I'm Home! A Touch of Winter-Tablescape Thursday

     We returned home on Monday night from 2 weeks in Florida. I still have several pictures and posts to share with you from our trip, but it may be a few days before I really get "back to blogging". My husband is still on vacation, my bags may be unpacked but the laundry isn't done and I'm trying to get my house back to some form of normal. As much as I love the Christmas decorations, I also love the clean, bare look of the house when they are taken down.

     I did a tablescape with my "winter" dishes a few weeks ago and never got around to posting it. My son actually bought these dishes for me a few years ago, and I love them. Please visit our hostess Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch to see all the tables that are being shown this week.

     I used a black tablecloth so that the dishes would really stand out. I'm not sure I really like the look, but they didn't show up on white. The dishes are Pfaltzgraff Winter Frost (2001-2006) and I love the fact that I can use them all winter. 

See the cute little polar bears inside the bowl.

     I found this darling little snow baby box at our local thrift store. I loved the way the colors went so well with the dishes and with my vintage look church that I found at HomeGoods.

     I used my gold flatware, crystal votives and the cut poinsettias that I posted about here. My poinsettias were still perfect after 2 weeks. I actually threw them away before we left on our trip and they were still beautiful. I placed the poinsettias in a small wreath with peacock feathers to add a "pop" of color.

     White napkins with a few sparkly blue berries, a silly snowman and Winter Frost goblets and salt and peppers finished the table.

     I am so sorry that I'm not reading all of your blog posts. I just can't keep up with things until after the holidays. Hopefully everyone else is as busy as I am. Happy New Year to you all!

Merry Christmas to All!

Christmas is not a time or a season

but a state of mind.

To cherish peace and good will,

to be plenteous in mercy,

is to have the real spirit of Christmas.

 If we think on these things,

there will be born in us a Savior

and over us will shine a star

sending its gleam of hope to the world."

Calvin Coolidge-Presidential message (December 25, 1927)

Wishing you all a very safe and happy holiday, Merry Christmas!

Charity Tablescape Event

     There will be more photos coming from Christmas at Disney, but this morning I'm posting something I wrote before I left home.

     I recently attended a yearly charity event in my area. This year it took on new meaning for me as I am all about setting tables these days thanks to Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch. Please visit her and take a look at all the wonderful tables.

     This event takes place in an area furniture store. The store provides the tables and local businesses do the table settings. There were 52 tables this year, along with a wine tasting and delicious desserts. They raffle off several of the table settings...once again, I did not win!

Epcot, Whoopi and More Food!

     On Saturday night we went into Epcot to listen to the Disney Choir sing while Whoopi Goldberg read the Christmas Story. Last year, my daughter sang in the Disney Choir but this year her schedule just didn't allow it. They perform every night during the holidays with different actors reading along with them. It is very impressive. I love Whoopi, so we picked our night to go based on the fact it was Whoopi's night to speak.

     My Sony Cybershot just isn't the camera one needs for all of these night shots. I apologize for the lack of quality in my photography.

     The Disney Theme Parks are gorgeous at Christmas. Each park has a huge tree, the characters are decked out in Christmas outfits and even the paper cups have a holiday theme. On the downside, there are so many people that you can barely walk. The lines are very long for the rides and getting dinner reservations can be impossible. We rarely ride anything anymore and we are lucky that we no longer pay for our tickets. So, we can just go in and stay a few hours and leave. It would be very stressful to bring young kids to Disney for Christmas...but, it would also be fun!

I love looking in the shop windows in the "countries" of Epcot.

     Someone asked about my favorite Disney Theme Park. It has always been Epcot. I think the Magic Kingdom is amazing, and it really makes you feel as if you are in the midst of the Disney magic. Epcot has such interesting shops, foods and people and I have always been drawn to this particular park. A trip to Epcot is never complete without a trip to the pastry shop in France.

On the way out of the park, a few more pictures of the beauty of the season at WDW.

My Favorite Disney Hotels...All Decked Out for the Holidays

The Grand Floridian

     My first visit to Walt Disney World was Christmas of 1973. Walt Disney World was only a year old, and The Magic Kingdom was the only theme park. The Polynesian and Contemporary hotels were the only two choices of hotels on property. My family stayed at the Contemporary Hotel that year. As a teenager, I was very impressed that the monorail zoomed right through the lobby of the hotel. Over the years, I've been back to WDW too many times to count. We started taking our own children before they could walk (not smart) and continued to bring them yearly until after they left for college. When my daughter was in junior high, she decided she was going to work for Disney. She did a college internship at WDW and moved to Orlando the day after her college graduation 2 1/2 years ago.  Now, we are here several times a year. I guess you could say we are a Disney family.

Gingerbread Tree-Contemporary Hotel

     We have stayed at many of the Disney Hotels over the years and we are often asked which one is our favorite. I would have to say that I have 2 favorites. The Polynesian Hotel has always been the one that makes me "feel good". I love the tropical theme, the beach and the island atmosphere.

     My other favorite, is The Grand Floridian Hotel. The rooms are very nice, but it is the service, the landscaping and the elegance of this hotel that can't be matched at any other WDW hotel. We stayed at the Grand Floridian in the spring, 2 years ago and it was wonderful. It is very pricey and not something we will get to do often (even with my daughter's discount).

     I hope I'm not boring you with the tour. Truthfully, I just love taking pictures when I'm here and I'm too tired to be creative and think of something original to write about!