Red and White

Red and white are beautiful year round, but take on completely different nuances this time of year, don't they?



Red and white accents on the mantel say Christmas and winter. I do love a sparkly white mantel too, though!





Plenty of red to be found in Christmas decorations!




Red and white on aprons used year round somehow look more festive right now.



White snowman, red star!




I love the darling kitties sleeping under the covers with their dear little heads on the pillow! We picked up this poster and the one below at a Holiday Open House a couple of weeks ago. They feature Chessie, the cat used in the advertisements for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad.




Here's Chessie with a letter. Click on the picture to read.

Have a fabulous, red and white Wednesday! And do be sure to visit the White Wednesday and Rednesday weekly parties!

Carol

At Home

We had 10 for Thanksgiving. A nice crowd.




We put all 3 leaves in the table.




The new kitchen performed beautifully.




It looked good, too!




I put up a little tree in the foyer so I could see it from the kitchen. It only has lights on, no decorations yet.




The leaves have been taken out of the table, the table is cleared off and ready to decorate for the next holiday. And we all know what that's going to be!

Have a wonderful Monday, and be sure to visit Cielo for Show off Your Cottage Monday!

Carol

A Heart Full of Thanksgiving

Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.
Psalms 95:2 NIV

Thank you Charlotte and Ginger, for hosting this blessed weekly get together!

Have a blessed Sunday, and let us continue to reflect on the many things we have to be thankful for as we proceed through this season of celebration!

Carol

He's Taking a Break

Just like everyone else, we're getting ready for Thanksgiving here. I've made the cornbread for the stuffing. I used the recipe from my personal collection, kept in a looseleaf binder.
What I didn't know, is that said binder makes for a lovely bed. Clarence, however, picked up on it right away.



He was sound asleep when I found him. Being only half grown, however, he wakes up fast. He also moves a lot, so only 2 out of the 10 pictures were not blurry.




I love my little Clarence, my constant companion and empty nester consolation!
He's still a little sleepy!

Have a blessed and joyful Thanksgiving!

Carol

Fall Celebrations

My dad's birthday is in the fall. It was a good time to set a seasonal table. To think about Fall Tablescaping and Decorating. To have a family dinner with the new kitchen as the star.




To buy a seasonal tablecloth.




To bake a decadent cake. This one had raspberry filling, 4 layers, buttercream icing with chocolate ganache drizzled over it. Yum.




To gather family in the dining room.




To enjoy some seasonal color,




play around with table decor.




Oh, boy. Did I have fun with the faux berries....




....and the Fiestaware.....




...and the faux berries and Fiestaware!

Have a beautiful Monday, and make sure to visit Cielo for Show off Your Cottage Monday!

Carol

Abundant Blessing

My greatest blessing and most favorite thing in my life is my God and the wonderful relationship we share. All of the rest of my blessings are wonderful reminders of His infinite love and care for me. I am truly blessed.



Here is a very rare thing to see on this blog. A picture of Yours Truly. With 2 of my most wonderful blessings. Mister - my godly, loving, patient, romantic and wonderful, wonderful husband!
And my beautiful Chickie. This picture was taken at Hotel Hershey's Circular Dining Room on Chickie's 18th birthday this year.




The change of seasons, the beauty of God's creation. Seeing the beauty of nature is a daily event that invokes worship in me. What joy there is in all of this extravagant beauty!




Our 4 cats and dog are part of our family. They are delightful and loving blessings. Clarence, our half grown little fellow is sweet, affectionate and playful. He comes running to greet us when we come home, and wherever I am in the house, if I look around, there he is with me! Darling little fellow.
A few minutes ago he was fast asleep on my chest, breathing loudly through his nose. I got up and went into the kitchen.....




...and he was on the kitchen stool, looking down the length of the island at me!

These are just a very few of the many blessings God loads me with every day. I am blessed with a grateful heart, and in this time of thanksgiving it is easy to remember how much He loves me!

Have a blessed, beautiful Spiritual Sunday! and visit Charlotte and Ginger's blog for more blessing!

Carol

Saturday Favorites

I do love living in an old house. Blogger is not letting me upload any other pictures, so here is one of the sides of the house painted this summer by yours truly.



I love gardening. These 2 pots thrived beautifully this summer! I felt like a success.




I love cats! Here is Mo, aka Bubba as a one pound kitten. Note the mohawk. He is now a big thick cat that looks like a young tough thug. We love him!

Join Laurie for Saturday Favorites. There's a whole lot going on!

Have a wonderful weekend,
Carol

Golden Yellow

After a dreary day of rain yesterday, and thunderstorms over night, this is what greeted me this morning.



A brilliant golden-yellow back yard. The sun streamed through the yellow leaves remaining on the maples, and over the freshly fallen leaves on the ground.




Sure, I'll be mulching more leaves, but the beauty of them today makes it so much more worth it!

Have a wonderful day!, and thank you, Dayle, for hosting Simple Pleasures Thursday!

Carol

Red and White

I've got some seasonal reds and whites today mixed in with year round ones! I noticed this morning that the kitchen bookcase had a lot of red and white. More than usual, that is.




Every year I fill the chamber pot with Christmas ornaments. I enjoy looking at it every day. It makes me smile. Plus it's a sparkly and shiny display. I do like shiny and sparkly.




Got the Santas years ago when Chickie was little.




The white enamelware pan with lid is dressed up by filling with glittery fruit. And vintage napkins.




And then there's the hutch! Lots of red dressing up the whites on top. Also more white treasures inside the hutch on display.

It's a great day to link to Faded Charm's White Wednesday and with Sue at It's a Very Cherry World's Rednesday!

Have a wonderful, red and white Wednesday!

Carol

The Blessings of Trust

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13



We are commanded to trust Him. The blessings of this trust are hope, joy, and peace. Who could ask for more? And we know His promises are true. Irrevocable. Never failing.




I can testify to this. In recent difficult situations, I have been praying, but releasing to Him. Praying that HIS will be done. And when that is our prayer, even if we have to keep turning it over to Him, the best possible outcome is reached, He blesses us abundantly, we grow in Him.



He said to me, "Trust Me." He wants me to pass His message on to you.

Have a beautiful, blessed, hope/joy/peace filled day!

Carol

I am joining with Charlotte and Ginger today for Spiritual Sundays, and The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays!

Treasures on Friday

This hutch came with the house. We love the color and character. It was in the dining room, serving as a pantry, but when we added storage with the kitchen remodel, we moved it into the living room.




The top half is filled with all kinds of treasures. Chickie's senior picture, wonderful old books, one of our wedding pictures.




Here are some of my favorite books. They are all by Grace Livingston Hill, who is my favorite author. She was the daughter of a minister, and almost died at birth. Her parents were thankful for her life, and named her Grace. She married a minister, and when she was widowed at a young age, she decided to support her family by writing. After publishing a few of her books, Grace made the decision to put the message of salvation in each book.




I love the language of the books, the purity, the time period (late 1800's - early 1900's), the old fashioned romance. I have read many of her books countless times. These are just a few.

Make sure to visit Cindy for Show and Tell Friday, and Debra for Vintage Inspiration Fridays, two wonderful weekly parties!

Have a wonderful Friday and weekend!

Carol

My Sink View

I don't have a window over the kitchen sink. But I do have this folk art picture of a big orange cat.




He makes me smile when I stand at the sink.




His colors are warm and he's been a part of our kitchen(s) for years!

Make sure to join Dayle for Simple Pleasures Thursdays today, for this wonderful weekly event!

And have a wonderful and blessed Thursday!

Carol