Hitting the Week Running.

 Even though there are only a few days left until the calendar says "September", someone forgot to tell Mother Nature and it is still pretty hot and sticky around here. We have been having rain almost every afternoon as well so everything is still drippy. I have a list of outdoor chores to tackle so I thought I should probably get out there early and get them done. I accomplished everything except getting up on the ladder and into all of the vines - mostly jasmine and sky vine - to give them all another trim back. The vines are all still just too wet so that project will have to wait a bit. But, everything else is done and I am now back inside...and happy to be so!

In any case, since I'm here, let's continue our tour. I think we're ready to head into the sunroom.

So that's the sunroom for this year...all pretty self explanatory and nothing new. I did add some string lights to the dough bowl in the dining room. I happened in there last night and the orange candle - which is on a timer - was on. It looked so pretty and I had this set of lights already so I thought I would give them a try. It's hard to get a good picture during the day but I think it will be very pretty tonight when the candle is twinkling also.

I also had a "new eyes" moment today. I just happened to look at my mailbox - which I do at least once a day - but, today I saw it with new eyes...and I was appalled that it took me this long to "see" it as it was. I bought a new mailbox and post a number of years ago. The box was a dark metal and the trim was a shiny new copper. In time, the copper has turned a beautiful verdi gris and the box itself has just faded! Since I always have cans of antique bronze spray paint and painter's tape at the ready, I headed out to give it a try. I taped off everything that is copper and just gave the rest of it a few light coats of the paint and, voila, it looks almost as good as new. Definitely less expensive than buying a new one! It always amazes me how I can look at something over and over and it never bothers me...until it does. Lol

In any case, I'm off to see what else needs doing this week. Stay safe and stay tuned. 

 

Time for the "Martha" Return

After a pretty thunder storm free summer, Mother Nature wanted to remind us that she is still in charge and, we have been having afternoons of much thunder, lightning and rain for the better part of a week and the predictions go on for a bit. And so, since it is dreary (again, even though my grass looks better than it has in years) outside but autumn inside, my mind went to soup. I'm not usually a fan of soup in warm weather but, I love to make a large pot of some favorite soup and eat off of it for a long time...and so, yesterday that happened. I have a few favorite recipes but, my all time favorite is from Martha Stewart. It is a vermicelli vegetable soup and is so full of veggies and pasta that it is more like eating a bowl of spaghetti - which, of course, I love even more! 

This recipe makes a huge pot of soup and I get even more because I can never just use the 8 cups of broth required - it almost always takes 3-4 more cups to get enough liquid to even still call it a soup. And, I only use about a pound of green beans even thought it calls for 2#. Also, I use vegetable broth instead of chicken. And, if you look closely, I even threw in some frozen peas that I had left in the freezer. Guess I was feeling like a rebel yesterday. Lol

I have gotten rid of so many of my cookbooks but I will always hold onto this one. I use a lot of the recipes in here. I think this was Martha's first cookbook and I love it because it centers around holidays and occasions.

It does take awhile to do all of the veggie prep but once that's done, the soup is easy to make...and, think of how many dinners I won't have to cook again as I eat on this for quite awhile! Happy Fall! Stay safe and stay tuned.

Moving Forward

 When I last posted, I was waiting for service men. I am still waiting although, two of the three have been here and after a good bit of nail biting, a long term issue in my house may have finally been solved!!

I have had Cox Cable for as long as I have lived in Ocala - I think. That's a loonnnggg time! We have had many issues over the years for all sorts of reasons - many stemming from the fact that we had 5 TiVos in our house and really didn't want to give them up. But, finally, I gave up and bundled with Cox. And so it started!!! They might as well have taken up residence in one of my guest rooms - that is how often they have been here. Sometimes for days on end. They did everything and still nothing worked. We had huge trucks out front with big satellite dishes on top trying...and still nothing worked. They kept insisting it was the signal in the area and they couldn't track down the issue. In the meantime, I was paying more and more each month and couldn't watch TV...until yesterday when a technician showed up who realized that they have been constantly upgrading the cable box without realizing that my family room TV is an older model and the two things were not able to talk to each other. Once he installed some funny looking cable, all issues seem to be fixed. Fingers crossed!

But, I am still waiting for the skylight guy. He did come by and took home the replacement skylight I bought and is now trying to figure out how to "MacGyver" it so he doesn't actually involve the hole into the roof?!? Again, fingers crossed. I've been crossing fingers so much this week, it's amazing I'm able to type this post. Lol

So, with those issues as settled as they are going to be for now, let's get back to our tour. I am so thankful that I got my autumn decorating done early. At least I have a peaceful place to land when I can't control everything else that is going on around me.

I think we're ready for the dining room.

Wow! Those of you who know me know that it's not often that I don't have something to say. Lol I guess the dining room is much the same as it was last year. Nothing new added with the possible exception of a few added "floppy" leaf branches in the dough bowl. That's it!

I'll probably be missing for a few days. I really need to run some errands tomorrow and then, Friday is football day but, since this week's game is in Tallahassee and a bit of a trek...and grand daughter #5 would rather stay home and go to her church youth group activity that night...I'll be the one seeing that that happens and then having her here for the night...and, hopefully getting updates from the rest of the family. Stay safe and stay tuned.
 

Salvaging a Day!

