Spent some time in the garden this weekend, and all I have is one word for you: lilacs. Oh my god, are they heaven on earth! You can be anywhere in the entire yard (even in the front, but the lilacs are out back) and the wind will carry it’s heavenly scent to you. Why, oh why, can’t lilac season last forever?
I’m thinking it’s right about time to have a spring tea party for all the wonderful women in my life…
{image from my Mom’s winter tea party in February. For more of my images of this tea party, check out my Flickr}
Sunday was perfect: family, good food, lots of tea, a hot fireplace, and plenty of relaxing and gabbing. The birthday tea party I hosted for my Mom went well, with the exception of some very missed and loved family members (who were all sick… and I hope are all on the mend!). I did a little bit of decorating for the party, including making 2 paper garlands for the fireplace mantel (after being so inspired by this garland by Lobster and Swan). Surprisingly, preparing for the party went well and there was no rushing or stressing at all (hopefully my new outlook on parties and holidays is paying off). The soup was delicious, the sandwiches perfect, and the desserts and scones absolutely scrumptious. I think everyone enjoyed themselves and got to relax and catch up with each other. I’m now thinking tea parties should happen at least once a month… or even once a week, for that matter.
{for more of my perfect parties photos, check out my Flickr}
Some images from my walk through our Audubon Sanctuary with my husband over the weekend. Even in the middle of winter, there is still so much to see.
Saturday started out being so-so, stuck on the couch with a sniffly cold and watching endless DVR-ed episodes of Martha and Rick Steves (I bet that combination says a lot about me!) and watching the rain come down all afternoon, but that changed in the late evening. My husband went to bring the trash outside and came back exclaiming, “Snow! SNOW! It’s snowing!” I peeked out the window and sure enough, it was definitely snowing, even still falling when we went to bed. Sunday morning, I woke up early to this gorgeous sight: the first snowfall of the season.
Hope you got to see some snow or do something festive this past weekend that put you in the holiday spirit!
Thanksgiving was held at our house last week and was lots of work, but well worth it. There was so much food (oh my goodness, the leftovers) and lots of good times had by all. I especially love how all of our family is together at Thanksgiving, not just my side but my husband’s family too… and to me, they’re all our family and all so special to us both. There was lots of cooking and baking (I decided at the last minute to stick to my tried-and-true Oatmeal Raisin recipe but I do have to try Smitten Kitchen’s recipe soon) and of course, my favorite part was dessert. My husband and I ordered a delicious turkey from Wholefoods and it was his first time carving the holiday bird (and he did a great job, thanks to a few videos from youtube!).
After Thanksgiving had officially passed this weekend, we decided to get going on Christmas decorations since it’s not that too far away. We spent this past Sunday night relaxing in our pj’s and decorating the tree; or rather, I decorated it while my husband sat and read a book on the couch. However, it was still a sublime evening with Christmas music playing, a fire blazing in the fireplace, homemade soup and hot apple cider for dinner, and our kitties joining us for the relaxing evening too. It’s past all the hustle and bustle of the holidays to these special moments at home with my loved ones that I really enjoy and always pine for.
I hope you made lots of wonderful holiday memories with your family this past week too!
Halloween was very special this year as we attended a friend’s wedding, held at the Worcester Art Museum. The request made by the brides was that we come either in black or period costume (from any period we wished), so we of course could not pass up an opportunity to dress up. After many hours of searching for costume rentals, looking at vintage pieces online, getting ideas from period movies and vintage illustrations, and a whirlwind day visiting 7 thrift stores at once, our costumes began to take shape. I decided to choose a late 19th century or Victorian look, while my husband went for a Colonial approach (although I think the final result looks very Regency).
For my outfit, I ended up purchasing two dresses on Etsy, one black 100% lace dress and another black dress with a fitted top and layered lace skirt. I almost simply purchased a slip for underneath, but instead decided to purchase another dress since it would hopefully fill out the skirt to get the fullness I had hoped for. I have to tell you a funny story about this… thank god in dear heaven I wore that dress underneath because it saved my hide! The lace dress was fairly tattered to begin with (I figured it would go with the Halloween look and was still very lovely), but after the ceremony and getting it repeatedly caught in my heel, I managed to rip it to the point of no return. At the reception my feet were stepping through the lace in front and the dress was dragging far behind me. When I went to the ladies room to see what first aid I could do (with 3 safety pins – ha!), I saw in the mirror that the waist section was ripped apart from the chest area and was literally hanging on by mere threads. In only a matter of time the bottom half of my lace dress would fall to the floor while the top half would stay on. I knew enough was enough and simply gave up, thanking my lucky stars to have the second dress underneath. Can you imagine if I had only wore a slip! And the second dress was just as pretty and I felt very much like “Madame X” in it.
Back to the costume story – to complete my look I purchased white opera gloves, a gorgeous teal feathered fascinator, and a black bird cage veil. I bought the veil material itself so I it would be less expensive and so that I could make it detachable, since I only planned on wearing it for the ceremony. I also was able to wear the same earrings I wore for my own wedding, which was very special since I haven’t been able to wear them in the three years since. It was a nice feeling to bring something with my own happy wedding day memories to the Halloween ceremony of our friends.
