Christmas Greenery all around!

I started to decorate for Christmas last night and I realized how much Christmas Greenery I put around the house. I was surprised how much I use in my decorating! I definitely don't have all my decorating done but I was making notes on how much greenery I will need. I put some on the mantel, around the Nativity on the sofa console table, in urns (inside and out), around the large white wooden swan I have, on the kitchen and dining room table, on a few little tables I have around the family room and on the banisters. I went on pinterest and found these really beautiful ideas I thought I would share with all of you. Hope it gives you some inspiration and ideas!

(all photos via pinterest.com)

I love this idea! Ice Skates on a greenery swag or wreath for your door. I have ever put my skates on a sled with some greenery and a beautiful cranberry velvet bow.

If you are lucky enough to have a wooden wheelbarrow, you could spruce it up this time of year with greenery and red berries. A few white twigs might be nice too!

A simple swag of different kinds of greenery make any door look festive!

This is such a simple idea-take any size can add greenery and a ribbon and you have a centerpiece!

I love greenery on the banister and this photo has some lovely ideas.

Can't forget the mantel. I love greenery and pinecones for mine!

I thought this was a really nice idea either for your home or as a gift. Put some little trees in crocks, pots, antique vases, etc. You could add ribbon or maybe some cranberries to the little tree (only if it is sturdy enough) or sprinkle with glitter!

Hope this gave you all some great ideas! Happy decorating!

The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory Review

I had the wonderful opportunity to review this book for Touchstone via Crazy Book Tour blog. Here is a little information about this book.

The Lady of the Rivers
by Philippa Gregory
Publication Date: October 18, 2011
Publisher: Touchstone

Passion. Danger. Witchcraft . . .

The Lady of the Rivers is #1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory’s remarkable story of Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford, a woman who navigated a treacherous path through the battle lines in the Wars of the Roses.

Descended from Melusina, the river goddess, Jacquetta always has had the gift of second sight. As a child visiting her uncle, she met his prisoner, Joan of Arc, and saw her own power reflected in the young woman accused of witchcraft. They share the mystery of the tarot card of the wheel of fortune before Joan is taken to a horrific death at the hands of the English rulers of France. Jacquetta understands the danger for a woman who dares to dream.

Jacquetta is married to the Duke of Bedford, English regent of France, and he introduces her to a mysterious world of learning and alchemy. Her only friend in the great household is the duke’s squire Richard Woodville, who is at her side when the duke’s death leaves her a wealthy young widow. The two become lovers and marry in secret, returning to England to serve at the court of the young King Henry VI, where Jacquetta becomes a close and loyal friend to his new queen.

The Woodvilles soon achieve a place at the very heart of the Lancaster court, though Jacquetta can sense the growing threat from the people of England and the danger of royal rivals. Not even their courage and loyalty can keep the House of Lancaster on the throne. Henry the king slides into a mysterious sleep; Margaret the queen turns to untrustworthy favorites for help; and Richard, Duke of York, threatens to overturn the whole kingdom for his rival dynasty.

Jacquetta fights for her king, her queen, and for her daughter Elizabeth for whom Jacquetta can sense an extraordinary and unexpected future: a change of fortune, the throne of England, and the white rose of York.

A sweeping, powerful story rich in passion and legend and drawing on years of research, The Lady of the Rivers tells the story of the real-life mother of the white queen.

My review of this book:

Another wonderful book by Philippa Gregory! I love historical fictions and this one did not disappoint! This book is the third book in the Cousins Wars Series. The young and bewitching young woman, Jacquetta from Luxembourg was a very haunting and interesting young woman/character in this story. Philippa Gregory sucked me in right away with this story and the characters. The story was woven very well and kept my interest throughout the whole book. I would highly recommend this book and all of Philippa Gregory's other books in this series and other historical fictions she has written.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

I wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving before I head North!! I hope everyone enjoys their day with their family, friends and loved ones. We all have alot to be thankful for and we need to remember that all the year through not just one specific day!

