Pittock Mansion Tour – Part One

Yesterday I gave you a glimpse of the wonderful mansion my dear mother, my cousin and I toured last Friday. The Pittock Mansion sits high above the city of Portland, Oregon with a view that captures the imagination. On a clear day you have a fantastic view of five mountains in the Cascade Mountain Range. The twenty-two room mansion was the home of Oregon pioneers, Henry and Georgiana Pittock from nineteen-fourteen to nineteen-nineteen.

When we arrived the doors to the mansion had just opened. We stood in a short line outside in the portico and visited with others who shared our excitement to see this beauty all decked out for the holidays. The holiday theme this year is ‘Tinsel, Trees and Traditions: One Hundred Fifty Years of Christmas’.

We entered through a side door off the portico, walked through a tiny room that may have been a coat room, and then right into the Grand Hall. During the holiday season the Hall is decorated with evergreen garlands, poinsettias and miles and miles of red ribbon and bows.

I could almost imagine Mrs. Pittock gracefully coming down the Grand Stairs in her ball gown. Or, perhaps a child sliding down the banister!

The stairs are made of cut and polished marble; the banisters are made of cast bronze and hardwood.

Many hours of work by volunteers turned this fantastic, old home into a place of holiday magic and beauty!

Near the entrance, just off the Grand Hall, the Sitting Room was filled with holiday treasures galore.

Ornate carved hardwood mantels and paneling fill the house and a touch of the holidays greeted us as we began our self-guided tour. Volunteers stood nearby ready to answer our questions and give information or assist the guests.

Big chandeliers provide light throughout the mansion. The one in the sitting room caught my eye. Look at the ceiling – it’s breathtaking!

This house was designed with many progressive innovations – among them the indirect lighting in many of the rooms. I love the huge windows - most provide breathtaking views of Portland and the Willamette and Columbia Rivers below.

Next to the Sitting Room is the main door at the front of the mansion. One of the unique features of this home are several circular rooms. This one is home to the bronze bust of Henry Pittock. During the holiday season he ‘oversees’ a whimsical, little winter wonderland scene.

And then we entered my favorite room – the Music Room. It was filled with trees and beautiful furnishings and fantastic accessories. (I’ll share more of them later). The views from the windows are amazing!

Would you be surprised if I say that the instruments are my favorite part of the Music Room? I can only imagine what it must be like to sit here and play Henry and Georgiana’s eighteen-eighty-seven Steinway grand piano!

The decorations above the double French doors on each side of the Music Room are perfect!

A few minutes after we left the room we heard sweet holiday music. I left my dear mother and my cousin and returned to the Music Room to find a young lady gracefully playing Mr. Pittock’s piano. As we walked through the main floor of the mansion her beautiful holiday music added something special to our time together in this lovely home.

Beside the Music Room is another circular room with an entrance from the west porch. This one almost took our breath away - it seemed as if we had suddenly been transported to a world of fantasy and magic!

Such fun! It made me smile!

And then ahead. . .oh, what was ahead? Beauty and whimsy and more amazing rooms filled with holiday cheer and fun. Our tour will continue soon. Please join me again – I’m sure you won’t regret it!

You can read more about the Pittock family and their marvelous home here.

Pittock Mansion - A Tour Of The Heart

I’m so busy these days I can hardly keep up with myself! Overcommitted myself a bit, I did! But, in the middle of all the ministry commitments I also scheduled some fun things with my family. Just before I head out the door to go to my chaplain ministry today I want to give you a sneak peek of the tour my dear mother, my cousin and I did last Friday morning.

And I promise that I’ll be back soon to show you inside and all the magic of the season. Oh, I wish I could have a house like this! And the staff to help with it!

(The first picture above shows the back door - wait till you see the front!)

Christmas Every Day

Sing praises to the LORD. . .
tell the nations what He has done.
Psalm 9:11

You have Christmas every day. Your gift bears, not toys and books, but God Himself!

His work: on the cross and in the resurrection. As a result, your sin brings no guilt, and the grave brings no fear.

His energy: it’s not up to you. You can do all things through Christ, who gives you strength.

His lordship: He is in charge of you and looks out for you.

His love: what can separate you from it?

Who could imagine such gifts? Who could imagine not opening them?

from ‘Come Thirsty’
written by Max Lucado

From The Heart Of A Friend

When I first entered the world of blog I didn’t have any idea how dear my new far-away friends would become in my life. I had no idea of the treasured place each of you would have in my heart, and it still amazes me that we are such kindred spirits, even though we may never meet in person. Such is the bond I feel with my blog friend, Dawn, of Four Fifty-Three a.m. I read her blog daily and I’m always amazed by the beautiful creations from her heart and hands. I admire the simplicity of her blog and the way it touches my heart – and I love her Daybook entries. It’s almost as if I’m right there with her. So often I long to do that – be right there with her so I can sit and chat and watch her work. Recently Dawn had a give-away and I won!! I could hardly believe it when I read her announcement. And then the package arrived! That was just the beginning - even her handwriting is artistic and I was excited. I couldn’t wait to open it to see what was inside.

I found sweets and a beautiful card – and a dear little package.

Oooh, chocolate! Ghirardelli chocolate. But I really couldn’t wait to open that little package. Inside I found one of Dawn’s dollies – the dearest little sweetie. I just sat and smiled!

