NO, I DON'T THROW AWAY ANYTHING!

I'm trying to sneak into Tablescape Thursday today. Maybe Susan at Between Naps on the Porch won't notice that my table is not scaped (I'm not sure "scaped" is a word, but I had never even heard of the word "tablescape" before I started blogging). I AM sharing photos of a table! Does that count?

I'm also joining Suzanne at Coloradolady for Vintage Thingies Thursday. I KNOW I'm posting some vintage!

Monday, I showed you the villages in my study, but I didn't show you the rest of the room. That's because this table was covered in boxes, ribbons, faux snow, etc. Now that is covered in boxes, ribbons, and a tree, for some reason I feel like I can show it to you! I know, just when you thought I couldn't get any tackier, I'm using old boxes for decor!

Since we use this room for a study, this table is usually covered with stacks of books, but I can clear it for dining if needed (I just never have). I have used it for buffet serving. On Christmas Eve (when we again have over 30 people for dinner), our desserts will be served from this table.

My most recent vintage ornament purchase was at an estate sale. It was time for the sale to be over and I was looking at some ornaments that were in a box. The man in charge of the sale asked me how much I wanted to pay. I told him a $1.00. He handed me the box and marked $1.00 on my sale sheet! I meant I was willing to pay a dollar for each ornament, but I got the box (about 10 ornaments) for $1.00! I guess he really wanted me to get out of there! It worked. I quickly paid and left before someone could tell me I wasn't getting all of those ornaments for that price!

My friend, Emmalyn, brought me the advent calendar from Germany when we were children.

Since our entry hall opens into the study, I'm also sharing photos of that space.

It may not look cleaned up and decorated to you, but that's just the way I do it. I know, I need one of those organizers to come in and force me to get rid of some junk, but they'd better bring a psychiatrist with them, because I'm afraid I'd have a major breakdown. Go visit Between Naps on the Porch to get links to see tables that are scaped, and go to visit Coloradolady for links to vintage goodies. Thank you so much for coming to visit me. laurie

IT TAKES A VILLAGE ....TO DECORATE MY STUDY FOR CHRISTMAS!

I am joining Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday and Susan at Thoughts from Over the Rainbow for the Tuesday Deck the Halls Party. Thank you Mary and Susan for giving us links to great posts all over Blogville.

The intended use for the room I am sharing today is a formal dining room. We are much more comfortable serving family and guests in our family room, so our dining room is used as a study/music room/library! Yep! I've packed a lot into one room, and yep, it is wall-to-wall "stuff".

I have always felt that, since Christmas decor is only up for a short time, it doesn't matter how tacky I get with my decor! That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it (the implication is that normally my decor is not tacky, but a lot of people might disagree with that implication)!

I have been collecting village pieces since we got married 40 years ago. Being the bargain hunter, I have never paid full price for any piece in my village. I buy them at "after Christmas" sales, estate sales, and garage sales. It doesn't matter to me that all of my pieces are not one type, or that they are not all even the same brand. The way I see it, towns are made up of a lot of different styles of houses, stores, etc. I'm probably just justifying having so many different styles in my village, but again, that's my story, and I'm stickin' to it!

You may need to get your sun glasses before you enter this next area of the village!

Don't forget to go to Little Red House on Monday for mosaic links and to Thoughts from Over the Rainbow on Tuesday for Deck the Halls links.


Thank you for stopping by my blog. The villagers were so glad to have you visit. laurie

BUT CAN YOU FOX TROT?

Yea! It's time for the Cloche Party hosted by Marty at A Stroll Through Life! Marty's cloche parties are always so much fun, and you won't want to miss seeing all of the decorated cloches in Blogville today.

But can you fox trot?

Christmas has come early to my house, because I have recently won some fabulous give-aways!

Look at all of these Christmas goodies from Cindy at Applestone Cottage. I even thought the gift bags were so cute! Do you see those little dancing elf's? Look at this beautiful "made by Cindy herself" Christmas tag. I have it hanging from a lamp in my family room. And isn't that the sweetest angel? I really wish you could see this snowflake ornament in person. My photo doesn't do it justice (although I tried several ways of photographing it). It's made of tiny pieces of mirror, and it sparkles beautifully! And that cute gingerbread man potholder will be decorating my kitchen this season. Even Cindy's Christmas card (a depiction of an area that is near where she lives) is beautiful. Cindy has such a charming home and lives in such a charming part of the country. If you've never visited Cindy, you definitely need to go see her blog -- Applestone Cottage

Before you go running over to Applestone Cottage, I have yet another prize to show!! Lady Luck has really been shining on me lately! I have a small (make that very small) collection of Quimper plates. I used to call it a "small" collection until I found bloggers with huge collections.

