Welcome December!

Welcome December! For the first time in my life, my Christmas tree and house is completely decorated by December 1st! I can't believe it! I'm not saying that I still won't be adding stuff in from now till New Year's BUT the bulk of it, 99% of it is done! Very happy we will have the whole month to enjoy it. I'm also almost done Christmas shopping...my husband and I will be shopping this weekend and then its just some extra odds and ends. I think what really helped me was the fact that we bought a pre lit artificial tree this year and we put it up the weekend before Thanksgiving.  We put it up so early because with everyone's busy schedules, there was a free night to decorate it when all of us would be home. You really have to grab the moments when you can.

 

Wrapping is the next chore. I don't mind wrapping but I do get tired of it! I'm not gonna lie! Also getting together my cookie recipes. I'm making an easy fudge recipe too. If it comes out good, I will post it!

Hobby Lobby has been having the best sale of 60-66% off on Christmas and I have been shopping. I think it's my favorite store. I find their prices fair especially since most of the items are discounted. 

Here's some more Christmas around the house!

My husband made a friend in Home Depot last weekend! Have you ever seen a St Bernard in person? They are so beautiful and so large but almost seem artificial! Seriously! It almost looks like something in a costume. He was friendly too!

Well, I'm going to go out now and do some work in the chicken coop. I've put together a mix that helps them with moulting this time of year. My coop is warm with no drafts and lots of clean hay/straw but this mix of grains, nuts and seeds gives them a natural heat too. I took some notes from Fresh Eggs Daily, a wonderful blog for chicken keepers. My mix contains cracked corn, crushed peanuts, flax seed, oats, sunflower kernels, raisins, cornmeal. I also bake cornmeal cakes for my chickens. I buy the boxes of JIFFY cornbread and they love it! Especially with a can of corn or creamed corn poured on top!  I love my chickens! 

Have a great day!

Welcome November!

 

Good Morning!

Well October went by extremely fast! We had a nice Halloween and I loved the groups of small kids trick or treating and almost all the parents who escorted them were dressed in costume too! We forgot to carve our pumpkin though! My Halloween decor came down November 1st and the turkeys and pilgrims now decorate my home! I know alot of people jump right into Christmas and believe me I do love Christmas, but I I also love to decorate for Thanksgiving. Over the years I have accumulated alot of nice Thanksgiving decorations. Do you host Thanksgiving? I do. I already bought my turkey (22 lbs) because I guess I listen to the news on tv too much and I feared there would be a shortage ...or I wouldn't get a large one. Its safely tucked into my freezer,  and I have already stocked up on other ingredients except for the fresh stuff of course. I just like to be prepared. There's nothing like the smell of turkey cooking while the Macys Thanksgiving Day parade is on! 

I returned from another great trip to Lancaster. The pumpkins were everywhere! I always wake up before dawn and took some beautiful photos of the sunrise. This was rising over Route 340. We stayed at the Amish View Inn which is gorgeous. And what an awesome complimentary breakfast they serve. A beautiful hot breakfast. We've stayed there several times and always enjoy it. 

I made a bunch of purchases! We always fill the car! This time I purchased this beautiful placemat set from Riehls Quilts & Crafts. A few Christmas gifts too. I bought some wood items for both indoor and outdoor, apple cider, baked goods and a bunch of jarred items. I buy all my jarred items from Zooks. Sometimes I buy from the Jam & Jelly spot in Kitchen Kettle Village too but I prefer Zooks as they are Amish and a small business. Lebanon boloney and some dried good from the Bird in Hand Farmers Market....I had fun! 

I completely stocked up on my favorite candle! Harvest Moon Candle Company has a great prim store right on Rte 340 and I spent alot of time there buying candles, dried gourds, time candles, pip berry rings and a few crow items. 

We always go to Jakes and one of my purchases was this great turkey flag. They were all out of this one and I was very lucky that someone had decided not to purchase it after all and left it with them at the counter. When I went to check out, I asked if that belonged to someone and she said that they were about to return it to the rack! SOLD! It's mine!

And here it is :

Thats about it for me. I'm going to make a quiche today and some pepperoni crescent rolls. Have you made them? So simple. Crescent rolls, pepperoni and shredded cheese! Bake them and the cheese melts and my family LOVES them! Have a great weekend!

