Happy Sunday!

I hope you have a wonderful Sunday...

and a wonderful week!

Hello Fall!

What great weather we're having this week...fall is here!

I'm sharing a table that is a bit different from the traditional orange and yellow.

Enjoy!

The tablecloth is really a pashima. I found it and the chargers at Pier 1. The colors are so pretty, a bit muted, perfect for cooler weather.

The utensils belonged to my great-grandparents. They date back to 1918 and were purchased from a hardware store, can you imagine?

The white chargers were from Marshalls, the dinner plates are from Williams-Sonoma Marketplace via Goodwill.

I'm linking to Susan's Tablescape Thursday over at Between Naps on the Porch. Be sure to drop by for loads of inspiration!

Happy Fall!

Progress...

We're making progress on my SA bed.

It had a few nicks and missing pieces...a little chippy...but that's OK.

Character, right?

I've looked for replacment pieces for the scrolls and corner pieces, but haven't had much luck.

This corner piece looks familiar, doesn't it? I just can't find the size or the 90 degree angle..

I did however find beaded pieces to replace the curved section at the bottom.

...frumpy...

...if you're looking for something cute or creative, just click off this post...

you're not going to find it today.

today i'm wollering...ever have one of those days?

...ok a few days?...

today i'm feeling better.

i'll just call it an attitude adjustment.

a fresh new haircut and new makeup didn't hurt either.

;)

It's All About the Linens...

I'm joining Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch for her Tablescape Thursday. Be sure to drop by for beautiful tables!
 I'm sharing a table but highlighting linens. They were a very special gift from my cousin.
I'm so proud and honored to have these beautiful pieces.

They were lovingly made by hand many, many years ago.

I added a few of my things:

...my mother's silver pattern...

...and a few plates from one of my favorite sets.

Eike, thank you for this very special gift.

I'll treasure them always.

dishes: Lenox "Opal Innocence"

silver: International "Prelude"

Transportation...

In our travels through Germany, public transportation was a necessity.

My oldest son was an expert and filled us in on the "ropes" of how to ride the rail.

{The following are his pictures.}

There were schedules...

and stations...

and signs.

Speaking no very little German, we learned to read everything very carefully,

especially train names and times.

There were different trains for different lengths and speeds of trips.

During our stay we traveled on:

city buses

regional trains

IC trains

and

Thalys trains

 This station was in Bonn, Germany.

Do you see the two tracks in this section?

  You had to make sure you were at the right place at the right time.

My first trip was stressful. I wasn't completely sure we were on the right train.

As it turned out, we were fine and on our way to our destination. 

On this particular train, seats could be reserved for an extra fee.

Our seat were not reserved.

We only got booted out of our seats once...

it wasn't bad, our replacements were very nice and showed us their tickets.

We quickly found new seats and completed the trip uninterrupted.

On the Thayls train to Belgium, our seats were reserved. Once we found our "wagon" we were set. The train must have raced across the country at speeds up to 200 mph.

It was quiet and smooth, really very relaxing.

Most times, it was very quiet, with small amounts of talking. A lot of people read or even slept.

On the regional trains and buses, no reservations were taken so you just found a seat.

No worries.

Riding public transportation was quite an experience for us, very efficient.

No wonder it's so popular!

Arnsburg, Germany

The main reason for our trip to Germany was for my husband's work.

I was able to tag along to see family and to hopefuly see new sights.

Arnsburg was the city in which we stayed in for two days...

he was working, I was sightseeing and exploring.

Our hotel was very modern and located in a forest.

The only thing different from the states was that each room was equipped with a heater...

no air conditioning.

If you needed cooling, you just opened the door.

No screens. No bugs.

Neat.

Luckily the weather was perfect. Cool and crisp.

The surroundings were beautiful, lush and green.

I took a stroll and found a path with a few surprises:

I had never seen bright orange slugs before. This one was quite healthy and active!

Mushrooms were plentiful.

There was growth everywhere.

After walking for a while, I couldn't help but think of Hansel and Gretel...

I was careful to find my way back home!

That evening we went to a carnival.

It was very similar to the states, ferris wheel and all!

However, I think the food was better!

That night we were so tired and slept really well. And of course, it was really nice to have our bedroom open to the outdoors. This was taken from our balcony.