25th Wedding Anniversary Tablescape

I am ready for a celebration at Susan's at Between Naps on the Porch! Ccongratulations to you Susan for your 100th Tablescape!


Thinking...

Dinner for two came to mind since our 25th wedding anniversary is coming up very soon. The music room is where I decided that this tablescape would be! I was ready to start creating.

I started with some classic black placemats and napkins on our round glass coffee, thought that would be a great look along with my silk flowered napkin rings that I just love. I set the table with my favorite white and gold trimmed Eternal Facets Lenox china, our Waterford crystal water and wine goblets and our Gorham silverware. Added candles and wine and things are ready!

 I started to work on the table just as the sun was setting.

Love watching the sun set, it changes so quickly and the changes are awesome.

I wanted the table dancing with candlelight

 

I hope you have enjoyed my tablecape as much as I had getting in ready for the celebration..
Don't ask what's for dinner!

Anyhow, bon appetit!

Enjoy!

Style Radar!

Did you get your "Trend Report" in an email from Neiman Marcus this morning? (lol, my husband says, needless markup, shame on him.)

I did not intend this to be my post today, but decided to go with it, deemed appropriate due to the email this morning.

Okay, I enjoyed reading the report, I did. I love to read.

I am running out to shop for all of my Fall Wear today, aren't you? lol

GREEN MILITARY INFLUENCE (why, yes, have it all )

CAPES, PONCHOS AND VESTS (done deal)

FUR, LACE, FEATHERS (of course)

A WARDROBE OF BOOTS (no problem)

STRUCTURED HANDBAG AND PEARLS (why yes!)

Highlights:

With a closet of feminine, pretty pieces, you're ready to steal the leading role. (why, yes!)

Independent, trendsetting, free-spirited. For you, fashion is all about having fun. (always)

Always pulled together with a strong, well-edited fashion sense; a weakness for the new wave of American designers. (I can do this)

You know how to appreciate the creature comforts like soft silhouettes & luxurious fabrics. ( I know how to do this)

Inspired by ladylike, iconic styles of decades past, but unafraid to put your own modern twist on it. (yes, of course!)

With an eye on the runway, you want the newest trends. (not really)

You're willing to take a risk & always add your own interpretation. (without a doubt)

I can do all of this and I am ready! (as I sit here in my t-shirt, capri's and flip flops!)

I do like to read about fashion and trends.

Do I follow fashion trends?

Not unless it works for me, trendy things don't fit my body style. Imagine that. I still wear what may have been trendy years ago, that's trendy to me. I think (and who really knows!) that my style tends to be on the simple and classic side. I love gold, silver, turquoise and big bling, okay, I love "big" bling. I tend to dress in a classic style with a bit of the romantic side, at times I may add a touch of fun trendy to some casual.  I do enjoy the fun of putting outfits together, I love scarves and belts, and if you don't know, I have a passion for shoes and purses.

So there you have it, it's me!

(psst...by no means is this me on a daily basis! You'll find me in capri's and a classic white blouse most of the time during the daytime and wearing sandals. (you also could drop in and find me in my grubbies, old blue jean shirt, visor and flip flops...always with perfume on.)

So, what do you think about fashion and do you follow trends? 

What's your style? 

Do tell!

Have a blissful and of course, fashionable day!

Table For One...

 I am joining Marty at Table Top Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life, please join us!
http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

 

  I decided that I would just set a simple little table for one, I mean simple...nothing flamboyant!  It's such a perfect little spot to eat alone and quietly take in a little beauty from the outdoors.

 "  Too little decoration is always better than too much"

Helen Corbitt

Maybe I'll sit down and just have a little light lunch~ maybe I'll turn on my player piano and listen to a something classical or maybe a little light jazz~ 

What do you think I should have for lunch? I love light, easy and simply~

What Flower Power...

I find a little slice of heaven in the early mornings, this morning it was with my coffee cup in one hand and my camera in the other. 

Sitting out on the porch, feeling the gentle breeze, I was watching and listening to the birds fluttering by, while I was taking in their own alluring beauty, I was just marveling at the beauty, blessing and power of a little flower.  They hold the such a whole mystery in its short cycle, don't they?  Goodness, some of my flowers are brave little things, they just keep on blooming despite some neglect in the summertime while we are away. 

I come home, they are as brilliant as ever! Sometimes I think of their charming little names, I so want to learn them all. I think of their exquisite color and I just think of their amazing power, how they can exhilarate and how they can draw me in. I am in total awe, it's pure blissful entertainment.  A flower can certainly can make one feel joyous, and oh so, content.  To be out with them on an early quite morning, is just a slice of heaven.

Just one single flower is truly a profound and radiant peace of art.

Taking in some of His creation - the miracle, I thought, isn't it amazing how a the face of a flower looks to the sun? I think about how in life, we should all look to the sun, the bright side...flowers teach us so much about life.

Oh, how they truly sparkle in the early morning sun! It's glorious to see the dew on  their brilliant pedals, their beauty speaking so quietly, each with it's own lovely and enchanting scent... a powerful slice of heaven, indeed.

.

 

  

Hope you have a happy and blessed day!

London Bliss...

 Big Ben

London, England

In the spring of 2005 we took a wonderful three and a half week trip to London and Paris with some dear friends. The entire time we were there it was truly magical experience. Landmarks that I had read about were right before my eyes, every day a new adventure.

I'll  be kind and I'll only post some and not all of the 500 or more shots!

