Thanksgiving Wishes

My Dears,
I want to say thank you for being a part of my life...for stopping by, saying hello, and just being you!
This year I can add to my list of blessings the addition of dear blog friends.

Have a lovely and Happy Thanksgiving. May you find many reasons to be thankful each and everyday of your lives. May your hearth be warm, the table bountiful, and love ever be constant. Most of all..may you be blessed with good health and happiness all the year through.

This is my Thanksgiving wish for you.

xoxo
Miss Sandra

Embracing The Season..

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...The holiday season that is!

I can't believe we are several days away from Thanksgiving 2009. It seems just yesterday I was planting my herbs for my spring garden. Well never-the-less, I am happy about it. Two years ago was the last time I hosted Thanksgiving dinner. I am thrilled that this year I shall don my apron once again and have my family over to celebrate and be grateful.

Poor Thanksgiving. It seems it's always overshadowed by Christmas. It doesn't stand a chance. Once Halloween is over...Christmas decorations are on display. As a child, I remember seeing paper cutouts of turkeys on windows in every shop and home. Pilgrims, pumpkins, and other symbols of Thanksgiving were a given and commonplace. You see very little of it today..perhaps a small section at the local CVS...somewhere underneath the Christmas lights.

I guess it shouldn't really matter. Thanksgiving is felt within our hearts...and we have reason to be ever so thankful on a daily basis. The first words I usually speak, when I open my eyes each morning are "Thank you for the blessing of another beautiful day of life."

Those words I have said, even during the worst of times.

And so on...in the spirit of things, I shall officially begin my Christmas decorating this weekend. Yes, yes..I know. Did I not just preach about Christmas overshadowing Thanksgiving festivities?? Silly me..Though really, I have no choice. I like my place to be decorated by December 1st. However, it usually takes me a week or more to dress Harmonie House in Christmas splendor. These days are pretty busy for me, so I have to take advantage of the spare moments I get...especially the weekends. I shall incorporate my pilgrims, pumpkins, and turkeys into the x-mas decor. I love both holidays...very much!!

Christmas 2008 at Harmonie House

So my dears...I wish you all a lovely weekend filled with many blessings..many reasons to be ever thankful.

xoxo
Miss Sandra

Something to think about...

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The Possible's slow fuse is lit
by the Imagination..............
~Emily Dickinson

I've been doing some reading this day and came upon the above quote. Needless to say, it made quite a lot of sense and has inspired me to greater imagination.

Possibility is a magical word..it promises surprises. It caters to hope and strokes reality. It is said that all things are possible.

Imagination is a powerful tool...a bridge to worlds of our own making. Our minds create, shape, and form these images that may sometimes seem so real...so much so, the energy we put behind these fanciful thoughts is sent out to the universe... fueling possibility. What a lovely notion...what possibilities!!

I must imagine myself in Vienna..dancing a waltz. *smiles*

Emily Dickinson....a very wise woman.

I raise my glass. Here's to the imagination..and the possibilities in its wake!
....it is said they are endless!!

xoxo
Miss Sandra

At home..all weekend!!

A full weekend at home, to myself? I must pinch myself for fear I may be dreaming.

(proceeds with the pinching...) Ow!

All right, I'm not dreaming. I really do have a weekend with no plans..no parties...no nothing. This is cause for celebration for you see, it seems I have been going and going every weekend non-stop since Labor Day. I've not had a whole weekend to myself...till now!

This explains why I am still lingering about in my cozy jammies. Oh how delightful! I must take advantage of this time...and just be.

Should I fuss around the house and do some light chores?
Should I go out and do some shopping?
Should I go to my shop and check in on Saturday's trusty minion and see how business is going?

Hmm....I think not!

This weekend should consist of simple pleasures. I shall surround myself in ambiance filled with music, yummy treats, a good book, the company of Mr. Knightley, and the serenity that comes with deep relaxation. This weekend I shall do some soul searching and hopefully discover something wonderful.

So let the rain fall..let the winds blow. I shall admire them from my window as I sip my favorite brew out of a favorite cup. While the last of the leaves continue their descent towards the ground, I shall smile...and just be. After all, these simple moments..simple pleasures..are to be delicately treasured.

Have a wonderful weekend my dears!
xoxo!
Miss Sandra

After The Ball

My Dears,

A lovely time was had at our annual Armistice Ball. We had a nice turnout, the band delighted us with some great music for dancing, and the Afterglow party at Harmonie House was absolutely divine.

Harmonie House hours before the revelry.

Downstairs at Harmonie House.. Mr. Knightley kept watch from the stairs...while upstairs several of us were busy getting into our gowns, and tuxedos.

Having given my lady's maid the night off...I settled for the butler to help me fasten my gown. *smiles*

The band, led by well known Vince Giordano, gave a stellar performance and provided us with tunes to kick our heels...foxtrots, one-steps, tangos, blues, and waltzes.

