FALL UNFOLDS & MANY THANKS!

In an effort to give you a break from my monotonous fall pictures, I did this one with the Waterlogue application on my phone!  The only new additions are the four pumpkins on the bay window ledge.  See how they glisten under all that furniture polish?  Not a squirrel in sight!

A little of the good before the bad and ugly.  Actually, it wasn't that bad.  I'm stuck with a cast almost up to my elbow but that's good, every little movement is painful.  I want to thank all of you for the well wishes.  I always knew how special you were, but I can't even put into words how I felt when I would read your comments prior to the surgery.  I really felt like I could cry.  So thank you from the bottom of my heart, dear friends.  

Everything went well.  I came home, The Husband had the whole day off from work and Emily came over and helped straighten up the house.  She is so much like me, it's scary.  She can't stand for anything to be out of place and she is constantly fussing.  She decided at the last minute to invite us to dinner (no stove yet...more on that later).  She  was making a corned beef and that got me excited, we never have that except around St. Patrick's Day.  So I went with her to the grocery for some odds and ends, still feeling fine, took a little nap and then we went to her and Mike's about 5:30.  

This is how she has the front of her home dressed up for fall.  She has the rainbow mums, too, except hers are more of the gold where mine are pink.  She has a much neater look, too.  Here in the city where the exteriors of the homes are so much alike, you really have to be creative to get something different.  Don't you love the lantern with the mini white pumpkins?

Dinner was SO good...corned beef with cabbage, carrots and onions and rye bread.  I forgot to get a picture of the food and her table setting.  I'm bad.  She has so many beautiful things that she received at her wedding showers and then wedding gifts.  I'm envious of her pots and pans!  She had chalk board place mats with our names on them.  Really, really cute.  She made the corned beef like her in laws do...baked and basted with a mixture of mustard and brown sugar.  We were swooning!  Coconut macaroons for dessert.  :)

See the little pumpkins on the hay?

I had a hair appointment with Katie yesterday.  She is due to have her baby girl in two weeks so I HAD to get in.  I was wondering if I could use the gear shift in my car and it worked, thank goodness.  She took 4 inches off my hair.  I wanted a Long Bob, or a "Lob" as they call it.  I actually wish she had taken a bit more...next time.  I hadn't realized I had "let it go" again, especially with wearing it up or in a ponytail most of the summer.  And I think you all know how much I long to have a "hairstyle"!  Getting there!

My daughter in law, Mary Clare was there as well.  She told me she and Kevin were pretty sure they are going to name the baby Elsie.  I think that's very cute.  I know Mary Clare has a soft sort of country side to her, her pup is named Tucker.  If the baby had been a boy, they wanted Ben.  She is feeling good and looks great!

Emily surprised me with this, she made it with some bushel barrels she had on hand.  We arranged some of my dried flowers in it and sat back and looked.  She shook her head and said, "Dear God, I have never seen so much clutter in my life!"

Oh well, I think it's the perfect time to celebrate the abundance of God's green earth.  Don't you agree?

As I said, I did well Monday but yesterday and today is another story.  The doctor had given me a local anesthetic as well as the sedative that knocked me out before the surgery.  I think the local kept me pain free for a very long time.  Yesterday was reality and I broke down and took a pain pill before dinner.  All it did was make me sleepy.  Today is worse, but it's nothing really terrible.  I am supposed to move my fingers and that feels fine, hence, I can somewhat peck away here on my laptop.  It's gripping anything (when I'm not paying attention), my palm and around the two incisions that makes me wince.  I find it sort of challenging to do things one handed.  I'm cleaning the house, doing dishes, making the bed.  I'm drawing the line at laundry and scrubbing the bathtub. :)

Would you believe, no stove yet?!  I guess it just goes along with the dynamics of my marriage.  First, the reality of the situation has to sink in (for The Husband).  Then the gravity...is a stove really a necessity?  And then the research, web search, actual search, price comparisons, more reality checks...it just goes on.  Last night I simply said, "I want the same stove I had.  That's all."  So I am supposed to be looking for that online at Home Depot but instead I'm typing this! lol!  Oh, how we love that electric skillet.  And Chicago style deep dish pizza. And Chinese, Mexican!  No cooking, paper plates, licking our fingers!

We will be at the lake again this weekend, I'm going to set up camp outside and watch the leaves fall (as long as it's not rainy and miserable like last weekend).  It really has been a picture perfect summer and fall.  Our farmer's market will be ending soon so I want to go tomorrow just to walk around and breathe it in.  Never got around to those apple pies, nor did I get all those plants I wanted to when they were marked down, but there's always next year.  And right now is pretty darn good!

See you soon! :)

Jane xx