Peaceful Evenings

Yesterday I went to tour the farm that will host our brunch next month.  It was great to see the location; I immediately knew how the service and dining tables need to be organized, and how the table tops can be styled.  Arriving back home, I took a few rough snaps to send to Raquel and our hostess; pressed burlap runners will be topped with winter greens from the hostess’ garden as well as my own.  A pop of red Toyon berries will provide color and a little Christmas reference.  Lots and lots of paperwhites will add to the fragrance of the greens~

Rather than toss the few cuttings I had gathered, I put them in a small glass and started to organize the coffee table in the living room for the Holidays~

Sentimental objects from around the house are coming together to fill the tray~

To start, an old French candlestick that I have yet to clean, and my grandparents’ rosaries~

 

Now that this little corner of the house is clean and cozy, I’m also feeling very motivated to get back to playing my harp, which I have played in fits and starts over the last two years but not at all, not even once, in the last nine months with my parents’ health issues.  Enough….now it’s time for me...

So now, every night after I get my parents to bed, I am spending more than an hour on easy tunes (especially now, Christmas carols) and “ladders.”  Funny that though I played piano and violin as a child, I feel like I’m really starting over from zero.  It reminds me of so many people who have told me that they have completely forgotten any of the French that they had learned at an earlier age…use it or lose it….so now I am determined to keep at my music and like French, to learn it well enough that I won’t forget it.

Honey is one of my groupie; she especially loves it when I sing along and doesn’t care if I miss a note or not….

She’s right at my side, since it’s extremely difficult to play the harp while a dog is sitting on your lap…

Miss Biscuit….less so…..she’s more interested in investigating if there might be a mouse under the sofa~

Since Mom has use of her arm again, she’s helping me with some light cleaning each evening, and also providing me with a little moral support as I cook and clean every evening.  Soon the tree will be up next to this fireplace, and we will sit here every night for several hours.  While we love summers outside, we look forward to holiday evenings around the tree in this living room all year long.

Wishing you some lovely & peaceful evenings as all the holidays approach.