It Was A Wonderful Thanksgiving

Well it was a good Thanksgiving. All my guests have finally departed. I love them you know but a week sometimes gets a little long. I had hoped the basement would be really complete but it didn't happen. But if you will check out my post from November 11, Almost There, you can see we did make some progress. It was complete enough to hold 27 people for Thanksgiving Dinner. I was so thankful for all the extra room.

The sconces are hung. But ----

They can't be turned on because the post where the switch is going to be is not completed yet.

However all the Pergo is laid and the floors are beautiful. So nice to have something to walk on besides cold cement floors.

Papa Bear's chair was in place for all the football games.

The curtains are up, there is a rug on the floor and the fireplace was burning brightly.

Most importantly the big screen was in place so the men could root for their favorite team.

I added some extra seating to the room with this black bench. Later I think I will make a cushion for it so it is a little more comfy.

A few fall decorations on the mantel an this room was ready for the party. Now all we have to complete is the trim work and oak treads for the stairs.

I hope all of you had a festive Thanksgiving and have your Christmas plans well under way.

Thanksgiving Tablescape

Company will be here Tuesday so I have been trying to get my house in shape. You know dust the guest room and guest bath. I have even taken time to set the table for dinner the night they arrive. I'll just throw a table cloth over it for the time being so no dusty dishes.

The center piece is wax fruit and as you can see some of our fore fathers have come to share the bounty.

The bottom plate is one I bought at Garden Ridge many years ago. The plates are larger than usual so the men in the family like them for family dinners.

On top of the Poppy plate I place a plate from Artuino called Tuscan Rooster.

I found these cute maple leaf dishes at CVS on sale. Won't they make cute

salad bowl?

I stumbled on to these silver candle sticks at an antique mall. I just loved all the intricate work on them. They have a makers mark on the bottom but I need stronger reading glasses or a magnifying glass to read it.

I have placed an antique mirror in the corner of the dining room so it reflects back the table. I hope if you double click you can enlarge the picture so you can see it better.

I did take pictures of the silverware that I am using but they didn't turn out well. I had so much shine from the flash you couldn't really see the silverware. If any of you could give me some hints for taking pictures of silverware I would be grateful.

I have much to be thankful for but I am already thankful this week that the house is ready for my guests. Have a wonderful weekend.

First Snow

When I arose this morning at 5:30 a.m. and looked out the window I had a wonderful gift. We had our first snow of the season. It was suppose to stay far north of us but what does the weather man know anyway.

As I have gotten older I try to make a point of enjoying the small things life sends my way. This morning the view from my living room window was truly breathtaking as fluffy white snow flakes drifted down to cover a rose bush completely covered in red roses. The picture does not do the scene justice but I wanted to share with you anyway.

I know my Blue Heron was thinking he should have given up his lifeguard duties at least a month ago and gone south for the winter.

So let's ring in a new season with joy and thanksgiving for the small moments . I hope your week is filled with delightful small moments.

Almost There

We have been working every spare minute on the main living area of our basement hoping to have it ready to use for Thanksgiving. Mainly because this is where the largest TV is and you know men have to watch football on Thanksgiving. It's tradition!
















Last week I put a white primer coat on all the wall and the ceiling. Notice it still has bare concrete floors.
















I painted the walls a pale Harvest Gold.

We tried to hang the light fixtures on each side of the mantel but we had the wrong electrical boxes. Off to Lowes again.

We decided instead of carpet we would install Pergo wood floors. I think they will be easier to maintain than carpet but certainly more labor intensive. My SIL was over last night to help lay the flooring and of course we were short a few boxes. Off to Lowes again.

Friday was grandparent's day at school so I had four granddaughters when I decided to pick up the rest of the flooring. It was fun as they helped me put all the flooring in the cart and push it to the cash register. Out to the car we go.

Well I am sure you know that little trick of always measuring before you buy something. Guess who didn't. Well my little PT wasn't built to use as a truck. But we pushed and we shoved and the girls groaned. But it worked we got all the flooring home.

Hope I can show you finished pictures on Thanksgiving.

Salute to our Soldiers

On this special day we have aside to remember and thank the men and women who have fought for our country I have two special men I would like to thank.

First, my Dad, M/Sgt John W Williams who enlisted as a young man just barely out of his teens to fight for our country in World War II. As a career Army soldier he did two tours in Korea and one in Vietnam. When assigned to a second tour of Vietnam he chose to retire. He said he couldn't write one more letter to grieving parents to tell them their 19 year old son was gone. It is sometimes hard to believe that one man would fight in three wars for his country. He was proud to serve his country and truly believed in what he did. My Dad died of cancer several years ago but I hope he knew that I appreciated all the years he choose to defend our country.

Second, my brother CW3 John W Williams who was only 19 when he choose a military career. My brother was a helicopter pilot and proud to serve his country. He crashed his helicopter while on tour in Vietnam and survived but never got over losing his co-pilot.

Upon returning to the states my brother became a member of a special group that provided helicopters for special operations called the Night Stalkers. On September 21, 1981 he was in a troop plane that was practicing night landings in preparation for a covert operation. The plane crashed in the mountains of Colorado and my brother was one of the nine men who did not survive the crash. He was only 32 and left behind a daughter and two sons.

So to all the men and women out there who have chosen to protect our great country a very heart felt thank you.