Fellowship, Feasting ~ a Time of Good Cheer,

“Christmas means fellowship, feasting, giving and receiving, a time of good cheer, home.” W J Tucker *

All that build up, planning, shopping, cooking, excitement---! And then you blink and the holidays are gone. No matter how hard I try to keep things simple, there is to me, a tradition, anticipation, feeling that a great wonderful thing will occur. But as Lori mentioned in the comments, a bit of a letdown afterwards. But not always, this year was wonderful, my small family was together, everyone was happy and presents all seemed to please. Mo did well, patiently wearing all his Santa outfits, allowing himself to be fussed over and cuddled when he rather be chewing a jerky stick.

Our family celebration is on Christmas Eve. I was always told this is a German/ European custom, but I am not sure that's true. I think my parents were avoiding crazy Christmas 5 AMs.

The house is as decorated as it's going to be!

Peeking in from the deck.

My little white china house with its ''lit up in the darkness'' windows.

The table is set simply, this is a family supper.

More elaborate is the big antipasto platter, which we nibble on as we toast the holiday and open our gifts.

I wear my candy cane striped apron from my dad, my tree pin from my mom.

The wine glasses always go on this silver tray which was a wedding gift to me. I remember thinking, How useless is a silver tray! yet it has worked every Christmas, New Years and birthday since the day it was unwrapped. I always choose special paper plates for the antipasto and later for the cookies, tiny paper napkins to go with. Another little trick from my mother: Party plates! are essential, despite owning shelves of small china plates designed for just this purpose. A scented candle, Mistletoe.

Here is our family table: the Wedgwood reindeer plates, a glowing glittery snowball  candle surrounded by fresh greens, thrift store napkins.

I almost always use this handwoven, hand embroidered Swedish tablecloth for Christmas Eve.

I love its crinkled homespun linen texture, its string-like white stitching of reindeer and trees and exotic birds.

My mother found it at Wellfleet Flea Market, in Cape Cod, many years ago.

The menu:

Antipasto: grilled marinated Italian veggies, four or more kinds of cheese [yellow Stilton with dried apricots; wine and garlic infused cheddar; lactose free mozzarella, sharp provolone; marinated goat cheese.] Salamis. Crackers. Nuts and apple slices.

Wine: Pindar Summer Blush, a gift to me from my friend who knows I don't drink red wine.

Main course: Eggplant Parmesan. Sauce made ahead and frozen. Three hours standing in kitchen to fry the eggplant. I make it a day ahead.

Dessert: the infamous gluten free snowballs, and TJ's Peppermint Bark popcorn balls. Mixed nuts and dried fruit.

..................

Christmas Day I was invited to my friends' house for dinner.

My friend did her table simpler too, plainer than her Thanksgiving table, blue hand blocked cotton napkins and her driftwood candelabra.

Menu: charcuterie platter, including exceptional honey infused goat cheese and three kinds of salami.

Main course: Braised beef short ribs w/ jus or horseradish sauce; mashed parsnips, roasted  baby asparagus, with lemon mayonnaise drizzle; roasted tricolor baby potatoes with garlic and rosemary.

The wine, a good red cabernet sauvignon, Etude Winery.

dessert: chocolate chip cookies and chocolate mint brownies. My friend's trademark cooky is her choc-chips and she is such a confident hostess that she put them in to bake while we ate dinner, so the house was filled with fragrant cookies baking scent, and they were warm and gooey and delicious. With choice of iced coffee or rum cask aged Scottish whisky.

Mo was entranced by the good smells.

....

I feel gifts are somewhat personal and private but I'll share a few, since we talked about special gifts...

From my children, a beautifully handcrafted yarn bowl! I have wanted one for years.

And this adorable knitting kit to go with, a darling pompom hat!

The kit comes with a pattern, bulky merino wool yarn in soft grey and dusty pink [pom]; lovely dark bamboo needles, fortuitously in size 10.5, as I am not a fan of the truly giant needles. Yet these and the bulky yarn will rewardingly knit up very fast. Neither of my kids knits so they were just going by observation and they chose so well. And when finished, I will have a warm and super cute hat to wear when I walk Mo.

And from my brother and sister in law, among other gifts, this wonderful grouping of the thimbles I collect! Plus lovely fabrics and the too-pretty-to-write-on diary. I was thrilled and I love picturing them all summer, as they do their usual flea market hunting, finding these treasures for me.

From my friend L, this lovely red amaryllis. Not yet in bloom.

And from me to me, some books from an online used bookstore.

The days ended quietly. Soft early winter sunsets.

I hope your holiday was wonderful and filled with laughter and love and joy, as mine was.

love

lizzy 

gone to the beach...........

Below, the ships that were lit up later that night, click to enlarge

*PS I have no idea who the man who wrote these words is, Google was no help...but I like them.

