Christmas Mantel in the Hearth Room

It's my first Christmas here at our new-to-us cottage, and I finally have the fireplace and mantel I have hoped for. I had a few criteria that were on my wish list in a new home: an actual hearth room that had either a wood burning fireplace or a gas fireplace that didn't make me nauseous from gas fumes, a lower mantel that I could actually reach to decorate, and that it would be white. Is that too much to ask for? I didn't think so.

All About Home Link Party #18

Hello Friends, thanks so much for coming by 
to visit at All About Home!

Are you all decorated for Christmas? If you're like me you'll be tweaking and adding bits and pieces of Christmas until Christmas Eve. I know you have tons of great ideas, projects and decor going on, so let's get to the party and share all the fun stuff!

Christmas in the Cookbook Nook

Say Hello to my newest Christmas friend, courtesy of my sister as an early Christmas present. He's so adorable and woodsy I just needed to show him off. I'd been looking for a reindeer for awhile, thinking twiggy or mossy, but this guy is perfect. His grassy covering looks like real reindeer fur. He's a cutie.

Christmas Door Decor and Porch Peek

Hi Friends, do you have your Christmas decorating finished up? I hope you've had some good weather to get you in the Holiday mood. I had to get busy this weekend and put together a few things for the front porch and a change up for my door basket so I could join in with Amber's Christmas Door Decor Blog Hop. If you're coming from Amber at Follow the Yellow Brick Home, I'm so glad you're here!

All About Home Link Party #17

Hello Friends, thanks so much for coming by 
to visit at All About Home!

Thanksgiving was a wonderful Day, and then Friday it turned into "All About Christmas"!
It's probably the same for you all too. I know you have tons of great ideas and decor going on,
so let's get to the party and share all the fun stuff!

Snapshots of Coming Christmas

Are you busy decorating for Christmas?
I imagine most of us are since we're getting a late start.
I'm just sharing a few pics of what I'm up to this
weekend. 

These are just a few snaps of what's happening over here.
It's no surprise that it's vintage and plaid

Hope you're having a wonderful Thanksgiving Weekend!

An Attitude of Thanksgiving

Once in a while I feel compelled to share a more personal thought; this has been on my mind for the last few weeks. I've been reminded that there's more to "Thanksgiving" than gathering with our family and loved ones for a celebration. Thanksgiving is an all encompassing lifestyle. We can choose to be grateful or not. It's easy to be "thankful" when things are going our way, but a little more difficult when life isn't where we'd like it to be. Health, finances, situations and relationships can all be challenging and strained, and we seem to notice it more through the Holidays.

There have been many times I've wanted to ignore this scripture from 1 Thessalonians that says: "Be joyful always, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." Not that our circumstances are something that is "God's will" or that we need to be happy about, but that whatever we are going through we can count on God being with us and leading us. Philippians 4:6 reminds us, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with Thanksgiving, present your requests to God." That's what I'm trying to focus on this week. Not to be anxious and under stress with my circumstances, but to be thankful that my Father God has a good plan and is in control.

I'm thankful for all of you... thank you for your care and friendship. I'm praying you have a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving.

All About Home Link Party #16

Hello Friends, thanks so much for coming by 
to visit at All About Home,
Wishing you all a very 
Happy Thanksgiving!

Weekend Inspiration: Baker's Rack and Transitioning from Fall to Christmas

With Thanksgiving being so late this year I've found myself more antsy than usual to start thinking about decorating for Christmas. (you too, huh?) One thing I know for sure is that I need to make it easy this year. I tend to say that each year then push myself to decorate "everything" in sight. But before I start sharing on the blog how I've gotten started with Christmas and still celebrate Thanksgiving, I have a few pics of the Baker's Rack in the Garden Room that I wanted to post.

We Gather Together Blog Hop

Hi Friends, Welcome to We Gather Together Blog Hop hosted by our friend Amber from Follow the Yellow Brick Home. Amber and I both really love Thanksgiving and I'm so excited to be able to join in with all these other talented ladies to share our ideas and decor in this wonderful Holiday time.

If you're coming from Marty's at A Stroll Thru Life, so glad you're here and hope you'll come back to visit again. I thought I'd just put together a late Fall/Thanksgiving Home Tour, which is a grouping of pics from posts this November.

All About Home Link Party #15

Hello Friends, thanks so much for coming by 
to visit at All About Home!

