11.30.2013

Simple Advent Calendar

Hi Everyone
 Happy Saturday
Can you believe that tomorrow is
December 1
the official count down to Christmas will begin
in our family we have a tradition of lighting a candle and saying a prayer  every night
as our advent calendar
This is so simple and easy to do


We place a glass bowl on the table and
 fill it with pretty white glistening sugar 
which looks like snow
each night we gather together and say a prayer as we light the first candle 
by Christmas eve
there are bowls filled with candles  all over the house
which gives our cottage a magical glow


We are now in full Christmas decorating mode
 how about you
 {Love}
Christmas
 it is the most wonderful time of the year

there is still time for you to enter to win the 
Thankful Grateful giveaway


The giveaway is for
 this filigree white salt and pepper set
and it ends tomorrow
{Thank You to all who have already entered}
I will be announcing the winner on Monday
 December 2
linking for Pink Saturday


romantic saying for today

“Never close your lips to those whom you have already opened your heart.” 
Dickens





Pam

11.27.2013

Christmas lights

Hi Everyone
 Happy Wednesday
Do you have those neighbors
you know the ones that leave their Christmas lights up all year  long
well I have a confession to make 
it is a little bit embarrassing but the truth is
we are those neighbors yes we are...
we leave our outdoor Christmas lights up all year long
I know I know...

If you look closely at this picture of our front door
you can  actually see the orange extension cord running down the right side of our house 
this cord controls 
our Christmas lights
it gets plugged in behind the plant on the right

I  have tried to hide the extension cord with a 
vintage urn a large tree
 but that cord still peeks through 

Here is a great picture of the Christmas lights
 on the back of our house too
The Christmas lights were a big deal for Handsome husband
They were very difficult to hang because of our high roof line 
so we decided not to take them down once they were up
The Good News is
 after Thanksgiving
 we will be able to just plug the lights in with the orange extension cord
 and we will have our lights glowing for Christmas

What about you do you take your Christmas lights down every year
 or are you one of those neighbors too


There is still time to enter to win this pretty filigree salt and pepper set
 for you family table
the Thankful and Grateful giveaway
 ends Dec 1
click on the picture to enter


romantic saying for today

"You are in every moment I will remember forever "
unknown



Pam 

11.25.2013

Coronado House remodel

 Hi Everyone
 Happy Monday

So excited to share with you a few updates
 to the Coronado house remodel
As you can see 
the house is starting to look fabulous
The french doors going into the new bedroom/office space will have a transom window above the
 ten light french doors
{Love}
how this made the doors look taller and raised your eye to the ceiling


The newly raised ceilings in the dining room 
 living room as well as the entryway 
 all have this same pattern

can you just imagine beautiful chandeliers hanging right in the middle
in all three of the ceilings

 Opening up the stairway wall just made the entire house feel open
{Love} 
how the light is now moving up the stairs
before the stairway was very dark


The accordion doors open the entire length of the living room wall 
now this is a indoor outdoor living space
 which connects the house with the backyard pool

Do you see the new window
 in the back bedroom to the left
adding that window added more light not only
 to the bedroom but to 
the entire living room too 


The kitchen cabinets have been installed and we are trying to decide if we want to keep the original 
turquoise seat and table
mmm....
there will be a pantry in the back where the old laundry room used to be
 opening up the back wall and adding a window added so much light and space to the kitchen
Don't you just {Love} the ceilings 

 open shelves as well as a beautiful chandelier, Carrara marble counter tops and a farmhouse sink
wolf range and a sub zero glass door refrigerator
will give this kitchen charm and elegance

 The wolf range will go in
 between the two cabinets 
with tile going all the way up the back wall

 The white fireclay farmhouse sink
 will go below the window 

 The fireplace  in the living room
will have a brick
 surround and a massive mantel 

 We decided to keep the existing cabinets in the back bedroom 
and we added a window and window seat 
the view is of the backyard and the pool
We are also reusing the plantation closet doors 
They turned out great with just a coat of paint
{Love}
all the storage space 
{the cabinets have not been painted yet can you tell}

