Thank You

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your thoughts and prayers.  As of now, my dad is okay.  I updated on the previous post with more details, then happened to think you might not check there.  Much love to all of you and Best Wishes for a bright New Year!

Denise

Prayers Needed

**UPDATE**  My dad didn't have a heart attack -- thank goodness.  The EMT people told my mom that's what they thought was going on.  I had just talked to my mom a few hours before, and everything was fine, so I was stunned when my sister called to say she and my mom were on the way to the hospital.  My dad had just had a blood transfusion the day before, and the doctor told my mom that this episode may have been a delayed reaction to the blood transfusion.  I don't normally write these kind of posts because they're more private for me.  Our whole year has pretty much been exactly like this, so it's been really hard on everyone -- my parents most of all.

I can't thank you enough for your response to my prayer request, and I'm reminded once again how powerful prayer really is.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart -- you are all just the very BEST.



Please pray for me and my family, if you would.  My father has just been rushed to the emergency room, and they think he's having a heart attack.  His body is already so weak, I don't see how it can take much else.  He's been sick a lot this year, but this is just too sudden.  Your prayers are much appreciated.

Denise

Merry Christmas

"I will honor Christmas in my heart,

and try to keep it all the year."~Charles Dickens

Christmas Cheer

Hello friends; I'm so glad you're here.  :-D  Most of the Christmas decorations are up now, but I'm still tweaking things.  Have a look --

Look Who's Got a New Christmas Scarf

Duncan wanted you all to see his Christmas scarf/neckerchief he got when he went to the groomer yesterday.  ;)

A New Christmas Wreath

Hello everyone!  The days are flying by out there, and I imagine we're all feeling the crunch.  I've missed posting and visiting my friends online, but I've been trying to make up for lost time in Christmas preparations.  I've seen some beautiful posts over the week, and I will be getting around (slowly but surely) to visiting again and leaving a comment this time.

My mom has several beautiful holiday wreaths in her home, and since I've long been a little bored with our Christmas wreath for the front door, I asked my mom if she would help me make a new one.  She's always happy to help.  These are not the best pictures, but the best I could do in a hurry this morning.  ;)

German Wax Ornaments

I've been frantically putting out our Christmas decorations since Monday, and have fallen into bed worn out every night.  I decided to take a little break today, and I wanted to share with you some of our favorite ornaments.

The Spirit of Christmas Past

Hi everyone -- I hope you're all well!  Unfortunately, I was sick during the Thanksgiving holiday; I'm mostly better, but still have a little ways to go.  I apologize for once again falling behind on my visits to you, but I will be knocking at your door very soon (strictly in the cyber sense of course).  :)

I had planned to start decorating for Christmas earlier than usual this year, but getting sick put paid to that plan.  Because I'm usually so slow getting my Christmas decorations put out, I have a tradition around this time of year of showing you some images from the previous Christmas.  I don't change things a lot from year to year, but I do tweak things some.  ;)  Here are some pictures to help us get in the decorating spirit; some of these you may have seen, and others I've never shown before.

The Thankful Season

Hello everyone -- how was your week?  I've been taking a break from blogging due to sickness -- again.  Barely six months ago, I had this stuff in the late spring/early summer, and it took awhile to get over.  In my previous post, I mentioned that Hal was sick; his cold turned into bronchitis.  Mine seems to be following the same progression as his, so I really hope I don't wind up with bronchitis, because I hate to be sick at Thanksgiving.  It will work out one way or the other, and there are people in the world with much worse problems.

Here's a real first world problem for you ;)  -- my page views on the blog are way down.  Gasp!  Not that I ever have a ton of views anyway, but it makes me feel bad when they get this low.  {:/  I have nothing new to contribute at the moment, so I'll share some links to past years' posts.

Checking In

Hello everyone and Happy Thursday to you, or as we used to say at my workplace, "Friday's Eve."  ;)  I hope you're enjoying some sunshine wherever you are this week.  What a relief to see the sun again.

This is one of those posts that's a mishmash of what's going on around here at the moment.  Not much rhyme or reason to the post, mostly just checking in for the week.  First of all, Mr. Forest Manor isn't feeling well, so he turned around this morning after he got halfway to work and came back home.  He's sleeping as I type this.  Master Duncan thought it was some kind of holiday since Pop came right back home, so he's been beside himself with excitement.