This year our family has alot to be thankful for! Here are a few things I thought of:

1. The birth of Owen, our beautiful and joyous grandson.
2. Our daughter, Jennifer, who gave birth to Owen came through the emergency C-section and possible stroke before Owen was born.
3. Our move to our new rental house went smoothly.
4. My friend, Patty that was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer is doing great!
5. Our friend, Mike in NJ is doing well and has clear scans for his cancer!!
6. I got a raise.
7. John found a new job and we don't have to struggle as much as before.
8. I have a new car, well new to me-it is 1 yr. old.
9. Last but certainly not least we have had a healthy, wonderful year this year!!

Enjoy your day, hug your family and just be thankful!!

What a great weekend!!

I left Charlotte on Friday with my friend, Ginny and headed up to the mountains. We were staying with 3 of our knitting friends at a B&B in West Jefferson, NC. We have been there before and what a great time we had!! I got my nephew's scarf all done for Christmas and started another one for my sister. On the way through West Jefferson, Ginny and I stopped for lunch and we went to some little shops there too. The one shop wasn't so little but it was wonderful-it is a Cheese store!! The factory that makes the cheese is across the street and you can tour that if you want. Ginny bought cheese for the weekend (that was her contribution). She bought Baby Swiss, Swiss with almond spread, Cheddar Cheese, and Brandied Peaches. The cheese was so good-I want to go back there again!

Saturday we didn't leave the B&B the whole day or night. One of the girls brought Veggie Soup and another brought Chili so we were set for meals! I made Beer Bread and an Apple Crisp. Another one of the girls brought bagels, which we ended up having melted cheese on for one of our meals. The B&B serves huge breakfasts so we just had a little afternoon snack and then dinner on Friday and Saturday. Both Saturday and Sunday were warm enough to sit out on the front porch and knit. We headed back to Charlotte around noon. We had such a wonderful time!

The owner of the B&B (Doc) decided that our food was so good and he loves for us to come and sit on the porch and knit that he wants to write a cookbook with our recipes in the book and put in some knitting stories!! We are all really excited about this!! When the book is done and on sale, I will let everyone know!!

This weekend was all about relaxing, knitting, resting, chatting and just plain having a wonderful time with our friends!! This kind of weekend always brings and bonds the group together, which is a wonderful thing!!

Girls Getaway Weekend!

Everyone I won't be blogging this weekend. I'm heading out tomorrow a.m. with 4 other knitting girls of mine. We are headed to the mountains! What a weekend we will have!! Can't wait!

We will be staying here:

Everyone have a wonderful weekend and I'll tell you all about mine when I get back!!

Beautiful Thanksgiving Table Settings

I will not be at home this year for Thanksgiving. John, Teddy (our Golden Retriever) and I will be visiting with my parents and sisters (and their families). My Mom will set her table with her Lennox china that she got as a young bride in 1958. It is cream colored China with a platinum rim. Very pretty. She will use a cream colored tablecloth and she will use my Nana's sterling silverware. Very rarely does my Mom use a centerpiece. John and I used to send her a centerpiece and she always kept it on the kitchen table not the Dining Room table. Our daughters will be staying in NC this year and celebrating Thanksgiving together. I will miss them dearly but we have to go North and they cannot for a few different reasons.

I started thinking about table settings. Next year I won't be making the trip North so I thought I would save a few photos I found on pinterest of Thanksgiving place settings. I thought it would be nice to share them with you!

What a clever idea to use leaves as the place cards! Love it!!

I think this is my favorite one. I love persimmons in a group on the table.

This is really a pretty table!

Sometime I would like to try this-a cornucopia napkin-very ingenious!!

Where ever you are spending Thanksgiving, I hope everyone has a wonderful time with friends and family!!

Hug Someone Today :)!!

