A vision of Peace..............

..........This summer has not been one of my best for a few reasons, one reason being  two extensive oral surgeries (doing much better now) another is becoming  "caught up in" the state of our nation and feeling like we are about to be taken on over the cliff, depending on the outcome of the election. There is another but these two will make my point. I had allowed myself to become troubled. Then, this morning, I was thinking that there is no excuse, really, for a Christian to lose sleep or fret about such things! A fact that is easier to believe than to always put into practice. But, the focus needs to be reset sometimes.

 

I really enjoyed catching up with some yard work this morning, pulling lots of weeds, bleaching my front walk which had turned dark with mold. Same thing with the fountain. I had been looking out onto the fountain figurine which had become black. A bothersome scene.  I also realized too much of my thinking lately has become dark. After doing the work, I decided to play awhile and set up for a photo shoot - outside.  I came up with the idea to use my rake, some fall leaves, a book, etc.

 

I selected my 1902 copy of American Poems. Thinking a fall magazine would add a good visual I went back in the house and picked up an old Victoria magazine. I have most of what they printed up to the year that they stopped printing them. And, I have several of the newer ones since they started again. I pull out the appropriate month for every year and look at them over and over. This one was already out and the first one I saw.

 

 

 I let the book pages fall open and flipped a few pages and noticed the title, A vision of Peace. How appropriate is that! Coincides with my thoughts of the morning - focusing on peace, peacefulness!

 

I knew this September, 1996 Victoria had the right visual for what I was doing and then outside I noticed the article, "Finding the Quiet Center of Your Life" listed on the front. Again, the same theme as my desires.

 

Now, the poem or magazine article are not an exact correlation to my situation but, the yearning for peace and tranquility is! 

 

 

You need to read on to the second page to realize this writer is remorseful about loosing young men  in the civil war. "My eyes cloud up for rain; my mouth will take to twitchin' roun' the corners; I pity mothers, tu, down South, For all they sot among the scorners....Come, Peace! not like a mourner bowed for honor lost an' dear ones wasted, But proud, to meet a people proud, with eyes thet tell o'triumph tasted!...............

 

I am not prone to depression and for the most part am totally aware of "the peace that passes understanding".  As a Christian my joy does not depend on my circumstances - it's always there, inside. But, when we occasionally become unhappy, we need to reset our thinking and focus! Move on trusting in the Lord to supply what is needed.

                                                                         ~~~~~~

 

Now, as promised in my last post, I can let you know what I found inside the pineapple that we have been watching grow for months.

 

 

After finding it on the ground and leaving it in the kitchen for three days it turned yellow.

 

I will have to say, I was pleasantly surprised to cut into it and find it juicy, fragrant and quite tasty! How I wish I could give each of you at least a smell!

 

 

 

Now, the question is do I try to baby the plant that is left not looking particularly good or do I just call it a very fun project that ended well and put a new life in the pot!

 

Warm breezy days ~ cool autumn nights......

Autumn.......the days become crisp and sweater weather sets in.  You find yourself wanting to have one foot inside and the other still out in the garden.  Of course it is not officially autumn yet but it's close. And, the above does not describe my situation but I imagine it is what some of you are already experiencing.

 

It looks very much like autumn inside my house. I spent hours last week packing up summer things and putting out the fall look.

 

A tumble of new colors, textures and shapes appeared in the living room, dining room and kitchen. Plus a few on the front porch. I dressed my nest in warmer colors.  Fall is usually thought of as harvest time. Have you been harvesting anything? I know it is apple harvest time in the northeast states - probably northwest also. I always loved apple harvest time in Pennsylvania. The fresh cider from there is like none other!!!

 

This pineapple is the only thing I had to harvest. Yesterday I discovered that it had fallen off of the plant so it was a very easy harvest! 

 

It never did get as big as the average pineapple except the top is huge.  I am going to let it sit a few days in hopes that it might ripen more. When I cut it I will show you what I found inside. 