 October!

Good Morning! Trying to fill my October with lots of everything I wait all year for!

Decorating is done unless I add in little things I find this month! I'm always looking! MICHAELS has had some great sales and so has Hobby Lobby. I'' be at Walmart later this week. I have to get the rest of my candy for my candy bags. Did some candy shopping at BJ's but Walmart has other fun stuff like Popcorn Balls. Target too. 

My son and his fiance' had a photo shoot for their engagement though its also Fall themed. They love this time of year too. 

We are so happy! It's really stirring also to realize your kids are old enough to get married! Where did those years go? 

My husband and I went to a Fall Fair this weekend out in Riverhead. That's a big town towards the end of Long Island. The day was perfect 

Beautiful handmade items were judged and sold. Quilts, throws, potholders, etc. We wrapped up the afternoon with lunch at an adorable restaurant in Riverhead called Tweeds. I had pumpkin soup & Shrimp Salad! Sitting next to us were two sweet older ladies who chatted with us and we all talked about Hocus Pocus!

Have you gone to any fsairs this season? Christmas onesd will be coming soon! 

So what are your thoughts on artificial Christmas trees? For the first time in 30 years we bought one! The reason is we want it up longer! i want my tree up longer than two weeks before Christmas. My husband was okay with that as he agrees plus we spend so much on a real tree every year and you never know how long it will last. So we bought a beauty! A real pretty artificial I'm excited. The kids were shocked. They'll love it.....they're just not use to it. Thanksgiving weekend my tree is UP!!!!

Tomorrow morning my Caitlin is off to Parris Island, South Carolina! It's family week for the Marines! Dylan graduates Boot Camp Thursday! So proud of this boy! Hes such an awesome kid...Marine!

Other things I'm up to this week: a couple personal appointments, Walmart, taking another friend out for a birthday lunch, crafting with a friend, preparing for a weekend trip and trying a new whole chicken in a crock pot recipe!

Have a great week!

 

 Hello October! You're My Favorite!

I wish October was two months long! I wait for this month all year and it speeds by. I'm trying so hard to make the most of it and fit everything in that I want to accomplish. So far so good~I have a list! I always have a list! I'm done with decorating except for a few things that are little that need to be added. I'm working on a new generation of my "pumpkin people" that I love making. I have several new Fall recipes for this month. Two books I started...I have a trip coming up shortly for a weekend. What else...getting my daughter ready to leave for Parris Island, SC so she can see her boyfriend graduate the Marine Boot Camp! So exciting. Shes leaving with his family to head for the graduation next week. 

My heart goes out to the people in Florida with this Hurricane Ian. We've had days of just soaking rain here on Long Island but that's nothing to complain about. Weather is a force that cannot be reckoned with.

Here are some photos of my decorating outside:

Picture heavy post! Did you watch Hocus Pocus 2? Hocus Pocus is my favorite movie, and I was happy for a sequel. I wasn't expecting it to be as good as the first and it wasn't, but I still enjoyed it. More so after I watched it a second time. I had my own script in MY mind of what I would have done for a sequel...

How's your garden?> Do you plant Fall vegetables? I don't. I'm still getting the last of banana peppers and green peppers. The tomatoes that I had left on the vines have stopped turning red. They remained green so they're done! Basil still happening, Oregano & Mint too. Everything else, including zucchini, is done!

My chicken coop has been cleaned out and readied for Fall. Fresh hay and straw! I only have 8 so it's not a big deal to do it but I actually love doing it. They have all ceased laying eggs already...I might get one egg every two weeks, but I can't complain. I was getting tons this Summer from them! My oldest lady is 6 and she still produces. Honestly, I only have them because I love them! The eggs are just a bonus!

Have a great day friends!

 Cool Weather!

As I type this, I feel the cool breeze and its wonderful! I can't wait till they are here to stay. I know we still have a few days of low 80's coming up but the next few days will be cooler. It's not that I don't like Summer; I don't like humidity. But the weathe ris beautiful and very inspiring.

On YouTube I found a station that plays 11 hours of calming music set to scenes of Fall. It's so nice to do my house cleaning and decorating and cooking to that wonderful music in the background. 

