Remnants

 Remnants of autumn ~ red, gold, bright yellow leaves.

 The new grape arbor , just this summer loaded with vines and grapes, looks bare.

 The older grape arbor is almost hidden with grape vines , and the bright yellow cloud of leaves makes me happy, yet the cold rain and freezing weather has now lessened this cloud to a few puffs of yellow hanging barely, ready to fly away in the next passing wind.

 November is the time of transition from Autumn to Winter, the transition from the busy-ness of hunting and gathering, preparing for the cold bleak months to come.

A big part of this transition is filling the wood shed with wood cut from trees on our property, most downed by storms, to heat our winter hearth & home. So much of my favorite season ~ Autumn, is filled with the remnants of summer, and preparing for Winter and all she brings. "There is something in the autumn that is native to my blood, Touch of manner, hint of mood, And my heart is like a rhyme, With the yellow and the purple, and the crimson keeping time." fr.Bliss Carman, 'An Autumn Song'

Now, onto December, Christmas, and all the special delights of this season! I will be having a give-away of my Wee Little Sheep this month just because I want to, and I hope you come back to see how you might win a sheep of your own.

Blue & White For Thanksgiving~ A Family Tradition

 This has to be my favorite china, Blue Danube*.

 Although not a bold beauty, this cup & saucer is the china pattern my husband & I chose for our wedding registration. 'Charleston ', by Noritake. This pattern was on sale when we married and we received settings for 12 in plates, cups & saucers, plus quite a few serving pieces.I love the simple elegance of this pattern and after almost 40 years of marriage have never tired of it.The ivory background with the platinum rims, and the dark blue design filled in oh-so-delicately with pale blue always look just right on my dining room table.

 My husband's father started our Blue Danube collection of china, and he filled in our wedding china pieces, and also gave us a set of Noritake 'Perspective' goblets in Peacock Blue to accompany our place settings. Above you can see the two china patterns we love and use frequently on our table as we share meals with people we love.( plus, a Blue Danube candle-stick I found at a thrift store! )

 I use my Blue Danube dishes as accent and decoration through-out our home.Here it is behind the tiers of fruit on the sideboard. What bounty !

 Over the years I have broken enough pieces of my wedding china that when we have a lot of company I need to fill in with Blue Danube. Here, before all the platters of food were placed on the Thanksgiving table you can see how I mixed and matched my favorite chinas.In the photo below, you can see the bright blue water goblets in my china cabinet and a few more pieces of Blue Danube.

The children ( 4 of our 8 grandchildren) had their own table, and you can see they are eating off Blue Danube. I used a yellow & white toile tablecloth for their table. I love the double-blossomed yellow orchid my husband's brother and his wife gave us as a host gift,it made a perfect center-piece for this table. ( Thank-you ! )

The nice thing about hosting any kind of dinner, lunch, or tea, is you can be as creative as you like. Matching dishes are not necessary, and often I think mixing patterns and decorations makes it more fun . I am very thankful for the china my husband & I chose together so many years ago, and especially thankful my husband's father loves to gift his family with dishes they love to use.I am MOST thankful for the family assembled at our table and the abundance of food to fill our dishes to overflowing ~ gifts from God I do not take for granted."Enter His gates with Thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise, Give thanks to him; Bless His name." Psalm 100:4

I am joining these ladies for Tea Time Tuesday:

• Sandi *
• Martha *
• Terri*
• Kathy * 

We Gathered Together

"Happy the home where prayer is heard and praise is everywhere, where parents love the sacred Word and its true wisdom share."  St. Agnes." "  When I call to remembrance the faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother,..and thy mother." II Timothy 1:5

This is the first Thanksgiving in 60 years my father-in-law has celebrated without his wife by his side. The first Thanksgiving any of their children ( my husband included) have not had their mother here to wish a "happy Thanksgiving".Yet, all of them love God and give thanks for all their blessings, knowing they will eventually be reunited in Heaven with their loved ones who love Him. "Praise God from whom all blessings flow, praise Him all creatures here below, praise Him above ye heavenly host, praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.Amen." doxology

Blizzard ~ One Cool Cat

 Of course he paid no attention to me when I yelled at him to get off the table. He was supervising my letter-writing.Someone needed to chase my pen and rearrange the paper & cards as I wrote.And let's not forget, he also needed to make sure my coffee was just right by sticking his nose into my cup.

Blizzard is one cool cat, really! He is fearless. He chases my vacuum as I run it, he checks out the running bath water, and when any children come over, no matter how many and how loud they might be, he rushes into their arms for attention. He will fall asleep in anyone's lap and run to snuggle big dogs even if they have no intention of being friendly. He stalks and wrestles our son's Jack Russell terriers, then naps with them. I know Blizzard will enjoy our Thanksgiving company, most of the family celebrating in our home with us are cat lovers, and a few of them will be children.

I am recovering from smashing my thumb in my car door. It is hard to type with a smashed & bandaged right thumb , it is hard to craft,sew, hard to slice and peel vegetables & fruit. I have been enjoying Blizzard even more as I have had to accept that I am not able to be as busy working with my hands as I am accustomed. And Blizzard is pretty good at showing me how to relax, things will get done or not, but they will work out!


 

Tea-Time Tuesday ~ Paul Revere

 Liberty Blue china, made in England.The blue & white and the history represented make this china especially appealing to me.

 I have to admit, this cup for Tea-Time Tuesday is filled with strong  black coffee, my beverage of first choice. I am a Pacific Northwesterner & of primarily Scandinavian descent, thus, black coffee (no cream or sugar) is usually my first choice of hot drink.

 *Liberty Blue* Historical Colonial Scenes, Old North Church ~ Made in England. This particular pattern memorializes the midnight ride of Paul Revere.If you're interested in the history of this event and the site, click here*.

 The early history of our nation is fascinating to me, and to combine it with the Thanksgiving celebrations we observe in this month make it a natural for me to display the Liberty Blue tea / coffee cup.

Of course, anyone who loves strong black coffee or tea knows, it is best accompanied by a good sugar cookie.Fortunately, I made a dozen or more.* Now for another pot of coffee, I have a Thanksgiving menu and shopping list to work on.

I am linking with these ladies for Tea-Time Tuesday :

• Terri at Artful Affirmations *
• Martha at Martha's Favorites*
• Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage *

Thank-you Veterans

"The memory of the righteous is blessed." Proverbs 10:7

She Doesn't Need Her Walker Anymore !

My husband's mother passed away this morning. Here, she is pictured as a tiny girl with her twin sister and big brother.

My husband's mother was married to  my husband's father for 60 years. Together they raised 6 children who all love Jesus and know Him as Savior.Together they have 15 grandchildren and 31 great-grandchildren.All their grandchildren proclaim Jesus as Savior, many of their young great-grandchildren do too.They are and were richly blessed in all that matters, the knowledge their loved ones love Him, and they will be re-united in Heaven.Today my husband's mother does not need her walker. As one of her great-grandson's said tonight "Great-grandma has a brand new body and now she's running around and playing with God's kids!"

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ ( by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, in order that in ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." Ephesians 2:4-7