Hello December !

Happy December - Our tree is up!

We will be traveling over the holidays so we are not putting up the big tree...and our decorating in a Basic Christmas mode.  Since Thanksgiving was so late, I am not even bringing out my much loved Christmas dishes.  Not enough time to make it worth the work.  But we are in the holiday spirit...this little tree, a wreath on the door, and some simple decorations scattered throughout the apartment.

We kicked off the holiday season with our traditional Thanksgiving night viewing of Miracle On 34th Street.

Love watching this film - always in black and white - and remember my father loved this movie.  And, my Uncle Joe had white hair, was very generous to his family, and always carried a cane.  When he passed away I took his cane...so every year when the movie is over I take the cane out of the umbrella stand and place it by our fireplace.

Another tradition..."we believe".

We have been doing a bit of shopping in order to get ready for Holiday Movie Month. 

We love the Skinny Pop popcorn at Costco, so when it went on sale we braved the Thanksgiving crowds to buy the limit of 10 bags...

Good thing the limit was 10...we would not be able to fit another bag in the trunk!

I've done some other shopping too...the sales have been to good to resist.  

This sweater was a deal on Amazon and I could not resist - 

Striped Sweater

Refillable Atomizer

I ordered new perfume - Lancome La Vie Est Belle - and wanted to have a travel size, so I ordered these refillable containers.  Hope they work out.  Does anyone wear that scent ?  I am hoping I like it and that it is a scent that lasts all day.

And on Thanksgiving one of our local department stores had Black Friday prices available online, free shipping...and when you add in Rakuten and Ibotta - well it was a great deal.  Waiting for a few more packaged to be delivered and hoping the shoes, boots, purse are all as good as they looked online!

That's all for now...this week has some Christmas Concerts in our community, some volunteer work in the library, and hopefully some baking and getting Christmas Cards in the mail.

Are you decorating BIG this year...or scaling back?

Sending cards ?  I was going to stop, but still enjoy sending and receiving cards.

Leave a comment below and let me know about your holiday preparations.  I love hearing from you !

Have a great December !

 

Recent Reads

I have enjoyed some great books recently...even though the weather here in Pennsylvania still feels a bit like summer, this time of year I love to curl up with a Pumpkin Spice coffee and a good book.  Here are a few that I have enjoyed lately.

Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice.
It seems like any other day. You wake up, pour a cup of coffee, and head out.
But today, when you open your front door, waiting for you is a small wooden box. This box holds your fate inside: the answer to the exact number of years you will live.
From suburban doorsteps to desert tents, every person on every continent receives the same box. In an instant, the world is thrust into a collective frenzy. Where did these boxes come from? What do they mean? Is there truth to what they promise?
As society comes together and pulls apart, everyone faces the same shocking choice: Do they wish to know how long they’ll live? And, if so, what will they do with that knowledge?
The Measure charts the dawn of this new world through an unforgettable cast of characters whose decisions and fates interweave with one another: best friends whose dreams are forever entwined, pen pals finding refuge in the unknown, a couple who thought they didn’t have to rush, a doctor who cannot save himself, and a politician whose box becomes the powder keg that ultimately changes everything.

I really enjoyed this book...thought provoking and timely.  Not a happy, easy read - but glad I read it!

The discovery of a dead body in the woods on Thanksgiving Weekend brings Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his colleagues from the Surete du Quebec to a small village in the Eastern Townships. Gamache cannot understand why anyone would want to deliberately kill well-loved artist Jane Neal, especially any of the residents of Three Pines - a place so free from crime it doesn't even have its own police force.

Somehow, as much as I love to read, I never read a Louise Penny book.  Then she was a author for our library's fund raiser and she was so interesting.  With my ticket I received a copy of her newest book - The Grey Wolf - but everyone told me I needed to start with her first book.  It was very interesting to learn about her writing process, how she develops her characters, and who she based them on.  So I started with this one...the first of now 19!  So many books I want to read ( I came home from the library with 5 yesterday!) that I don't know when I will get to them...but I will try.

Here, for the first time, Ina Garten presents an intimate, entertaining, and inspiring account of her remarkable journey. Ina’s gift is to make everything look easy, yet all her accomplishments have been the result of hard work, audacious choices, and exquisite attention to detail. In her unmistakable voice (no one tells a story like Ina), she brings her past and her process to life in a high-spirited and no-holds-barred memoir that chronicles decades of personal challenges, adventures (and misadventures) and unexpected career twists, all delivered with her signature combination of playfulness and purpose.

From a difficult childhood to meeting the love of her life, Jeffrey, and marrying him while still in college, from a boring bureaucratic job in Washington, D.C., to answering an ad for a specialty food store in the Hamptons, from the owner of one Barefoot Contessa shop to author of bestselling cookbooks and celebrated television host, Ina has blazed her own trail and, in the meantime, taught millions of people how to cook and entertain. Now, she invites them to come closer to experience her story in vivid detail and to share the important life lessons she learned along the way: do what you love because if you love it you’ll be really good at it, swing for the fences, and always Be Ready When the Luck Happens.

