TONS (TOO MUCH) FALL DECOR

Happy Saturday!  We are at the lake where it is cold and windy and rainy, and simply miserable.   Outside.  Inside we have fire going in both the fireplace and the wood burning stove.  The Husband puts a cast iron pot of water on the stove to add humidity to the air and it feels heavenly.  He's in the loft watching the Notre Dame game like most everyone in the upper Midwest, and me, well, I'm going to get a post out and then I have all the ingredients to make a decadent comfort food sort of dinner.  Soon.  

I'm showing you a brief glimpse of my mantel which I haven't changed up much from the last time you saw it. lol! I found (or should I say Emily found) this faux white pumpkin with the gold bling on it on one of our recent trips to Homegoods.  She was ahead of me and lamented, "I wish I could afford that pumpkin."  I reached ahead of her and dropped it in my cart.  "That's okay, Em.  I love it and I can afford it."  Ooh, dagger eyes! :) 

I was emailing back and forth with a really sweet girl who works for Modani Furniture.  She happened upon my fall mantel, very much like the one above (Ha!), and really liked how I had mixed the modern metal spheres with the sort of homespun pieces and bits of nature here and there.  I guess it all relates to buying the pieces we love and doing some mixing and matching.  Everything is so much more interesting this way.  So Addison, from Modani, was asking me a few questions regarding what I've learned about decorating since that "first apartment", you know, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, and what I might share now.  Well, I've had my focus on redoing our den into a sort of "Woman Cave".  Isn't that a neat concept?  I mean, why should they have all the  fun?  Where's our cave?  Please don't say the kitchen.   So I am going to be putting some ideas to paper and I'm going to be searching high and low for ideas and the pieces I want to have in this very me sort of space.  And I am going to be looking at Modani, which has 10 showrooms in the country, one not too far from me in Chicago.  So more on that later!

 

Last year I did a very minimal, sparse and natural sort of fall decor inside.  Outside was another story!! With all of the great variety  of pumpkins and flowers I found at my nursery here in Michigan...I had a ball and also brought lots of good stuff home to Emily and DIL, Mary Clare.  This year I did the complete opposite.  I brought it ALL out, the indoor stuff that is, and I've covered every freaking surface!  This is the table next to The Husband's chair.  I love it because he has to keep his ridiculously boring Civil War books on the floor next to him, as well as the 300 remotes he uses for one TV.  He's forced to bring his coffee cups to the kitchen because he won't have room for his candy wrappers or ice cream.  Ha!

  This is another table that I managed to keep simple and neat.  Ha!  A big departure for my non~minimalist style.

My

 front porch is just a simple mix of the rainbow mums I told you about in my last post, and some pansies I found at the same garden center.  A few pumpkins from my grocery.  I'm spraying the pumpkins with Pledge furniture polish and it's a tried and true remedy for keeping the squirrels away from them.  My neighbors either think I am crazier as ever out there spraying the pumpkins...or wondering how the heck I can keep pumpkins with the rodents everywhere.  My little secret.  And yours.  And this is the first time I ever made an urn filled with plants.  I hope it looks okay.  It was a challenge.  

I love this color combo.  Pansies last so well for us after a few mild frosts.  And they are the blowzy type of flower I love so much.  They don't like heat so I only have them in the early spring and fall.  

I've got a picture of my two granddogs at play!  Rusty and Tulo met up at their favorite hiking trail with Emily and Jeff (very close to his house, which is surrounded by forest preserves and hiking trails).  They had a blast.  Tulo loves water above and beyond any dog I've ever seen.  I have to put Milo's water bowl up on the counter when Tulo comes over.  What he doesn't totally lap up, he will paw at to spill on the floor so he can lie in it!  As pretty as his white coat is, Jeff simply towels him off and he later gets a mudroom bath.  Can you believe he is not yet a year old?  Seven months old to be exact.

We left for Michigan early yesterday afternoon.  Yes, the Sears repairman came as I wrote about last week and no, my stove cannot be repaired.  Well, at least for not less than half of what a new one would cost.  So we are looking and pricing and sometimes just pretending that we don't actually need a stove.  I brought some food up here, especially veggies that I just couldn't stand to watch get wasted.  The rain came almost as soon as we left.  This is the road off the main highway that leads us to the lake.  The colors really haven't started changing at all.  

The cornstalks have withered up and the sky looks merciless.  The wind has gusted up to 30 m.p.h.  Right now it's 41 degrees with a continuous downpour.  The lake has whitecaps although you can't really see them anymore as a sort of fog has settled over it. 

But, we feel happy and content.   While the looming surgery is always floating in and out of my mind, I look to the sleepy dogs for comfort, the fires going strong, and the sound of The Husband shouting and clapping upstairs.  My hands felt so good a few days ago that I decided to sleep without the gloves...maybe everything was getting better.  I awoke the next morning with no feeling whatsoever in my fingertips, they were swollen beyond belief and the slightest movement of my wrists was excruciating.  So, that's how afraid I am...I thought maybe things were better and  I could postpone everything.  Nope.  The gloves at night help me make it through the day.  I brought up two bags of my laundry, the whole hamper, and I've got that done and folded.  Both houses are neat and clean.  We're leaving tomorrow at noon and I will have nothing to do but shower, rest and prowl around in my robe.  Oh, maybe a quick DIY pedi.  ;-)  My surgery is scheduled for 6:15 a.m. Monday morning.  Piece of cake!

