For Once...

 For once the weatherman seems to have been correct. He has been predicting a very rainy week and usually when that happens, we get 20 drops. But this week he seems to be on the money-at least, so far. It started raining yesterday and has pretty much continued. I really wanted to tackle some things in the house but, when it is this dark and dreary, nothing looks clean even when it is so...

I came into my office to see what trouble I could get into and I saw the framed picture from "My Texas House" that I picked up recently from Walmart.. I showed it to you when I bought it.

And I think I may have told you then that I wasn't too sure about my feelings for it. That actually happened soon after I picked it up in the store and I must have hemmed and hawed the whole shopping trip. I can't tell you how many times I thought of putting it back before biting the bullet and just getting it.

My initial gut feeling was that this might not truly be meant for Christmas decor even though every time I have seen it being promoted it is as a decor piece. But, the image truly isn't in keeping with the kind of art this brand is known for. And then I noticed this...

That got to to wondering if maybe it is meant just to be a frame and when I took out the image I was more convinced than ever.

This image is on a shiny, slippery piece of paper and definitely reads more the thing you see when you buy a frame rather than an art image. With that in mind I know I can find a Christmas image to print but I thought I would play with the one I have and see if I could change it enough to be presentable. The first thing I did was grab a hunter green marker thinking it would be a perfect match but that paper was full of surprises. The hunter green transformed to a BRIGHT "elflike" green and was just wrong. Lol

I went through the other markers and each one was worse than the next until I got to that avocado green Sharpie one and it read pretty much what I wanted once it hit the paper.

I'm still not sure it will remain like this but it is better...and I have kept myself entertained for a bit on this rainy day. Lol I will say that this is the first "My Texas House" thing I have bought that is not living up to its standards. Once the print was back in the frame and I sat it up to take this picture, it sits crooked. It isn't the frame itself it is more the way the back was put on. It's not a huge deal but to someone like me who needs things level and symmetrical, it could be. I simply stuck an adhesive dot under one side of the bottom of the frame and we're good to go but it does make me wonder if the quality of this brand might begin to be jeopardized because of its sudden huge growth. I sure hope not because I really do love most of her designs.

And no matter what ends up staying in this frame, I think the frame itself might still need some love. I will wait on that decision until I see where it ends up but I'm pretty sure I will be dragging out some antique wax or Rub&Buff...or both before I am done.

That's it for me today. Off to find something else to occupy my afternoon-something I WANT to do not necessarily something I need to do. LOL Stay safe and stay tuned. Oh, and yes, it did stop raining long enough late yesterday afternoon for me to get all of the vines cut down in the back yard. It feels good to be finished but I know this week's rains will just encourage more growth so I'm pretty sure I know where you will find me again next week. Oh, and I will have my grand dog here with me again as daughters #1 and 3 head back up to High Point again for the autumn Furniture Market. He's a fun companion so I am looking forward to his visit.

Best Laid Plans

 Today was supposed to be my first day back working in the yard since I finished up Halloween decorating. And, that is exactly where it started. Since I had put so much time into the yard right before I started on my decor, I wanted to make sure I maintained what was done. It is so much easier to spend a little time every now and then keeping weeds in check than to wait until they have taken over again.

And that was my plan on how I would begin the day. These guys are my heroes.

I think they are called circular hoes? In any case, I have had the handheld one forever. In fact, I have used it so much that I have pretty much worn off the "teeth" on the circle but it still works. And then my cousin told me about the "big brother". I didn't know there was such a thing. Between the two of them-as long as I haven't let the weeds just completely take over-I can pretty much get the job done. The big one is great for large areas and I use the small one when I have a lot of other plants amongst the weeds.

In any case, I got most of the backyard weed free when I came in for a quick lunch and by the time I was ready to head out with the ladder to tackle cutting down lots of overgrown vines, the thunder was here-much earlier than usual so I am hoping maybe that means it will be done soon and I can get back out there in temps that might even be a degree or two cooler because this morning, it was HOT!

And so, that brings me here and I thought maybe we could start our 2026 Halloween tour. I didn't get pictures of the porch in time so, once again, we will start inside and come back outside later.

I really still love that witch sign that I found last year at $Tree. The living room is pretty much decorated with two themes-witches and "The Raven"-and I like to bring as much of each everywhere I can. The sign was cute the way it came but once I added the ravens, it was perfect!

I brought the witch's shoes and broom in here from the mirror over the family room mantle. I switched that up this year but it may actually change before I show it to you so, we shall see. Sometimes things I think I am going to love just don't pan out. Lol

 

As much as I try every year, I just can NOT not put out our pictures of our Halloween costume parties. I can't even begin to tell you how often these pictures are picked up and looked at over the month that they're here.

So this side of the room is pretty much witch territory. These are pictures from a witch's tea we used to go to in Tampa every year.

Once we turn the corner, "The Raven" and Poe begin to mix in with the sign, pillows and statues.

