get some photos in the morning light, if possible, so I took a few more photos the next morning.

Some candlelight shots...

and the next morning.

Thank you to my mom for the gift of these beautiful flowers -- they were just what I needed for my bee table. Thanks to all of you who visited here today; I appreciate you more than I can say. Blogging has changed a lot since I started House at Forest Manor back in 2011. So many of the blog friends I had in the beginning are no longer here, for various reasons. Your visits and comments mean a lot, as they make things feel more sociable -- rather than feeling like I'm just talking to myself all the time. 😉 I hope you're all having a wonderful summer; before we know it, fall will be here. I don't want to wish my life away, but I do love fall -- how about you? Thank you again for stopping by!! Hope you have a great day and a wonderful weekend!! I'm joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for "Tablescape Thursday". Do stop by her blog if you get a chance! Blessings,

Home and Travel

2024-06-06T18:42:00.000-04:00

Hello all! Are you having a good summer so far? Ours has been a mix of good, not so good, and chaotic. The good part is that our flowers, trees, and shrubs are blooming prolifically. I'm guessing all the rain we got in the spring must have really helped out. The not so good is that the weeds are also flourishing (as usual) and I just can't seem to get on top of them. Also, we had to have repair work done on our practically-new refrigerator, and I've decided that things really aren't being made to last these days. We're hoping the fridge truly is fixed because I love everything about it -- looks, layout, design, convenience. In addition, we've just replaced a coffee maker which was just a little over a year old; it started leaking out onto our countertop. Roseanne Roseannadanna is right, folks, "It just goes to show you, it's always something -- if it's not one thing, it's another." 😏

Former U.S. Coast Guard Station on St. Simon's Island I mentioned back in the winter that my in-laws sold the house at Oak Island; it sold in two days, which is about par for the course in North Carolina these days. Hal and I decided we needed to visit some new places, so in the third week of May, we went to St. Simon's Island, off the coast of Georgia. It was beautiful there, and we went at a good time; we were told that after Memorial Day the crowds would show up and it would be hard to get in the restaurants and get around the island. We enjoyed our trip to St. Simon's and will probably go back sometime. I'm keen on seeing some more new places, and I hope Hal is, too. 😊

On the subject of summer reading, our son gave me this book for Mother's Day, and I read it before we went out of town. It was a good book -- interesting to read how poor families lived in post-war Naples, Italy. However, I wouldn't necessarily call it a feel-good read. Have any of you read this? I'd love to know what others are reading this summer.

In other news, I purchased new curtains for our dining room. I've wanted to do this for a while, and I'm happy that I finally did so.

Above are the curtains I had in here before. They've been here almost as long as we've lived in the house, and I loved them. I thought the lace was so pretty, but I decided after many years that I wanted something more than just a valance on this window. However, I still love lace curtains, so I looked at getting lace panels that I could pull back.

The curtains came from this company. The pattern is "Highland Rose." It was hard to choose, and I spent a few days making up my mind, but I think the pattern is lovely and was more affordable than some of the others. They don't come with tiebacks, so I found these holdbacks at Wayfair, and I'm also quite pleased with them. I feel like the style suits our dining room well.

Do you like the look of lace curtains? I've always loved lace curtains and have had them in at least one room everywhere I've lived. I desperately need to return to my yard work, but it's almost unbearably hot and humid this week. What is the weather like where you are? Thank you so much for your visit, and I truly appreciate your kind comments. Have a great weekend, my friends!!

The Middle of May

2024-05-14T13:44:00.005-04:00

Hi all! I hope you had a good Mother's Day. I did, and I'm so very thankful for my wonderful son and husband. I'm continuing to document (loosely) our lives here at Forest Manor. I have spent a large part of the spring working in our yard. Yesterday, I worked on removing weeds from our large natural area in the front yard, where I'm in the process of creating a flower garden. I cut a few stems yesterday evening to enjoy in the house -- they're a sampling of what we have added to this area over the past three years.

