A CRAFTY APPETIZER & A MOST WONDERFUL ENGAGEMENT!

I have been having so much fun the past few days, so many exciting, happy things to talk about with you!  I'm starting with one of three bouquets of flowers that I got for a song at my grocery store.  The first time I've paid $$ for flowers since before spring, I think!  I will share the others in my next post.  Aren't these gorgeous?  Both are types of mums and last forever!  And I wanted to start my post with something pretty...

Are you tired of seeing my hand yet? lol!  In all it's various stages of healing I might add.  And it is now doing just fine.  Yep, big infection, my surgeon said some people react differently to the stitches.  Personally, I think the hand should have stayed dry until the stitches came out.  So I'm on antibiotics.  The morning I was scheduled to have the suture removal, I was awake and up at 4:00 a.m., although my appointment was at 8:50.  That's how fretful I was.  I was so nervous (and it WAS painful) that I babbled away while he snipped.  "So, you seem to like to get up early.  Are you enjoying the mild fall we're having?  Are you putting your garden to bed?  Do you have a garden?"  I came home and took the antibiotic and two pain pills and slept all afternoon.  It was quite blissful and I'm feeling so much better.  Funny, as I awoke from my nap feeling quite groggy to answer my phone, it was the hospital wanting to schedule my next surgery in 2 weeks.  I wanted to hang up on them.

I mentioned a hush hush surprise in my last post.  Well, here it is!  My oldest son, Jeff, proposed to his girlfriend, Deirdre, yesterday!  And she said YES!!!  Isn't that a gorgeous ring?  He had it made by his own design.  We all knew for several weeks after he had asked for permission from her father.  I have a very blurry video of the proposal, complete with him down on one knee.  The Husband and I cried while we watched it.  She was in such disbelief!  Jeff is very independent, and he holds people to very high standards (yes, we butt heads a lot!).  I think Deirdre is his match...very happy with her career and the traveling it requires, she's focused and fun and has great family values.  We've just loved her since Jeffrey "brought her home".

He didn't want anything over the top, he proposed in the early morning and then gave her warning...he had invited over 100 of their closest family and friends over for an engagement party that evening!  Well, a little chaos ensued, all the girl wanted was to go out and shop for a nice outfit and to have fresh flowers in all of the bathrooms! 

I bought this cake at the grocery store I go to, it has a fabulous bakery.  I didn't plan it, I was actually going to just get an assortment of sweets.  Red Velvet.  Sigh.

I offered to make an appetizer and saw that I had Pinned this recently.  And lucky for you, its not too late to make it in time for Halloween.  I'm going to give you the recipe as I fiddled a bit with it.  But it's here.  And it's very simple.

~~~~Cheese Ball Pumpkin~~~~

8 oz. cream cheese

10 oz. fine sharp cheddar

1/4 c. blue cheese crumbles

2 t. Worcestershire sauce 

1/4 t. celery salt

1/4 t. onion salt

A mixture of finely chopped walnuts (about 1/2 cup) and 1 t. paprika. 

Mix the first 6 ingredients well,  I used my KitchenAid mixer.  Mold into a pumpkin shape.  This was a little weird, and yes, I did it with one hand so I know you can do it, too!  It was like shaping a meatloaf and I was doing it on parchment paper.  It just wasn't looking right so I gathered the paper around it and rolled it around to make it a ball shape.  Voila!  Press the top down a bit if you want a "fatter" pumpkin!

I put the chopped walnuts in a gallon freezer bag and crushed them for the most part with a mallet.  I would definitely crush them more the next time, perhaps on pulse in a food processor? Just looks better without the larger pieces.  Then you can run a butter knife down vertically spaced every few inches to make the natural lines in the pumpkin.  For the stem I used a real one from one of my pumpkins on the porch.  I rinsed it well and then wrapped the bottom portion in plastic wrap so it wouldn't come in contact with the cheese ball.  And though this all sounds like a huge process, it took about 15 minutes.  Note***  I doubled the recipe to get the size you see in the picture.  It would be one tiny pumpkin if you followed the amounts above!  And it was delicious with Triscuit crackers.

There were so many delicious appetizers on the island already, Deirdre's family gave it their all.  And it was elegant.  Later in the evening 12 pizza's were delivered!