Autumn 2015

This year it seems the trees have outdone themselves with their changing leaf colors.  I gather that fall is putting on a glorious show all over the U.S. and Canada.

Tartan Parade

Happy Monday everyone!  Have you seen Alison's blog, The Polohouse?  I enjoy reading her posts because she decorates her home in English country style, and I'm a big fan of English country.  :)  Alison is having a "Tartan Parade" on her blog today, and I decided to join in.  I haven't been participating in link parties for the last few months because life has just been too hectic, but a party featuring tartan plaids was hard for me to resist.

I love tartan plaid -- both in my wardrobe and in our home.  We have bits of tartan scattered throughout the house, so I'll share some here (I apologize to my readers who've seen these before).

Beauty Outside Our Window

View from the guest bedroom window on Tuesday of this week.

Deer Crossing Signs

Happy Saturday everyone!!  We're seeing quite a few deer out and about now.  They're beautiful, but I'm always afraid they will run across the road in front of me, and that wouldn't be good for anyone involved.

The Look of Fall

I added some fall touches to the terrarium in our den.  This style of terrarium is known as a Wardian Case, and you can read what I wrote about them Here.  I haven't tried real plants in mine, because I don't think they would survive; this corner of the den gets almost no sunlight.  I just substitute other things for live plants -- do I know how to have fun, or what?  :-D

The Fall Roses

The leaves are turning beautiful autumn russets and golds and starting to fall faster now.  The grass looks like green velvet around them.  There's a definite nip in the air, and we have freeze warnings in our area through tonight.  Yet, there's one sweet reminder of past spring days beside our front porch --

Return To Mitford

Hi folks!  I've been missing in action again; I've decided this is going to be the norm for me the rest of this year.  At least it feels that way.  Part of the reason for this is my husband has some extra vacation days to take this year, and when he's home, I like to spend time with him.  My posting will probably be sporadic, and my visits too, but I promise I will visit you.  :)

We seem to stay pretty busy when Mr. Forest Manor is home, but I hope I'll have some house and home things to share with you before too much longer.  Those are the things we're really interested in, right?  In the meantime, this is what I have to share at the moment.

This and That

**UPDATE TO PREVIOUS POST**  I found out late Wednesday night that author Jan Karon mentioned my Mitford posts on her Facebook page (September 2, 2015) and linked to my blog.  I was so honored to receive a shout-out from her!  For those of you who are fans, she has a new book out now.  You can find out more about it on the Jan Karon Facebook page.

Happy October everyone!  

Picture from October 2014

End of September and Finding Mitford

Hi everyone!  Can you believe it's the last day of September?!!  It felt like a quick month to me, but it feels like that all the time anymore.

First Day of Fall

Hello Dear Readers -- I'm so glad you're here!  It's the first (official) day of fall -- the most glorious season of the year!  I've been reading your blog posts this morning, and it seems that everyone is happy to see fall arrive.  In addition to the cooler air and blue skies, I love all the harvest celebrations.  There was an Apple Fest at a nearby community over the weekend, but I didn't get a chance to go.  It sounded like a lot of fun -- apples for sale and apple pies, too.  I need to put this on my calendar for next year.  ;)

Two weekends ago, we took some pictures along the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina; those of you who read here regularly know that's one of our favorite things to do.  The trees hadn't really started turning yet, but we still found some nice color here and there.

Spectacular Zinnias

Well, it's Monday again -- what a quick weekend!  Did you all have a good one?  Friday, September 18th, was my birthday, and I have to tell you it was one of the best birthdays I've had in years.  I officially joined the senior citizens club (the big 55) and though in some ways it's hard to get older, I'm just very happy to be here.  As George Burns famously said, "It's better than the alternative."  ;)

I went to my parents' house for a visit and lunch.  My mom made homemade chicken salad and the most delicious homemade chocolate pie with fresh whipped cream.  Yum!!!  My sweet neighbor, Nancy, sent me a Jacquie Lawson birthday e-card and so did my dear friend, Kitty, who blogs at Kitty's Kozy Kitchen.  I also had a long-distance birthday message from my in-laws, who are traveling right now.  My husband came home from work with 18 red roses for me, and our son played a dedication song for me on his Friday night jazz radio program (didn't expect that at all!)  Yes indeed, I have a lot to be thankful for.

