I have been MIA for the last week.  It all started Thanksgiving morning.  I woke up full of energy and excitement for the holiday.  Mid-morning I suddenly had the worst abdominal pains, which was the beginning of a wave of vomiting and the “other”.  The good Lord gave me a break long enough to get dinner on the table.  That night I again, got really sick.  Then it was gone.  I can only attribute the food poisoning symptoms to the sushi I ate the night before.  Note to self: Do not eat sushi before hosting Thanksgiving dinner.

48 hours later I came down with the worst cold/flu virus and have been literally out of commission for the last week.  I haven’t been sick in 20 years so I guess I was long overdue.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  In spite of the crud, it was a truly wonderful day.  There is nothing better than having the house filled with those you love. Tried taking the annual family holiday photo and there was a lot of this…..

and this…..sigh…..But I was able to get one or two good photos eventually!

Usually by now, I am well into Christmas decorating.  Fortunately, my husband made significant progress in the outdoor ones.  Getting the huge wreath up on the front of the well tower requires agility and balance!

The guest cottage has its own Christmas colors~~ just adding a lighted wreath seems appropriate.

Since I am not feeling 100% well yet, I am tackling the easy stuff.  The family room sofa gets a seasonal slipcover change ~~hence the velvet forest green  and holiday pillows.

Hanging the wreaths in the windows is another easy task. Click here to see a previous post on this.

Several years ago we received a gift of a paint-by-numbers Santa.  We worked on it every year, a little at a time.  Last year we finally completed it, had it framed and now it proudly hangs as one of our holiday pieces of art.  What a fun tradition this would be! Have you seen some of the paint-by-numbers paintings? They are very attractive!

The only good thing about being sick for a week was I started and finished my annual holiday painting. When I began painting 3 years ago, I decided to try and create a new one for each holiday.

There is much to do but it all magically comes together each and every year. Wishing you a healthy December!

Thank you so much for the feedback on my last post.  Based on consensus, I went with the silver beaded charger~~still surprised I hadn’t thought of it before.  A bit of thistle is stuck into the napkin for color and texture.

I was so excited when I made the decision to go silver, but then panicked because most of my stemware is rimmed with gold.  However, I was able to find enough plain glasses to use.

The centerpiece is a combination of potted plants from Whitfill Nursery (my favorite here in town) and fresh flowers.  Ornamental cabbages, alyssum, and dichodra were replanted in various size containers.  I used pot de creme vessels, cereal bowls and smaller bowls (that I purchased from West Elm and use for everything!).

The fresh cut flowers were purchased from Safeway.  I was a bit surprised they had protea, which has a fun shape and is a lovely shade of rose.  Coupled with roses and mums, the colors of the plate are well represented. Four silver candlesticks are staggered for height and dimension.

I added a few white pumpkins and a combination of real and artificial leaves.

One of my followers requested more room shots vs. close up photos, so here is a larger view of the dining room. My apologies for some of the darker photos.  Our dining room faces east and between the front porch and the porte cochere, the natural light is very limited. One of these days I need to invest in professional lighting.

On one side of the dining room is a fireplace.  Here on the mantle, the individual mercury glass votives spell GIVE THANKS.

The sideboard has our Pilgrim family (a Costco find several years ago) and a painting by the late California artist, Lynn Winans.

Wishing you and yours a blessed, loving Thanksgiving.  I am so thankful for your continued support and readership of my blog. We have so much to be grateful for~~our prayers are with those who have lost their homes to fire and hurricanes. To our service men and women who are away from their families this holiday, thank you for your service.

Sending big holiday hugs to you,

Can you believe Thanksgiving is next week?  I’ve been enjoying my lolly-gagging November and just like that, turkey day is around the corner! I ordered my fresh turkey this a.m. and have begun meal planning.  The good news is that I will have my foodie son home from Washington, DC. I will be so grateful to have his cooking expertise in the kitchen.

Today, I am sharing some place setting thoughts with you.  I typically use the same dishes (Johnson Brothers Windsor Ware) for Thanksgiving because they represent the colors of the season. This was last year’s table. See post here.

Once I decide on a place setting then I can start creating the centerpiece. Here are some centerpiece inspiration photos that I like.  Below is from Casa de Perrin:

From Birch Lane:

I have several different chargers.  I tend to do the same one every year, but maybe it’s time to mix it up a bit. Today, I spent some time playing around with two different plates styles and various chargers.

