Pumpkin hues

Welcome to another Tablescape Tuesday...hosted by the always gracious Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch.

This is a table I did this weekend...it was just hubby & I for dinner but I didn't care.... I was in the mood to have a nice meal @ a nice table. I loved the shabby chic elegance of this table! I love the pumpkin hues w/ the white, I love the glam & I love the vintage feel. The candelabras were a garage sale find that I painted. You can see a before shot here . I still need to "bejewel" them but they look pretty good bare too.

I bought these pumpkin-hued plates last year, while antiqueing w / my father. Then I brought them home, stuck them in a cabinet & forgot about them. Sometimes cleaning out my closets & cabinets can be like Christmas....I am always finding things I had forgotten allll about! I've never been able to determine the maker but they're depression glass of some kind, I think. The scalloped plates are Sauvignon in Blanc de Blanc pattern (thrift store find) & the chargers are Lace (I got them through JCPenney.com). The goblets are Noritake but I don't know the pattern (another thrift store find...8 for $10!!!).

The mirror I "stole" from my entry wall. LOL

Recognize this guy? I posted about him in my previous post. I just love him!

For dinner, hubby & I had a wonderful, seasonal meal....Caramel Apple Pork Chops (don't let the name throw you off...they're wonderful!) & roasted acorn squash...the sauce from the chops is great on the squash too so they go great together. And look! All pumpkin hues going on in the plate too....am I weird or what? ;o) I wish y'all could have joined us for dinner!

Caramel Apple Pork Chops is an allrecipes recipe that I have greatly modified so this version is my own.

4 (3/4 inch) thick pork chops
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 tablespoons brown sugar
garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste
1/2 med. onion, chopped

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tart apples - peeled, cored and sliced
3 tablespoons pecans (optional)

Turn oven to 350°. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brush chops lightly with oil, sprinkle both sides w/ garlic powder, salt & pepper and place in hot pan. Sear quickly, on both sides. Transfer to baking dish & set aside. Saute onions & apples in half the butter until onions are just tender. Add the rest of the butter & the brown sugar, salt, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg to apples & onions in skillet, stir in brown sugar mixture and vinegar. Cook quickly until brown sugar is dissolved then spoon apples, onions & sauce over chops. Cover w/ foil & bake for 30 minutes, remove foil & bake for another 10 minutes. Sprinkle w/ pecans, if desired.

Stop in @ Susan's to see all the other lovely tables!

A'thrifting we will go! A'thrifting we will go!

I've been staying out of thrift stores lately...can you believe it? *grins* My son drives himself to PT in Dallas now so I haven't even hit that wonderful Salvation Army near the hospital. But hubby & I were out & about this weekend & we passed a Thrift Town so of course I had to go in! ;o) Here's my haul!

The wood curio shelf will get a coat of white paint. Love all the spice jars & at 50 cents a piece, they had to come home w/ me. I'll make some into those fairy dust bottles, that are all the rage in blogland, but first I want to use them on my Thanksgiving table. I'll share my idea, on how I'm using them, another day.


I have the perfect shades for these lamps! They're covered in pink silk roses & they'll look fabulous in my office/studio.

Love the Victorian gentlemen figurine!

This watercolor looks a LOT better now that I have taken it out of that mat & frame! If you enlarge the pic (just click on it) you'll see the dew drops & tiny ladybug details. I'll probably feature this in a Rose Wednesday post once it's in a proper frame.

Wallpaper...one roll is vintage!

And Miss Caralyn had to model her "new" hat. We'll have a teaparty soon so that she can wear it .... I promised Caeden that next time he could come too. Doesn't she look beautiful?

And there's still time to enter the giveaway @ An Enchanted Cottage but hurry!

I love this home!

I picked up a copy of the winter issue of Creative Home, thumbed through it & fell in love w/ the sepia tones of this house. When I first saw it, it reminded me of a room in my favorite antique mall. Then I read through the article, learned that the owner lives in my city & that her inspiration was from the same room that I dearly love in my favorite antique mall! So I thought it might be fun to scan the article & post it & then go to the antique mall & get pics of her inspiration room to share w/ y'all. I'll post those pics, later on in the week.