I'm ready to get cooking...boneless pork ribs, fresh steamed broccoli and two huge, beautiful acorn squashes with butter and brown sugar!

So I'm off.  I will try hard to get back to blogging soon.  You have all sent so many good wishes, don't feel you need to do that again.  Tell me what you've done to pretty everything up for fall.  Do you have pumpkins?  Do you like the weird colored ones?!  Any suggestions for the Woman Cave?  Okay...how about...if you were going to do a Woman Cave for yourself, name one thing you would have to have in it!  Please! :)

Much love to all,

Jane xx 

FALL BEAUTY & SOME COMINGS & GOINGS

Hi everyone!  I'm here, trying to squeeze in a post before Sears arrives to fix my poor broken stove and dishwasher.  The upper rack on that broke several months ago and I've been doing my best to work around it.  At least they are walking in the door and killing two birds with one stone for that $75.00 fee.

If you happened to hear from me over the weekend, you'll know we didn't go to Las Vegas as planned.  We had (and still do) a big mess at both of our airports due to an incident where an employee at the nearby FAA location sabotaged major radar equipment.  So our flight, among hundreds others were cancelled.  I did however, get an earlier reprieve from going when The Husband found out two other wives had to cancel and it was turning into more of a "guys trip".  That made me happy.  I think The Husband would have had a bit more fun that way...he knows I'm not crazy about this event.  

So, I've had some crazy/busy time since last week as well as some wonderful relaxing "down time".  Have to love that.  I got together with Emily on Thursday to run some errands. She was very excited, telling me about a garden center that had "rainbow" mums.  She knew I didn't want to get mums yet, I don't want them to be faded by mid October!  But she dragged me to this cute little place that I never knew of called Olivia's Garden.  And I'll be darned, we bought mums!  At 6 for $42.00, how could we resist?  Aren't they the prettiest?  

The inside of the shop was a fall wonderland as well.  So many things looked handcrafted.  I fell in love with these dried squashes.

They really made me smile...wonder why? :)

I thought this burlap on wire pumpkin was really neat, too.  And if you like fairy gardens, this was the place to be.  She had all sorts of them displayed and a wall full of tiny little pieces and of course, cute fairies.  I wonder if that's something I would be interested in once my little granddaughter is old enough to help me in the garden?  In any event, I have pretty much decorated my porch, then I was uploading pictures of it just a little while ago and I saw some changes I want to make.  Nothing like the critical eye of the camera to pick up every errant sock or dust ball you hadn't noticed.  In this case the balance was just off.  I'll post it next time.

I did a lot of cooking on the grill with not having a stove or oven.  That along with an electric skillet and the microwave. I went to the grocery store on Friday not quite acknowledging I was stoveless.  I did know (or at least thought at the time) that The Husband would be gone for 4 days straight and I didn't want to subsist on junk food.  I had seen a recipe in one of those BH&G Celebrate magazines, which I showed you in my last post,  Cornbread Stuffing. Nope.  Have never made it although I can bet many of you have.  It was insanely good, insanely easy (okay, I baked it on the grill outside and that took some thinking).  But in a nutshell, you can make your own cornbread or use a mix, crumble it up.  Cook up some breakfast sausage and red onion.  Add that along with some fresh spinach and fennel seed.  Toss it together gently and put it in a casserole dish.  Drizzle with with about 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth and bake at 325 for 45 minutes.  I have to admit, this was sort of fun to make on the grill.  I don't think it added anything to the flavor, I just sort of felt like a pioneer woman!  Ha!  We just loved it and I think I'm going to have it as a side dish on Thanksgiving along with our regular old dressing.  

I wonder if I could live without a stove like Brenda?  I was craving homemade iced tea yesterday and realized I could actually boil the water in the microwave.  Genius!  And Abby made egg sandwiches last night in the electric skillet that were very good.  I'd consider cancelling Sears except I really want that dishwasher fixed, I'm not that much of a pioneer!

When The Husband found out he wasn't going to Viva Las Vegas, he took off for the lake.  I guess there was more wood to cut.  I knew I had many things to do and tie up before my hand surgery next Monday.  But of course, I fiddled around, convinced that nothing was essentially crucial.  I cleaned out the refrigerator and freezer, did some laundry, worked in the backyard and cut more flowers to dry.  These are the last of the hydrangeas, they started to get tinged with pink and I would have left them but we were expecting rain and I thought they might get battered.  I flung in some potpourri and a pumpkin candle and voila!

I really have to tie a string around my finger to remember to go to our farmer's market Thursday.  I don't know if that man is still selling there, the one with the four year old hydrangea bushes.  I just love this one and Em has had a great summer with hers as well.  And I need apples!!  I am determined to make those pies!

My Sedum has turned an even brighter shade of red so I snipped more to bring into the family room.  I think I mentioned that I'm using my laptop in this room as I get a better connection.  It's a big departure for me from the kitchen and living room and I'm loving looking out of all the big windows at the leaves falling in the backyard.  I rarely watch TV but there is a big flat screen in here and I can read the closed caption on it from almost anywhere I sit.  Abby has me hooked, well, I've been hooked for a long while, on the housewife reality shows.  Oh, the drama!  The Ladies of London is another good one...things aren't much different across the pond except they have those beautiful accents. I just love to laugh and I don't think watching these shows is something to apologize for.  I'm the curious sort.  And man, if we don't have that sort of hysterical excitement in our lives, let's watch some people who do! ;-) And I'm determined to catch some of the newer shows; Blacklist, Scandal, and the new show with Viola Davis...something like Getting Away With Murder.  Abby and I caught a bit of it Saturday and it looks excellent.  

