TOTAL RANDOMLINGS & OUR FAVE LADY, MARTHA S.

Another glorious fall week and a little walk through the leaves...okay, just so you will notice my brand new shoes.  Actually they are sort of short boots and I flipped over them.  Perfectly faded aqua blue suede and so comfy.  I really have to stay away from footwear for awhile.

I'm feeling good...no mention in this post of that horribly stiff and sore hand that still has two sore incisions and though now un~bandaged, refuses to cooperate in the simplest of things without sending me through the roof.  Nope, no mention.  

We got the yard cleaned up for the winter.  It makes me feel content.  I'm not one to like loose ends.  Funny, I used to throw caution to the wind and believe me, I had lots of caution to throw!  The marigolds in the container in which I grew my cherry tomatoes are still loving the cold, rainy and downright chilly nights.  I may just plant a few pots of these here and there next spring to carry me right through November.  And the cute picnic table I got for a song in the spring?  I had a can of polyurethane to seal it and never got to it this summer.  On one hand, it weathered to a nice sort of driftwood gray for the most part as opposed to the fresh lumber that was delivered.  Yet I don't have an indoor place to store it and I don't want it saturated with snow and rain for the next six months.  I have an area of the house with a roof overhang and hope I can get the boys to lug it over.  Then I'll be not only content...just totally Zen~like.  

I'm already dreaming of ways to change my backyard next spring.  You can see the shed in the corner...to the right of it I have that big old walnut tree and about 6 feet away, my cobblestones from my garden bed border end.  I want to carry that down to the shed and curve out  alongside it in front of the tree.  I know with the shade I will only be able to plant hosta's, which I have galore.  Maybe some ferns and columbine?  My mind never stops working.  Even when it comes to next year.

The morning glories  are hanging on to the porch railing even though the leaves have turned brown and shriveled up.  They owe me after blooming so late!  These are actually more pink than they look.  I ordered the seeds from Renee's Garden a few years ago, a mixed packet of blue and pink...very, very pretty.  I take the seed heads in the fall and crumble them off the porch down to the bed below.  And then they start over again every spring.  I save a few heads to give away and to start in other spots.  Let me know if you'd like some...they will be easy to mail...just email me.

This is another bouquet that I got at my grocer last week for a song.  Some type of mum, a huge head in a soft reddish brown color.  So pretty and still looking fresh.

As we move on to the great indoors, I finally bit the bullet and realized that I could not have a cream colored rug in my living room, not when the front door is just a few feet away.  We do not have a "shoes off" policy (does anyone anymore?), so we track stuff right in onto the area rug here.  The dirty spots on the cream colored wool rug I had were mainly along the border where you step off the hardwood floor on to it.  So...I found this rug after much soul searching as well as Internet searching.  This is a "trellis or lattice" rug...very en vogue right now.  I am not fond of trends...you can see by looking at any of my rooms or any of the pieces that I have or buy, but I am very transitional...I buy what I like.  But in this case I knew I needed some color so I wouldn't see dirt and stains and I really, really loved the tufted cream colored areas. I also have the old faded floral sofa and it made sense (and looks great) that a "trellis" would compliment it (at least mentally!).   Wow, I have over~waxed poetic on a darned rug!! lol!  Do you like it?  We really do.  I found it on special at Joss & Main.  Just my opinion...no compensation. 

Ta Da!  I finally made an apple pie, courtesy of a lovely recipe from Kathy at Kathy's Cottage.  She is the Queen of Pies!  Her crust is one I truly believe in...half butter, half shortening.  This turned out delicious, but as usual, I get stingy with the apples thinking I have way too much.  Alas, they shrink and my top deflates! Seriously though, we ate this in less than two days.  Three of us!!  You can find the recipe here.  By the way, I will never win any awards on looks or presentation.  Let's just call it rustic.  Actually I simply took a quickie on my phone to send to my daughter to let her know I had been busy that afternoon.  They think I sit around looking pretty all day.   :) 

Emily has a way of coercing me into trouble.  She has Mondays and Thursdays off so we usually get together.  The other day she picked me up and we were randomly driving down a street.  We had sort of exhausted all the things we could do over the past few months...other than hiking a few trails or volunteering at a soup kitchen.  Or not.  Then she perked up and informed me that Homegoods had some Christmas things out.  "No, no, Em."  Not falling for that.  I promised myself nothing else for the house for Christmas.  We both have really small homes, I'm not kidding.  But we went.  And she found this little lady in a tutu.  Awwwww...  We may or may not have each got one.  Okay, what can I say.  They are all in different poses.  I said, "Em, we have to name them."  Right away she responded, "Josephine."  And without missing a beat I said, "Daphne!"  Like one of those psychological tests, "Say the first word that comes to your mind." Remember the movie??  Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis?  Of course!  Some Like It Hot.  A classic.  My favorite character...maybe Beinstock (poor tortured guy), but my heart lies with the millionaire, Osgood Fielding, III.  Remember that laugh?  He just opened up his mouth like a marionette and the raspy "Haaaaaa!" came out.  Oh, dear God, what a great movie!  So we have names for our 4 foot high reindeer's.  I have absolutely no room in my house so you may find Daphne on the roof this December.  

Okay, I confess...I saw this natural wood and grapevine "window" at Plough and Hearth.  LOVE.  I'm completely finished now.  I am ready to start on gifts (Did I mention I picked up some cool gift wrap at Homegoods).  Okay, enough confession here.  

I am projecting to November 11.  Tomorrow is Halloween.  Laundry and packing between Trick or Treating.  Not me of course, the children in the neighborhood!  Then Saturday we are off to Asheville.  We've planned some great things to do during our week there.  We both really need it.  When we come home I have a day to get oriented again and then I have the next surgery November 10.  Enough said.  So I'm projecting because that's how I love to keep myself awake at night.  I am neurotically thinking of luggage weight restrictions, how the dogs will do with no one  here all day except a brief popping in of one of the kids to let them out.  Will Abby lock the doors when she leaves, turn off the flat iron?  Will I have enough time to get ready for Thanksgiving?  Will I please. please, please everyone?  I know better now but somehow, it keeps me up at night.  Last night I laid awake for 4 hour.  Nothing new, I've always been an insomniac.  The worst thing is (besides some horrid song running through my head over and over) is worrying about how tired I will be the next day.  And then last night I had an epiphany...maybe I just don't need this much sleep.  Maybe I'm like Martha Stewart and can get by on five hours.  Without looking like I'm bragging or anything (and, dear, forgive me), my niece has worked as a Senior Editor for Martha Stewart Weddings magazine for the past few years.  And hurray!  J got engaged a few months ago.  Think of all the wedding ideas she will have!  Oh, I love her Martha stories!  How did I get on this tangent??

I may bring my laptop...we'll see how much I can stuff in my bag.  If not I will see you sometime after the 10th.  Shhhh...wish me luck, I will sleep better! :)

***Just wanted to mention that I have added a little thingie on my sidebar where you can get my posts in your email inbox.  Just enter your address and you will be surprised with a post once or twice a week***

Jane xx 

Emily's pre~Halloween party.  Three Blind Mice. :)