Everyday Living

Tablescape Tuesday: A French Scarf

~ Food & Entertaining, Tablescape Tuesday

“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭121:1-2‬ ‭

We all know that French women have that certain “je ne sais quoi”!  They can take a very simple and basic outfit and turn it into the most stylish and elegant statement by one simple addition…a scarf!  While visiting Paris in 2006, I found a floral scarf with rich vibrant colors as I was shopping along streets near the Champs-Élysées.  Believe it or not, it was reasonably priced…so it of course had to come home with me!  Yes, scarves can finish off our outfits as that perfect accessory, but they also serve many more purposes! By now you may have noticed that scarves are no stranger to Tablescape Tuesday here at Everyday Living…they show up as table runners often!  I welcome you to the table today, where my inspiration is that long-ago purchase of “a French scarf”!


 
As you can see, the French scarf takes center stage at my table set for four.
READ MORE

Simple + Southern Sunday No. 118

~ Simple + Southern Sunday

“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭4:9‬ ‭
*

“The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star, and reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled, and pardoned from his sin.
Oh, love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure— The saints’ and angels’ song”
Frederick M. Lehman

 
“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭4:10‬ ‭


Noccalula Falls is roaring after much needed rain!
READ MORE

Romantic Rosecliff Mansion

~ Travel

“And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22:37‬ ‭ 

You may remember taking a road trip with us early last fall to New England…Boston, Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard.  Ring a bell?   After Butch carefully planned our itinerary, I realized how close we would be to Newport, RI…so  I suggested we add a couple of extra days to see what it was all about!  He was so sweet to agree, and we made our way over!  Being the history buff that I am, I had read and been somewhat fascinated by the Gilded Age, a time in  American history that saw rapid economic growth.   A couple of visits to the Biltmore and a trip to Hearst Castle had piqued my interest in this era of American history.  Newport was the summer playground for the wealthiest industrialists who built opulent mansions facing the sea.  So of course,  I had to see what this was all about  We toured three of the mansions, and with Valentine’s Day on my mind,  I am sharing the most romantic of all, Rosecliff.  Put on your walking shoes and be ready to take in all of the eye candy!


Rosecliff was built between 1898-1902 by Nevada silver heiress, Theresa “Tessie”Fair Oelrichs and her husband, Hermann Oelrichs who was wealthy in his own right.  They purchased the land in 1891 from George Bancroft, an amateur horticulturist who developed the American Beauty Rose.  The flamboyant architect, Stanford White modeled the mansion after the Grand Trianon, the garden retreat of French kings at Versailles. In 1902 upon Rosecliff’s completion, it was reported to have cost $2.5 million.


The architect created an exquisite house clad in gleaming white terra-cotta tiles delicately adorned with cascades of flowers and musical instruments.
READ MORE