Today, Hal and I drove to the mountains, with Duncan in tow, and Hal took some pictures of these roadside flower beds.  This is a very common site in North Carolina alongside highways and interstates, thanks to the N.C. Department of Transportation Wildflower Program.

What I'm Reading

Hi all!  I hope you're having a good week!  Just wanted to share with you the book I'm currently reading.

source

Last Known Rescue Dog From 9/11

A friend shared this on his Facebook page today (Thanks Shawn!) and I wanted to share it with you.

 source

Tweaking the Guest Bedroom

Happy Labor Day everyone!  I think most of us consider this the official end of summer, although here in the south, we'll have several more hot days before summer's truly over.

You may remember when I posted our guest room reveal back in April of this year.  I mentioned that we'd be getting a vanity/dressing table that was part of the bedroom suite, and I showed you the dressing table in this post.  After cleaning, polishing with beeswax and orange oil, and touching up nicks, chips, and scratches, I can finally show you the dressing table.  This is as good as it will look without paying a professional to completely re-finish it.  We think it turned out pretty well.

Hello September

Hello September, I'm happy you're here -- my birthday month, and the start of one of my favorite seasons of the year.  Even though you can still be hot, you bring a subtle relief from the scorching humidity of July and August.  You bring the promise of a change of pace after the long days of summer.  When I was a child, I looked forward with such excitement to your first days of a new school year and all that it might hold.  New clothes, notebooks, and lunchboxes.  New teachers, classrooms, and new friends.

The roadside wildflowers are in bloom, 

It's Friday!

Hi there folks!  Have you had a good week?  The last two or three days have been beautiful here; the sun is out and the air feels fresh instead of heavy and humid.  Fall is on its way, and I feel rejuvenated.

October 2014

Living With History

My husband and I took a Beginner Digital Photography class yesterday at our local community college.  I've taken pictures with a digital camera for about five years now, but it's a point and shoot camera.  I was very comfortable with the point and shoot (too comfortable in fact); I felt like I could take some pretty good pictures with it, but they were never going to be as good as the photos Mr. Forest Manor takes with his DSLR camera.  I mentioned recently that Mr. FM got a new, even better DSLR camera, so I've decided that now is the time for me to learn to use his older camera.

My first pictures won't win any photography awards, but they weren't disasters either.

We're Alarmed!

Do you remember the episode of "Keeping Up Appearances" where Richard arranges to have a security system installed in the house for an anniversary gift to Hyacinth?  I thought it was a hoot.  :)  Anyway, Hyacinth had to brag to her neighbor, Elizabeth, and she said, "Elizabeth, I want you to be the first to know, I'm going to be alarmed.  Richard's going to alarm me for our anniversary."  Understandably, Elizabeth was a bit confused.  Silly, silly Hyacinth.

Well, I'm pretty sure we're not as pretentious as Hyacinth, but we've been alarmed here, too.  ;)  Before I go any further, this is not in any way a sponsored post.  Installing this system was something we did during my blog break, and I just wanted to share some of the details with you. 

I'm Still Around

Hi everyone!!  I'm still doing family things and working around the house right now.  I hadn't planned to take such an extended break, but I must say, it's good to spend (mostly) uninterrupted time with my husband, as well as seeing our parents and son when we can.  Life is too short, and we all know tomorrow is not promised to us.  I love all my family so much; I'm blessed to have them, and they've been so very good to us over the years.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

Don't you think baseball is always more fun to watch in person than on TV?  Okay, maybe not if it's 100° outside and you're sitting right in the sun, but thankfully that wasn't the case here last night. It was actually 90° and we were in the shade.  ;)

I've Been Away

Greetings everyone!  How are you?  I've been away from blog land for a bit (almost three weeks actually).  Life has really kept me busy lately.  My dad was in the hospital for a few days last week.  Because of his serious health problems, life has become difficult and stressful for my parents.  They are handling things to the best of their abilities, but my sister and I still worry about them.  I don't say much about that here because I'm not really comfortable talking about it on my blog at the moment.  I know many of you have been through similar experiences, and you can probably relate.

