We Seriously Considered Lobster {anarchy!}...

...for this Thanksgiving, but, as Dani put it so well, obligation to tradition overwhelmed whim, so dinde rôti* it was, albeit butterflied this year.

We gathered around a table that had been hastily put together for a wonderfully casual family style celebration (with all the cooking to be done, the table kind of took a back seat until the last minute!) and enjoyed what all agreed was one of the very best Thanksgivings ever!

And with the menu's nod to our southern US roots (dirty rice dressing, to die for!) and our love of the other South, the south of France, (duck rillettes with prune/armagnac sauce), we truly feasted and lingered long at the table!

Here, then, à table!

we quickly gathered purple sage and

hydrangea from the garden, then put

colorful leaves from our neighbor's tree under

our autumnal centerpiece

Gala's cream china with gold borders, the

Minton plates from the flea, country French

goblets and silver on a table laid

with old French sheet and gorgeous

silk embroidered overlay,

another flea market find!

my caterer/events daughter Lisa was aghast at

how I just "rolled" the napkins! they should have

been laid flat and hanging off the edge of the

table to be perfectly "au courant"!

assorted silver serving pieces stand ready (to be polished)

for the feast to come! They are all cherished gifts or

flea market finds

we chose the same wine for dinner, serendipitously,

that Steven chose for his prune/armagnac sauce for

the incredible Duck Rillettes he made for us!

another view of the centerpiece... our Thanksgiving

table comes very close to looking quite

Christmasy this year!! except for the autumn leaves!

***

we all had a wonderful day,

except, perhaps for this

little fella:

*butterflied turkey... it cooks so

fast this way, I must confess it

almost burned... but was

delicious!!

***

I hope you had a WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING

and are enjoying our only decently long

holiday weekend of the entire year!

merci pur la visite! ... Kit

A Chic Provence Design Tour Printemps 2012!

{ Our Third Annual Chic Provence Design Tour 
Printemps 2013  details are now available!!
Click <here> for description
Click <here> to download 2013 Brochure }

With winter's chill just a whisper away, it's time again to plan a Provence tour in the spring! Nothing will put you in better spirits than knowing that you, cherie, will be exploring Provençal markets, chic shops and brocantes to your heart's content. And that you will experience Provencal life and its many beautiful aspects from a designer's point of view, knowing that every detail is taken care of for you. A little luxury in Provence will soothe the soul.

We are quite excited to announce our second annual springtime Chic Provence Design Tour to the heart of Provence, l'Isle sur la Sorgue, for May 11-18, 2012. You will find incomparable inspiration for your Provence design ideas and projects on our tour in the company of like-minded souls!

C'est fantastique! Cherie, you must join us! You know you want to. You need this trip! You must enjoy a Provence Tour this 2012!

one of the stunning bedrooms that awaits

you at your Provençal villa... sweet slumber!

our villa courtyard... this is where we'll do

our morning yoga and stretching & have our cafe au lait

if it's just too sunny outside, a little couch time

with a good book might be just the thing... sipping

a little Bandol, perhaps?

one of the lovely surprises that are an

everyday sight on a Provence tour, the land

that celebrates beauty in all things

we'll have an afternoon tea in the

stunning courtyard of

Mas d'Ange (House of the Angel)

perhaps just a quick stop at an

incredible confiserie provençale to

stock up for our breakfast treats;
your Provence tour will delight you
every moment!

one of the lovely views of the Provence

countryside... this is outside Oppede le Vieux

you'll be visiting the land that inspired Van Gogh's

stunning Almond Blossoms!

my favorite map of la belle Provence,

courtesy of ProvenceWeb; your
Provence tour will be centered in
the Vaucluse

ah! we arrive at the Cafe de France

in l'Isle sur la Sorgue

just in time for le dejeuner after a

busy morning at the brocante!

we'll take an electric bicycle ride

through the vineyards... and stop for

wine tastings along the way!

I love this mairie, the town hall, of

l'Isle sur la Sorgue

I loved this mid-century upholstered

canape at the brocante.. look at those

colors! When I circled back it was gone!

some simple ironworks artifacts... wonderful

for shipping home, because they don't break!

this vendor specializes in vintage silver only!

basque stripe fabric is everywhere at the

markets in Provence in the spring!

these two jugs made their way back to

my home after our last Provence tour!

perhaps you will need one of these,

hmmm cherie? baskets from

the French Basketeer!
no Provence tour is complete
without one!

... and no Provence tour is complete without at least

one culinary adventure... a cooking class, cherie!

and this one is in a chateau!

another day we will spend a gorgeous

few hours in this beautiful hotel, having

a cooking lesson if you like, or

stopping in for lunch or tea

can you smell the lavender yet?

***

a sample of our seven day tour, you

won't want to miss this!

download brochure, and click through

for the video here!

***

Chic Provence Design Tour

Early Spring Provence

While we are busy getting fall underway, here's a little reminder of spring to cheer you!

could anything be prettier than this

chateau in the Luberon in the spring?

photo by Steven McCormick

***

thanks for visiting! Kit

Happy Birthday Claire McCluskey!

Since I have only (4) brothers, my cousin Claire is all the more precious to me. Today is her birthday, so I thought I'd post images that will mean a lot to her... really, only she will actually "get" them, but they are kind of cool, so I hope you like them too. These harken back to our childhood frolicking on the Gulf Coast and in Savannah.

Happy Birthday Claire!

Amie's wicker couch... now happily in Claire's

adorable home in Savannah

Amie and Bompoon, so very long ago, on

Coffee Bluff in Savannah

great aunt Kate's chapel in St. John's

Cathedral in Savannah

carved detail from the fireplace in the dining

room of the house in Apalach

chandelier in the dining room of

the house in Apalach... we used to watch

as the bugs got trapped in the points of

the glass and the housekeeper had to

empty them out every week!

the fort named for our grandfather in Apalach

a peek inside the fort shows this old,

crazed mirror where girls used to check

their appearance before going into the

WWII era dances

I know Claire would love a bed like this!

and living by the sea, she would adore a

table made from seashells

Claire loves blue and white

Claire, you know who this is, you and I will end up striding

by the sea just like her when we are 93 too!

***

Love you lots on this

very special birthday

of yours!!

***

beautiful beach house decor by Anne Selke

found here

***

Do you have someone special to you

whose birthday is coming up?

How would you celebrate that person?

***

thanks for visiting...! Kit

Cute Lil' Bookcase

got this little Chinoiserie-inspired sweet treasure at the flea market...

on a beautiful sunny morning wandering with coffee in one hand

and chocolate croissant in the other

this little treasure was buried behind a pile of "junk"..

you have to take things out, put them alone in the

sunshine to really see them and make your decision

whether to buy or not...

and at $12, I couldn't resist!

what do you think?

***

thanks for visiting! Kit