Passing the Carving Knife

We have carved pumpkins as a family since my eldest daughter was a baby. We've carried this tradition with us through the years, the fresh smell of pumpkin heralding the true arrival of fall. As the years march on, the comfort of repeating a treasured tradition is one of the things I most look forward to. However, there comes a point when it's time to make a change to alter a tradition to fit a new moment in life. This year found a gaggle of 13 year-old girls sprawled across my front porch, hard at work scooping guts and carving pumpkins.

This is the last year my daughter Francesca will spend at the school she has attended since she was 5 years-old. This group of girls has grown up together. Next year they will scatter to attend various high schools throughout Seattle. Because this was their last Halloween together, I wanted to make this year especially special. I took extra care to decorate the house with squash, displays featuring Day of the Dead figurines and traditional Mexican sugar skulls, and as many candles as I could find room for. It wasn't a scary house; it was a magical Halloween house, with girls in their costumes flitting in and out all afternoon. 

My extra effort didn't go unnoticed. More trick-or-treaters rang our doorbell than I'd ever seen. Parent after parent complimented our decorations, telling me they and their children had been drawn in by the twinkling lights and the festive atmosphere. Tradition is a great unifier. When there is warmth, love, a sense of community, and an open invitation to join in, you can feel it.

Incorporating Francesca's friends into our family Halloween tradition was a great joy. Keep your traditions close to your heart. But also keep refreshing them. You never know who might come knocking at your door.

Happy (belated) Halloween,

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Fall Decor

Living seasonally opens up a world of opportunity when it comes to decorating. The bounty of harvest time offers a literal cornucopia of natural elements to enhance your home environment. During these months, I incorporate the rich reds, oranges, golds, and yellows of autumn into my home in as many ways as I can.

Fall is the perfect season to take full advantage of the nature in your backyard, and, more broadly, in your area of the country. For example, Washington State is famous for its gorgeous apples. We grow over 40% of the apples for the entire United States! To celebrate the bounty unique to my part of the country, I arrange apples in a large bowl or compote to make a living centerpiece. (The other great thing about apples is that they last forever).

What grows best in your area? Perhaps if you live in the Midwest, you’ll decorate with dried corn. Or, if you’re in the Northeast, you could fill your house with bouquets of flaming fall foliage.

Pumpkins, whole or carved, are a must-have for every part of the country. Also keep an eye out at your local farmer’s market for unusual squash varieties to take home for arrangement, display, and eventual consumption!

Another beautiful fall décor element that comes straight from nature are nuts. I buy assorted collections of nuts still in their shells, and then display them in a big bowl with a nut cracker (not the Christmas kind). A bowl filled with nuts of various textures and shades of brown creates a fall look that is both inviting and edible.

Remember to light candles! Votives, pillars, tapers, or tea lights enhance fall decorations with warmth and magic.

Here are some of my favorite spots to decorate to inspire your own visions of fall decor:

-The front stoop
-The front door
-The entryway/front hall
-The dining room table
-The living room coffee table
-The living room/family room mantle
-The kitchen island 

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Changing Of The Guard

I hate to admit it, but summer is over. School's started and we've made the official transition into fall. I'm always sad to say goodbye to those three beautiful summer months of slower living. Yet fall has its benefits too. For those of us with children going back to school, fall means the beginning of a new year. The fall marks a new year in a variety of religious faiths as well-- Judaism, Ethopian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, a sect of Hinduism, and even a Celtic-based pagan religion. Although the world is preparing itself for a long winter's sleep, this new season nonetheless provides us with a new chapter of life, and with an opportunity for reflection. 

As the leaves and light deepen to the rich gold and copper tones of Indian Summer, I've been doing some thinking myself. What do I want to focus on in this new stage of life? What's important? 

What's most important to me at this moment is getting back to basics. I want to nurture a sense of gratitude and enjoyment for the simple aspects that make me feel blessed, my children most of all. I try to stay mindful of small things I can do to enrich my life and encourage feelings of tranquility and contentment. It's just a matter of training my attention on the things I already have rather than the things I wish I had. This task is much easier said than done, but I find that when I truly devote myself to keeping this attitude, the outcome is well worth the effort.

Good luck with your new year. 

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Halloween Time

Today marked the first day of Fall. September is almost over, and Halloween is just around the corner! It's almost time to buy your pumpkins, stock up on candy, and put up decorations.

Whether visiting the pumpkin patch, making apple cider, or coming up with a fabulous, funny, or creative costume, Halloween is a great holiday for bringing children and parents together.

And, may I add, nothing says Fall better than a carved pumpkin sitting on the doorstep.

In our family, decorating the house is one of best parts of Halloween. Ever since my girls were little, we've been decorating our home for the holiday. Some of our favorite decorations include Mexican sugar skulls and Day of the Dead figurines that we've collected over the years, and lots and lots of candles.

There are so many fun tradtions around Halloween- roasting pumpkin seeds, costume parties, and the opportunity to begin cooking hearty comfort foods to get through the winter.

I wanted to share with you some of the wonderful collections in our line that are perfect enhancing any Halloween traditions you may already have, and for creating new ones.

Our black Dauphine candlesticks and Rococo Noir cake pedestalsare splendidly gothic and spooky, our Napoleon pearlized copper flatware has a rich, goldren hue that is quintessentially autumnal (great for both Halloween and Thanksgiving,) the Parisian wallpaper black and white pattern is elegant and sophisticated, and our black dot collection add a little bit of whimsy to the table (and it's on sale!) Put them all together, and you have a gorgeous Halloween tableau!



Happy Halloween!





www.rosannainc.com

Back to School!

This week, children all over America will be donning backpacks and heading off to the first day of a new school year. My daughter Francesca has been lamenting the end of her summer vacation since August 1st, while I’ve been equally insistent that 5th grade will be exciting and…fun!

However, I have one small confession to make: I’m as rueful as Francesca is about the shift to the busier, more stressful school year routine. After three months of leisurely summer living, the first day of class can be just as difficult for those of us who aren’t actually going back to school as it is for our children. The start of the school year also marks an emotional transition. The combination of the full school day and after school activities means less time is spent as a family.

One way to make the transition a little smoother can be found in making your child’s lunch box. Packing a lunch ensures that your child or children are eating healthy and wholesome foods at school; and it also fosters a closer connection between the two of you.

When my older daughter Alessandra was in school I would often put a little note in her lunch bag. And even though Alessandra rolled her eyes at this little ritual as she got older, she still has all the notes from her kindergarten lunches.

Especially during the wintertime, the school year can feel like a slog. But think of it this way: if we didn’t have those nine months of work, we wouldn’t enjoy our three months of play nearly as much!

Have a great first day!





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Fall Favorites

A little known but rather wonderful tidbit about life during the Victorian era was a sensitivity to the changing seasons and a corresponding adjustment of interior decor. For each season, Victorian women had different linens, mantle decorations, vases, flower arrangements, and place settings to match the changes of the natural world.


I like to do the same thing in my home, especially with my dinnerware. I love our Famille a Table collection for the fall. Elegant and unusual, yet understated, Famille a Table is extremely versatile. I've used this collection for simple family meals and more elaborate dinner parties alike.




Rotating your plates with the seasons is a simple way to break the visual monotony of seeing the same dinnerware day in and day out. It adds freshness to everday life.

Live Well!





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