generous hospitality

 A Christmas tour of a friend's home

 included a delightful luncheon.

 I didn't know where to BEGIN to take photos of her beautiful Christmas decorations

and came home with sweet memories

but a disappointingly few photos.....

She will never know how blessed I was by her generous hospitality.

getting to be a habit

 It's getting to be a habit -

stopping in on a Friday morning at the Amazing Thrift Store

(open only on Fridays and Mondays)

and finding a bottle of a favorite scent from my past....
This one full and sealed!

another wreath

Still a treasure after all these years!

The hands were those of our youngest daughter in early elementary school

 - maybe even kindergarten.

I laminated the wreath after a few years hoping to preserve it.  

Except for a bend or two, it has held up quite well.

should I be embarrassed?

Should I be embarrassed to admit that I pulled this out of a cabinet and lit it this morning?

We'll be traveling for Thanksgiving 

so I don't have a strong reason for 

Thanksgiving/Harvest decor to occupy my time and efforts.

Instead I find myself needing light on these evenings when it is dark by 5:30!

So this it is.

It was "won" at a gift exchange at a gathering of our small group from church last year,

so it comes with memories and reminds me that our lives have changed

dramatically this past year. 

I don't go "all out" for Christmas decorating.

Give me a few candles, a strand of lights or two and carols playing in the background

and I am content! 

No.  I'm not embarrassed.  

I'm content and thankful for Christmas and all the blessings 

that came along with the First One.

I plan to enjoy the season as long as I can stretch it!

ideal

Hubby is out of town, so yesterday I gifted myself with some leisurely strolls

through a couple of thrift stores...

 two of my Favorite Thrift Stores, in fact!

 Here's looking at what I brought home with me.

 I'm especially fond of this fabric "throw".  The colors don't show up as brightly 

as they are in person  For only $.75, I think it is my favorite purchase of the day.

Seldom do I pass up an Ideals Christmas if it is in good condition.

This one was!

What an "Ideal" outing for so little money.

This was only $.30!  I googled it and then realized what a great find it was!

heaven scent

Forty-plus years ago (in the late '60s)  this was one of my favorite scents.

A few years ago, I came across several of these small bottles of eau de parfum

in a thrift store, I believe.

I'm getting to the last drops of the last bottle, though I don't wear perfume regularly.

I haven't checked if Heaven Sent is still on the market.

I will miss it - and the memories that come with it - when it's gone.

***

Do YOU have a favorite scent that connects you to your past?

recreation

 Our recreation yesterday involved stops at a few thrift stores.

The Salvation Army store featured a 1/2 price sale pretty much store-wide.

It was difficult to say "no" to this charming mirror, so I didn't!

I can see it turning ANY table or desk into a vanity!

balls, boxes and bowls

 The long-neglected task of dusting began early this morning.

 It wasn't so bad as I alternated it with a cup of coffee.

 Beginning in this corner, I planned to work my way around the room.

 Progress is slow.

 I stop to photograph my recognition of all things wooden--

 balls, boxes and bowls.

Each one a favorite.  All thrift store or garage sale purchases, I'm certain. 

fun to dream

In less than 24 hours I bought and sold this 1947 Standard E.K. Blessing trumpet.

With case.

With mute.

(And a folding music stand which I did not sell.  Yet.)

I played a cornet in elementary school

When I saw this at a thrift store yesterday, old memories came flooding back

and I couldn't resist buying it.

The valves need cleaning, for sure.  I think it was a bargain.

I played the C scale, unsticking valves as I went

and surprising myself by how well I managed to create a solid tone.

The buyer is a young man whose high school music career I enjoyed following.

(Realistically I know I would not be playing it myself, but it was fun to dream!)
 ♪♪♪♪♪

What instrument did/do YOU play?

in and out

 Dashed in and out of my Favorite Thrift Store yesterday...

 just long enough to spend $1.25 for these three items.

A 75"x45" vintage curtain panel (pretty sure I bought the other one there several months ago (need to check my stash); a plaid tin; and a thick book of "Family Fun & Games". 

Yes, we ARE game players in our household--

and always interested in trying a NEW one.

cider

Thankful for the sweet, persistent kindness and generosity of friends! 

This may be the best cider I've ever tasted.

hard to explain

 This collection of mine

 is difficult

 to explain

 at almost every level.

 So I won't try.

 I can't remember how it started

 and have no idea when it will end.

 All I know is that it has cost me little

 and leaves me a little speechless...

idea harvesting

 I spent a couple of hours "idea harvesting"

at Barnes and Noble this afternoon.

I was pleasantly surprised by the number of new magazines on the stands, and 

(though I shouldn't have been)

by how many Christmas issues there were already.

 I was attracted to the first photo because of the layers of color,

textures, and patterns.  The room is full and interesting, in my opinion.

The last photo was attractive to me because of its simplicity.

If I remember correctly, it appeared in an article about 

savoring silence and "alone" time during the holiday season.

As usual, I returned home with fresh ideas

and enthusiasm to tweak my personal surroundings.

With many decorating blogs becoming so cluttered

and many resorting to advertising,

I found the current magazines an enjoyable alternative today!

for a quarter...

In spite of its flaws I couldn't pass it up for a quarter.

I've tried to find another like it on Google images.

So far, no luck.

It's heavy.  I thought ironstone perhaps.

It's blue and white.  That's a winning combination in MY opinion.

Additional information welcomed!

Changing the subject a bit,

we sold the second of two "sofa tables" my husband constructed out of an old dinner table.

They really DID turn out beautifully with their pale grey painted "body"

and natural wood tops.

I wonder what project he'll work on next????

smitten

 From the bare-bones bookcase purchased for $5 at a garage sale...

...to this sweet beauty, fashioned by my husband.

It is painted a very pale baby blue, slightly distressed and waxed to a smooth finish,

I'm smitten!