A Stitch in Time

We all have heard some of the old wives' tales. I think the reason that they have been around so long and bear repeating is that they have meaning. And, we are supposed to learn from them. What they implied oh so many years ago still stands. So wouldn't you think that someone who has been around as long as me would have learned a thing or two? Apparently not. Lol

I think I have told you that between the heat and the storms, I pretty much avoided a lot of time outside this summer. And that meant that I avoided maintenance as well. I got snagged when I finally went out to address weeds and that was a killer. And, today, I decided that I would tackle the cushions on the pool furniture. My actual plan months ago had been to move the two cushions at the close end of the pool to the far end and then buy new ones for this end. I'm not sure why because there are more trees at this end but these cushions never seem to have as much mold on them. Of course, the cushions that are my favorite have been out of stock ALL summer. I kept checking and they never got restocked...and, obviously that won't now happen until next summer. 

Knowing that folks would probably be sitting out here at the party-and although not dressed as much as for a wedding, I'm thinking they will be dressed nice enough that they wouldn't want to sit on a moldy cushion-something needed to happen.

And so it started. Why didn't I learn my lesson and, no matter how hot, keep ahead of this mess throughout the summer? I used every kind of concoction I could think of and scrubbed like a crazy lady and I now have one end of the pool good to go-well, as far as seating goes that is. I scrubbed cushions and all of the other chairs and tables as well as cleaned the two fountains and got all new, clean, fresh water going through them. And, that was about all my back could handle at that time so, here I am to take you into the living room.

Welcome. There are a few new things and a few things moved around but not the biggest change from last year. I don't have an abundance of just "Thanksgiving" decor-because, honestly, with everyone going straight to Christmas, there is never an abundance available to buy-so some of the "autumn" has made a return

I brought the framed pumpkin picture from the kitchen into this vignette. I did it because of the white pumpkin but now that I look at it, I'm not sure that the color of the flowers in the picture work here. We shall see.

In an effort to get a bit more Thanksgiving into the room, I used a handful of old book pages tied up with an image I printed and then burned the edges to give the look of age.

I bought this large gold leaf dish last year at Walmart and was happy to find almost the same but a bit smaller this year at my local Publix grocery store. You will see it in a minute and I like the way it helps connect some of the different areas in the room.

I added the copper color to the tin pumpkin last year and put the wood one in the opposite cubby...but, last year I left the candle in the wood one and I didn't like the difference in height between the two. This year I removed the candle and just added a topper to the candle holder and I was good to go.

I love these chairs so much and sit here often...

...but, they are very deep and just needed something. I put the two bolsters that I bought in St. Pete on the chairs and they will remain throughout the year and I will add a seasonal/holiday pillows when I have them. These "pumpkin" velvet pillows are so pretty that they just had to make a return for Thanksgiving along with that throw I found at Walmart..

This area definitely got a total change up because there is no longer a lamp on the chest since we hung the sconces. That only becomes a problem when I have something hanging from the mirror because then the largest item can't go in the middle and it makes balancing things a bit harder. I'm not sure this vignette will make the cut but it is here for now. Even raising the Pilgrims up on the little stool just doesn't make the balance I feel it needs.

And here is where that small leaf dish landed. It adds just the pop of gold needed.

So that is the living room for now. I am going to grab a quick lunch and then head back out. Fingers crossed I get the rest of the pool area done today before the dogs arrive tomorrow morning. I'll focus on inside things while they're here and then head back out again next week. I did give myself a bit of a break and asked the handyman if he could fit in a pressure cleaning of the pool deck for me. That is something that I usually do myself but there are just not enough hours in the day right now. Lol I am hoping he finds the time to squeeze me in-we shall see.

Until next time, stay safe and stay tuned.

Dogs and Halloween and Handyman...Oh My!!

 I am back for just a quick pop-in. I love it when a plan comes together but I just wish it could come together in a timeline that makes a bit more sense.

I contacted the handyman probably two months ago with some things needing done that are just a bit out of my strength level these days and, he came by to check, said he could do it but it might be a week or so. Fast forward to two MONTHS later and he sends me a message and is on his way yesterday-Sunday- morning. I still had the dogs but didn't really want to postpone him because I feared I might never see him again so we have been playing a game of hide and seek ever since. When he was building the fence around the A/C unit, we were OK because I take them to the other side of the yard but once he took down the gates on "their side", things got chaotic...to say the least!

They just got picked up so things should run a little more easily now.