Do you see the little holly on her gown? I live on Holly Street and I ‘use’ a lot of holly in my Christmas decor. When I mentioned that to Dawn she chose this little cutie-pie for me. Just for me! My photos don’t do her justice. Here, let me show you another one that shows the detail in a different light.

Isn’t she just adorable? I named her Holly Dolly! I’m not so sure that she will be put away at the end of the holiday season. I’m thinking of a place in my office/sewing room that needs a little splash of sweetness. She may find a permanent home there in a few weeks. When I turned her around to look at the back I found this sweet little tag. A little note from Dawn’s hand to my heart!

Thank you, Dawn, for my sweet Holly Dolly! I will think of you every time I look at her dear little face and I will thank God for bringing you into my life – to grace my days with your friendship – even though you live so far away. He has truly blessed me with the best of friends. And I am grateful!

Emmanuel – God With Us

The prophecy:
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14

The fulfillment (the angel, speaking to Joseph):
'She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel which means, "God with us.
Matthew 1:21-23

O, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

O, come, O Key of David, come,
And open wide our heav'nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

O, come, our Dayspring from on high,
And cheer us by your drawing nigh,
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

O, come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
O, bid our sad divisions cease,
And be yourself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Song: ‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel’
French Processional - 1st Published in: 1854
Translated by John Neal, 1818-66
Scripture: New International Version

How To Build A Christmas Tree

Last year I shared here about the monthly women’s ministry I’m involved in and about the florist-friend who spoke and demonstrated decorations and arrangements for the holiday season. A couple of weeks ago she was back again with more ideas to share with us. Her work is wonderful and we always enjoy her humor and her words of encouragement. Not only does she share how to do things that look easy when she does them – she breaks them down into steps and makes us believe we can do it, too. This year she showed us how to build a Christmas tree! She began with a pretty, red, glittery planter – with oasis in the center and a glass column inserted into the oasis for spacing and support as she worked. (As the tree took shape, she removed the glass cylinder.)

She slowly began to build her tree from green branches she had cut in her yard!

She kept adding greens until the tree began to take shape!

As she worked and talked, it seemed possible to build our own trees. She is a great teacher and doesn’t make the task seem impossible! When all the greens were in place, she added bare branches and red berries for texture and then tied the top together with raffia.

More red berries were added and a few branches with green leaves, as well as white berries – all things from her yard.

And then she began to decorate with pretty little ornaments!

She made red bows for the top – and then it was finished!

Shortly after she finished making this pretty little tree she gave it away. My sweet friend, Miss K., won – and she was thrilled beyond belief!

Our guest always brings such fun things to sell – at a special price. This year was no exception. And what great bargains we got! There were Christmas penguins. . .

Pretty ornaments on fabulous ornament hangers. . .

Gold Christmas card holders. . .

And cute little church ornaments.

When we neared the end of our time together she gave away the most gorgeous floral arrangement we could imagine. The lady who won also got all the bits and pieces and the directions to change it from a Thanksgiving arrangement to a beautiful arrangement for Christmas.

We had such fun together and we went away encouraged and inspired and ready to dream of the decorating possibilities for our homes through the holiday season.

Treasured Gifts

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day yesterday and that you are doing something relaxing today. I have been home alone with my puppy and kitty and have just taken my time to get things picked up after the big day yesterday. My dear little mother, my cousin and her husband and I were the only ones here to enjoy our Thanksgiving Dinner. My sweetheart is elk hunting on the opposite corner of the state and will return home tomorrow. He was able to get a cell phone signal and call last evening to wish me a wonderful day. An impromptu family together is happening here tonight – our two kids and their families are bringing leftovers and joining my dear mother, my cousin, her husband and me for a bit of a ‘potluck’ supper. It will be great fun to be together since they weren’t able to join us yesterday.

Recently I received two very sweet gifts from two very special ladies in my life. The first is from my dear cousin, Mrs. C. You may recall that she and her hubby moved near us from out-of-state a year ago. A few weeks ago we shopped together for some accessories for her living room that was in the process of a redo. She found a wonderful clock – the perfect size for the wall near her kitchen – and, in the process, she gave me this darling little clock she had been using for some time. It’s perfect for my kitchen!

A week ago I drove to a nearby city to be part of a wonderful reunion luncheon at the home of my former pastor’s wife. She and her husband have been serving as missionaries in Europe for the past several years and they are home for a few months, returning next Spring. She had a very sweet potluck luncheon at her home for a number of the ladies from our former church in years past. Many of the gals have moved and scattered around the Pacific Northwest so it was fun to get together again. At each place setting Mrs. L. had placed a little white teacup that was filled with nuts and candies (of course I had forgotten my camera!). The teacups were a gift for each of us to take home.

Isn’t that just the cutest little cup?

The glittery little leaves are just right. They are ‘padded’ with a foam-rubber-type backing. They may have been stickers that were added. I didn’t ask. I was just so thrilled to get one with a yellow leaf! Goes with my things!!

I always treasure things given by the people in my life. I could buy a clock and a teacup but it wouldn’t be the same – they just wouldn’t have the special meaning it has because of the dear people who gave them to me. From their heart to mine.