Let's Finish Up!

With the holiday fast approaching and my week ahead pretty well already booked with some fun things...not to mention Thanksgiving meal preparation...I figured I had better finish up this year's decor tour.  Let's head to the family room first.

This is my view every evening and it is so pretty when all of the candles are flickering. Unfortunately, I can never get a good picture of that...you'll just have to come and see for yourself!

I just love all of the colors of autumn...maybe because they fit in perfectly with the chippy, rusty look that I love so much as well?!

I was doing fairly well decorating these shelves until this month. They are so large and so deep-not to mention that just the size of the entire piece has such a huge presence-that small things just don't fill the bill. I am not entirely happy with how these turned out...hopefully I will come up with some better ideas by next year. I think my goal will be to find pieces of substance that I can use all year and simply just change the foliage or flowers. Then, I would only have to come up with accent pieces for each holiday/season...we shall see.

I will have to admit that, with so many people posting about jumping straight to Christmas decorating, I am getting a bit antsy to start as well. But, knowing myself as I do, I also know that I don't want to be celebrating Thanksgiving with Christmas decor all around me. And so, I will refrain from jumping the gun although, since the kids have this week off of school, I think my grandsons are going to come over and help with getting up the outside lighting. And, my grand daughter is anxious to come and get her world famous Indian corn made once again. Through all of the years of my grand children's lives, we have done hundreds of fun and fabulous projects but, it is always fun to see the ones that they remember the most and ask to do over and over. And, for Presley, the Indian corn treats are one of the most requested.

And, we now have yet another teenager in our family. Hudson turned 13 yesterday and we had a fun Gator game watching party! It was very low key because today he and several friends are off to Orlando for a day at TopGolf. But, it did have lots of yummy food and a favorite "Betty Cake"  ( a local bakery that makes the most delicious goodies ) so we were all happy.

I think it's time I get some lists made so I know where and when I have to be this coming week. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday. Stay safe and stay tuned.

2020 Can't Surprise Me Anymore!

 So this was supposed to be my big reveal. Everything was going exactly as planned. I got every phone call just when they said I would and the truck rolled up my circle right on time...all things just like clock work! I should have known. Lol

I showed the young man what they would be removing and then sat down while they went out to unpack the new arrival. It didn't take very long before he was back and asked me to come outside. He said "I think you might want to refuse this delivery". "Might" want to refuse? The entire top of the new appliance was crushed. I'm not sure how that is even possible with stainless steel...in a box...surrounded with packing foam...but, alas, it was.

And so, the purchase that just went way too smoothly had now hit a snag. The delivery service told me to call the store. So much easier said than done. I was on hold for over 10 minutes when finally someone came on the line and said they were busy with in-store customers. So, I figured I had better become an in-store customer quickly before everything was sold.

Off I went and although my friend, who I always purchase from, wasn't there today I had a very nice gentleman try to help me. Of course, no more at the store...no more at the warehouse. New delivery date was to be December 20. Oh well. But then he found one in Inverness. If all of the stars align, (and everyone does their job correctly) it will arrive here by Monday or Tuesday with "possible" delivery by next Friday. sigh

With everything else going on in the world, things like this really don't bother me any more. It was an accident. Everyone did the best they could to remedy the problem and, let's just say, it's a good thing I wasn't supposed to be making a Thanksgiving turkey! Lol

Just a minor set back. Stay safe and stay tuned.

Spoiler Alert! This is what it was supposed to look like...what a beauty. I can't wait!

Time Is Moving Quickly

 I just realized that Thanksgiving is less than a week away and I am still dragging my feet on the last of the 2020 decor. In my defense, we have had some super perfect autumn temperatures again and I have been drawn outside. Boy, did the heat of this summer keep me from keeping the weeds down in my gardens! I actually have most of them now done and waiting for mulch. The only thing left is the point on the other side of the pool and that will require not only weeding but lots of trimming of the hedges. That one will wait until next week...when I can stand straight again. Lol

And so, let's get into the dining room and sunroom today.

I'm so glad that I thought of putting the velvet pumpkins I made many years ago into the old box I made. For a few years I didn't even put the pumpkins out...and yet I held on to them for some reason...and, I guess this may be it. I still wasn't happy with the hard edges of the box so I bought some soft branches at HL and I like the way it now looks.

I sure wish I had put the date on this old embroidery. I actually had completely forgotten I even had it. Again, I'm really not sure why I held on to it because I had stopped displaying it years and years ago. I think I shoved it up on a shelf somewhere and just happened upon it when I was looking for something else. I have always wished that I had an old house with a walk-in attic so that I could discover lovely family heirlooms like they seem to do in all of the Hallmark movies but, this is probably as close as I will ever get to one of those moments.

In any case, the fabric is a little lot yellowed and I did stamped embroidery long before I ever started cross stitch...which was so long ago that I can't even remember...so, this piece is pretty old...a lovely family heirloom if you will. Lol

I also stopped regularly displaying the antique jugs but, somehow, even though my decor is no longer as "country" as it once was, these jugs just scream "autumn" to me. And, I'm glad I kept them.

Oh how I love the colors of autumn!

The sunroom is so hard to photograph because it is so long and narrow that I just kind of did a quick little nod to it this month.

