Polar Express Children’s Breakfast

It’s a tradition now—my brother and SIL, and my husband and I, take all our grands on a Polar Express or Christmas train ride (depending on who’s sponsoring it), sometime before Christmas. We make a day of it, they wearing their cute plaid pajamas, and the adults may wear a reindeer nose or antlers…all in good fun for our babies.

Typically our chickadees spend the night with us, and we have a special breakfast to kick off the special day.

A couple of years ago UPS came to our door, delivering our very own Polar Express electric train! Mr. CHN had “heard” my heart’s desire :). Now we could start yet another beautiful tradition for our babies—a train for the Christmas tree!

Now that we had the train, the theme for our breakfast was, of course, based on the book, THE POLAR EXPRESS.

While the chickadees were snug in their beds, Ata (that’s me!) in her kerchief in her apron was busy setting a magical table for their surprise the following morning! I used a soft, fuzzy blanket as the snow, with thoughts of the trip to the North Pole, through forests and mountains and wildlife. (The mountains and valleys were created with stacks of cookbooks hidden under the deep, deep snow.)

The train comes complete with a hobo and his campfire,

the conductor and the nameless boy, referred to as “Hero Boy” in reviews and book summaries, and…

a silver bell, which I am happy to report we ALL can hear!

When I was in high school I traveled to Europe with a group of friends, and one of the highlights was spending a couple of nights in a Swiss chalet in the mountains, where there was snow even though it was summer. It was my first experience with down comforters, which were an absolute necessity! At night we could see the tiny lights in the valley below, and that beautiful scene I believe will forever be etched in my mind. It was that memory that created the scene for our quiet, snowy village where the babies would have their breakfast.

Conductors need a lantern…

Baby Love Chickadee had made this “snowflake” ornament, so of course it was included in our snowy scene!

The menu consisted of yogurt parfaits, served in the footed holly-and-berries bowls, milk in the bottles Ata decorated and saved from a snowman table (that’s another post, someday…), and yes,

TRAIN pancakes, with whipped cream steam! (The pancake mold is part of a transportation package from Williams- Sonoma.)

Sleepy travelers will soon be energized by the sugar high and the excitement of our adventure!

 

I hope this Polar Express breakfast inspires you to listen for the bell.

  May you always hear it.

I still believe!

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I’m thrilled to know you stopped by, and I’ll always visit back and comment too. If you like what you see, I invite you to follow me (I promise to follow back).

Don’t forget to pin these ideas, and I invite you to follow me at Pinterest too! I love Pinterest, so I’ll help you find the good stuff!

NOTE: Some of the items I use in my posts are for sale. If you see something you like and wonder if it’s available, email me at coral5252@gmail.com and let’s talk!

Monday Show and Share at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/

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Masterpiece Monday at http://californiacoastalhome.blogspot.com/

Karen’s Monday Something to Talk About at http://www.karensuponthehill.com/

Tuesday’s Blog Shop Listings at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/

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Inspire Me Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

Wednesdays at DIY Design at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com\

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

Wednesday Share Your Style at http://www.nominimalisthere.com/

Thursdays Share Your Cup with Mrs. Olson at http://jannolson.blogspot.com/

Thursdays From My Front Porch to Yours at http://www.frommyfrontporchtoyours.com/

Share Your Style Thursdays at http://www.nominimalisthere.com

Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/

Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Thursdays at http://www.impartinggrace.com/

Thursday Your Turn to Shine at http://blesserhouse.blogspot.com/

Share Your Style Thursday at http://www.Commonground-do.com/

Freedom Fridays at http://www.myturnforus.com/

Fridays at Feathered Nest: http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Fridays at http://rootedinthyme.blogspot.com/

Fridays at Home Sweet Home: http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Fridays at 7 pm, Link Party Palooza: http://lilluna.com/

Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Pink Saturdays at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/

Saturday at http://www.craft-o-maniac.com/

Saturdays at http://piecedpastimes.blogspot.com/

Saturdays at Be Different, Act Normal at http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/

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Sundays at Silver Pennies: http://www.findingsilverpennies.com/

Sundays at Rustic and Refined: http://www.rustic-refined.com/

From my nest to yours~

Zuni

Fall-to-Thanksgiving Home Tour

Well, here we are! We’ll be celebrating Thanksgiving in a few short weeks, so most of us are quickly shifting to “the holidays.” Every time I say or hear “the holidays” I put Thanksgiving and Christmas (my favorite time of the year) into a package, and I think that’s helping me to see them as bookends—Thanksgiving is the beginning and Christmas—well, in our case the Epiphany—is the end. If I don’t look at it this way, then I feel {more} rushed to get to Christmas, and I certainly don’t want to rush a day when we are intentional in our giving thanks!

