Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to you and your loved ones!

I am looking forward to our pond freezing hard enough to actually go skating on it soon.Although,I must confess it is a long time since I actually went skating.I was joking with a friend yesterday that I might need to borrow a walker to push on the ice for awhile first to get my confidence back before doing a  fancy pirouette!

We lost most of our Christmas snow but still have a little.It is going to rain for a couple of days though.

I will share my hot white chocolate with you-it is a yummy treat on a winter day.

Whenever,I saw this mug at the thrift shop,I knew it would look pretty in this setting.

The pretty red pillow and blanket also were thrift shop finds. The chair and the old wire basket were roadside finds that I had to rescue.

Grap a pair of cozy hand knit mitts to keep your hands warm and enjoy the fresh air.It will put some pink roses on your cheeks and make you feel better too!

Thank you to all who have stopped in to visit,left sweet comments or sent me lovely emails throughout the past year-you encourage me to keep trying to bring a little pleasure to all of you who take time out of your busy day to visit. I wish you all peace,hope,love and joy in this New Year of 2012!

I am joining Hakan for his New Year's Party at Rose Garden in Malevik today.

Blessings,
Carolyn

Romantic Candlelight

Hello everyone,

   One of the things I enjoy about the long winter nights is the romantic glow of candlelight in our home.A couple of nights ago we enjoyed a cozy candlelight dinner with the wood fireplace going and the Christmas tree nearby.It is one of the things I look forward to the most when the garden is put to bed for winter and the colder temperatures force me indoors.

The bannister on the stairway gives a warm glow in the hallway as well.

I love old drippy candles.

The candle chandelier adds charm.

Candles glowing in the hall.

A few Christmas touches in our home.

Hope you are enjoying a warm cozy night by the glow of candlelight!

Last night we hosted a potluck dinner for 27 people and I took some pictures of the tables beforehand to share with you soon. We will be eating leftovers for days!

I am joining French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday and My Romantic Home for Show And Tell.

Thank you for visiting,
Carolyn

Tea Party Review

Hello everyone,

     Last year I did a tea party review so I thought I would do one of the tea parties that I had this past year.

Well,another year is almost over and I hope to enjoy many new tea parties with you in the coming year!
If you would like to see last year's Tea Party Review click here.

Today I am joining Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.

Thank you for stopping in today.

Carolyn

Home for Christmas

Hello everyone,

     Hope you are still enjoying some holiday cheer and maybe a little rest from the hustle and bustle as well.I just have a few collages etc. to share with you today.The photo above is how we set up our  tables for dinner when our children and their families are all home for a family meal..There are 23 of us so it involves some rearranging of tables,chairs etc. It is more practical then fancy but it works good for us.

This is me playing with my new 50mm lens and anything that was in front of me was photographed- too bad you weren't here!

I love these pics of the little ones happily opening their Christmas gift from Grandma and Grandpa!

Some quiet moments

More of our Christmas tables-there is a small children's table in the muddle for a few wee ones.

Beautiful roses- a gift from my sister-in law.

My paperwhites bloomed just in time for Christmas.

A short depth of field pic of my teacups.

Still playing with my new lense!

I will be back soon with  a Year of Tea Parties post.

Take care,
Carolyn

A White Christmas

Hello everyone,

      I hope you all had a lovely Christmas. I was so happy to have some snow arrive a couple of days before Christmas as it had been so mild and I was resigning myself to a green one.It was Christmas card perfect!

Come along and I will show you some of the beautiful sights!

Beaconsfield(a museum) is open to the public for tours and it is decorated in the Victorian style.

Fanningbank

and now back home.

It was a beautiful gift from above just in time for Christmas!

We had a lovely Christmas with all of our children and grandchildren gathered around our table for our traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings-a blessing indeed! Last night we had five of our little grandchildren(6 years and under) for a sleepover with a night coming soon for the 3 older ones.Little Lila was not feeling well so she didn't stay the night this time.It is so much fun to see them having such a good time together.
  On a different note I got a new lens for my camera so now I am off to practice on this beautiful bright winter day!
  Thank you to all who left such lovely kind wishes for me this Christmas season. I had hoped to be able to get back to you all personally but time slips by too fast.

Thank you for visiting me today.

Carolyn