The (real) Leaves Are Now Beginning to Fall! Origins For a Giveaway!

The leaves are falling~~yes the real ones! Right off my horse chestnut tree in my backyard! This is always the first tree on our property to lose its leaves and when they do fall, it is a sign that the others will be following shortly. When we first moved here in 1994, this tree wasn't doing very well due to the previous owner's neglect (it wasn't her fault; she was 94!) but once we moved to the property, and at the time there was a ranch house on it, we put a lot of time and effort into the garden and put in a sprinkler system, etc. This tree came back in her full glory with LARGE leaves that provide almost an umbrella type shield over our yard! And in Fall, she drops her chestnuts.They come enclosed in a cocoon covered with spikes--trust me these spikes are lethal! But if you crack it open, which the kids like to do, you will see a beautiful golden chestnut! I often wonder how the squirrels split them without bleeding!   SO my kids collect them, crack them open and make piles for our squirrels. I keep some for Fall arrangements in the house and the landscaper is happy that due to us performing this task they don't get stuck in his mowers! When these chestnuts Fall, Autumn is almost here!

Our Horse Chestnut tree

I cut the last of the hydrangeas. After reading that the best way to dry hydrangea is  to let them die ON the plant itself, I can attest that this is correct! So I have another beautiful bouquet of hydrangea that I will work with putting some in vases and using others for crafts. How nice it has been to extend the beauty of my garden into the house! :)  My son has been hard at work planting all the new cypress we have. We planted a total of 28! Once they grow, we will have a natural wall for privacy. Our property is 1/4 acre and on Long Island we have suburban neighborhoods though in Suffolk County where I live it is a more rural area than some others. And as you travel further out east to the tip of our island, it gets more rural. I am proud to say that our community does have several working farms both plant and horse, we have several poultry farms and farm stands and farmers markets as well as a big orchard so suburban living can be country too! 

horse chestnuts

As I walked through the garden I couldn't help but photograph my woodburning stove--she was so happy to be a part of the landscape holding pots of flowers! Now she will hold pumpkins and gourds! She found her place--I just love her there. Her pots of impatients have just about finished.  The black eyed susans, my Dad's favorite flower, is also retiring for the season. See you next year! My little squirrel friend is reclining eating a sugar cookie under the horsechestnut! He's a cutie :)

Also in my garden are my star birdhouse and my black capped chickadee feeder--both purchases from my last trip to Lancaster County from a great store in a barn called "Almost Paradise". It's on Rte 30 and I always find good stuff there. It's called Almost Paradise because it is right before the border of Paradise, PA!

That's Dutchess, our calico cat and Red Cat enjoying the front porch. I have started decorating it with my wagon and other goodies. I just love scarecrows. Next Sunday when we go apple picking, we will also go to our favorite pumpkin farm and then I will add pumpkins to the porch. That lighted pumpkin lantern was the one I bought in Bird in Hand. I love it so much. We saw countless homes in Lancaster that had them on their porches or in their gardens. Now I do too :)

That photo of the big pine tree? Well, that pine was planted the first Summer we moved here. I carried the pot home from Home Depot! She's grown quite a bit, wouldn't you say? When we knocked the ranch down in 2008 we had to move her. We did with heavy equipment! We were worried she wouldn't make it! But she thrives to this very day!

School started September 5th! Unfortunately, Caitlin missed the first two days due to a toothache :(  She will have to have both rear baby molars extracted very soon. Our dentist was able to relieve her discomfort finally on Thursday, and Caitlin started her new school year on Friday. My little mouse was very happy when she came home from school on Friday afternoon declaring "I love my teacher and I can't wait till Monday!"  Praise the Lord! Billy started 8th grade and Billy being Billy, the laid back, go with the flow of life kid that he is, went right into the pace of school like he never left. No complaints--he likes his schedule of classes, his teachers, and he has lots of friends in his classes too. Could I ask for any better than that? And he's happy because when he feels like it, he can still work with my husband on Saturdays, which is his favorite thing to do.

Some of the cypress we planted

Lastly, I must post about Maggie's Lil' Fixins origins. Check my sidebar and look for My Colonial Home, one of my very most favorite (and I mean FAVORITES) blog. A wonderful and talented lady named Karen writes it, and to be entered in her giveaway we must post about how we started blogging and the origins of our blog name. You must check her out!  Well, I started blogging in 2010 at the urging of my dear cousin who writes Bittersweet Cottage. She had started blogging and began encouraging me since many of our emails back and forth were kind of blog worthy! At first I didn't know how to begin. The hardest part is to get noticed and gain followers! But I enjoy it so much and the friends I have met is so rewarding! Oh I have learned so much! Between recipes and crafts and sewing and gardening, these blogs are lessons in wonderful things! Plus reading about other families and their adventures is so much fun.   The name Maggie's Lil' Fixins was a name I created way before blogging. When my husband built the shed in our yard, he made it so special and cottagey. I said if I was ever going to have a store of my own to sell the crafts I make I would want it to be in there! and I would name it Maggie's Lil' Fixins. I had been in many gift stores where they sell candles and potpourri and bowl fillers and they referred to it all as "fixins" and I just loved that term and since my name is Margaret----well, Maggie's Lil' Fixins was born. Though no one in my life except blogger friends actually call me Maggie! That's the story :)

Our special pine

Eating a sugar cookie under the tree!
 

I hope you have a great day! The weather here is cooler! YEAH!!!! I feel so invigorated. We had tornado watches yesterday and heavy rain but today is lovely! Now go do some Fall decorating!