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I'm taking some time off to spend Christmas with my family.  I will be back on New Year's Day. See you in 2013!


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Wishing you and yours peace during this Christmas season.

Christmas blessings!
Ricki Jill

Merry Christmas!

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Bonnie Blue is looking for Santa!

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Bonnie has been a very good girl this year!  Santa is giving her a trip to Hollywood Feed for whatever she wants!  :D


Linking to:  Beautiful Sunday

Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill

Looking for Santa

Sunday, December 23, 2012

We hosted a Christmas luncheon today.  {...and there were presents  :D ........}




Red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing




LOVING the sunshine today!




Merry Christmas cake from Edgar's Bakery



Grits bits 



Cornmeal scones with sage and cheddar



Shelley wearing her crown and mustache from her Christmas cracker
(Trip jumped into the photo too late!  :/  )




My mother and grandmother (Mimi and Big Mama) wearing their crowns.



Charles and Shanley Belle *not* wearing crowns.

Luncheon Menu:

Chili 
Cornmeal scones with sage and cheddar 
Turkey roll-ups
Red velvet cupcakes
Italian cream cake
Sugar Cookies
Iced Tea

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Recipe for Cornmeal Scones with Sage and Cheddar
Ingredients:
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup plain yellow cornmeal
2 1/2 t baking powder
1 t. rubbed sage
1/2 t salt
1/8 t ground red pepper
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Procedure:
1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine flour with next five ingredients in a large bowl.  Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles course meal.  Stir in cheese.  Add milk and egg, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened.
2.  Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead about four times.  Transfer dough onto a lightly greased baking sheet.  Pat into a 7 inch circle and cut into 8 - 10 wedges, but just score the dough, don't cut all the way through the dough.  Do not separate the wedges.  
3.  Bake for seventeen minutes or until golden.  Transfer scones to a wire rack for three minutes, and serve warm.


Linking to:


Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill

Christmas Luncheon and a Recipe

Saturday, December 22, 2012

I know y'all have been sick of my complaining about how this has not been my best year for reading.  Well.....I was *slightly* mistaken.  While going through my Literary Friday posts trying to choose three books for my list, I realized I couldn't narrow it down to just three: I have six fantastic books to share this year.  But the problem is that I read almost all of them during May and June!  Obviously I had a *great* spring for reading.  ;P  Plus I'm just now getting around to Frank Delaney's The Last Storyteller, and I can tell that it deserves to be on my best list, too.  Click on the link below each cover to read my Literary Friday post about each book.

Best of 2012




















What books made your best list in 2012?  Please share.  This is a linky!


Until next time...
Happy reading!
Ricki Jill

Literary Friday: The Best Books of 2012

Friday, December 21, 2012





Sometimes a lass needs a wee bit of retail therapy.

I was in need this week....and as luck would have it, I found some gift cards with cash left on them for our local mall.  *squee*  So being the good steward that I am, I decided to spend them all in one place before they expired.  :/

I wasn't falling in love with anything until I went into Pier 1.  When I saw the whimsical snowmen, I knew how I would spend my new-found wealth.  :D

I'm hosting a family Christmas luncheon Saturday, and if this tablescape doesn't lift spirits nothing will. Some of the items are older and not from Pier 1, but you can read the resources at the end of the post.  Please note that glassware and flatware are missing because they're dirty. Don't judge me....I took photos during the ten minutes of sunshine we've had this week!  ;P


The snowman cookie jar was a gift, and I've had it for several years.












I love this teapot!



The nesting mixing bowls will hold candies and snack mix.



More nesting bowls






The breakfast bar will also be set with the same place setting.  I won't be able to set it until Saturday morning.



We pop English Christmas crackers every Christmas.



I won the salt and pepper shakers last year.



Can you believe that the platter came from another store?  I love how it matches the Pier 1 table runner!



This teapot is worth a second look!



I'm serving chili Saturday.  I'll share more about the menu later this weekend.


I think a fun post like this one deserves a fun Christmas song.  Enjoy!



"It Must Have Been 'ol Santa Claus"
by Harry Connick, Jr.

Resources:
Everything is from Pier 1 except:
Cafe au lait bowls:  Biscuit from Anthropologie
Nesting mixing bowls:  One King's Lane
Snowman cookie jar:  Gift {I think from Macy's}
Salt and pepper shakers:  Prize {Two's Company}
Snowman platter and peppermint tree:  Christine's Mountain Brook Village

Happy Ho, Ho, Ho to you!!!

Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill


Happy Ho, Ho, Ho to YOU!!! ;P

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Since we have a brass-based dining table from the early eighties, imagine how happy I was to read that House Beautiful predicts the return of brass as a leading trend in decor for 2013.  YAY!


The aged brass coffee table and newer brass candlesticks work in this room.  

I also noticed a mercury glass vase and a mirrored fireplace surround.  What do you think about the surround?  

What do you think about the return of brass?

Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill

Wit and Whimsy: Brass is Back!!! {seriously.}

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

I almost didn't write a My Happy List post this week.  Almost.  I'm happy I can do something small that will help the children from Sandy Hook Elementary School. You can read about it here.

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My Happy List

This week I want to focus on random happy and kindnesses.

1.   Some of you asked about our tree.  This year we only put up a small tabletop tree because we are going to be very busy during the holidays.  I'm happy that most gifts are wrapped, and I made my last trip to the post office today.  *squee*  :D


Since I've been getting over pneumonia, I've tried to keep Christmas prep as simple as possible!




This pre-lit tinsel tree is from Pier 1.




All ornaments are MacKenzie-Childs I've been collecting over the years.  My new ornament for this year is the tree topper.



2.   I actually read a sappy book this week.  You must suspend all disbelief for this one, but I liked it anyway!  Sappy Christmas stories (along with the really bad Hallmark Channel sappy Christmas movies) make me very happy!  ;P




3.   Look at what Ann sent me @ On Sutton Place!  I opened my package with the *perfect* red and white ticking pillow cover in it, and I found these sachets.  Oo la la!  They are soooooo *nice*.  Sweet Bloggy Friends make me happy!!!



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4.   Those of you who've been following me for awhile know how mich I love Jane's Flora Dooras.  Look at this adorable little beauty:


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I cannot wait to fill it with something pretty after Christmas.  It will help alleviate the after Christmas blues!  Fora Dooras make me happy!


5.   Shanley Belle is home from college, so I'm a very happy mama!  We will be baking a lot this week.  SO happy to have her HOME!


6.   This is the first time {ever} I've tried growing paperwhites from bulbs.  Just look at these precious little blooms.  Paperwhites make me so happy!   







7.   This will be the last of our hydrangeas.  The yard dudes are coming tomorrow to shear all of our shrubs and Crepe Myrtles.  But I'm very happy that I had hydrangeas through December.  YAY!





8.   Speaking of flowers, I think peonies might be my very favorite.  Peonies with mixed evergreens make me very happy!




What's made you happy this week?

Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill

My Happy List: Random Moments of Happy This Week

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

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As a member of PTA, I wanted to share with you a way you can help students from Sandy Hook Elementary School.  This was in my inbox today.


From National PTA:

National PTA and the Connecticut PTSA pledge our unwavering support to the Newtown community. In the past few days, we have met with PTA leaders of all of the schools in Newtown, including the Sandy Hook PTA, and community leaders who have requested our help in supporting the families. For those of us who are looking to be of assistance in the aftermath, we share the following projects in need of your support:

Welcome Students to a Winter Wonderland 

When school resumes for Sandy Hook, it will be in a new building. Parent-volunteers are working to ensure that the students are welcomed back by a winter wonderland with the entire school decorated with as many unique snowflakes as possible. We encourage senders to be as creative as possible, remembering that no two snowflakes are alike.


Please make and send snowflakes by January 12, 2013 to the Connecticut PTSA. Here is the address:


Connecticut PTSA 
60 Connolly Parkway 
Building 12, Suite 103 
Hamden, CT 06514


I will be hosting a Snowflake Linky for Sandy Hook Elementary School.  Please make a snowflake or two, write a post, and link-up on Saturday, January 5, 2013.  I will have the post up by 9 AM CST.

Will you join me in spreading a little Winter Wonderland joy to these students?

Will you spread the word on your blog?

Please join me in encouraging the Sandy Hook students as they return to school in January.


Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill

Bloggers: How YOU Can Make a Difference for Sandy Hook

Monday, December 17, 2012


Hello!

I'm Ricki Jill. Welcome! I'm honored that you're reading my blog. I enjoy sharing my creative lifestyle @ The Bookish Dilettante. For more information about my blog, please read the Start Here page. Thank-you for stopping by, and I hope you'll consider following me via email.

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