 

And by this point we are pretty much all "Poe". I did change this vignette up a bit because I wanted the new raven framed picture here. And, I just realized that I forgot to put batteries into the "raven sitting on skull" because his eyes are usually all aglow! Lol

So that is the living room for this year. Not sure when I will be back. I have some errands to run tomorrow and then my brother and sister-in-law are coming on Wednesday but I have more to show you so until then, stay safe and stay tuned.

I'm Alive!

I am just popping in to tell you that I am still alive...but battered, bruised and maybe hanging on by a thread! Lol

Except for the primary bedroom and bath, the house is pretty much ready for Halloween. So far it has taken four FULL days and every muscle in my body can attest to that! I thought I had come up with a brilliant idea of not packing everything "autumn" back where it belongs if it is coming back out for "Thanksgiving". I figured if I put that stuff in the empty Halloween bins it would all be there ready for me when it came time to make the next swap. There might be a few things I won't need and then they'll have to be put away but I think I made good choices and that that would save me a bunch of time...which it didn't as this swap has still taken more than 4 days!

I think a lot of my lag time came in the front yard. For whatever reason, everything out there had to be done differently this year and took soooo much more time-and EFFORT. The black garland that I hang over the front windows has pretty much met its maker. There is hardly any "fluff" still on the branches and I am actually wishing that I had bought two more of the "My Texas House" garlands to replace these this year. I am going to see if I can still find two more but my closest store was sold out so I'm not holding out much hope.

And, the trellis that I have used for pictures with the kids ever since they were all small has pretty much seen its last days as well. It is being held together with a lot of black duct tape and I'm not sure it will make another year.

And then, this year's "hospital" visits were more than usual-not for me but for the decor. LOL Every year things get broken in packing and unpacking and I keep the hot glue gun out for quick fixes but this year's fixes weren't quick. This frame was missing a "ghost" and I spent way too much time searching for that missing ghost but it still had to settle for a haunted house button as replacement and the broken seed bead trim on a spider on the lamp shade were just the beginnings of a long line of repairs that took way more time than usual.

 All of that aside, once I finish the last two rooms I will be ready for this year. I think I mentioned that once again, I will be down in St. Pete for a Halloween adventure with daughter #1 so I actually thought about maybe just leaving up autumn and then going to Thanksgiving when I returned. Oh how easy would that swap have been! But, after just gently mentioning that plan to a number of my grandchildren, you would have though that I was planning to pack up and move to Outer Mongolia! Lol Halloween has always been BIG in our house and those memories are huge in the kids' minds-even if half of them probably won't even see it this year. And, I will have to admit that I probably never could have gone through with that! I love Halloween and, now that I am almost done, I love it even more!! Here's just a quick peek to show you where I have been this week.

It looks like we are going to have a rainy afternoon. I'm hoping there are no storms as daughter #3 and grandson #2 will be heading up to CT again and I'm hoping for smooth flights. It seems as if lately there is always someone in my family flying somewhere at all times and since I am the world's WORST traveler, I am always worried until I know everyone's' feet are safely back on the ground.

Anyway, I am going to head into the last two rooms so I can be officially done and then I think I will sit down, put my feet up, grab some lunch and let the weekend begin! 

I'll be back to start our official tour soon but until then, stay safe and stay tuned.

Sigh....

 Just when it is truly feeling like autumn-temperatures cool enough for at least part of the day for windows to be open, not a cloud in the sky, sun dappling through leaves-I will be saying "good-bye" to autumn. It always makes me sad because I love my autumn decor so much but, if I want to enjoy the amount of time my Halloween swap out takes me, I have to get going on it! And, I think tomorrow is the day. And so, I am enjoying every aspect of the day today and thought I would catch you up before I go MIA for the 4-5 days that this next swap takes.

I spent yesterday morning re-painting leak spots on the ceilings around my house. I got everything done but the sunroom that needs an entire ceiling re-paint and for the moment is beyond me. Then I was off to daughter #3's house to watch the Gator game and then head out to the World Equestrian Center for homecoming pictures for granddaughter #5. Dances are all a lot bigger deal these days than they were when I was young. We were lucky to get a picture by the door as we were heading out. Lol I can't tell you how many pictures were taken of the girls (only a few had actual dates because most of the girls are seniors and dating boys who have graduated and are off in college) in varying states of silliness but I'll share the two that mean the most to me.

While we were here doing that, my son-in-law was up in the Nor'easter in CT for "Parents' Weekend" with grandson #1. They actually changed the game to Friday night but still had to play in a bit of a storm. They lost the game again in the final seconds when a touchdown was called back but they played hard and were probably just happy they didn't have to continue into overtime. Har got to carry out the flag this week and took some hard hits but that is what his position is all about!

Knowing I would be super busy the rest of the week, I made a grocery run this morning so I could make a big pot of my favorite soup for the coming week and decided to make a quick stop in Walmart to see if Christmas was out yet. Some of it was and I picked up a few things to get my thought process going when I have time.

I love the Santa and the Santa/sleigh picture. The other one is actually from "My Texas House" and I like the frame but I'm really not a fan of the color of the frame or the picture inside but, I'm thinking I can probably zhuzh it up to my liking. And then because I am sad about autumn leaving my house, I decided to brighten my spirits with some pretty flowers. My husband used to bring me flowers for no reason all of the time-almost weekly-and they always brightened my day so when I saw these beauties, I went for it.

