Knit One Pearl . . . Snow!

During our Thanksgiving holiday we were visited by our relatives from New York City, Grandma Beverly and Aunt Rhonda. We had a wonderful visit with both Grandma and Aunt Rhonda and Grandma show Emma-Caroline how to knit a doll blanket. We also got a wonderful surprise of snow for Thanksgiving and celebrated in grand style by donning snow suits and heading out to take advantage of our small snow dusting. More I-phone photos to come from our visit with Grandma Beverly and Aunt Rhonda.

A Thanksgiving Table: A Bit of Rustic, Whimsy and Elegance

         When we moved into our mid century home three years ago, I decided that I wanted a very large farm style trestle table with comfortable chairs as a dining room table. I had had an antique Duncan Phyfe set in our former home, and although I loved it's history, it was rickety and very uncomfortable to sit at for long conversations over dinner.

 The table that I chose to be in our new home is a very sturdy and comfortable table that we eat at all year round, not just for special occasions. I can dress it up or go more rustic and less formal. It goes with everything and I truly enjoy sitting and conversing with family and friends for hours after a meal is finished.

 This year, for Thanksgiving, we are hosting dinner for our family and my mother and sister-in-law who are flying in today from New York City.  As our Thanksgiving feast will be for a party of six, I wanted our table to be less formal, but still festive with lots of natural elements such as pumpkins and found fall leaves. The girls also wanted to be involved in creating our table scape.

  I quickly obliged them fondly remembering my childhood days of helping to set the table and getting ready for dinner parties. Emma-Caroline made Thanksgiving dinner menus which we tied with jute twine and added a homemade hand print turkey (Sophie's idea) to add a touch of whimsy to the table. We also tied twine around our cranberry colored napkins and tucked the silverware in place.

  Although our table is rustic, we added a hint of formality with my mother's vineyard Noritake china placed on Pottery Barn chicken wire chargers with a second gold charger underneath to add just the right amount of sparkle and elegance while still keeping our table on the rustic side of things.

 With our table all dressed and ready, we are looking forward to a wonderful Thanksgiving Day  feast. We are grateful for all of our family and friends and we hope that you and your family have a very happy Thanksgiving Day as well!

An Advent Invitation

          When I was a child, Christmas was a bit different in the way in which it "showed up" during the holiday season. As I sit here tapping away at the keys of my computer, I can not recall a time when anyone I knew had a tree up before Thanksgiving much less their  house and yard adorned in holiday lights, garland and wreaths. The stores really didn't actually get gussied up in Christmas décor either until at least the week of Thanksgiving, and really if I am remembering it correctly, not until the day after. Santa Claus did not dare step toe in a mall or winter wonderland set up until December 1, and my family did not put up our Christmas tree until at least two weeks before Christmas, sometimes even later. I will stop and say here that this is not a post to bash any early Christmas decorating that occurs in this day and age. I definitely get my tree up right after Thanksgiving and enjoy having my home decorated for the holidays for the entire month of December. I began thinking about how things have changed from the time that I was a child until today after I had a conversation with one of my friends recently about how hard it is to slow down during the season of Advent. As Christians, we are asked to slow down, to stop, to watch, to wait and to prepare our hearts for the birth of the Christ child. But as our world speeds up in order to get to the end of Christmas season before it has even begun, it becomes increasingly harder to carve out that time of slowing down and preparing our hearts that we are asked to do at Advent.

 Growing up, I attended Catholic schools, although my family was non-Catholic. From first through twelfth grades, I attended mass with my classmates three times weekly. During the season of Advent, I remember sitting in the dimly lit church, watching as the candle was lit and listening and saying the prayers of preparing our hearts for the coming birth of Jesus at Christmas. The light of the candle was bright in contrast to the darkened church and drew my child's eye to it, calming my thoughts and preparing my heart as I prayed. Each week, that light grew brighter from the Advent wreath as another candle was lit signifying that the time of Christmas was drawing nearer and nearer. I remember my feelings of excitement and wonder and awe as I waited, and watched and prepared my heart for Jesus. I remember really knowing the true meaning of Christmas and being thankful each Christmas Day for the gift of Jesus. As an adult, I look back on those times and cherish the memories of that special time of waiting and preparing that I was given each year as a child during the season of Advent.

 In my reflection on my childhood memories of the season of Advent, I have felt a special nudging from God, an invitation really, to come and partake in the season that is waiting for all of us; the season of slowing down, of waiting of watching, and of preparing to receive the Christ child at Christmas. He invites us ALL, his children, to come and to be still and to know HIM, to allow HIM to fill our hearts with love and joy and peace. The invitation is open to us all! He wants to spend this time of Advent with YOU and he wants to open your heart to his light day by day so that you may experience the true joy and the true peace and the true love that IS Christmas. He wants to give you this gift and he invites you to join him. Come and experience his peace. Carve out that time that is so hard to do but is so necessary in order to truly receive his gift to you. Advent will begin on December 1, 2013. Your invitation to enjoy a time of slowing down, and waiting and watching and preparing is waiting for you. As Mary was asked and said, "yes" to being God's handmaiden in order to bring our savior Jesus into this world, will you say "yes" too to allowing yourself to receive his peace as you spend time with him? He invites you and is waiting for you. May God's peace fill you in this special season of Advent so that you may be filled with his love and joy as Christmas day draws near and you receive the true gift of Christmas in Jesus.

          
         

Living in the Season

I recently posted on Facebook about being saddened by the plethora of Christmas décor that have popped up on local area shopping centers and street lights. It seems that Halloween ends and BAM! Here's Christmas. I don't mean to sound all bah-hum-buggy or anything and perhaps Ole Ebenezer Scrooge himself may have even embraced the commercialism and capitalism of Christmas in his unchanged self; however, can we not just enjoy the season at hand? Fall has JUST happened here in East Tennessee. The leaves are amazingly beautiful and I want to truly be able to enjoy them in all their splendor without seeing a fake Christmas garland and wreath hanging on my local grocery store shopping center on November 1. I understand stores putting out their Christmas décor on the INSIDE of the store as they are trying to get a jump on the holiday season, but I don't understand why the outside of the stores need to be decorated at this point in the year. As the Lorax wisely said, "I speak for the trees." Let's enjoy the majestic beauty of the tress as they themselves are truly "living in the season."

Taking Away the Expectations

The past couple of years have been difficult for me to really engage in my writing here on my blog. I have lived in the moments of my life and have had every intention of writing a blog post to chronicle those happy or sad  times; however, as life clicks along and habit turns into a distant after thought, the best of intentions sometimes go to the way side. I have contemplated doing back posts about the things that we have done throughout the year, placing those events in the proper chronological month. That idea has quickly become more like a daunting task which further renders me lacking in real desire to write and publish a blog post. Hence, I am at the point I am at today, where I throw out the expectations I have of myself in keeping a blog and just blog because I feel that it's something I want to do at this given moment. As the days of the month of November seem to pass as quickly as the falling leaves, I am thankful that I have the opportunity to look back and reflect over some happy times we recently had to celebrate Halloween. Time continues to tick on despite any specific expectations we may have for any given thing. The important thing is simply to enjoy the moment and to find happiness in reflecting on those moments in life that may make you want to pick up the camera and snap a few shots.

Our All Hallow's Eve Celebration at church.

Halloween Night 2013