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.

As the weather gets cooler, a nice, warm chicken pot pie out of the oven is a family favorite. What makes this so easy is getting the pre-made ingredients and assembling it.

All the ingredients for this recipe are from Trader Joe’s (but any resource will do)~~pre-made double pie crust, cooked chicken and frozen vegetables.  I typically make my own pie crust, but Trader Joe’s is a very, very good option. I also used their 2.5 lb. bag of frozen chicken breast tenderloins, and 2 packages of Vegetable Melange.  But any cooked chicken or frozen veggies will do.

The frozen Vegetable Melange is filled with peas, carrots, cauliflower, sweet corn in a butter sauce.

Heat 2 packages of frozen vegetables in 2 tablespoons of watering a large skillet. I baked the chicken a day earlier at 350 degrees for 25 minutes (seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder beforehand). Cut the chicken into bitesize pieces.

Add the chicken to the vegetables.  I make a very simple chicken gravy to add to the chicken/vegetable mixture using Better than Boullon and water. However, if your frozen vegetables have enough sauce or moisture, you can add a bit of flour to that to thicken it up.

You could easily skip this part or make it with chicken stock. Two teaspoons of boullon mixed into 8 oz. of hot water creates the chicken stock.  Whisk a small part of the stock into two tablespoons of flour to make a roux.

Add the roux back into the remaining stock and whisk until smooth.

Microwave for 30 seconds and stir again.  The mixture will thicken, like gravy.  If it is still too loose, microwave for an additional 30 seconds.

Pour the gravy into the vegetable/chicken mixture and mix to combine. Add more or less gravy depending on how moist you want your filling.  Salt and pepper or season to your liking.

While this mixture cools, prepare your pie crust.

Even though I follow the directions to defrost the crust and leave at room temperature, it always looks like this when I unroll it.

So I gently gathered the dough into a ball, and rolled it out as the bottom crust.  I used a 9″ deep dish glass pie pan. I do chill the bottom crust for a minimum of 15 minutes in the refrigerator before I add the filling.

Add the cooled filling.

Roll the second dough for the top crust.

Bake at 425 degrees for 40 minutes (again this depends on the size of your pan, amount of filling, etc). In order to prevent the edges from burning, you can add foil or a pie ring on the edges of the crust during the last 20 minutes of baking.

With hungry children looming, I cut into the pie while it was a bit too warm, but you can see the abundant filling spilling out.

This is a very easy recipe requiring a small amount of assembly.

I love this cooler weather as it inspires me to do more baking!

Mary’s Easy Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

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Lately, I have seen so much information on the benefits of turmeric.

Turmeric is a plant related to ginger and is sometimes called Indian saffron or the Golden spice. It is a tall plant that grows in Central America and Asia.  Turmeric is made from the ground roots of the plant.

According to HealthLine, turmeric is the spice that gives curry its yellow color. It has been used in India for thousands of years as a spice and medicinal herb. Recently, science has started to back up what Indians have known for a long time — it really does contain compounds with medicinal properties.

These compounds are called curcuminoids, the most important of which is curcumin. Curcumin has powerful anti-inflammatory effects and is a very strong antioxidant.

Scientists now believe that chronic, low-level inflammation plays a major role in almost every chronic, Western disease. This includes heart disease, cancer, metabolic syndrome, Alzheimer’s and various degenerative conditions.

Research has shown that curcumin has healthy beneficial effects on: heart disease, arthritis and joint pain, PMS, depression, cancer, anxiety, liver function, cognitive function, and digestive ailments.

There are several ways to add turmeric in your diet.  You can sprinkle the spice into salad dressings, casseroles, marinades, or on rice.

I also drink Golden Milk by Gaia. The ingredients to this warm yellow beverage are turmeric and other traditional Ayurvedic herbs like Black Pepper, Cardamom, Vanilla and Ashwagandha.

Mix 1 teaspoon into any warm milk of your choice. I use a hand frother to blend the powder. Drink daily. Gaia Herbs Golden Milk is vegan and gluten-free with no GMOs or soy, with natural sweetness from dates.

I purchase my Golden Milk at our local Sprouts store, but it can be found online as well.

If you prefer tea, my dear friend, Gabie from Tea End Blog has shared her recipe for Turmeric Tea.  She has allowed me to use her photo below-one of my favorites!  For the link to her blog post, click here.

There are many high quality turmeric supplements available.

Unfortunately, curcumin is poorly absorbed into the bloodstream. It helps to consume black pepper with it. It is recommended to find a product with BioPerine (the trademarked name for piperine), which is the natural substance that enhances curcumin absorption by 2,000%.

Based on MedicalNewsToday, research indicates that turmeric doses of 500–2,000 mg per day may be effective. However, high doses are not recommended long-term. Also, do not use if you are pregnant or nursing. Please check with your doctor before taking any new supplements or products.

There is a TON of information on the internet about turmeric and curcumin.  Even one sight indicated it was “the world’s healthiest food”.  I just started taking daily supplements so I am excited to see if I notice a difference.

Have a healthy day!

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

Do you do any decorating for Halloween?  My youngest LOVES Halloween!  She is a senior in high school and since this is her last year at home, I’ve decided to pull out ALL the boxes from the garage.  We are going BIG for this holiday.

The mummies are by the front door.

Mr. Bones has two new companions this year.

And the graveyard is back, with a gargoyle nearby.

The dining room gets the bulk of the decorations.  The raven is motion-sensitive.  Its red eyes light up and head moves, while cawing.

The deep mantle allows for old books, chemistry bottles, skulls, and lights.

What is Halloween without a really large spider?

The buffet has been transformed with witches, skulls, libations and crows.

We haven’t finished decorating….yet but are having fun with the mice!

There is a benefit to taking out all the Halloween boxes.  I’ve been going through them, sorting and organizing and donating.  Three children and multiple Halloweens equals way too much stuff.  I am enjoying decorating with my 17-year old as next year she will be away at college 🙁

Dog and cat skeleton, raven – Home Depot

Candelabras-Home Depot

Mr. Bones and tombstone-back in the day that Restoration Hardware had cool things

Mouse cut-outs- Martha Stewart

Mummies- Grandinrod