 

As the light of summer fades and September puts on the cloak of fall, the shadows start to get a little deeper.

 

 

 

Speaking of shadows, I looked in the direction of this wall just in time to see this shadow in the dining room. The fall wreath I had just hung on the window was cast onto this wall along with plants from the window box and tops of two dining room chairs. It looses its translation a bit in the picture but it was the right light at the right time and presented me with an extraordinary moment!

 

 

 

In the midst of my fall decorating I took all these dishes out of this open hutch and washed them and rearranged them. Something that has been needing to be done for months. Now, everything is sparkling!

 

 

 

 

The incentive for taking all those dishes out was this little lamp more than needing to wash away the layers of dust.  It was on the top shelf of the hutch and I wanted to move it to another place. In order to do that I had to take two shelves out because the cord ran down behind them.

 

 

While the dishes are shiny I will show a few close ups.  I have a lot of clear glass. I know it is not that popular anymore but, I still like mine and use them to serve from. The clear pitcher was brought to me from England in my daughters backpack. So was the little white one.

 

 

 

I use to keep honey with comb in the covered dish on the left.  It is nearly impossible here to find honey with its comb but this reminds me to start looking for some!

 

The square plates in the back were toted from England by Carrie, too. They are the Lilac Lane pattern by Royal Albert and are far more beautiful than they show in the picture.

 

 

On the right is a Baltimore Pear butter dish, sugar/cream pitcher which was a wedding gift to me. That was 54 years ago last week. Actually, the original butter dish got broken and this one was a replacement by guess who ---- yep, Carrie. Do you get the feeling she is a very thoughtful daughter!!

 

 

 

This starts another subject altogether. This is a piece of chocolate chip cookie dough pie.  I got the recipe from pinterest and it is about the quickest dessert you could ever make. All it takes is a roll of chocolate chip cookie dough from the refrigerated section of the grocery store (I used Nestles) 1/2  of  a 12oz bag of  semi-sweet morsels (also Nestles) and some chopped nuts. I used walnuts but will try pecans next time.  Press 1/2 of the roll of dough into a nine inch baking pan. Sprinkle a layer of chocolate chips and chopped walnuts over the dough. Crumble the remaining half of cookie dough over the top of the chocolate chips and walnuts. Bake at 350 degrees for app. 20 - 25 minutes, until the top is turning a golden brown. Allow to cool for about ten minutes, then serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Don't skip the ice cream, the pie is so rich it needs the ice cream. Next time I might try a sugar cookie dough and use  all or most of the 12oz bag of chips.

                                          
You didn't see much of my fall decorations but that is what I will feature soon in another post - probably two or three posts.

Present Yourself a Bouquet of Flowers.......

 With the heat and all the rain/wind storms we have had, I am amazed that enough blossoms have survived in the garden to make an arrangement. I actually have a lot of blooms. Due to the nature of our weather I have spent very little time outside to enjoy them.  And, with Isaac threatening to roll in soon if he decides to come our way, I went out and gathered some to enjoy inside. This may be the first post I have done with pictures showing only one thing.  Can I show the same thing ten times and get away with it. Well, let's try........

 

My favorite type of bouquet has always been a bunch of different kind of flowers and not chosen necessarily by color.

 

 

In this arrangement you can see two kinds of roses, white and salmon color periwinkles, mexican bachelor buttons, red salvia, variegated jasmine (foliage only) and blue pea vine.

 

 

It seems that flowers and romance have always traveled arm and arm. Flowers are the jewels that we can all afford.

 

Flowers have accented life's special occasions probably from as far back as the Garden of Eden.  Certain flowers came to be used for certain occasions. People began talking with flowers.

 

Flowers weave a tapestry through our lives. "They overwhelm the present, they evoke the past, they take us on sentimental journeys. They heighten good times and offer comfort in sadder ones, punctuating and enhancing every celebration they attend".

