My Perfect Fall Sunday........

To me, Sunday is all about family, friends and self reflection. Sunday is a day to enjoy your home and family, the one day of the week that everyone has fewer obligations and is able to spend together in the space you have created together. I love the thought of a leisurely Sunday lunch that is spent with the people you love, eating the food you love in a space that you love and make ready for that time. It is a day to relax and recharge for the week ahead. It is a chance to reflect on what you want the new week to be. Sundays should be filled with love, laughter and good times. I love Sunday!!
Here is a pictorial of how I dream my Sundays to be:

Living Room by Barbara Barry
Wake up to a beautiful room where I have sometime to myself while the house is quiet to have a cup of great coffee and read a book.


Pancakes by Martha Stewart
Have a breakfast of big fluffy pancakes with my family.

My Backyard
Spend sometime outdoors to enjoy the beauty of nature!!

Nino Salvaggios
Take my time at a great market browsing and collecting for a feast ahead!! Then spend the rest of the afternoon in the kitchen, lovingly preparing comfort food for my family to enjoy.

Salad by The Barefoot Contessa
We would start off with a simple salad

By The Barefoot Contessa
Then indulge in a big portion of cheesy lasagna.

By The Barefoot Contessa
Finish the meal with a decadent cake.

By The Barefoot Contessa
Served, of course, at a beautifully set table filled with laughter and good food.

Relax enjoying my favorite TV show, Madmen, before going off to bed.

I wish you a great Sunday!!! Enjoy!!

A Little Bit of Thanksgiving in the Springtime......

Today is a dreary spring day. It is cold outside, it is probably going to rain, I have a ton of laundry to do, I have a lot of things to figure out for work.... the list goes on and on. I decided I am going to sit back, with a cup of my new favorite blend of coffee, Starbucks Komodo Dragon, rich and bold with splash of Horizon's vanilla milk in it (yum!!), and take a few minutes to think about things I have to be thankful for today. A little bit of Thanksgiving in the springtime to help me recharge!!!

Even in the most stressful of times we all have a lot to be thankful for. In our everyday hectic lives, with kids having to be carted from one place to the next, work, laundry, dishes to be done, feeling there is no time for ourselves; I think we loose track of the bigger picture, I know I do!! Taking the luxury of a few minutes, in the midst of all that needs to be done, to have a relaxing cup of tea or coffee and think of the things that you are happy about or are thankful for, is like a refresher for the soul!!

The picture above is from Thanksgiving Day a few years ago. A few minutes, after the picture was taken, the table was full of food, family and wine!! We had 30 for dinner that year (there are other tables set beyond this one!!). It was a fun day. I had a lot of fun setting the tables, arranging the flowers and helping prepare the food. I like the simplicity of the table setting, I used drinking glasses for the vases, kept the flower arrangements very natural and free form, surrounded votive candles with little yellow pumpkins and used my Great Aunt's dishes, topped with a simple linen napkin (ironing 30 napkins was not so simple!!) I used wooden trays, on the buffet, to hold drink mixes and the red wine (the white wine was being properly chilled!!). I like to keep Thanksgiving tables simple and elegant because the day really is about food, family and friends!! I let the company shine!!

Taking a few minutes to think back to that day of fun, food, family and friends (not to forget the wine!!), has made me feel much better to take on all that this day has to offer. Today, take some time to give yourself the luxury of being thankful. It can be as simple as remembering a special event, as I did. A little bit of Thanksgiving in the springtime can go a long way!!!!