The weather took a big turn last night...it had been in the mid 70's for days and I had just put the lawn sprinklers out about 5:00 p.m. when the wind started blowing and the temps dropped down to the low 60's.  Boom, in under an hour!  So again I think, "Why haven't I started to clean up the yard?  Why haven't I started to store things?"  I always seem to walk a fine line between over~thinking/over~planning and then just blowing with the wind.  I mean, why was I cleaning the fridge the other day instead of tossing dead plants?  I remember once, well... one of the many times I had been hospitalized with asthma and the inevitable bronchitis/pneumonia that always followed.  Between endless reading and watching infomercials while stuck there, I would make long lists of things I needed to do when I got out.  A To Do list like no other.  From cleaning the closets to the basement, looking for new curtains for this room and a new rug for that room.  Organizing my spice rack alphabetically.  My brain wouldn't stop and it was spurred on by the fact that I was temporarily helpless, thus guilty.  I do not want to be that person again, sitting on the sofa next week with my hand in a cast, looking around at clutter and half finished projects and chores.  I'm a perfectionist.  An unorganized, flighty, lazy and semi~ambitious perfectionist.  ;-)

When The Husband left for the lake Sunday morning, I started to have second thoughts that maybe I should have gone.  I was feeling anxious and a little stressed out understandably.  I puttered but I just couldn't shake off this weird feeling that I didn't want him so far away.  Years and years ago, when the kids were very young, he was gone overnight and in the middle of the night I woke up in a panic attack.  A really big one and I did not see it coming nor did I ever forget it.  If you've ever had one, I wish you peace. Fear feeds on fear and it's a bad place to be.  I get twinges of those feelings when he goes away, which is rare.  And I felt those twinges Sunday.  I decided to get into a book, I'd been reading all of my monthly magazines as a little fix because I didn't want to devote hours to a book (and when I start one, I can read for hours on end, usually finishing a whole book in a day or two evenings).  I came upon this one in my Nook library.  Coincidentally, this book was suggested to me by Balsiha at Simply Balisha.  She's a real dear and she wrote about this in a comment on THIS post I wrote about finding my inner peace, learning to survive on my own, being independent.  This book is a memoir of sorts of a woman who has raised her children, is ready to embark on the "second half" of her life and believes she is in a rather shallow marriage (for lack of better words.   I'm giving you my take on this, you can look up the book if you'd like).  So, she escapes to their little cottage on Cape Cod and she spends a year on her own.  She learns to face her fears, get by totally on her own, take chances, live out some of her dreams and for the most part, from what I got out of it, she learns to embrace change, live and love the journey, and  to put her desires first and foremost after 30 years of marriage and children.  This is a truly enlightening book.  I came away with so much from it.  When I have more time I'll tell you more of what I learned from this book as well as the author's website.  And ironically, as I lay in bed Sunday night, all snuggly and warm in my PJ's, with the dogs snoring next to me and the book open...finally feeling a little more calm and relaxed that my guy wasn't lying beside me, I heard a loud banging on the front door.  I ran and looked out the window while Milo and Layla danced and barked crazily.  And there he was, with all his bags and leftover fast food.  I was astounded...to the lake and back in one day?  Why?  "I just had a funny feeling without you there, hon.  I just wanted to come home to you."  My heart melted.  I slept like a baby that night.  Still, I worry about the next time.  There will be a next time.

I'll close now with some happy and exciting news.  We are off to Asheville the first week of November.  I am so excited to see the mountains in the fall.  With a whole week there I am making definite plans to go hiking and see the gardens at The Biltmore Mansion in all of their glory.  We subscribe to a North Carolina publication and I am going to check out all of the events and activities going on.  We are so lucky to have the refund from the airlines or I don't know that we'd be doing this.  I am beyond thrilled.  

I have to get ready for the arrival of the repairman, and I suppose I have no good excuse not to make dinner tonight!  I will post again this weekend before the dreaded surgery Monday.  :)

Jane xx

BABY NEWS & GIVE ME A HAND!

What a crazy last few days this has been.  I just don't know where the time goes.  I sat down about five times yesterday to do a post and kept getting interrupted.  I managed to download my pics and that was about it.  I'm starting off with lovely Layla.  She has a new winter sweater and she really needed it.  It was dipping into the 40's over the weekend.  Isn't this adorable?  I wouldn't mind having one like this myself!

Now I know you are all anxious to know about that little "gender revealing" party my son Kevin and Mary Clare were having last Friday.  I have a short video (I actually had to crop it to fit so you get the reveal but not the shots of everyone clapping and screaming).  And...you have to watch the video to find out if they are having a boy or girl!  Here goes:

I am so excited!  This was just so much fun.  We had a fun group of family and friends, maybe about 20 people.  We had pizza afterward.  I think Kevin and MC are still in a daze.  At least she can now start to decorate the nursery and I can plan the theme of the shower.  :)

 

Here I am with MC's mom, Peggy.  We will share Grandma Rights!

