Monday Photo of the week - Mums and Indian Summer

 

Indian Summer
Nothing can steal your heart away
Quicker than Indian Summer days,
When the sun is warm and the shadows are cool,
The lake water stands like a bright blue pool.
The warm sand begs you to bare your feet
The balmy air is meadow-sweet,
Leaves are falling from colorful trees,
And nature has moved in, merely to tease...
She comes with her warm days, just to betray...
For winter is only a breath away!
~Sallie Hinds~

I say better late than never.

I hurt my right wrist - it's better.

We've hung drapes. I finally made a decision

We've cleaned the yard.It's been a long HOT summer.

Regan (our kitty) was sick. He's better.

 

 

I'm ordering new drapes for the living room. I made another decision.

I planted pansies. I planted mums. 

We've made some changes in the house. I made more decisions.

We were out of town to celebrate our baby's 30th birthday.

My brain is tired! 

Please enjoy the photos of the mums. These came from the wholesale florist. Isn't the color variation fabulous?

Thanks for dropping in and giving of your time. It's humbling. May your blessings be many!

   

Monday photo of the week - Fall

Pottery Barn - Fort Worth, Texas. Sunday September 18, 2011

Love this photo! the large urn, the chunky candle holders, the pumpkins, dried hydrangeas, antlers.
Fall.

Thank you for stopping by and spending your precious time with me. I treasure your gift.

From my inbox....

 I get the Cottage Journal in my inbox.  It pops in every so often. Filled with much goodness. decorating. cooking. pictures. ideas. pretty things.  Click HERE to sign up.

A Joann's coupon.. go to their website HERE to get your own.

Isn't it a relief when we reach the stage in life where we recognize the difference between solitude and loneliness.

 A beautiful quote from a blogging friend - Cherry Kay from Entertaining Women.

 Click HERE for this coupon!

Blog I found this week.. Click HERE for the blog.. yummy recipes..

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins....
1 John 1:9

From David Jeremiah's Turning Point - click HERE.

Thank you for coming to visit and spending your precious time with me. I hope you enjoy some of these links and that you have a great weekend.. 

Good Luck in the House tablescape for one

A plate from which I ate as a child. At my grandmother's house. There is another - somewhere. Note to self - find it! It was my favorite plate. Even as a child - I loved transferware! Shocked?

A wool shawl casually strewn about the table. White dinner plate instead of a charger. Brown napkin. Curvaceous crystal. Perfect for dinner for one.

Especially for one, bring out the candlestick. Light the candle.

Use the rosewood handled flatware.

 

Glück im Haus - Good luck in the house. 

No clue who the maker is.

 Dinner for one - Marie Callender's chicken pot pie.

Husband at meeting. House to self. Smiles.

Cast:

Shawl - gift from my dear friend Susan.

White dinner plate - Wedgwood Windsor

Bowl - German eons old, just like myself

Flatware - brass with rosewood handles gift from mom

Glasses - Mikasa French Countryside

Napkin - Tuesday Morning

Barley Twist Candestick - Antique English

I'll be visiting all the pretty tables at Susan's Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday party. I hope to see you there.

Comfort - Monday Photo of the Week

I love this corner of our living room. An old secretary. New couch. Down filled pillows. A very old piece of pottery. Dried lavender - a touch of Santa Fe. Comforts of home. Comfort to the soul.

Comfort

  SPEAK low to me, my Saviour, low and sweet
From out the hallelujahs, sweet and low
Lest I should fear and fall, and miss Thee so
Who art not missed by any that entreat.
Speak to mo as to Mary at thy feet !
And if no precious gums my hands bestow,
Let my tears drop like amber while I go
In reach of thy divinest voice complete
In humanest affection -- thus, in sooth,
To lose the sense of losing. As a child,
Whose song-bird seeks the wood for evermore
Is sung to in its stead by mother's mouth
Till, sinking on her breast, love-reconciled,
He sleeps the faster that he wept before.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Note: The needlepoint pillow was made by my mother when I was about 2 or 3. It's over half a century old. Wool needlepoint, fine cotton velvet. Every time I look at it, I see her hands.

Braised Pork Tenderloin with Sage recipe

One of our favorite meals.. easy and scrumptious too.

