Well, it's that time of year, so off we went to our local fruit market/orchard today for some pumpkins to decorate with. While we were at it, we also grabbed some apples and fresh apple juice. Mmmm, mm - good stuff!
So, here I am, living out here in the middle of cow country and I haven't taken a picture of a cow yet for this project!! Duh-huh! Ergo...
I need to experiment more with my camera, so did some more messing around with the macro setting on a doily, placemat, and napkin.
Being at a loss for a picture today, I took a close-up of the sculptures on the mantel. They look black but they're really bronze. Another Pier 1 find.
They have arrived! The cabinets were delivered today and we are beyond pleased. There's supposed to be a pull-out lazy susan type thing for the TV that's missing, but that's minor. The shelf configuration in the TV unit is temporary though, until that piece arrives. We're also waiting on a companion vase that won't arrive until November.
We don't burn them too much in the warmer weather, but as soon as the temps drop, the candles come out. This one, Cinnamon Spice, has been burning a good bit of the afternoon/evening and the downstairs smells lovely!
I'm assuming these are itty bitty pumpkins in the bag of Pumpkin Swirl potpourri I picked up at Pier 1. Don't know what all is in there, but it sure does smell good.
Found these colorful accent pieces at another of my favorite spots, Pier 1. They fit perfectly with the new family room color scheme... and the approaching season. (ooops - excuse the price tag I haven't taken off yet!)
BEFORE
AFTER
Funny how little things can bring us such pleasure. We bought a small throw rug for in front of the patio door and I just love the way it looks when the sun hits it. The photo doesn't really do it justice - the colors are richer - but it looks so nice on the new floor.
The leaves are starting to fall in earnest now and in an effort to stay a little ahead of the task of raking them all up, Lew lets the mower do some of the work.
Black-Eyed Susan Key, Maryland, My Maryland Key, Francis Scott's Key, and Key of Keys (which has a bazillion actual keys glued to it, shown in the close-up below.)
I'm adding this link, Keys To Frederick, which includes info on the project and a gallery of all the keys, along with short bios of the artists.
Loy's Station Covered Bridge
~ ~ ~
So, we're taking a leisurely drive 'round and about the countryside, when lo and behold, what to our wondering eyes should appear? No, no, not a tiny red sleigh and eight tiny reindeer... but something equally astonishing! All of a sudden, I see this ship... in the sky! Yep, there she was in all her glory - a replica of the Black Pearl from Pirates of the Caribbean, sitting on a pole... in the middle of the cornfields of Frederick county!. Just not something one expects to see every day, you know? LOL
Tried a new recipe for dinner tonight - Paula Deen's Hurry Up Chicken Pot Pie. Yep, it had her signature butter drizzled on top so it was right up there on the caloric scale, but oh my, it was good! And easy. Lew said "you can make this one again" and I probably will.
It's unusual enough that the leaves are falling so soon, but even the tiniest acorns are falling too. Must be because of the lack of water summer we've had.
We had an absolutely gorgeous day today so while we were out and about, we stopped for a bit at Baker Park to enjoy the lake and its inhabitants.
A total desperation shot! I simply couldn't come up with anything to take a picture of today - my well had run dry and my brain was a blank. Ah well - I like the colors anyway. :)
We are so pleased with the new fireplace doors that arrived Saturday. Finding anything for it has been extremely difficult because it's old, and this particular model isn't even manufactured anymore. Luckily, I found a place on-line that makes doors to fit and voila! - they do! Perfectly.
I'm not quite ready for the leaves to turn yet. Time will fly now and before you know it there will be little people bumping on the door for Halloween treats, a turkey thawing in the fridge for Thanksgiving dinner, and a Christmas tree to decorate! Oh no!!
What the h*ll, you may ask, are those!? Hah, haven't a clue! Some kind of caterpillar things, I guess, but they've been hanging out on the patio for a couple and made for a good picture. I didn't examine them too closely (wuss that I am) but I think they're quite dead. Or hibernating or something... they didn't move when I gave a little shove. But they are pretty, little furry things, aren't they?
I used to store my scrapping cardstock in one of those wire cube thingies. It was nice and it held a lot, but the paper got waaaay too dusty. I'm going to love having my supplies behind closed doors now!
Being at a loss for a photo today, this is what I came up with. As we continue to put the family room back together, I just stuck my Harry Potter books in the bookcase because they were readily available - the others are packed away and I didn't feel like sorting through them all yet to see what stays and what goes.
It's almost impossible to sit in my own chair without first having to move a cat! Nothing in this house goes unclaimed by the beasties - they totally believe that we're just here to provide them with cool stuff, including this comfy new pillow that Buster has taken over.
Today was chimney cleaning day and my trusty, friendly chimney sweep posed for me. The guy has been cleaning my chimney for umpteen bazillion years... well, about as long as I've lived here anyway. I just love that he dresses for the occasion!
One of the cabinets we found at Ikea (Lew was working on the other drawer.) Along with the matching wall units, which still have to be put together, these will work very nicely for the printer/scanner and other storage. We're pleased with our purchase. :)
I can hear it now. Especially from my siblings. Rocks... the girl went out and bought rocks!! Paid good money for a pile of rocks! lol! Well, okay - yeah, I did, I bought a bag of rocks. (Actually, I bought 4 bags of rocks!!) But hey, they're really cool rocks, you know? And they make great decorative pieces. And they won't break! And, most important of all... the cats can't chew them up!! So, yeah, I bought rocks... but from Ikea! That should count for something, right? ;)
Guess where we went today?? :D I was really starting to stress about the cabinets we need for the other side of the family room because the space we need to fill is odd-sized. It was looking like they would have to be made too and I really didn't want to put that kind of money into the darn things. I think we may have have found some components that will work though so am feeling better about the whole thing. Not the exact right size, but hey, I can adapt!