Here is what I typically do…dark wood scalloped charger with my Johnson Brothers plate. For this photo shoot, I used some vintage muslin sheets as a tablecloth because they are more cream than white.

Same plate on a silver beaded charger.  I didn’t think these would go together, but what do you think?

This brass charger seems a bit too small.

Larger brushed gold one-a bit better.

Here is the largest of the chargers. Designed by Leslie Roy, the underside of the scalloped glass is gold leaf.

The white with gold trim place setting is from Pottery Barn~~ on the dark wood charger.  I think if I were to use this, I would jazz up the tablecloth with a pattern or color. Not sure I like the cream napkin against the white plate.

I don’t know which combination I like the best, however, I will probably do my napkin on the plate or to the side with a sprig of rosemary or thistle.

I have these wood chargers on order from Home Depot (on sale), however, they might be too rustic or too yellow? Decisions…..decisions!

Do you have a favorite?

What makes your Thanksgiving table special?

I don’t know if it is because I was raised in New England, but this time of year is one of my favorites.  November is my “pause” month.  A time to slow down and synch my rhythms to the earth.  The days are shorter and the angle of the sun is soft and golden. We finally have cooler temperatures here with crisp, chilly mornings.

The bloggers who have thousands of followers are already onto Christmas.  Though I find it hard to fathom, many have put up their Christmas trees and decorations the day after Halloween.  It seems like everyone is trying to elbow their way first in the mass retail hysteria of the holidays.

I can promise you that anything holiday-ish will not appear on this blog until after Thanksgiving. I cherish the month of November and am lulled by its quiet simplicity. It is a time for me to catch my breath, slow my breathing and appreciate the new smells and sights of the season.

During the months of October and November, I focus on more home keeping.  Years ago, when I lived in California, I had a neighbor whose home always looked fabulous, in spite of having a large family and pets.  I asked what her secret was~~she said every fall she had all the dings, dents and chips fixed around the house.   Every since then, I take care of the wear and tear our home has experienced throughout the year. I am always surprised how much time this takes, but keeping on top of the maintenance makes it worthwhile in the long run.

This year the focus has been on our windows and screens.  Replacing screens with tears or holes and fixing windows that don’t quite close properly.  In the process, we’ve touched up window sills and baseboards with fresh paint.  It’s amazing how those little changes make the house feel refreshed.

I am also thinking ahead to Thanksgiving and pushing any Christmas decorations out of my head.  Our son will be coming home from Washington, D.C. and I cannot wait to have us all together again. He’s quite the cook, so many happy moments will be spent in the kitchen.

For me, November is the month to focus on home and appreciate all that goes with it.  It needs some loving care and as tedious as that sounds, I think the walls and windows are happy.

Be joyful this month.  Slow down and take time to notice the season’s changes and how it affects you.

Our bedroom is one of my favorite spaces in our home and I want to give you a peek into this very serene space. It is located upstairs at one end of the house~~away from everything.

The Foyer

The official entrance into the bedroom starts with a set of French door. These open into a small foyer where my “quote” door floats on the wall.  The door is illuminated from behind and it makes the best night light.  If you turn left you head toward our office, but to the right is the master bedroom. To see more about the story behind this quote door, click here.

The Bedroom

This is the view when you first enter the bedroom from the foyer.

The bedroom is rather large for a historical home. We reworked the original footprint to allow for a more up to date bathroom and closet.

On the bed, I added small picture lights to the top of our headboard, for nighttime reading. The fabric on the bed is a bit more sage green than the photo shows.  I am not sure what it is, but it’s very soft, perhaps a short cut velvet. The curves in the footboard and headboard add softness to the bed angles.

For the summer months, I added this sweet duvet cover for a more romantic look. The duvet cover is made by Taylor Linens, called Shore Rose.

Opposite the end of the bed, is a television, hidden behind the a piece of framed art.  The canvas rolls up inside the frame by remote control. It is an oil painting depicting San Gimignano in Sienna, Italy, a place we once visited.

