It's been really windy around here lately. I even have to wear a cute ball cap so that I don't end up eating my hair while I take my daily constitutional. Doesn't that sound so important....daily constitutional? The wind was so strong that it kept blowing my cap off my head. My ponytail fed through the expansion hole in the back didn't even help to keep it on. My dad used to say, "The wind doesn't blow for nothing." It's a funny remark. But...whenever the wind kicks up, I'm reminded of his phrase. The wind didn't cease through the night. The next morning I woke … [Read more...]
I did it again! Seriously I am having too much fun playing in my sun room. Since we painted the trim white, I have so enjoyed dressing the sun room for the seasons! And now that it's warming up I'll enjoy spending lots of time out there too. Here's my latest iteration... A Sunny Yellow Table Setting for Two Do you recognize the cheerful vintage yellow crocus pot? It's a 1940's piece of pottery that looks amazingly contemporary. Gotta love that! For Easter I had blue and white eggs in each of the surrounding planting holes with the same daffodils in the middle. This time … [Read more...]
What colors elicit the feeling of Spring for you? Yellow is one of my favorite colors, so when the Daffodils begin blooming, it's like I see happiness popping up all over my world. Several years ago as I was going through my parents' cupboards....you know the way-up-high kitchen storage that once an item goes up there, no one ever sees again? That's where I found this yellow Crocus planter. As I was trying to decide what to put together without spending a dime, I remembered that bright yellow pot I had taken home with me. It was the starting place for this yellow, blue, and … [Read more...]
How do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day? When I lived in the Buffalo area I could have attended a parade and enjoyed lots of Irish food, music, dance, and drink. Here in my new neighborhood, I haven't even noticed any shiny shamrocks popping up on front doors. Not yet, anyway. Is there any Irish in your blood? Do you wear green, decorate your home, or enjoy some Irish festivities? Do you celebrate with any special foods or beverages? There's no Irish in my blood, but I thought it would be fun to bring out this vintage cocoa set … [Read more...]
Winter came roaring back this week. Cold temps. High winds. And plenty of those frozen crystals that fall from the sky. Though we would like to be seeing daffodils and tulips....it's still a bit early. With that in mind, I spent this week embracing winter. Inside. This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link An Extraordinary Day will receive a small commission which will help with the costs of this site. Thank you! St. Valentine's Day will be here soon. But, as much as I enjoy hearts I want Winter to be the lead with St. Valentine … [Read more...]
This year I've had fun making my New Year's table sparkle with gold and silver and candlelight. You might remember my Thanksgiving table. The gold trim on the plates were the hint I needed to splash gold accents all over my table. Then for an early Christmas party I decided to splurge and purchased some silver chargers for just 99 cents. That table setting was a twist on elements of the Thanksgiving table but in silver. In preparing my New Year's table setting, I thought it would be fun to meld the gold and silver together for a perfectly imperfect New … [Read more...]
Recently I opened up the holiday issue of Traditional Home Magazine. As I flipped through pages of gorgeous home decor I came across a lovely table setting. It was exquisite. Beautiful china and crystal and elaborate centerpieces. I enjoyed the eye candy that was presented on those pages. And it inspired me to look at my cupboards and see what I have in a new light. How could I creatively put together a lovely holiday table without going out and spending a lot of money? What a great challenge. Have you taken on such a challenge? It would be easy to whine and … [Read more...]
I've had my ear to the ground and it seems that people are saying Thanksgiving is their favorite holiday. There are no gifts involved, no fireworks - though I'm sure it's pretty deserving. It's a holiday reserved for gathering and gratitude. Really...that makes it pretty special. Unless you're spending it alone. Most years I'm too busy to do more than think about what my Thanksgiving table will look like, let alone plan what will be eaten from the plates on the table. But, not this year. I have had time to do a little tablescaping....and exercise that thankful heart muscle while doing … [Read more...]
What do we celebrate on Thanksgiving? When I was a little girl, the front of the church would have a beautiful assembly of pumpkins and squash and corn stalks. Even then, it warmed my heart. We would sing a song about the harvest being gathered in, and it seemed so big, like a great accomplishment. And I would think of the glass canning jars filled with peaches and tomatoes that lined the shelves of the "turntable" in my mother's cupboard....so heavily laden I could hardly make it spin an inch. Harvest....that was what Thanksgiving was about. Everyone gathered together in … [Read more...]
Yesterday I left you hanging... just like the little guy dangling from a thread on my dinner napkins! If you missed it...you might want to read it first. Here's how my tablescaping plan unfolded... In 2006, Longaberger came out with some fun Wrought Iron Spider Legs that held a small or a large Autumn Treats Basket. I have both baskets and with the Spider Legs, they have been a fun decorating option for me the past several falls. Whenever I went to my Longaberger (affiliate link) storage area those Spider Legs called out to me. Maybe that was in the back of my mind … [Read more...]
Day 3 Last Friday night we were invited to the home of some new friends for dinner. We had the best time. When was the last time you asked someone over for dinner? All this month we're exploring how to live an extraordinary life. When we live life to the full we do things outside our comfort zone. We do crazy things like carve time out of our busy schedules to spend with friends. We clean the house, decide on a menu, figure out what to do with the pets, or even the kids...just so we can invite new or old friends to dinner. When was the last time you … [Read more...]
