A Fall celebration- the Harvest Dinner

Saturday night I hosted my annual Harvest Dinner. We already had a pumpkin on the front steps and the leaves cooperated. They fell in all the right places. All I needed to do was add a dried hydrangea wreath to the front door.

I had just finished setting the table. As I admired my tablescape I decided to take a few photos. Percy, the champion photobomber decided to come for dinner.

A vintage tablecloth with lace edging was layered with a pumpkin colored lighted table runner. I love the pop of color and the ambiance the tiny lights create.

I bought pumpkins and some leaves from the Dollar Store. I use them in business too! The pumpkins were a takeaway gift for my guests.

One bouquet of Fall flowers from Trader Joe's became three small arrangements.Two floral arrangements in vintage bottles graced the table and a third in a mason jar was placed in the condo's common area.

I always use my green goblets for the Harvest Dinner. The table always needs a little green to break up the orange. Now you can see the tiny lights in the runner!

The menu was as follows:  turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce,  cream cheese mashed potatoes, butternut squash, apple pie, chocolate cake, pumpkin muffins, and maple leaf cookies.

One last photo. The party was over and time for a little rest before the cleanup. Time to put Harvest Dinner 2013 to bed.

Magic, pure magic out there in New England

Ok, I stole the title of this post. Anita of Castles Crowns and Cottages commented on my Hamilton Coaches post and she coined the phrase about pure magic. Anita's words are always pure poetry and so are the images she chooses. You need to visit her blog after reading this post. I think pure magic describes Autumn in New England perfectly. I have always felt it is magical here and especially in Autumn.

The photo above was taken at my favorite store, Nesting on Main in Concord. Yes, Nesting is heaven but Heaven right here describes my home state and it's surrounds. All the stores, like Nesting, are decked out in their Autumn finery inside and out. I just love all the vibrant colors.

At Zuzu's Cafe in Wakefield yellow leaves were everywhere on the outdoor patio. Inside it was nice and cozy.

Butternut squash apple soup, a staple of my diet this season. Pure magic! And who can resist the best grilled cheese in town? Half a sandwich and the soup is plenty enough for lunch.

You can find some of the best foliage in cemeteries in Autumn. This one was in Concord.

And this one was in Wakefield. This is close to my home so I go here often. It's by the lake which makes it especially nice.

This Wakefield cemetery had been moved from the town green to this section of land by the church and the lake. I am not sure why but I am always drawn to cemeteries in Autumn.

I was photographing this structure when an older man with long white hair and a straw hat approached me. He asked about my camera and what I was shooting. I didn't want to tell him that I was also using Instagram on my phone because I thought he would think I was cheating.

I asked about this stone structure. He said it was a very old burial crypt. The family, he said, had planted grass on top of it so as to disguise it. The left side door had been pried open a bit so there is a large piece of stone blocking the entrance. I thought the building was interesting and I tried to give it a romantic feel in my shot.

It's hard to imagine that some of these graves are from the sixteen and seventeen hundreds. They have certainly withstood some harsh Winters but their carvings remain in fairly good shape.

Amazingly, very few graves were broken. I think I only saw one completely cracked in half. The crunching of the leaves made spooky sound effects as the sun started to set.

The man in the straw hat said he had photographed the cemetery and the lake many times and he showed me where the light hits the trees at the end of the day.

And there was more magic going on in Concord. Drummer, the abused horse who was rescued by a nice Concord family, was having a great time in the Autumn sunshine. I am so happy to see him again. Last time I drove by his corral he was not there. But he's back and he has a friend. Good for him.

He has some nice scenery to look at all day. I guess he can take refuge in that building in the distance.

And speaking of horses, I don't think I shared this photo of these two beauties in Hamilton. Another shot with my phone.

After all that travel this weekend I stopped by a favorite coffee shop, Jitters Cafe, for an Autumnal favorite. No ones does a cinnamon mocha better than Jitters in Melrose.

Entering my driveway I see I have some raking ahead of me but it can wait.

I still have some magic to photograph.

A Touch of Autumn

When it's time to decorate for Fall I always take out my old magazines and look through them for inspiration.

It's fun to shop your own house for decorations. Or maybe even the backyard. I was planning to go with a neutral palate. Perhaps I have read one too many Jeanne D'Arc magazines lately.

I brought out the velvet pumpkins and the Fall wreath.  It looked boring. So I added a strand of battery operated twinkle lights I had tucked away for Christmas and voila just the right amount of bling it needed!

I picked up this little Fall wreath and decided to put it around a flameless candle. The brown transferware gravy boat finished the vignette.

 I looked to see what Fall touches I might add to this corner of my kitchen. I decided it did not need anything more. It has a lot going on already . It's good to know when to say when.

Percy for once was staying out of my way as I put a few decorations in place.

But then of course, he had to photobomb my shot. I knew he wanted his coffee. Yes, he is a caffeine addict. He gets high on the smell of coffee. He has tried numerous times to snag a sip of coffee. Luckily he has not and never will succeed. He's wired enough!

