A Dorothy By Any Other Name: Purple and Cream 80th Birthday

April 2, 2017April 18, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 4 Comments

There have been many remarkable Dorothys to walk this earth. Among them the brainy Dorothy Johnson-Vaughn (NASA mathematician recently depicted in the movie “Hidden Figures”), the brazen Dorothy Height (women’s and civil rights activist), the brilliant Dorothy Hamill (ice skater), the beguiling Dorothy Dandridge (actress), the bubbly Dorothy who captured our hearts along the Yellow Brick Road, the beleaguered Dorothy Tucker-Roberts (my poor hairstylist of 20+ years for whom one must feel sympathy having to put up with me!), and finally the blissful, beautiful and beloved Mrs. Dorothy J. Knight, the honoree for this lovely celebration. When my high school friend, Audrey, asked me to craft a head table with the colors and flowers her Mother adored to celebrate her 80 birthday, I was most humbled.

Mrs. Knight’s birthday celebration was held in the auditorium at the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage in Kansas City, Missouri.

I created a dramatic centerpiece using a silver faux manzanita tree branch adorned with various hanging crystals and cream spray roses. I placed it on a round mirror to reflect back the sparkle, shine and movement of the crystals. A cluster of four standard size julep cups filled with cream roses, spider mums, baby’s breath, and miniature chrysanthemums. Satellite miniature juleps each held a single rose surrounded by baby’s breath and a few mini chrysanthemums.

Each place setting at the table included a mirrored charger, creamy dishes, lovely heirloom flatware, and a cream colored napkin emerging from a silver pew cone, also known as a cherub cone. (Other posts on this blog incorporating silver pew cones as napkin holders include “Purple & Pastel” and “Pretty in Pink”.) I placed a personal set of salt & pepper shakers at the top of each place setting.

The creamy ivory rosette table runner contrasts with the royal purple full-length tablecloth and complements the chair caps that are placed over ivory stretch chair covers and all tied up with a lavender satin sash.

Family members worked hard to plan and create the remaining atmosphere. They put a lot of love into it! To play on Shakespeare’s words in Romeo & Juliet, a Dorothy by any other name would not be as sweet as Mrs. Dorothy J. Knight.

For more birthday celebrations on this blog:
“88 Years & 88 Keys”
“Celebrating 85 Years of Fabulous”
“The Party She Deserves”
“Purple and Pastel”
“Blue & White 30th Birthday”
“Purple + Green = Happy Birthday!”
“Happy Birthday, Barf!”
and see FIVE additional birthday celebrations on the “Birthdays” tab!

88 Years and 88 Keys

March 31, 2017February 21, 2018 / Alycia Nichols / 6 Comments

This is a 2-minute compilation video of the birthday celebration.
See still photos below.

My Mom very recently celebrated her 88th birthday. Here’s the thing, though: In no way does this woman personify the “typical” 88-year-old. Although she retired from the Missouri Senate about 6 years ago to care for my ailing Dad, she never really retired. She still has a seat on several boards, is active in her church and community, shops like a demon, and continues to pick up various civic awards. In fact, I had to postpone her annual birthday luncheon by 5 days so that she could attend an awards luncheon on her actual birthday! The Starr Women’s Hall of Fame Induction & Award Luncheon had an impressive guest list of about 1,000 and featured keynote speaker actor/activist/author Ashley Judd (so nice, so pretty, and a powerful speaker). It was a different but fun way to celebrate.

Mom entering the stage as she is introduced.

Mom with her medal

Proud moment for my husband and me to be there with my Mom!

L to R: my cousin Dee, me, my Mom, Ashley Judd, my Aunt Vivienne, my niece Yvonne, and my sister Berishia

How on earth could I possibly follow something as cool as that??!?!??!!? Answer: Don’t even try to compete! Just do what you do, or as the kids say, “Just do you.”

