THANKSGIVING...

Thanks

 for time to be together,

 turkey, talk and

 tangy weather..

for harvest stored away,

 home and hearth

 and holiday..

for autumn's

 frosty art,

 and abundance

 in the heart..

for neighbors,

 and November, 

nice things, new things

 to remember..

for kitchen,

 kettle's croon,

 kith and kin

 expected soon..

for sizzles, 

sights and sounds,

 and something special

 that abounds..

That spells

 T H A N K S

 for joy of living

 and a 

jolly good Thanksgiving."

Aileen Fisher, "All in a Word"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The above is my wish for you...

May you all experience 

a wonderful and thankful day,

 A feeling that will continue

 throughout the year.

  Also, I hope you enjoyed 

the reveal of the Cottage dining room. 

 There are still some bare spots

 and a few projects to be completed but,

 for now, 

I am thankful

 that it is almost done 

and that soon there will be

 love and laughter

 around the table. 

 That is the best part.

Have a

 jolly good Thanksgiving

 everyone!

...Judy...

FYI:

 Beginning December 9, 

there is going to be

 a new Christmas Home Tour Link party.

 It will be co-hosted by

 Debra at Common Ground 

and by

 Brenda at Cozy Little House.

 I am really excited

 because this will give us all a chance

 to put our Christmas on display

 like we haven't had

 for a long time.

Before my time,

 I understand, 

there were some Christmas Home Tours

 that all could participate in 

and thanks to Debra and Brenda 

they are back

 once again.

 Thank you 

lovely ladies 

for doing this.

 I'm sure you will have many takers..

Hope to see you all there

 and be sure to go over to

Debra's 

or 

Brenda's 

to get all the info

 about the new party.

Sharing today with:

No Place Like Home at Rose Chintz Cottage

What's It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants

Share Your Style Link Party

A RETRACTION AND A PARTIAL REVEAL...

The tide has turned

 and what appeared to be

  fantasy last week

 has now turned into

 reality.

We all worked

 long and hard and,

 although it's not totally done,

 the dining room is starting 

to take shape 

and will be, once again,

 a place of good cheer

 where family will join hands

 around the table and 

raise a glass

to celebrate Thanksgiving.

I'm able

 to give you a peek 

at some of the unfinished business

 and will share more

next week.

The kids will be coming up

 and I'm hoping

 my sister will be able to make it too.

 The day

 will truly be

 a time 

to be thankful for.

In the meantime,

 I will fill you in

 on what Kai

 has been up to.

 If you noticed earlier

 in this post, 

I mentioned 

we all had been busy

working on the room...

"Every breath you take 

and every move you make

Every bond you break,

 every step you take..

I'll be watching you...

...every single day 

and every word you say

Every game you play,

 every right you stay..

I'll be watching you."

I'll Be Watching You

The Police

Kai: aka

  The Captain's Apprentice

Better get back to work.

...Judy...

Sharing today at:

No Place Like Home at Rose Chintz Cottage

What's It Wednesdays at Ivy and Elephants

Share Your Style Link Party

Feathered Nest Fridays at French Country Cottage

FANTASIES AND FRESH FLOWERS...

This above picture

 really has nothing to do with

 fantasies or fresh flowers 

but it does represent the fact that 

  fall and harvest time

 are now being celebrated

 and we have

 so much to be 

thankful for.

Now, about those fantasies...

This is one

 of my biggest...

...a beautifully

 appointed dining room table

 with happy and smiling

 family around it...

...there would be 

signs of the season 

in the choice of dinnerware...

...lovely crystal glasses

 and accessories...

...burning candles,

 fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers 

on display from the Farmers Market 

and good food, of course. 

Once upon a time...

 this wasn't a fantasy,

 it was a reality,

 but that was before the kids grew up

 and had their own fantasies to fulfill

 and we moved away 

from the majority of 

the rest of the family.

Now, 

we are the ones to travel

 to someone else's table 

and be thankful for 

being a part of their fantasies,

 but I don't mind...

I have my memories.

I set this table

 a couple of years ago and,

 to be honest,

 have shown it before,

 but now we are in the process

 of redoing the dining room 

after thirty years,

 so to have 

any kind of a dinner in here now,

 would be 

the biggest fantasy of all.

I just wanted to share

 with you

what I would do..

if only...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now,

 I can tell you

 that we don't live 

an uneventful life here 

at the Cottage.

 No sir, 

we still have our fantasies

 and we fulfill them.

During the holidays 

the big fancy dinner

 is not the only meal

 that exists...

...we do have to eat

 on all the other days

 during the holiday seasons,

 so I try 

to set a pretty table

 to celebrate those ordinary meals

 and the ordinary fantasies

 that go with them.

A set of

 vintage restaurant china (Tepco)

 that we picked up at a swap meet...

...along with

 some beautiful orange tulips, 

displayed in a

 vintage batter bowl...

...make up for the nights

 we sit in front of the TV 

with our plates on our laps.

An ordinary dinner,

 planned around

 pretty china and lovely flowers,

 good food and good company

 becomes an

 extraordinary one.

Hope you have

 every one of your fantasies fulfilled

 this holiday season.

...Judy...

*FYI:  I was inspired to share my tablescapes by BloomNation, a service that supports local florists.

 I was not compensated for this post.

Sharing today with:

No Place Like Home at Rose Chintz Cottage

What's It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants

Share Your Style Link Party

Feathered Nest Fridays at French Country Cottage