On my country decorating page, I mentioned that I tend to attribute decorating style to seasons. Have you done that? Fall is all Prim/country! So warm and homey! Nesting and "home sweet home" colors. Farmhouse is all whites, grays and reds to me. Its gardens and fresh eggs and warmer weather. Retro/vintage is pinks, ivory, and sage greens so I'm thinking Spring!  it's sun to think about!

One of the two new furniture pieces I bought for my newly repainted family room. The first floor of the house was just freshly painted, and it gave me a new starting point. I needed to reorganize, and I realize the best way to do that was to remove EVERYTHING and start over. 

Planning to get some pumpkins this weekend and my cornstalks and of course more Indian corn. Usually, I remove my summer flowers that are along my front walkway, and I replace with ornamental cabbages and mums but I'm not sure I will this year. My flowers are doing so incredible! It's a wait and see at this point. I will buy mums of course but not sure if we will plant along the walkway. I usually buy a premade basket with cattails, corn stalk, and mums from a  local grower that I love. 

I've been so sad about the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. I've grown up being a lover of all things British. I was lucky enough to visit many years ago and spent three weeks there. My parents visited four times. I was looking at the photo albums just the other day. I kind of feel like she was our Queen too!  May she rest in peace. 

Well, I'm off to make some pepperoni roll ups for later! This easy little recipe has been a big hit for snacking in my house. Something to grab in between meals as everyone is ina nd out! All it is, is crescent rolls separated, add some pepperoni slices, some shredded mozzarella or whatever cheese you have handy, roll it up and bake at 350 till golden in an ungreased pan. You can slso do sliced pepperoni from the deli counter if you don't want to do the mini slices in a package. I've also done salami, but pepperoni was their favorite. You can't get much easier than that, right? you can do ham and swiss...I bet that tastes good!

Have a great day!

We've been working har

All The Fall Feels

Good Morning! Sooooo are you decorating yet? I vbet you are! I can't get enough of those beautiful Fall colors! Although I have cut back a little on my decorating, I still do alot and I love the way it feels to change it up a bit. Some things that I used for years I am giving a break to and added in some new things that I love. It just refreshes the look. 

I'll be adding in some Halloween at the end of the month. 

Next week it will be pumpkins, gourds and cornstalks!

 Goodbye August!

I am so ready for Fall! I started my Fall decorating now that my house is freshly paintd and I'm so happy to take out all my boxes. Halloween will get added in at the end of September. 

Doing a little at a time and just enjoying it! 

Bath & Body Works has amazing Fall candles. I bought a few and they smell heavenly. The three wick big ones!

Visited Hobby Lobby and brought home a friend! Isnt he so cute?  And none of my other scarecrows have a face like his. Hobby Lobby has all Fall items for 50% off! 

Started cleaning out the flower and vegetable gardens that are finished. Sad to see my hanging pots that are done blooming go out for trash, but I still have several going strong. We should be getting our mums and pumpkins within the next two weeks. I picked a huge zucchini the other day. I mean this zucchini was the size of my arm! I didn't see it growing under the big leaves in the position it was in. I kept missing it! What a surprise! I made a zucchini parmigiana out of it! Actually I made two!

In preparation for hurricane season, we had all our trees and hedges trimmed! Over the last ten years we've had very active hurricane and storm seasons and its been a worry with some of the trees on my property.  Another item off our to do list. 

Are you doing any new crafts for Fall? I'm looking for something new to stitch. My eyes can't do counted cross stitch anymore. I couldn't finish my last one. Not sure if I want to stitch or do another afghan. I'm just in such a nesting mood. I always make crumb cakes and coffee cakes cause we enjoy them after dinner with our evening coffee and I usually make them from scratch. Well, last week I didn't have time so I bought the Krusteaz brand of Cinnamon Swirl coffee cake mix.  It was so good! Everyone loved it. I bouught a few more boxes of it to keep in the house in case I get company last minute for coffee. So good! Try it! 

I'm excited that I will be a great aunt for the third time shortly! A new baby is arriving in a few days! I love having the little ones around again. I'm  making up some Halloween gift bags for them. 

Enjoy your day! Time for me to make dinner!