The invitations were the inspiration for the tablescape. My Mom has always loved piano music (she endured me tickling the ivories for years!), and so I came up with the idea to pair the 88 keys of the piano with the celebration of her 88 years. I bought 3-part invitations at Hobby Lobby, but decided to create the actual invitation insert myself on plain white cardstock. You’ll see what I did with the other part later.

We moved the keyboard upstairs from the basement level to the library for our featured pianist, 10-year-old music student Gabriella Howell, to regale the ladies as they arrived for cocktail hour. (This is Gabriella with her mother, my friend, Angelynn Howell.)

Each guest stopped in the foyer to greet Mom and have an individual photo taken with her. Guests included longtime friends and family. I asked guests to please wear black, white, or a combination of the two for the event so that Mom would stand out in her brilliant red outfit.

The dining table was, as almost always during inclement weather, set up in the living room. In keeping with our 88 Keys theme, I chose black & white striped stretch chair covers from LinenTablecloth.com. I’ve used these same chair covers in other diverse tablescapes including Hometown Pride: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos and Blurred Lines With Shades of Pink. The invitation and menu had beautiful black & white damask, so I represented that in the table runner, also from LinenTablecloth.com.

The tablecloth used on each of the two 6-ft. tables is simply a white washable 90″ x 132″ poly from LinenTablecloth.com. I loosely tie the ends to keep guests from tripping over the generously proportioned cloth.

Nothing pops on black and white quite like red does, so I put together five arrangements of deep red regular size and spray roses along with fluffy, fragrant carnations in cut crystal rose bowls. Simple, but elegant.

Each place setting began with a black charger in a contemporary cut topped with a simple square cut B. Smith plate. Black “San Remo” flatware is paired with a cut crystal-handled luncheon knife. “Longchamps” stemware completes the setting.

Here is where I used the intended invitation insert…for the menu! I couldn’t get them to go through my computer, so I MacGyver’ed it and printed the menu onto plain white cardstock which was then cut to size and clipped to the backdrop with a tiny black clothespin from Michaels. The red grosgrain ribbon and rhinestone buckle were included with the invitations, so I used them to add a dash of color to the menu. The menus were placed atop a plain black napkin set on the luncheon plates.

After-luncheon coffee and dessert service was set up on the breakfast bar. Our kitchen is mercifully decorated in black & white, so everything worked well together through the semi-open space.

I found painted white wood numbers in the clearance bin at Hobby Lobby.

The dollar store now has cool black & white striped paper napkins!!!

I made vanilla cupcakes with light buttercream frosting sprinkled with red & black sugar confetti. They are displayed on white Ralph Lauren “Pavillion” cake stands.

No one leaves our home after an event without some sort of favor in hand! I baked sugar cookies, some in musical note shapes and some stamped with musical notes using black gel dye. The black & white striped cardboard favor boxes from Michaels each got a splatter of notes, too. I stuffed them with black & white crinkled & shredded paper.

Happy 88th Birthday, Mom! You know I so enjoy being able to host you and your friends each year. Here’s wishing you many, many more!

If you’d like to see previous birthday celebrations for my Mom:
“Celebrating 85 Years of Fabulous”,

One more you might really like on this site:
“The Party She Deserves”

Happy April, everyone!

Building a Better Brunch Buffet

March 13, 2017May 12, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 8 Comments

Dropping back in to share with you this morning’s “Better Kansas City” show segment on Building a Better Brunch Buffet! (Try saying that 3 times fast!!!) This quickie 3:45 piece focuses more on structure and execution than the actual dishes, but it’s kinda fun!

And here are a few still photos!

Join me for brunch!

Chatting on the set with “Better Kansas City” co-host Gina Bullard.

Linen-lined baskets are always a great way to display breads!

Be sure to go both high and low on your food display.

Lots of color comes to the table via the foods you choose. Have fun with it!

Place plates in two stacks on the end of a double-sided buffet table. Pictured here: gorgeous cobalt blue, yellow and white “Mirandela” plates from Pier 1 Imports.