I had a great weekend. I decorated, spent time with the kitties, did a daytrip to Hamilton and another one to Concord. I'll post about all my adventures throughout the week so don't forget to check in often.

An Autumn Walk in the Neighborhood

Today's weather was damp and raw. In the morning, I went to a yard sale in Winchester and an outdoor farmer's market. Too bad it wasn't nice out, it would have been a little more enjoyable. In the afternoon, I decided to take a walk around my neighborhood.

I could see that Autumn had arrived. Right outside my back door there was a smattering of colorful leaves on the ground.  I thought it was a little early in the season for such brilliant color but then I realized it is almost October! It seems like just yesterday I was standing by the lighthouse in Maine but it was nearly a month ago.

My upstairs neighbor put a new autumnal plant outside the front door of our condominium.

The neighbors next door but the requisite pumpkins on the back stairway. Their hydrangea bush has turned a beautiful mauve color.

Even the flowers/weeds growing by the street looked pretty under a cloudy sky.

I walked down the street and spied a magnificient rose in someone's yard. The color caught my eye and I walked right across their lawn to get a better look. Luckily, they weren't home.

The rose was such a lovely shade I just had to snap a photo of it. Look, it has a companion.

My favorite trees have multi color leaves. The colors look so much nicer when the reds and oranges have a green backdrop.

I can't wait for all the trees to turn. I haven't seen many yellows yet.

Just one more leafy shot for the day. I should have taken some of the fallen leaves home to press. Did you press leaves as a child? Or jump in the piles of leaves your father had just raked?

Many of the homes in the neighborhood had a mum plant and a pumpkin on the front steps, but, this one had to be my favorite. The homeowners definitely gave their display more thought. I like the cornstalks framing the doorway and the use of color.  Very pretty!

 My last stop and I found another rosebush in a neighbor's yard. These look more like Summer roses to me.  I guess Autumn hasn't totally arrived yet. Some of us are still hanging on to Summer.

Pumpkin Crazy

Just some quickie photos of some of my Fall decor.  Yes, I am pumpkin crazy this year! All of the pumpkins are fake.  The bird cage is from a yard sale. The trophy from an antique store. This is the top of the bookcase in my hallway.

Yay, I just received the velvet pumpkins I ordered recently. I selected the set with non-traditional pumpkin colors. I think they are so adorable. I just hope no real pumpkins were harmed in the making of the velvet ones.  Those are real pumpkin stems you know!  I got this scale at Todd Farm (see prior post). This is on the kitchen counter at the caffeination station for now.

This pumpkin sits atop a mercury glass candleholder in my dining room.

                       I see a theme going on here. This scale is from Brissonte in North Reading.

                                     
                         Small candles atop candlesticks from Pier 1, living room.
                              

                                                   

                        The last of the pumpkins!  This one and it's identical twin (not pictured here) flank the living room television.  The TV will be wall mounted one of these days.  I bought the runner from my friend Kim at our recent yard sale. I will post about that at another time.

An Autumn Luncheon and the Giveaway Winner

On Saturday I had a few friends over for lunch. I can seat 6 comfortably and any more than that is tight. So I invited 5 friends.

I planned all the details. The menu, the tablescape, the flowers, the music, even the scents in my home. I wanted it all to be perfect.



So you can imagine my surprise and disappointment when I woke up on Saturday morning to the sound of hammering and drilling. My new upstairs neighbor was having all of her windows replaced! I went outside and asked the workmen how long they would be working. It was 8:30AM and my luncheon was at 2:00. They didn't speak English. Finally one workmen came outside and told me they would be working all day. I was not pleased.

I went back into the condo and I looked out the living room window. There was a bulldozer in front of the house. Evidently, the sidewalks were being paved and the police were not even letting anyone park on the road.

I wondered where my guests would park as there were window frames falling in the parking lot at my condo and no parking on the street. Great!



Normally I would go ballistic but I found my inner zen and I laughed it off. I was a little ticked when the workmen left the back door open and all the cold air and leaves rushed in. And my fresh flowers went limp from the chilly breezes blowing in.

Anyway, everyone had a good time. We dined on butternut squash soup, grilled sandwiches stuffed with oven roasted turkey, brie, arugula and cranberry apple butter. For dessert, my guests had three choices, warm pumpkin pudding cake, cranberry apple crisp a la mode, and brownies. With dessert, I brewed an artisan tea called Jasmine Fairy Maidens. This is a very beautiful tea and should be brewed in a glass teapot. Once the boiling water hits the tea pod it begins to unfurl and eventually a red flower emerges. It is really fun to watch.
Sorry no photos of the tea, I could not get a good photo of the flower.



For pre luncheon nibbles, we had a pumpkin cream cheese spread with assorted crackers, white stilton cheese with cranberries, herbed goat cheese and red and green grapes. The grapes were so large they looked like something from a rainforest! We drank hot spiced cider and cranberry autumn tea.

Despite the initial upset with the workmen and the paving going on outside the condo, I would say the luncheon was a success.

And as promised I have drawn the winner's name for the 2 bird mugs and the tea. Congratulations to From Beyond My Kitchen Window! Please contact me so I can get your info and send you your goodies.