It’s Beginning to look a lot like Chaos

originally published on Dec 15, 2013 in The Leaf Chronicle

I was hoping to regale you with decorating tips and pictures of my decorated home, but alas—‘twas not to be. As author John Steinbeck penned, “The best laid schemes of mice and men . . .”

Oops! Wrong. It wasn’t Mr. Steinbeck, although I learned the quote in his novel, “Of Mice and Men,” he was actually quoting a poem written by Robert Burns. Anyhoo, the point is: plans often change or are changed for you.

My plans for the weekend changed drastically when the hard drive on my computer at the shop crashed Friday night at the close of business. No problem—it just contains all of the information vital to the operation of my shop for the past 9 years. I don’t use it much . . . just for every transactions, inventory question, social media to posts and email conversations. Naturally, after three hours on the phone with tech support and the promise of the delivery of a “recovery disc” (as if that means ANYTHING to me) within 3 – 5 business days, I took this whole event in stride.

So, after my mini-meltdown, I called my sister and asked her WWAD (What Would Angela Do?). Angela is one of our really, really smart friends who knows her way around a computer. Kendall (my sister) is usually my go to girl, but when she doesn’t know what to do—we go to Angela. When Angela doesn’t know what to do—we cry. Angela suggested calling tech support—when that didn’t work—she said, “Take it to Doghouse Computers.”

So, first thing Saturday morning, I did. They fixed it and got it back to me the same day! So, please, let that be a lesson for all of us. I am rabid about shopping local, but thought that, at 6 p.m. on a Friday night, my only option was online help. Not only did the online tech support fail me (they, in fact, promised they would have me up and running that night), but now I am fighting to get my money back. Taylor, at Doghouse, talked to me—in person—and understood my desperate situation and did everything he could to fix my computer as quickly as possible. Shop local, people—it makes a difference.

I told you all of that, so I could tell you this . . .

With my weekend compressed by my computer emergency, my plans for a big day of decorating this past Sunday turned into a big day of cleaning out the front room, which we refer to as “the parlor,” but that sounds so hoity-toity when I see it written. I had hoped to tackle this project Friday night so we could make room to relocate a table from the living room, to make room for the big tree. The parlor (said in my head with a droll British accent) was a little cluttered, as it has been the catch-all space for: inventory I’m holding onto; a college student’s “must have” bike; empty boxes from the recent bathroom re-do; a variety of ready-to-hang-but-no-wall-space-available art; and, a purgatory (of sorts) for laptops awaiting their final resting place.

The only decorating I managed was placing three trees in their designated positions—only two of which have lights on them; because that is the way I brought them home from my shop! The big tree in the living room gets a minimum of 1,000 new lights each year. I leave that tree on 24 hours per day and do not bother storing light strings that have had a minimum of 700 hours of use. When I used to reuse lights, I’ve had them go out, a string at a time, throughout the month of December—not doing that again.

My youngest daughter helped by bringing down some of the boxes while I was at the shop. She even arranged my Santa and nutcracker collections. That was a huge help due to all of the unwrapping involved in those chores.

As I plan my attack for the rest of the décor, I have found myself wondering what, if anything, I can “skip” this year. I probably won’t decorate the cabinet tops with all of the fresh greenery I’ve used in the past. I may also skip the vintage tinsel tree in the dining room . . . especially since I’ve added a new tree at the base of the stairs. Nah—who do I think I’m kidding? The tinsel tree will probably go up tonight, while I’m helping my decorating elf with her homework. It’s only about 4 feet tall—the tree, not the decorating elf; I adorn it with vintage ornaments in shades of aqua and pink—the elf, not the tree . . . (rimshot, please).

I have one more chance to share some decorating ideas with you next week. You know better than to hold your breath though.

The Final Countdown!

originally published in The Leaf Chronicle on Dec 8, 2013

My mind is a total blank. It’s a few weeks before Christmas and I can’t think of a thing to share with you. That’s a lie. I can think of things I want to share, but my mother raised me better than that, so I probably shouldn’t.