I was thinking last night on my drive home from Megan's house how many times a day we hug each other. Last night Jenny and Owen were at Megan's and I'll tell you there was plenty of hugging going on as far as Owen was concerned-LOL!!! He had Auntie Megan, Nana, Mommy and 2 of Auntie Megan's friends to love him and hug him all night!! Sometimes I think we all taking hugging for granted and don't realize how much good a nice hug does.

Here is something I found online about hugging:

"Hugs certainly feel good, both on the giving and receiving end, and it turns out their effects are more than skin deep. A study by University of North Carolina researchers found that hugs increase the "bonding" hormone oxytocin and decrease the risk of heart disease." I think that is great!!
So I thought I would share these photos with you and some of them are really quite amazing!! Make sure you hug someone today!

(All photos via pinterest.com)

Lion Cub hugging its Momma. So cute!

Dog and Orangutan hugging. Actually they are both friends at a zoo. The dog wasn't feeling well and the Orangutan hugged and befriended him so now he is doing so much better!! Amazing!

Foal and Mare nuzzling each other.

Lamb loving her little lamb.

Lambs hugging and protecting a puppy. I love this picture!!

This little monkey must have decided this little puppy needed a hug.

A whole squirrel family hugging each other! That must have been a hard picture to get!!

Squirrel hugging and kissing this baby chick.

I saved the best for last. This little girl is so cute with her Teddy Bear!

Enjoy your day and hug someone!!

Barns in the Snow!

Barn in Wood City, Ohio (via pinterest)

I guess because I grew up on a small farm I have always loved barns. Stone ones really are beautiful but a red barn out in the snow is just gorgeous! If barns could talk I am sure they would have wonderful stories for us!

I decided to look online and find some photos of barns in the snow and I found quite a few really nice photos that I thought I would share with you.

This barn looks like it is neatly tucked away for the winter! The bright red really stands out in the snow!(via google)

I would love to look across a field and see this barn in the winter! (via google)

I love this lantern and arrangement outside a white barn in the snow. (via pinterest)

This picture looks like a winter wonderland!! (via pinterest)

This weathered barn is so lovely in the snow (via pinterest)

It's Monday!!

WOW what a morning I have been having!! As most of you know I work for a commercial construction company and I work for 14 men (plus I get calls from 14 Superintendents out in the field. It is only 11:45 and I think I have heard from almost every one of them already!! I have also typed up 10 Subcontracts, looked at 5 drawings, printed off those approved drawings on our plotter (which no one else seems to know how to operate here-LOL), made about 25 phone calls, typed up 10 Change Orders,and I have taken care of a few odds and ends too! I am ready to go home and take a nap! This is a glimpse into my day everyday but it all isn't usually done by noon! Jokingly one of the owners stopped by my office and said, "Cheryl, you really have alot of down time don't you". He knows how much I do and really appreciates it. I think he was just trying to tell the one guy that almost lives in my office to lighten up! It's a good thing I love my job!!

Hope everyone is having a great Monday!!

The Weekend is Going Just as Planned!

Meridian Earrings

This doesn't happen very often but this weekend is going just as planned. Yesterday I slept a little later than normal, got up and made a nice omelet for John and I. I had planned on creating in my studio all day yesterday and guess what everyone it actually happened!! I have alot of new sparklies on my etsy site. (see sidebar for link to my site) What fun I had! I also had to take the photos of all the sparklies. I love setting up outside to take these (the light is just better outside). Teddy, my Golden Retriever kept me company out there and we even had time to run around the yard a little (well atleast Teddy did while I was busy taking photos).

Glitzy Posy Earrings

Today is another day of creating! I think I'm going to make some more bookmarks, necklaces and maybe some bracelets. I also want to get some knitting in today. I'm working on a nice scarf out of baby alpaca and merino for my nephew for Christmas.

I just love it when your day or weekend goes as planned don't you? Hope everyone is having a great weekend!!

What a gorgeous Saturday!

(photo via pinterst.com)

Today it is absolutely beautiful out!! There is a slight chill in the air but regardless it is so beautiful! We had some rain this week so some of those beautifully colored leaves came tumbling down, but there are still quite a few on the trees making it just gorgeous!