I flipped over these cookies.  It wasn't until I looked at my pictures today that I recognized the diamond rings in the middle!! :)

So this was one exciting night and I'm glad it all went down as Jeffrey wanted it to.  He was walking on air for the days before and channeling all his nervous energy into this.  He said that they had vaguely discussed marriage, but it was never a "plan".  The Husband and I are so happy that our son found such a great girl and he's embarking on a whole different stage of life.  And we love Deirdre already.  Mary Clare, Kevin's wife,  fit seamlessly into our lives.  She and her family are wonderful people and I'm so close to them.  And...another surprise, in the midst of the engagement party, MC got a call to go to the hospital, her sister Katie was in full on labor! 

Welcome Margot Brennan, born at 3:10 a.m.!  Healthy and cute and her parent are bowled over.  You have read about Katie and Kevin's love story here.  Oh, I can't wait to hold that bundle of cuteness!  Again. MC's family is like family to us.  I love each and every one of them.

The Husband and I also met Deirdre's family for the first time last night.  Her father, mother and sister are just the nicest people, very Irish (just love brogues!).  How I love these people already!  I think we will be great friends.  What is with all those horror stories of in laws?  We are loving it.  Maeve and I will be friends and future grandmother's together!  I am so lucky!

All play and no work...a week from now I will be in Asheville!  The last time we took a trip, back in May when we were gone over 11 days, I had a luggage packed over the limit and having to shamefully open my suitcase in front of strangers in order to not pay $75.00 extra, I have no intention of doing it again.  Not so positive...the weather changes everyday this time of year...heavy sweaters, jackets, boots and plain old flats.  Very positive, our condo has a washer/dryer.  I am going to be a very 'mix and match' girl so I can wear a few things over and over.  Totally against my nature of wanting to have a whole look every day, but it will work whether I like it or not!

These are a pair of shoes I've been longing for that I recently purchased on Zappo's.  I love the cutout on the sides.  And the ankle strap makes for a flat that fits perfectly.  If they are too tight, ugh.  Too loose, they flop off at the heel.  Love them with skinny jeans rolled up a bit.  Oh, I love vacations and the excuse to shop beforehand!!  :)

That's it for now.  I will be back again later in the week!

Joining Cindy at Amazing Mondays!  Please visit to see so many amazing things!!

Jane xx 

GOODBYE SUMMER

It really is feeling like fall here in the Upper Midwest.   No more running out without a sweater or jacket, the flip flops are packed away and the boots are out!  We had tons of rain last week, non stop gloom.  I kept busy though.  My little partner in crime, Miss Emily, flew off to Seattle with Mike to visit his brother.  She texted pictures everyday.  They had a great time (their plane just arrived back in Chicago) and I was happy to see them get away.  They work so hard.  I've only been to Seattle once and just for a brief time; we flew in and stayed two days and then rented a car to drive to Vancouver.  Just a beautiful, beautiful part of the country.  

I made a trip to Hobby Lobby and Michael's Thursday (and totally forgot which street each one was on so it took me 45 minutes instead of 15).  I had come across a craft on a blog and I got so excited about  making it that I nearly peed myself!  Well, it's a Christmas craft and I'm still working on it...maybe I'll give you a peek in my next post. :)

This (above), my friends, is Hungarian Goulash and you can find the recipe here.  This is one of our favorite comfort food meals here and I was even heating up bowls for the boys when they'd stop by (the key is to not tell them the name).  I think I gave you the recipe last year, it's a stew that has a little kick of nutmeg, allspice and cloves that just takes it out of this world.  Tyler Florence does not add these spices, but I do.  And this recipe makes a lot of goulash so you'll want a good heaping tablespoon of these things.  Also, he used potatoes for starch, I used egg noodles.  Play with it.  Yum! :)

Friday night was rain and gloom and cold and it's hard to leave one warm house to walk into the cold lakehouse at 11:00 p.m.  So we set the alarm for 5 a.m. Saturday morning, which in my book is not much better, and we were there by 8.  Alas, the rain never abated.  While we were gone this week, The Husband had a guy come in and install a wireless thermostat for us so that we can now control the heat and a/c from wherever we'd like.  Well, fiddling with that kept The Husband busy most the day.  I sat and pouted over losing another day to the rain.  Around 4 he saw my glum face and said, "Forget about that chicken and squash I bought for you to make." (puleeeeez) "Let's go to the bar for a burger and a beer!"  And all was good.

Sunday dawned sunny, the lake sending up a mist into the cool air.  The front lawn looked so pretty I didn't even want to rake! 