In the last few weeks I gave you a tour of our front porch (here), which included a picture of our screened porch decked out in teal and orange—loved that combination every time I glanced out there! (I updated that space too, but oops! didn’t take pictures. I’ll try to add one or two in the next few days. I did keep the teal and orange!)

Here’s what I’ve done now, putting Halloween away (no more jack-o-lanterns or tiny orange lights on the front porch) and getting ready for Thanksgiving.

C’mon in! Let’s visit for a while! I bet we’ll talk mostly decorating and homemaking—that’s fine with me!

Welcome to our cottage. I hope you’ll find it warm and inviting, and that maybe you’ll leave with some inspiration or ideas of things to do in my home. That’s what happens to me—I don’t necessarily want to copy what I see, but it surely inspires me to see beautiful things, AND it often reminds me of things I have and had forgotten! (Does that happen to you too? Please say yes!! Maybe we have too much stuff to keep track of?? Never!!!)

The terra cotta jack-o-lanterns are replaced by a basket overflowing with pinecones, preserved orange slices and fall leaves, and a metal pumpkin.

This is the scene that will greet you as you reach the door. C’mon, c’mon in!

The buffet has just a touch of fall—a small sunflower-and-berries-and-twigs arrangement to balance the African violets that felt a little “spring-y” but HAVE to stay because they are so happy there!

  My Southern Living Ballard Designs tiered basket is a decorating workhorse. It’s so versatile! (I’ve done many posts using this basket. You can see it here and here, and just in time for “the holidays,” here you can see how I used it at our hot chocolate station. Simply search my blog for “tiered” and you’ll be able to see the many iterations of this awesome piece!)

The china cabinet was re-styled (you knew that, didn’t you?), from a simple fall decor ~

~ BEFORE ~

to a decidedly Thanksgiving decor ~

~ NOW ~

The turkey plates are out! And readily accessible to use in our everyday lives.

Royal Stafford turkey plates, and

Friendly Village turkey plates

I just love this bucolic farm scene, don’t you? Living on a farm is not on my wish list, but for Thanksgiving it sure has a romantic ring…

 

And of course, fall pictures of some of the baby chickadees~

Cleaning up the yard I found these remnants of a tiny Summer’s End hydrangea—a sweet end-of-summer gift to bring inside.With its beautiful pink and green I think it’ll dry beautifully!

I hope you’ve gotten some easy, very do-able decorating ideas to bring fall and Thanksgiving into your home. I bet you noticed that—AGAIN—I took an easy approach with the china cabinet. I had the foundation for fall, and simply added a few dishes and other touches to move into Thanksgiving. That’s my kind of decorating!

Since we celebrate the Epiphany AND we buy a live tree, we probably won’t be getting our tree until the second weekend in December, but I think I’ll decorate the house the weekend after Thanksgiving. This year, thanks to Pinterest in large part, I’m anxious to bring Christmas to our home (I asked Mr. Chickadee (I was kidding, really) what he thought of my starting to decorate for Christmas now…a very firm NO!! LOL

When will you start your Christmas decorating? If you have a live tree does that impact when you decorate? I can’t wait!

Wishing you a happy “holiday season” that allows you to enjoy fall/Thanksgiving while looking forward to the most wonderful time of the year.

And now I leave you with one more collage—celebrating God’s artistry, right from our front door!

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I’m thrilled to know you stopped by, and I’ll always visit back and comment too. If you like what you see, I invite you to follow me (I promise to follow back).

Don’t forget to pin these ideas, and I invite you to follow me at Pinterest too! I love Pinterest, so I’ll help you find the good stuff!

NOTE: Some of the items I use in my posts are for sale. If you see something you like and wonder if it’s available, email me at coral5252@gmail.com and let’s talk!

Monday Show and Share at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/

Mondays at The Art of Homemaking at http://strangersandpilgrimsonearth.blogspot.com/

Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com

Metamorphosis Monday at http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

ModMix Monday at http://modvintagelife.blogspot.com/

Make it Pretty Monday at http://www.thededicatedhouse.com/

Amaze Me Monday at http://www.dwellings-theheartofyourhome.com/

Inspire Me Monday at http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

Masterpiece Monday at http://californiacoastalhome.blogspot.com/

Karen’s Monday Something to Talk About at http://www.karensuponthehill.com/

Tuesday’s Blog Shop Listings at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/

