I am so excited to share the holiday changes to our dining room this year. Every year, literally, every year, I have done the same thing when it comes to holiday decorating.

When your holiday decorating is repetitive, it’s difficult to imagine the space differently. I was a bit stumped on what to do but somehow it just magically came together!

Here are photos of the dining room in previous years ( I think my photography skills have improved a bit!). The dining room has always been where we displayed the countless snow globes we have. Since I have been buying one for each child X 3 children up to age 21, you can do the math. We have ALOT of snow globes.

The glittery village has continually occupied to top of the buffet lending to the general snow/winter theme in this room.

But this year, being our first as empty nesters, I decided not to unpack the snow globes or glitter houses.

Ordering a 100 foot roll of garland*, I decided to use the fresh cedar greens on the mantle. Over the summer we had the room painted a clean white and added 2 white upholstered chairs in attempts to lightened the impact of the dark dining room table (which I would love to change).

The expensive Oriental rug has been in our family for a very long time so I don’t see it being replaced anytime soon. With deep tones of cranberry and some pinks, it made sense to keep the decorations in that color category.

The blush bottle brush trees are from Pier 1 Imports. The selection of bottle brush trees at Michaels was pathetic so I was delighted to find these at Pier 1. The glittery gold trees are from Pottery Barn purchased last year.

The pink and white snow ornaments are from Michaels and are hung from the chandelier with fishing line.

I love our white chairs from Ballard Designs and added the boxwood wreaths (also from Ballard Designs) with a sheer green ribbon pinned to the top of the chair.

The buffet will be filled with food for the holidays so it was left undecorated this year. I will be adding some fresh cut flowers and greens for our holiday event tomorrow evening. My sweet husband polished all the silver which makes the room sparkle.

Overall, the decorations feel cleaner and lighter this year.

I hope you enjoyed the decorating changes made to the dining room. Enjoy this beautiful Tuesday and keep jolly!

*Greens purchased from Torchio Nursery at the San Francisco Flower Market.

I don’t know about you, but I am STILL cleaning up after Thanksgiving. It was a wonderful day, especially with the weather being moody and overcast.

If you are looking for a cocktail (or can be made without alcohol) for Christmas, this one is certainly the right color! I am not a fan of anything too sweet, and these Cranberry Bourbon Sours were tart and refreshing. Click here for the recipe from Half Baked Harvest. We made a pitcher of them this week which was perfect for drop-in guests.

One of our family holiday traditions is collectively selecting a cake from Tessa Huff’s book Layered and then baking it. The Bittersweet Chocolate Orange Spice Cake was not as labor intensive as some of the other cakes we’ve made, but the flavors were rich and perfect for the season. Sprinkled with salt and decorated with kumquats from our tree, made this 3 layer cake even more attractive.

Now we are onto Christmas. Can you believe it is 25 days away? I woke up in the middle of the night a bit worried about getting everything accomplished-our Christmas card, my annual Christmas painting, decorating the house, entertaining~~the thought of it all swirling around in my head. I came to the conclusion at some early hour in the morning that maybe this is the year to just simplify it all.

I know many bloggers have had Christmas up since Halloween, but I am a bit of a traditionalist and remember the days when the Christmas season officially began the day after Thanksgiving.

The downside to waiting is the rush to get it all done. However, I am now debating whether I truly need to build the glitter village and the unpack the numerous snow globes.

Perhaps this is the year to just decorate with fresh greens and a few traditional items like our Christmas art. I am spending this weekend getting the house back in order and then re-thinking a new way to decorate for Christmas. Maybe less is more?

However, it ALL does comes together somehow and that is the magic of the holidays. The goal is to welcome it with a jolly spirit and not sweat the small stuff. Remember to do things that “spark joy”

Wishing you a wonderful weekend. I hope your Thanksgiving was filled with family and love.

My son’s bedroom re-do has taken longer than I would have liked. Am I completely finished? No, but I am close. There are window treatments to complete and of course, sorting through years of his belongings. I want to accomplish that with him, because I would probably keep all the grammar and high school projects just for the glorious trip down memory lane.

Here is the bedroom before. The last time we did anything to his room was on his 14th birthday. It was time to get rid of the whimsical child’s room and do something more suitable for a teenager. His colors at the time were mostly red, blue and brown. Benjamin now lives in Washington, DC so his room hasn’t really been touched in quite a long time.

As you may recall, this was my inspiration for the remodel. You can read the entire blog post here.

Here is the bedroom after (and nearly done)! We moved the bed to the opposite wall to get the wonderful views out the 2 northern windows, and the view to the outside terrace.

