Welcome Autumn!

 Well, it took me almost 10 months, but I’m back again.  Unfortunately, as much as I love blogging, I am  much more consistent with my daily Facebook pages and tend to put off blogging ~ which makes no sense.. But I will try again to be consistent because I do love sharing, and I do love hearing from anyone who reads my little page. I started blogging in 2009 and I just enjoyed sharing and learning from so many wonderful pages.

Since my last post, so many things have happened in our family that have been wonderful. So many moments that would have made special blog posts. My daughter graduated high school, we had an awesome engagement party for my son, and my husband and I did some traveling. I'll elaborate as time goes on!

We also had a very successful summer of planting.our gardens and they are still blooming despite the temperatures dropping and the recent storms. This time of year I used to remove my flowers and replace them with mums and ornamental cabbages. Now I don’t have the heart to remove my flowers because they bloom so beautifully, and I don’t remove them until November. I just buy mums for my front porch . I think the secret this year was that we planted in compost, and we do have our sprinkler system go off twice a day until mid September.

Now it’s Fall and it’s truly my favorite time of year. I dream of Fall all year round. The colors of Fall just match my house so beautifully so I’m constantly decorating in my mind! I have always loved Halloween but not the scary, bloody kind of Halloween! I only like the traditional Halloween of or the family friendly style! Jack o lanterns, black cats, not scary witches! The Halloween I grew up with!

 I find Fall to be a very cozy family season. I love the idea of being cozy in my house now that the sun sets earlier. I constantly meal plan~`not necessarily on paper but I am forever planning meals and snacks and appetizers and in the Fall I find it even more fun! 

I started my decorating for Fall the third week of August and I’m so glad I did. I’ve added Halloween in now at this point and I feel like I can really enjoy the season. I’m not rushing with just a couple of weeks left before I have to take it all down. I do decorate a lot for Thanksgiving, which is one of my favorite holidays and I add that to my existing whole decor after I have put the Halloween away. But decorating early allowed me to really embrace everything without feeling rushed and do everything that I want to do each year. I’m one of those people who keeps lists and notebooks of everything that I like to do or make or bake and I try to accomplish things on that list but I always end up running out of time.  Instead of making Halloween desserts at the end of October I’m making them all month long. And it allows me the time to make a variety of things that I wanted to try. Why wait? The months go by so quickly and before you know, it we will be decorating for Christmas. I am determined to make the most of my Fall. Despite what the naysayers say DO IT NOW! You'll be happy you did!

We have a trip in October to Lancaster and I will get my pumpkins there. Usually I have them already, but I decided to wait and buy them on our trip I have several different Amish farm stands to purchase pumpkins, gourds and mums.

So on this rainy day, my plans include crafting in the afternoon and preparing snacks for football tomorrow. I'm a hockey fan but I'm trying hard to learn football! But who am I fooling...its the game snacks that draw me in!

Have a great day!

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!