HOLIDAY DECOR

I really have a soft spot for christmas trees and I tend to keep mine up well into February (whoops!). I also have a tendency to keep all the chopped off branches to turn into various wreaths and swag throughout the house. I found this glass jar in my parents basement a few years back and it sure does make a pretty vase, no?

THANKSGIVING DINNER

This thanksgiving was by far one of my favorites that I can remember.  My sister, my husband, and I cooked the whole meal, dessert included, and decorated.  We decided to give my mom a break from all the holiday stress since my parents were leaving on their vacation early the next morning.  Everything from preparing the menu to setting the table was my favorite.  Here's the invitation I emailed the family a week before Thanksgiving.

For centerpieces, my sister and I went on a walk and collected whatever plant life we could and arranged them a couple hours before the guests arrived. The old brass candleholders were from a past wedding and the driftwood I've been collecting from the beach where my husband proposed. 

We served the most incredible thyme and paprika turkey and parmesan garlic mashed potatoes and my sisters cranberry and fig sauce was superb.  I'm drooling just thinking about all the goodies again.  I really hope your Thanksgiving was just as delicious as mine was.

COOKIE BAKING

The other day I spent a couple of hours at my friends lovely apartment. She lives in the most charming space, completely drenched in light and character. Her apartment used to be a dormitory for a local college some eighty years ago before a family purchased it and began renting it out. We mostly talked about politics, babies and how we'll decorate her living room for the holidays while baking several batches of chocolate chip cookies and sipping on coffee. It was a perfect afternoon.

THE CHANGING SCENERY

 

One of my favorite fall activities is to take a stroll through the city and enjoy the changing scenery. I seem to miss all the beauty on my walk into the office so the husband and I made a Saturday of it. I'm always surprised by how many trees there actually are in the city. I guess I just don't notice them until they turn bright yellow or fiery red.  

AUTUMN FLOWERS

I have never found anything to be quite as therapeutic as arranging flowers in an empty house on a rainy autumn afternoon. The other week I spent such a rainy day at my parents house with some clippers, extracting dying foliage and flowers from their front yard. I was actually pretty impressed by all the variety and colors. The rich hues of the plant life had me playing with this arrangement until well after sunset.