spring in the dining room

 

It's deceptively sunny out this morning. We're well into March, but the temperatures don't seem to want to budge above freezing. That being said, the sun is decidedly warmer, so it at least feels spring-like inside. The Cherry Blossoms we've been forcing have started blooming and all the sunshine has brightened the dining room up. It doesn't get direct sunlight aside from first thing in the morning, so it can always seem darker than some other rooms in the house.

As it's been so long since I've shown much of the house (or anything for that matter!), I figured I'd start here.

Few things feel more like spring than blooming branches. The perfect way to add some spring to any room is by forcing some. My dad dropped off these branches on his way home from the flower market a couple weeks ago. They've made for lots of interesting lessons with the boys. We've painted the stages of the blossoms opening. We've studied the life cycle of the tree. We'll get around to studying pollination and the anatomy of the bee. And we unexpectedly discovered Hanami, the Japanese Cherry Blossom (Sakura) festival.

And then there are these beautiful Hellebores - another favourite spring flower. I picked this one up from the garden center. I've always wanted to plant some in our gardens as they're perennials. I love the variety of blooms varying from creamy white, to fresh green with hints of pink. If you find one with lots of new buds it will last a while. They look delicate, but they're actually very rugged. The leaves are almost hard and prickly. But when you need to push your way up through snow and slightly frozen ground, and survive those last unexpected cold snaps, you'd need to be pretty resilient.

Our dining room is in the original part of our home, which consists of the stone house and then a series of additions behind, so it has all the character.

And now that it feels more spring-like inside, I think I should probably take down our wreathes on the windows outside. Which is a tad sad because they're still pretty green!

This week we are taking some time off from school as it's spring break. I'm planning on going through the house and doing the Ruthless Declutter Challenge from Simplified with Emily Ley. It's a one week challenge to declutter your whole house, room by room, in a week. I did it last year and have been surprised at how decluttered things have stayed over the last year. I'm looking forward to it because I think it will be good to go through everything inside drawers and cupboards before trying to spring clean the house. You can follow along in my stories on instagram @growersdaughter.

thanksgiving

I recently watched a sketch of two neighbors - Canada and the United States - saying hello at the fence. The Canadian neighbor was wishing his American neighbor a Happy Thanksgiving, to which the American responded "Isn't that a bit early?" The Canadian explained how we celebrate in October, and that no, none of our other holidays are early; we celebrate the rest at the same time. The American hints at an invitation, and when the Canadian obliges, he adds that no, they wouldn't be having Sweet Potatoes with mini marshmallows as "that's just weird".

A huge amount of bloggers, and Instagram accounts I follow for inspiration, including Magazine publications like Martha Stewart Living, are American. So a lot of Fall focus is first on Halloween and then Thanksgiving, which can also tend to have a Christmas feel to it.

Personally, I'm not sure which I prefer. With our Thanksgiving being early in October, it can often feel less like Autumn, and more like Summer still. However, I like the space we have between Thanksgiving and Christmas. For the past couple of years, I've just decided to celebrate both. You can't have too much gratitude - or Pumpkin Pie, in my opinion. One usually includes large get togethers with our families, and the other, a small intimate dinner for just us.

Regardless, this year, as nearly all of our immediate family was out of town, we didn't have much planned, so it honestly snuck up on me! My parents were the only ones home, and as my mom wasn't busy making hundreds of pies for the store, she wanted to make dinner. She told me I could have it at our place, which suited me perfectly, as it meant I could still enjoy setting the table. So set the table I did.

I have envisioned this pair of pheasants down the center of my Thanksgiving table for a very long time. My mom and I purchased from an antique shop five years ago to sell at the store. For a couple years my Aunt had them in her kitchen, and this past Spring, knowing how much I loved them, gifted them to me. They were my inspiration.

I made simple arrangements of white Roses and berries from our Ivy in clay pots. I liked how the clay picked up the copper tones of the birds.

The greenish blue tones that they also have made the blue berries and greyish blue squash good accents.

I love the woven chargers with our dining chairs. and simple ribbon-tied napkins to make each place setting more special.

George sat content, sleeping quietly, as I puttered around.

The next morning was a holiday Monday, but we lazed around like it was a Saturday. I made Pumpkin Spice waffles and we spent the morning reading. In the afternoon, the boys went for a hike, while I walked around the Balls Falls Thanksgiving Show with George.

All the historic buildings were dressed up for Fall, and everything is tucked in and around the old village. It was a gorgeous weekend - the perfect way to put one in the mood for Fall.

Looking forward to seeing how you all decorate your Thanksgiving tables.

