LEAVES ARE COOL

A little wreath making has been the goings-on around here lately.  I really love this leaf wreath, though it was a bit more involved than the just-string-them-on-a-wire leaf wreath I made the other day.  But what a lovely way to spend a Saturday morning. A bit on the cool side, so I had on my coat, but I was also drinking a cold cola, so it must not have been too cold! I made the base for the wreath out of honeysuckle vine. Just a few wraps was all I needed. I also found some muscadine vine and made a base for another project.  I delighted in the antics of some playful little birds, and of course the squirrels were here and there, running through the trees. I could hear a Red Tailed Hawk, but never saw him.  Our autumn has been so dry that the trees are still holding on to their leaves . The very best time to be outside is in the late afternoon, just before the sun starts going down. Everything glows and peace and contentment fill my heart.  

  I'm joining the fun at Mosaic Monday at The Little Red House and A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you've had a lovely day!

FAVORITE THING SATURDAY

I thought I would join up with Favorite Thing Saturday over at Mockingbird Hill Cottage today.  It's always fun to bring out the things that you love and write a bit about them.  Today I am sharing my embroidery samplers.  They are mostly done on linen or aida. I do have a few done on muslin.  It's fun to use the even weave fabrics because it's so much easier to get even spacing.  I never have even spacing on my actual projects, no matter how hard I try. Sometimes I use waste canvas, 

but often I'm too impatient to go to the trouble of,

 A. Finding the waste canvas in all my supplies, or...

B.Taking the time to measure, cut and then sew on said waste canvas.

I work on these usually when I'm sitting in the hospital with either my Dad or my husband. The red one was all done during my husband's knee replacement surgery and recovery.  You can get a lot done sitting in a hospital.  And it's so great because you don't need much. Just some thread, needle and piece of fabric. Row, after row, after row....

Below is the first sampler I did. The stitching area is 8 inches.  I later decided I would rather use 4 inches  because of the quicker results, and also, I didn't want to use up a lot of thread. I still like it though, especially the little area middle-left, that looks like seaweed.  I'm going to use that someday on something that counts!

Thanks for dropping by today.  If you would like to see other favorite things, please hop over to Mockingbird Hill Cottage.

TOTALLY TUESDAY

First

Then.....

Followed by...

While....

It all equals a wonderful, beautiful, fabulous day! Hope you've had one too!  (Can't wait to see if the moss heart fills in and does well). Thanks for stopping by!

AUTUMN WOODS

Our trees are beginning their peak time. Today was especially pretty because the sky was cloudy and the trees glowed against the gray sky. I got my daffodils planted today! Hurray! I had to prepare a new bed because I read that they don't always do well in a perennial bed that has to be watered. I bought a cheap little bag of top soil to add to the area because there isn't much good soil there.  I was pleasantly surprised by how well composted the soil was, and I only paid $1.00 for it!   I prepped the little bed and thought after they bloom I would just throw some annual seeds over the bed for some summer color.  I finally got the rest of my tulips, but I don't have them planted yet. I'm off work Tuesday, so hopefully I can get them in the ground then.  Oh goodness, I am just so excited about next Spring!

All this hard work was rewarded with a delicious meal of chili and corn muffins. What a fabulous weekend I've had! I crafted (look for an upcoming post!), planted, cooked and generally just had a bang-up weekend! Now I'm all ready for the week ahead! Bring it on!!

AUTUMN FUN

It was such a beautiful evening. While I was out collecting the leaves to make the little lopsided wreath I noticed the soft, low light against the autumn trees. Honestly, the leaves seemed to glow in that light. It's just a lovely time to be outside.  I collected leaves and strung them on thin wire. I just stacked them, one upon another, until I thought I had enough.  It really takes a lot of leaves! I was running out of light and I wanted to try to photograph the wreath so I probably stopped even though the wreath could have used more leaves.  Still, I think it's pretty. I'm not even sure you can tell what it is, but because I know what I was doing I can see the form:) Maybe I'll play around with it tomorrow and add more leaves.  It's going to be a fabulous weekend, with warmth and sunshine. Perfect for playing outside with bulbs and moss and leaves and pansies and all manner of fall-ish delights! I hope you have a fun weekend lined up. Thanks for stopping by!