Here I used a single large centerpiece – a mass of Spring daffodils in a large white base – that adds another dimension of height, texture, and color without interfering with food service.

Thank you so much for stopping in, and Happy Spring!

To see other Springtime brunch tablescapes on this site, click HERE (Springtime in Paris Buffet), HERE, (Easter Brunch), and HERE (Taste of Wine Buffet).

To see another tablescape using the Pier 1 “Mirandela” plates, click HERE.

Bringing the Zing to Chinese Takeout

February 10, 2017May 14, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 3 Comments

Once again earlier this year I was a guest on the “Better Kansas City” show. Getting up, dressed, and out the door that early is a real challenge for me, but I really enjoy it every time. This day was particularly fun with tips on creating a tablescape that presents Chinese takeout like a boss! CLICK on the video below to watch the 2-1/2-minute clip from the show, and after that are a few still photos I was able to snap with my iPad. (Time is very short on the set prior to going live, so I’m lucky to squeeze in a few pics!)

When I set up these demonstration tables on the set, remember…they are probably more narrow than your typical dining room table by about 12″ or so. The demo table is 6-ft. in length, but only 30″ wide compared to our 42″ wide dining table at home. That being said, you’d have more center space for food, additional decor, or just blank real estate than what’s shown here.

Each place setting has a black acrylic square charger (Walmart) topped with an Asian-themed 222 Fifth square plate (“Mia Blossom”) and small rice bowl from Pier 1 Imports. Pier 1 is a terrific place to buy globally themed dishes and decor! If you don’t have one near you, their website is pretty easy to navigate. (Too tall for this television demo, but a vase or two with a simple arrangement of cherry blossoms would be perfect for this tablescape!!)

Not everyone is adept at using chopsticks, so as a courtesy to your guests you may want to add flatware such as this faux bamboo stainless. Use the wooden chopsticks typically provided by the restaurant, or consider investing in a pair of permanent ones like these stainless steel beauties resting on a black onyx holder from a local specialty store. The white miso spoons here are from Pier 1. The “Capri” porcelain spice cellars by Gallery Tabletops are from T.J. Maxx and are great for spices or sauces at individual place settings.

Each place setting has a little something extra in the way the bamboo fan favors and black napkins, folded to resemble a Chinese sash, are presented in a red silk takeout box from Pier 1.

Teapot and cups from World Market.

White sake set from World Market. I picked up the Chinese robe wine bottle cover at Tuesday Morning a couple of years ago.

As I pointed out on the show, sometimes food is just so beautiful you might consider using it as a centerpiece. While this sushi is just a pretty good fake for demonstration purposes, it represents the real thing which always abounds in color, form, and texture…perfect elements for a gorgeous centerpiece!

If you’d like to see more tablescapes with an Asian flair for Chinese New Year or anytime Chinese food presentation just needs a little gussying up, check out these posts:
Peaceful Peonies
Year of the Rabbit
Chinese Takeout
Mum’s the Word/Zen Garden
Mikasa Daylight (Design #2)
Float Like A Butterfly
Mandarin Bling
Blue & White 30th Birthday
Copper Zen

Ideas for Throwing a Winter Dessert Party

January 18, 2017May 12, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 8 Comments

I’ve been away for quite awhile, but here’s my most recent appearance on the “Better Kansas City” show. For those of you missing the sparkle of the holiday months and battling the winter blahs like I am, this may be a fun way to put a little pep in your step and bring neighbors together to spite Old Man Winter! The 4-minute video is followed by still photos of the tablescape.

To those of you who have come on board while I’ve been away, WELCOME!!! To those who have hung in there for all these years and visit when you can, I love and appreciate you. Thank you for stopping by. Please note that I have disabled the Comments button. Not that I don’t appreciate your comments, but they aren’t necessary…I feel the love! (And my continuing health difficulties don’t let me sit for very long to be able to read and respond.)

Happy 2017! If you have questions regarding details of this post, please drop me an email at table21tablescapes@gmail.com.