Ribbon and Candles - Everyday Occasions 

Chargers - Pier One (in stores only)

Table Cloth by Ralph Lauren - Homesense

Soother Clip - Darling Emma Handmade

in the garden - lilacs

I was worried being away for the long weekend, that given all the gorgeous weather we've been having, the Lilacs would bloom and I would miss them.

They were so close to opening when I left, and we all know how quickly they come and go.

Happily, they were just ready for cutting by the time we returned, and I didn't miss enjoying them. The first thing I did the next morning was head out to the garden and snip a bouquet for our dining room table.

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I'm partial to this white variety, Mme Lemoine, but I do have to say, they aren't quite as fragrant as some of the more traditional purple varieties. But they still smell lovely!

And then while out with the boys, I couldn't resist picking a few branches of these purple ones on some back road. They are classically beautiful.

christmas morning brunch

Does anyone else feel like Christmas seems to come and go more quickly with each year that passes?

Like, much more quickly?

I felt like I was so prepared - shopping done, gifts wrapped, menus planned - but still, as the day would get closer, things would come up. I'd remember a gift I still needed to wrap that I couldn't remember where I hid for the life of me, Ryan would remember a secret Santa gift he'd need, or a potluck item he'd have to bring to work.

We really made an effort this year to be intentional about what we were going to commit to, and what we would spend time doing over the holidays. We had a busier start to the month, but the actual week of Christmas was slower and more relaxing. It was lovely.

It also helped us not get so caught up in the activities of Christmas, and spend more time focusing on the true meaning of the season - the birth of our Saviour.

On Christmas morning, we host my family for brunch. I love hosting it, but one of the main reasons we do it, is so that we don't have to go anywhere on Christmas morning. It just works out perfectly for us. We have lots of time as a family to open gifts, and then as everyone is busy trying out their new toys, I put an apron on, and get breakfast started.

I also love setting the table and love that we have a space large enough for us to all sit down together.

I really lucked out this year with grocery store flowers. Usually I would order flowers from our flower truck, but I wasn't able to, and was left hoping the grocery store in town had something that would work. Dark Red Hypercum and a dozen White Roses worked perfectly, especially when I added some bits of evergreen.

I also used some of my red transferware.

And while we all fit around the dining room table, the kids have their own special table.

But they still expect it to be special!

Something I did differently this year was add a large wreath to the stone wall. I love the greens against the stone, and it didn't get any easier than hanging a wreath.

This was our Christmas buffet.

- Sausages and Bacon

- Potato and Onion Frittata

- Breakfast Tarts with Bacon, Scallions and Cheddar or Goat's Cheese

- French Toast Bake

- Fresh Fruit

- Ina's Easy Sticky Buns (which I made bit size)

- Olliebolen (which are like Dutch donuts, and were still warming in the oven)

Here the boys are, playing at my grandparents' farm on Christmas Eve. As a girl, I came every Christmas Eve, and we ate and visited with our cousins way past bed time. Now, we're all married with children of our own and we don't do this any more, but the invitation to come is always there. We decided last minute to go and visit, and I'm so glad we did. My aunt, who lives there with my Papa, had the entire house (literally every possible surface) decorated for Christmas. She had set the table with my Nana's antique Christmas china and special Cornflower glasses. She had trays of treats and homemade Eggnog and so much food it was crazy. I just loved seeing the boys doing what I loved doing when I was their age - Christmas Eve, celebrating with family, beyond excited for the next morning.

Us opening gifts on Christmas morning - Jude is just getting old enough that he is starting to understand the excitement!

All the cousins!

Opa and Nonna, and their six crazy grandsons.

I hope your Christmas was as wonderful as ours was.

Merry Christmas, from our family to yours.

Christmas in the Living and Dining Rooms

Only four more days until Christmas.

There isn't much I've added to the living room for Christmas, just some greens tucked here and there.

I did have a large garland draped over the mantel, but it was real, and it dried out so quickly. I couldn't deal with the mess. So I just removed it and replaced with my my larger glass cloches with nests under them, and some simple greens tucked around them.

You can also see the backs of the wreaths from the outside windows, and even though they are the backs, they are still pretty.

I used an old salvaged window and ceiling tile to hang some boughs from on the old pine cabinet. It adds some height and character.

I love the beautiful patina.

The simple decorating continued into the dining room - it just has so much character itself, I don't feel the need to add much to it.

I hung a garland over the doorway in the kitchen. It just looks gorgeous draped against the stone work. It's also not near the fireplace, so it's stayed fresh enough.

Just a simple painting on the mantel. We've had a few gatherings and people are always congregating around the dining room table, so it just doesn't work having much on here. It just gets in the way.

I did put a potted tree on the buffet in this gorgeous basket I recently purchased. I used an old linen towel to hide the pail and then tucked a few gifts and pine cones around it.

 I'm looking forward to setting the table for brunch on Christmas morning.