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Monday, November 30, 2015

Thankful for Blessings November 30,2015 In a Vase on Monday

Welcome to my blog, this is my 300th post.  Today I am linking with-

Today's Flowers hosted by Denise

In a Vase on Monday hosted by Cathy

Macro Monday 2 hosted by Gemma and Mystical Magical Teacher

I Heart Macro hosted by Laura, welcome back!

I had a nice Thanksgiving dinner with my son and daughter-in-law and 5 grandchildren on Thursday, she likes gourmet cooking and made so many tasty dishes and three kinds of pie- pumpkin, sugarfree lemon meringue, and chocolate pecan, all gluten-free and delicious.  Then Friday I had dinner at my house with my younger sister and her husband who is my husband's younger brother.  They didn't meet until 12 years after we had been married then had a whirlwind courtship and got married.;-)  My youngest daughter also came, and my son's family as well.  This was the lower calorie version of Thanksgiving with emphasis on broccoli, asparagus, baked squash and white and sweet potatoes; the kids had ice cream cones for dessert.  I made my sugar-free Roiboos tea gelatin and the kids had that too, but I forgot to put in the Stevia so they ended up sprinking some on top.  They are a great bunch of kids.

For my In a Vase on Monday, I am rising to the challenge with some dried material today.  One of my favorite self-sowing flowers is Lunaria, a biennial that makes silvery discs for seed pods, AKA Money Plant, this is it in bloom from earlier this year-




I also have the white version.  It is not as vigorous but has been self-sowing under a cedar tree for years.   An interesting thing I learned about Lunaria is that it is in the mustard family and is edible, it has a tuberous root and supposedly the seeds can be ground into a mustard but I haven't tried either.

Here is the large purple one for something from my garden for In a Vase on Monday, with the intact pods containing seeds, and dried elephant garlic seed heads.  The vase was made by my DIL but the glaze didn't work so was painted silver, and the vase is very heavy so great to hold up topheavy stems.  There is a boat painting, a silver pitcher, a ceramic piece I made that is the top of a garden sculpture, and a "frog" sculpture from my daughter's senior art project-

Close up showing seeds and elephant garlic flowers-

Frog Sculpture with linotypes sewn into paper sculptures-

Here is the same with the outer seed pod husks removed.   I have trouble rubbing off the husks so I bend the pod away from the stem then grasp the top by the stem and pull it off with less damage.  In these pictures I added garage sale silver items for my daughter and a little boat, sailing by the light of the silvery orbs.




Without flash-


I hope you had opportunity to get together with some family members and good food to spice up your life.  Perhaps other countries have different occasions for this.  -Hannah

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26 comments:

  1. AnonymousNovember 30, 2015 at 2:26 PM

    What lovely family gatherings you have had too, Hannah - and I do like the selection of props you have shown us with the silvery honesty and garlic, such a pretty combination. Thanks for sharing

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    Replies
    1. HannahNovember 30, 2015 at 5:44 PM

      Thanks, Cathy, plants that take care of themselves and are useful too are high on my list.

      Delete
  2. DonnaNovember 30, 2015 at 4:10 PM

    Oh the vase and display is wonderful Hannah. i have never grown these flowers but love the seedpods!

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    1. HannahNovember 30, 2015 at 5:45 PM

      Thanks, Donna, as for the elephant garlic, if you buy some bulbs to eat just plant a few.

      Delete
  3. Kris PetersonNovember 30, 2015 at 7:59 PM

    You had a grand time this Thanksgiving, Hannah! After all those desserts the first round, I suspect the low-calorie dinner was a welcome change. I love the Lunaria and must try growing some.

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    1. HannahNovember 30, 2015 at 11:45 PM

      Thanks, Kris, it's fun to try lots of different dishes and cooking styles. My DIL is an excellent baker. I admire all your succulents.

      Delete
  4. outlawgardenerNovember 30, 2015 at 9:15 PM

    What a fun Thanksgiving you had! Love your dried arrangement and that you showed it with different props!

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    1. HannahNovember 30, 2015 at 11:35 PM

      Thanks, Peter, it was memorable, looking forward to more company for Christmas! Your arrangement looked so great with your magnificent staircase as a backdrop.