P.S. I’m doing this from my iPad as I am no longer physically able to sit at my desktop for extended periods of time. If it publishes crazy, I apologize…I’m trying to get the hang of this new way!

Welcome back, and thank you so much for hanging in there with me! I hope to bring you lots of fun and creative tablescaping ideas in the months and years to come!

It Comes in Threes

July 15, 2015July 17, 2015 / Alycia Nichols / 41 Comments

I am SO grateful and SO humbled by all of the wonderful and heartfelt well-wishes received during my recovery from the two spine surgeries I had already this year. I am equally appreciative of your patience with me getting back to blogging. My time has been spent with a LOT of physical therapy and just trying to adjust to the “new normal.” I have missed pulling out dishes and accessories to create, and I have missed even more the opportunity to visit the sites of so many fellow bloggers who turn out such incredible work week after week. Sitting at the computer for hours on end was just too uncomfortable.

SO NOW THE BAD NEWS: All of the aggressive, non-stop physical therapy over these past months has worked to aggravate my left shoulder’s torn rotator cuff and frayed labrum caused by yet another nasty bone spur. Those of you who have known me for a while know I just went through a similar surgery 2 short years ago for the right shoulder. But everything ugly comes in threes, and good ol’ Number 3 began Friday, July 17, as I underwent surgery for the third time this year.

So I went from this “new normal” in winter, spring and early summer…:

…to this which will be “the new new normal” through the fall:

Pre-op with the very handsome and wonderful Dr. Greg Van den Berghe. He’s just yummy…and he does fantastic shoulder work!!!

Feeling alert and pretty good after the 2-hr. surgery! Notice my stylish outfit! You may also notice the still emaciated right leg that’s still getting PT along with my back.

Back home safe & sound, but the nerve block is starting to wear off. 😦

My goal is to get back up on that horse and “get jiggy with it” sooner than later. I hope you all will hang in there with me a bit longer, and I promise I’ll be back as soon as I can move this arm a bit. My brain is TEEMING with tablescape ideas after all this time!

Thank you again for all the well-wishes, love and support over these past difficult months. I’ll see you soon in Blog Land!!!

Poking the Sleeping Bear

April 7, 2015 / Alycia Nichols / 56 Comments

Hello, Friends! Well, there’s good news and bad news. First, the good news 🙂 : I am still alive, and the January 8 surgery was successful in removing the bone spur from my spine. Now for the bad news 😦 : It was like pulling a thread on a sweater or poking a sleeping bear. The whole thing just unraveled, and it has been a struggle ever since!

Sad sack little me after yet ANOTHER world-rocking procedure.

Sad sack little me after yet ANOTHER world-rocking pre-surgery procedure. But isn’t my motor scooter cool? It’s called a Jazzy! Funny…I don’t FEEL so jazzy!!! 😦 Nonetheless, I shall henceforth until further notice be known as Alycia the Jazzy! 🙂

I will go under the knife again this coming Friday morning, April 10. This time it will involve much, much more. The shockingly deep, painful, and almost constant sensation across my lower back and down the right leg never went away. Why not, you ask? Because when the bone spur was removed it allowed the herniation of the L5 disc to spread its evil little wings. The herniation, however, went into the spinal column rather than out to the sides or in front like normal people’s would. It essentially took the place of the bone spur in compressing a nerve. The neurosurgeon has seen that only ONCE in his 40+ years of practice, and the orthopedic surgeon has NEVER seen it! So…they will work in tandem in a 4-6 hour surgery to remove the affected discs, free up the herniation, perform a fusion using cadaver bones and pedicle screws, and insert an EBI bone stimulator that will be surgically removed at a later date. Rehab will start the day after the surgery, and I will be in the hospital for 3 days if all goes according to plan. I will then have to once again start the long, tough battle to recovery.

