Thankful thoughts week six

Happy Sunday after Thanksgiving!! I am feeling especially thankful today after spending a wonderful day with my family on Thursday. The food was yummy if I do say so myself but being with family is what it is all about.

I am thankful for this harvest table Mr. Red Door and I made last year. I am thankful that our kids and my folks all sat around this on Thanksgiving Day.

It is 8.5 feet long but just 3 feet wide. So while we can seat a crowd around it, when we are actually eating a meal on it, I cannot fit much in the way of fancy tablescapes on it. But that’s fine with me. I use my simple narrow trencher with something seasonal and a few candles and it is just enough!

Of course Lili was as much the star attraction as was Mr. Turkey. Here she is telling Bampee it is time for another one of their walks around the neighborhood. She is pointing to the back door.

And here she is playing PEEK a BOO with her Great Mama.

And with her Auntie Jen

And with her Meeemee…

And just looking too cute with her in piggy tails. Look at all those new teeth! I am thankful I get to snuggle this sweetie!!

I am thankful that it was cool enough to use my deck to keep the Thanksgiving pies cool. There just is never enough refrigerator space Behind My Red Door during the Holidays!!

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I am so thankful that my dad only received minor bruises, bumps and cuts when he fell INTO the tub last week. As bad as it was, it could have been much worse as he could have broken a bone or received a concussion when he hit his head on the tile wall. (It was a freak accident as he wasn’t even attempting to get in the tub. )

I am thankful for the kind staff at my mom’s Drs. office and the staff at her local CVS who helped with some prescription issues this past week. Even though at times we were all exasperated and even though it took a lot of my time making phone calls back and forth for a few days, as well as some detective work on our part, at no time did anyone act anything other than kind, helpful and professional.

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I am thankful that Bampee and I were able to share in the tree cutting and decorating with Jay, Ang and Lili yesterday.

I am thankful I brought my old cotton coverlet. Brrr….it was cold and windy!

Lili found one just her size!

I know that Bampee was thankful that Lili helped him center the tree. All those kisses did the trick!!

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I am really thankful I got my inside Christmas decorating done today. Even though I am going for a more colonial inspired look and sticking with my less is more, it still took me a lot longer to get the look I wanted this year. Here is the tree. This is my prim German feather tree that I bought 5 or 6 years ago. I am no longer in love with the look of it. I like the size and shape but it does not look natural and I want my faux greens to look real. I think this is the last year for this. With real trees costing $50 and up in my area, this paid for itself long ago.

I am thankful I got to bring home the extra branches cut from the bottom of Lili’s tree. I love using real greens in my Christmas décor!

I am thankful for all the new followers to my blog, and I thankful to have so many prim folks I have met through my blog and other blogs, the APP forum, through Picture Trial, and at magazine events. It is very clear to me that the prim look is here to stay! Whether it is the colonial look we are so accustomed to and love so much here in New England, or any other variation of prim, it is still very popular and growing!

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope to have pictures of my Christmas décor the next time I am here! Until then, prim hugs, Grammee Linda

Thankful Thoughts Week Five

This week I am so very thankful for all the kind folks that took the time to leave me comments on my last thankful post and my post on lighting. If just one person finds something in a blog post that speaks to them, then it means the world to me.

I know that I am personally inspired by so many of you. I see folks dealing with health issues, loosing loved ones and cherished pets, job losses and so much other heartache. But I also see so many of these same folks overcoming all those things and more.

I see bloggers reaching out across the miles to support and cheer on a blogger they have never met. For all of that, I am thankful!

I am thankful for leaf blowers and heavy garden gloves.

I am thankful for being able to spend last weekend at home – getting the nest ready for winter!

I am thankful for late fall nourishing rains.

I am thankful for lunch at Cracker Barrel with a dear friend!

I met Donna over on RMS and she now blogs over at The Country Nest and we got to know each other even better. We finally met this summer when we had the pleasure of shooting her EXQUISITE gardens for the magazine. This week we met halfway between our homes for lunch and the poor waitress had to keep coming back to see what we wanted to order because we were so busy chatting that we didn’t even look at the menu! That’s how you know you are with a dear friend! I am so thankful that in between caring for young and not so young family members and all my other responsibilities, I had that time.

I am thankful for the generous neighbor who passed down this Dora kitchenette for Lili. It’s a prefect size for her and she just loves it and I love seeing her pretend to feed my prim doll and her stuffed animals!

I am thankful for the generosity and friendship of Sandi and Wayne, shopkeepers of The Cat’s Cradle 265 Hadley St. South Hadley, MA. Their delightful shop is filled to the brim with prims and and they are so warm and kind. When Bonnie, Audrey and I stopped there earlier this year, we knew we had met kindred spirits!

I am thankful that my Mom still remembers how to play the piano some days – something she did every day of her life until Alzheimer’s affected her.

I am thankful that Loretta told me about Jayme over at Tales From the Coopkeeper! If you want a giggle or two, you need to read her post about a visit to the National poultry Show!!

I am thankful for the wonderful afternoon we spent at Linda Manna’s shop , Newtown Country Mill in Newtown, CT. The shop looked amazing….

…we met two dear APP forum friends Karen and Jen….we met so many great prim folks and we got great leads on some amazing homes! And it was just wonderful seeing Linda and her daughter Michelle Ferris again. You can see both of their gorgeous homes in the Christmas issue.

And whether it is Mr. Caw at Country Culture or ole Santa Claus himself, Bonnie always manages to find the man of the hour!!

I am thankful for all of my followers, both new and old and everyone that stayed with me long enough to read this far. I’ll end with my Thanksgiving message to each of you!

When we count our many blessings,
it isn't hard to see that what we value
most in life are the treasures that are free...
For it's not the things that we possess that signify our wealth, but the blessings that are priceless …our family, friends and health.

Thinking of you and wishing you life's dearest
blessings -at Thanksgiving and always.

Until next time – prim hugs, Grammee Linda

You Light Up My Life

Today I am joining Misi over at 1890 Gable House Musing for week 8 of a display chain she has going on.The theme for week 8 is ......"You Light Up My Life" The idea presented by Amy of CottagePrims. Her thoughts for this theme ~ "With winter setting in and being in the dark ~ You light up my life~ early lighting,candles,lanterns or even new lights"

I did a post similar to this in the past so I had some photos on hand, I cropped other photos I had and I took some new ones. And despite all those photos, I still didn’t include all my prim and colonial lighting. I hope you won’t get bored with all that I did include. First I have candlesticks of every sort – short and tall, meta0od…

This is a real antique and when I helped to clear out my grandmother’s neighbors home,. I was able to take this beauty home.I love this heavy iron candlestick from Circa Home Living!

This was a gift from a dear blogging friend Kath over at The Olde Weeping Cedar. Kath is so talented – she made this!

And pewter…

And assorted hanging….

Over the years we have replace all of our main floor ceiling fixtures with colonial reproductions….

What Prim gal doesn’t have a variety of colonial wall sconces – some electric, some not!

and some colonial lanterns too!

When I want real light bulbs for reading and brighter lighting, I made jugs into lamps (I made them from kits I got years ago but I have been told to check Home Depot for the kits).

And then there are all those different reproduction lights. Many are made to look like early candlesticks.

and last but not least, real antique oil lamps!

Thanks so much for stopping by and come back on Sunday for more Thankful Thoughts!

Prim hugs, Grammee Linda