My mind is a jumble of all the things I need to accomplish in order to close my shop in less than two weeks. (I’m trying to control myself as a mild panic sets in and I double check the calendar—yup, less than two weeks. YIKES!) All while everyone around me seems to be decorating for Christmas.

While I was working on my computer the other night, I looked around the house, wondering when I will find the time to decorate our house. I may be able to start today (not the day I am writing, but the day you are reading); then again, I may just sit in my chair and stare at the television. At the moment, I’m leaning towards “just sitting.”

Perhaps I can do it in baby steps, just tackling one room at a time. The only problem with this plan is that it is highly probable that I wasn’t quite that organized in my packing last year. Wouldn’t it be great to pull out a box and it only contains the decorations for the living room? The next box would have only the assembly items for the stairwell décor. However, it is much more likely I’ll pull out the box with the greenery for the stairwell and have to stop after I put the lights on to find the ribbon, which is likely in the bottom of another storage bin—under the nutcrackers or the Santa collection.

I guess I will have to resign myself that it will be a long, drawn out process with stuff strewn all over the house. After all, why should this year be any different? I think, because my shop is such a mess as I try to organize and pack 9 years of accumulation, I am reluctant to turn the house upside down, as well.

Several friends and family have told me I shouldn’t bother decorating the house or perhaps I shouldn’t do as much as I usually do. I can’t help but wonder if they really mean that. I mean, they know me well enough to be referred to as “friends and family,” so you’d think they’d know I can’t not do it all.

This year may be a bit of a challenge, but it’ll happen and I’ll be glad it did.

By the way, as I finished typing this, my neighbor, Ryan, just texted me that he’s done decorating his entire house—he puts me shame with the amount of stuff he does! He may just lose a few bulbs out of his light strings tonight . . .

Creating a New (Accidental) Tradition

originally published in The Leaf Chronicle on Dec 1, 2013.

As I am writing this, the dressing is waiting in the crock pots, the pies are cooling on the sideboard and the cranberry sauce is at the ready. Mom is rending the meat of the baked sweet potatoes from their skins and preparing to top them with dried cranberries and almonds. All is (mostly) right in my world. I am, however, a day behind in composing my column and not even sure they will be able to insert it in the Living section, but feel compelled to sit down to write.

I love preparing meals for the holidays—almost more than eating them. I enjoy planning menus and table settings; I love cooking. Yup—pretty much the entire process ranks rather high on my list of things I like to do. The funny thing about Thanksgiving preparations though, is that—although a month separates them—they go hand-in-hand with Christmas planning.

As I prepare my menu for Thanksgiving, I am conscious of the fact that I will be preparing similar offerings for the Christmas meal(s). With a collection of more than fifty cookbooks, one might think there is no way duplicates should even be offered, but it’s difficult to not fall back on the tried and true. I like to experiment with new recipes, especially when we are entertaining, but have not venture too far from my standard menus for the past few years.

One new development I noticed yesterday was when I was rifling through my cookbooks to find a recipe I typically use; Mom opened the kitchen cabinet to look at the notes from last year’s menu. I know they are there, but it just occurred to me how helpful that is. (Evidence that my inability to throw things away is, in fact, borderline brilliance—it’s not the cure for cancer, but will aid my sanity.)

If you open the cabinet door where I keep my spices, you will find the notes and menu plans for the week of Christmas 2012, just under the plans for Thanksgiving 2013. I think most of us write out our menus for special events like this. Ours has notes about who will be preparing which dishes and which Southern Living Annual Recipes book contains the Bourbon and Chocolate Pecan Pie (it’s 1998, by the way).

Notes like these have already proven useful this year, but I think there are added benefits.

