Giving Thanks - Jessie Willcox Smith

I love this illustration by Jessie Willcox Smith of a brother and sister giving thanks for their daily bread before breakfast. I like to think this was painted to illustrate Thanksgiving morning. via

Roast Turkey Recipe by Beatrix Potter

"Pluck the bird carefully and singe all over with a piece of white paper; then wipe it with a clean cloth; draw in and keep the liver and gizard.

Wash the inside well and wipe it thoroughly dry with a cloth.

Cut the neck off close to the back but leave enough of the crop skin to turn over; break the leg bone close below the knee; draw out the sinews from the thighs and flatten the breast bone to make it look plump.

Fasten the neck with a skewer over to the back; run a skewer through the pinion and thigh on the other side and press the legs as much as possible between the breast and side bones.”

A turkey of ten pounds will take about 2.5 hours to cook - a larger one three hours or more.

A never seen before 161 recipe book by Beatrix Potter has been discovered and is up for auction. 

The recipes, which are believed to have been handed down over generations, include sponge cake, roast turkey and curry. The earliest entry is dated 1851 and the hand written cookbook was updated regularly over many years. Read the entire article HERE.

Beatrix Potter's recipe for Ginger Bread

Ingredients:
3.5 lb wheat meal
3.5 lb treacle
12 oz sugar
12 oz butter
2 oz ground ginger
1 oz pounded allspice
1 pint of ale

Add two thirds of the ale to the other ingredients and beat them well for some time then dissolve 1oz of common washing soda in the rest of the ale and add it just before you put it into the oven.

It requires a slow oven - (let all the ingredients except the flour and soda be put before the fire to dissolve for an hour or two.)

Have a Wonderful Thanksgiving Day

This vintage Thanksgiving postcard was mailed in 1910 back in the day when all turkeys were free range. I hope all of your dishes come out of the oven and make it to the table and sideboard looking and tasting just the way you hoped they would. Enjoy this day of thanks with family and friends and eat all you want. Thanksgiving is such a wonderful holiday. Enjoy! via

Home for the Holiday

Will you spend Thanksgiving at home or will you travel to be with family and friends? Enjoy the day and be safe on the road.

Glad Thanksgiving Greetings

Be safe if you are traveling over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house for a family Thanksgiving celebration. I thought this vintage postcard was unusual and perfect for the vegetarian/vegans out there who will be passing on the turkey but enjoying all the trimmings.

Winter Reflection

Isn't this a spectacular photo to start (or finish) your day? via

Ikea Rocks

via I haven't been to Ikea is ages. I really like the duvet cover with the alphabet. They have such interesting things. Maybe I'll go next year after the holiday rush. They have great stylists too.

Wickford Rhode Island House

I love an entrance on the gable end plus the mixture of clapboards and shingles. Photo by Howie Guja

Snowy Woodland Path

With no footprints. How nice to be the first one to walk this delightful path through the woods. via

Nice Staircase

I love the blue painted steps ending with a twist. The built-in book is nice at the foot of the stairs. I love the feel of this warm looking home. via

Stone Cottage in Beckfoot England

Photographed by Sue Langford

Beautiful Pumpkin Dessert

You know you want this on your Thanksgiving dessert table! The recipe is in Polish but Google Translate did a great job of converting it to English. Not sure what this means though: "Not breaking hammer mix one egg and mix until combined." It's called Pumpkin Pie with Cream but it looks more like a cake to me. Anyway, it's nice to see what people in other countries cook that would be great for our American Holiday.

Recipe: Kitchen Love Story

Sun Filtered Through The Pines

This is a beautiful photo, isn't it? The pines and other conifers were especially hard hit by Hurricane Sandy in my area. Their shallow roots and soft wood could not stand up to the high winds. I love walking in pine forests with or without snow. The smell is wonderful. via

Shared Bedroom with Privacy

Clever small bedroom for two with privacy for each person. Each one has a window too. I think you have to get IN the bed to change the sheets on the left one. via

Shift Rotation: Webster's On Duty Now

Tabitha's shift is over and Attending Physician Webster just took over. He's keeping an eye on my mother and the cat too. He loves to sneak her food and maybe he'll have a chance while she's not looking. 