DAY AFTER

Not a single Trick-or-Treater came to our house last night. Now I have 3 bags of candy just sitting here. I used to send the leftovers with DH to work, but he's retired now.  I guess I'll have to take it to my work and   hope it's grabbed fast!  Better hurry, I'm hearing it call to me:)

We had a nice bit of cold weather come in, cold enough for a fire at night. Still no freeze warning, but cold.  We haven't had any rain in a very long time and I really miss those gray days; but all-in-all, I've been enjoying  lovely autumn-filled days. I am looking forward to this weekend, I'm going to finish up my bulbs and play a bit with some garden crafts I've seen online. I hope you've had a great Thursday, thanks for stopping by!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

From Harpo and Groucho! 

Me and an old beau, about 35+ years ago. Have a fun and safe night! Thanks for stopping by.

THERE'S A FUNGUS AMONG US

I love fungus.  At least, I love this kind of fungus. I think it's so pretty. I happened upon this stick with these beautiful growths on a recent walk through the woods.  I think it looks very pretty with the brown hydrangea and brown leaves. I don't mind at all my garden going to sleep, because I find such joy in the things of darker days.  How do you feel about the passing of Summer? I love this poem by Robert Frost. I always read it in Autumn. 

My November Guest (By Robert Frost)

My Sorrow, when she's here with me,

  Thinks these dark days of autumn rain

Are beautiful as days can be;

She loves the bare, the withered tree;

  She walks the sodden pasture lane.

Her pleasure will not let me stay.

  She talks and I am fain to list:

She's glad the birds are gone away,

She's glad her simple worsted gray

  Is silver now with clinging mist.

The desolate, deserted trees,

  The faded earth, the heavy sky,

The beauties she so truly sees,

She thinks I have no eye for these,

  And vexes me for reason why.

Not yesterday I learned to know

  The love of bare November days

Before the coming of the snow,

But it were vain to tell her so,

  And they are better for her praise
(I don't know why when I post this the spacing is all off, sorry!).

I'm joining Mosaic Monday and Outdoor Wednesday this week.  

I hope you're having a lovely Monday, thanks for stopping by! 

VENI, VEDI, VICI

YES!! I came, I saw, I conquered! That is to say, I came out of my Lazy Boy (that's with a capital L),

I saw the tulips that I have neglected for weeks, and I conquered my sluggard ways and GOT OUT THERE AND PLANTED THEM! Yeah me! No rotting bulbs for me this year! I also planted  two shrubs and moved a few iris.  I need a few more bags of tulips to get the whole garden Spring-pretty ready. I also have some daffodils to plant, but I promise, I'll get to them!

 

All my awesome work was fueled by this delicious breakfast.

Ahh, Spring, I can't wait to see ya!

Cooler temperatures are moving in tonight. It's been a glorious day. The cloudy skies were a great backdrop for the autumn trees, their colors really standing out. DH treated me to a Mexican dinner after all my hard work in the garden, he's so dear. Hopefully after church tomorrow I'll be able to plant the daffs and another shrub. It's been a fabulous Saturday, how has your day been? Thanks so much for stopping by!

HAPPY MORNING

Some mornings I try to do a little journaling  before work. There are days when it's the only quiet time I get . Work has been rather bumpy lately. I'm looking forward to some time off in November.  

We are still unseasonalbly warm here in Georgia. We need rain! I was walking around the garden tonight and I found a little miniature rose bush that my dh gave me this summer and it had been completely uprooted! 

I guess the deer are hungry.  I planted it back in the ground, but what I really need to do is

 run the sprinkler. It is bone dry out there!  The second photo is a little over-bright because I wanted 

you to see the interesting weed my dh found and brought to me (he is so incredibly sweet).   It has little oval leaves and at the base of each leaf is a little flower like growth that looks like a little tulip, or a crown. 

He would never have even noticed it if it's pretty color hadn't grabbed his eye. 

Here is the little heart rock and Halloween trinket I bought on our recent trip to Dahlonega.  I don't know why, but I am particularly fond of the heart rock! I think it is so pretty.

That's all for now. I hope you're having a wonderful Thursday, Thanks for stopping by!

PRETTY LITTLE GIFTS

If you were supremely cool like me you would find little surprise gifts from your dearest one on your dining room table. He would find them on his dog walk and bring them home for you. You would be some kind of awesome wife to be thought of so sweetly while one is out walking his Man's Best Friend. Just sayin'...:)