Backtracking, I had a pretty good rest of the week after my last post, at least as far as keeping my mind off my test results for the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.  Emily popped in Thursday morning to coax me (ha!) to go shopping!  She snapped me in all my glory getting ready.  You do know it takes a village to get Blondie out the door?

 

And my ever~growing~larger Grandog, Tulo, finds my morning routine fascinating.  I dog~sit a lot but he's so much fun.  He's clumsy as all get out...to see him chase Milo around the twists and turns and corners of my house, it's just too funny.  

So, Emily and I hit up Homegoods and she found some mercury glass pumpkins and gourds and I found that darling sweater for Layla.  She also had to return something to Old Navy and I found a pair of "Boyfriend" jeans I liked.  I was thrilled to bring them home and try them on only to find they were too big!  Yes, thrilled!  So I have to make a trip back and exchange them but I will be the happiest customer in the store!  The trips to the gym are paying off!

It wasn't the best of weekends at the lake, but they can't all be, can they.  The Husband surprised me with a three day weekend, he had Monday off.  The weather was not great at all.  Rainy and windy and cold.  I had bought a quart of paint to do those chairs I showed you in my last post and although the garage is heated, I didn't want to make The Husband pull the trailer with the fishing boat on it out to give me space.  I thought I would start emptying pots but the flowers still look so great.  So I watered them instead. :)  Then I thought I would start putting some things away in the shed...outdoor chairs and garden decorations...then I realized we really had to get larger things in there first so I nixed that idea.  I did pick some cattails!! 

 

Sunday was pretty much a miserable day.  A few weeks ago I had a visit from a long time lake friend, Sharon.  We actually bought the lakehouse from Sharon and Bob and that would be exactly 23 years ago this month.  Bob literally built the house himself while he, Sharon and the kids lived in a trailer on the property.  It was here that they raised their kids and had many good times.  The day we moved in they had a party and introduced us to all of their lake friends, all of whom we are still great friends with.  So, Sharon stopped by just before Labor Day with the news that Bob had inoperable cancer.  I'm not going to go into details, it isn't my place to discuss his health or their troubles.  From my standpoint, I had to summon all my courage to stop in and see him, and I put it off until Sunday.  Sharon had a very hard time keeping herself together and Bob, looking very frail compared to the big robust guy I've always known, he spent a lot of time staring out the window, shaking his head and saying, "I'm only 75, Blondie."  I have some pictures and then I thought it just wasn't right to put them on my blog, too dramatic.  My heart hurts.  I got into my car and looked out at the view you see above from their driveway.  And I took this picture with tears running down my face.  We can always pray for a miracle, can't we?

One thing about crappy weather is that you can always keep a fire going and snuggle inside once you get your "stuff" done.  I went to the grocery and got all the fixings for chicken noodle soup and we had that with bread, sitting in front of the fire that The Husband (Paul Bunyon), kept burning all day.  

And I was so excited to find the BH&G holiday magazine.  I love when this comes out, I just mark page after page of things I want to do that I never get around to!  And I found an Autumn magazine as well.  Now, I have not dug into these yet, I am saving them for my recuperation period after my surgery.

After days of texting Emily, "Will you be my hands?  I don't want to be handless!"  I went to my doctor yesterday and yes, the CTS is "marked", but I will have the surgery one hand at a time, the first one will be on October 6, that's about a week and 1/2 away.  Then I can have the other hand done as early as 2 weeks later.  I am so relieved, I really thought I was going to have to type my posts with a pencil poking out of my mouth!  Ha!  I can guarantee, they won't be long posts, and that's not just a threat!  And the housework?  Hmmmm...I'm wondering what The Husband looks like in an apron. 

And so now I am in the "I'm losing my mind" stage.  I never put the office back together as I want to paint it.  I'm halfway finished packing up and donating books in my den so I can start to redo that room.  I'm trying to transition my summer clothes to winter.  I need to reseed and fertilize the front lawn as well as plant some mums I bought last week at Home Depot.  Our oven died the other day, it looks like it may be the computer panel and although I love it dearly, The Husband thinks we've had it way too long.  So we have been ordering food in for a few days and I had to give my apples to Emily, no pie making happening here.  Oh, did I mention we are leaving for Vegas in three days?

Maybe this is a Godsend after all.  A way to get my mind off everything.  Sleep late, rent a cabana by the pool.  Eat good, rich food and decadent desserts (I think Las Vegas has some of the best food/chefs in the country).  I like to play 25 cent slots and video poker but that's about it.  And it's always great to go out and about and stroll through the hotels and casinos we can't afford! :)

We will be home Tuesday and I will be back in touch.  I can keep up to date with emails and comments on my post via my phone.  Oh, I wanted to thank you for all of those nice comments about keeping my blog the way it is.  I definitely plan on doing that.  If anything, I was thinking along the lines of shorter, more frequent posts...moving on to subjects I generally run out of time to write about.  We'll see, but I am truly flattered by what all of you had to say.  