The purple, spiky flower in front is Veronica (Speedwell). I had these flowers in my garden years ago in Greensboro, and I've always loved them; I think they make really nice cut flowers. The bright pink flower, also in front, is Dianthus (Cottage Pinks). I plan to buy another of these plants because the one I purchased last year was very small, and I've seen taller ones at our local Lowe's Home Improvement. The two yellow flowers are Coreopsis, and the stem of bell-shaped flowers is Coralbells (Heuchera Sanguinea). I also had these in Greensboro, and they are some of my very favorites. My mother-in-law introduced me to them; she had a large border planting of them at their previous home. These blooms are more of a pink color than they appear in this picture. I have three plants now, and I look forward to seeing them grow and spread. The fern frond in the back of the vase is from my Autum Fern plant. It gives me pleasure to be able to make a small nosegay from my own flowers. 😊 Also included in the garden are Creeping Phlox, which have already bloomed out for this year, Shasta Daisies, which have not bloomed yet, and Lollipop Verbena, which is blooming at the moment. In addition, I have Lenten Roses (Hellebores) and Limelight Hydrangeas. This spring, I've added a Columbine plant, two Alliums, and three Lavender plants.

If you're a regular reader here, you may remember that we had several large, unhealthy poplar trees removed from our side yard in 2021.

In the three years since then, we've been working (with the help of Alex, who helps us about twice a year with the bigger projects) to build a new and prettier yard than we've ever had here. This year, we are able to see a lot of progress, and it gives us motivation to keep working harder. In fall of 2021, Alex planted a dozen Crape Myrtles for us where the big trees had been, and they're growing nicely. The following year, he planted ten Arborvitaes along the rear border of the back yard. Unfortunately, the deer munched on them, but they're mostly making a comeback.

A couple of weeks ago when Hal and I were weeding in front of the house, he picked some of the Gertrude Jekyll roses for me. I thoroughly enjoyed their beauty and fragrance in the house for several days. I can't imagine a world without flowers, can you?

As you can see, outside has been the focus of our time so far this month. I had hoped to spread more pine needles today, but it's raining steadily here, so I realized it was a good time to write a blog post. I hope you are all doing well and hope you have a great week! Thank you so much for visiting!

Before The Month of April Is Gone...

2024-04-24T14:59:00.006-04:00

Hello Dear Friends! It's hard to believe that I haven't posted since the middle of February -- a Valentine's tablescape. Good grief, I've let the time slip away again. We have been busy, though, living life, and I'm thankful for that. In February, we visited a friend whose husband had died unexpectedly during the Christmas holidays. Then, the following week, we attended a funeral for a man that Hal had worked with for 30 years. I think it's nice that people are referring to these occasions as "Celebration of Life" now. Hal's co-worker had lived a life to be celebrated, for sure. He was quite down to earth, but such an inspiration to so many people. Both of these men died from cancer, which is another whole topic. Is it just me, or is this dreaded disease becoming more and more prevalent? In March, Hal and I took another calligraphy class; this one was held at the Sawtooth School for Visual Art in Winston-Salem, N.C.

We had a different teacher this time, and she was really good.

We like both teachers we've had in calligraphy, but their styles are pretty different. This written art form has a long and interesting history; it dates back to the first century, according to our most recent class. Like most other things, if you want to do it well, it requires much practice and patience.

Also in March, we spent an afternoon at nearby Reynolda Gardens -- they were quite gorgeous on that day.

I had never been when so many different spring flowers were in bloom -- what a colorful show!

As much as I've complained about all the rain this year, we've certainly had a spectacular spring, so that has been some consolation. 😊 March was definitely a busy month. I made Beef and Guinness stew for St. Patrick's Day and invited Will and our parents to eat with us. Sometimes we watch a movie when Will comes over for dinner, and so far this year, we've watched "Miss Potter" and "Dial 'M' For Murder." I've wanted to see "Miss Potter" for a long time, and I thoroughly enjoyed it --even the guys seemed to like it. "Dial 'M' For Murder" was also a good one; I always enjoy seeing an Alfred Hitchcock movie with Grace Kelly starring. I'm currently reading a new-to-me series by Martin Walker; this is another one that our son gave me for Christmas.