To the left of the television, is a skirted kidney-shaped table and mirror. I have always wanted a make-up table.  The irony is that I hardly wear any makeup these days, but occasionally I will sit here and feel like a character on Downton Abbey! A mirrored tray holds bottles of perfume and cologne.

The vintage hand mirror is my mother’s and the silver topped jar is a gift from a friend.

On the opposite side of the room is a unique sofa I picked up at the Brimfield Antique Show. Upholstered in a large houndstooth pattern, it adds character to the space. Click here to see the previous blog post about the sofa makeover. Above the sofa is a collection of framed botanical prints.

The Terraces

The best part of this room is the view outside.  It feels like a tree house. It is completely private, so much so that the French doors and windows are sans window coverings. With the wide overhang on the terrace, the room gets diffused light from its southern and western exposure.

When we bought this house, there were no railings on the outdoor upstairs terrace.  The short walls were a little taller than knee-height with a 2 story drop. Obviously in 1912, there were few safety zoning codes. The railing design was inspired by the multiple arches in the home’s architecture.  This design continues on the wrought iron fences and gates on the property. To see more about the restoration of this area, please click here.

As you may recall, we have this wonderful terrace and fireplace right outside the bedroom (see previous blog post here).  It is a fabulous place to watch the sunset or enjoy a glass of wine on a cool evening.

I hope your bedroom is your oasis.  What do you love most about your bedroom? This is truly the best bedroom I have ever had!

If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to share on Pinterest

Makeup table and mirror – Horchow

Custom railings by Grizzly Welding in Phoenix

Custom Doors and Windows by Marvin

Our family room is one of the most utilized rooms in the house.  I love the actual room as it feels like a solarium.  It is my least favorite because I am not fond of how it has been decorated. Originally an outdoor porch, it was enclosed in the 1940s.  The room is really large – 31 feet long by 16 feet wide.  The other challenge is that all 4 walls have numerous windows and/or doors.

Below are pictures of the original room.  Notice the fluorescent ceiling lights and the scored concrete floors. The only air conditioning was from the window unit, which died a few hours after we turned it on.

In the first photo, the exterior doors lead to the back porch. The interior doors go to the library and living room.

On the opposite end, the exterior doors lead to the front porch. This room runs the entire width of the southern part of the house.

I have never been able to make this room “right”.  The reason I am sharing this with you is that I am hoping you will weigh in on how I can improve this living space.  Due to its size, I have split the function of this room in half.  This side serves as the tv/family room.

Currently we have a very large, 96″ Mitchell Gold slipcovered sofa.  I would love to replace it, but our dogs and cats seem to use it more than we do.

Even though the sofa has slipcovers, I added an organic cotton Coyuchi blanket that I purchased from Camps and Cottages that can be easily removed and washed weekly.

We weren’t the best at training our dogs when they were puppies, so they have run of this room. Cooper, our huge white dog, takes up most of the sofa as his nightly bed.

And the cats seem to like napping on the back of the sofa near the windows.

When we were restoring Bella Terra, I wanted to keep the original single-paned windows in this room.  I love how the imperfections in the original glass blur the view to the outside. However, since we did not replace the glass with double paned panels, it is not energy efficient.  As a result, this is the warmest room in the summer and coolest in the winter.

The other half of the room is more utilitarian.  There is a large work table that is used for sewing, painting or school projects.

Along the wall under the windows are two desks side by side, with upholstered (using Dash and Albert rugs) ottomans for sitting.  Here the computer and printer are easily accessible. With two out of my three children out of the house, I’m not sure it makes sense to still have these two desks.

I do love the two 9’x12′ natural fiber rugs I purchased from Ballard Design.  They are such a nice quality and are holding up well to the wear and tear of the pets.

We installed remote controlled exterior shades made from Sunbrella fabric.  This really cuts down on the heat during the summer months.  It also reduces the reflection from all the windows on the television screen.

If you have any ideas or suggestions on how I can improve upon this room, I heartily welcome them.  I feel a bit stuck with which design path to take.  Part of me wants to take everything out and start again. Should it look more like an old porch? A greenhouse? But the reality is, this needs to be a comfortable, attractive, pet-friendly room.

Sunbrella shades by Phoenix Tent and Awning Company

Slat chairs were purchased from Relics Consignment and Antiques in Phoenix

Pumpkin pillow- Pottery Barn

Drapes by Country Curtains