Jane xx

TOMATOES TO APPLES AND EVERYTHING ELSE UNDER THE SUN

I will keep my narrative short as I want to "talk" with you later in my post.  I start with this rather boring picture of my family room.  We finally had new carpet installed last week...maybe the week before (I'm losing it).  The reality is, this room is over the crawl space as opposed to the basement and we have hardwood in those rooms.  Carpet and padding prove to be the best insulation in this room and I personally love the feeling under my feet and just the overall change from hard floors.  I think a lot of people still love carpet in their bedrooms.  Nothing like it to keep your little tootsies warm in the early a.m. hours.  I'm very happy with it.  "

A big glitch in the whole process was getting the furniture moved out.  I did all the little stuff...lamps and accessories and what not.  We don't like to ask our sons for much...they both work and have homes of their owns.  Anyway, the furniture got moved out, the carpet put in and then we sort of stalled as to who could help bring the furniture back in!  The Husband and I don't like to ask for help, so...a few of my rooms were filled with a coffee table here, an end table there, a sofa table buried under lamps here and pillows tossed all around...for 6 days!  And of course in the middle, we had the plumbing problem which led us to use the back bathroom that then led us, mostly turning sideways to fit, into that far removed back bath.  Okay...the cute Irish plumbers finally made it on Monday.  Friday didn't work and we had to be at the lake for some other obligations.  All in all, it's a done deal.  My cute Irish guy recommends we put a new line in as we have really bad tree root in the plumbing lines.   "In 'foive' years it will be a mess"! Can I stand it?  The guys, not the roots.

We were cold at the lake on Saturday.  I made my little trip into town.  I wish there was more to say about our town but it seems every business that starts seems to fail. So very sad and these business owners feel the weight more than we can comprehend. 

 We have our longtime hardware store owned by a family for generations.  And our florist/gift shop.  Most of her profit comes from funerals.  A grocery store, God love them, but the bigger stores are a beacon, so we travel 40 minutes to a major grocery.  Very sad.  And it's happened to small town everywhere.  A friend of mine stopped in...she is a real go-getter, always involved in something.  She actually helped with building two home for Habitat For Humanity in our town.  She had me in tears.  And I'll be darned, an envelope arrived at my home here in Chicago this week with information on the program and how we can help.  I support two other causes and after learning more about this, I'm going to offer what I can.   I was very much  inspired by hammers and nails and hardhats being used by everyday folks with big hearts.  and the thought that maybe, just maybe, I could be  a part of that one day.  I want to help, especially in my "2nd" hometown.

Oops, I forgot about my picture that guides me through my posts so I don't go off on tangents (like I just did!), I found these chairs at a little thrift shop in town.  Originally $7.00 each, I got both for $10.00!  The guy is good...he's making a go of it.  I have that small picnic table I painted white in the spring.  It has 2 detached benches.  I always thought it would look cool with a bench on one side and two chairs (like these on the other side).  So...I am going to do three painted navy stripes down the middle of the table,,,something like you'd see on a grain sack...then paint the chairs navy.  Does that sound good?  I'm psyched!  And the extra bench...hmmmm?

My dear man...he's loving his wood...it never ends.  I suggested we sell some bundles of it...seriously, you can sell a bundle of this sort of wood that has been split on three side for a minimum of $10.00 for five pieces.  Nope...we're good with what we have. If anyone sees our piles I'm sure The Husband will offer  a small supply for pennies...maybe even barter for some work...that's how it works in the country.

Couldn't help it...ran up to Dussell's (our farm market/nursery/grocery) and picked up some apples for pies.  Yup...tomatoes are gone and apples are in!!

As you know, you can find tons of recipes on Pinterest, and I have a few Pinned myself...but then I came across the book that Penny from The Comforts Of Home gifted me with when I was last in Asheville back in May.  Oh, Penny, I'm sorry that I have just now started leafing through this.  And I found this recipe for baked apples in a jar with the crust pressed over.  Isn't this just the best?  I want to make these this week for Susie and Mike, who gave me all the tomatoes and beans.  They won't have to fight over who gets the last piece of the pie! You can also make a regular  8 inch pie with the dough and ingredients but I just happen to have these jars!!  Yes!  If anyone is interested in this book, let me know.  It is written so sweetly by a girl who bought a house that just "happened to be on a farm".  And then it all began. :)

The book goes by seasons and I'm starting reading  in the  fall.  Do you all not love fall?  I think it's one of those seasons when we like to bring the outdoors in.  When we love to see what the waning light of summer does to our plants and tree and skies.  I will never tire of decorating for fall...every year is different.  Actually. of course, every season is different.  I think it's just the way we nature lovers interpret the changing world around us.  I say, "Yeah! Bring it on!"  The pine cones and the tiny little acorns dropping.  I pull  the cattails from the shore, let them dry and put them in tall containers.  A little bit of hairspray keeps the cottony stuff from opening up and making me sneeze!  Bringing the outdoors in has been a ritual for me for years...evergreen and pine cones in the winter, sweet tulips and daffs in the spring, wildflowers in the summer.  And I'm not the most creative person , but I love to make banners.  Simple and straight forward...in November last year I had "Thankful" spelled out.  At Christmas, I had, "Have a Holly Jolly...", and this past spring...just "SPRING".  It's all about celebrating and doesn't have to be more than a word written on a chalkboard.  I think the "words" say it all and I love this...I know it becomes a tradition and celebration of the seasons  for so many of us. 

I have to breeze along here or I'll lose you!  Bought some cool to me colorful pumpkins when I went for the apples.  I actually was inspired from a few pictures I saw on Pinterest.  None on the porch, but can I please have some pretty ones on the table??! 