Enjoy your day!!

A Day in Honor of Our Veterans!

Today is 11/11/11 and it is also Veteran's Day! Please take a moment today to honor the Veterans living and not with us anymore. My Papa was a Navy Veteran and I always think of him today.

This group of people have protected our country, put their lives in danger, made our country safer so the least we can do is honor them today!!

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!

Christmas Holiday Decorating Ideas

I know it is kind of early to think about Christmas decorating when Thanksgiving hasn't even arrived yet. I know I need to plan things out early enough so I can decorate and then enjoy the holiday season. I was just looking over at pinterest.com at some of the beautiful ideas over there and I thought I would share them with you.

(all photos via pinterest.com)

I love the rich colors in this blanket and what a great idea for a tablecloth or maybe even a runner.

Someone had taken a little cutting from their boxwood shrub and put it in this little white vase. The perfect Christmas tree!! I love it!

I have a painted blue cupboard in my dining room and I could easily do this type of decorating. Very pretty!

When I saw these pillows on that white couch I knew I want to do this! I have a creamy/white couch and pillow like this would look great on it for the holiday!

Well that is it for now. I hope these ideas have gotten your creative juices flowing!! Have a great day!

Wonderful warm things to drink!

It is unseasonably warm here in Charlotte, NC right now but it isn't suppose to stay that way! By the end of the week it is going to be cold here again. I was looking at some photos of warm drinks and I thought I would share them with you!

(all photos via pinterest.com)

Even though I can't drink coffee due to an allergy, this Peppermit Chocolate Coffee looks so yummy!! The Jadeite mugs are really lovely!!

This Pumpkin Spice Latte looks so good!

What could be better than tea and knitting :)!

I love this sign. I will have to make something like this for my house.

Everyone enjoy the warmer weather now because the cold is on the way!

Wordless Wednesday!

Blogger Holiday Book Swap

That time of year is here again!! Go to this link and sign up: http://holidayswap.wordpress.com/2011/11/05/welcome/

Hurry you only have until this Friday, 11/11 to sign up!!

Christmas Ornaments are now here!

I was trying to think of some new things to put on my etsy site and I came up with a new Christmas ornament. I have 2 on there right now, one is Christmas in Paris:

and the other is Eiffel Tower Christmas Ornament:

I am thinking of making more out of sparklie Swarovski crystals so the Christmas tree lights send sparkles all through the room!

Let me know what you think of them! Everyone have a great day!!

**NOTE: You can click on my etsy site on the right hand sidebar of this blog and it will bring you to all my creations!**

Beautiful Thanksgiving Centerpiece

I was looking at things that I saved on www.pinterest.com and I came across this lovely pumpkin centerpiece. I will not be having Thanksgiving this year or I would so make this! Maybe I'll pass this picture along to my Mom for our Thanksgiving table.

How will you be decorating your Thanksgiving table this year?

It's Off to the Studio I go today!!

Today I will be letting the creative juices flow! John will be going with my son-in-law to an airshow and Teddy and I will be chillin' at home. Well not too much chillin' for me as there will be for Teddy! I'm spending the day in my studio playing Christmas music and getting in the creative spirit making jewelry and ribbon bookmarks for my etsy site: www.etsy.com, then type in cherylmcdermitt1 under Shop.

Here are a few things I've made in the past and posted on my site:

All Things Fall Ribbon Bookmark

Cafe au Lait Ribbon Bookmark

Canyon Earrings

Monogram Keychain

I will also be drinking tea as I create these new sparklies! This is just my kind of day to do this-it is chilly, windy and a little gray outside. My studio has a very large window at one end, so I will be able to pause and see the lovely Fall leaves in my backyard when I need a little break. I've got all my supplies right at my finger tips which is always helpful! The computer is right here on my large work table too just in case I need to check something on youtube or something I've saved. I just love days like this!!

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend and enjoys it immensely!!