 

 

 

It would be difficult for me to say which is my favorite flower.  I can name a couple that I really miss because of my location. I remember mom's lilacs.  I loved the fragrance of lilacs. And, another that is a favorite but I seldom see because they don't grow here is Queen Anne's Lace. Come to think of it, a bouquet of sprigy, wild flowers might just be my favorite kind.

 

 

 

We don't need to translate them into latin to enjoy them.  It is a pleasure to be able to pick them.

 

If you don't have any to go out and pick, treat yourself by going out and buying some. Grocery store flowers can be inexpensive and beautiful!

 

 

 

You don't have to make a work of art when you arrange them. Just make it always be an enjoyment.

 

 

Let every flower hold two messages: one from history and folklore and one from your personal and private memories.

 

 

 

This was added on 8/26 and this is what I have now and love it. The look in the vase is not that good but I could add all new flowers and leave this here and it would be better than ever.

                                                                              ~~~~~~
 

A favorite vignette.......

........My houses (several over the years) have always been decorated in vignettes. I've had many people look and comment on how it is divided into small areas where they can stand a long time and enjoy the many things in front of them. The word vignette was first applied to "something that can be written on a vine-leaf". It is still used to describe small decorative designs placed at the beginning or end of  book pages, often leaf drawings. But, mostly what we think of for the word now is, a grouping of several things. In decorating, it must be done well or it becomes just a conglomeration of stuff and an eye sore.  I do believe one can get away with having more things in a room if it is done in a good decorative vignette style. I have probably crossed the line with the amount of things in a small house, but a lot of people still seem to enjoy looking. What you choose to put together and how it's placed makes all the difference. Not to forget that each vignette in a room needs to blend into a creative, eye-pleasing whole.

Today, I am showing the vignette on my guest bedroom dresser top.  I have included this in about three posts before but never emphasized the individual things. I want to feature this old suitcase and the things that are in it.

You can see it here in its vignette setting.

Samsonite on both the brass plate and the handle.

I am not a collector of old suitcases. But, the day I saw this one in another dealers booth in the antique store that I had a booth in, I snatched it up in a hurry. It is an old leather Samsonite in very good condition. And, has style that the ones I had been seeing didn't have.  This was during the time when many people were buying them to use for decorative purposes. I was surprised to see it priced at $11.00. 

The whole inside is lined in the nice checked cloth, including this divider piece.  The darkness in the lower right is a shadow not soil.  It is near impossible for me to get good pictures in this tiny dark room.

The divider is kept in place with two leather pieces with snaps.

I have chosen a few old soft pieces to display inside, along with a few things you might have found on a dresser top long ago.

There is a handmade throw here on the left side, a baby dress, gloves, a handmade ladies nightgown and in the right back, a crocheted purse. And I almost forgot the crocheted tie-on collar.

I love the bodice of the old gown. The skirt part is made of plain cotton fabric. 

Sorry for a  fuzzy picture, but you get a glimpse of one pair of gloves with its embroidered design and the brass glove holder.

                                        An old dresser mirror lying on the crocheted throw.

And last, the little folded baby dress. Do you notice the pearl in the "V" of the yoke?  I was fluffing and getting ready to take the first picture and noticed the pearl move. Sometime I have dropped it there without realizing it.  It looks so much like it "belongs" that I just left it for the picture.  I bought the little dress in an antique store for my only grand-daughter (I have five grandsons) to wear to my first tea party to give and her first one to attend. Lucy, my youngest grandchild is in her second year of college!

~~~~~~

This week marks the first year anniversary of my blog. I have probably averaged two posts per week. How so many bloggers are able to do a post a day is beyond me! When I first started I hardly knew what a blog was much less what to do with one!  I have enjoyed it and hope you do too. I haven't tried to "grow" it as most bloggers do with links, etc. I do have enough people viewing however to make it seem worthwhile.  If you have tips, suggestions or questions to make it more interesting/better, I would like to hear from you.