gathering...

We were so lucky to have my sister and brother-in-law visit this weekend.  It called for a celebration.  The weather called for having it outside.  It was the perfect evening.  Dinner around this table always makes me happy.

We had our annual soup party.  Because we were a small group this year, we only had three kinds of soup, tortilla, albondigas, and chili (which I know is not officially a soup but it fit).

Unmatched vintage silverplate, a weathered crate, lanterns, plaid and pumpkins - these are a few of my favorite things.  Don't you love that one in the center?  All those bumps!

Leaves are from our oak trees that won't change color until January.  Other things just gathered from the grocery and ground.                                                                                                                                                                                 

Dessert (apple pie, brownies and roasted marshmallows) around the firepit with the stars in the sky.  Oh, how I love this time of year!  I hope you are enjoying your autumn too.

There are some beautiful fall tablescapes at Between Naps on the Porch. 

we gather together...

When I was a little girl, my favorite church hymn was "We Gather Together". There is some distant memory of standing with my family, next to my father, singing that song. Gathering the people I love around our table is one of the happiest things that I can do. This year has been difficult in many ways but oh, we have so much for which to be thankful.

Our celebration for Thanksgiving will be a little small this year but we have some big birthdays to celebrate a week later.

For those interested in the table, I was surprised to find myself putting my brown plates on a turquoise tablecloth. We had a big soup party last week. I used my turquoise cloths with pumpkins and bittersweet. I just couldn't get beyond how much I liked the turquoise and orange together.

This is just the kind of table I like, mixing styles and elements. I always like having some nature on my table. This time, pumpkins and bittersweet. We don't have bittersweet in the desert but etsy does.

I like having the linen tablecloth rumpled but mixing it with the Delamere china. I have used a haphazard collection of vintage silverplate flatware.

When I saw these "Gather Together" plates at West Elm, I could not resist. They brought back such wonderful memories. Shanna Murray, I am a fan.

The weather tomorrow is supposed to be perfect. There is nothing I like more than enjoying our Thanksgiving dinner outside.

I can't wait for a taste of the stuffing. We may have to get a fire started in the fire pit by dessert time.

Happy Thanksgiving to all. I will be counting my many blessings and be grateful.

Joining Kathleen at "let's dish" and Susan at "between naps on the porch" for more holiday table inspiration.

today is her birthday...

I was so young when she passed that my memories are few. I always think of her on her very special birthday. My father used to love to tell the story of when he realized he had more official birthdays than his mother, born on February 29. I am so blessed that my grandfather and father liked photography too. I don't know who the photographer was for this photo but you can see the love in her eyes. My grandfather's handwriting is on the back "up on Higgins Farm". It is so precious to me. We still need to print and write on the back of photos, don't you think?

Happy Leap Day!

my baby girl...

Today is her birthday. Yes, we had a "just about Christmas" baby. We would never have named her Christmas, although it would have been perfect with our last name. We mentioned this to her when she was four. Without telling us, she announced to her preschool teachers and friends that her real name was Christmas but they could call her Crissy. I didn't find out until I saw the papers she had worked on at school with the name Crissy (her decision on the spelling), in familiar handwriting. She didn't see anything wrong with changing her name to what it really should have been. Eventually, she went back to her given name but it always makes me smile to think of her making the change.

She is exactly as she was as a baby, happy, social, interested and sure of herself. It is amazing the glimpses we get of our adult children when they are young. The things that are so true are there all along. We just don't recognize them until many years later.

Happy birthday, my sweet girl. You are too far away this year.

march forth...

Today is my son's birthday. He has grown from a shy little boy, interested in so many things into a man, interested in so many things. He holds his friends and his family close with an open, loving heart. He loves books, music, basketball and the outdoors. He makes me laugh and think. I would love hanging out with him, even if he wasn't my son. He has traveled the world and dedicated his life to the public service of our country. March forth, indeed.

This is one of his photos (I believe from London), taken on film with my father's old camera.

she's home...

and we're settling in. A fire, soup, White Christmas and later, some cocoa. WB is carving. K & I are knitting.

Life is good...




indeed.