For instance, when I say things such as, “You know, I would like to try cooking a beef tenderloin for Christmas,” and my mother looks at me like I’ve got lobsters coming out of my ears, she will be able to back-up her “are you nuts” look with my own hand written menu from 2011 as evidence. (For your amusement, I will confess that this memory lapse actually happened last year, all expect for the “evidence;” we don’t have that menu taped to the cabinet. The fact remains, however that I completely forgot having prepared a beef tenderloin—a cut of meat which is to dang expensive to forget!)

So, through happenstance, I’ve decided this will be a new tradition for the King Kompound. I will now purposely keep these notebook pages taped to the insides of cabinet for two years. After which they will be retired to a page protector in my black three-ring recipe binder, for posterity and reference. My kids will likely never need/want to reference them, but I like to think they might. I know I’d love to have something like that from my mother, but at least I’m making these memories with her.

I hope you enjoy (and remember) your menu planning this holiday season.

Plenty of Blessings at Thanksgiving

originally published on Nov 23, 2013 in The Leaf Chronicle

I’ll start this column by saying thank you to all of the kind and concerned patrons of Hodgepodge, whom also demonstrate distinguishable intelligence by reading The Leaf Chronicle, for their inquiries regarding whether or not I would continue writing for this fine publication. The foreseeable future does include a weekly column written by yours truly, but I will encourage you to share your appreciation for the journaling of my antics with my editors—all persons I regard with the highest esteem.

As this column will appear a few short days prior to my favorite holiday, I thought I’d share a little about our holiday plans. Like the menu, there will be only minor variances from years prior. For instance, I started discussing the menu with my mother and eldest daughter the other night. I suggested a possible change from my regular offering of my mushroom and sausage dressing—which I’ve been serving for nigh on 20 years (argh! I should not have done the math . . .)—and was met with hesitation. Neither of them wanted to stomp my new idea, but they had apparently been looking forward to the old standard and, to be honest, so am I. The new rice dressing will have to wait for a less momentous occasion.

In a recent column I told you about my cousin’s approach of serving her Thanksgiving meal in courses, which I think is a fabulous idea—yet will not come to fruition at the King Kompound this year. I don’t think this is the year to implement changes—we have enough to contend with at the moment.

I did say, however, I won’t make my pumpkin bread pudding this year. The request has been submitted for basic, everyday (but not at my house), run-of-the-mill pumpkin pies, which I happen to love. I haven’t made a pumpkin pie in years! Anyhoo, as I was flipping through a magazine this morning, I saw a recipe for a Double Chocolate Bread Pudding with a Coffee Caramel Sauce and my mouth began to water. I’m thinking bread pudding will make an appearance, but in a slightly different form this year.

I am still considering the table setting, but I know it will involve my Johnson Brother’s Friendly Village dishes. Last year, I used some wheat bundles I had arranged as the focal point for the table, but the moths really liked them, so I had to toss them (in the picture). I have a cotton bowl garland and couple oat standards I made which will likely anchor this year’s display.

The challenge of our dining room table is its—umm—rustic condition. We bought it from Carolyn Robinson at Traditions when we first moved to Clarksville. I believe she said it had been in a break room at factory in Nashville; I could’ve made that up, but I’ve been telling folks the same story for years, so it has to be true by now. We absolutely love this table! The top is constructed of two wide, thick oak boards that have been pocked by cigarette burns and numerous other assaults. Where the two boards meet in the middle, there is a little ridge which keeps me from displaying anything with a flat bottom in the center of the table—everything wobbles. I generally have to use displays with feet that will straddle the ridge. Sometimes, I slip a coaster or some other shim-like device under the tablecloth to stabilize the chosen centerpiece, as I did last year.

Oh well, the world is full of challenging situations which perplex us to no end. My dining table centerpiece will not bring about world peace or the end of starvation in the Sudan. So as we gather around our table—wobbly centerpiece and all—I will be praying for the same and giving thanks for the many, many blessings the King family enjoys. Happy Thanksgiving!

Fall Fluff

originally published in The Leaf Chronicle on Nov 17, 2013.