Braised Pork Tenderloin with Sage

3 lbs pork tenderloin
8 (or more) fresh sage leaves, plus a few extra for garnish
salt
freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, left whole
1/2 cup dry white wine, additional if needed
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons plain white flour
2 tablespoons butter
1 bay leaf

Rub the meat with salt and pepper.

Select a deep, heavy pot to fit tenderloins. Place over medium high heat and add 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil. Drop the 8 (or more) sage leaves into the bottom of the pan. When hot, add the tenderloins and sear quickly to brown lightly on all sides. 5-6 minutes total. Reduce heat to medium-low, add the garlic and saute gently, sitrring until ti just begins to change color, 1-2 minutes. Optional: Transfer the meat and garlic to a plate and off the fat from the pot. Return meat and garlic to the pot.

Add the bay leaf, 1/2 cup of wine and the balsamic vinegar. Cover tightly, reduce the heat to low, and simemr gently until tender when pierced with a fork, 1 1/2- 2 hours. Add more wine if needed to  maintain the level of liquid in the pot.

Transfer the meat to a serving platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Remove the garlic cloves, bay leaf and sage from the pan and discard. Optional: skim off any fat from the pan juices. You should have 1 cup of liquid, augment with water if you don't.

To make the sauce, in a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Add the flour and cook stirring for 1-2 minutes. Add the reserved pan juices, whisking constantly. Continue to whisk until thickened and smooth, 2-3 minutes. If the sauce is too thick, add water to achieve the desired consistency. If the sauce is too thin, add some Wondra, whisking constantly.

To serve, slice the meat and arrange on a platter. Spoon the sauce over the slices and garnish with sage leaves and blossoms. Serve with garlic mashed potatoes.

PRINTABLE RECIPE
 

Joining up with Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday.. cya there!

Thanks so much for dropping by today and spending some time here. I appreciate your visit and comments.

Rushing Fall tablescape

I know I shouldn't push fall to come this soon. However, with the massive heat wave we have had, maybe bringing in the browns will make it feel cooler! We did have two days this past Labor Day weekend where the AC didn't even think of kicking on! In the 60's on Sunday and 73 on Monday. We sat outside, we cooked out, we had doors and windows open, we reveled in the cooler temps!

So in honor of the cooler weather... browns and whites in a symphony of textures graced the table.

Our everyday Gorham flatware , so that everything is dishwasher friendly.. we are enjoying the cooler temps remember?

Simple white dinner plates on the nito/rattan chargers

Topped with a soup bowl in a lovely hue of golden brown

 Topped with a simple monogrammed napkin

I found these open weave Irish linen napkins a few weeks ago at an estate sale.. They had never been used! So I promptly sat down, washed them and then gave them each a monogram.

The burlap runner, large and medium cloche, mercury glass candelsticks, and cross all grace our dining table.. so no set up was necessary except the dishes and a few votives in lower glass containers. The glasses used are some of favorites, each purchased in Santa Fe.

 The matching carafe to the wine goblets.

 Spanish moss tufts fall from the candlestick to add to the earthly charm of the table.

A favorite white pitcher stand on guard at this end to refill guests drinks as needed.

 Pinecones, antique candles that were used as car headlights, a cross and some dried greenery sit atop the silver tray under the largest cloche.

 The smaller cloche sports a lovely etched thistle design.

Cast:

Burlap runner - handmade by moi

Cloches, silver tray - collected over time

Mercury glass candlesticks - Jackalope, Santa Fe

Water goblets, wine krugs - Santa Fe.

Cross - Spears Furniture, Lubbock

Nito/rattan chargers - World Market, Pier One

Dinner plate- Wedgwood Windsor

Soup bowl - Certified International

Flatware - Gorham

Napkins - estate sale, embroidered on a Bernina 730E

Thank you very much for dropping in this week. Thank all y'all from the bottom of my heart for all the well wishes this past week. Both parents are doing well and on the mend. 

I'll be linking to Tablescape Thursday at Susan's Between Naps on the Porch and to Seasonal Sunday at the Tablescapers... please drop in, I'd love to catch you there!! Besides.. Susan is hosting a fabulous giveaway from one of my favorite bloggers - Lana at Motif!! Check it out HERE.