That catches you up with me. I will be silent for a bit but as soon as I can, I'll be back to fill you in on what comes next. Daughter #3 dropped by a little bit ago and insisted on helping me get down the really heavy Halloween boxes from the top shelves so, unless I want to live with Rubbermaids around me for awhile, I have no excuse but to start tomorrow. Stay safe and stay tuned.

Happy Wednesday

Happy Wednesday.  I was hoping that by today I would be able to share photos of my house with its beautiful new roof. Sadly, that is still not happening...yet. This is day 4. The shingles did finally get delivered yesterday afternoon but not the first one has made its way onto the roof yet-and it is almost noon. 

I have a fairly large house-there is about 3200 square feet under cover. Most of it is under a roof that slopes in 4 directions and is shingled but, the sunroom, full office and garage are under a flat roof that is not shingles but has some sort of "rubberized" coating on it. The last time the roof was redone, the flat roof was relatively new so it wasn't included. I guess I forgot that "small" but very IMPORTANT part. And so, when I signed the contract for the new roof with all of its technical mumbo jumbo, I failed to ask if the flat roof was included. 

I have now found out that it is...and, apparently that is where the most of the issues lie. It seems as if every square inch of that has to be repaired and all new wood is being added. YIKES!! I am grateful that it is happening because I know that if it hadn't been included in this repair and replacement that I would be facing more issues down the line-probably pretty quickly down the line-but I honestly wasn't expecting it right now.

They have been working on this thing for soooo long. I am ready to finally have it done but, we are getting there.

After they left on Wednesday, I was happy to see some progress with shingles beginning to happen.

I will say that I thought the color I picked out was darker than this but I guess just having such a small sample to look at that I must have misjudged it a bit. I like a dark roof even though I know people say it absorbs heat and, being here in Florida that is probably the last thing I would want. But, lighter roofs seem to get "dirty" looking much faster because of all of the live oak overhang that we have.

In any case, it's too late now so I'm good with this and just happy that it is finally moving along. Hopefully all of the wood repair is done and tomorrow will move a little more quickly.

!!!! We interrupt this blog to give you a distraction from ROOFS! LOL !!!!!

Thanks to the cameras I got for Christmas-which I really wasn't sure if I needed them but boy have I used them since and come to rely on them for so many things-but, I digress-I have been able to watch much of the roof goings on and at this point, I am ready for a change so I looked around and realized that I still hadn't made the ornaments from our girls' trip to Charleston back in the spring and, since I had kind of decided how I would do them back after I first got home, I had everything right here in front of me in my office.

I actually found the perfect items in the City Market when we were there but instead of ornaments, they were magnets and I knew it wouldn't be hard to give them a change up.

I started by prying off the magnet and luckily discovered that if I could wedge the tip of a screwdriver underneath the magnet I could maneuver it off even though it was on there pretty tightly.

I had debated using Christmas colors as backing but I think the general consensus was that since we weren't there at Christmastime, I should just stick with the burgundy, black and white scheme.

I simply made a loop with the thin velvet ribbon and using hot glue-mostly because of the weight and the fact that I was gluing metal- glued it all together. My plan is to come up with the appropriate wording with dates, etc. for the back and then print if on a white oval before I glue it on.

I hung it on this little tree I have out in the sunroom to see how it looks popping against the green and I like it.

Got those done, ate lunch and STILL waiting for the roof to be done...and, four hours later it still isn't!

Happy Fri-YAY-of the longest blog post ever...but, at about 7 this morning the trucks and equipment all pulled in again and I was preparing myself for another long day until...at a little after 9 I heard a knock at my door and was told that the roof is now officially done!!! Woohoo!!!

This was day six and the contractor did confirm to me that it had been a BIG job and that it was definitely time to have it done! I have no regrets and am looking forward to enjoying our next rain with no worries but, until then, I am happily enjoying today-a day I have waited for for over four months. Our temperatures this morning were in the sixties. It will go up a bit as the day goes on but nowhere near what it has been...at least for today. And, on top of that, the lawn guys just left so I have windows open with the wonderful smell of freshly cut lawn and the gentles breezes are wafting in. I am more than excited!

Oy! Every time I see the house from the front I am once again reminded that the hedges are in desperate need of attention. I think they have reached their lifespan and probably just all need to come out but those decades old roots are probably going to be more than I can handle so this chore just keeps slipping down the list! Lol

And, now that the whole roof is done, I am more than happy with my color choice. 

I actually just realized that October will arrive next week. Every year I am amazed at how quickly September goes. I think if it felt more like autumn I would appreciate it more but, never-the-less, September will leave us soon and I need to move on. I think I am going to give myself the next three days to do only what I truly want to do to enjoy the last of my autumn decor and then hit the ground running on Monday to get things swapped out for Halloween! That is a BIG one and I'm getting tired just thinking of it so I think I will run and grab some lunch and then start making some lists. There is definitely much to be done but the better temperatures will definitely give me the push I need to do those things.

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