My husband was on vacation last week, and we took our annual trip to the mountains near the end of the week.

Lake Santeetlah

Saturday News

Hello dear readers -- I hope you're having a good Saturday!  May I just say that I'm really glad to have the past week behind me?  Yep, it was one of those.  After a long day on Sunday, we discovered that night that we had a big water stain on the drop ceiling of our finished basement room.  My husband removed the ceiling tile, and a big bunch of water poured out all over some papers we had organized for filing.  We spent about an hour with a flashlight looking everywhere to determine the source of the leak.

This and That

Happy Thursday everyone; I can hardly believe another week is almost over.  I hope you had a wonderful Fourth of July holiday.

I seem to be stuck in a bit of a rut at the moment.  I feel like I've had a big case of blogger's block.  ;)  I can find plenty to talk about, but it wouldn't be a good idea to put it on my blog.  I'll bet you've felt that way a time or two yourself, huh?  So, moving along, I do have a few little things to show you today -- nothing too exciting.  The heat and humidity has settled in here, and I just can't get in the mood to do much when it's this hot.

Do You Like Classic Cars? -- Part 1

Hi everyone -- I hope you're having a good week.  We're getting some rain off and on here, so that's good.  Everything was definitely looking parched.

Today's post is something totally new for me, and the title pretty well gives it away.  I'm sharing some pictures that my husband has taken over the past few months on Saturday mornings.  Three Saturdays out of every month, he goes to an event called "Cars and Coffee," and the location rotates each week between Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and Kernersville.  If you have no interest in cars, you'll probably want to skip this post; I'll try to keep the commentary to a minimum.  ;)  The pictures in this post were all taken at Reynolda Village in Winston-Salem.  It was once part of the R. J. Reynolds estate, and the buildings now function as retail shops and restaurants.

Family Ties

On the Fourth of July two years ago, we attended a family reunion of some of my husband's extended family.  I edited our pictures and wrote about the reunion that same August (2013) but I didn't get my post published because I got busy with something else.  I'm finally sharing it this year in preparation for the Fourth.

This was a gathering of the descendants of my husband's paternal grandmother's family.  It was held in the fellowship hall (as it was a scorching hot day) of the little Methodist Church in the country, where Granny's family members have attended church services for many years.

 Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church

They Led By Example

Most days, I never listen to a news broadcast.  I haven't witnessed a lot of objective news reporting in recent years, and I sometimes get my news updates online, or I get them from my husband.  I know that probably sounds lazy, but it's not meant to be.  My husband and I think alike on most issues, and our opinions are more often than not, in sync with one another.  I like that we can disagree on some of the issues without it turning into a major shouting match.

Sharing "A Bit About Britain"

I think most of you who regularly read my blog have probably figured out that I'm a bit of an Anglophile.  There are several British blogs that I follow, and I really look forward to reading their posts and seeing images of beautiful Britain.

Today I'd like to introduce you to Mike, who authors the blog, A Bit About Britain.  Mike lives and works in England and writing his blog is one of his hobbies.  I discovered A Bit About Britain a year or more ago, and I really enjoy Mike's posts.  The dry British sense of humor that my husband and I enjoyed when we were there comes through in Mike's writing.  My family can tell you that I'm not one of those people who is silently amused.  When I'm reading something funny, everyone knows it because I laugh out loud.  Many of Mike's posts are laugh-out-loud funny, and of course I had to share them with my husband.  (See "A Visit to Scotney Castle" -- beautiful castle and very funny post).

I was very taken with Mike's most recent post (probably because I had just returned from the coast) and after reading it, I decided that I really need to share this with some of my readers.  I know I'm not the only one of my fellow bloggers to have visited England, so I thought you might enjoy this blog.  Mike writes about almost every region of Britain, including Scotland and Wales.  His posts contain current photographs of all these wonderful places, but he also shares their history with us.  For history geeks buffs like me, that's a win/win situation.  ;)

source

Shark Attacks

Is everyone winding down after a busy weekend?  I don't know about where you are, but it's been super hot here -- 95° today, and it's supposed to be 97° tomorrow and 98° on Tuesday.  I am so thankful to have an air-conditioned home; I realize there are some people who have to survive without that.