Flea-ing...Flea market Finds

 

Hi everyone! This was just such a great day! Last night the first cold front of Fall blew in around two A M. Don't you love that first truly chilly night, when the curtains billow and snap in the wind and you snuggle deep under your down comforter, thinking maybe this week it's time to put the flannel sheets on...then you sink into a deep dark no-dreams sleep. Mmmmm.
I was up and out early [for me] and bundled up in layers, off to the flea market. (Good thing I did layers because it was pretty hot at the market, many people still in shorts and flipflops and I was wishing I was too, dressed in a cashmere sweater and jeans.)Beautiful drive northeast--- the leaves are quite colorful away from the ocean. Lots of brilliant reds and golds on this scenic parkway.

The market this week and last week were excellent, less granny's garage sale rejects, more fun antiques. I found things *I* like, though you may think I'm in a bit of a rut, because just now as I edited the photos, it all looked a bit same-old. Then again, I am buying mostly materials for my etsy and eBay shops.

A bag of pretty linens. There's a lot of linen here just to be reused as solid.

An interesting damask ''guest'' towel or show towel, with hand knotted fringe.

Cross-stitched Italian souvenir bridge or tea cloth. I can cut out the flower sections for linen hearts, for spring. So dainty and sweet.

Same with the little napkins. Cute motifs here, a bit different, a moth, a dragonfly?

Tablecloth with embroidered baskets. They'll make cute springtime hearts or little aprons for prim Easter Bunnies, maybe? large pinkeep?

The unusual find in this baggie [I bought it for a few dollars, unopened] was the papers tucked inside. A baby photo, some mass cards, a bill for a sewing machine, and this beautifully inscribed envelope with an Italian stamp, postmarked "Messina Italy". Remnants of previous owner's life and loves?

Then a bag of buttons.

Yes I have tons of buttons, but I 'm always looking for more. Bakelite, retro plastic, paste and white metal [rhinestone] ; black metal hearts with rhinestones. No stars , too bad, I am searching for antique stars for the Flags quilt.

Thimbles..

for my little thimble collection.

These are brass, one is a tailor's thumb thimble, I think. It's very large.

A small yelloware mixing bowl.

I love the rather crude glaze and esecially love the robin's egg blue band which I have never seen before. Had to have it!

And then this cutie: Mrs. Tiggywinkle!

She is a Beatrix Potter character. Royal Doulton has made these figurines for many years. When I was a tiny girl and adored my little grey-green Beatrix Potter books, I had just a few of these rather costly animals. I had Mrs. Tittlemouse and The Fierce Bad Rabbits in their wicker crib. The Kitten one, I forget his name. [Tom Kitten?]
But my all time fave was Mrs. Tiggywinkle and I never had her figurine. Til now. The others were lost through time and moves and growing up. (She is a hedgehog.)

A favorite writer/ illustrator of mine, Susan Branch, collects these figures and sells them in her shop. here I believe the ones she sells are vintage and the figures are no longer made.  Perhaps an eBay item, if I can bear to part with her.

I was surprised upon studying Mrs. TW that she is holding a cup of tea---I thought her figure held an iron, as she is the woodlands's little laundress.

Today's finds...blue transferware platters.

One is big and the other is HUGE.

This pattern is marked Byzantium.

 

The name and designs were used throughout the 1800s. I am guessing this one dates from about 1840, since the later ones were printed in dark navy blue with hints of grey, not in this pale baby blue.

And this is marked Medina. It is enormous, turkey sized 18" x 14" which is bigger than it sounds.

Maker's mark. Online search shows it as dating from about 1845.

 

The border almost looks sponge painted. Unusual design. Like an early calico, isn't it?

 

 

 

I finished so early I decided I'd stop in the thrift shop while I was out east on the mainland. I found a great tweed jacket! Marked 14.00 but 6.oo off because of...? [no clue but why argue, lol.]

It's a beautiful tweed wool, rather long, almost a short coat and just what I've been looking for, especially for eight bucks. Usually in the fall I wear a sweater and an ancient denim jacket but that looks wrong with jeans, hence the idea of wearing vintage thrifted tweed instead.

When I got home I got a text from my friend saying he could go with me to the doggy park with Mo. I hadn't wanted to go alone, unsure of who might be there---it's in  nearby park but quite isolated out in the dunes. And I wasn't sure how Mo would behave.

Turns out, the doggy folks are nice, their big dogs beautifully gentle and trained.

 

Mo was good, for a puppy and his first time. One nice guy brought his big gentle Weimeraner mix into the small dog area to give Mo an introduction to big dogs, then the other folks said Mo should come out and play in the huge yard.

We had so much fun! I wish I could tell you Mo was tuckered out. But no.... Here he is later, helpimg unpack the flea market finds.

Have a great week. Be sure to check out my Around the World featured blogs' posts this week, when they'll write their stories and tag the next bunch of new friends for us to meet.

Dorothy

Tammy

Kit

love

 lizzy

gone to the beach......