Counting Blessings

The Pilgrims made
seven times more graves than houses.
No Americans have been more impoverished
than these who, nevertheless,
set aside a day of thanksgiving.
- H.U. Westermayer

Wonderful...

Anything looked at closely becomes wonderful.

~ A.R. Ammons

Hanging out with my nephews.....always a treat and unpredictable. Yes, this a Haunted Castle -are you scared?

Love my end of the season bouquet picked and carefully arranged by one of the castle designers! So sweet! Oh, and by the way; goldfish do not eat olives!

Have a great day!
Shelly

Riches......

To be content with what we possess is the greatest and most secure of riches.

~Cicero

Happy New Year to you and yours,
Shelly

Cajun Christmas

This is White Oak Plantation; all dressed up for Christmas. 22 acres of southern grandeur; owned by a famous chef, inspired by Houmas House Plantation that was built in the 1800's.

The main entrance opens to a grand staircase and beautiful parlor.

The main parlor with it's 26 foot ceiling and antique crystal chandelier are a impressive sight. The tree is decorated with fleur de lis and poinsettia's. I love how you can see the second story balcony from this room.

Papa Noel vignette...simple and elegant.

More poinsettia's; this fireplace mantle is so pretty.

LeBaron crystal chandeliers are stunning.

These fantastic lead glass doors lead to a court yard. The private dining area was decorated for an event tonight. The elegant Grand French Ballroom features a black and white simulated (insert faux!) marble floor and three chandeliers with matching wall sconces. Fantastique!

I'd love to attend one of the Culinary Garden Seminars that are offered. I'm going to have to keep checking the calendar for upcoming events.

I'll post pictures of the grounds another time.

~Shelly

December Citrus

I usually go to the fruit stand on the weekend, these were fresh picked and displayed on the counter.....I just couldn't resist picking up a few. When I was a kid we had a huge kumquat tree by the back door; sweet ones. I loved them then and I love them now! I was in for a surprise though..... there was a crate of sour kumquats next to the sweet ones - one ended up in the sweet bin and ultimately in my bag! I still don't like the sour ones! I guess that some things never change. Oh well.

Along with sweets and treats, Santa would put fresh fruit and nuts in our Christmas stocking. Can you imagine what a child would think if they received fruit in their christmas stocking, today? Hmmm......I thought about Jo in Little Women, when she walked around with her Christmas orange for days, rolling it in her hands and smelling it. Those were the good ole days!

Maybe if I'm extra good, Santa will leave some fruit in my stocking!

~Shelly

Christmas Decorating

I had a decorating idea; so I made a trip to a dollar store and picked up a table runner.


I gathered a few supplies......

I cut my table runner in half so that I'd have two equal pieces of fabric with tassels.

Then, I hemmed both halves with Heat n Bond (in the sewing section of your craft store). Love this stuff, it's so quick and easy to use!

I hung them on a spring rod to create instant holiday home decor!

A grapevine wreath added a little texture. How about a some sparkle? I added a vintage pin to the ribbon, a glitter snowflake and chandelier bobbles too. Last, I tied some old german keys on a ribbon and slipped them onto the wreath.

Happy Holiday to you!

~Shelly