I must once again beg both your prayers and your patience. I thought by now I would be back to tablescaping and enjoying the nice Spring weather with you guys, but I have been confined to the bed for a total of FOUR long months. (And I have gained 20+ lbs. and lost a lot of muscle mass in my legs due to inactivity. My right leg in particular feels like a cooked noodle!) I am now keeping the faith that I will be back in time to create a few summertime tablescapes for your enjoyment.

A billion thanks to everyone who has said a prayer, dropped a line, placed a call, stopped by to visit, sent a card or get well gift, or just kept a good thought for me. Those of you who know me know this is SO against type for me. I am more a fan of 24/7/365 when it comes to working my body, my mind, and my God-given creativity. Please hang in there with me a while longer. I thank you for your love and support. I miss you terribly.

Happy Spring, and I’ll try to have my husband publish an update!

All Because Two People Fell In Love – A Gallery Wall

February 9, 2015May 10, 2017 / Alycia Nichols / 46 Comments

Family means everything, and a gallery wall is a uniquely personal and fun way to celebrate the lives and love of those humans connected to us by DNA, even if we never got a chance to meet them. Yes, I know this is a tablescape blog, but I’m hoping you will indulge me and perhaps get inspired for a different sort of decorating. After all, if you frequently entertain family like I do, they will get a kick out of seeing the faces of ancestors mixed in with the thoughtful symbolism artfully displayed each time they come to visit.

I finished creating this gallery wall – the love and life story of Ramon, me, and our ancestors – in the library just in time for guests coming for Thanksgiving and Christmas 2014 to see it. As we’re all squirreled away for these cold winter months and looking for indoor projects to fill the time, perhaps this will stir something in you to create a gallery wall with your own memories!
(Click on any photo, then click again to enhance/enlarge it.)

The “connecting” elements between Ramon’s family and mine are many, but none stands out greater than the fact that both our Dads worked for the railroad early on in their lives. My Dad talked about it often in very fond tones, and I wanted to honor both Dads by using railroad tracks as the literal and figurative connectors on this wall. I put a length of tracks dead center on the wall beneath a side-by-side collage of Ramon and me at the approximate ages we were when our Dads were working on the railroad. (Don’t judge! I was just 6! 🙂 ) The tracks serve to visually “connect” the 2 sides of the wall that are dedicated to my side and Ramon’s side of the family.

The huge clock represents not only the passing of time over the generations, but also reminds me of the kind of pocket watch the Dads carried during their time on the railroad. (Still thinking about adding a chain to it.) The oversized high school diplomas in their original frames were earned by my paternal grandparents in 1912 and 1916. (Yes, they made diplomas THAT big back then!!!) That makes Grandpa Wilson’s diploma an official antique and Grandma Wilson’s on its way to that status one year from now! The collage above the diplomas are photos of my paternal grandparents, paternal great-grandparents, and other members of my Dad’s family. The Ws beneath the diplomas, of course, represent the Wilson family name.

I turned the corner of the gallery wall to display collages of my Dad. The frame at the bottom is a medley of him from a baby on up. He was a handsome devil!!! the portrait on the opposing wall is of my Grandmother as a child.

The frames beneath my Grandmother’s portrait hold letters written to her from my Dad when he first left the farm and went to work on the railroad. Notice the lovely calligraphy he splurged on for the top right-hand corner envelope to impress his Mom!

As a tribute to those who pass before us, I like to create personalized shadow boxes. My Dad’s is encircled by railroad tracks. Inside the shadow box are bits & pieces of his life that I will always remember including his love for golf, popcorn, Vegas, tending to his various fruit trees, and teaching me to shoot. The shadow box also has a railroad spike and a wrench because Daddy could fix and build almost anything. On top of the box is a Scrabble “W” for Wilson, a replica Nickel Plate boxcar, and a Missouri Pacific Railroad pin.

Beneath the clock is a collage of photos that I found amusing. Three photos taken at different times in history of little boys with their red wagons. Clockwise: my son in 1981, my uncle (with my Mom being cradled) circa 1928, and my Dad in 1925. Cool, huh? I hot glued the tiny red wagon to the outside for a 3-D look.

