Copper & Gold Thanksgiving Table

The table is set & most of the preparations are

complete for our Thanksgiving dinner, tomorrow.

I've combined my Lenox Eternal placesettings,

with some autumnal salad plates &

my Arte Vetre compotes.

I seldom use these beautiful stemmed Italian Arte Vetro gold goblets.

The lacy border is first intricately etched on clear glass then hand

painted with 18 karat gold.

They are hand made in Italy &

hand wash only...

probably why I don't use them much!

Tall twin cinnamon candles surrounded

by faux bittersweet berries & crystals

allow everyone to easily see each other at the table.

The pinecone napkins & matching placemats

were a purchase for Christmas last year.

(T.J.Maxx)

I think they work well for both holidays.

The wood-like, embossed napkin rings

have matching chargers but

I thought it was a bit too much to use

them with placemats.

Besides, I didn't want to hide any of

those pretty pinecones!

I'm using little metal glittered copper pears

as name card holders...

I still have to add the names!

Chocolate covered pecans & cashews are on the table,

to enjoy with coffee or tea & a piece of pie.

At the far end of the table, where there is an empty seat...

aren't we all missing someone over the holidays?...

I've placed a basket of fresh gourds &

a faux pumpkin that says it all:

Faith

Family

Friends

The foundations of our world.

May you be blessed with an abundance of gratitude for all the good

things that life has to offer & the ability to share it with others.

I'll be joining lots of other tablescapers at

Susan's Between Naps On The Porch

Tablescape Thursday

as well as

The Tablescaper for

Seasonal Sundays

Please be sure to visit them & wish each

a "Happy Thanksgiving!"

fondly,

Rett

Marty is at it again!

Its time for Marty's

Fall Cloche Party!

She has encouraged us to artistically

fill our glass containers for display.

Thanks Marty,

for all the wonderful inspiration you provide.

Even dome covered cake stands &

candy dishes qualify for this party!

Apothecary jars do, too!

This little tray has one of the few photos

I have of my older brother & I, as children.

It was taken in a photo booth at

Idora Park in Youngstown, OH.

When my sedum was in bloom,

I had this arrangement, below,

on my kitchen counter.

Then I found this wonderful example of subway art!

It is available for free download from

Betty Crocker Wannabe.

Thank you, Kristin!

I immediately knew my glass pumpkin,

full of caramels,

would match the colors perfectly!

It is sort of a cloche, right?

Be sure to visit Marty & all the other

cloche decorations at her fabulous blog,

A Stroll Thru Life.

I've also decided to share this on

The Tablescaper's

Seasonal Sunday.

Pepe Le Pew & other *Stinky* happenings

We've had a very *interesting* month at The Gazebo House!

My husband, aka The Great White Haired Hunter,

accidentally captured a SKUNK in a Have-A-Heart trap.
(he was going after chipmunks that were eating his tomatoes)

We called everyone we could think of to come help us...
our city's Animal Control, Fish & Wildlife, Game Control, etc.
but all the government agencies were useless.
We got a lot of sympathetic laughter but no help.

We ended up paying Critter Control $133.13 to come & take it away.
I'm guessing they came up with that price
with all the "unlucky" 13's in it, just to rub salt into the wound.


Then my computer also got hit with a second "redirect virus" &
needed to have the hard drive completely wiped clean...$$$.
Thankfully, I had most of my important stuff backed up
onto my external hard drive & also onto USB flash drives.

We think it was infected by one of the gaming sites
my grandson goes to when he visits. They have MACs at their house,
so they don't seem to get hit with them, like my PC.

I had Microsoft Security Essentials running & updated at the time,
but it still got through, both times.
No more games for him!

Any suggestions on better virus protection????

I have learned, however, not to keep important info in my Outlook Express email folders! Those don't get backed up.

There is an Outlook Express back up program
that saved me from losing all that information, though.

It is taking me DAYS to get all my programs reloaded into the computer.
I have lost all my bookmarks & the
wonderful fonts that I use in my embroidery machine.
It will be months before I'm back to normal.


On top of all that, my 6 year old Whirlpool oven went on the fritz!
It's touch pad was not allowing me to turn it off
after having it set to 400º!!
Yikes!
The warranty was for 5 years, of course.
~~insert rolled eyes~~


Since I wasn't cooking OR computing,

I've had time to finish some sewing projects.

I made this little skort from the Children's Corner pattern "Sara's Skort".

It matches the lined, zip-up vest

I made last month, for my sweet granddaughter, Ms. C.


It is fully lined & has attached shorts
to provide modesty while doing
cartwheels & round offs & flips.

That girl never sits still!!


I have a beautifully finished quilt & a Halloween
table runner and tutu to share with you,
but the photos are still on my camera &
I can't find the CD to reload the software for it,
so it will have to wait for another time.

What a pain in the butt this has been!

I'd like to get my hands on the people who create these viruses!!!!!!!


I promise to get back to visiting & commenting on all the wonderful bloggers who have left messages. It may take me awhile though.

fondly,
♥♥ Rett ♥♥

I'm joining The Tablescaper for her

Seasonal Sundays meme

just to let people know I'm still alive.

Oh & did I forget to mention DH's kidney stone &
my root canal, all recent happenings, too?

Its been a real *interesting* month around here!

