Getting Into December

This was our Thanksgiving Day surprise! (Shot by my lovely DIL and friend Shari Sue.)

The storm made the holiday truly thrilling and even more memorable.

All of these shots are either borrowed or shot from my phone, which I am very unused to doing. After almost ten years of blogging I have had to upgrade my camera and am now having to upgrade my tech skills as well. Don't worry! I saved all my geriactric complaints for the computer store guys! (Well some folks around here heard some too.) Ten years covers a boatload of gizmos and gadgetry, let me tell you.

Shari took this pic just before we sat down for the biggest meal ever made in our dinky little kitchen. Everybody pitched in and threw on settings for thirteen. I made a last minute decision to use some transferware and I think it made an inadvertant statement all its own. I was so pleased to see how it all turned out! Busy, crazy, and crowded. Just like so many of our holidays here in this little cottage house.

It's a bit too quiet now around the fire. (But in a good way! Haha!) I hope it was a lovely day for all of you and yours. Ours all made it home without too much trouble. Time now for the next big thing!

Might as well settle in and enjoy the journey.

Love and joy come to you!

Jacqueline

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Life Unscripted & A Few New Things

Hello friends! I missed the entire month of October blogging, and this basket is almost as close as I got to decorating for it! I have been living an unstaged life for quite a while now. Some seasons of life are like that, don't you think?

I use my market baskets pretty constantly, but I have a habit of stowing stuff in the large wicker baskets when I don't have room for stuff, and they are usually all over the place. So handy! I was real pleased how good they look stacked up together at this end of the dining room.

We have had a lot of visitors over the summer and early fall, so not much has changed decoratively speaking. But I have managed to take a break for finding treasures now and then. Nothing is so relaxing as mindlessly picking through other people's stuff! LOL!

This little garden sieve charmed me and has found a temporary spot in the empty frame that I change out now and then.

It in turn frames a favorite teeny print of mine and gives it a bit more presence. (Oops! Even fuzzier than I thought.)

A change of table linen is rather constant. And these just got folded from the wash. I thought they could make a nice backdrop to show you a few recent finds!

More on these a little further on...

For now, this is what's happening on the little patio. We had to scramble to bring in the house plants when the overnight temps took a sudden plunge. I wish I was one of those persons who had it all together both inside and out!!

But my Swedish ivy and shamrocks survived life on the patio over summer and even rewarded us with a little bloom when we brought them in.

These guys are sort of a record for me keeping houseplants alive. I'm so proud!

(Hope it lasts!  :0))

I was thrilled to find a couple of new marmalade pots! They are not so cheap here and was happy to pay 15 each. I love the patina on the left one.

I can't tell you how cheery it was to find this little china creamer with the fall leaves on it!

Berries on the other side.

That just might be it for the fall decorating around here!

I also wish I had one of those so chic kitchens that I see all over. But ours is so small that I have finally given it over to pure function. It is usually full of a thousand people all cooking and cleaning together.

We did manage to get an installer for the range hood between guests a couple of weeks ago. We have been without one for a dozen years. Taking out the overhead cupboards made the room breathe so much easier even though we lost so much storage. 

I thought I would hate it, but I don't. And that little wooden wall rack with hooks that I already had fits perfectly underneath it! Adding a standing pot tower is next.

A precious new transfer ware trivet tile.

And a pretty little piece from an old clock! Not sure where I will use it yet.

This is the eensiest gathering basket I have ever seen. So cute! It may end up as a Christmas tree ornament.

I also found this larger one full of stone eggs. They are so hefty and smooth, and have a bit of a flat side so they don't roll. I just like having one in my hand like a worry stone. Who can't use that!?! Haha! There are exactly a dozen. Come on over and try one out!

Finally, I came across this adorable sampler that I am sure was waiting especially for me and my little cottage house. I love the fall colors, but also the evergreen trees. Thanks so much to the anonymous hands that stitched it up!

So nice that you stopped by!

Thanks for checking in.

Hope it's a great week for you!

Jacqueline

Transfer Ware In Fall

I love brown transfer ware any time of year of course, but to me it seems especially suited to decorating in fall. My heart still beats faster when I see beautiful old dishes like that in a fall display.  So my own pieces get shown front row and center when the weather changes as well. 

I did a little recent dust off and straightening to the dining room shelves, and thought you might like a fresh look. 

I find over time that I acquire new favorites and tuck way older pieces for awhile or even pass a few things on. Things change gradually. One of my more recent additions is that small teapot on the top row. It was too whimsical and sweet for me to pass up.

Here's a closer look.

Another new piece is this little tea leaf pitcher I found not long ago. I have a thing for pitchers I guess! (understatement)

Mustard jars and marmalade pots are hard to resist

 when they turn up.

One of my favorite tureens, a gift from an old friend, comes out more this time of year. Great for soups and stews, but so cheery sitting on a shelf nearby.

And who doesn't need a few sturdy ironstone bowls to show and serve things inside in fall? The pitcher was a new find this past summer.

Just a bit of pattern among the white goes a long way for me. That Rosa pitcher by Meakin is a long time favorite of mine.

Chippy white textures go with everything!

The large transfer ware pitcher in the center here matches the small one shown on the hutch at the top of this post. I have a few more pieces in this set that I will pull out for displays this fall.

And of course, linens!

I found two of these grain sacks with graphics at a great price this summer. Great on a wall or thrown over a chair.

I also seem to use more silver this time of year. 

This small engraved compote from a pub is one of my favorites. Possibly from the famous one in Times Square.

So it's nice to start out with all my chickens and ducks in a row, so to speak. Surrounded by cozy things that I love.

I'm really enjoying all the online fall features! 

Looking forward to more.

Such a cozy time of year!

Happy days ahead!

Jacqueline

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