These mysteries take place in the Périgord region of France, specifically in the province of Dordogne. These are a fun read and very informative about this amazing part of France. Whew -- if you're still here, thank you so much for reading this. It's helpful for me to record what we do with our time, as it is such a precious commodity. Do you feel this way, too? I've been doing a lot of reminiscing lately, too; perhaps I'll write about that sometime. I hope you're all doing well and having a lovely spring. Thank you for visiting today and have a great week!!

Valentine's Day With Juliet

2024-02-12T20:27:00.008-05:00

This year I decided to set a Valentine's Day table with our wedding china, because even though I chose it many years ago, I still love it (just like my husband). 💘💟💕 The last two days here have been totally gloomy with very little sunshine, so the lighting isn't the best for these pictures. In spite of that, I really enjoyed putting this table together, and I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Perhaps you noticed the two wine glasses sitting at the end of the table (above) instead of at their respective place settings? Once again, I got ahead of myself and forgot to double-check the table before I started snapping pictures. Then, of course, I had to go back and re-take several photos. Sigh.

The dishes are "Juliet" by Royal Doulton, and we received these in 1987, the year we were married. Most of you have seen these before; I'm not someone who has umpteen sets of dishes, so I tend to re-use what I have. The crystal is "French Cathedral" by Gorham, also in our wedding registry. I placed a vintage-looking Valentine card at each place setting for added color and interest. These are "Punch Studio" cards, one of my favorite card and paper companies, and I bought them at our local Barnes & Noble four years ago.

These were a box of cards, and each card is a different design. I love that they also have some blue mixed in, since it accents the blue in my dishes.

I began with these vintage crocheted placemats, belonging to my mom. I like lace for Valentine's Day, so I was very excited to get these placemats for our table. Thank you, Mom! The sterling is International Silver, "Grande Regency", and was passed down to us from my mother-in-law.

Pink velvet ribbon was used in place of napkin rings on the napkins.

I like to use roses with these dishes when I can find the right color, since roses are featured on the china pattern. These miniature roses came from Trader Joe's; I've never used mini roses on a table before, and I just love these.

And the other two cards --

On Saturday, Hal surprised me with these handmade chocolates,

from L. A. Burdick. Ironically, I had just been reading about these chocolatiers on another blog last Friday but had not mentioned it to Hal. I couldn't believe it when he gave me these the next day. These are definitely for a special occasion!

One of their signature candies are these little chocolate mice. Is this not adorable?! There was one white chocolate mouse and two brown ones in the box, but the dark ones were harder to photograph.

Since I only had three mice, I put a heart-shaped chocolate on the fourth bread plate.

Yesterday evening, I took some candlelight photos while the hubs was watching the Super Bowl.

Thank you so much for visiting! Do you have any plans for February 14th? Either way, I hope you enjoy your day. I'll be joining some other dish lovers at Between Naps on the Porch for "Tablescape Thursday". Have a great week!

2024 Winter Products

2024-02-06T22:46:00.001-05:00

Hi folks. On occasion, I have shared some fun finds here that bring us pleasure in our home. I'm not affiliated with any of these products, nor do I receive any compensation for talking about them on my blog. These are just things I'm enjoying at the moment and thought you might be interested in them, too. First thing I wanted to share is this new-to-us milk we purchased this week at our local grocery store.

Homestead Creamery is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. We actually bought some of their eggnog during the holidays, and it was delicious! I kept some of the bottles (they were quart size) and gave a few to my sister and niece because they love farmhouse decor. Then I realized we had eggnog bottles from last year (I had washed them in the dishwasher and put them in a closet) so we returned the remaining bottles for a cash refund of $3.00 per bottle. I expect we would get more for this milk bottle, as it's a half-gallon size. The milk is 2% milkfat, and we normally drink 1%. We used to drink 1/2%, but they stopped making it apparently. I was a little worried this milk would taste too "creamy" to us, but it is delicious. I mostly just use it for cereal or oatmeal, so I'm not too worried about the extra milkfat. After drinking this milk, it honestly made me feel like our other milk had a synthetic taste. I feel sure this brand is more expensive than the store brand we've been drinking for years, but I'm hoping the refund from returning the bottles will mostly offset the difference in price.