I read this book in one day !  A very easy to read book and a wonderful look at how she became the Barefoot Contessa.

How good is that ?

 Amanda Delanoe finds joy in running a chic contemporary art gallery in the City of Light. The only child of a French businessman and an American model, both now deceased, Amanda lives well and adores her dog, Lulu, but so far the love of her life has eluded her.
Then she meets Olivier Saint Albin, a dashing publisher. At the same time, she reconnects with Tom Quinlan, an old boyfriend from her days at NYU twenty years ago, now a lawyer on sabbatical who has come to Paris to devote himself to writing a thriller.
Charming Olivier is a master at the art of flirtation, but as Amanda feels herself falling for him, she learns he is married. Providing counsel and support is her friend and co-owner of the gallery, fun-loving bachelor Pascal Leblanc. When Amanda begins to receive threatening phone calls late at night, it is Pascal she turns to. Then someone breaks into her apartment on the Left Bank, and it’s all too clear she is in real danger. But from whom? An old love, a new love, or a stranger? As love enters her life, so does terror. . . .
Triangle is at once the story of a woman dedicated to staying true to her principles and a breathtaking tale of suspense from the one and only Danielle Steel.

I like to read Danielle Steel in between other books...very easy to read - and this one was a little bit different because of the mystery involved. I enjoyed all the references to places in Paris.

That's it for now...but I just picked up five books at the library yesterday!  Have you read any of these books?  What did you think ?  What are you reading ?  Please let me know in the comments below - I really enjoy hearing from you.  

Have a great week and enjoy November.

Batty Brunch and Dinner 

Almost Halloween !  We had fun entertaining friends at brunch and dinner earlier this month...and have more friends coming for lunch this week!  I saw a photo of these napkins somewhere and decided to try and get "batty".

I did not have black napkins...and I just found the black sparkle chargers at Dollar Tree, so I tried Amazon and found these - 

Surmente 17-Inch Polyester Cloth Napkins Linen Dinner Napkins - Set of 12 for Weddings, Banquets, or Restaurants (1-Dozen) (Black)

I chose the 17 inch - they also had 20 inch.  I was not sure I wanted polyester napkins, but figured I would not use them very much, and they were a deal at $ 9.99

Once I got the hang of folding the bats it was fun !

I ironed the napkins and think that helps with keeping the bats in place...

Fold the napkin into a triangle..

Turn the triangle upside down with the point facing you...

Then flip the point up...

And flip each side up to make the bat wings.

At this point I pressed the entire napkin to make sure it did not flop out of place on the plate...

And I also gave a shot of steam to the top of the "head"  - that makes it easy to press in with your finger to make the "ears"!

And that is it !  Easy...and they were a big hit with our guests!

We were four for dinner, so I did not used a table cloth - just these fall color placemats that I bought at the Cash and Carry Sale our community has ever few months.  These four mats - with the tags on them - were just some of the many things I crammed into a bag that you buy for $2 dollars ! The chargers are from Dollar Tree, as are the skeleton salad tongs.  I used my A&J water glasses that were a wedding gift and are showing that cloudy look glasses get after a while...well...47 years.  I can't seem to get rid of the haze, but I also don't have the heart to get rid of them.  Once water, ice, and lemon are in the glasses they look fine.

Simple centerpiece...candy corn for filler, a mini pumpkin, and a ceramic ghost... also vintage - made by me 47 years ago!

Salad dressing went in this little glass pitcher with a Temptations Spooky saucer to catch the drips.  

Lasagna in the crockpot was our dinner - we had attended a church service beforehand, so it was ready and waiting for us.

You can find the recipe for the lasagna here - 

Crock Pot Lasagna

A week later we hosted a brunch for some neighbors.  I used my everyday white dinner plates again...with the chargers underneath they really show off the bat napkins!

This time I used smaller water glasses that are so pretty...I was able to get these stuffed in that bag at Cash and Carry where I found the placemats.   I am using these more often...and probably will retire the A&J glasses...:-(

Used seasonal dish cloths with the mimosas and champagne.

Along with my favorite chalk board saying for brunch...

"Brunch, without booze, is just a sad, late breakfast!"

We had a great time with our friends...I love having people in our home and enjoying food and fun.

I always say I am not going to decorate as much for Halloween, but I end up putting out all of the items I accumulated over the years.

I made this wreath several years ago and since we are now in an apartment it does not get any weather and is holding up well.

Our entryway with some Dollar Tree spiders and a print I downloaded from the internet...

I painted some old books black and added some seasonal wine to the wine rack...

More bats...

My cherished ghost made by my Aunt Mamie...

Simple coffee table arrangement...

Spooky corner of the kitchen...

and our Jack O' Lantern that I made the first year we were married...every year when I pull it out I remember how excited I was to make it and decorate our first home for Halloween.  Feeling very blessed to enjoy all our days together.