      Delete
  5. Anca TîrcăNovember 30, 2015 at 11:29 PM

    A very nice display, Hannah! I used to grow Lunaria and lost it, maybe it is time to try again. Have a great December!

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    1. HannahNovember 30, 2015 at 11:47 PM

      Thanks, Anca. I'm about to have the pleasure of starting lots of tiny seedlings.

      Delete
  6. orchid0324December 1, 2015 at 1:38 AM

    Dearest Hannah; Oh M,y SO happy for you to hear your wonderful Thanksgiving gathering. How wonderful to see family haven't seen long while. And dishes sounds delicious♪
    Lunaria ｉｓ ｒｅａｌｌｙ beautiful with both colors♡♡♡　Your arrangement is awesome, I've never seen elephant garlic flowers p;-)
    Sending Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan to my Dear friend, xoxo Miyako*

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    1. HannahDecember 1, 2015 at 2:32 PM

      Thanks, dearest Miyako. I hope the Lunaria manages to come back next year. It has been very reliable, but I did pick the big stalk of seeds. I scattered some later but I hope not too late. I've tried to grow ornamental alliums but they didn't come back very many years, while the elephant garlic is very dependable. Hugs from the PNW!

      Delete
  7. Anna @Suffolk PebblesDecember 1, 2015 at 2:59 AM

    I love the dried elephant garlic seed heads - what an inspired idea!

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    1. HannahDecember 1, 2015 at 2:16 PM

      Thanks, Ann, they are super easy to dry, I just cut them and stick them in an empty vase.

      Delete
  8. eileeninmdDecember 1, 2015 at 3:15 AM

    Hello Hannah, sounds like you and your family had a happy Thanksgiving. Lots of yummy food! I just love the dried garlic seed heads, a lovely arrangement and photos.
    Have a happy day and week ahead!

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    1. HannahDecember 1, 2015 at 2:12 PM

      Thanks, Eileen, elephant garlic is so easy to grow and decorative too. I don't like peeling the little heads of regular garlic in comparison.

      Delete
  9. TexWisGirlDecember 1, 2015 at 3:46 AM

    i think it is neat when sisters marry brothers. a good friend of mine from wisconsin had that double family tie-in. :) nice arrangement, hannah.

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    1. HannahDecember 1, 2015 at 2:00 PM

      Thanks, Theresa, it is nice when we visit, and also it was great when taking care of the older generation since between us there were the same 2 sets of grandparents.

      Delete
  10. VillroseDecember 1, 2015 at 2:14 PM

    A pretty plant!

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    1. HannahDecember 2, 2015 at 2:01 AM

      Thanks, Villrose, I'm glad they like to grow in my shady areas.

      Delete
  11. DeniseinVADecember 1, 2015 at 3:43 PM

    I admired your creativity on your vase arrangements Hanna, they are lovely! Thanks for sharing them :) Also enjoyed your Thanksgiving, sounded like a lovely one.

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    1. HannahDecember 2, 2015 at 2:02 AM

      Thanks, Denise, and at least I don't have to throw them out after they wilt.;-)

      Delete
  12. Eliza WatersDecember 1, 2015 at 4:44 PM

    Hi Hannah, sounds like you had a great Thanksgiving. It was interesting to hear that you and your sister married two brothers. My Mom and Dad, Aunt/Uncle did the same thing. Interesting that the cousins aren't similar, though... Varied gene pool, I guess!
    I love lunaria, though it is a process to rub the outer casings off, isn't it? Well worth the effort with that beautiful, luminous septum to look at. :-)

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    1. HannahDecember 2, 2015 at 2:05 AM

      Thanks, Eliza, one of the cousins has red hair, so her brother actually looks more like the kids in my family. I don't like to rub the casings off, as I tend to damage them, so I peel them off instead, and they are beautiful and long-lasting.

      Delete
  13. LauraDecember 4, 2015 at 11:32 AM

    Beautiful series Hannah, thanks for the words of welcome. Thanks as always for sharing the love up-close with I Heart Macro. I do hope you well send me a "patch" for this year's Gratitude Quilt. Instructions are at the top of my blog :-)

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  14. rainfield61December 6, 2015 at 5:05 AM

    The frog sculpture is so funny.

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