When we traveled to England back in 1999, we stayed at a hotel in the country. We had our own suite with a kitchen on the lower floor. The day we arrived, there were bottles of milk in the refrigerator; I had not seen bottled milk since I was a child, when we got our milk from the milkman. I was so excited! 😊 I would be happy to return the glass bottles for all beverages if companies would give up plastic and go back to glass; it's so much better for the environment. Even though we are faithful about recycling, I have my doubts about how much plastic actually gets recycled.

I've also been eating oatmeal for breakfast, and these Bob's Red Mill rolled oats are the best I've ever had. Hal thinks so, too. We grew up eating Quaker Oats, and these are just better. They have a creamier texture and thicker consistency, and I like them better than steel cut oats. We purchased the oats at our local grocery store, but they are available on Amazon, and probably all over the U.S. I'm not sure about the milk; it might just be available in this region. I feel sure there are lots of other small dairies out there these days, so check your local stores and farmer's market if you're interested. My mom wanted some wind chimes for Christmas, and after we purchased hers, I liked them so much that Hal got some for me.

These are "Corinthian Bells" chimes, made by Wind River Chimes, also in Virginia. They are made in the USA using USA-sourced materials. We are so impressed with these wind chimes; they have such a melodious sound. They're really attractive, too. I got the green color for my mom, and Hal got copper vein for me. The aluminum-alloy tubes are powder-coated, making them more resilient to weather over the years.

According to the website, these are hand-tuned to the scale of "C". We got the 27-inch chimes, which are also the smallest size (as these are not inexpensive). You can order them on the company website, and they also sell them on Amazon. We ordered directly from the company and were very pleased with the quick delivery.

We had a few nights in January when the temps. dropped into the low to mid-teens. I woke up on one of those really cold nights, and Hal had all the cover on his side of the bed, not for the first time, I might add. 😠 I might have mentioned this the next morning (also not for the first time) and in a few days, we received this new blanket in the mail. Problem solved, since we also got a king-size blanket for our queen-sized bed. This blanket is really warm, and it's so lightweight. I think Hal was skeptical at first that it would be warm enough since we took our other blankets off the bed, but we were not disappointed. I would highly recommend it for people living in colder climates than ours.

There are two candles I'm burning this winter, and our son actually gave us both of them last Christmas (2022). This one has a Christmas picture on the tin, but I consider it an all-around winter candle. It smells wonderful!! This is the first time I've tried a soy wax candle, and I think I'll go with these from now on. I am highly sensitive to certain fragrances and chemical smells such as those found in so many household cleaners. I even have to be really particular about liquid hand soaps, lotions, etc. I've had some scented candles in the past that I just couldn't tolerate. This particular candle has a nice, mild cinnamon scent -- just perfect for me.

The brand is Paddywax, and I looked at their website a few weeks ago. They, also, are not inexpensive, but I can splurge now and then for a nice candle. I will probably try one of their floral scents for spring and summer. These are also available on Amazon, if you prefer shopping there.

This is the candle I'm burning right now -- Northern Lights "Bourbon & Spice". This one is also a winner; it has a very pleasing scent, and it looks nice in our den. Hal appreciates the masculine look of the container. 😉

For the last thing in this post, here's a book you may be interested in.

Janine Marsh and her husband are British ex-pats who purchased a derelict farmhouse and moved to France two decades ago. She has a blog and a free online magazine, The Good Life France, where she shares her travels throughout the diverse country of France, as well as French recipes, celebrations, fashion, etc. I think her blog and magazine are really good, and I subscribe to her newsletter. Janine previously wrote three books about her experiences in France, which I read about a year ago. You can find those books listed on her website. I purchased the latest book, How To Be French, after Christmas last month. I'm enjoying it so far; it has some lovely photos of France, and my only complaint -- the print is tiny. Yikes! Even with my reading glasses, it's a bit of a challenge. So that's all for this post. Are you having a good winter? I'd love to know if you've used any of these products/brands. Thanks so much for your visit and have a great week!

A Winter Tablescape

2024-02-01T00:29:00.004-05:00

Hello there! Happy February to you. 😊 I set a winter tablescape this January, thinking that I would try to set more pretty tables this year. I really would have liked to get some pretty winter flowers at the grocery store for my centerpiece, but it just didn't happen. Instead, I went with my standby of a pillar candle and hurricane globe.

