God is in My Glitter

        Three trees, one tree, half a tree, no tree- it matters not. This decorating for Christmas is so rewarding to me, I thought this morning that I would identify why.

*It is about who I am because of what I enjoy .

*It breaks the boundary of the world’s reason for the season.

*It reminds me- in my own quirky way- that if I were lucky enough to be in that manger- AT THAT MOMENT- I would , in my own way, to show love and gratitude and humility, say, “Let’s move this here. Wouldn’t this be more comfortable? Do you need anything? What can I do to help?”

*In that manger, I would be (I often am) a Martha in a Mary’s world-but it occurs to me that God knows that, and I believe He loves me anyway- even in all of my attempts to bedazzle things around me. He knows my poinsettias are red and gold and sometimes pink.

*I understand Martha’s need to fix and arrange and prepare and beautify. I think Martha needs a shout out-

“Hey Martha, I understand why you think you need to be in the kitchen- I get it. Here is what works for me though- when the party is over and your gift of hospitality has weakened your spirit, Jesus likes to sit on the couch with us and prop his feet up too. 

Those are the best conversations. He really does get what drives us. When you say to him, ‘I can’t believe she said that’, or ‘why didn’t she come?’, He rolls his eyes and says you are tired, let it go.And then we laugh.”

*I know the world thinks God is not in the glitter, but He is in mine.

Tablescape Thursday

        First of all and most importantly Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I am so thankful.

        I created this tablescape while baking these.

Pecan Pies and Pioneer Woman’s Flat Apple Pie

        I wanted to try something rustic with something more refined.  I enjoy contrast- highs and lows.

           I intentionally left the center pedestal empty.     

         The brown napkins are from Ross.  The pewter napkin rings were a gift, and I have collected the Reed & Barton Francis 1st sterling over a 38 year period (slowly!).

                The crystal goblets were inexpensive and are from Tuesday Morning (about 8 years ago).  The silver goblets are from Salvation Army in Dallas.  They were $2.99 each.

        The twig runner, nests, and pine cones are from LaurieAnna’s in Canton.  The feathered ornaments are from Casa Guero in Laredo.

        I inserted the feathers to give things a little more softness. The table is set with Woodland Spode. It is all about the birds.

        My oldest daughter collects this, and I have unashamedly copied every set of china she has collected: Blue Italian, Blue Danube, and now this. (I hope it’s OK.)

        Now… is this what I will use Thanksgiving Day?  Probably not.  My Franciscan Apple is ready and waiting, plus I can just hear my farmer/rancher father if he sat down and saw all of those feathers near his plate.

“Sister, what’s that for?”

In the meantime my husband just rolls his eyes.  When he walked through the dining room earlier ,while I was teetering on a step ladder with my trusty camera, he said,

“Now you know you don’t have a lot of luck doing things like that.”

PS.  I pinched a bite of crust with caramelized gooey apple drippings off of the Flat Apple Pie.

Oh mercy, as my grandmother would say.

I am linking to Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday hosted by Susan.

Special Gifts

        While driving back from my nephew’s basketball game, I mentioned that I needed to shell the pecans from our yard and from my father’s pecan grove for our Thanksgiving pecan pies.

My Father: “Really, how many do you need?”

Me:  “Oh, about two cups.”

        Exactly two cups of shelled pecans appeared at my house yesterday.

        Since my mother always took care of the gift giving for them, after she died, I learned about his special gift giving.

To name a few:

* I came home from a trip to find a raised bed (with tomatoes planted in it) in my backyard.

*He replaced the roof on our little house with red tin.

*He dropped off an avocado tree and two fig trees.

*He built a fence across our backyard.

*He stops by occasionally to say, “You want to go to Luby’s?”

*He never interferes, except to say “You don’t have any business…( fill in the blank)”. And he is always right.

        Tomorrow on Thanksgiving, he will come early, but he never stays late.  In fact, shortly after lunch, he will probably say,

“Sure was good” and “I better go get my shot” (he is diabetic), and then he will leave (he lives down the street).

        I am so thankful for my father. I am proud to be his daughter, and I am happy to prepare:

Turkey

Cornbread Dressing (my mother’s recipe)

Giblet Gravy

Fruit Salad

Sparkle Salad

Mashed Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes

Green Bean Bundles

Acorn Squash

Sister Schubert Rolls

Pecan Pie

Flat Apple Pie

Coconut Cream Pie (for my husband)

I See Red

        In this wonderful anticipation stage of the year, before Thanksgiving and Christmas, my eye sees red everywhere, especially in my home. 

        Regardless of style or trend, or even the beauty in whites (milk glass, white pumpkins, white foliage), my eye naturally goes to all things red.

        It doesn’t have to make sense either.  Red eggs?  Of course-

        Even my all-time favorite home fragrance travels through the air in red (Aromatique The Smell of Christmas).

        Red toile + an ornament?=perfect.

         Mercury glass in red? Of course.

Visit Work of the Poet for other examples of wonderful red.

Daybook November 23

FOR TODAY
November 23, 2009...

Outside my window... my iceberg rose bush is blooming.

I am thinking... about the food preparation I need to complete ( I am already drying several slices of bread to add to my cornbread for the dressing.)

I am thankful for... so much : Daughter #3 is visiting , she is contacting SMU’s athletic office to find information on her grandfather- my husband’s father- who was a collegiate athlete there , and we are going to my nephew’s varsity basketball game this evening.

From the learning rooms...I have contacted my teacher interns to wish them a wonderful Thanksgiving week.

From the kitchen... I can smell my husband’s roasted chicken baking. We are having that with salad before the game (to avoid concession stand temptations).

I am wearing... my yard clothes- what else is new?

I am creating... a few simple vignettes for my nativity collection.  This year I am only setting out a few.

I am going... back to the grocery store for acorn squash.

I am reading...cookbooks and wishing Kaye Gibbons (author of Charms for the Easy Life; Ellen Foster) had a new book.

I am hoping... my precious grandsons and my oldest daughter and son-in-law have a wonderful Thanksgiving at his parents.  They are such fine people.

I am hearing... Daughter #3’s favorite soap opera in the background.

Around the house... the color red is smiling.

One of my favorite things...the color red.

A few plans for the rest of the week: cooking and planting tomato plants , if I can find some.

Visit the Simple Woman’s Daybook for more entries.
 http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com