My Seasonal Decor 2

My Seasonal Decor 1

Hello,

As this is supposed to be a merry season, I am not going to address any serious issue today, however, tomorrow I might post what is on my mind! 

This year, like last year, I am not putting ornaments on those pesky little hooks. I will use any ornament called a pick or a clip, that is easier to remove, but for now, I have ornaments in a container, as you see below.

Chandeliers are so glamorous, I'd like to have one in every room of the house! For now, here is a chandelier ornament:

Goodwill received a shipment of boxes containing porcelain dolls. Inside the box, the cardboard support around the heads and arms was still unmoved, and the tissue papers and certificates were still there.  When I went back, they were all removed from the charming boxes and set up with all the used dolls. I remembered this one in the box. I think it reduces the value when the box is gone, but who can keep empty boxes around unless they have an attic. However as an added bonus, in the box, they cost $29 and on the shelf minus the box, the price was $7.99. We have discount coupons here for donations, so I used mine and got it for less.

I thought this doll went well with my decor, and I have  missed having dolls and toys laying around the house. It is good to have a stash of toys around,  so I'm trying to replace some Lego, some trucks, as well as  other things, for visiting children. You might see some here in future posts.

I have taken 4 yards of plaid fleece and cut it into lengths to use as little blankets throughout the house to give some color and comfort, and yes, people do use them when they come, on their laps or as shawls. I plan to use some as tablecloths, too. 

I have more pictures, which I will post throughout the week.  

Decor is not for making  an impression but to create comfort for others, and to feed my senses with good, lovely and delightful reminders of beauty and God's wonderful blessings.

Sometimes I will get a comment or an email from someone accusing me of having a blog "that is all about YOU."  I know other bloggers that have received the same cutting remarks.  It is designed by old cranks who want to unsettle you by shifting your focus away from your home and your interests.

In case there are some new viewers who are influenced by negative remarks like this, a blog is similar to keeping a log, list, diary etc. Iblog is short for web-log.   If someone has a web log, you rather expect it to be an update of what they are doing at home, in business, or other interests.

At this current time in history, it's rather ignorant to be making the accusation, " It's all about you," because that is generally what it is. Do you expect me to write about someone else's personal interest? That would be very much like walking on eggshells, because of copyright and gossip, and all that.

Frosty Mornings

There was an impressive  crystallized frost on everything today. 

In a few hours the ground was clear again.

This is my vinyl "wicker" all-weather settee. I plan to bring it inside when the temperatures get very cold, as it really isn't made for a freeze.  It is part of my pretend "coach".

I got a cute wire reindeer, and though it is very lightweight and does not do well in the wind, it stayed upright long enough for me to get a photo of it supposedly pulling my "coach."

I didn't think the lighted wire deer looked very realistic, but a hunter dropped by to tell me it was deer season, and that I should keep an eye on it, in case someone tries to bag it.

A lot has been transpiring around here and I have been very busy, and hope that tomorrow I will get a little time to drop by here and write some more.

                                                       The Coach Ride 1888

Ploughman's Lunch

(Painting from Pinterest: Stephen Darbyshire. Check his online store for purchase)

Hello Ladies,

On Friday there was supposed to be a Ladies Tea here, to let some of my friends come and sing in lieu of our weekly Ladies  Bible Class. Because I knew that a couple of the husbands were coming, I decided to serve a Ploughmans Lunch instead of a delicate ladies tea.

It was actually good that the men came, because we loved hearing them sing the bass and tenor in the old hymns. 

You can read more about this kind of lunch, online or in English cook books or check on Pinterest. I think, in the US and Canada these are called meat and cheese boards, but I like the historical implication that it was a hearty meal suitable for a laborer. 

Generally, it is the kind of food a ploughman would eat after coming in from hard work in the field. It consists of very thick slices of home baked bread, and butter,  served on a wooden cutting board along with cheese, pickles, meat, and maybe fruit such as grapes and sliced apples.  It is delicious when taken with hot tea.

To eat it, the bread is buttered and the other things are eaten separately. I have given up on trying to get Americans to understand that the reason you can't make sandwiches from this meal is because the bread is supposed to be too thick. I found it falls on deaf ears, (because we are centuries away from British culture), so if they want to go ahead and make sandwiches from it, I don't mind; just as long as they do not ask me for mayonnaise. 

It is not too easy eating those thick sandwiches though, and to infinite my delight, the ladies didn't attempt it. They happily buttered the bread, sipped tea and helped themselves to every morsel of the accompaniments on the board.  I was right when I thought it would all go well with tea, because I filled the teapots several times with Yorkshire Gold, and the tisane ladies made themselves multiple cups of home made herbal teas. I have lemon mint, berries and a few other things.

One of my grandchildren had baked some French braided bread, and it was dense and hearty enough for Ploughmans Lunch:

One of the platters:

An individual serving:

I got the plaid plastic tray at a local grocery store:

That tea cup is a Grace's Teaware brand found at Home Goods, a "seconds" store of new merchandise with wonderful bargains.

I found that these paper doilies worked effectively to keep the saucers dry, amd it was much appreciated by the ladies. It's so annoying to lift up a tea cup that is wet.

Before I say goodbye, I want to share one of my mismatched cup sets that I used at the ploughmans lunch:

The cup is new (Grace's Teaware from Home Goods which is a discount store. Some flaws are usually on the cups. This one had no saucer and there is a black mark inside near the floral)  but the saucer is very old, having broken the cup that matched it. 

In another post I'll show you some of the mismatch combos that I have in my China cabinent. 

I like Grace's Teaware and Gracie China, because they are so hearty and  dishwasher safe.

I understand there are four of these in a set, with the outside of the cup being pink (the one I have) blue, yellow and green.  I got cup this for $3.99 because it had no saucer and because there was a small mark on it.   The prices on the new sets are astronomical so O was happy to get this one.  Gradually I am wearing out the tea cups I have, and am going to retire some of them and replace with Grace's Teaware and Gracie China.

In another post I will update you on my seasonal decor. I never join the blog home tours because I am too busy and can't make the deadline, but I will be happy to host my own tour.

Here is the recipe for the bread. We thought it taste a lot like the fresh pretzels they sell here.

I do not know what cookbook this is in.

Ploughmans Lunch from Pinterest:

For Those Who Aren't Feeling Well

Hello Ladies,

Pictures today are from Pinterest, for those who don't get to access that site. If you want to see my Pinteresr collection, go the side bar and the left, where it says "please join me on Pinterest." 

Here at home when someone is sick, I like to scurry around making things comfortable and preparing  a tray of comfort foods or whatever their cravings are.

My mother always catered to the sick ones because it made us rest better, and helped with recovery. We were given a box that was like a bed tray, with any food or drink we could tolerate, some get well cards from the others at home, and a few old magazines to clip and paste into a scrapbook. Sometimes the other children would sit on the bed and play games with the sick person

When I don't feel well, it is so nice that my husband brings me a tray, or if he can't find one, simply uses a large dinner plate and puts a tea cup on it and some crackers and an assortment of herbal tea sachets.

I think the vintage wicker bed trays are very elegant and picturesque, but even the shallow cardboard box lined with a dish towel and laden with an old tea cup was so special to us when we weren't feeling well.

Making a sick person comfortable is a good skill to learn. When my children were growing up, I sometimes took them a tea tray to their room just for a treat.

Some Pictures To Emulate

For those of you who can't get Pinterest, here are a few saved to my Pinterest account. It's on the sidebar here.  

I like the above picture because I think we can do this with our own dear house in the background. Tea rooms are hard to find and often long distance.  I am going to try and emulate this!

Another one with a cottage in the background.