I didn't put my mercury glass trees out at Christmas, and I decided they really are perfect for the month of January.

Our poinsettia is still looking good, but I will probably take it down soon. It's a lot of trouble to water since I have to take it out of the porcelain pot and put it in the sink. It's so big it almost won't come out of the blue and white pot, and I'm sort of tired of fooling with it. We certainly enjoyed it during the holidays, though.

The sun was in and out today, but I managed to take some decent pictures. Except for a small amount of faux winter greenery, I stuck with blue, white, and silver for my colors. I think they look very wintry.

I like the combination of French blue with lots of crystal and white. It reminds me of snow and ice in the winter. Maybe I should say snow and ice in other parts of the world. Sigh. We haven't had one snowflake this year (or last year either), but we've had more rain than we need. Flash flooding and water in our basement in place of snow is not a good trade-off in our opinion. 😉

This is my go-to table runner for January, but I did purchase some new placemats for the table this year. I love these with my white dishes! They were an after-Christmas find when my mom and I went to HomeGoods one day. These are actually paper instead of real crochet work, but you can't tell that until you touch them. I've never seen these before, but I like them.

I chose some faux eucalyptus leaves, along with some "snowy" foliage and bare branches made to look like they're covered in ice crystals. A mercury glass votive is encircled by a winter candle ring that I bought many years ago when we had a Plow and Hearth store nearby. They have since closed, along with many other stores who haven't survived in this economy.

Pewter napkin rings were used to coordinate with the mercury glass trees and votive.

I really love all the silver stitched snowflakes on this table runner.

The Royal Copenhagen bell was given to us by Hal's mom when they downsized a few years ago. She bought the bell when they traveled to Denmark in the '80's. It's really a Christmas bell, but I think the blue looks pretty with the napkins.

I looked up "Jule After" online, and the general consensus seems to be that it translates from Danish to "Christmas Eve" in English.

I put these tree-shaped taper candles out every year after Christmas. They were a gift from my mom, and I love them in the crystal candle holders.

I took a few evening shots with the candles lit.

Thank you so much for stopping by! I'll be joining the other ladies at Between Naps on the Porch for Susan's "Tablescape Thursday". There are some really talented bloggers who participate on Thursdays, if you're interested in seeing more tablescapes. I hope February will be a good month for all of us. Have a great weekend!

2024 So Far

2024-01-23T22:07:00.003-05:00

Hello Friends, how has your week been? Mine has been quiet -- and cold. I wanted to share a few miscellaneous things with you all.

First of all, Hal's parents have sold their beach house at Oak Island, and while I'm not really surprised, I am sad to see the end of an era for our family. I have posted here many times about staying there over the years, but this house was a very big part of our lives for 34 years. Hal and I will celebrate our 37th wedding anniversary in May, so the beach house has been in our family for almost our whole married life. We traveled there when I was pregnant with Will, and we started taking him with us when he was a baby all the way through high school.

Will has been able to take his friends with him since college, but he's also continued to join us down there, as well. Such wonderful memories we have of our visits there. My parents used to have a condo at Cherry Grove in North Myrtle Beach, S.C. When they were visiting there, we would usually drive over for dinner with them one evening, followed by a trip to the family arcade afterwards. It's still hard to realize sometimes that my Dad is gone now, and we're all getting older -- too quickly, it seems.

In other news, when I was switching out our Christmas decorations for our pieces that we usually keep out the rest of the year, I dropped my Irish Belleek teacup and it shattered into many pieces. I could have cried, folks. The saucer is still fine, but Belleek china is so fragile, there was no hope of repairing the teacup. I went online and looked until I found a replacement at what I thought was a reasonable price. I purchased it from a seller on Etsy, and it arrived today. This set also included a bread plate, which I thought would come in handy. I assumed the teacup would be like the one I broke, but it's not. It's shaped differently, and the inside of the cup is different. However, everything was very carefully wrapped and packaged, and it's all in excellent condition except for a few light scratches on the bread plate. At any rate, it is very pretty, and I will be keeping it. I'll show it here in March, but I'm too lazy to bother taking a picture tonight. 😏

I really loved the teacup I had, but accidents do happen, right?