The center of the gallery wall has photos of my Mother’s side of the family (Starks) above the photos of Ramon and me as children. (I was in 1st grade in my school uniform, Ramon in 2nd or 3rd.) The 6-pack to the upper right represents five generations of Starks women starting with my great-Grandmother. The single photo directly above is of my maternal great-great-Grandmother. The couple to the left are my maternal Grandfather and my Mom’s stepmother/my Grandmother. (Mom’s birth mother died when my Mom was just 7 years old.) The photo you see of the young man playing the violin is my Grandfather as a youngster.

The Nichols part of the wall is a little skimpy. I don’t have a lot of photos on hand of Ramon’s side of the family, but I did my best to represent the generations. The 3-pack at the bottom has photos of (L to R) his paternal Grandmother, paternal great-Grandfather, and paternal great-Grandmother. The collage above that has Ramon’s parents at the top, his children on the bottom tier, and Ramon and grandson in the middle.

The shadow box in memory of Ramon’s Mother represents her love/skill for cooking and sewing, including a vintage cookbook. I had a lot of fun putting this box together with miniatures found at Hobby Lobby. The “R” is for her first name.

I had lots of fun items to include in Ramon’s Dad’s box! He was an avid fisherman, an accomplished gardener, a devout Catholic, and a proud member of the NRA. I also included his pocket watch and compass from his days with the railroad as well as a railroad spike. Beneath his box is a Hobby Lobby craft deer head that lauds his abilities as a hunter. As with my Dad’s shadow box, Mr. Nichols has railroad tracks encircling.

You may wonder about the various keys and vintage-look door handles. These represent the keys to our past and the many doors opened from one generation to the next. The stars at the very top of the gallery represent those who have gone on to heaven.

I wanted to carry some of the themes from the gallery wall throughout the library. On the desk is a handful of railroad spikes, and on the secretary is a violin first played by my Mother’s Mother (my maternal Grandmother) back in the late 1920s and passed down through the generations.

Our library gallery wall is still a work in progress. I hope to fill this room over time with the many artifacts that reach back into history to tell our story of what happened when two people fell in love!

I am still on the mend from my January 8 spine surgery with little chance of getting back to tablescaping any time soon. Please hang in there with me. I miss you all so much and want to get back to doing what I love sooner than later. Meanwhile, THANK YOU for all the emails, texts, cards, gifts, phone calls, prayers, and general outpouring of love and affection!!! It’s been like Valentine’s Day for me this whole past month! (Except Valentine’s Day doesn’t hurt like this!!! 🙂 )
♥Happy Valentine’s Day to you and yours!!!♥

Published! Kansas City At Home Magazine

January 29, 2015January 29, 2015 / Alycia Nichols / 51 Comments

Hello, friends! I am still recuperating from my January 8 spine surgery without much good news to report. The searing pain has persisted despite going under the knife and following all post-op instructions, and I am back on the walker…again! In fact, post-op has been more difficult than anything I have ever experienced. I was readmitted for 5 days the day with ghastly reactions to some of the pain medication I’d been on. Shoulder surgery was a breeze compared to this nightmare!!! I have an MRI and another visit with the neurosurgeon for Tuesday afternoon. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that he has nothing but good news for me!
(Click on any photo, then click again to enlarge/enhance it.)

Meanwhile, I found out the day before surgery that the January 2015 issue of Kansas City At Home magazine in which some of my work is featured was on newsstands and online. I was interviewed along with two Kansas City floral designers whose work I have long admired. Not for nothin’, I was quoted the most, two of my original tablescape photos were used (as opposed the stock photos used for the rest of the article), and my “fail-safe entertaining tips” are exclusively featured online! If you’d like to take a look, just click HERE! Who’d have thunk it, y’all…I’m a tastemaker! 🙂

The posts from which the two photos were taken for the 4-page magazine spread were “Rolling Fields of Green” from 2013 and “Diamonds Are A Material Girl’s Best Friend” from 2014.