I hadn't planned to post tonight, but I had to share this story with you.  Our neighbors down the street told my husband this evening that there was a shark attack on Oak Island today (the place we go every summer for vacation).  I looked it up online, and there were actually two shark attacks there today, both within two miles of each other and 90 minutes apart.  This just feels like shades of "Jaws" somehow.

Treasures from Southport

One of my favorite things to do when we go to the coast is to shop in the town of Southport.  We've traveled there almost every year for the past 26 years.  When I see that in writing, I can hardly believe it.  The time feels like it has passed as quickly as those gulls skimming over the water.

When we were younger, Mr. Forest Manor had no interest in checking out the shops in Southport.  I can hardly blame him as he was working full-time and going to graduate school at night and just starting out in his career.  I also think most men really like a good bargain, and when I discovered thrifting, he became more interested in poking through the shops with me.  Southport has some wonderful antique shops, but we've noticed the prices keep going up as more and more people move to that area.  One of the shops in particular has two full floors of goods, and you never know what treasures you might come across there.  It's also amazingly well organized and tidy for an antique/consignment shop.

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Happy Weekend

Hello dear friends!  I can't believe it's Friday, but I sure am glad!  I hope you've all had a good week.  You might have gathered that we were at the coast last week, and it was so nice to get away.  The weather was some of the nicest we've ever had for a whole week, and that in itself was a blessing.

Duncan Has a New Friend!

Hi everyone!  I hope you're all having a good week; I can't believe June is almost here.  Many of you are kind enough to inquire about Duncan when you visit, so here's an update for you.  :)  Himself is at summer camp at the moment.

Coastal Beauty

On impulse I decided to work on my picture-taking-from-the-car skills.  ;)  The last time I really tried that was several years ago when we were in the Amish country with our son on a cub scout trip.  We were blazing through driving through the Amish countryside in a charter bus, and I tried to take some pictures of the farms and barns and clothes hanging outside on the line.  They were not my best pictures ever.

I think I had better luck this time.  It helps when you're not going as fast and you don't have a bus full of noisy boys.  ;)

Memorial Day

Thank you to our American military men and women currently serving all around the world and to all our veterans for your service and sacrifice to our country.  We would not remain free without you.

 U.S.S. North Carolina, Wilmington, N.C.

Southport Cottages, Part Two

This is going to be a post of few words (I hope).  :)  Sharing some more pictures of Southport cottages.

Tweaking The Kitchen

I love the way small details can make a difference in a room, don't you?  Maybe that's why so many of us like to tweak things periodically, and a few changes here and there keep things from being boring.

Those of you who read my blog know that we had our kitchen re-modeled three years ago.  I shared before and after pictures at the time, but the "after" pictures were a bit spartan-looking because I hadn't really finished putting my personal touches everywhere.  Then again, I'm not sure we ever finish that.  ;)  I've been gradually adding and changing a few things to the kitchen since the "reveal" post in September 2013.  I took a few pics yesterday, if you'd like to see.

Bits of This and That

Hi everyone!  How was your weekend?  Ours was very hot and very busy.  I just can't seem to get back to blogging on a regular basis these days.  It's not that I've lost interest, but life just keeps grabbing me and pulling me in other directions.  So many things to do around the house always; for example, I still haven't finished cleaning out the closet in our son's old bedroom, which is now our guest bedroom.

I had hoped to have the pots on our porch re-planted with summer flowers by now, but that hasn't happened either.  To be fair, I've been looking for my plants, but haven't found the ones I want.  I want to plant the same combinations I did last year, but have only managed to find the Lobelia so far.

Charleston Part Five, Doorways and Courtyard Gardens

Hi folks!  I'm still here, just can't seem to find much time to post (or visit) at the moment.  Life has been quite busy with our family, our home, and our Duncan.  ;)  When I first started my blog almost four and a half years ago, things just weren't as busy around here as they are now.  But -- I still look at all your blog posts almost daily, and I will still be visiting, it just might take me a little longer to get there.

