Aged and Gilded (Palazzo-Interiors & Gardens)

Mosaic Monday: Make Magic

1. a i r, 2. Untitled, 3. * Paper Rose *, 4. glitter water, 5. Glitter, 6. world's best glitter!, 7. "Dream a little dream with me!", 8. Antique Lace & Jewels, 9. Hearty wishes for a Healthy Heart, 10. WISH, 11. Untitled, 12. Twins

Frenzied Friday

Despite the rush of maddening crowds, I hope you find this weekend to be a gift.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We live in the land of plenty and perhaps one day there will be plenty for everyone. This is not that day... yet. Let us be thankful and remember what we have and those who have not. Happy, happy thanksgiving to you all!!

"Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: it must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all." William Faulkner

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." John F. Kennedy

"We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures." Thornton Wilder

 

British Country Living

Worn Out

I woke this morning with a heavy heart and I don't know why. Despite the crisp, beautiful morning, if I'd had my druthers I would have pulled the covers over my head. Do you ever feel as if a breakdown is the luxury you would most like to indulge in? Except...you can't. You are the captain; the leader in command and failure is not an option. Maybe it's the holidays. I keep professing to love Christmas but I increasingly feel the pressure of the holiday season. I feel it's my responsibility to make magic for my children. But sometimes I wonder if there is any sparkle dust left. I feel a little worn, a little bit tattered around the edges. Have I mentioned I need a vacation?

 

 

 

A Passion for Lingerie/Jo Glanville Blackburn

 

Style de Provence/Angelika Taschen

 

In the Romantic Style/Linda Chase and Laura Cerwinske

Mosaic Monday: Beautiful Bounty

1. Smile a while..., 2. Acorn, 3. pumpkin pie pumpkins, 4. Tempting Pumpkin Pie Recipe, 5. Glazed Roast Turkey with Cranberry Stuffing Recipe, 6. A basket full of fall, 7. Cornucopia, 8. Celebrate the intangible as well as the tangible, 9. Fall Leaves at Peak Color, 10. Early Autumn Harvest, 11. enigmes del mar en una fulla ( la teoria dels sistemes ), 12. Autumn Leaves, Fontaine de Vaucluse

Happy Weekend

Hope you'll enjoy the calm before the storm this weekend.

 

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (Or Not)

I can't believe it's holiday time again! Tomorrow is Black Friday and the throngs of crowds will descend upon the malls. As much as I love Christmas, I don't at all relish that aspect. But next week is Thanksgiving and I'm sure many of you are planning your menus and guest lists. I have a confession. I'm skipping Thanksgiving this year. I do intend to give thanks for this wonderful yet sometimes intense year that is in the midst of passing. So many things have happened for me and I have much to be grateful for. However, the idea of cooking a huge meal and then doing it all over again a month later for Christmas is something I can't stomach (no pun intended). No, I will be keeping it simple. A nice low-key dinner with my children and we'll each voice what we are thankful for in our lives. But what traditions will you follow? What are you thankful for? And who will be at your table?

Fly, Fly Away

"I am going away with him to an unknown country where I shall have no past and no name, and where I shall be born again with a new face and an untried heart." Sidonie Gabrielle

"It may be that the satisfaction I need depends on my going away, so that when I've gone and come back, I''ll find it at home." Rumi

This winter chill in the morning has me thinking of warmer weather in faraway places.

 

Cote Ouest

The Best Seat in the House

Arguably, the best seat in the house is (no, not in front of the television) on a comfy overstuffed sofa with lots of fluffy pillows and a blanket or two in front of a roaring fireplace.

 

Country Escapes/Bo Niles and Katherine Sorrell

 

 

2 images/Provence Style of Living/Jerome Coignard

 

Living in Provence/Barbara & Rene Stoeltic

Mosaic Monday: Good to the Last Drop

1. Untitled, 2. Twins, 3. rain-drop, 4. Nature's String of Pearls, 5. Strings of pearls, 6. Dewdrops in spidernet - Tautropfen im Spinnennetz, 7. ~ the solo ~, 8. To See The World . . ., 9. Dewdrops, 10. tiny reflected worlds, 11. Dew drops as little gems, 12. dew drop at dawn