I still love the little turkey photo holders that my grand daughters and I made for everyone as Thanksgiving gifts one year. The little cutie holding the letter "H" at her Pre-school Thanksgiving program and feast is the one who made this turkey. Gotta love his feet!

So that is that for today. I have a delivery coming tomorrow that I am so excited about...if all goes as planned...and I never count on things going exactly as planned in these Covid days. But, if it does, I will be back to share my surprise with you. Stay safe and stay tuned.

Next Up

With Thanksgiving coming quickly, I think I had better get back to our decor tour. Let's head into the kitchen.

I still enjoy using all of my Publix pilgrim people. They are still offering the salt and pepper shakers but I also have the spoon rest, mugs and a platter. Those pieces were offered a number of years ago but must not have been all that popular because they discontinued them after just a few years.

I love this cross stitch I made for my mom. When we lost her, it came back to me.

Doesn't it look better with the tag now? It's the little things. Lol

So that is the kitchen for this year. I'll be back with more. Stay safe and stay tuned.

Here I Go Again

 So, once again I found myself looking for something to keep me busy for another day at home. As the virus numbers continue to rise, I am finding myself more than happy to just stay home. The funniest part is that I am also finding myself happy to just find little things to keep me busy as I wile away the days. I no longer need the BIG projects to keep me happy-although, I do still have a few of them on the back burner.

In any case, one of the craft blogs that I follow did a knock off of a primitive painting on an ornament. I don't know why but for some reason it spoke to me and I knew I would have to do my own rendition.

I am definitely no Picasso...not even a Warhol or even a Grandma Moses! And, I discovered that trying to paint something kind of primitive on purpose was hard. It definitely looks more like I am a pitiful painter than an accomplished rustic one but, oh well. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Lol

And, although I would have preferred to do this on wood, I didn't have any wood the size I wanted and, it was Friday afternoon...I just didn't want to have to drag out the chop saw and put wood together involving nails and glue. And so, I grabbed a canvas I had in my stash and went to town. The only other things I needed were brushes and paint.

I started by painting on a "sloppy" (on purpose) coat of the antiquing gel. I'm thinking now that this medium might no be meant for canvas because even after wiping it down, it really didn't want to dry as paint would. If I had had the correct shade of brown, I definitely would have chosen acrylic paint. I do like that it gives the canvas a wood look.

Next I added dry brushed coats of a greenish blue and popped in a few streaks of white.

And this is where I always surprise myself. I must like painting more than I realize because once the background is done and I can start on the details, I forget to take pictures of the steps along the way. Here is where I was when I remembered the first time.

And, here is where I ended up. I added a bit of my own personal touch to it...not sure it was needed but  it is there none the less. It is so simple and simplistic...and I think I really like it. And, being the size that it is, it is probably another perfect candidate for the shelves in the TV unit.

I am actually starting to get excited about decorating for Christmas although it won't happen until after Thanksgiving. I have no idea what the next month will bring and if we will even be able to gather for the holiday this year but, I will be ready! Now on to find something to keep me busy today. Stay safe and stay tuned.

Be Prepared

Yes, I was a Girl Scout...and a G.S. leader not only for my three girls but two of my grand daughters as well. And, even if I hadn't have been, I would probably always be prepared. I like being ready and anticipating things that I might need. When something pops into my head, I want to be able to do it...right then...not after having to make a list, get dressed, shop for supplies, etc. Hmmm, that kind of sounds like I might not be the world's most patient person? Lol

And so, with the thought of the pine greenery possibly being in short supply this year-and, knowing that good Christmas items do tend to sell out long before Christmas-I decided to hedge my bet and pick up a lot of greenery while I could. No, it doesn't look-or smell-as good as the real stuff but, I will at least be able to get my Christmas decorating done "just in case". And, I have a bit in common with Sophie Kinsella's Shopoholic...if one is good, than two should be better and three will be wonderful...etc. 

I have no idea where any of this is going or how it will be used but, it was all on sale and I bet I won't even have a bit of trouble figuring it out soon. Lol

I thought this vintage Santa mug was so cute. I might slip one of the small trees I already showed you into it...or, I just might use it to drink my coffee. Also, I am a sucker for holiday spatulas and these are so pretty...and just $1 each!

I grabbed a few bottle brush trees because I think they might look cute nestled with some candles in a lantern. Everyone else must have had the same idea because these are the only two green ones I could find so far. And, I grabbed another box of rusty bells-because they were there-and some ribbon. I so much more prefer to use "real" ribbon for bows on my packages than the stuff they sell in the wrapping aisle so, when they go 50% off I usually grab them as well.

I grabbed this print because I think it might help to fill in one of those big spaces on the new TV unit. Those shelves take a lot to make them look full so I thought I should "be prepared". And, if it doesn't end up there, it is neutral enough to work anywhere.

So that, in addition to the other stuff I already grabbed...and, as an aside, it is a good thing I did because some of that is already sold out and in this crazy year we are having, who knows how long it might take to restock...or if it ever will...should give me a good start and a chance to change a few things up.

Ahhhh, gotta take it one day at a time and pray that 2020 and all of this craziness is soon behind us. Until then, I will spend my days staying busy in all sorts of small ways and "being prepared". Stay safe and stay tuned.