This offers a clue as to just how freaked out I was just prior to surgery. Look at the look on my face!!!!!!!

This offers a clue as to just how freaked out I was just prior to surgery. Look at that look on my face!!!!!!!

My neurosurgeon, Dr. Hylton, at least loosened me up a bit with his dry wit.

My handsome neurosurgeon, Dr. Hylton, at least loosened me up a bit with his dry wit.

Walking for the first time the evening of surgery. I don't even remember taking this. Apparently, my son was keeping me from "mooning" everyone!

Walking for the first time the evening of surgery. I don’t even remember this. Apparently, my son was keeping me from “mooning” everyone! I can’t walk like this now. I’m hobbling along on the walker, dragging my right leg behind me. Things are no better than pre-surgery. 😦

Posting is difficult because I’m still unable to sit for more than 30 minutes at a time. I hope to get things fixed once and for all so that I can get back to Blogland sooner than later. As you might guess, I am bored out of my skull!!! I’ve been a pinning fool on Pinterest, though, so you might want to check that out and follow some of my boards!

Have a fun Super Bowl weekend, and I hope to see you again soon!

Down, But Don’t Count Me Out!

January 6, 2015January 6, 2015 / Alycia Nichols / 79 Comments

The look on my face says it all: My back has finally pooped out on me, and I am scheduled for surgery Thursday morning, January 8. I knew this would all eventually catch up with me, and the pain has reached a point where I can no longer independently function. So…check-in at 9:30 a.m. (CST) with surgery at 11:00. I’m told it should take about 1-1/2 hours.

Patiently waiting for the horrors of the EMG and myelogram to begin.

I have no good veins in my arm, so they went for the hand…AGAIN!!!

The neurosurgeon will focus on a nerve that is trapped in a canal due to a hideous bone spur that has developed between L4 and L5 of my spine that looks kind of like this:

We’ll worry about the discs – a whole different issue – another day. Meanwhile, what does this feel like? Think perpetual root canal across the lower back and down your leg, AND being stabbed, AND your leg feeling like everything in it is being stretched to the point of popping, AND being unable to feel your foot much of the time.
In other words, it hurts like hell!!! 🙂

My Mommy served me a lovely breakfast in bed while “babysitting” me New Year’s Day. (Isn’t my hair just lovely?! 😉 )

Mom also whipped up a wonderful New Year’s Day dinner with blackeyed peas and collard greens for prosperity. Check it out…SHE EVEN SERVED IT UP ON A SILVER CHARGER!!!

Mom playing “Nurse Ratched/Dr. Jekyll”. She’s helping me to maintain my sense of humor. 🙂

I hope you will think good thoughts on my behalf so that I can sail through this. Quite frankly, I am scared out of my wits. Needles, blood, and incomprehensible multi-syllable Latin words are my Kryptonite. They leave me weak and confused! 🙂

Alycia Nichols, Tablescapes at Table Twenty-One, www.tabletwentyone.wordpress.com, “Down, But Not Out”

Hobbling along with my trusty walker. I need some PINK tennis balls!

Back at home on Tuesday night, awaiting surgery on Thursday morning.

Back at home on Tuesday night, counting down the hours ’til surgery on Thursday morning.

I hope to return to tablescaping in time for Spring inspiration. I hope you’ll hang in there with me. Laying around these last few weeks has given me nothing but time to create in my head, so I hope to come back strong in body, spirit, and creativity.

It will all be just fine! I’m putting my trust in God. I will also be in the capable hands of my patient, sweet husband who has been a gem these past weeks, my sweet and loving Mom, my best friend who has promised to come as soon as they wheel me out to slather moisturizer on my face and feet 🙂 (can’t have any lotions on during surgery…or I might catch on fire!), and my incredible neighbors.

Happy New Year! Nichols…..OUT!!!