Sadly, the flowers had to go.  Go ahead, call me a Murderess.  I don't know what I was feeding these things this summer, I lost the annuals in the city weeks ago.  But I tossed them, poured the rich soil into my old veggie patch, and scrubbed the pots with a dry brush.  The Husband lovingly stored them in the shed with all of my other decorative pieces and we bid adieu until next spring.

Milo took a few runs up and down the dock looking for signs of life on this gorgeous day...

...while I sat on the cold wet beach on an old rug, plucking at the errant grass and watching the leaves scatter.  

I have a rule. I never take anything from the lakehouse to bring home.  Some things are just "meant" to be there.  But I had to make an exception for this big old wooly throw.  It is thick and soft and heavy and it has provided me with The Best naps anyone could ask for; in the dead cold winter in front of the fire, or in the summer, atop a cotton sheet when the a/c is making my sunburned skin chill.  So it's here in Chicago with me for a few months. It won't get lonely here.  

We will be back up soon, we have commitments here for the next three weekends but I'm sure we'll have a weekend to squeeze in before Thanksgiving.  After all, we have all those truckloads of firewood!

If you've ever met Carol from Art And Sand, you will know that nothing matches her creativity and love of art and color other than her big heart.  She made these banners and we all fell in love with them.  So she had a giveaway and we could choose what we wanted her to spell out.  I was a winner!!  Thank you so much, Carol!  Pay her a visit...she has a wonderful blog. :)

I have so many websites that I love to shop at and I love to share the wonderful things I find that I think are really unique.  One of my favorite places to go to when I'm planning a casual party, especially one outdoors, is Smarty Had A Party.  I bought some of their disposable dishes, napkins and serve-ware for a party at the lake a few years ago and I never received so many compliments. If you don't want to use good dishes, or even your melamine, these products will take your event up a notch and people will be loving you for your good taste! Below you will see the bamboo forks and knives I used for a backyard barbeque this past summer.  And I keep these on hand for Abby to bring in her lunch at work (she gets the compliments, too).  I was really, really surprised the other day when a box arrived in the mail and these cute disposable Leafware dishes were inside.  Made from fallen palm leaves, they are just perfect rustic goodness for this time of year.  Can you imagine a fall bonfire  with S'mores piled high on these?  Maybe to serve your goodies on at a tailgate party?  And you know what?  I've only mentioned this website because I really like it, I've never been asked to promote it.  And this was their "thank you".  A big thank you back at ya!!

Go have a peek! :)

And I almost forgot, I brought these home from the lake.  My original ice skates, ca. 1991.  I found them hanging in a corner of the garage and I thought I would be really all Pottery Barn-like and hang them on my front door at Christmas.  God knows I can't stand on them now! lol!

And look what came today!  Finally, after a month without a stove.  I nearly threw the electric skillet and crackpot out the window!  We decided on this model which was available right away as opposed to another we would have had to have waited weeks for.   And honestly, I don't remember what the other model had that I wanted so badly.  I love the little griddle.  And it has 5 burners!  I have a big stew bubbling away on it right now.  I wanted to make a nice roast for my "first dinner", but I'm trying to use up that abundance of veggies I still have.  Bon Appetite!

Tomorrow I have a very early appointment to get my stitches out.  Normally this wouldn't bother me much except my hand took a turn for the worse and my incisions are infected.  This started happening Friday so there wasn't very much I could do.  I talked to my surgeon's nurse and since I don't have a fever or oozing, I'm good until tomorrow.  I am such a baby...I'm praying this can be taken care of without the need for a sharp needle or stiff brush.  My hand is so sore as it is, I can't bear the thought of anyone coming near it.  And today I also scheduled my next surgery for November 10th.  Gulp.  To add injury to insult, this surgery will be on my left hand and yes, you guessed it, I'm left handed!  I guess things are going to get worse before they get better.

I have some good days ahead of me, a few things that are very hush hush (!), but I will be back this weekend filling you in! :)

Jane xxx 

A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING

We decided to skip the lake this past weekend.  It had been a very slow week for me here and I am feeling the cold weather blues setting in there which make me yearn for the warm sunny days.  Still, it's tempting to curl up in front of a fire with a book  while the wind howls outside.   Soon the holidays will occupy most of our time and then we will have a few quiet weekends there every other weekend before all the preparation for summer starts in April (and fishing season!) and we are there non-stop!

So, I came up with the brilliant idea of visiting some of the interesting towns and neighborhoods around here in Chicago on these rather quiet (boring) weekends.  We decided to drive north to Evanston, about an hour away.  My friend, Melanie, from Comfy House goes with her husband once in awhile for a little escape and they seem to have fun.  They even go down to the beach for a little picnic.  Unfortunately, the beaches are now closed.  So off we went on Saturday.  