Tuesdays at Our Home at http://mariaelenasdecor.blogspot.com/

Tuesdays at The Scoop at http://www.stonegableblog.com/

Tuesdays at http://theenchantingrose.blogspot.com/

Inspire Me Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

Wednesdays at DIY Design at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com\

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

Wednesday Share Your Style at http://www.nominimalisthere.com/

Thursdays Share Your Cup with Mrs. Olson at http://jannolson.blogspot.com/

Thursdays From My Front Porch to Yours at http://www.frommyfrontporchtoyours.com/

Share Your Style Thursdays at http://www.nominimalisthere.com

Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/

Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Thursdays at http://www.impartinggrace.com/

Thursday Your Turn to Shine at http://blesserhouse.blogspot.com/

Share Your Style Thursday at http://www.Commonground-do.com/

Freedom Fridays at http://www.myturnforus.com/

Fridays at Feathered Nest: http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Fridays at http://rootedinthyme.blogspot.com/

Fridays at Home Sweet Home: http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Pink Saturdays at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/

Saturday at http://www.craft-o-maniac.com/

Saturdays at http://piecedpastimes.blogspot.com/

Saturdays at Be Different, Act Normal at http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/

From my nest to yours~

Zuni

Porch Fall Decor Ideas

It’s late fall, and here in Ohio we’ve been blessed with the absolutely most beautiful fall colors ever. Yes, even I, who dreads the end of summer, have thoroughly enjoyed fall this year. Bright, blue skies, just-slightly cooler weather (great for sleeping with the windows open!), and the gorgeous color! What gifts God gives us!

So this year it’s been easy to “get in the mood” and allow fall into our home! Welcome!

A simple garland, wrapped around your porch light, is especially lovely at night when the light is on. (And by the way, this picture has been one of my most popular pins on Pinterest!)

Twigs in a vintage wicker plant stand, wrapped with a garland and orange lights, accompanied by a wrought iron pumpkin filled with pumpkins and a candle, adds contrast and texture to the front porch.

A close-up for the garland for the twigs.

A small nod to Halloween—for the grandchickadees, of course!

And last but not least, of course, the screened porch. You didn’t think I’d ignore that favorite spot, did you?!

Because we can see this “room” from inside our home, decorating it is a ‘must’ for me, and this year I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the combination of teal and orange. It’s amazing how color can bring such pleasure!

Again we’re careening into Thanksgiving, and then, of course, that most wonderful time of the year! Next post I’ll share the inside decor that will carry us through Thanksgiving, and then…the BIG switch!

I’ve seen lots of great outdoor decor in your blogs and on Pinterest this year, and I haven’t tired of it yet, so please continue to share your beautiful homes and touches…they’re great inspiration. I hope mine was inspirational as well!

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I’m thrilled to know you stopped by, and I’ll always visit back and comment too. If you like what you see, I invite you to follow me (I promise to follow back), and please—Pin away and follow me on Pinterest too! Thank you!!

NOTE: Some of the items I use in my posts are in my Etsy shop, but many are not, simply because I haven’t updated my shop. If you see something you like and wonder if it’s available for sale, email me at coral5252@gmail.com and let’s talk!

Fridays at Feathered Nest: http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Fridays at http://rootedinthyme.blogspot.com/

Fridays at Home Sweet Home: http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Pink Saturdays at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/

Saturday at http://www.craft-o-maniac.com/

Saturdays at http://piecedpastimes.blogspot.com/

Saturdays at Be Different, Act Normal at http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/

Monday Show and Share at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/

Mondays at The Art of Homemaking at http://strangersandpilgrimsonearth.blogspot.com/

Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com

Metamorphosis Monday at http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

ModMix Monday at http://modvintagelife.blogspot.com/

Amaze Me Monday at http://www.dwellings-theheartofyourhome.com/

Inspire Me Monday at http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

Masterpiece Monday at http://californiacoastalhome.blogspot.com/

Karen’s Monday Something to Talk About at http://www.karensuponthehill.com/

Tuesday’s Blog Shop Listings at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Tuesdays at Our Home at http://mariaelenasdecor.blogspot.com/

Tuesdays at The Scoop at http://www.stonegableblog.com/

Tuesdays at http://theenchantingrose.blogspot.com/

Inspire Me Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

Wednesdays at DIY Design at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com\

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

Thursdays Share Your Cup with Mrs. Olson at http://jannolson.blogspot.com/

Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/

Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Thursdays at http://www.impartinggrace.com/

Thursday Your Turn to Shine at http://blesserhouse.blogspot.com/

Thursday, From My Front Porch to Yours at http://www.frommyfrontporchtoyours.com/

Share Your Style Thursday at http://www.Commonground-do.com/

From my nest to yours~

Zuni