Holiday Happening...

My daughter, Liana, and I are happy to be part of the upcoming first annual Holiday Happening with the wonderful Pies And Aprons and the Great Northern Railway's historic Jackson Street Roundhouse (a Minnesota Transportation Museum) in St. Paul, Minnesota!  There will be fun events for the whole family starting with the Holiday Market on Friday with vintage and upcycled items,  food gifts, organic and sustainable floral items, and pieces from local handmade artists!  There will also be food trucks, live music, and drinks, as well as train rides and photos with Santa!  

The weekend continues with more events added- a Saturday afternoon pie social and mini-workshops led by Pies and Aprons own Christine Hoffman, a talented designer, stylist, collector, and pie baker extraordinaire!  She has been featured in Country Living, MaryJanesFarm, Matthew Mead Holiday, and Where Women Cook!  You can click on the photo below for full event info, and info on the workshop sign-ups, too!

This giveaway is now ended~
AND how about a giveaway?
Christine has generously offered 4 pairs of tickets to the event for local Minnesota or nearby readers!  If you can attend, and are interested in winning 2 tickets to the event, just mention in your comment that you would like to enter the giveaway!  With 4 pairs up for grabs, your odds are good! 
The giveaway ends Sunday, Dec 1st, 10 PM CST!

The Holiday Happening is being held at~

The Jackson Street Roundhouse
193 Pennsylvania Ave E.
St. Paul, MN  55130

the hours are~

• Friday Dec 7th,   3-8
• Saturday Dec 8th,   10-4
• Sunday Dec 9th,   10-4  

Hope to see you there!

Until next time...

 

A November Getaway...

I've just returned from a wonderful little getaway with my husband for our 40th Anniversary!  Yes, 40!  Time goes by so quickly!
We went for a long weekend to my husband's hometown in Decorah, Iowa.  Decorah is in northern Iowa, just south of the Amish byway, in beautiful river bluff country, and is a very scenic Norwegian Scandinavian town!
It's surrounded by beautiful farmland, barn quilts, limestone bluffs, and rolling hills...

Below, is the site of my husband's family's farm where he lived as a child.  Built in the very early 1900's, it was hit by strong winds, tornado or straight line, about 15 years ago and knocked off its foundation...and is sadly gone now...

So much November beauty...

Be sure to click on the photo below to enlarge it!  This buck has a huge rack...I've never seen one in the wild like this before...

We stayed at the Hotel Winnishiek, a turn-of-the-century hotel, on Water Street which has been beautifully restored.  You can click on the link to read more about its interesting history!

The rooms are relaxing and lovely...

You can look down three stories...beautiful woodwork and stairways...

 And the stained glass ceiling...

The town is full of beautiful old buildings...

the Courthouse, with its wonderful clock tower...

the 1878 Jail House...

the High School, which my husband's parents both attended,  is now an elementary school...

I love how the old buildings are re-used for businesses now...the old train depot holds offices...

Decorah is a college town, too, and has great stores, restaurants, and coffee shops to explore!  Look at this retro window...love the old aluminum tree!

The town is full of beautiful old homes...

many with American, Norwegian, and Scandinavian flags...

There are many churches here, too...

This beautiful old house, now a museum, is surrounded by a fabulous rock wall...

The Vesterheim Norwegian American Museum is a wonderful place to learn more about Norwegian immigration to the area!  My husband's family were pioneers in the 1860's.  There are so many Norwegian influences in the town...

even at McDonald's!

We had a wonderful time and look forward to our next visit!

Until next time...I hope to stop by and catch up with what's happening in the blog world!

Bridging the Seasons...

Thank you all so much for your sweet comments on my last post!  I've been down with the flu/cold that seems to be everywhere, and have been gone from my blog for awhile!  While not 100% yet, I'm hoping to be feeling much better for Thanksgiving!  
Thought I'd share a few photos of how I am transitioning decorating our hutch from Thanksgiving to Christmas! 
Adding in greenery instantly changes it up...

These little guys poke their heads out everywhere...

but some Christmas accents are showing up, too!  Isn't this a beautiful old plate?

Silvery ornaments are always favorites...

and a petite feather tree adds to the festive feeling!

I received the most charming Thanksgiving card from sweet Sharon over at My Vintage Studio !  I think her cards are wonderful!  She has a lovely etsy shop , too!  Thank you so much, Sharon!

Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Until next time...