Greetings from the Infirmary

On Duty: Nurse Tabitha

This is the proper way to monitor the vitals. If you sleep on top of them, all of those wires are not necessary. Tabitha says she can feel everything this way.

Great Laundry Room

This is a wonderful laundry room, isn't it? The cabinets are wonderful and I really like the white porcelain farm sink. I can only imagine how fabulous the rest of the room must be. via

Thanksgiving Defined

I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week. We are on the BRAT diet here at the cottage so my mother's intestinal tract can get back to normal. Bananas, Rice, Applesauce and (white) Toast. These are all binding foods. I got rice milk and rice cereal too and some saltine crackers and chicken broth. So far, so good. Webster thinks it's all delicious.

Webster was a good house sitter.

But he's so glad we are back. Being home alone was no fun and a huge responsibility. He is trying to understand what happened but can't quite grasp the hospital situation. Anyway, Webster is glad we are returning to normal and he can go back to being a pet instead of a security guard. 

Cozy reading nook

I like this room with the cubbies for books and the chair beside the fireplace and the stone floor. My mother said it was so good to be home and know that everything you touch is yours. We both slept like logs last night and woke up to bright sunshine. Webster slept with me and Nurse Tabitha slept with Anna. The pets are happy to have us back.  Mother had a good appetite for breakfast and she feels good.
See more reading nooks here and have a great weekend. 

My Mother Was Discharged -- Hooray

Home has never looked so good. The pets were happy to see my mom and now we can concentrate on getting back to normal. Anna says she feels surprisingly good! The staff at the hospital loved her. She was a model patient since she was a nurse herself at one time. Thanks for all of your wonderful notes and your prayers.

The curved tree on the far left is the one that came crashing down during Hurricane Sandy. That was one I never considered would be a potential problem. Luckily the damage was minimal...just some scraped shingles. It was definitely guided by angels.

It's SO good to be home again! Sigh.

Mother is Sitting up

Waiting for the two thumbs up to go home later today. I hope it will be during the daylight hours. See you later.

Thanks so much for your prayers and get well soon notes. xo, Rosemary and Anna

Lovely Interior Design

I love the window treatment in this room and everything else too...especially the lamp. via

I'm home for a short break to feed and walk Webster. He's been a doll during this hospital ordeal. Once a day is for feeding, walking and bathroom breaks is all he needs. He's really a dog you can trust to be home alone. The good news is that my mom will probably get to come home tomorrow afternoon. Cross your fingers for us. xo, Rosemary

Broadway in The Cotswolds UK

Don't you love the sculpted bushes? Broadway was the first town I visited in The Cotswolds in the 1970s. It's was love at first sight.

My mom finally got a hospital room around 6:30 tonight. After I got her settled in I dashed home to feed and walk Webster and Tabitha. I'm running a hot bath too. I'll go back later. I hope we get to the root of her problem tomorrow.

Thank you so much for your wishes for her speedy recovery. She's miserable being away from home as we all would be. I miss my bed too.

Goodnight. Now for a good long soak. xo

My Mom is in the Hospital

We went to the emergency room yesterday per doctor's orders and we are still waiting for a room. The inn is full because of the hurricane. We are at the top of the list. She is dehydrated and more. Updates to follow.

Pointer Puppy Love

Someone else loves him too and knitted his pillow/dog bed cover. Just look at the size of those paws!!! via

A Great White Kitchen

I really like wha I'm seeing here. I always like antiques in a kitchen and this flip top trestle table is great. I love all the white woodwork, the wooden countertops, the unpainted wooden knobs, the white sofa, the built-in oven and cooktop. The window is fabulous and I like not having any overhead cabinets. Two thumbs up. via

Sheep Family Portrait

Such a handsome family. ©laura l. wentz on flickr

Fat Chicken on A Stool

I love this big fat lazy chicken trying her best to cover the entire seat of a rusty stool. via

DIY Paper Orchids -- Just Beautiful

Fire up your printer and heat up your glue gun to make these beautiful paper orchids. Tutorial here.

Abbey House Gardens -- England

Have you ever seen anything lovelier than Abbey House Gardens in Malmesbury, Wiltshire? via If this isn't eye candy, I don't know what is!

Beautiful Entrance

via

I love everything about this photo. What a wonderful door. Love the bittersweet color too.