For my husband’s outfit, he started with inspiration from Johnny Depp in Sleepy Hollow. We weren’t 100% true to it, but it was a great launching pad and really helped us look carefully for the key pieces of the costume. This definitely helped during our marathon thrift store day (when we decided the online route wasn’t going to work for him as it had for me). We ended up purchasing old tuxedo pants, a women’s vest, a women’s jacket, some cotton fabric for a cravat, and some soccer socks (which honestly were to hardest the find as apparently thigh-high white socks are difficult to get in stores). He luckily got to wear shoes and a white shirt he already owned (funny enough that they’re the same shoes he wears to every wedding we go to!). I did do a fair amount of work to his outfit: pinning back the fronts of the jacket as well as the collar and then taking in the back, shortening and blind hemming the pants and adding decorative buttons, and taking the collar off the vest as well as covering all the metal buttons with fabric. However, all the work was well worth the effort and my husband was honestly more excited than I was to finally wear his outfit. He had been growing a beard and thought of keeping it, but at the last moment we googled images of men in BBC period dramas and realized he had to shave and keep the mutton chops. He also styled his hair in the same 18th Century manner, and we both agreed this really completed the look for him.
We absolutely loved the planning, research, and most of all wearing of our costumes for this Halloween wedding. I have a feeling my husband will definitely be wearing this outfit more often, and my feathered clip and my 2nd dress are definitely wearable again. But what we enjoyed most of all was to be able to attend such a beautiful, loving wedding of friends and we were honored to be asked to attend.
Friday was quite an adventure. We woke up at 4:30 to drive my parents to the airport for their own trip and had decided the night before to just keep on driving, either to the Berkshires or to New Hampshire. I checked the weather and it was suppose to be slushy (snow and rain mix) in the Berkshires and just cloudy in the White Mountains, so we choose the later. After the airport, we continued north and saw something I’m definitely not ready to see yet… snow. We drove in a snowstorm for about an hour or two, until dawn broke and we crossed the border into New Hampshire. We actually had ice across our front bumper when we parked. But once we arrived in North Conway, all was well.
We first had breakfast at one of my favorite breakfast spots on the planet, Peaches. The restaurant is located inside a small cottage, and the interior is quaint and homey, like you’re eating at a friend’s grandmother’s house. Every table is covered in napkins set underneath a glass tabletop, with the napkins detailing past patron’s glowing reviews (and some illustrations) of their experience to Peaches. They’re fun to read and to see how far away some people have visited from. I got the pumpkin pancakes (yum yum) and Jeff got his usual two eggs, toast, sausage and homefries. Some things just never change.
After breakfast we did a little bit of shopping and browsing, stopping in little stores along downtown North Conway including a favorite of ours, Zeb’s General Store. After browsing the many aisles of maple syrup, jams & jellies, kitschy moose items and other New Hampshire gifts, we decided on some handmade soap and of course, penny candy. I even made a furry friend outside the store. We stopped by another favorite (just to look, not to ride) across the street, the Conway Scenic Railway. The train station is antique, along with the trains that are still running and operational. We took a train ride last year during the foliage season and it’s really the nicest way to relax and enjoy colors of a New England autumn.
After spending plenty of time in North Conway, we ventured out into the mountains and into Crawford Notch State Park. The scenery was amazing: twists and turns through forests peppered with reds, oranges, yellows, and browns, rocky cliffs and mountain peaks in the distances as well as to our sides, and all the while the perfect driving soundtrack (here and here) for such a gorgeous autumn day. We passed many trail heads and finally choose the trail towards Ripley Falls. After hiking through a canopy of golden birches, colorful maples and tall pines we came upon Ripley Falls, a 100 foot waterfall. It was breathtaking and certainly worth the hike (which really wasn’t a difficult one at that).
Our day trip to New Hampshire had the right amount of relaxing in a New England village, as well as being surrounded by expansive and colorful forests and mountains. All in all it was perfect, except for one thing: it was definitely too short. Next time we need to go for a week!
{for more of my day trip to the White Mountains photos, check out my Flickr}
I am bursting with excitement over the invitation we received in the mail. We have been invited to a wedding on Halloween (which in itself is exciting), but it’s going to be held at an art museum and the attire says to, “Wear something you can dance all night in! Formal attire from any era is encouraged but not required. Medieval, Renaissance, Victorian, Elizabethan, Gothic, Steampunk and basic black are options.” If you happen to know me (in a blog sort of way or in person), you’ll know that secretly I’m an old lady that loves everything (especially clothing) from the 19th Century. This is one of my biggest dreams come true! Finally, a reason to actually dress up in a period outfit! My husband is also very excited and has already determined to pick an outfit that’s inspired by Johnny Depp from Sleepy Hollow. My head is racing… do I choose something more Edwardian, or something more Victorian? It says there will be dancing, so perhaps I shouldn’t come with a big, fussy outfit. But when else do you get to wear a corset and perhaps, an elegant hat? My only question is how will I find clothing that could fit into this time period? Most thrift stores carry clothing from the 1950s-1970s… so it will be hard to find items from pre 1900. I don’t have a lot of sewing skills, but I think I’ll have to put them to the test and buy items that can be altered and changed to fit more of the style I’m looking for. I’ve been lusting over these items as inspiration ever since. How cool would it be to wear a mini top hat? Any advice from loyal readers is much appreciated!
(dress by redthreaded)
(hat by the very talented Topsy Turvy Designs)
(a gorgeous vintage Regency dress from the collection of the Bath Museum of Costume in Bath, UK – an amazing museum for period clothing!)
This morning my husband and I went out for a walk at a local Audubon Sanctuary. It was glorious. I wish sometimes that I could capture these moments with you all and post a “scratch-and-sniff” link, because the smell of the woods was heavenly. Leaves are just beginning to fade and fall, and the mingling of them with mounds of pine needles while baking in the sun was incredible. The forest was quiet, except for a constant little “pop” and small “thud,” about every minute or so, as the animals start to pluck the acorns from the trees. The paths were literally covered in acorns as apparently they’ve been at this for some time now. The only other noise besides their acorn gathering, were our footsteps and the quiet hum of crickets. Next time I’ve got to bring my other camera to capture this sound and share it with you all.