24+ hours later...so here I am. Things were easier without the dogs but the handyman kept calling me out to ask questions and I really didn't get to anything I wanted so, this morning, I was determined to get out there before he came. I still needed to put all of the heavy outdoor Halloween decor back up onto the top shelves in the garage and that needs to be done while the garage door is down so the shelves can be unblocked by the door. I truly JUST made it in time before he pulled up. He needs to be able to get in the garage because he is using some of my cords, saws, etc.

Then, just as I was heading out to the new A/C area fence to finish the clean-up, the pool guy arrived. Everyone was way ahead of schedule today so my schedule was blown-which I should be used to because I deviate from my schedules so often any way.

This was after the first day of work.

Here is what it looked like yesterday after I did some initial clean-up.

It is definitely looking so much better and, we added a gate to the short end so that now any A/C issues can be easily addressed. No more having to take down that side of the fence!

I will say, I went with making it a tad higher than the old fence and from the pool deck it is exactly what I wanted because you really can't see much of the ugly pool equipment or A/C unit but, when standing in the house and looking out, it is just a bit too tall for me to see the terraced garden-which is screaming for some TLC right about now-and I will get there-eventually! Lol Fingers crossed I will just get used to it because there is nothing short of ripping this whole thing down-with it's two bags of concrete-that would remedy that. LOL

I think I am finally going to paint that gray pipe on the side of the house and there are some spots on the stucco needing to be cleaned as well as all of the rest of the extra sand that needs to be worked into the bricks. Nothing like hosting a lot of people you don't know to make everything in your house and yard needing any kind of work to just POP out like a sore thumb! LOL

So with all of that still on my "list", I thought I would start our Thanksgiving tour in hopes of getting it all done before I have the time to hit the yard-which will definitely take some time.

Again, the front garden needs some trimming as it has been all "Halloweeny" for weeks but here we are none the less.

The mums are hanging on by a thread but I think they will make it. I just desperately need to do some dead heading on them. Not much else has changed on the porch but it says Thanksgiving so I am OK with its simplicity.

I have a bunch of small things to tackle before these two return on Thursday morning. 

Daughter #3 and her family were in CT last weekend for my grandson's last game on his home field. It was senior recognition day so even though they didn't take the win, they had a wonderful time celebrating him and his teammates.

And, I thought I would share a kind of "blast from the past". My granddaughters shared their costumes this year-costumes I had made for them when they were much younger. And, they said they were so excited to see what their mom had saved that from now on they were going to wear all of the other costumes I made for them that they could still fit into. Lol Can't wait to see what next year brings!

Hannah and her peers were dressed as characters from the book "Holes"-which I must admit I had never heard of but she was dressed as a teen at a juvenile detention center in the costume that I had made for her sister back when she was a "prisoner". Looks like it could have been a tad longer but I guess juvenile detention centers don't worry about custom fits! Lol

And I remember when Morgs was Little Red Riding Hood in 2008. Side note-some things never change...I just wore that same necklace last weekend-18 years later! LOL

The dress didn't fit anymore but she sure rocked the hood!

The handyman just came and asked me if I could use a large pile of dirt anywhere in my yard because he was going to have it left over after digging a VERY large hole for the new post on the gate on the other side of the yard that he is fixing. I was so excited because I thought that meant that he was going to spread it where needed but, alas, that wasn't why he was asking so I guess I now have something more to add to the never ending list. Lol

I'm off to accomplish something...anything at this point would help. See you again soon. Stay safe and stay tuned.

Turn Around is Fair Play

 I'm back and, quite honestly, much sooner than I expected. I have been busy taking down Halloween-which is a bear!-and putting up Thanksgiving. After that, my plan had been to tackle everything I need to do outside-rebuild a fence, scrub all of the cushions, replace the umbrellas, wash down all of the metal furniture, weed, trim, clean the fountains and anything else I happen upon-in preparation for the engagement party to be held at my house. I have a fairly large house but, if all of the guests would happen to show up at the same time, I'm thinking some folks might want to spill out by the pool and it needs some TLC. 

In any case, I thought I HAD it all figured out until I got a message from daughter #3 asking if I would keep their dogs for 3 days this weekend and 4 the next. There are two important football games for grandson #1 that they need to be at and so, of course, I will keep my grand dogs. But, as much as I love them, these are the 2 Vel-Cro dogs and it is impossible to get anything much accomplished when they are here-especially if it is outside!

