Giving Thanks

Count your blessings…we are told

If you begin to list your blessings

beginning with the most expansive

to the smallest detail, your heart

can be filled to overflowing with

joy.

Each breaking dawn, is a fulfilled

promise of hope, of renewed chances

and of possibilities.

Each breath we take – is a divine gift.

Each thing we see – a work of a master.

Each sound we hear – a symphony.

Each thing we touch – a precious memory.

This week we celebrate Thanksgiving.

For you, for your time, for your encouragement

And participation…I am most grateful.

I wish you all the most Delightsome

week of Giving Thanks.

Autumn Still-life

My dining room table

Creating tabletop vignettes is like creating still-life artwork.

Victoria Magazine’s November issues displayed 
beautiful examples of autumn and Thanksgiving tablescapes.

I am in awe of still-life artwork. I love to paint them and to

Study them.

Autumn’s décor in my home will soon give way to 
Christmas décor, as so many of you have already begun.

But, for a few more days, while the leaves float and
 flutter outdoors and the brilliant colors remain, 
I have created a few Autumn filled tabletops

 and still have the mantle as well as the built-ins decorated for fall.

Time seems to be flying swiftly by….before we know it

we will be looking out our windows from a new year’s perspective.

Here are a few examples and inspirations of

Autumnal Tablescapes from

November back issues of Victoria Magazine:

1991

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

Thank you so much for your visit!

When Thoughts Turn Toward

Home

Come, ye thankful people, come, raise the song of harvest home;
All is safely gathered in, ere the winter storms begin.
God our Maker doth provide for our wants to be supplied;
Come to God’s own temple, come, raise the song of harvest home.



“Come Ye Thankful People Come”, by Henry Alford

In the November issues of Victoria, we are encouraged to recall hearth and home as well as to reflect and to be thankful.

"And let the Peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful" (Colossians 3:15).

In the 1991 issue of Victoria, the first verse to Henry Alford’s song, Come, Ye Thankful People, Come is shared with sentiments of joining in thankful praise for family and friends and to appreciate the true gifts of life.

Christmas

Inspiration

What bliss to find last week during one of my breaks from jury duty that my beloved Victoria Magazine had arrived. Not only that, but the

Christmas issue.

I am so happy to do my civic duty, but this trial weighed heavily on my heart – I needed just this lift.  Also, I had prayed that God would give me peace and remove worry from my heart. He is so good.

To top it off, I received, From Heart and Hand. 

A book on crafts and gifts published by Victoria Magazine in 1996. The crafts shared, I was pleased to find are timeless and perfect.

I hope to make a great deal of my Christmas gifts this year – to let those whom I love know – they were truly from my heart and my hand.

A restful cup of tea, beautiful images from Victoria magazine and the book,

 I was invigorated and renewed to return to the courthouse. I live a couple blocks away, so thankfully the weather was fine and the walk refreshing.

Christmas is just a few weeks away. Are you dreaming and planning your décor, your Christmas food and your Christmas gifts? I am!

I hope you have opportunity to get a copy of the latest Victoria! I find such inspiration there and in my other magazines – Country Living, Romantic Home and more!

Isn’t it wonderful to find such inspiration from Kindred Spirits!

Wishing you a most Delightsome day!

images from 2011 Victoria magazine and From Heart and Hands '96

Still

Finding Beauty

“Where we love is home, home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.”

Oliver Wendell Holmes

Going away on vacations is fun, but it is so wonderful to return home. Most especially when you return to the smiling faces of loved ones and to the blessings of home.

We have been experiencing the chilly mornings of Autumn and the days are just perfect. Neither cold nor hot – just right.

I strolled through my garden this afternoon to see that so many of my flowers and roses are still giving me pleasure.

The transition into the seasons can be seen by the change in the color of the leaves and in the presence of seasonal flowers such as the Loquat blossoms, the Marguerite Daisies and the Mexican Sage.

Here and there roses are still blooming. 

I know my son will be pleased at the beauty of the rose, Sheila’s Perfume, that he gifted me last Christmas.

My husband’s Angel Trumpets will soon open, they open late in the season, I think they need a little more sun. Their fragrance is heavenly.

The Crape Myrtle are a must in a Southern Garden. They withstand the heat, drought and humidity and give such wondrous displays.

The Snapdragons are almost perennials here blooming from season to season. They go very well with the Pansies that I will soon be planting to beautify the garden this winter. The Marigolds grew from seeds left from last year's plants.

I placed my annual plants against the house before I left for the weekend – to give them extra protection agains the cold nights. I plan to over-winter my geraniums and hibiscus.

Wishing you a most Delightsome day,