HYACINTHS FOR THE SOUL

Monday, December 28, 2020

Tête-à-Tête ~ Christmas 2020

Christmas

Christmas Tête - à -Tête

December 2020

Tête - à -Tête

~ a conversation between two people

In French, a Tête - à -Tête literally means "head to head."

Pour yourself a cup of tea and a let's have aTête - à -Tête about Christmas 2020 here at HFTS.

No question the holiday season of 2020 was by far

very different from all our past celebrations,

though that didn't deter me from adding festive

touches around our home this December.

A tray of Connie Roberts' folk art Santa whistles added

a touch of whimsy and brought smiles.

Twinkle lights and collected Santa figures are

like old friends come for a yearly visit.

Christmas mice, given to me by an aunt in 1975,

brought sentimental memories of special times.

Early in our marriage, The Chef hung a petite copper

heart chocolate mold on our tree, a thoughtful, romantic gift.

Over the years we found more petite copper hearts,

and a new collection began as I came across other little copper chocolate molds here and there, along with small copper bells.

Isn't that how most collections begin?

Now they decorate a small tabletop tree each year.

Another year, the chef gave me a large

copper heart with an endearing message in German.

Over time, he found a few more, and they are treasures.

The handsome wooden soldier came to live here in recent years,

a purchase from my friend, Rita @ Panoply

She and her sisters have a fun filled space at an antique mall.

Nutcrackers gather on the sun porch table.

Can you spot the new one?

I couldn't resist the small Highland Nutcracker on a flash

sale the week of Christmas with Christmas Eve delivery!

Thank you, MacKenzie-Childs!

The darling watercolor by Monique @ La Table de Nana

is a cherished reminder of friends across the miles any time of year.

The talented Jenna @The Painted Apron surprised

me with this darling farm truck that she painted.

It's the perfect accessory with my

MacKenzie-Childs Farmer Nutcracker.

Let's talk about holiday table settings!

COVID has changed traditional entertaining.

Tables for eight or ten are now a table for two.

To keep our home festive, I made a point to keep our table

set with the ambiance of the holidays through out December.

I simply changed up the plate stack a little from week to week.

Juliska introduced their Stewart Tartan this fall.

Those little gnomes insisted I add a touch of

this traditional look to our holiday table.

My generous, thoughtful friend Victoria @ Crown Linen Designs

sent me the salad plates of the new Arte Italica Natale,

They are a perfect pairing for the tartan!

A snowy vignette on a silver tray served

as a simple centerpiece for our holiday table.

I added a few bottle brush trees and an

origami reindeer from my ornament box. . .

Along with this cute MacKenzie-Childs gnome

and old fashioned faux snow sprinkled across the tray

to complete the winter wonderland scene.

An Instagram and blogging friend,

Bernadette @ B home with Bernadette,

shared this wonderful stag plate on her IG feed,

and I rushed to Hobby Lobby with hopes of adding these

to my plate stack for yet another look. I bought the last one, and searches far and wide to add more turned up empty handed.

If any of my readers see this pattern for sale, please alert me.

They are part of the Farmhouse Christmas by Robert Stanley.

I layered the plate stacks atop my favorite

Crown Linen Design's

black and white check linens with a touch of

MacKenzie-Childs tartan napkins kicked to the side.

I traded out the white Vintage Garden charger

from the Ambiance Collection

for a green porcelain charger by Zirke.

Part of playing with dishes is trying out different

looks with the same basic stack.

Just change out a charger, salad plate, stack topper,

flatware, or linens for a complete new look.

Don't forget to add a fun plate

topper for a holiday touch!

Our Christmas dinner stack included a fun new touch

with Bauble Stockings at each of our place settings.

Donner for The Chef.

Winter Wonderland for me.

Napkins ~ Victorian Red by Crown Linen Designs

Thank you, Emily @ The French Hutch!

Bauble Stockings are exquisitely hand stitched by women in Haiti who are paid a fair trade wage and provided with tuition for their children's education, books, after school curriculum, breakfast, and lunch.