Do you decorate for Halloween ?  Do you like to entertain?  And do you set a seasonal table ?  I would love to hear from you - please leave a comment below !  Reading the comments makes my day!

Enjoy the rest of October and wishing you all a safe and

Happy Halloween!!!

Paris and Nice !

We were so blessed to be able to travel to London, Paris, and Nice last month.  After our tour of London and Paris we had one day on our own in Paris before we joined another tour in Nice. Our hotel was located on Republique Square - steps away from a Metro and across the street from this statue of Marianne - the symbol of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity.

We had a list of places we wanted to visit and got an early start...walking through the streets of Paris until we got to Angelina.

Have you heard of this place ?  They are said to have the BEST hot chocolate and each time we have been in Paris the line to get a table has been so long...we did not want to waste Paris time in a line.  This time there was just one couple in front of us and we had a table in minutes!

And...it is true...

The hot chocolate was wonderful!

Thick, creamy...

and served with a bowl of whipped cream, too!  We had some pecan cookies with our chocolate and enjoyed the atmosphere of the Belle Epoch era café.

Filled with our hot chocolate we wandered over to Notre Dame...reconstruction is ongoing and you still can't enter, but it is great to see the progress that is being made.

Right near Notre Dame is the famous bookstore Shakespeare and Company.  We love wandering around the nooks and crannies of this historic space.  Once again, there was no line and we were able to browse to heart's content.  Have your read any books about this famous store ?  I read two this year - 

This one tells the tale of a woman who travels to Paris and ends up living in the bookstore for a bit....these people were called "tumbleweeds" and it was a great read.

When bookish young American Sylvia Beach opens Shakespeare and Company on a quiet street in Paris in 1919, she has no idea that she and her new bookstore will change the course of literature itself.

Shakespeare and Company is more than a bookstore and lending library: Many of the prominent writers of the Lost Generation, like Ernest Hemingway, consider it a second home. It's where some of the most important literary friendships of the twentieth century are forged--none more so than the one between Irish writer James Joyce and Sylvia herself. When Joyce's controversial novel Ulysses is banned, Beach takes a massive risk and publishes it under the auspices of Shakespeare and Company.

Sylvia Beach opened the store, closed it during WWII, and then George Whitman opened it in the location near Notre Dame in 1951.  He passed away in 2011...we got to meet him in 2005.  Long story for another post...

But, we had such a good time browsing, talking to other readers, and of course...I had to buy a book!

Walking to Isle St. Louis for ice cream at Berthillion

A slow stroll back to our hotel for a nap, then a short walk to the Canal St. Martin

Dinner at a lovely little bistro...

then our flight to Nice!

We took the Collette tour called Spotlight on the French Riviera and it was amazing...

Walked into our room to see this...

then sunrise the next morning...

A walking tour of the flower market and then a tasting tour through the Old Town.

I tried the traditional Nice onion pizza...

John checking the real estate and dreaming...

We could not stop admiring the beautiful coast and water!

Next day Monaco...

visit to the cathedral and tomb of Grace Kelly

Dinner on the rooftop of our hotel..."Rose all day !"

Next day off to Grasse...the perfume center of the world.

We got to make our own perfume

then wandered the streets of the city.

Each day we returned to Nice and stayed in the same hotel...no unpacking and moving each day.  LOVED that !

Beautiful island of Saint -Honorat...olive trees...

Vineyards

and wine tasting.

The island is owned by monks who make the wine, olive oil, and other items.  

Lunch in Cannes

Getting tired ?   We were starting to as this was the longest amount of time we have been away, but this visit to the Rothschild Villa and Gardens kept us going....

A delicious lunch in the Villa Conservatory, then off to Menton and a tour of the town that is so close to Italy

Long walk up to the Cathedral of St. Michael

A place to write your prayer request...

There is my prayer request...that included you, my blog friends!

Last stop of the day...Eze...beautiful views

and a great dinner.  At this point, John was starting his play-off beard in support of his Philadelphia Phillies.  If you follow the baseball play-offs you will know the beard is now gone!

Last day of our time in the south of France...the village of 

St. Paul de Vence

Lots of winding medieval streets...only day it rained and the cobblestones were slippy! 

Visited the grave of Marc Chagall...people have covered it with remembrance stones...and one paint brush!

We enjoyed the art all over the village...met this artist and enjoyed his stories.

Farewell dinner with our group...

This was one of the best meals on the trip...gnocchi with beef stew. 

Good thing we were on our way home....way too much wine, bread, and wonderful food !

As I said at the beginning of the LONG post...very blessed to be able to have this wonderful adventure, and blessed to share it with this wonderful man.   Looking forward to lots more travels.

Thanks for coming along on our travels.  Have you been to Nice or any of the cities in the south of France ?  Have you read any books about Shakespeare and Company ?  Where are your travels taking you ?  Please leave a comment below - I love hearing from you!

Until next time...take care and enjoy Autumn !