I love this pottery, so when I spotted a blog title that was "Quimper International Club", I had to go visit! I have learned so much and seen such beauty on this blog. (I probably shouldn't admit it, but the only kind of Quimper I had ever seen was the kind with the Breton people on it!) Let me tell you, there is a LOT more Quimper than that, and it is all beautiful, and a beautiful group of ladies share the postings on this blog. This is another blog you definitely will want to go see.

You can just imagine how excited I was when I won the Quimper calender tea towel, which came all of the way from France! In addition to loving Quimper, my kitchen is blue and white, so a 2010 calendar will be in my kitchen FOREVER! Oh! And look at the postcard of a French Quimper pottery painter. I just had to share the first line on the card with you. I have never received a card with the greeting "Bonjour Laurie"! How fun is that?

Be sure to visit A Stroll Through Life to link to others joining the Cloche Party. I know there will be some fabulous cloches in Blogvile today!

Reminder: I am still sending cards to Katherine and to Andrew. If you want to send a card, please see my sidebar. Thanks.

Thank you for coming to visit me. laurie

READY OR NOT, THANKSGIVING IS COMING!

I'm joining sweet Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday. Be sure to click over to Mary's to go see mosaics throughout Blogville.

Although I've barely begun cooking, my Thanksgiving tables for over 30 people are ready and waiting. Thursday, I shared two of the TG tablescapes with you. Today, I'm sharing the remainder of the tables. (Disclaimer - in case someone who is joining us for Thanksgiving dinner is reading my blog: These tables are just practice! I don't leave plates on the tables for two weeks to collect dust; I turn stemware upside down, and put the napkins over the flatware, so I think we'll be safe).

Dinner plates on above table: Pier 1 Oralia; Flatware: our wedding pattern: Old Master by Towle; stemware: Tuesday Morning; vintage tablecloth: garage sale; I don't remember where I got the napkin rings.

Brown dinner plate: Casa Stone, Autumn Waves; Floral plate: Apple Blossum,Ridgways England; Stemware: our wedding pattern: Lenox Moonspun; napkin rings: estate sale.

Blue glass dinner plates: Outlet Mall years ago; Top plate: My mother's, Eggshell Nautilus; Stemware: My mother's; Flatware: My mother's. (In case you are wondering why the flatware is resting on the backs of the turkey napkin rings, it's because these place settings are too close together to put the flatware beside each place setting-when you are hosting more than 30, you do what you gotta do!) (Also, in case you think this table looks very low for eating, it is my "high-low" table, and it will be raised to dining height before Thanksgiving. It's much easier to take that "hanging from the chandelier" photo when the table is in the low position!).

All three of the children's tables are decorated the same, so I'm only showing you one. Everything is non-breakable. The lollipops are in plastic stemware for a centerpiece.

COUNTING MY BLESSINGS WHILE I COOK:

ALMOST HALF WAY THERE!

I'm joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.

Since we host approximately 30 people for holiday dinners. I am about half way finished with table settings for Thanksgiving dinner, so today I'm sharing two of my Thanksgiving tablescapes. (Of course, I have barely begun the cooking!)

This table is set in our family room.

I don't have enough matching dishes for ten people, so I've used different dishes on each end of the table. (Square plates:Certified International, Pamela Gladding; Other dinner plates: Ascot by Wood & Sons; My mother's flatware; cranberry stemware: a garage sale; one set of salt & pepper shakers were my mother's; the set in the little carrier was from a flea market)

I've set this table in the sunroom.

(Bowls: Certified International, Pamela Gladding; Dinner Plates: J.C. Penney Home Collection; Green stemware: wedding gifts 40 years ago; "turkey" napkins: Craft Fair; turkey napkin rings-Going out of Business Sale at a gift store; Flatware: estate sale)

Gravy tureen: yard sale; Indian salt & pepper: I have no idea; Pumpkin salt & pepper: flea market; tea pitcher: estate sale; turkey tureen for centerpiece: $5 at a gift store, because it has a chip on the base)

Click over to Between Naps on the Porch to find links to some wonderful tablescapes. Thank you so much for coming to see my tablescapes. Now, I'd better go start cooking! laurie

THE PILGRIMS HAVE LANDED!

