And we're zipping through November just like the rest of the year flew by.
The weather for the week ahead:::
Same old, same old Washington autumn weather. I have to remember to screenshot from the weather app before it changes to a darker display.
On my reading pile:::
Finally finished The Venetian Daughter by Ella Carey on my Kindle and The Last Light over Oslo by Alix Rickloff from the library. Snapped a couple of book covers at Barnes and Noble so I can check the library to see if the titles are available. On my TV:::
Not much on TV this week as there was a lot of afternoon tea prep, but we did catch this premiere on Netflix.
Checked off the list:::
- More physical therapy for Vic.
- Meet up with an old friend and his son from our military Christian homeschooling days in Virginia. Lots of great conversation and a yummy brisket dinner.
- Scored a Red Cup at Starbucks, cute design this year.
- Shopped for my afternoon tea - five different stores, no less!
- Set up the table, packaged the thank you for coming gifts, and prepped some of the desserts.
- Had a lovely time with my Lunch Bunch group at afternoon tea.
Found a set of "thankful" and "blessed" gold on wood accents at Hobby Lobby. Napkins are Longaberger's Autumn Path; I had six and found two more on Facebook Marketplace.
Table set for tea - mugs are over on the counter by the tea pots and Wassail warmer (CrockPot).
Tiered servers - sandwiches (cucumber, turkey and cranberry, honey almond chicken, and olive-nut spread - kudos to Vic for his amazing sandwich assembling and cutting skills!); scone** tier with clotted cream and strawberry jam, and sweet treats (petit fours, macarons, lemon curd and raspberry tarts, chocolate mousse cups, and chocolate eclairs.
For beverages, I served black tea, cranberry orange tea, and Winter Wassail (a combination of apple, cherry, blackcurrant, and lemon that was delicious served warm).
**My usual source for scones, the local British foods store, let me down this year and the next closest one was a four-hour round trip, so I decided to bite the bullet and make my own (with the help of a Mary Berry recipe). It was my first attempt, and the first batch were rather small in diameter and height, so I put those away for Vic and me to enjoy later and made another batch. This batch turned out really well and I got so many compliments at the tea. The secret was to make them tall enough that they rose in the oven but not too tall that they fell over from too much of a rise. My name is Pamela, and I can make my own scones!!
I made menu cards for each place setting. I LOVE Photoshop Elements!
We had a lovely ornament exchange and lots of fun conversation about upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas plans. I sent everyone home with a thank you for coming gift of a tea towel that said Gather Together embroidered with autumn leaves and a Pumpkin Peanut Brittle Bath and Body Works hand soap.
We raised our mugs to our late Lunch Bunch member, Karen, who died in September. We are thankful for her friendship.
Crafts roundup:::
December Daily was on the back burner this week, so I have some catching up to do on the classes.
And in other news:::
Week Twelve is the Attic Week.
Cooler
weather makes it easy to check and organize the attic and storage areas.
No attic? Use this week to
work on undone tasks, or to tackle a bonus area in the home.
We continue to move toward
Thanksgiving in holiday prep, preparing to set a pretty holiday table. Are you
working on holiday gifts?
I'll leave the links up here if you're interested.
Hallelujah! The Government Shutdown is over!
