Everyday Living

Tablescape Tuesday: Bringing Tuscany to Turkeytown

~ Food & Entertaining, Tablescape Tuesday, Travel

“On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate”
Psalm 145:5

After reading Frances Mayes memoir, “Under the Tuscan Sun”, it became a dream of mine to visit Tuscany.  Finally, in 2004, we made our first trip!  On that trip, we visited Florence (the birthplace of the Renaissance),  San Gimignano (known as the Town of Fine Towers), and Siena (likely Italy’s loveliest medieval city).  In 2010, when we returned to Tuscany, we sailed into the port city of Livorno (on the Ligurian Sea).  Next, we traveled to Lucca (known for it’s Renaissance-era city walls), and to the nearby town of Torre del Lago (where we visited the Italian composer Puccini’s home).  And of course a trip to Tuscany would not be complete without a visit to Pisa, to see the famous leaning tower!

As I am writing this post, it is the first day of Autumn.  The beautiful colors of this, my favorite season, always take me back to those trips, namely the gorgeous color palette of the Tuscan villas and landscape: burnt umber and sienna, terra-cotta, and golden honey.

So, on this beautiful Autumn morning, I hope you will enjoy my version of how Tuscany meets Turkeytown!

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San Gimignano in the early morning fog

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Piazza Anfiteatro in Lucca, center of the town’s everyday living!

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The Leaning Tower of Pisa

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Not hard to see that the tower (background) is leaning!

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The colors of Tuscany remind me of autumn in the South

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Faux antler candle stands purchased (yes, you guessed) at TJ Maxx!

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Discovered this hand-painted pitcher in San Gimignano.  The hand embroidered olive table square was found in Rhodes, Greece last fall.

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Centerpiece is a bowl of autumn’s best vegetables (sweet potatoes, butternut squash, eggplant, carrots, etc).  All these veggies will be roasted and used in pasta or soup dishes!

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The colorful amber, amethyst, and peridot stemware is a favorite for fall.  A great buy at Tuesday Morning!

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The salad plates of gold, rust, green, and brown in a leaf-shape pattern will often grace our fall tables!

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The Tuscan colors of burnt umber and sienna, terra-cotta, and golden honey

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After dinner and dishes are cleared, I will enjoy the simplicity of this table for the remainder of the week!

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The hand carved dough bowl (used as my centerpiece) was made by Mr. Bill Kelly and given to my parents in December of 2002, on their 50th wedding anniversary, and is particularly dear to my heart.  Mr. Bill and his wife, Mrs. Cora, along with my precious Mother, are now in heaven.  My parents and the Kellys’ shared a beautiful, Christ-centered friendship!  They often shared meals at each of their homes.

“All of my life, in every season, you are still God, I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship”

“Desert Song“, Hillsong

Transitional Tablescape Tuesday

~ Food & Entertaining, Tablescape Tuesday

“For everything there is a season,
and a time for every matter under heaven…”
Ecclesiastes 3:1

It’s that time of year again. You can’t decide whether to wear summer or fall clothes. You aren’t sure if you should go ahead and put away the strappy sandals and dig out the winter boots. And you can’t make up your mind if you should decorate your dining table with summer’s bright colors or to bring in the pumpkins! So, this is the answer to the dilemma:  our transitional table!

Using books as a theme has been an idea floating in my mind for a couple of years.  Butch and I love to read.  He will usually read a book per week on his iPad, and I will read two or three a month.  I much prefer the smell and feel of an actual book and turning real pages as opposed to an e-book.   We have an extensive collection of books written by Christian authors such as C. S. Lewis, Charles Swindoll, Philip Yancey, and Max Lucado.  We mainly enjoy non-fiction, however, Francine Rivers is a favorite! I have amassed a large collection of coffee table books–mostly consisting of decorating, food, and travel. But our favorite book is God’s Holy Word, the Bible, as we so desperately need his instruction for our everyday living.  ttt2

Cotton paisley tablecloth purchased at…(can you guess??)…TJ Maxx!

For smell, texture, and an earthy touch, I added coffee beans to the hurricane globes and the amber stemware often graces our tables during the Fall!

This leather box engraved with my initials is a precious momento from Florence, Italy and rests on a pair of antique leather books

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You will be seeing the Spode “Woodland” dinner plates in the weeks to come– love their autumnal color!

These individual books of the Bible were found in an antique shop in Highlands, NC– they are leather bound and I regret that I did not buy all of them!

The faux leather placemats were added for texture. The Eiffel Tower place card holders were a gift from a friend–I do love Paris!

I gathered sage, loropetalum, and persimmons from my yard for the julep cups

The olive wood Bible is from Jerusalem and is a treasured find! I have collected magnifying glasses and scattered some on this tablescape. The napkin rings were a gift from a friend– I do love bling!

The architect’s model of an iron spiral staircase, used as the centerpiece, normally sits on a table in our hallway

 As always, thank you for reading our blog!

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“You observe days and months and seasons and years!”
Galatians 4:10

Tablescape Tuesday– Summer’s Happy Ending!

~ Food & Entertaining, Tablescape Tuesday

With the days of summer coming to an end, I wanted to “squeeze” in one last tablescape of the season!  To me, the colors in this tablescape are just happy!

  (Make sure you scroll all the way down for a sweet treat!)

I have always loved the crisp look of blue and white mixed with a sunny yellow.  The dinner plates are “Willow” by Johnson Brothers.  The tablecloth was my first linen purchase as a new bride forty-one years ago.  Placemats add texture and were found at TJ Maxx.

Katy’s Nana grew these glorious zinnias in her garden

The stemware was ordered from Horchow and they remain a favorite

Several years back, my Sunday School class took an outing to the Botanical Gardens in Huntsville, AL where I found these sweet hand painted clay pots used as my napkin holders.

Fresh from the oven, Lemon Rosemary Shortbread with a tall glass of sweet tea.  Butch and I love this recipe! 

Thanks for visiting with us on our patio!

Lemon Rosemary Shortbread

3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons fresh minced rosemary
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a medium bowl, beat butter and sugar at a medium-high speed with a mixer until creamy. Add lemon zest and rosemary, beating until combined.  In a small bowl combine flour and salt.  Gradually add to butter mixture, beating until combined.  Shape mixture into 2 (10-inch) logs; wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.  Preheat oven to 350.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  Unwrap dough, and cut into 1/3 inch-thick slices.  Bake for 11 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.  Let cool on pans for 2 minutes.  Remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.  Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

“May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you”
Jude 1:2