And so I panicked for a minute thinking I would end up doing all of this on the Tuesday of Thanksgiving week when family would probably start arriving on that Wednesday until...I somehow caught a glimpse of the calendar and I realized that I actually have yet another week!! So, the week that I lost last month was just given back to me and I now have more than enough time to get it all done and still maybe cook a few things for the holiday. Lol

And so, with that in mind-even though I still have much to finish this week-here I am. I want to memorialize my Halloween week down in St. Pete before starting our Thanksgiving tour.

I love Halloween in St. Pete. I have been there way more times than I can count and it is always so much fun! And, this year was no exception. Daughter #1-who lives in the historical district-has so many friends and so many things going on that it is so much fun for me to be a part of all of that! And, this year, both of her daughters (granddaughters #2 and 4 for me) were going to be able to join.

I haven't been down there since she redid the guest rooms upstairs and "my" room-which was always pretty is now really beautiful! Everything is new and was decorated for the holiday!

I've never seen a piece like this. There is a chest inside of the cabinet and it is beautiful. If there had been a way for me to sneak this into my luggage and back here with me, I would have! Lol

 I love that rug...and, as it turns out, she doesn't...so, when she finds a new one, this one will probably be coming my way. I have NO idea where it will go but I'll figure it out. LOL

Her downstairs was beautifully decorated for the holiday and I love all of her new furniture. She was still picking fabric for her new living room and dining room drapes and also new rugs for both areas so I got to help with those decisions. As an interior designer, she has privy to SO MANY swatches that my eyes started to blur. I don't know how designers ever make decisions for clients and she says it is actually harder for her to make decisions for her own home. I hope I helped a bit. Fingers are crossed that fabrics and rugs arrive in time for drapes to get made and rugs to get laid by Christmas.

Two different rugs and drapes for two separate rooms and two seasons each.

Here is where things stand right now-definitely in need of drapes and rugs but pretty none-the-less.

Kris and I started the week with shopping trips. As I have told you, she recently did some major renovations and is in the market for lots of new holiday decor. And so, while we were also food shopping for the week, we hit some of our favorite haunts as well. Suffice it to say, we "might" have been successful on our journeys...and this was only one of our stops!!

Our first Halloween adventure was a trolley ghost tour through downtown St. Pete and since it was on the night of the last game of the World Series, downtown was BUSTLING!

We met five of her friends at Bacchus for dinner before walking to the museum to catch the trolley. My pictures from the tour are few as we were just riding, listening and enjoying the evening.

The tour stopped at a new "Ghost Museum". Honestly, I wasn't all that interested in walking around with a "ghost detector thingy" so I grabbed a picture of about the only area worth viewing and then headed out to enjoy the evening. Lol

When the trolley tour was over, we walked to the veranda at the Vinoy-another favorite of mine-for a late night glass of wine before heading home.

The girls both arrived late Thursday so on Halloween Eve we headed to another favorite, Nueva Cantina, for a late lunch. This place does it up big for every holiday but Halloween is over the top!

And then came Halloween. We spent part of the day cooking for the evening and then we caught the Gator game-which we probably shouldn't have as we spent much of the time yelling at the TV and then trying on the animals costumes. Granddaughter #2's dog and cat weren't here this trip because she flew down but granddaughter #4 had her new kitten, Charlie Day here. Not too sure how Charlie was feeling about all of this. He did OK with the hat but would have NOTHING to do with the rest of the costume.

And then Bennett who was OK with his.

Trick-or-Treating started early and went on through much of the night. The historic district gets LOTS of trick-or-treaters and I am always so impressed with all of the parents who dress up as well and how polite all of the children are and honestly, how we had to encourage them to "take more than one". It is always a fun night. Usually after we run out of candy-this year $220.00 worth- we walk through the neighborhood and drop in at some parties Kris is invited to but, this year we were not only pooped but wanting to watch the FSU game so we headed in. Unfortunately, that one turned out to be another one where we yelled at the TV but at least we were together and we had lots of food to munch on so we were good.

So now I am home and catching up...slowly. Lol I'm off to grab a quick lunch and then start to pack up all of the Halloween stuff. That is always a chore but even if I don't get it done today, that is something I can do when the dogs are here-even if they do follow behind every step. Lol

Next time I'm back we will start the Thanksgiving tour for this year. Sorry this one was so long but I needed to get this all down so my "journal" is complete. Stay safe and stay tuned.