I love the colors and the imperfections. 

   So here is a pic of my granddog,  Rusty.  Remember him?  He is quite a Facebook celebrity according to his mother (my daughter Emily)  Everyone loves Rusty and you can see why!  Here he is falling asleep next to Mike while he awaits ONE tiny bite of that breakfast cereal!  Nope. Mike's not sharing and Rusty seems to have lost all hope waiting.

And that sullen face leads me to some not so great news.  I'm not one to complain (I can hear my family laughing hysterically).  I was diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome two  weeks ago after about 6 weeks of symptoms (pain, numbness and tingling in the fingers of both hands and weakness of both wrists).  I also have "trigger" finger in both pinky fingers which is a bit more separate.  I think there are some of you who have had this or know someone who has, so I'm not going to go into that.  I had an EMG today (not fun and I have a very high tolerance for pain).  I get the results tomorrow. Anything above mild will involve surgery.  Blah, blah, blah surgery.  It's the recovery I hate.  6 weeks of recovery...no using your wrists or hands.  Dear God!  No hands?  I will keep you posted.  In the meantime, I wear these really attractive gloves...geez, I can't describe them...sort of wrist bands that resemble fingerless gloves that wrap around half my hand (with a hole for my thumb) and half of my forearm, secured by Velcro.  Apparently moving the wrists at night causes the most pain and is common with those with this condition. Let me vouch for that.  In the first stages I actually paced around the house and cried, not knowing what this was and what I should do.  We (The Husband and I) thought it would get better before worse.  Silly.  I get my results tomorrow.  It looks like surgery with six weeks recovery (as I have been told).  Honest to God...my biggest worry is that The Husband will pack up and leave me if he has to "assist" me in the bathroom.

   

On a somewhat positive note, we leave for Las Vegas a week from Friday.  If you've followed my blog, Vegas is not my favorite place in the world.  No offense to anyone who loves it or lives there.  I think I have been there just too many times.  And vacations to me mean a lot of fresh air and I have to search it out there!  Ha!  So, instead of complaining...I'm going to find a way to get outside more (and that's not the most popular of things to do in Vegas), and I will make the best of it.  The Husband has some very loyal clients that include us every year and that's just my guy...he is loyal to the end.  Now...if I could just get him down to the pool!

I am not a Fashionista!  Well...maybe I am, I do love shopping for clothes,  Heck, I like jewelry and purses and shoes as well.  I do. That's me.   I follow many fashion blogs and Pin lots of outfits I'd love to put together.  I don't need much for Vegas...the casinos are cold, really cold.  And the temps vary from year to year  We almost always go in October.  One year it was 115 degrees and a few years ago it was cold and actually snowed!  I think I brought that on...I'm pretty talented like that.

Here is another top I bought from Kohl's at quite a big discount.  I like that it's a little different...I rarely wear patterns.  Is that odd?  I have a pair of silky sort of leggings, very loose actually with a tapered ankle  and little gold buttons at the ankle.  I think these outfits will be nice for dinner  The top above can be dressed up or down.  It's amazing what people wear there.  I try to be comfy during the day, but still dressed nicely...a scarf and some statement jewelry in the evening.  I feel good that way, too. 

Okay...you have probably fallen asleep.   I went a little above and beyond my usual narrative and commentary.  I always hope that you get to know me a bit more with every post...that you see a sort of rhythm in my life...season to season...in my recipes and decorating.  That it might tell a sort of story in the end.  I so enjoy writing.  I will never believe that I will fit into a certain category such as cooking, decorating, crafts; what have you.  But I have had discussions with my good friend, Brenda, from Cozy Little House.  We go back to 2009.   I asked her for a good critique of my blog...what I might do to get out of what I see as a rut of stringing you along on my day to day living,  For goodness sakes...who cares about my day to day life?  So, I hope to be making  some changes soon.  I hope you will offer your thoughts.  

One last thing!!!  My son and DIL will be finding out  whether they will be having a girl or boy on Friday.  I wish this were a short story...Ha!  MC goes to the doctor Friday for an ultrasound.  He writes the sex of baby down and puts it in a sealed envelope.  MC brings this to her baker.  He makes a cake with a pink or blue filling and frosts it in white,  We will be having  a small party at their house Friday night and they will cut into the cake for their big surprise and for all of us to see and celebrate!!  Isn't that cool?   I just may make a little video!  Shhhh...  :)

Talk to all of you soon! :)

  Jane xx

AN OVERDUE TOTALLY RANDOM POST

This is the one and only time I've ever had my own flowers in the backyard to cut.  Okay, I've had tulips, and at the lake we always have those blasted daisies that have eaten the garden, but finally, I have my own hydrangeas!  These had bloomed for so long and I was afraid to cut any because the ones I buy wilt and die in a matter of hours.  And then I read on a Pinterest post that it's best to snip them when they are just starting to get crisp (or a little long in the tooth as they say).  Put them in about an inch of water and let the water dry up.  Voila!  It's working!