I'm joining Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday, and I'm joining Debra at Bungalow for a Sharing Thanksgiving Party, and It's So Very Cheri Traditions party.

Please stop by Little Red House for links to mosaics, and on Tuesday, please go get the links for the Sharing Thanksgiving party at Bungalow.

If you haven't yet visited one of the newest blogs in Blogville, do yourself a favor and go visit Vignette Design. Delores is a talented designer, and I just know you'll be thanking me for sending you to visit her blog.

Please check my sidebar for directions for mailing cards to Kathryn and Andrew.

Thank you so much for coming to visit me. laurie

JUST A COTTON PICKIN' THANG!

I grew up in "cotton country", and moved back to the same cotton-growing area as an adult. Growing up in this part of Arkansas, there were several expressions that were a normal part of our language, and I didn't realize until I moved away that they were not part of everybody's vocabulary! One of those expressions was "cotton is king". Our neighbor, Memphis, had a festival every year called the "King Cotton Festival". Cotton production was such a major part of our economy at that time that the expression made a lot of sense.

Another expression that was used in my area of the country was "not a cotton-pickin' thing" or more often, "not a cotton-pickin' thang". Many times this would be the response to the question "what are you doing". This expression doesn't make sense, because picking cotton by hand (which is what was done when I was growing up) is not a "doing nothing" kind of job. I know about picking cotton, because when I was growing up our town hosted THE National Cotton Picking Contest (of course, nobody said "picking" - the word was "pickin'"). Eventually, although cotton farming remained a stable in our area, other industries and businesses became more important, and the Cotton Picking Contest disappeared.

Cotton is picked (usually by machines now) and taken to the gin in the fall. This time of the year, I still get nostalgic for the old cotton picking contest; for the sounds and smells of the gins working into the night (modern technology has allowed gins to function without noise); and streets littered with enough cotton to make it look like it has snowed on the edge of the yard (when I was growing up, cotton was thrown loosely into the back of large trailers and taken to the gin. A lot of cotton was lost between the farm and the gin. Now, cotton is tightly packed and bundled into truck-size modules to go to the gin, and there is very little cotton litter on the roads.)

Yes, I do have a tablescape today. I just got a little sidetracked (or maybe a lot). I know - you're not surprised. Sorry-I just needed to reminisce for a little bit. In celebration of cotton going to the gin (and in memory of the former glory days of growing cotton in the Delta), I am sharing a Cotton Pickin' tablescape.

Okay, now I have to laugh out loud at myself! I bought these place mats at a garage sale one time. They have cotton bolls painted on the corner of them. When I tried to use them the correct way, the beverage glass had to be placed right on top of the painting of the cotton boll, so I turned the place mats the wrong way. Now that I'm looking at my pictures on this post, I realize the cotton boll is probably supposed to be in the bottom left corner instead of the top right!! Oh well, maybe I'll remember that the next time I use them. (So, if I am still blogging next fall, and if I do another cotton tablescape, you can laugh out loud when I forget all about this little revelation I just had and turn the mats the wrong way again!)

That's a miniature cotton bale being used as a bread-serving table.

A framed painting of cotton bolls serves as a tray in the center of the table.

Cotton boll glasses were a wedding gift 40 years ago. At that time, it was a "must" for any bride in the Delta to receive at least one set of cotton boll glasses! (I'm telling y'all this, because I know all of you want to rush right out and see if you can buy some 40 year old cotton boll glasses!) I stenciled the cotton bolls on the fabric for napkins years ago. I used to have eight of them, but stains have caused them to dwindle down to four. Salt cellars belonged to my grandmother. Flatware - Target. Metal chargers, Green plates - Estate sales. I think the wine glasses and decanter were a gift, but I've really had them way too long to remember.


Thank you so much for your visit. I'm still sending cards to Katherine and to Andrew (If you'd like to send cards to them, please see my sidebar for directions). Don't forget that you can find links to all of the wonderful Blogville tablescapes at Between Naps on the Porch. laurie

VETERANS DAY

GOD BLESS AMERICA. laurie

HOPE YOUR WEEKEND WAS AS GOOD AS MINE

You wanna hear about my weekend? There's not much to tell, but for me it was a good one. I'm joining Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday, and since I'm posting an itty bitty metamorphosis, I'm joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday. I'm also joining Diane at A Picture is Worth 1000 Words for Second Time Around Tuesday. Whew! Do you think I might be a "joiner"? Okay, now I'm going to tell you about my weekend. Remember, I am easily entertained, so I'll understand if my weekend bores you to the point of clicking the exit button.

