Mirror, mirror, on the wall......

When we lived in Florida a few years ago, it was all the rage in the beautiful open house show homes to have large mirrors. not hanging but just leaning against the wall. Upon moving back home to Ohio, we didn't think that would be very safe with grandchildren visiting frequently, so we hung our HUGE mirror vertically on the wall between the dining room and the great room.


Anyway, trust me, this mirror is even waaaay HEAVIER than it looks!


Below is photo, showing the mirror on the wall, all by itself.






I thought I wanted it there but I've never really been happy with it. I just hated to say anything to hubby since it was such a chore to get it hung in the first place.

Then along comes Susan at Between Naps on the Porch, showing us her beautiful dining room with the Venetian mirror with the gorgeous wreath in front of it. Suddenly, I know exactly where I want my mirror!!

Hubby is NOT happy with me! We struggled together to get it down off the wall & although we were able to change the position of the wire hangers, there was no way the two of us could pick it back up & hang it over the buffet like I wanted.

Son-in-law to the rescue....thank you, E! With his strong arms & steady feet on a ladder, and the two of us helping, we were able to hang it on the bolts that hubby & I had screwed into the studs. (That fiasco could be an entirely different post but I doubt the language would be acceptable for publication).






This shows the two pictures that I had hanging before on the wall behind the buffet. I don't care for the frames at all & will be looking to switch them to something more ornate & French in appearance after the first of the year. I've moved them over onto the wall where the mirror used to hang and now.....


LOOK HOW PRETTY IT LOOKS!






You can see the reflection of the gazebo framed by the arched window! I'm really happy with the increased amount of light that it brings into the room, too.



Much better, don't you agree?

I'm not done with decorating the top but I wanted to join in Metamorphosis Monday, for the first time

at Susan's beautiful blog, Between Naps on the Porch.
Stop in to see lots of other wonderfully inspiring transformations.

After this mirror was finally hung & I took a few pictures, I noticed how glaringly white that cold air return grill looked, so I had hubby help me climb up on top of the buffet to try to remove it for painting. Stupid builders painted right over the screws & I could NOT get it off, so I had to paint it right where it was, standing on my toes the whole time. Then, of course, while we had the paint out, we did two other registers, which thankfully came off easily as well as touched up all the little marks on the walls throughout the house.

Oh and by the way, Susan, hubby says (jokingly) to tell you to "please go back to napping on that porch!" He says you're giving me too many ideas & projects for him! Shhhh.....I haven't even mentioned yet the photos & mirrors I want hung along the stairway.

This holiday season may you....
give a gift of yourself
mend a quarrel
seek out a forgotten friend
share some treasure
give a soft answer
encourage youth
keep a promise
find the time
listen...
laugh a little,
laugh a little more...
express your gratitude
welcome a stranger
gladden the heart of a child
take pleasure in the beauty &
wonder of the earth
speak your love...
speak it again...
speak it still once again
and let your heart be filled with holiday joy.

(excerpts from Day by Day with Charles Swindoll)


Be silent and listen to the voice of God.

Pause from a hectic schedule to be refreshed in spirit.

Accentuate the joy of God’s provision
through thanksgiving.

End the day by reflecting on the Lord’s faithfulness.

Wishing all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving!
May you be surrounded by family &
friends to warm your heart.

Memories & scenes from my childhood home:

Dessert in Bed! (Pumpkin Roll)

I'm tired!

So are most of my friends, both online & in real life.
I think the fact that darkness is setting in
earlier each evening has a great deal to do with it.

SAD, seasonal affective disorder, is a real
issue for those of us living in the northern hemisphere.
The added stress of the upcoming holidays
certainly can contribute to the overwhelming urge
to just pull the covers over your head & sleep.

Instead, I EAT!

I crave sweets and comfort foods.
I fixed this little bed tray with some pumpkin roll
and French (of course!) vanilla ice cream to
go along with a nice hot cup of tea.

The roses are called "Donna" and
I just ♥ their beautiful peach color.

Not much fragrance to them, unfortunately and
I wasn't able to sweet talk my florist into any
discounts, like Bill at Affordable Accoutrements
manages to do each week.
Must be his smile!

Aren't they gorgeous?
I placed them in a Lenox vase and I
was amazed to see how well it matched this little candle cover, below.

I've owned both items for years but never noticed the
similarity until I put them side by side like this today.
The embossed look of the flowers on the creamy porcelain is almost identical.

I used a quilted Laura Ashley scalloped edge placemat, (Kohls) on the tray
along with my Longaberger tea basket, made right here in Ohio.
(a gift from my daughter)


The little single-person teapot was also a gift from
my sweet neighbor, Cheryl, in FL.
I thought it echoed the colors of the placemat well and
I love the little flowers all over it and that twisted rope effect border.

I said a little prayer for Cheryl's family while I washed this teapot
as her young DIL (mother of two toddlers) is battling cancer.
If you're so inclined, would you send up a little
*knee-mail* for them, too?

You lift off the teapot to reveal
the teacup below. The repeated floral image
in the bottom of the cup is a sweet surprise.
It looks like a dogwood flower to me.

Doesn't this pumpkin roll just make you drool?

Can you see the specks of real vanilla beans in the ice cream?

Soft cool cream cheese filling topped with
hot caramel sauce!

What's not to like?

Watch for it.....Here it comes!

Oh Yea, Baby....bring it on!

Give it to me....ALL of it!

Only food gets me this excited these days!

A word of caution....don't use a good lead crystal
container to heat your caramel sauce in the microwave.
Years ago,I cracked my Mom's vintage
cream pitcher heating maple syrup.
I cried.