Yesterday I was running errands and drove by a brand spanking new Deals store that I wasn't aware of.  Yes!  My car nearly steered itself into the parking lot.  This was double the size of our usual one and it was so clean and well stocked.  I found these little lanterns that were darling and just a buck a piece.  I also stocked up on Halloween pencils, erasers, stickers and spider rings that I love to throw in the big candy bowl for the trick or treater's.  I just loved walking up and down every aisle and seeing all the bargains.  Usually I shop at Deals for my cleaning supplies but I didn't have a list. so this was just a little fun on a rainy morning and didn't cost more than $15.00.

I recently scored another bargain.  I don't shop much at Anthropology but I love to have a peek at their clearance section on the website once in awhile.  I spied these napkins for a little over $3.00 each and I had to stock up.  The other night I was expecting Abby's boyfriend, Tom, to have dinner with us and though I wasn't pulling out all the stops, I used these napkins.  Aren't they pretty?

I love making up recipes and I do it in part based on what I have available in the cabinets and fridge, and then partly to keep things interesting.  We eat a lot of chicken in an effort to cut back on red meat.  And although we like most fish, it's not exactly something we crave all the time.  So there I was the other night with the usual boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  I also had some English muffins that were going to start getting old so I decided on some sort of chicken sandwich.  I wanted to marinate the breasts and fiddled with what I had.  This turned into a marinade that was actually used in three different stages of making this meal.  I think you'll really like the marinade/dressing for all sorts of things.  I used:

1 c olive oil

3 T Balsamic vinegar

3 chopped garlic cloves

1 T of apricot preserves*

Juice of 1/2 lemon

2 T finely snipped chives 

*I used the preserves to make the stickiness you need to coat the meat.  You can actually use any type of jam or jelly, or even honey.  

I cut two chicken breasts horizontally, from side to side so it's as if you are opening a book.  Cut all the way through so you have four thin pieces. Put them in a zip lock bag with 3 tablespoons of the marinade, work it in and then refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes. Divide the remaining marinade into two small separate bowls.  When you are ready to make the chicken, spray your grill pan and turn the heat up to high.  Spread the chicken pieces out on a cutting board and use one of the bowls of marinade for brushing on the breasts.  Grill each side on high about 3-4 minutes, basting with the marinade as it turns a nice golden color.  Remove to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.  Wipe down grill pan when cool.  Lightly butter the bottoms of four English muffins.  Place on grill and toast over medium heat for about 3 minutes.

 To assemble the sandwiches, I made a small bowl of mixed baby lettuce and tossed it with the marinade I had reserved in the last bowl.  Be sure this marinade has not come in contact with any of the uncooked chicken, this should have been set aside.  Place a chicken breast on the bottom of the toasted English muffin, add a nice handful of the mixed lettuce and top with the other half of the muffin.  We had these with chips but they would be great with soup as well.  

This is really very simple, I just sort of walked you through it.  The main point is you have a nice marinade to use three different ways.  Next time I will double the recipe and store half of it in the fridge for another day.  I'm sure it's good on all sorts of things.  Hope you try it!

I also wanted to share this with all of you.  Isn't this a cute little bag?  For a tiny little bag it holds quite a bit and it can be a real life saver!

Hand sewn by Pamela of One Paisley Pig, it's chock full of every sort of necessity you may need when out and about.  Kris from Junk Chic Cottage introduced us to Pamela last week, she had ordered a bunch of these cute bags for a group of ladies and even had a sweet giveaway.  I just had to order one for each of my daughters.  They can be tucked in your carry~on bag for a trip or you can have one in your desk drawer or glove compartment.  There are 40 items alone in this cute little thing, from first aid items to post it notes, pens, tweezers and paper clips!  These would make great Christmas gifts, too.  Emily and Abby loved them!  Check out Pamela's website if you get a chance.

As I write this I'm in a real pickle.  Funny, I can just sit here tapping away while disaster is all around me.  The Husband woke me up about 5:00 a.m. to tell me the toilet and bathtub was clogged.  Yeah, yeah, yeah.  I'll call the plumbers at a reasonable hour.  Thank goodness we have another bathroom.  All was well in my world.  I got up, had my coffee and took my time.  When ever I call those cute Irish plumbers, they are usually at the door in 15 minutes, so I thought I would get my day started first.  I straightened up the house, started the dishwasher and threw a load of towels in the wash.  As I stood in the bathroom doing my hair and make up, I heard  gurgling noises and turned to see black water bubbling up in the toilet.  The tub was making the same babbling brook sound as it, too, filled with the putrid stuff.  Egad!  I ran for towels, opened the windows and lit a brand new pumpkin candle I was saving.  I called the cute Irish plumbers and left a message.  I got everything cleaned up. luckily the toilet didn't overflow onto the tile.  I finished getting ready and was heading back to the family room with my coffee to write this post when my bare feet made contact with a wet floor in the hall.  I opened the bathroom door to see more black water spilling out of the toilet and this time I had to stop the flow with about 6 bath towels.  Double Egad!  Now I did an emergency call to the cute Irish plumbers. I think it was the washing machine usage that broke the camel's back. So I wait.  And I'm finished here so just imagine me and my big bottle of Clorox having quality time in the bathroom as you read this.  

If all goes well we will be on our way to Michigan in a short while.  A big fire in the wood stove and some coffee with a shot of Bailey's will be in order, I'm sure.

Happy Weekend!