It isn't much, but I hope this $15.00 desk counts for an itty bitty metamorphosis and a 2nd time around:

Be sure to go get links to Blogville Events:

Monday:

Mosaic Monday, Little Red House;

Metamorphosis Monday, Between Naps on the Porch;

and Tuesday:

2nd Time Around Tuesday, A Picture is Worth 1000 Words.

Thanks so much for coming to visit, and thanks so much for sticking it out through my dull weekend. laurie

HE SHOULDA BEEN A COWBOY!

If you've been visiting my blog since it began, you know that my sweet husband thinks he "shoulda" been a cowboy, so for his birthday celebrations, I usually create a cowboy theme for his dinner table. I am joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday, and I'm joining Michael Lee at Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday.

So, go ahead on - git yer cowboy (or girl) hat, git on yer boots, and join us for his rootin' tootin' bash.

Did you see that cute reproduction vintage cowboy tablecloth that my friend, Susie, gave me? I know, I'm always showing you something Susie gave me, but if Susie wasn't such a great gift-giver, I wouldn't have anything worth showing you!

(I purchased the cowboy dinner plates from Tuesday Morning a few years ago --- 222 Fifth "Slice of Life")

John held salad dressing for our dinner. My sister, Julie, gave my cowboy those vintage whiskey decanters several years ago. (Looks like some feathers from Indian head dressings have been left in the shrubs too!)

The guest of honor had a magnetic "shoulda been a cowboy" sheriff badge attached to his napkin ring. Oh, and there's a gift from my friend, Melinda - "35 Things to do with a Cowboy's Bandana". We had fun laughing over some of those suggestions before we ate dinner. See my Davy Crockett mug that I drank from when I was a child (another salad dressing server for our dinner)? (Yep, back then, I thought I shoulda been a cowgirl! I outgrew it though-he didn't!)

Yep! I even have Roy Rogers' lunch box and thermos salt and pepper shakers (a gift from my friend Charlie Ann). I sure have some generous and kind family and friends, don't I?

I served salad on the blue spatter ware "camp fire" plates.

I used two recipes from fellow bloggers for our chuck wagon dinner, and let me tell y'all, we have some fabulous chefs in Blogville! For my contribution to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum, I'm showing you Individual Beef Wellington and Faux Bananas Foster.

Dinner included two recipes that came from some of our fellow bloggers, and I just want to say that we have some excellent chefs in our corner of Blogville! When I get a recipe from a blogger, I ALWAYS record the name of the blog ... well, ALMOST always! Remember, I recently told you that senility is taking over. When I looked at this Beef Wellington recipe in my file, I could not believe that I had forgotten to record where I got the recipe. Just more of my senility! So, if this is your recipe, please let me know so I can give you credit for it. Since I can't send you to the blog that originally posted the recipe, I am posting the recipe for you, and I'm tellin' ya, this recipe got rave reviews at my house. (Yes, Filet Mignon is expensive, but this was worth it!)

Edited to Add: Yea! Rett at The Gazebo House stopped by and told me she was glad I enjoyed the recipe she posted last week! Can you believe that? She just posted this last week, and I could not remember where I found it! Thanks so much Rett.

Beef Wellington Singles

Ingredients

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 Tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

2 sheets puffed pastry, thawed

1/2 Cup Boursin Garlic & Herb Cheese (I used a different kind of cheese, because my cowboy can't handle garlic)

1/2 Cup mushrooms, chopped

2 Tablespoon butter

2 Tablespoon olive oil

2-3 shallots, finely chopped

4-6 filet mignon steaks, 2" thick

Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

Parchment paper

Recipe Description:

Traditionally a large roast entrée, Beef Wellington Singles are essentially individual "roasts" that provide the flexibility to serve fewer people. They may be prepared a day in advance.Recipe Directions:Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet over high heat. Season steaks with salt and pepper, and sear. Sear steaks for 3 minutes on each side. For rare steaks, sear 1 to 2 minutes; for well done, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove beef from skillet and allow to cool.In the same skillet, melt butter. Add mushrooms, shallots and thyme, and sauté for 5 minutes or until soft. Remove from heat and cool. Preheat oven to 425F. On a lightly floured surface, prepare pastry.Roll out each puff pastry into a 13 to 15" square. Cut into 4 equal squares, for a total of 8. Blot steaks dry and place in the center of each square. Spread 2 tbsp. Boursin cheese on each and top with mushroom mixture.Brush the corners and sides of each square with lightly beaten egg, fold each corner up to the center, tuck in the sides, and press lightly to seal. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.To decorate, use a paring knife to cut out pastry leaves from remaining puff pastry. Brush with egg to help leaves adhere. Cover and chill 1 hour or overnight.Remove singles from refrigerator and brush again with lightly beaten egg. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes for medium doneness, or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Since my "cowboy" doesn't really love birthday cake, I prepared the Bananas Foster that had been posted by Susan at Thoughts from Over the Rainbow. (Okay, I must have been having a good brain day when I saved this recipe!) Click here to get this easy, but delicious recipe from Susan's blog. This one also got rave reviews at my house, and let me tell ya, rave reviews are not the norm when I cook dinner!

Now pardner, git yersef over thar to Between Naps On the Porch and Designs by Gollum fer all the links to great tables and great grub. You might wanna git that cowboy hat offen yer head fore ya git to those more refined blogs though. Thanks fer visiting me, and y'all come back soon, ya hear. laurie

SECOND SPRING

I am linking this post to Mosaic Monday at Little Red House.

Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower. Albert Camus

EDITED TO ADD: Thanks for asking how I did my mosaics. I am so flattered. My tutorial for making mosaics on Photoscape can be found by clicking on the tutorial near the bottom of my sidebar. Photoscape cannot be used on a MAC computer. If the tutorial is not clear, please email me, and I will try to help.

For links to mosaics, please visit Mary at Little Red House. Thanks for coming to visit me. laurie

I'M STARTING A DIET...RIGHT AFTER CHRISTMAS!

Unfortunately, I do this every year. I start eating candy at Halloween, and I don't stop until the new year (of course, that's when I make my annual resolution about dieting, which only lasts for about a week, because at that point, my mouth and stomach are so spoiled from getting candy all of the time that I'm too addicted to quit.) For Tablescape Thursday, I am posting a table that is all about candy! I'll serve a very healthy salad with low fat dressing before we dig into the candy!


Who needs flowers for a centerpiece when you have Halloween candy?

The layers of each place setting include: a butter cloche over a votive candle holder that has been filled with candy; a pumpkin plate; a clear glass plate; a white plate with a candy corn circle on top of it; and my ruffly black place mats (given to me by Christine at Christine's Home and Travel Adventures - thanks Christine, I'm loving these).
I normally use a paper plate or a paper napkin for the design under the glass plate. I did have some Halloween paper plates and napkins, but since I wanted this table to be about CANDY, I printed a picture of candy corn from the internet and cut it in a circle with pinking shears to use for my plate design.

Guests may take home their votive container filled with candy and use it for a candle when the candy is all gone.

Flatware is in a plastic Halloween bag. After guests remove their flatware, they can start filling their bag with candy from the centerpiece. There's my cute pumpkin tag that I showed you in a previous post (Karen Harvey Cox @ A Scrapbook of Inspiration).

Little witches sit atop balls that open up to reveal even more candy!

I purchased the little leaf container that holds a pepper shaker and a salt bowl (and a container for something else) at an antique mall last year. I guess the price was reduced because it looks like it's supposed to have something in the center.

Now y'all know that looking at candy will not make you gain weight, right?
If only all I did was look! Ya know, it's kind of a Catch 22 with Halloween candy. If I buy something I don't like and we don't get many trick-or-treaters, I am stuck with a lot of candy I don't want to eat. If I buy something I do like, I have to buy more before Halloween, because I've already eaten it all!

The only things I bought for this tablescape were the candy (and we all know that was really for me) and the ribbon printed with "BOO". I found the ribbon at Michael's. I've had everything else for too long to remember where I purchased them(including the little bags, which I'm sure were bought on sale after H'ween one year. I found them in my H'ween decor and I had never opened them).

I had such a great telephone call today! Katherine at Lady Katherine Tea Parlor called, and although I know she is in pain, she sounded so great! You know, when I read a blog for awhile, I start feeling like the blogger is talking to me. Each time I've met a blogger, I am surprised that their voice sounds nothing like what I had imagined. Apparently, my voice REALLY sounds nothing like what others imagine. Although Katherine didn't say anything about my hillbilly Arkansas accent, it has come up with other bloggers I've met. The funny thing about the call from Katherine is that she called my office. When I answered the phone, she asked to speak to Laurie, and I told her that this is Laurie. Katherine said "you don't sound like yourself"! Now remember, I've never spoken with Katherine before. We've only left messages on each other's blogs for so long that we feel that we have spoken. We talked for a long time, and I hope I didn't wear her out, but it was just so much fun to actually talk to her. Even when she's in pain, she is a sweetie! She will not be able to blog for a long time, so please continue to send cards for her in care of me, as shown on my sidebar. Some of you have already sent them, and I have forwarded them to Katherine. She told me that she has received a lot of cards.