Please tell me my calendar is wrong. Please tell me I did not lose two weeks of my life-especially at such a critical time in my life. As I told my husband the other day, I feel like I went to sleep on the 28^th of October and woke-up mid-November.

By “critical time in my life,” I am pretty sure you think I’m referring to the announcement that we are closing Hodgepodge, but actually, I am talking about the holidays. I mean, I live for this stuff! What a time to have to be worried about the nuts and bolts of wrapping-up nearly a decade of boutique ownership.

I wonder how your preparations are progressing. Did you print a check list? Did you laugh your way to the recycling bin, with my column in hand? I have to admit, I haven’t figured out my preparation timeline yet, but I am looking forward to my favorite holiday and enjoying time with family.

As you read this, my sister, Kendall, is (hopefully) on her way here with my mother riding shotgun. Her infinite number of bags and boxes neatly packed in the trunk and backseat for her extended winter visit. I’m giddy! I love it when she comes to visit. I enjoy sharing our days, making plans for my occasional days off—heck—just having someone to plan meals with is fun!

I finally took down my Halloween decorations and am slowly beefing-up the Thanksgiving vignettes throughout the house. After my column last week, I noticed I use a lot of faux and dried florals through the fall and winter. There are several reasons for this additional fluff.

First, we’re in the house more; during the spring and summer we’re outside, enjoying Mother Nature. There is no need for the addition of flowers inside and if there is, I can grab some from outside.

Second, the dried and silk flowers help cozy-up the place, which isn’t needed during the summer months. We’ve found that is true of vignettes at the shop, too. If we work on a display, but are not completely satisfied with it, we usually add some flowers, a leafy branch or vine and the look is completed. Sometimes, however, too much is too much (profound, eh?). You don’t want to add so much of the stuff that the focal point is obscured.

Third, I prefer fall/winter fakes to spring/summer fakes; for some reason they are more convincing. Or is it that they are less offensive? I can’t decide which. My decorating palette definitely reflects the colors of fall, so that is likely the primary reason. They are well-suited to my décor, so they look better.

Finally, the faux berries, leaves and flowers don’t shed. I think I’ve mentioned how much my husband loves it when I start bringing the real stuff inside—because I do plenty of that, too. His favorite of favorites has to be Nandina berries. Nothing makes him happier than finding the “suicide berries” (those that choose not to hang-on for the slow, inevitable death) all over the floor, table or counter. Since my single goal in life is to make my husband happy—I guess this is the best reason.

My most recent addition to our fall fluff.

Create a Fall Accent

originally published in The Leaf Chronicle Nov 10, 2013.

Okay, I admit it—it’s true. I still have Halloween decorations up. (Of course, it’s only one week gone and I’ve been known to find Christmas ornaments 9 months into the new year!) Is it me, or did that holiday just blow by? (I’m punny.*)

As I walked through the house yesterday afternoon, I thought about how bare the place will look without my Halloween accents. I am especially reluctant to pack away a new wall plaque which I have hanging on the door in my kitchen, which leads to the patio. When I took the dog outside for his evening constitutional, I saw the remnants of an arrangement I once had hanging in the house; it was sadly ruined in our house fire, but I couldn’t bear to throw it away. I hung it outside where it has slowly deteriorated, leaving only a form and vase, which I use for a fresh flower accent outside. That’s when I had the idea to recreate that arrangement and share the process with you.

Here’s what you will need:

A quart-size jar

Chicken wire, 2 feet square

Wire cutters

Floral foam

Hot glue gun

Ribbon

Spanish moss

Flowers and accents

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Cut the chicken wire to size. Roll it into a cone shape; cinch the cone about six inches from the base. Fold the sharp ends of the wire into the cone. Roll the top edge of the cone down two- three times.

 

2. Use the ribbon to wrap the top edge, lacing through the chicken wire. Add a length of ribbon from which to hang the arrangement. Tie the ribbon at the ten- and two-o’clock position on the top edge of the cone (as if you were holding a steering wheel).