 The massive 6 foot tub is in place 
ready to start all of the tile work

This is one of my favorite views in the house
 we opened up the entry into the kitchen from the dining room
{Love}
how the space is so open and welcoming now



The house is turning out so beautiful
{Love}
 every detail 
thats just a peek for now
more updates to come




Be sure and enter to win the
 Thankful and Grateful giveaway
ending Dec 1

click here for details

linking for Make It Pretty Monday
Mod Mix Monday


romantic saying for today

"Life is a paradise for those that Love"
Buscaglia



Pam

11.23.2013

A Thankful and Grateful giveaway

 Hi Everyone
 Happy Saturday
We are getting ready for Thanksgiving 
it is such a busy time 
 all the pots and pans are out on the counter
the silver is polished and Great grandmother's table cloth is
already on the large dining room table in anticipation 
the children's table 
{which is really our coffee table} 
will get set Thanksgiving day


With family and friends gathered here there will be
 many helpful hands 
and hearts ready to make the day a joyful celebration
Football, parades, and lots of delicious food
 so much to be Thankful for


This time of Thankfulness would not be complete
 without thanking all of you
 for your visits, friendship and support
 here at
 White Ironstone Cottage
 this year
what better way to say Thank You than to have a
giveaway

This Thankful and grateful giveaway is for a
 vintage  inspired filigree white
 salt and pepper set
I
Fell in
{Love}
 with 
the filigree detail 
 {Love}
 the color

 to give one to you for your family table
to enter
Just become a follower or let me know you are already a follower 
for a second entry
post about the giveaway
for an additional entry
 become a follower of White Ironstone Cottage on
 Instagram too 
Please leave a separate comment for each entry
The winner will be chosen by random generator 
December 1 
12 pm central standard time
open to overseas followers too



A Thankful and Grateful
giveaway
to say
 Thank You 


linking for Pink Saturday


romantic saying for today

"It had to be YOU"
Gus Kahn



Pam

11.19.2013

Thanksgiving Traditions

Hi Everyone
 Happy Tuesday
So excited to start off this week by sharing
 with you all some of
 our families favorite {and fun} Thanksgiving 
traditions


Tradition #1
is our annual
 turkey cook off 
It started when handsome husband bought a
 deep fryer 6 years ago
and because my sister in law almost burnt her house down
 that same year deep frying her turkey

via

{chinese food for Thanksgiving dinner that year}
We decided it might be wise to cook a traditional turkey in the oven too
 just in case
so we ended up with two turkeys
and.....
the turkey cook off was born
Now every year we each cook a turkey
we have two categories for the contest

1. Presentation or overall look of the turkey
and
2. Taste of the turkey


via
The deep fried turkey is cooked in peanut oil outside for half the time it takes
 to cook a turkey in the oven
The  fried turkey can look like road kill when you take it out
because the outside is  really crispy but
  the inside is amazingly juicy and delicious

via
The traditional  oven roasted  turkey comes out
 looking like a Norman Rockwell painting and
makes a great presentation on the dinner table

The Voting takes place after the meal
 with a secret ballot
and every year so far
Taste has gone to the deep fried turkey and
Presentation has gone to the traditionally cooked turkey
 a tie which means
 we have plenty of left overs for the family to enjoy


Tradition# 2
At the dinner table our most cherished tradition takes place
 This is when we all hold hands for
  Prayer
 and then everyone goes around
 the table saying what they are grateful for
There is always  laughter and tears and wonderful conversation
and every year we realize how truly blessed we all are
 and how much we have to be grateful for


Tradition #3

Next is great grandmothers walnut stuffing
 which is a tradition that has been passed down
 from generation to generation
the key to this stuffing is to use stale bread
otherwise the stuffing is too soft


Walnut dressings recipe
10 oz  walnuts chopped
11/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
 1 cup butter
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 med celery stalks chopped
4 med onions chopped
1/2 tsp dried thyme
6 slices stale rye bread
6 slices stale pumpernickel bread

mix together and put into turkey cavity 

helpful hint

be sure and roast the walnuts
 in a skillet for 4 to 6 minutes stirring before
 adding them to the rest of the ingredients

 super simple recipe and once you try it
 you will not make a boxed stuffing again
also we have added craisins or raisins
 and even apples to this recipe and it is always deicous