Also, don't forget to keep sending cards to Andrew in care of me (also on my sidebar). He and his family are home from the hospital now, but I know he must be very lonely, and his mother, Melanie, relates that he has severe headaches and nausea.

Thank you so much for coming to visit me (I hope you don't feel like you gained 10 pounds while you were here.) (I also hope there is still some candy left in my centerpiece when Halloween night gets here!). I'm linking to Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday and Fiberdoodles for the Halloween party. Don't forget to go to these blogs for links to more Blogville fun, and hopefully fewer calories than what I have shown! laurie

CAN I PICK AN ESTATE SALE, OR WHAT?

I went to another estate sale in Memphis this weekend. Although I couldn't afford to buy anything, I had so much fun just seeing this house and furnishings. So, I thought I'd take you along for a look.

Annesdale (c.1855)

This Italian Villa mansion was built by a Dr. Samuel Mansfield, a wholesale druggist, probably as a wedding present for the wife he married in 1855. In 1869 Robert Brinkley bought it as a wedding gift for his daughter, Annie Overton Brinkley, who married Col. Robert Bogardus Snowden. The two-hundred-acre estate was named Annesdale, pronounced "Annie's Dale," in her honor.

Architecturally, the house, with its square tower, bracketed cornice, round-arched porch, and asymmetrical plan, was absolutely up-to-date for the mid-1850's. Although the name of its designer is unknown, details of the exterior and elements of the plan quite possibly were derived from a "Norman Villa" designed by the Philadelphia architect Samuel Sloane and published in his book, The Model Architect, in 1852. Sloane designed one of the South's great houses, the Arabian-Nights fantasy of Longwood, at Natchez, in 1859, which was based on "An Oriental Villa" in The Model Architect.

There were gorgeous, ginormous bookcases everywhere,

Amazing painted ceilings,

Chandeliers with lots of bling,

Incredible architecture,

Gorgeous furnishings,

And ornate fireplaces in every room.




Now I'll leave you alone and let you look around and take in all of the beauty.

I hope you enjoyed seeing this house as much as I did.

I have to show you one more thing. I WON A PRIZE! Isn't Blogville a wonderful place? I was so excited when I found out that Martha at Mid Atlantic Martha had drawn my name to win this lighted wine bottle and tassel.

Isn't that cool? I have some bottles with Halloween labels on them displayed in our bar, so my bottle light has found a place with them for now.

I was so excited when the package arrived, and I couldn't wait to get it out and plug it in. When I started opening the package, I found even more goodies inside! Just look at all of the surprises Martha sent me, and isn't her little notecard just the cutest?

Martha has apparently read my blog enough to know that I love anything Mary Engelbreit! Aren't those cute? And did you see those cute Halloween tissues and the candle (cider web-isn't that a cute fragrance name?). I know Martha thought I didn't have enough Halloween decor at my house! Thank you so much Martha. If you don't know Martha, you need to go meet her at Mid-Atlantic Martha. You'll love what you find on her blog.

As always, I so appreciate you coming to visit my blog, and I love reading your comments. laurie

IN MEMORY OF AMY

Amy is no longer in pain. It is so hard to put into words what we feel at times like this. Amy has touched so many lives around the world. We have prayed for her and we have sent her cards; yet Amy is the one who has given to us. We have read of her faith in God, and her strength, smiles, and even laughter in the face of so much pain. There have been days when I thought of Amy's pain and realized that nothing I faced could compare with what this brave young lady was facing so courageously and beautifully.

We rejoice for her life; we rejoice for the opportunity to have "known" Amy; and we rejoice in the knowledge that she is now in a better place and is no longer in pain. We pray for and cry for her family and for those of us who learned from her example, felt like we "knew" her, and had come to love her. Amy will be missed by many. laurie

CONDOLENCES MAY BE LEFT in the Guestbook at http://www.andersonburris.com/ragan.htm. EDITED TO ADD: I had trouble posting to this guestbook and had to email the funeral home and ask that they add my message to Amy Ragan's guestbook: ab@andersonburris.com