Our trip went so fast, there was so much to see, so much to soak in and still could see more. I'd go back in a heartbeat! We stayed in the the beautiful Knightsbridge District of London, two blocks from Hyde Park. A few mornings we would take a walk around the park before breakfast, it was that close! Princess Diana's Memorial Walk is in Hyde Park.

Buckingham Palace
The official London residence of the British monarch. The palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality. We were able to take a tour, what a grand and awesome feeling it was walking through the Palace. It was lavishly furnished with some of the greatest treasures from the Royal Collection. There were paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Vermeer, Poussin, Canaletto and Claude and some of the finest English and French furniture in the world. The Palace was truly majestic.
It's home to the Queen and you always know the Queen is home if the flag is flying.

Across from Buckingham Palace waiting for the Changing of the Guard.
If you will remember, this is where the multitude of beautiful lowers were placed in memory of  Princess Diana when she died. 

 Our traveling friends...look at the black car behind them...

Indeed a Royal is leaving the Palace in the black car...

The Changing of the Guard
 What a sight to see! The horses were just beautiful. Watching the stiff and regal looking guards was incredible. I found it so interesting that guards you see in front of Buckingham Palace are not just ceremonial guards but also serving Soldiers. While upholding the traditions of the past, they also perform duties throughout the world as professional soldiers and are known as some of the most elite and skilled soldiers in the British Army.
This is why changes may occur in the guard change as the soldiers are required for operational duties.
 Also, if you are around in August and you don't see the guard, the are away guarding the Queen.

The Tower of London

Another view and closer to The Tower of London
Saw the majestic "Crown Jewels," and the regalia and vestments worn by the sovereign of the United Kingdom during the coronation ceremony. Not to mention it served as a place for executions, armory, the Royal Mint and since 1301, it has been the home of the
Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.
The photograph is of visitors standing in awe of the Tower on the grounds around The Tower of London, it was cool and raining the day we went.

Big Ben and The Houses of Parliament

Oh my, to see Big Ben in person was just incredible! It is possibly London's most famous landmark. "Big Ben" does not refer to the whole clock tower, but to the huge thirteen ton bell that strikes the hour. It was awesome to hear. The Houses of Parliaments, Beacon of "the mother of all Parliaments",  is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames.

It was interesting to see where Prime Minister Tony Blair sat when Parliament convened.

After walking and walking and walking the through Palace of Versailles and the Gardens, we were exhausted, but happy! 

Westminster Abbey
The was incredible and truly majestic to see, a living pageant of British history!

We attended a service on Sunday the next day and sat in up front in the choir area. There are no words to describe the feeling of sitting there and then going to communion, so incredible to walk on the same areas where many did for their royal coronations, weddings and funerals, the site of many burials that go back to 1066. The Abbey has been the coronation church since 1066 and is the final resting place of seventeen monarchs. I could have just wondered around in there for days!

St. Paul's Cathedral
 Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer married here. What a beautiful Cathedral!
We took a tour of the Cathedral and were told that Christian worship has been offered here for fourteen hundred years. The Anglican cathedral is the highest point in the City of London.
Important services held at St. Paul's include the funerals of Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and Sir Winston Churchill; Jubilee celebrations for Queen Victoria; peace services marking the end of the First and Second World Wars; the launch of the Festival of Britain and the thanksgiving services for both the Golden Jubilee and 80th Birthday of Her Majesty the Queen.

The Royal Family holds most of its important marriages, christenings and funerals at Westminster Abbey,  but St Paul's was used for the marriage of  Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer...it was amazing to stand there remembering watching them getting married on live TV.

St. Martin of the Fields 

The Royal's worship here.

Stopped to get a photograph on the London Millennium Bridge crossing the River Thames. We were heading to The Globe Theater to see a play. We also had a memorable Riverboat dinner trip down the Thames, another priceless event!

The Globe Theater

 Windsor Castle

The town of Windsor is located in the Royal Borough of Windsor and is about 20 miles west of London. We took the train to Windsor and back to London.
What a castle!
 Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world and is also the Official Residence of Her Majesty the Queen. The castle has been home to generations of royal families. The  Queen of England spends much of her private time at Windsor Castle. The Queen's Mother is laid to rest alongside her husband King George VI, her services were at St George's Chapel. It was incredible so see so much history in one day! We also saw the gorgeous grounds, Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House and St George’s Chapel, a day full of wonder! We had lunch outside the Castle at a little charming restaurant and then walked through the town of Windsor.

 The streets in the Town of Windsor, near Windsor Palace.

The Town of Windsor is south of River Thames

We have so many memories and hundreds of photographs, these are just the highlights of our trip, for now I think this is all anyone can take at one sitting! I am going to add pictures soon of us enjoying an afternoon picnic at Hyde Park, at the moment can't find it. We bought cheese, crackers, fruit, pate and other scrumptious goodies at Harrods and headed to the park! We even took our own music, it was delightful! We were four out of many having the same type of day in the park, Hyde Park.
What a lovely Sunday afternoon!

Oh, oh, one more thing...the London taxi driver, they know everything! They also love to chat! Forget the books, forget the map, they know it and will tell you so! We did enjoy our time in a taxi! Oh those cute little cars, the guys rode backwards!

I never got a photograph of us in them, no time, taxi drivers are in a hurry!
They looked like this one!

Coming soon. Our experience on the Eurostar Train and ride through The Chunnel 
- from London to Paris...

Hope you enjoyed some of the highlights of our trip to London!