Jane xx

SHORTER DAYS AND A FALL MANTEL

Well, I believe I am finally done with all of the tomatoes and my tomato escapades.  The Husband went up to the lake alone this past weekend and I was so afraid he'd come back with more of them.  I made the Chicken Avocado and Tomato Pizza from the Pioneer Woman website and I was a little disappointed.  That's okay, each time you try something new, you come away with a different experience.  On my part, I never should have used a store bought crust.  It was awful.  It was terribly hard to work with, became very soggy with the juice from the veggies, and it really tasted bland and doughy.  I thought with all the other preparation, that I would opt out for taking a shortcut here...never again.  The website does give a pizza crust recipe.  That said, the rest of the pizza was rather bland.  All of the ingredients were great and I would even had guessed they'd work well together, but it was just one of those things.  Very tasteless and boring.  Nothing complimenting anything.  The only "bite" was the red onion.  But don't let me stop you from making this...maybe it was just my own little taste buds!

In addition to the pizza, I made fresh salsa for the party I was going to on Sunday.  This is something you can really play around with.  I just skimmed over some recipes on the Food Network and picked out some key ingredients and then used what I had on hand; yellow onions, green pepper, black beans, tomatoes and cilantro.  I seasoned it with chopped fresh garlic, S&P, red pepper flakes and some cumin.  My daughter makes it very similarly and adds some avocado and a jalapeno as well.  I think it went over well.  I don't know about you but I find chopping to be so relaxing.  Maybe that's why I like to make soups and stews in the winter (and that's not too far off! ;-) So other then a few gallon freezer bags tucked away for another time...there are no more tomatoes lurking under newspaper on my kitchen counters!

Saturday was my daughter in law, Mary Clare's sister, Katie's baby shower.  I found out the night before that over fifty people were coming.  I nearly packed a bag and went to the lake with The Husband.  I'm not a big fan of large groups and although I had met a few of MC's aunts, I really wouldn't know anyone.  But I soldiered on...it was the right thing to do.  I ended up having a  ball of course.  I sat with two ladies I didn't know and we talked the afternoon away.  Tents were set up in the backyard and the food was catered; little chicken wraps and salads and fruit.  

 

Here is MC holding up a little jacket I bought the baby.  See the little sparkles?  I always loved buying little girl clothes.  MC will find out the sex of their baby in another week.  I'm so excited!

There were a lot of cute ideas.  The color scheme was a pretty minty green and coral.  I'm not sure if that's how Katie has the nursery done up.  This is the mimosa bar.  It was very sweet.

There was a clothesline filled with white onesies and bibs for guests to decorate.  Letter stencils were out along with little animal stencils and paint.  

Now you know why I don't craft.  Thank goodness I didn't have to put my name on it.  Emily saw this picture and nearly gagged.  "First of all, mom...it's 'Quiet as a mouse', and 'Cute as a button'.  And that does not look like a mouse at all so it would read, 'Cute as a rat!'"  Well, what do you expect after a few peach mimosa's?

The following day was a birthday party for my nephew who turned the big "5".  Yay!  It was a fun family backyard barbecue.  Can you tell we've been having gorgeous weather?  Mid seventies!  The days are getting shorter and hazier.  Here is a little group of us, clockwise from the top:  Daughter Emily, DIL Mary Clare, Moi, and SIL Karen.  

Yesterday morning it felt good to be on my own again and I decided to change the mantel a little.  I normally wouldn't start to get into fall so soon but I had a real beachy theme going on here all summer long and it really looked out of place.  So I just removed all the blue ocean hues and starfish and gathered up some things with deep colors.

It's not hard to find old books around here, that's all The Husband reads.  

I love this sign.  It's from one of those flash sale deals.  I'm not always crazy about them but I have gotten a few really unique pieces from Antique Farmhouse.  

I've been spending an hour or two out in my yard each day, just pulling weeds and doing a lot of pruning.  Slowly making room in the shed that went all willy nilly during the summer when I rummaged for things.  I actually had some flower pots that didn't drain well and the flowers drowned from all the rain we had.  I'm going to have to drill extra holes in them for next year.  This weekend I hope to get back to the nursery at the lake and see how things are marked down at this point in time.  I have plenty of room here for more perennials, the only new things I planted this summer were day lilies.  This is the Sedum that I've had forever.  With the trees being trimmed up so drastically last summer, these plants just multiplied in size.  I have them in vases everywhere.  No water...they last for weeks before they start to fade. 

For the past few weeks I have been reluctantly blogging in my family room because I have a better connection being closer to the modem.  I rarely spend time back here, it looks out over the backyard and for some reason I always preferred to be at the other end of the house near the front door, kitchen and living room.  Well, I am really enjoying being in this room with the windows wide open and the breeze blowing in.  I grab a huge mug of coffee so I don't have to keep winding my way down 2 hallways to the kitchen for more.  The kids know to come to the back door to find me.    Layla has a comfy nest on the sofa pillows and Milo likes to curl up right here at my feet.  This is the only room in our house that has carpet and as of tomorrow morning, this will be gone.  Believe me, this is one small area that is not terribly worn.  I came home from the gym this morning and carted off a few boxes of accessories and some lamps and such to the den, and then tonight my sons will come to help The Husband move furniture.  I'm very excited.  

Gosh, I wish I had something to complain or lament about!  Just life as usual here.  This weekend we will be back to our regularly scheduled program at the lake, which I believe will be one big chill party! :)

Jane xx

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