The dancers were pleased as pie and were having a ball!

Tis I...dancing away to a one-step


C'est moi..again!

It was lovely to be twirled around the room to the music of another era..long gone. Alas, like Cinderella, I had to leave the ball much earlier...for I had to get the home and prepare for the Afterglow party.

This was only the beginning. By the time all the guests (31) arrived, the table was heavily laden with food...hot and cold dishes. Wine and champagne flowed as did the smiles.

...with Dan Levinson and his lovely wife Molly


Vince relaxing after a fabulous musical night
and chatting away with Tom & Sue.
He and his Nighthawks take us back in time with the authentic sounds of the 20's & 30's.


Dear friend Tom entertained the whole weekend on my Lauter.

After the party...yes, it went on till very late...I was thoroughly exhausted. However, that didn't stop me or my weekend guests from enjoying some ragtime coming from the talented Tom on the piano. Twas 2am, we let our hair down, took our shoes off, and I served coffee (yes..regular not decaf). We listened to music..while we all reclined and talked about the ball and party..we were still glowing.

Yes, the mistress of the house was tired..but still glowing.

Happy days to all!
xoxo
Miss Sandra

Shall We Dance

My Dears..

It's that time again...time for dancing. Tomorrow night, the vintage dance group I belong to will be co-hosting the annual Armistice Ball.

Once a year we gather at a hall..dressed in period attire.. and dance to the live sounds of a fabulous band playing the music of the late teens and 1920s. It's a wonderful evening filled with laughter, good company, great music!

The evening does not end after the ball is over. Oh indeed not! A private party for the band and close friends/group members will be held at Harmonie House. We call this gathering the "After Glow" party. This is my favorite part of the evening, for it's lovely to have my guests dancing to the tunes played on the upright..nice to see them letting their hair down and unwind. Here they'll feast upon a late evening supper by candlelight and replay the evening's highlights over a glass of wine or two.

I should have some photos to share with you all within a week or so of this affair. In the meantime, I hope you have a most lovely weekend filled with the comforts of autumn.

Wishing you moments of sheer joy!
xoxo
Miss Sandra

I am

Today I smile because I am....and ever will be; because it is...and ever shall be. I am ever grateful!

Now I'm off to have a nice cuppa tea!

Lovely thoughts and wishes to you all!
xoxo
Miss Sandra

November thoughts..

My Dears,

Happy November to all! The trees are undressing their glory...the ground a canvas painted by the many colorful fallen leaves. Just outside my writing room window, I see my backyard laden with the signs of summer's passing. Crunchy leaves scattered like confetti, invite me to venture out and tread upon them in childlike enjoyment. Very soon the tines of the rake shall make its own cacophony of sound as it clears away the dried offspring of our beautiful trees....clearing the canvas to make room for winter's snow.

Tis amazing how quickly this year has gone by. Christmas is just around the corner and Thanksgiving..practically tomorrow! So fast do the days go. Our present, so quickly made into the past...and our future already the present. I'm afraid to blink for fear I might miss something.

Truly dear friends, time is but a spec of dust..a grain of sand. Our days are but currents in the river of life and time. We should ride that current to our best ability..and while upon the river of life...we should aim for smooth sailing. Yes, the harsh waves will come, but we shall ride them out, for life is not meant to flow smoothly. Otherwise, how would we be able to appreciate all the good that comes, if we never knew the bad? How can we embrace the sun if we do not first know the gray clouds? How does one appreciate the warmth if never the touch of frost has been felt?

Though who says frost...clouds...and rain are so bad? I embrace them all for each in its own way graces us with something good. The cold lures us to the comfort of the hearth. The rain brings forth the colors of springtime..and washes away the snow of the winter. Those dark, dreary days..clouding the sky...they are somewhat magical for they inspire deep thought or if not that, they give us a day indoors to get some housework done. Now that is the magical part! *smiles*

I guess what I'm trying to say is...there is nothing bad that cannot bring forth something good. It has taken me many years to learn this...and loads of acceptance. Thus is life....precious in its education, and ever so delicate in essence. Life is short. Time doth fly. Do not waste a minute..or a second of it. Live it fully...love it...make the most of it!! Find the bliss, get through the bad, and forge on with a smile.

November has reminded me that we are near the year's end. I have lots to do and accomplish by the end of December. I want to begin 2010 fresh..with new experiences, new thoughts, new risks. I shall endeavor to end this year on a happy note, and begin the new one singing a happy song. Thus I shall set the tune for my future years, for they do go so fast!!

Miss Sandra of Harmonie House is now done with waxing philosophically. It's a pretty day out, Mr. Knightley is napping on the chair nearby, and I have a bit to do around here. I've got to go out and get some wood for the fire, and some fixings for a meal. I have some merry company coming over for a musical gathering.

I wish you all a lovely afternoon and evening. May November bring forth many a happy moment filled with bliss!

xoxo
Miss Sandra