Using leftover Blue Radish linen fabric, I slipcovered the bench under the black writing desk that I moved from the family room. The desk now gets such better light from the western window.

I kept the small dresser with the hand painted fish as our son LOVED having fish when he was younger. Plus the scale and color goes nicely with the rug and rest of the room.

A guest basket is filled with waters and snacks for his week long stay with us. In keeping with the blue/nautical theme, a limited edition print by Jan Balet from is hung above the dresser.

On the desk is an antique letter “from a Nobleman to a School Master” dated May 10, 1740 about a man sending his “Boy of Genius” off to get a liberal education. I love the lettering, the grace and tone ~~so civilized.

A fresh bouquet of flowers perks up the room.

I started a custom painting for the area above his bed, however, it’s not finished so we hung a limited edition nautical lithograph from the British maritime artist, John Stobart. If you want to read the blog post on the making of the pillow shams, click here.

We still need to go through items on his shelves, but I tried to organize it the best you can with items from a boy’s life.

Happy Saturday, my friends. The best part of this bedroom is that my son is home and filling the room with his presence. I hope you enjoyed the fresh and updated changes! Below is a list of resources.

This post shared with:

Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday #601

Silver Pennies Sunday #369

Eddie Bauer Blue Cotton Blanket on bed; $27. 19 ordered from Amazon

Sheets and Duvet Cover from The Company Store

Denim Rag Rug from Annie Selke by Dash and Albert

Blue/white chinoiserie lamp on desk from Overstock

Blue Radish fabric by Radish Moon

Radish Moon
648 Broadway suite 600
NY NY 10012
917.279.5465
www.radishmoon.com

All artwork is from our collection

Candlestick lamps from thrift store and repainted

Flowers from Trader Joe’s

We all have times in our lives where we feel like we have one stress after another. The weight of the world weighs heavily on our shoulders. Sometimes it is fleeting; other times you want to shout out to the universe enough already!

Though it would be nice to have stress-free days, life just doesn’t work that way. And if you don’t decompress every now and again, then Everything is Overwhelming.

I find myself good at handling the big challenges, but sometimes the little things just get under my skin.

So what do you do to relieve the stress? Here are some of the ways I try to redirect the annoyance, anger, problem or just plain crankiness.

Take a break and carve out some quiet time. Making a nice cup of tea, finding a good magazine and just taking 20 minutes to myself with magazine distraction is an easy balm for the soul.

Exercise. I’ve decided that I would be a very grumpy person if I didn’t exercise. It doesn’t have to be to a fancy gym or with a trainer. A brisk walk, a long bike ride, a hike, or stretching are easy, non-costly things that pay big dividends.

Watch a sunset or sunrise. Taking the time to mark the beginning or ending of a day, may help your realize that the sun will be up again tomorrow.

Turn off your technology and get outside. A trip to my garden/hen house magically erases anything that is weighing heavily on my mind. Not sure why that is, but I seem to forget the woes and concentrate on what’s blooming, who’s eating my strawberries or time to pull that weed.

Baking. I tend to do this when I’m a bit aggravated. I throw on my apron, turn on the music and bake. The only danger is that it may be a dessert or something decadent.

Run a bubble bath and light some candles. Easing into warm water with bath salts can provide a well-deserved “Calgon take me away” moment.

My children are such sources of joy. If they are not nearby to hug, I play my many years of memories in my mind and remind myself how lucky I am. I pick up the phone and call them, or send them a funny text. Their quick responses are a reminder of how loved I am. They always put life in perspective!

Love on the dogs/cats. Did you know that petting an animal actually lowers your blood pressure? Our pets love us unconditionally and will provide the love and attention we need when we are feeling our lowest.

Do something creative-for me it is finishing or tweaking a painting.

Do something nice for yourself. Buy flowers. Get a haircut. Taking the time to acknowledge you need some pampering is a good thing.

When all else fails, turn it over to a higher being. Sometimes you just need to let it go and trust that it will all be okay.

What do you do to relieve stress? Wishing you a relaxing Tuesday!

For as long as I can remember, I’ve prepared Thanksgiving dinner. I’m trying not to panic that Thanksgiving is less than 2 weeks away. This weekend I am determined to put a menu together and think about the table setting.

The good news is that my son will be flying home to stay for a week. He LOVES to cook so having his extra, capable hands in the kitchen will be a blessing.

My friend, Bob texted me yesterday and asked when I was going to post my Thanksgiving recipes. Today I’d like to share our typical Thanksgiving menu.

The first question every year is, “How will we roast the turkey?” There is the ongoing search for the perfect recipe that will roast a turkey that is well seasoned, juicy and properly cooked~~with no dry bites.