Most of the trip was along Lake Shore Drive.  This is one of the harbors on Lake Michigan.  We were a little surprised to still see boats moored.  And there were sailboats and all sorts of watercraft out on the lake even though it was in the mid 60's.  Brrrrr...

The town is very nice...about 4 blocks of various shops and restaurants.  I expected more independently owned businesses but that wasn't the case.  Very pretty town though.  We saw a restaurant through the pretty outdoor plants..

We have a secret little method of scoping out the restaurants by having  drink at the bar and casually asking to see a menu.  Very nice place.  

Beautiful decor. We later found out it was a chain so maybe there is one near you.  Bravo Cucina Italiano.

We found a rare book store and I came across a book over 100 years old and it was actually only $8.00.  I was amazed.  And The Husband found an old book about Civil War weaponry and artillery...just up his alley.  I peeked over his shoulder to see what he was looking at and all I saw was Stonewall Jackson and I knew I had some time to kill.  And we also found a little boutique and I picked up a few things for the girls.  I saw a pair of oxfords that I really wanted but they didn't have my size.  Have you seen those in stores?  I am loving them.  They look so sharp with slim pants.  I'm on the hunt for the perfect pair!

Last Thursday I got my "craft on" and made these little candle jars.  You can get the directions here.  These were fun, just simple mason jars from the Dollar Tree.  Make sure they are smooth, as in not the real Mason or Ball jars with the raised letters.  The leaves were also from The Dollar Tree.  They are actually some sort of fabric and although I scoffed at ironing them as suggested, next time I will.  The edges would have stayed down a bit better.  And make sure the Mod Podge is tacky when you press the leaves on.  My first few slid around.   I was going to get better pictures, I just snapped these with my phone.  And then yesterday my son, Jeff, came over, saw them and asked if he could have them.  Well, knock me over with a feather!  Next he'll be Pinning craft ideas! :)

 

He did a little fall decorating at his house over the weekend and texted me this picture.  Look at my granddog, Tulo!  His first fall!  Awwwww...

This isn't for the squeamish and I probably show little class in putting this on my blog, but today I got the wretched cast off.  Stitches come out next week.  You can see how invasive it was by the bruising in the palm and up the wrist.  It was pretty easy to move my fingers, hence the blogging over the past week.  Now is the really painful part.  My hand and wrist have been immobilized for a week and now I'm supposed to be gripping things and turning my wrist and boy, that hurts!  And I can't cover the incisions as they need air and that would also hamper moving it.  Ugh.  I made a trip to the mall after the doctor visit to pick up Abby's work blazer from a tailor there and I just couldn't help myself from browsing in a few stores.  And of course I left with a few shopping bags that I tried to clutch in my arms.  Silly girl.  My next surgery is scheduled for 4 weeks from now.  I just can't get enough of this stuff!

This is my new best friend.  No stove in sight.  We picked out one that won't be available for a few weeks.  The Husband has a client who works for Sears so we may get a break.  I am really, really tired of take out food.  Even the independently owned, nice, dine in restaurants in my neighborhood, where you can order anything from pizza to a whole chicken or steak entree from their full menu, has gotten very old (and expensive).  So I'm trying to do more at home and the closest I can get to a normal meal is with this thing and my crackpot.  Tonight I made Tomato Chicken Stew.  The chicken and main veggies are done on my electric skillet...

...then into the pot.  This was a great dish because I have frozen tomatoes and my basil is still growing like crazy. 

We were very grateful to have a home cooked meal.  The house smelled delicious.  Last night I made chicken breasts with sauteed red onion and mushrooms and Pepperjack cheese melted on top, all on a thick roll.  Yum.  And Emily has a slow cooker cookbook that she is going to bring me tomorrow.  I know I can get some recipes from the Internet but my printer isn't hooked up (long story).  I hope I can find something that can be served on a plate rather than in a bowl. :)

So that's the last week in Blondieville.  I just take things day by day, try to keep myself busy during the day, and then blog or read in the evening.  I did a little work in the yard last week.  I carried armfuls of garden decor (birdhouses, outdoor candles and all sorts pots and tools) to the shed, making a little dent until I can get some manpower here to put away the furniture.  The same goes for the lake soon.  I just need to get my daily dose of fresh air.  It has been raining here since yesterday morning and it's supposed to continue until Thursday.  Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see what sort of adventures arise!

Jane xx

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

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