Play It Again...With Apologies to Robert Frost

Edited: Hi gang! I have missed you! I am back from a short unplanned hiatus--renewed, refreshed and revived! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are cranking up for the holiday season! I first posted this last November and thought I would share it again with Chari at Happy to Design for Sunday Favorites and with The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays. I hope you will join both of these lovely ladies by clicking on their link! I hope you'll come back next week--I have some goodies planned!

Raking Up Leaves on an Autumn Evening

With Apologies to

Robert Frost

Whose leaves these are I think I know.

The tree is not my yard though.

It seems all wrong to yell and hiss

To treat the leaves as if a foe.

My little dogs are full of fear

For they can hardly walk in here.

The crunch and crackle frightens them.

They do not like this time of year.

My husband fumes and stomps his feet.

It seems he can’t admit defeat.

Leaves cover up his perfect path,

Swirl and fall and then repeat.

The leaves are yellow, brown, and deep.

So I will rake without a peep,

With leaves to rake before I sleep,

With leaves to rake before I sleep.

I am joining our hostess Susan at A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday. Please join her here for more outdoor fun. Robert Frost has long been my favorite poet. If you would like to read his poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”, click here. I hope you will come back on Thursday for my 100th post, an invitation, and a giveaway!

Sunday Favorites....Back to School

Edited--I've always loved "back-to-school" time. And even now, it still signals a fresh beginning. For me it's almost like January 1st...a clean slate and full of promise. I am joining Chari at Happy to Design for Sunday Favorites. I first posted this last "fall" and it's still one of my favorites! You can find Chari here!










Labor Day is just around the corner heralding what most of us consider the beginning of fall no matter what the calendar or the weather say. Lots of children are already in school and the rest will begin this week. Although I no longer teach or even have children in school, it always make me a little nostalgic. I've been thinking this weekend...Do you remember....?
When the most important decision you had to make was what to wear on the first day of school?
When you thought you would die if your best friends weren't in your homeroom?
When you thought you'd be friends forever?
When you were shocked to find out your teacher had a first name besides Mrs.? When you thought your teacher was older than dirt...and she was younger than you are now?

When your station in life was determined by the size of your box of crayons?

When your biggest worry was who you would sit with at lunch?

When the school paste smelled like peppermint and the halls smelled like fresh wax?

When you could figure out right from wrong by looking for the red marks on your paper?

Me too....

Memorial Day Revisited

I am joining Chari at Happy to Design for Sunday Favorites with one of my very early posts--before I learned to enlarge pictures. Still, it's one of my favorite tablescapes and originally posted for Tablescape Thursday. With Memorial Day on Monday I thought I'd indulge myself. Join Chari here for some classic reruns!

On Monday May 25th, our country will celebrate Memorial Day to honor the brave men and women who have given their lives while in military service. Schools will be out, government offices will be closed, and thousands will fire up grills to celebrate the day with friends and family. I started looking in the cabinets and this tablescape almost made itself!

It seems I have a lot of red, white, and blue without even knowing it. When I found these William-Sonoma lookalike placemats at T.J. Maxx, that closed the deal! I started playing and this is what I ended up with!

For me flowers are an important part of any great tablescape. What could be any more American than daisies in a Mason jar? I'll tell you what--daisies from the 1/2 price container! And look-- Savannah Grace and William are back from their honeymoon and already at work. They're very patriotic birds. I've even lit the red and white candles. After all, it is a celebration!

We've all seen these versatile white Gibson dishes from Big Lots. I don't know how I ever lived without them. Now is a good time to share a little secret. You may already know, but if not, you're going to love it! Hobby Lobby has a section with kerchiefs and bandanas in tons of colors and different prints. The best part--they are all under a dollar! I buy these when I need a particlar color napkin or basket liner and don't want to splurge on expensive napkins .

The napkin rings are a Pier One find. I like the way they echo the pattern in the placemat. And that white- handled flatware--? I bought that for my daughter's first apartment so I know it was cheap. I've reclaimed it now that the bride to be has considerabley better flatware coming :).

Red, white, and blue is one theme that is very easy to carry into dessert. Cool Whip, blueberries, and strawberries in a parfait glass make a light and patriotic way to finish the meal.

I hope you and your family get to spend time together doing whatever makes you happy --whether you are visiting friends, taking a hike, or simply enjoying a day of rest. So fire up the grill, hang your flag, and don't forget to say thanks to a veteran!