Autumn Decorating

(Hurricane glass from Bombay Store, now closed)

It has really taken me a long time to get

my autumn decorations up around The Gazebo House.

I think I develop SAD once the days start to shorten &

the cloudy, cold, rainy days arrive in Ohio.

I've struggled to get my fireplace mantle decorated to suit me.

I've moved things around all week & I'm still not happy.

I just don't seem to have the "knack" for this that others have.

I can EASILY do CPR on you, insert an IV, intubate you or even

open your windpipe with a ballpoint pen in an emergency,

pack a wound or change a sterile dressing but

when it comes to this interior design stuff,

I'm often stumped!

(cloche from T.J. Maxx, tea caddy from Bombay)

However, I CAN copy from the best!

Shelia, owner of the delightful blog,

Notesongs

inspired me to put my bell jar cloche on top of my wooden tea caddy.

(cake stand from Tues. Morning)

It was also Shelia's idea to add some color to the inside of our crystal domed cake plates.

This little touch of color, peeking through, really balances the other side of the table.

A few more touches of autumn around the house.

(Black & white stuffed pumpkins from Target, last year)

(star shaped candy dishes from Dollar Store, last year)

(pumpkin & leaf plates from Wal-Mart, last year)

I got this idea last year, to put these little pumpkins up

on this high window at our front entrance

from Yvonne at StoneGable.

She has some of the BEST ideas!

I got the inspirations to do my black urns this way from

Lynne at Lynnes Gifts from the Heart

when she

featured the tour of Mary Carol's Nell Hill.

What an awesome tour!

I'm joining Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for her

Tabletop Tuesday

as well as The Tablescaper for her

Seasonal Sundays

Thank you to ALL these ladies, for showing us so many ways to beautify our homes.

Now I'm off to fuss a bit more with that mantle!

Thanks for visiting The Gazebo House

fondly,
♥♥ Rett ♥♥

My Friend's Thanksgiving Table

Since we are going to be at my husband's daughter's home for the holiday,
I would like to share with you my friend's beautiful Thanksgiving table.

I met Nicole through an online sewing forum & when she realized how close we lived to each other, she offered to pleat some fabric for me & teach me to smock.
Little did I know what a BIG part of my life, she (and smocking) would become!

I love her entire home but especially this beautiful room which can accommodate
seating for 12 at her gorgeous Chippendale dining furniture.

She used teal & cranberry accents in this tablescape.
Her china is the elegant Monroe pattern from the Presidential series by Lenox.
It has burgundy & black bands of color accented with gold twisted rope patterns & rims.
Her exquisite stemware is Waterford's Castlemaine...both sets are cherished wedding gifts.









I forgot to bring my good camera to our weekly Smock & Talk gathering,
so I apologize that the quality of these photos is less than stellar.



They don't do justice to all her beautiful items, such as the
Wallace sterling silver sugar & creamer above.
Here is a clearer photo of the same, below.





Peek-A-Boo...I see you...do you see me?
LOL! I try so hard to stay out of those kinds of shots.





The two GORGEOUS footed compote bowls at either ends of the table are
antique Imperial Acanthus Leaf Carnival glass.
I had to hold one up to the window so you could see &
appreciate the intense color & texture. Just Beautiful!!



Darling handmade turkey placecards mark her children's seating.
I love how she mixes the whimsical with the elegant!






Her flatware is the exquisite Wallace Grand Baroque, a gift from her mother-in-love.
I am GREEN with envy over this silverware!










The above photo shows the intricate detailing of the handles as well as the pretty burgundy & gold band of her china.
The leaf shaped salad plates (source unknown) accent the teal in the placemats.
The pretty beaded napkin rings are from Pier One.




On the other side of the dining room sits this exquisite
1924 English sterling silver tea & coffee service with bone handles
... a treasured family heirloom, gifted to her by her grandmother.

See the chains on both sides of the center vessel?
They hold pins which slip into little holes on either side to anchor the kettle to the base.





Again, my photos don't do this justice...it is just magnificent!









Carved Pilgrims & Indians mingle throughout the centerpiece arrangement.















I am very happy that Nicole has graciously allowed me to feature her beautiful Thanksgiving table.
I cherish her friendship as well as the other members of our Smock & Talk group.

As a side note, it was Nicole's husband, a cardiologist, who was on call one year ago this week when my husband went into the emergency department in the middle of a heart attack.

It was Nicole's husband who was awakened with at least a half dozen calls from the ER staff as they tried to stabilize him with IV medications.

It was Nicole's husband who kept him alive until they could get an LVAD (left ventricular assist device) or *heart pump* inserted to give his heart a rest & some help in perfusing his body, while I begged God, "Please, not yet?"

I don't think I've ever properly thanked Dr. Joe for literally saving his life!
I am humbly & eternally grateful.
He gave us one more year of sharing holidays...Christmas, our birthdays, our 23rd wedding anniversary & many precious moments with our children & grandchildren.


I wish for all of you many blessings this Thanksgiving.
Life is about caring & loving your friends & relatives
while you can still see & hold them close.

Thanksgiving Prayer

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

It's time for another Tablescape Thursday with our gracious hostess,
Susan of Between Naps on the Porch!

Be sure to stop by her beautiful blog to see other participants in the party!
Thank you, Susan for hosting this fun event each week.