Family Time

The family is home for the holiday. I decided we needed to do a picture for a Christmas card. We thought the woods out back of our house would make a good background. So, chilly though it was we headed for the woods to find the perfect picture spot. Above are my two kids.

This is one of the pictures I decided was good. We took our own pics using a tripod with our camera - so, getting kids to "smile" in a decent manner and everybody get their body in the right place - it took lots of shots! We faded the edges which I think looks different.

We took several shots this far away until Heidi figured out we needed more of the faces and less of the woods! Isn't that a neat log to sit on though?

Happy Thanksgiving to All!

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Thanksgiving Tablescape

Today I'm posting a tablescape from last Thanksgiving. Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch is hosting Tablescape Tuesday. Be sure and check out some really beautiful tables over there. I've inherited these crystal dishes from my mother. I wish I knew the pattern - maybe some of you do. It has orchids around the edge. I have 8 place settings. I have Fostoria glasses that are from my mom's sister. I've always loved these dishes. They look so elegant on any table. My table this year will look very similar.

A Birthday and Lorna Landvik Book Signing

Today is my mother's 89th birthday. We've already celebrated as a family. I would like to wish her the happiest of birthdays. She's a spry 89 so we fully expect quite a few more years from her. Happy Birthday, Mom!

Last night a portion of our Ladies With Books book club went to hear Lorna Landvik speak and sign books. She's the author of such books as: Patty Jane's House of Curl, Your Oasis on Flame Lake, The Tall Pine Polka, Welcome to the Great Mysterious, Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons, and Oh My Stars. She has two new books out : The View From Mount Joy and 'Tis the Season. She was a delightful lady to listen to. I think it's interesting to hear about how people write and where their ideas come from. Lorna also did stand-up comedy in her previous life so you can imagine the wit she has. We all agreed on the way home she looks enough like and can sound enough like Sarah Palin that she could give Tina Fey a run for her money. Our book club had read Oh My Stars and loved it. Before we left several of us had bought a different book of Lorna's and we'll share them with each other. That was a delightful evening!

Tuesday's Trash to Treasure

What to do with an old rickety ladder that cost $1 at a garage sale - that was the dilemma. First it had to sit in the garage for a while so I could think. I had seen a picture of a ladder hanging on a wall with plates attached to the rungs in a magazine and I loved that so I added a little white paint with a dry brush to one piece of it and hung plates. I decided that it would be good also over the sink/counter in my half bath off my kitchen. The theme in this bath is "a potting shed" look. DH hung this piece of the ladder from the ceiling. I decorated it with some vine, dried flowers, and a small birdhouse. It wasn't easy taking a picture in this little bitty bathroom so I took two pics hoping you'd be able to tell how it works in there. Go over to Diane's A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words and see what others have done with their trash with unlimited possibilities.

Women of Faith

This weekend a group of ladies from our church (48 of us) loaded a bus and headed for Oklahoma City to the Ford Arena to attend the Women of Faith Conference. My friend Janice and I went last year and this year we welcomed several others within our circle to attend as well as my daughter, Heidi. Above is Janice, Ruby, and Heidi. We had a delightful time and so appreciated the weekend. One can't help but be inspired by the musical talent and the messages imparted by the tremendous speakers.

We had a little down-time and spent some of it playing Farkel in our room. Sharron is the friend in the middle. Ruby won, but we don't like talking about it.

An arena with close to 15,000 women there - that's alot of estrogen flowing!

Patsy Clairmont, my favorite speaker. She's witty and can turn her story on a dime into a meaningful and inspirational message.

Lucy Swindoll is another lady I admire. She too is so witty and has an inspiring message every time I hear her.

Marilyn Meberg always makes me feel like the most wise lady I know is imparting life lessons and that I need to listen very closely. I would think that being around these ladies daily would be so fun!

Sandi Patty - all I can ever say after hearing her is "WOW". This time was no exception. She sang Our Prayer with her husband, Don Peslis, and knocked our socks off! Wow - can he ever sing! It was simply BEAUTIFUL! If you have the opportunity to attend a Women of Faith Conference, do it - you won't be sorry!! A great time was had by all.

T to T Tuesday

It's Trash to Treasure Tuesday over at A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Words. Be sure to see what others have done with things they do not want, but you do! This particular cabinet was at a garage sale several years ago and they wanted $45 for it. It was painted TURQUOISE! I bought it and thought it would be no trouble to strip it. Well, more of a problem than I anticipated to get turquoise paint off. My DH took it completely apart, board by board and stripped each one. This picture doesn't show the detail on the lower doors unless you enlarge them but he used dental tools on those to strip them. I've seen this same cabinet in antique stores several times priced over $400. This is one cabinet that will NEVER be painted! I have it in my family room. I love old cabinets!

A New Award

I have met another new blog friend in Pat at Mille Fiori Favoriti . She has given me this award. Go and visit her blog and learn about her life in Brooklyn. Thank you, Pat, for your compliment.

Sue Monk Kidd

Ladies With Books met last night to discuss Sue Monk Kidd's book, The Mermaid Chair. This was Gail's choice (she's holding the wrong book). We had read The Secret Life of Bees independently and loved that book (if you haven't read it, you MUST). A part of our group went to see the movie last weekend and we liked the movie as well - so see it too. My choice of books is next. We'll be reading My Antonia by Willa Cather. Wichita, KS. selected that book for their "Big Read". So, there are many book clubs in the area using this book.

The Old is New

Diane at A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Words is hosting Trash to Treasure Tuesday today. Go visit to see what things people are "reinventing". I hate to throw things away - so often they are possessions of someone who has meant something special. That's the case with my table pictured below. This table set in our basement loaded down with my mom's sewing machine and sewing supplies when I was a kid. It had been her mom's dining room table. Mom remembers throwing her coat on it when she came in from school which irritated her mom no-end. As my mom and dad were getting ready to downsize this table was going "to go". I couldn't let that happen. So my husband and I brought it home; cut the legs down; stripped the really dark stain from it; and polyurathaned it. There you have it - a beautiful coffee table. Now, you ask, did I throw away the leftover legs? Are you kidding - NO! They are used as bases for displaying birdhouses or "what have you".

BOO!!

A couple of weeks ago the two oldest grandkids and I made a scarecrow who looked very similar to this one on the porch (only quite a bit lumpier). "Papa" acquired the 'look' last night and placed himself on the porch right before the grandkids came to trick-or-treat (we had some communication with their mom before they came). They commented as they came upon the porch that "There's the scarecrow we made." Only after ringing the doorbell, the scarecrow came to life and made three little kids jump and scream!! What fun - they'll remember that forever! We're on to Thanksgiving! Happy Fall!!