Hope you are all enjoying getting
 ready for Thanksgiving too


romantic saying for today

"I Love all of you all the time"
unknown


Pam

11.14.2013

White Ironstone

Hi Everyone
 Happy Friday
There is something so serene 
about the color
white 
that may be why vintage 
White Ironstone
 is so popular


Decorating for
Thanksgiving
this vintage white ironstone pitcher 
was the first to get
filled with pretty white hydrangeas
and a few simple white roses as we get ready 
to host
family and friends


Simple  elegance
  


We will have a full house  
  for 
Thanksgiving

Such a blessing to be all together
{Love}
decorating our home with simple white bouquets 
all through out our home

Keeping the color scheme white 
 helps to provide a serene flow from room to room 
 highlighting the beauty of the
 white ironstone as well as the flowers

Every year we ask our dinner guests
 to share with everyone at the table
 what they are grateful for
  
I think we all look forward to hearing our grateful's as much as we 
look forward to all of the delicious food



I would like to start my grateful early by saying how thankful
 I am for Debra at
for being such a thoughtful and kind blogger friend
 she always is supportive and encouraging 
Thank You for highlighting
White Ironstone Cottage
Debra you are a Blessing



Next week I will be sharing some of our family
traditional Thanksgiving recipes
and a few more fun family traditions

This is such a wonderful time of year



romantic saying for today

"I wish I could do everything on earth with you"
Fitzgerald



Pam



11.08.2013

Romantic Picnic


Hi Everyone
 Happy Friday
This  picnic table 
was Handsome Husbands 
garage sale find a few weeks ago
I was so surprised when he brought it home 
He bought it for 10 dollars 
such a bargain and
 it looks perfect next to our guest cottage

The picnic table was already painted the perfect color
white
and with family arriving
 for Thanksgiving
 this table will get lots of use

Just look how great the table looks with
Grandmothers vintage lace tablecloth


And a few roses from the garden

The garage sale picnic table was transformed into a
romantic picnic for two
The perfect way to surprise Handsome Husband and say
Thank You


How fun to walk down the path and see the table all set
he will be so surprised
the menu is simple
Mimosas and curry chicken salad
and chocolate covered strawberries for dessert

It is always fun to eat outside
food just seems to taste better

I hope I have inspired you to have a picnic this weekend too
P.S. if you are following White Ironstone Cottage on Instagram you know
 Handsome Husband surprised me again
 with a trip to Hawaii
Love surprises from
 my Handsome Husband





romantic saying for today
"It is in the small quiet moments that Love speaks the loudest"
P.B.


Pam

11.01.2013

Thanksgiving Mantel


  Hi Everyone
 Happy Friday
Gathering together for
 Thanksgiving 
is a family affair in our home everyone pitches in 
 extended family joins us from all over the country
It is time to
get the house ready, polish the silver
get the recipe binder out
and start planning the menu

Thanksgiving is  about counting our many Blessings
 gathering together with family and great food
{Love}
using old cherished family recipes that have been passed down
 from generation to generation

We all look forward to  Great Grandmothers walnut stuffing
 now made in her memory
as well as our daughters homemade tangy cranberry sauce made with oranges 
 a  yummy new addition to our menu    


{Love}
catching up on each others lives
 hearing everyones grateful's at the dinner table
watching football
playing cards 
more food and most of all just being all together 


The familiar delicious smells of turkey in the oven 
and homemade pies 
and the family walk on the beach after dinner
So much to be Grateful for

Are you looking forward to Thanksgiving this year too
linking at
Be Inspired Friday

French Country Cottage
is having a wonderful
Antique Farmhouse giveaway
click here for details

romantic saying for today

"Always speak well of each other Believe the best is yet to come
 and Cherish every moment as if it were your last"
Quigley



Pam