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In years past I would have blogged about each of these things individuallly because they were part of my everyday experiences and I would have wanted to share them. Because I haven’t blogged regularly for quite awhile, though, I missed the opportunity to share these with you when they occurred. I’d still like to share them because they were interesting experiences!
Hosting Tea for a Friend
I’ve been a collector of “tea things” for several years, but oddly enough, I’m not a huge tea drinker. (I know, it’s weird, right??) Still, I do enjoy a cup occasionally. I have been Facebook friends with a sweet gal named Robin for quite some time, but we never created an opportunity to meet in person – until January of 2022 when I hosted “tea time” for her! The occasion was simple – I was down-sizing a bit of my dinnerware collection, and she had a good cause she invited me to donate some of them to. She was willing to come pick them up, making the donation an absolutely easy YES for me – so I invited her to come for tea!
We enjoyed a trio of tea treats and “choice” from the basket of Twining’s individual tea selections, and a solid two hours of wonderful conversation. As we wound things down she took my donated dishes out to her vehicle with the promise of sharing them with refugee families in need – it was a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon!
Jury Duty
Also in the category of new experiences – jury duty! I’ve actually been called for jury duty three times. The first time, I had just turned 18 and was a newly registered voter. I was interviewed to serve on a medical malpractice trial, but excused. The second time I was in my mid-forties and although I appeared at the courthouse as scheduled, I was not selected to be interviewed.
Well, third time’s a charm apparently – in January I was called, interviewed, and selected to serve. I know people generally abhor being called for jury duty, and strive to get out of it. But this was not my attitude. At one point, after everyone had been interviewed, the judge began calling out juror numbers and asking us to stand. I assumed we were going to be dismissed and escorted out. But instead he said, “Mr. Prosecutor, is this your jury?” The reply, “Yes your honor.” In my mind I literally thought “Wait – what??” Then, “Mr. Defense Attorney, is this your jury?” The reply, “Yes, your honor.” It seems silly to say it, but I got a bit choked up. In that moment I realized I’d been given a serious responsibility, and even though the trial involved relatively minor criminal offenses, I felt that our defendant deserved full and thoughtful consideration of the facts and testimony, by jurors who understand that restricting someone’s liberty is a very big deal indeed. Yes, it was an inconvenience – especially having become as spoiled as I have working from home and no longer facing a morning commute into the downtown area – but it was absolutely an experience worth having.
I took a break from my tablescaping hobby for much of the year, once the gardening season really got going, but “re-booted” in time for Fall and Halloween. I bought a new-to-me dining table for my eat-in kitchen in March – this was a consignment store find, and it came with two leaves for expansion if needed. Still trying to talk myself into matching chairs… I love my little mismatched farmhouse chairs, but if I find the perfect French Country matched set at a great price, I could be persuaded.
Here are some sneak peeks at the tables I set this year – I’ll do full posts on these eventually. It’s time for Thanksgiving and Christmas ideas already!
Now that all my tables for the year are rounded up in one post, it does feel like I did more than I originally thought. And even if dining alone, I try to always use a pretty plate and placemat – they may not be full tablescapes, but they do give an added lift even to simple meals. And of course, I enjoy adding to my stash of dinnerware and table elements using secondhand and inexpensive finds from thrift, consignment, and discount stores!
For the past few years I’ve been working on building a walk-through garden in the sideyard between my house and garage, and this year I got a lot closer to that goal. I joined together two flower beds by the house that created an actual path flanked by beds on both sides, and started to fill the new joined bed with perennial plants. I added a beautiful cement statue to one of the beds, and for a backdrop I used a printed fabric shower curtain that features a scene from an “old world” villa. It looks amazing when photographed! I’ve done pretty well establishing perennials all over the property, and filling in with annuals where color was needed. Flowerbeds on either side of my front door also looked lush and healthy all season, and I had fresh mum and sunflower blooms as late as the first week of November. Here are a few photos from the garden this year!
Here are a few “random bloom” shots just for fun…
One of the things I like about gardening in Iowa is that Winter is “break time.” I’m always ready for a rest both mentally and physically by October, and then by February I’m ready to get started again. I already have a “seed plan” for next year!
Hi friends! Well once again I seem to have gone most of the year without doing ANY blog posts – save for one, back in January. I am determined to do better in hopes that my blog truly becomes a place where you can derive some inspiration for your home, garden, thrifting adventures, DIY’s, and just “living lovely” in general.
I’ll be sharing a few round-up posts to get us all caught up together, and then resume some sort of regular blogging. In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you! What have you been up to this year in home decorating, tablescaping, gardening, thrifting/antiquing, DIY, self-care, and all those home-artsy things? Please share in the comments!
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