As a lifetime stitcher, I stand in awe of Kate Stewart, her generous business model, her enthusiasm, her kind heart,

and these perfect little stockings.

Thanks for the visit.

Sunday, December 13, 2020

Zooming into Cookie Decorating

Christmas Cooking Decorating

I recently received an invitation for a

Zoom Cookie Decorating

class and thought, "Why Not?"

Everything was perfectly organized!

A box of cookies and a decorating kit were delivered right to my door.

~ Tubs of Icing ~ Sprinkles ~ Pastry Bags with Decorating Tips ~

~ Even a Spatula!~

Christy Mendoza of Make It Sweet

was our expert cookie decorator

teacher for the evening.

It was a fun filled event with this group

of Chi O sisters here in Austin.

Thank you, Nicole, for organizing such a fun evening.

Christy was an amazing teacher, as she cheerfully

walked us through step by step of how

to decorate each of these cookies.

Christy made it appear easy, but let's just say,

I have a renewed respect for the art of cookie decorating!

We are not entertaining,

but in honor of this fun virtual evening,

I'm hosting a virtual Cookie Party for you.

Pick your favorite cookie and let

me know in the comments.

They are delicious!

I want to take this opportunity to thank all

who left a comment on my previous post here.

Congratulations to Jane @ Blondie's Journal.

Jane won our Traveling Tote gift for the December

edition.

Be sure to join us March 1, 2021 for the next edition.

Joining

Tuesday Turnaround @ Bluesky Kitchen

Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop @ Electric Red Barn
Share Your Style @ French Ethereal Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Thursday Favorite Things @ Katherine's Corner Charming Homes and Gardens @ Shiplap and Shells Embracing Home and Family @ The Everyday Farmhouse Farmhouse Friday @ The Painted Hinge

Tuesday, December 1, 2020

Tales of the Traveling Tote #25

Tales of the Traveling Tote

Rabbit, Rabbit ~ December 1, 2020

Welcome to Tales of the non Traveling Tote!

As like many, we are staying home,

so absolutely no travel to share!

Instead, a few random things each month.

The first Sunday in September found

us enjoying one of our favorite traditions.

Shakes, Burgers, and Bubbles

at The Peached Tortilla

to celebrate our 45th Wedding Anniversary.

It was the first offering since the lockdown,

and our first time to venture into a restaurant.

Temperature checks at the door, only a few tables

available inside, and excellent safety protocal.

The Chef took the donut home for a late night snack, and we shared the shake, a delicious caramel milkshake, rimmed in chocolate and pecans, and topped with a traditional yeast donut.

Thank you, Peached Tortilla,

you never disappoint!

September also brought my sister back up to see her daughters,so we had a little sister time with lunch at Sweet Lemon.Since COVID, they only offer outdoor dining ~ picnic tables under the huge oaks.

October arrived and with it

some beautiful autumn weather!

A favorite activity is to venture over

to a neighborhood bakery.

Miss Merri Mac and the bears came along and were very

popular with a little girl and her baby brother munching on their

bakery treats. Mack and Kenzie go together like milk and cookies.

Grocery shopping at least offers a reason to leave the house.

A weekly early morning trip to Trader Joe's

for flowers and a few fall favorites has become a habit.

Thank you, Trader Joe's for senior hour shopping!

COVID has changed much of our normal routine, and

voting was no exception. We received our ballots, completed them

and drove over to the County Offices to vote absentee.

The process couldn't have been easier or more efficient.

Thank you Travis County for offering a safe way

to cast our votes in the 2020 election.

Sadie Mercedes made her voice heard as well.

Miss Arden Elizabeth of the Treat Party.

October in Texas traditionally brings large crowds

from across the country to shop the antique venues

at Round Top and the surrounding small communities.

I rarely miss an opportunity, and since the shows were completely canceled last spring, I seriously considered attendingwhen things opened back up for shopping this fall.