Farmhouse Table Vignette for Thanksgiving

Hey Friends, I hope you're having a wonderful late Fall weekend. It's been a gorgeous last few days with lots of sun, but the leaves are quickly falling and the lovely Autumn colors will soon be gone. I have a few more quick posts to share with you before Thanksgiving. They are mostly just a few areas that I've put together with quick and easy vignettes with some of my fine feathered turkey friends.

Turkey Talk in the Cupboard

When I organized my old cupboard and re-dubbed it my "Holiday Cupboard" in the Garden Room, I knew that Thanksgiving would be a fun display. Vintage turkeys and Brown Transferware plates and platters are really shown off with the white interior and ironstone. My Fall display was the basis and I didn't have to do much to make it be"Thanksgiving".

All About Home Link Party #14

Hi Friends, thanks so much for coming by to visit

 here at All About Home!

If anyone had any doubts about whether it's November here in Missouri, then I'll tell you it has been snowing today while leaves are falling. The wind was crazy and it was a pretty amazing sight. I just stood at the window and "wondered" at how the seasons were sharing late Fall. I love this time of year and all the beauty and creative inspiration that's out there for Thanksgiving.

Subtle Changes Welcome Thanksgiving

I think this is my favorite time of the year to decorate. I love Fall; all stages of Fall. This is the start of the Holiday season, AND of all things warm, cozy and comfy. I'm really enjoying the change of seasons at this house. The trees are beautiful, and even the leaves that are covering the yard and piling up in the back porch have their charm.

Enter Thanksgiving

I had a brief thought of just whizzing by decorating for Thanksgiving and doing a more Christmas look, but in the end I just couldn't get there. I love late Fall and Thanksgiving, and I just wasn't up for full on Christmas. So I compromised a bit and brought out my "oatmeal" tree (looks like oatmeal) and called it good.

All About Home Link Party #13

Hi Everyone, Welcome to November 
and All About Home!

Halloween is in the rear view mirror and Thanksgiving and Christmas are going to be here before we know it. There's so much inspiration out here this time of year. I'm so excited to see what you all are up to and your ideas for your home and decor for November.  Are you heading straight into Christmas decorating, or do you absolutely wait until after Thanksgiving? 

Goat Cart filled for Fall

I can't believe I haven't gotten around to sharing the goat cart that I first talked about weeks ago. After searching through Pinterest for ideas, I put it together with mums, vines, and all kinds of white pumpkins. And then the landscape guys showed up and it all went kaput. So this is what I've had in my Garden Room since. The mums went back to the front porch and I substituted moss orbs and faux pumpkins for the real ones. So much for a fun display on the front porch. At least I've been able to enjoy it here in the Garden Room.

All About Home Link Party #12

Hi Friends, thanks so much for coming by to visit
 here at All About Home!

It's always so much fun now in late October. Leaves are changing, the weather has cooled off, we're having fun with Halloween, thinking about Thanksgiving and even making plans for Christmas. I'm loving all the great seasonal inspiration you all are bringing. Thanks so much for being here and sharing your fun ideas with all of us!

Fall Vignette on the Farmtable

I wanted to have a little fun this week with one of my vintage birdcages and a sassy little blackbird that I've had for a few years. He didn't fare very well during the move, as his cute little paper hat became unattached. I did the easy thing and used some transparent tape to get it back on. Don't look too close. He's almost good as new.

Woodland Creatures and the Late October Hearth Room

As October heads into it's last weeks, I'm tweaking a few things around the house. I'm bringing in a few darker colors now that the heat wave is over, and some heavier textures. Two old friends are joining me on the mantel to add a little woodsy charm in the Hearth Room.

All About Home Link Party #11

Hi Everyone, and Welcome to All About Home!

I think we're all feeling like it's Fall now that we're in the middle of October and our temps have finally come down. All the better to love those wool throws and grab a hot drink to enjoy the party. 

Wow everyone, we had a big increase in link-ups last week, and it's so great to see the party growing. It gives us all a chance to get to know more people and see more inspiration that's going on as we're coming up to Halloween and Thanksgiving. 

Fall Front Porch and Landscape Beginnings

With temperatures in the 80's and 90's till a week ago, it's taken me a bit to get my front porch decorated for Fall. I didn't go all out this season because I knew that we would be starting our landscape work here in October... and then last weekend we had a killing frost that took out my flowers out back. Thankfully I went ahead and covered the mums out here, not really thinking it would get that cold.