Use a glass measuring cup, like Pyrex and then
transfer it to a pretty container for the table.

Here's one more look at those pretty roses.

Deep breath....

There now, don't you feel better? I sure do!

Back to cooking & cleaning & shopping & decorating

for the upcoming holiday season.

Pumpkin roll

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup pumpkin (I use Libby's, canned...NOT the pumpkin PIE mix)
  
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Filling:

• 8 ounces softened cream cheese
  
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In large bowl, combine eggs and sugar with an electric mixer.

Add pumpkin and lemon juice, mixing until blended.

In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, spices and salt.

Add to egg mixture, mixing well. Spread batter into greased

and waxed-paper lined 10-by-15-inch jelly-roll pan.

Bake at 350 ° for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool for 15 minutes.

Place cake on clean tea towel sprinkled liberally with powdered sugar.

Cool 10 minutes longer.

From the short, 10- inch side, roll cake up in towel. Set aside.

While cake is cooling in towel, prepare filling.

Beat together cream cheese and butter.

Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla and blend until smooth.

Unroll cake. Spread filling over cake.

Roll up cake & wrap in plastic.

Chill at least 1 hour....longer is better!

Be sure to refrigerate any leftovers due to the cream cheese filling.

I am participating in


Be sure to visit Susan at her beautiful blog
Between Naps on the Porch


I'm also linking to Michael's


at
Designs by Gollum

where you will find lots of yummy recipes
that will make you drool even more.

Thanks for stopping by!

Autumn Harvest, 2009

I am reposting this page so that I can participate with Karen in her

Doors of Welcome party at her blog

Some Days Are Diamonds

This was one of the first blogging posts I made &
I threw in all the things that I love,
flowers, gardening, decorating ~inside & out
as well as sewing!

"Domestic Dive"....yep, that's me.
Thanks for stopping by.
I hope you enjoy your visit & find something of interest.

Welcome to Autumn in Ohio!

This photo above was taken last year.

Now this year, with the addition of a storm door, a bench, a fern, a few more pumpkins & a friend!

The colors have been awesome this year!

My eyes just dance as I drive around, taking it all in.

I really missed the change of seasons when we lived in FL.

The mums are starting to open & I've brought out my autumn wreath.

Don't you just love FALL?!

This ironwork rack is great for displaying seasonal flowers.

In Spring, I have red, yellow & purple tulips in it.

Summer is usually something pink, per request of my DGD, Caroline.

Come Christmas, it will get lots of holly & pine roping & maybe a faux poinsettia or two.

Its a fun little spot to decorate right next to the doorbell, so folks can't miss it!

Speaking of missing things, looks like I need to get a hay basket liner for that stem area.....

I just noticed the wire stems poking down. How embarrassing!

I wish you could see the sparkle of the beaded items on this wreath better.

The photos don't do it justice!

Inside pictures to follow:

This WAS my coffee table arrangement of a silk leaf wreath & a grapevine pumpkin

that was a gift from some dear friends when we moved into our new house.

I recently bought this WONDERFUL cinnamon-apple-spice candle that smells just

like apple pie baking, so I've switched to this glass hurricane with amber glass pebbles

and moved the wire pumpkin up to the mantle.

This is my autumn dining room centerpiece with my new gunmetal/silver birdcage.

It picks up the scrolls of the metal & granite base beneath the glass top.

The pumpkins & grapes are beaded so they are reflecting the flash of the camera.

Sorta makes 'em look like they glow, huh?

Here are some pictures of our garden harvest.

The tomatoes below were so heavy on this vine that they are laying on the ground!

We've been eating them as fast as we can....with breakfast in omelets,

on toasted English muffins with Asiago cheese,

for lunch on every sandwich &/or salad & dinner

has been BLT's several times already.

Heirloom tomatoes that DH grew from seeds given to him by a golfing buddy.

Just look at the size of those babies!

Below is just ONE day's picking from the vegetables that hubby planted around the sides of our home!

We've already eaten tons eggplants & given away even more.

I'm going to be making spaghetti sauce, ratatouille, stuffed peppers & fried green tomatoes all month.

With the cooler temperatures

I've been enjoying some hand embroidery lately & recently completed this little bag

that was featured last May in Country Bumpkin's magazine, Inspiration.

I used the method of wash away thread in the bobbin to achieve the Madeira scallops.

Thanks for visiting & letting me share all the autumn splendor of Ohio with you!

Snacks for the my quilt group.

I didn't think I'd have time to join in

Susan's Tablescape Thursday at her

blog, Between Naps on the Porch

because I was so busy getting ready

for my quilting group's visit.

Then I thought....why not just photograph

what I had set up for them,

even though it isn't exactly a table setting.

I put everything on my bakers rack in the kitchen.

I made little individual pumpkin breads

in my mini bundt shaped muffin pan.

I drizzled them with softened cream cheese icing.

Not my greatest decorating effort. ~~insert rolled eyes~~
(I should have practiced a bit first)

They tasted good though, with the addition of

crushed pineapple & nuts to the mix &

they looked cute on my pumpkin plates, too.

I took a few photos with pumpkin candles burning.

I am surprised at how PINK they look in the photo!

I love this black candle holder that I found at Big Lots years ago!
It has such wonderful texture & it looks really pretty lit,

although you can't see it very well in this photo.

I've just GOT to talk to Santa about a new camera!

This little carved wooden plaque is the perfect saying!

I used this little turkey sugar bowl & creamer set today.

It will be on our Thanksgiving table as well in a few weeks.

Behind him, you can see the Thanksgiving Prayer I framed.