We used to wrap it in bacon prior to roasting to keep it moist and flavorful.

Two years ago we changed up the recipe and decided to do a dry brine. Simply combine one part baking powder with three to four parts kosher salt (about a teaspoon of baking powder per tablespoon of kosher salt will work), add some black pepper to taste, then sprinkle it evenly over the surface of the skin. Then—and this is key—let it rest, uncovered, in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours. The bird was cooked on a cookie sheet vs. a roasting pan. This simple recipe made the turkey skin soooooo crisp and the meat soooooo juicy. Plus you never have to baste it. For more info, click here.

This year my son is suggesting an Expertly Spiced and Glazed Roast Turkey recipe by Bon Appetit. I’m not sure as I really love the dry rub one we’ve done the last two years~~it’s a winning recipe.

Side Dishes

My favorite stuffing is Martha Stewart’s Herbed Corn Bread Stuffing with raisins soaked in cognac and chestnuts, apples and sausage.

Uncle Bruce and Aunt Janiece nicknamed the traditional sweet potato side dish, “Drunken Sweet Potatoes” after determining the recipe needed more and more bourbon. One for me, one for the potatoes….you get the picture. The recipe is from The Family Circle Cookbook that my mother gave to me for Christmas in 1977. Since I cannot find an online link to it, the recipe is at the bottom of the post.

Trader Joe’s recipe for Roasted Brussel Sprouts is a favorite all the children love. Roasting the Brussel sprouts in the maple syrup and dried cranberries, is a recipe anyone can love.

The mashed potatoes are another prized dish~~filled with butter, sour cream, cream cheese and chives. I don’t really use a recipe for this but keep adding the ingredients until they are decadent.

What has now become our traditional salad was made by our friend, Connie a few years back. Not only is it delicious, but it gets better with age, unlike most salads. The recipe for Clever Kale Slaw is here.

Not that we need more carbs, but I do make buttermilk biscuits from scratch using Martha Stewart’s recipe here. As far as Cranberry Sauce goes, I just make the recipe on the back of the Ocean Spray fresh cranberry bag.

Desserts. The family collectively picks out a cake to try from my favorite cake book, Layered by Tessa Huff. Here are some pictures from previous years’ cakes.

And of course, what is Thanksgiving without pie! Homemade apple and Dad’s famous pumpkin pies are always a big hit!

Do you make the same recipes every year? Or do you mix it up and try new things? Am I the only one that is running behind schedule?!?!

Happy Saturday!

Bourbon Sweet Potatoes

4 pounds sweet potatoes or yams, 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) softened, 1/2 cup bourbon, 1/3 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice, 1/2 cup chopped pecans.

Scrub potatoes. Cook, covered in boiling salted water to cover in a large saucepan, about 35 minutes, or just until tender. Drain, cool slightly, peel.

Place potatoes in a large bowl, mash. Add the butter, bourbon, orange juice, brown sugar, salt and apple pie spice; beat till fluffy smooth.

Spoon into a buttered, 6 cup baking dish, sprinkle nuts around the edge.

Bake in at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes 6 servings.

When the children were small, we would walk the entire property every afternoon. My son and I would have “who can pick the largest kumquat” contests in the orchard. I miss those days 🙁

My daily walkabout is not only a chance to get outside, but a way to free myself from technology, projects and other stress related items. I thought you might like to join me in seeing different parts of the property.

The weather has been so beautiful~blue skies, warmth from the sun but fall is definitely in the air. Our winter grass is in and it is green, green, green! The light this time of year is soft and golden.

Fall vegetables are taking off in the garden~~salad greens, bok choy, kale, Swiss chard, broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas, squashes, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes and herbs.

Having the garden located next to the hen house, allows ample feedings of garden scraps to the chickens.

The orchard is abundant with citrus~~we will still need to wait a few months but I can’t wait to pick fresh oranges, grapefruit, lemons, limes and kumquats.

We have plenty of pomegranates but they aren’t edible. Not sure why.

Flowers, flowers everywhere! This is the beginning of our colorful time which will last until next summer.

How can these ornamental cabbages be so beautiful?

The guest cottage is hidden in the back northwest corner of the property and I love how it just appears out of nowhere. Feels a bit magical to me.

As much as I love the purple orchid trees, my favorite part is when the flowers drop and the ground becomes a sea of pink/purple.

The autumn sun provides some interesting shadowing on the well tower.

By the end of my walk, I feel rejuvenated. There’s something to be said for connecting with nature, feeling the ground beneath your feet and noticing all that changes with the season. What do you do daily to de-stress? Have a lovely Tuesday.