Wow, it's really hot here now!!  It's not even the middle of May, and already temps. are in the 80's and very muggy.  I would love to have had a few more weeks in the 70-degree range, but we have to take what we can get.  It was about this time last year that my husband and I took a short trip to Charleston, South Carolina -- what a wonderful and unique city!!  Charleston is famous for its courtyard gardens, and we saw lots of pretty ones.  Those serene and shady gardens are beckoning me right now, so come along with me for a tour.

Finally -- The Guest Bedroom

Happy Friday everyone!  I want to thank you all for the nice comments you've left for me over the last week or so.  I'm very appreciative, and I haven't forgotten about you.  I posted on Monday and haven't been back on the computer since then -- until today.  I'll be paying my regular visits to everyone in the next day or so.

Back in January of this year, I gave a very brief, sneak peek of what I was doing to our son's old bedroom to give it a new look and turn it into a guest bedroom.  I really thought I would finish it sooner and would be showing it to you during the winter months.  That didn't happen, so here it is finally, almost completely finished.  This is a long, picture-heavy post, folks --just wanted to give you fair warning.  :)

DIY Basement Room Renovation

I came across some old pictures of our basement this weekend.  I'd forgotten we took these pictures, so I thought I would share a little renovation we did here about nine or ten years ago.  We did this ourselves -- we're not carpenters, so it's not the same as a professional job.  But we think it turned out pretty well; our family and friends definitely seemed impressed.  :)  There's a big difference in the "before" and "after."  I don't have a lot of pictures of this room; I need to take some more first chance I get.

The Wardian Case

A few weeks ago, I found something at our new Hobby Lobby that I've been searching for the last five years or so.  It wasn't an urgent search because it wasn't one of life's necessities, so I could afford to be patient.  But I was happy to find one and really happy with the price.

Mother Nature Calling

Hello and how was your weekend?  Ours was really nice; we had beautiful spring weather.  I felt a little like we were in our own episode of "Wild Kingdom" though.  Do you think these little guys are cute?

Southport Cottages

I can hardly believe it's Sunday night again -- another weekend has flown by.  I hope yours was a good one!  A few weeks ago I shared a cute cottage in Southport, N.C., for St. Patrick's Day.  Here are some more Southport cottages for you.

My Favorite Gardening Books

Happy Friday everyone!!  I've intended to post about gardening books for a few years now, but that plan ended up on the back burner while I wrote about other things.  Now that spring is here again, I'd like to share some of my favorite gardening books with you.

New Buick Commercial

Good morning everyone!  I have a funny YouTube clip to share today.  Have you seen the Buick commercials where someone gets a new Buick, and no one can tell it's a Buick?  The valet can't find it in the parking lot, the neighbors are looking out the window wondering what kind of car it is, etc.  Well now Buick has a similar commercial using dogs, and we think it's so funny.  :-D

Spring Sprucing

Hello there friends!  I hope you had a blessed Easter and Passover holiday.  We were glad to see all of our family on Sunday, and it was a beautiful day here.  I've been absent from blogging for two weeks now -- not a planned break.  Everyday life and family matters have kept us very busy here.

I really made an effort to write a post last Friday; it was to be about Beatrix Potter.  I had pinned all these pictures of her home, Hilltop Farm, with wonderful interior shots.  Well...as I was looking over them again in order to provide links to my sources, I realized that over half of them were in some way linked to the National Trust, and the National Trust does not have a good sense of humor about people sharing images of their properties without express written permission.  Which I did not have.  So there went all that work down the drain.

I'm in an indecisive mood, folks.  I have some good stuff to share from Southport and Oak Island but didn't want to write about that right now, either.  So I'll just show you a little of what we worked on over the weekend.

A Bit of This and That

I can hardly believe another weekend is almost over -- they go so quickly!  The weather was nice here, and we managed to get a lot done.  I've started my spring cleaning, and it feels good to see progress.  We didn't get to start on the yard like we had hoped because of a car repair issue.  The Hubster has saved us so much money over the years by being able to do most of our car repairs.  He saved us about $250.00 this time, based on the quote we received from the mechanic.