Peace on Earth

Wishing you all a peace filled Christmas.  May your day be a special one, a time spent with those you love.

I'll try not to talk alot here, mostly share photos, as I know everyone is busy.

 My petite tree in our sunroom.

 Except for the angels and tree topper, I made all of the ornaments.

 Lots of glitter and silver and sepia tones that I love so much.

 Along with my Frenchy touches.

 Our "chateau" at night.

 This shot is with the flash on.  The lights down at ground level are luminaries that I lit when we had my family over last night.  Just a bunch of jars,
mostly from our recycle bin (!), filled with sand and small votives.  It was just magical!

 And beneath our big tree in the living room, Katie admires the ornaments.

 Ok, all this Christmas business is wearing me out!!

Praying for Peace on Earth and that you all have a wonderful Christmas!

Quebec City Christmas, Part Deux

Hello everyone!

How is your week going so far?

Just 4 more short days 'til Christmas, can you believe it?

Today I thought I'd share with you some more pics from our trip to Quebec City.

Dusted in snow, decked out with lights, Christmas trees and greenery, it was absolutely magical!

Doesn't the restaurant below look straight out of a fairy tale?

Dating from 1675, it was once a former home, which is the oldest in the province, and is considered one of the best restaurants in all of Quebec.

 I just loved the quaint cobblestone streets and old buildings.

 Notre Dame cathedral is quite grand and feels as if it should be in Europe..

 The 1640 Restaurant, below, was our favorite of this trip!  As a matter of fact, we ate their 3 times on this visit!

It's foundation dates to 1640, thus the name.

The staff was super friendly, and the food was amazing!

 A view of the interior.

 We enjoyed breakfast there twice.  

Wow, those French Canadians sure know how to eat!

Huge and hearty portions, perhaps fitting for a lumberjack:)

 Our waiter that morning was so nice, helping me with my French.  He was such a good sport to pose for a photo with moi!

 Our best dinner was also there.  My photo of the beautifully presented goat cheese salad, below doesn't really do it justice.  They served it on a large slate (super cool, I thought!), and garnished it with candied pecans and a poached sweet pear..  

 Hubby and I both had the tagliatelle pasta with salmon and spinach.  It was amazing!

 I usually am not a fan of creme brulee, but I must say I loved their maple creme brulee!

Of course, maple syrup is king in Canada, and is featured in one form or another in many of their dishes.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I'll try and squeeze one more post in before Christmas, to share a bit more decor around our home!

Christmas in Quebec City

Hi Everyone,

Just one short week away from Christmas, can you believe it?
I know you are all busy planning, doing last minute shopping, baking, decorating, and more!
Such a busy time of year, isn't it?
I am trying hard to not get stressed from all of the
"should do's" and "need to do's",
and instead
remember the real reason for the season.

Hubby and I returned last night from a trip to Quebec City.  It was our third time there, and is such a magical place at Christmas time!

Thought I'd share a few photos with you today of our getaway.

Here was our home away from home, the historic Chateau Frontenac!

 I felt like a princess staying here:)

Quebec City is not a cheap place to visit, but thankfully for us Americans the exchange rate is great for us now!

So now is the perfect time to visit!

Loved our room, my photo just doesn't do it justice.

And here is the view out our window!

 When visiting Quebec City, you truly feel as if you are in a quaint village in the heart of France.

French is the language spoken, and of course all of the signs, menus, etc are in French.

And the architecture is amazing!

 The city really goes all out decorating for Christmas.

I was just mesmerized by this adorable and oh so sweet window display of an antique shop that we came upon.

(I wish I could figure out how to photograph thru glass and not get a bunch of glare.)

It was just the cutest ever!

An antique doll is decorating the tree while her friends watch admiringly.

Perched on a ladder with a garland in her hands, she is having such fun getting the tree just right!

As her dolly friends look on.............

I just had to snap a photo of this sign below, certainly nothing we see at home!

Watch out for snow falling from the rooftops above!

Moi!

You would just love walking the cobblestone streets!

Here's hubby in front of "our" chateau!

Meet Daphne!

She is the ambassador of the seeing eye dog program in Canada, and comes to "work" each day at the hotel.

She is part Labrador and part Bernese Mountain dog, and is just gorgeous!

The grand lobby was decorated with some amazing Christmas trees.

 This blinged out one was my very favorite!
They were all decorated by different organizations for a charity fundraiser.

 Just magical!

Thanks so much for stopping by, I'll share more of our trip in a few days!
Au revoir!

A Glittery Christmas, and a Prayer Request for a Special Friend

Bonjour Mes Amis

and Joyeux Noel!

I've got a ton of photos to share today, but since I know you all are very busy this time of year, I will spare you lots of my chatter, and just let you enjoy the pics (ok, with a few words here and there!!).

We always get a big Fraser Fir each year for Christmas.  As you will see, this puppy is really tall!

Around 13 feet, I think!

I'll show you more in a second.

Right now I am asking for prayers for my special friend Diana and her husband.

 Many of you already know Diana from her blog, Nana Diana Takes a Break.

Diana is such a kind and kindred spirit with a heart of gold.  Not only is she a caring friend, but family is everything to her.  So I was very saddened to hear that her husband has just been diagnosed with cancer.

You can read about her husband here.

Could you please send prayers their way? And if you get a second, visit her blog post and leave an uplifting message. She has her hands more than full right now, so she probably won't be around blogging much.  But I do know she reads each and every comment anyone leaves, and our support means so much  to her.

 Whoops, looks like I forgot to turn the tv off when I was snapping these pics last night!

(notice the reflection in the window?).

 The tree is filled with glittery, silvery, creamy white ornaments.  Many treasured gifts from friends, and many that I have made.

 You might remember my giant glittered pinecones from last year.

I just love them and want to create some more!

 Ok, here is an overview of our living room.  I took these pics this morning, and it's a bit gloomy.

My Christmas gift arrived early!

Notice the beautiful new sectional couch?

Love!  I will share more of it in a second...........

 My antique hutch.

 The crystal trees were given to me by my mom many years ago.  I just love them!

 Ok, back to the couch!

My photos just don't do it justice.

I wish you could all come over and share a cup of hot cocoa with me, and cozy up on the couch.  

It is SO comfy!

Our old couch was 15 years old. While it was still structurally in great shape, the upholstery was looking pretty tired.  And it really wasn't big enough for hubby and I to both stretch out on comfortably.

 It looks so much better in person than my photos capture!  It's my favorite shade of moss green, in a gorgeous velvet material.  It came with amazingly cushy feather down pillows that you just sink down into!

 It was well worth the $$$ and nearly 2 months wait that it took to order.

Come back next week, and I'll share more of my glittery Christmas!

Wishing you a peace filled holiday season!