 I knew today was going to be a bit difficult in that I had two service men expected with windows so wide I could drive a car through them. But, alas, there is nothing that can be done about it so I got on with the day. I was showered, dressed and house straightened up by 8 A.M. and the first to arrive wasn't too much later than that. He was actually a city inspector here to check out the new A/C unit. As expected (by me at least because my A/C company is top notch), we passed with flying colors. And then I started the next wait...and, it is now 4:56 P.M. and I am still waiting and have not heard a word. This was to be my skylight replacement and he said "weather permitting". We had quite the thunder storm a bit ago and it is still sprinkling a bit so I totally expected a "postponement" text...but, so far nothing. I know from experience that he works pretty late so I guess there might still be a chance but????

And, all the while this waiting is going on, I am once again waiting for another cable guy-yes, I have had them here the last 3 weekends!!!. In fact, one was here yesterday and literally less than 30 minutes later, the TV was doing things I've never seen - and over the years, I thought I have seen it all with Cox Cable. It seems as if they live at my house and NO ONE can figure out why the signal is not getting in. They have rewired, buried cables, changed equipment, you name it and still it does not work!

And, now it is worse than it was before the guy was here yesterday as it is on a continual reboot cycle until it finally just loses all power! They are supposed to be here between 8-10 A.M. tomorrow so we shall see!

You might be able to tell by the tone of this post just how totally frustrated I am! But, I wasn't going to let today go by as a total waste. I did some reading and then decided to pull out some images and make a few more Halloween canvases-just what I need. Lol

In any case, I made "The Raven" and the witch - the other one is from the other day. I'm definitely in a rut but my heart wasn't really into it. I just needed to keep busy. I couldn't leave and I couldn't be outside in thunderstorms. What's a girl to do?

So that's what I have to show for my day. Guess I'm off to continue waiting...or until I hear that he really isn't coming. Like I used to tell my girls- a simple phone call would suffice! COMMUNICATE please. Stay safe and stay tuned...I bet you just can't wait to hear how this plays out. Lol

Beautiful Weelend

 It is an absolutely beautiful Saturday morning and I'm not sure what I will do today but I am betting that I end up outside so, I thought maybe before I go, I would take you in to see this year's kitchen decor.

Here's that pumpkin Dutch Oven that I love so much. I have even found a way to incorporate her into my Halloween decor so she will be out and about for the next three months!

And, here is where this canvas found a home.

And this little cutie ended up here which turned out to be exactly perfect. I guess I bought that orange "farmer's market" pitcher last year. I had completely forgotten about it until I came upon it in the Rubbermaid and now these two look like I "meant" to do it.

Still loving my autumn gifts from grand children!

That is the kitchen for this year. I'm off to look for some outdoor adventures but, before I go, let me share where I was last night. Friday Night Lights have begun again. We had a pre-season game where our varsity team (where my oldest grandson is a senior this year ) and our JV team (where my 2nd grandson is a freshman player ) each played a half of the game. The night was actually beautiful - the coolest temperatures we have had in a very long time and the crowds were abundant. Looks like we are going to have a full and fun season.

I'll be back soon. Until then stay safe and stay tuned.

Carpe Diem!

As much as I have been enjoying the lingering summer days out in my pool in the late afternoons since we have had a break from our usual afternoon thunderstorms, I am not giving up my relentless whining about the absolute sweltering heat we are still having and my need for it to be OVER!

And so, with that looming foremost in my mind, I just had to get the house decorated for autumn. I love my sunflowers but, somehow, at this point of the year, every one of those bright yellow sunflower faces seem to represent the heat of the sun...and, oddly enough, more and more each day that they remained in their spots. And if you are a follower, you know that there is no escaping those faces anywhere in my home in the summer.

And so, I seized the day...or days as it were. I had a few with no other commitments and so I bit the bullet and got going. And, boy am I glad I did! Everything in my house seems calmer and cooler now that the autumn leaves and pumpkins have taken over.

And, as so often is my case, serendipity struck again. I am never finished with the new decor until the flowers on the porch match the theme...and, admittedly, it is a bit early for fresh mums but, I found them the other day. And now, all is right with the world! And so, before anything changes (lol), let's start our 2022 autumn tour.

I may have just a bit too much in this vignette. As I look at this picture, I'm having trouble seeing what is what. lol

I still love the little pumpkin patch sign I made that allowed me to personalize it with my hometown. Hanging on that wood slat pumpkin from HL it looks like they were made to go together.

And, of course, I love the wooden tags that I got obsessed with making last year.

I still love the little pumpkin patch pillow that my cousin made for me a few years ago.

So this is where the $Tree "tin tile" pumpkin found a home.

Here is what the coffee table currently looks like. If you look at the "full" pictures of the room I have posted, the fresh mum is not there. I truly didn't want to re-take and re-edit all of the pictures so I just did this one update now that I found the mums...hope that's OK with you. lol

That is the porch and living room for this year. I am so happy that I rushed the season a bit because this truly is my favorite "feel" of the year...not to mention smell and taste. I ran out the other day and the "pumpkin spices" have hit the shelves so now I am once again enjoying starting my day off with the flavor of the season...not to mention the smell of the candles and the colors of the lights and....well, probably enough said. I am a happy camper.

I got to have a lovely day with lunch out with a good friend yesterday and now that school has started, so has football. Our varsity team has their first game tomorrow night. Looks like it might be a bit stormy but, we'll see. Here is a picture from last week's scrimmage game...

...and my handsome grandson's senior picture! Yikes! Wasn't it just yesterday that I sat with him as we sang every Thomas song as we moved along the trains?!? Just don't know where the years go! Stay safe and stay tuned.