Goodbye to the Warm Colors of Fall - Welcome to the Pinks of a New Season

Pink Peonies, Sunflowers, & Tulips

This lovely arrangement was a "thank you" from one of dinner guests Thursday evening. These pink peonies are luscious and fill the room with perfume. I absolute adore the fall season and the rich, earthy colors that we all associate with autumn, but I'm ready to welcome the pinks and brighter colors of the holiday season ahead.

Wooden Tom Turkey

So I said good-bye to the browns and oranges of turkeys, pumpkins, and fall leaves as I packed things up until next year. I don't know about you, but having Thanksgiving late in the month makes me feel pushed into the Christmas season. I like a bit of time to savor one holiday before rushing headstrong into the next. But with December just days away, I'm packing up the fall decor and readying the house for the sparkle of the Christmas season.

Lemon Cyprus Topiary with Acorns

I took the lemon cyprus topiary with its accent of little acorns that were scattered around the base out of the brown cachepot . . .

Lemon Cyprus Topiary with Pink Cyclamens

and put the topiary into an antique French faience jardiniere by Geo Martel. Then I surrounded it with hot pink cyclamen plants. It instantly took on a whole new look. I will eventually plant the little 4 inch pots of cyclamen outside in the garden, but for now they brighten our dining room table.

Cyclamen plants are by far my favorite winter annual for my garden. They bloom well into spring, and a few even continue on into the summer months. The leaves have a silvery mottling pattern and the blooms can be quite fragrant. I've just planted some of this hot pink variety in the pots on our front porch, and I delight in the fresh fragrance as I walk up the steps. I planted white ones in the beds along the walk and around the base of a pot of purple fountain grass that is by the front door. I like to use white blooming plants near the house because they reflect the light at night.

More Pink Cyclamen in Handpainted Italian Planter

I was still satiated from Thursday evening's Thanksgiving celebration, and spent some time Friday afternoon with a cup of tea while visiting some of my favorite blogs. After my stop at 1st Floor Flat, Susie's art work had me craving a bit of something sweet. Do go by Susie's and have a look at her "Kitchen Collection"; new work that she has hanging in a Gallery Show. I think you'll find it a delightful treat. Susie is a freelance artist and designer based in London and works in mixed media.

Thank you for stopping by today. Please leave a comment below. I love to hear from each of you.

And "Thank You" to Beverly @ How Sweet the Sound for organizing Pink Saturdays for all of us who want a little PINK in our lives.

Friends, Food, and Fun

A French Thanksgiving?  

Yes, I know the French don't celebrate Thanksgiving, 

but one of our dinner guests is French. 

 This was in her honor!

Designs by Gollum: Foodie Friday is also labeled, Friends, Food, and Fun. That pretty well sums up our Thanksgiving evening. We definitely had a delightfully fun evening with friends as we enjoyed a delicious meal, so I decided to link some of the photos of our meal to Foodie Friday. It's the first time I'm participating in this weekly party, though I'm a faithful visitor each week.

We started our evening by popping a bottle of Veuve Clicquot and nibbling on appetizers.

Liver Paté 

with Herbed Crostini

More Paté. . . Paté with 

Truffles and Paté de Campagne

Artichoke Spread 

with Cayenne

Served on 

Heart Shaped Lahvosh

We started dinner with a salad of baby spinach 

with fresh grapefruit and blue cheese crumbles.

The main meal was served from the sideboard.

My husband is the chef in our home, and he likes to march to his own drum. Though he has roasted a turkey for Thanksgiving at times, he often likes to cook a different bird for our Thanksgiving meal. We've had pheasant, quail, cornish game hens, and this year he selected to serve duck. He actually bought it smoked, and it was delicious!

Smoked Duck

Garnished with 

Cherry Tomatoes

Wild Rice with Dried Sour Cherries 

and Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Haricots Verts 

with Bacon and Onions

Country Bread

Sweet Cream Butter

A nice Chardonnay from Chateau St. Michelle

A Cru Du Beaujolais. . . 

Perfect Pairing for the Duck!

After dinner we moved into the living room 

around the cozy fire to enjoy coffee and dessert.

Expresso with a Touch of Irish Whisky 

and a Topping of Whipped Cream

A Bite of Chocolate

Homemade Pumpkin Pie

Just so you don't think 

I'm totally worthless in the kitchen, 

this little birdie wanted me to tell you 

that I get the credit for baking the pies.

Pumpkin Pie Topped with Fresh Whipped Cream 

and Honey Glazed Pecans

Thank you for joining me for Foodie Friday. You can view the table setting for this meal here . It was posted for Tablescape Thursday this week.

Please leave a comment below. I always enjoying hearing from each of you who stop by for a visit. Then click here to visit Designs by Gollum to see a list of others participating in today's Foodie Friday.