You can click on the pics to enlarge them to see all the wonderful details.

Check out those leather chairs! Don't they look fabulous in an all-white room? And that curtain hiding the mantel opening is the answer to my mantel problems.

I hate the bare opening in the middle of my faux mantel. I've tried various things to hide it...a mirror hung on the wall in the opening, a fern-filled urn, a fireplace screen, demilune table, etc & nothing's been quite right. I really like the table in front of the mantel...it's what I have there now, but it stills leaves a bare "hole" visible. I don't do "bare"...it's just not me! ;o) This curtain will be the perfect solution...why didn't I think of it?!?!?!

Love how she drapes the doorways w/ curtains! It reminds me of Cindy's My Romantic Home .

How sumptuous is all that fabric! Great idea!!!

I ADORE the hallway full of vintage mirrors. I have a small collection hanging in my "entry" (it's a door into the house & not much more)..now I MUST have more!

I can't wait to show y'all pics of her inspiration...it's quite a feast for the eyes!

A Dog's Purpose

This tale makes me all teary....

"A Dog's Purpose" from a 6 year old's perspective

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.

Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why."

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. He said, "People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life - like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?"

The six-year-old continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."


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*sniff sniff* It's time to share some more of my wealth & I'm revisiting a treasured subject...dogs. This is one of my all-time favorite prints...too sweet! Be sure & click on the images to enlarge before right-clicking & saving.

The somber look on both the girl's & the pug's face, in this old photo, is curious, I think. They'd be great for Halloween w/ witches hats on.

Another one of my faves!

I don't think I'll resume sharing the wealth on every Saturday...I'll still post images to share w/ y'all but it will be more sporadic. If you get impatient, look on the left on my side-bar where I have listed lots of sites, rich w/ images.

Now on another note, I love my dog dearly & wouldn't trade him for the world but why oh why! can other dogs get all dolled up, & stay that way for weeks on end & mine can't make it 24 hours? I spent 2 hours yesterday bathing & blow-drying my Giz & he looked lovely. I had his hair in a top pony-tail with a bow & everything but look how he looks this morning!

He's already pulled most of his ponytail out, his bow is gone, he can't see again, & he looks scraggly, after just one day! How do other dogs stay so nice & neat? *sigh* The price of loving a boy who's allll boy, I guess. ;o)


His groomer is having medical issues & hasn't been at the salon so that's why I'm having to do it. Please say a prayer for Kari...for both our sakes! ;o)

Little touches of fall

Thought I'd share what I have done w/ my kitchen island for fall. I used what I already had in place & just replaced the lemons I had, in one apothecary jar, w/ candy corn, stuck a mini-pumpkin inside a tea cup, switched out a white candle w/ a fall-toned one & added another apothecary jar full of candy pumpkins. Again...no fuss, no muss & it gave it all a fall attitude.

For my coffee table, I again used what was already being used & just stuck a glittered pumpkin in the ivy & topped the candelabra off w/ glittered, mini- pumpkins instead of candles. The rose print is a reproduction of Paul de Longpre's. I featured another from my collection in this post .


Gosh, I must reallllly like the way I have my coffee table...it's been this way, w/ only minor seasonal changes, since Christmas!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Sweet Pumpkin Butter

This week-end I made Sweet Pumpkin Butter....

Sweet Pumpkin Butter

1 (15 0z) can of 100% pure pumpkin
1/2 cup apple cider or juice
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Mix all ingredients in a large saucepan

Bring mixture to a full boil. Reduce heat and continue cooking 10-15 min until thick ,stirring frequently. Remove from heat and let cool then pour into clean jars and refrigerate for up to 2 months in fridge.
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This stuff is sooo good! I think next time, I may add a bit more syrup for more maple flavor. I'll be making another batch of this for Thanksgiving, cause this one ain't gonna last that long. ;o) It will be heaven on a home-made roll but it was pretty darn tasty on a slice of bread too.

I found this recipe somewhere on the net & didn't note where, if I got it from you then please let me know so that I can give credit where credit is due.