I've just begun today on a book our son gave me for Christmas. Wolf Hall is the first book in a trilogy of the same name by Hilary Mantel, and I've just discovered that the books have been made into a TV series, airing on Masterpiece on PBS. Have any of you seen this, by any chance? Clair Foy (who was Queen Elizabeth in the early seasons of "The Crown") is portraying Anne Boleyn. I believe the first book is written largely from the viewpoint of Oliver Cromwell, a historical figure I have never cared for. It will be interesting to learn more about him and the reign of Henry VIII. Lastly, I wanted to share this picture I snapped the day I took down our Christmas tree. I was putting the ornaments on the sofa before storing them in their boxes, and when I saw this ray of sunlight, I just had to grab my camera.

I found the sparkling colors captured in this sunbeam a very cheerful sight. Is there anything special brightening your days this month? I'd love to hear from you! Thank you so much for your visit, and I hope you have a lovely week!!

January, The Quiet Month

2024-01-18T23:35:00.002-05:00

Hello Friends! My first post of 2024, and we're over halfway through the first month of the year. I mentioned at the end of last year that I want to be more active in blogging this year, and I still mean to do that. I spent some time this afternoon putting together a wintry tablescape for January, which I'll be sharing within the week. Apparently, I only did two tablescapes for the whole of 2023. How do you feel about the month of January? I usually enjoy it. The serenity of this time of year is welcome here after the hustle and bustle of the holidays. I really do enjoy the quiet days and getting into a fresh routine for the coming year. As much as I enjoy our Christmas decorations, it feels good to get the house back in order. It's a restful feeling to have things back in their proper place, don't you think?

I enjoy putting out my snowmen after Christmas. I may have to be satisfied with these little guys (and gals) this year, since we don't seem to be getting any of the real thing here. Just rain and lots of it. Ugh.

We had a pretty snow in January of 2022, so we're still hoping for some of the white stuff this winter.

Another thing I enjoy about January is watching the birds at our bird feeders. Today I counted four cardinal couples at our feeding station -- eight cardinals on the feeder and no other birds there at all. It was a pretty sight! Of course, I love to prepare (and eat) comfort food in winter. I've already tried out a new soup recipe this year, and I'm planning to cook some chili in the crockpot this weekend.

Two of our favorite dishes are creamy potato soup,

and homemade chicken pie.

Our houses don't have to be dull and dreary after the Christmas decorations are put away. I like to put a wintry centerpiece on the dining room table.

We've had some very cold days and nights this week, and we're staying cozy in the den with the heater we bought last winter.

Hal bought himself a new turntable for his birthday in December, and we've been listening to our old LP's in the evenings. It's a lot of fun hearing these songs that I haven't heard in years.

I hope you're having a pleasant month wherever you are. I'd love to hear what you've been doing in this quiet and serene month of January. Thanks so much for stopping by today and have a great weekend!!

"And To All a Good Night"

2023-12-24T00:39:00.000-05:00

Happy Christmas Eve everyone! Are your holiday preparations complete? Mine are not. 😉 I'll be working on them today, and then tonight, we'll attend a Christmas Eve candlelight service at my sister's church. We're supposed to gather with my family on Christmas day, and then get with Hal's family Tuesday, December 26th. Our son has Covid, but he seems to be getting better. He went to an all-day Lord of the Rings movie marathon party last Saturday, and he and two of the other guests came home with Covid. Now, my sister's son-in-law is sick, but they're hoping it's just a 24-hour bug. Apparently, a lot of people are sick right now.

I want to wish all of you the Merriest of Christmases and many blessings in the coming year. I cannot express how much I appreciate your loyal readership; this blog has been a special endeavor for me over the last 13 years. I hope to have more of a presence here next year -- this year has been odd, with us still adjusting to Hal's retirement. I thank you sincerely for all your visits and your kind, encouraging comments in 2023.

"Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good night!"

Advent

2023-12-10T13:01:00.004-05:00

'Tis the season -- Peace be with you.

Best Wishes,

Thanksgiving 2023

2023-11-23T17:44:00.003-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving, Dear Ones! Wishing you a day filled with good food and loved ones!

Have a lovely weekend!!