3. Add a liberal amount of Spanish moss to the inside of the cone. Press the moss against the bottom and sides of the cone, where the jar will eventually rest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Cut a piece of floral foam that will fit in the opening of your jar, but is only 2/3 the height of the jar. Using glue gun, drop some glue to the bottom of the jar, followed by the prepared piece of foam. Allow to set, start adding smaller slices/wedges of foam to fill the voids; securing with drops of hot glue if possible.

 

 

5. Start adding your flowers and accents. I used dried hydrangeas, along with faux floral accents to include oaks leaves with acorns, pods and sticks. Once you are satisfied with your arrangement, carefully set it in the cone, arranging the moss to disguise the jar.

6. Finish by adding a knot of ribbon around the cinched base of the cone.

Now you have a beautiful arrangement to enjoy for years to come . . . as long as you don’t have a house fire. PSA: I hope you checked your batteries in your smoke detectors last weekend, if not, do it now. They save lives, homes and flower arrangements!

*we had tornado warnings on Halloween . . . get it?  “blow by?”

Bah Humbug!

originally published in The Leaf Chronicle on Nov 3, 2013.

Guess who just finished decorating her shop for Christmas? Yep—this gal.

This is the time when I feel like I should walk around with a sandwich-style board on my person, offering the disclaimer, “It’s not my fault the Christmas holiday retail season has been pushed into August!” Heck, I feel like I should receive some sort of recognition for waiting this long to add Christmas trees and ornaments. We still have plenty of décor for the current season of fall and the next holiday, which—incidentally—is Thanksgiving, not Christmas. (Veteran’s Day is technically “next,” but I don’t think you need to decorate. Just make sure your American flag is flying, thank the veterans you know and do all you can support them all—every day.)

Anyhoo, I am trying to keep a positive attitude and laugh at the ridiculous nature of this Christmas push. It is not necessary and it is not new, but here we are. I can understand the need for selling holiday crafting supplies well in advance of the holidays, but getting the decorations out this early is ridiculous. I don’t know who is to blame, but it does reflect the nature of our lives now. We are rushed, so therefore our holidays are rushed. We spend so much time preparing for them that many of us fail to actually enjoy them.

I admit that I love decorating for the holidays. It has always brought me much pleasure to deck the halls, but 9 years in retail have taken their toll. Besides, there is so much to do before you serve the turkey, let alone hang an ornament!

So, with that out of the way, I will share a few ideas for things you may wish to consider as you get ready to get ready.

If you have family or friends coming to visit for the holidays, now is the time to take care of the “big stuff.” If you have pets (or kids), now is the time to schedule an appointment to have the carpets and/or upholstery cleaned. If you have any other minor projects you’ve been putting off, such as replacing the towel bar that always falls off in the guest bath, do it. Save your guest the embarrassment of having that towel bar clang on the tile floor when they yank their towel off. Clean your oven, fridge and the reflectors on the stove—all things I’ve regretted not doing at one time or another. If you need new sheets for the beds the guest will use, now is a good time to buy them. (I have a set to put on my son’s bed which gets used only for guests.)

As my life always seems to revolve around my next meal, I recommend making menu plans, too. There are many cooking preparations which can be taken care of well in advance of November 28^th. There are numerous planning calendars available online or in the cookbooks you likely have on your shelves.

You might also make plans for setting your table. Do you want to make a special centerpiece or order flowers? Will you be able to sit at the table or will you need to use the table for serving and provide our guests with lap trays? Either way, early planning will ensure you have everything situated when the time comes to carve the turkey. Speaking of how you will serve your meal, you may wish to consider taking a leisurely approach and serve courses, as opposed to a full meal all at once. It may take some additional planning, but you’ve got time!

I want to close by thanking one of my readers, Bridget, for contacting me regarding my reference to my home altar as having the image of the Virgin Mary on it. She suggested it might be a depiction of St. Thérèse of Lisieux; she is completely correct! Many thanks to all of you for reading!