thanksgiving at Chris’

What a surprise! Dan worked at Sheetz all week and one night he brought us all home lottery tickets. I was the only winner. On a $2 ticket I won $2.


 

Alex and Scott in the kitchen. Alex is an excellent cook and we ate well during our stay. She went all out for Thanksgiving!




Alex fooling around with Don. While we were there Don made a huge pot of chili.


Sean and his baby blues.The table is set for the feast.

Jenny with her new laptop and Alex chatting on the phone.

Family, does it get any better than this?

As I sit here at Alex's computer I am thinking just how lucky I am. The Thanksgiving holiday makes us even more aware of how important it is to be with your family and feel the love that it creates during a holiday. This week at Chris' has been so nice for Don and I. There used to be times when the family would gather at our house to celebrate but now with the family scattered it is easier for us to come here. We have had a great week. Chris took us to the Trans Siberian Orchestra concert last Sunday evening and we enjoyed the music and special effects and kicked off the holiday season in a super way. When Ryan and his family came on Wednesday it made our time here even more special when I could spend time with my youngest grandson, Sean. We had a feast on Thursday and have been shopping and hanging out. Tomorrow we will leave for home and back to our routine. How blessed we are!

TRANS SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA

 I am so excited about this weekend. We are going to Hershey to see TSO. They put on a fantastic show and will be debuting their new album as well as performing older songs. I know I’m jumping the gun by putting up the Christmas background on my blog, but I will be gone all next week and wanted to get it up before I left.

WINTER PREPARATIONS

Look, the Christmas lights are up and there isn’t even snow on the ground. Don took advantage of the nicer weather to put the icicle lights up.



 
Beside the bird feeder is a butterfly bush. Each year it needs to be cut down and grows back in the summer.

I dug my rosemary up this year and planted it in a pot with a trellis. I don’t know if it will winter over inside or not. WE’ll see.

We’re headed for Florida

 
The coffee girls are on the  move. In February we will be taking a winter vacation in sunny Florida. We will fly from Buffalo straight to orlando and rent a three bedroom town house for the week. There are two goals: to get out of the Bradford winter and to relax and have a fab time. We haven’t planned out what we want to do yet but a trip to the Gulf coast is an idea we all like. There are a lot of things to do in the area and we think there will be girls we know down there at that time that we might hook up with. This will give us something to dream about in the next few months.

Do you have a dream?

  This is about as opposite as I can get from today in Bradford. We are approaching winter and this is a lovely picture in France overlooking the Seine River. I was just in the mood for dreaming. We all need dreams, don’t we? What are yours? Do you have something you’ve always wanted to do but it’s on the back burner? IS there somewhere you’d like to go? Everyone needs to have an aspiration, a goal, a dream. Why do you think it hasn’t come true? Are there barriers standing in your way? I urge you to break them down and make a step toward that dream. I’m dreaming of going to France again. I’ve been there twice and have memories that warm my heart. I put it out to the universe for us to reach our dreams.

A FRENCH DINNER FOR ONE

A little project for today…
 
A shopping trip to Buffalo and a trip to Michael’s craft store were the inspirations for today’s craft project…place cards for my table.

I made photo place cards using square wooden frames, striped fabric left over from my sister’s curtains, and some decanter markers I found at Michael’s.

I set the table using a gold tray and and some checked black fabric as a base. My dollar store (but looks  like a million dollar) plates, black matte salad plate, and ivory and gold silverware and Irish crystal glasses complete the look. The fleur de lis napkin ring was enhanced with a black checked bow. 
 
Ooh, la, la… a dinner for one in front of the fireplace.

A LITTLE SURPRISE

A little trip to the mailbox yesterday sure made my day. Inside was a package from my sister Linda. I opened it up and found this lovely necklace and earring set. Since we are like two peas in a pod our tastes are exactly alike. Linda picked this out especially for me because she knew that I would like it. How thoughtful to have a sister so generous. Thank you Linda, I can’t wait to wear it.
    Today was a dreary, but warm day. I walked Sadie first thing in the morning because I though it was going to rain. The rain never showed up…but neither did the sun. I did discover that Sadie loves to chase a laser light just like a cat. She will run at full speed back and forth. I guess that is one way for her to get her exercise.

THE HELP

 
I just finished the most wonderful book that should be a must read for everyone. The Help refers to the black maids of 1963 Jackson Mississippi who cared for the children and families of the deep south. Told from their point of view and the view of the lone white woman who wanted to write their stories this book reflects a time not too long ago when prejudice was rampant and treatment of “Nigras” showed a total disregard of them as equal beings.  Run, don’t walk, to get this book.

Scrapbooking

I made these scrapbook pages awhile ago and wanted to put them on my blog.

STORYTELLER

You are the storyteller of your own life and create a new story each day.

One things about being older is that you have time to think about your life more. Youth is about doing but old age is about contemplation. Time passes fast yet each day moves at a slower pace. Your thoughts become more philosophical and you seem wiser from all your past experiences.

   An effort must be made to break up the sameness of the days so that fresh ideas and sights enter your mind. It is easy to drift day in and out with contented monotony.

     Coming from a background of classrooms all my life it is my natural state to want to keep on learning all the time. Using the computer and this blog has been one way that I discover new and refreshing ways of communicating. By reading other blogs and surfing I open my mind to different approaches and techniques to use on my own blog.

    If you are reading this blog then you come into my world. You see what is important to me and how I react to it. You see my reality. This blog has been a way for me to mark my time and place in the world. It is said that every person has a story. Thank you for reading mine.


I chose this picture of lavender fields because it represents a time in my life when I was visiting France and seeing a whole new culture. Every day was a learning experience. The day that we went on the lavender route and stood in the lavender fields created a natural high that I will remember every time I smell lavender.

HOW DO YOU LIKE MY BLOG NOW?

How do you like the looks of my blog? I changed the background, header, and music. This is more reflective of me than the subdued fleur de lis that I had before. I like bold colors that make a statement rather than bland or soothing colors. You can see that in some of the decorating I do around the house. 

Remember when I chose the color for my kitchen? I wanted that burnt orange cinnamon.


And bold accents, too.
 
Even my tablescapes have bright orange.



The tassel on the kitchen curtains has a bold flair, don’t you think?

I put pumpkin accents on the backs of my dining room chairs.
The table is set for a Mexican fiesta party.

 

I hope you enjoyed your tour through Peggy’s world.  

 
 

November tabletime

Welcome to another Tablescape Thursday. Thanks for joining me. If you are not familiar with this special day of the week, please visit Between Naps on the Porch from my sidebar and discover the joy of seeing tablesettings from all over the country.
    November is here and the Halloween decorations have been put away. But pumpkins still linger on my table.


The placemats and plates are a Jennifer Farrell find from Big Lots and the metal chargers I found at a Goodwill in Virginia. The napkin rings are from Coldwater creek. I’ve had the silverware so long I’ve forgotten where it came from (love that old age memory).


 

The center plate was a birthday gift from my sister Diane. The welcome pumpkin came from The Christmas Tree Store in new Jersey. My sister Linda bronzed the small pumpkins.
  Hope you enjoyed your visit.