AT THE YARD SALE

Linda, Diane, and I prepared for the yard sale on Friday. First we carried boxes and items to sell into Diane's large truck and drove them up to the carport. There we unloaded and put the items on tables under Linda's large carport. When all the items were out we went about rearranging them into like categories and making them appear a little more appealing and related instead of random objects. Early Saturday morning before the sun was up the first antique dealers showed up. They all greeted each other. All morning there was a steady crowd and Linda sold a lot of her antique toys and Christmas items. There was a steady stream of customers all day and things sold quite well.
On Sunday there was just a trickle of people but they bought a few things. We started packing it up about three in the afternoon and loaded the truck, put away the tables, and declared the yard sale a success. The leftovers were taken to the Goodwill and Salvation Army but a few items were kept and we all ended up with some things to take home.
During the slow times on Sunday we had fun completely rearranging Linda's living room. We moved a heavy bookcase and used her clock collection and her books to make a pleasing arrangement. We also arranged her pheasant collection with pots of herbs to make a nice shelf vignette.

NEW PICS OF SEAN

Look! Sean is almost crawling! He can get up on all fours, but hasn't figured out how to move around yet. It won't be long. He also has his first two teeth!

Here is Sean in his rocking chair. You can just begin to see his red hair coming in.

OFF TO THE YARD SALE

My sister Linda is having a garage sale in Fredericksburg, Va this weekend and I am going down to help out. Our other sister, Diane, will be there too. I'm taking a few items down to try to get rid of. I've been decluttering now for about three years and gradually I'm reducing my possessions. I've come to the conclusion that I do not need so much. Downsizing. Here is a pic of the things I'll be loading in my van tonight. Some of the things are from my country decorating period (now I'm more traditional). Others are just things I've collected that I can't see that I will use anymore. I know that I will feel better once these things leave the house. It feels great to let go.

PITT TRAIL

Aren't the colors of fall beautiful? The walking trail behind the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford is a great place to get your morning exercise. My friend Joan, (hi Joan) and I walk three times a week on the trail. Walking and talking at the same time makes exercising bearable. I will never be a fan of workouts but I know that keeping my body moving is beneficial. Without my friend Joan urging me on I know I wouldn't have kept up exercising these past 6 years. Two older friends in their seventies are faithful in their exercise every day and stay so youthful. They are a good example for me.

IMAGES OF FALL

This vine by my kitchen window is about four years old now. Only once did it have a few flowers. I love how it hides the gas utility box and runs across under the roof. It makes me feel that the house has an old quality.

Here is a picture of the hills outside my kitchen door. Some of the trees are completely changed and others just beginning. This is the prettiest time of the year in Pennsylvania.

Literary Club

Yesterday's Literary Club meeting was so much fun. There were about 35 members at the Pennhills club for lunch.

Here is the menu. (whoops! I guess you can't read that!) It says: Hospitality Loaf Bread, Baked Crab Cakes in Zucchini Pillows atop riso al limone or meat-stuffed zucchini packets atop galettes des pommes de terr, souffle tomatoes, banana meringues. Everything was delicious!

We had a "castoff" exchange and I chose a large fall purse. It's big enough to be a tote, but I love the colors. Our speaker told us all about selling on eBay.

A big thank you to Teresa from Plum Water Cottage who showed me how to make a blog roll on the right hand side of my blog. This way I can visit my favorite blogs anytime I want. Please enjoy them. Reading blogs from other women is so interesting. I've learned so much about blogging how-to's.

"Give me the splendid silent sun
with all his beams full~dazzling,
give me juicy autumnal fruit
ripe and red from the orchard."
~Walt Whitman



When we recall the past, we usually find that it is the simplest things - not the great occasions - that in retrospect give off the greatest glow of happiness. ~Bob Hope

Busy Fall

A wooden pumpking candy dish that I am taking as a "castoff" to exchange.

Just to prove that I can be organized...an album of all my cd's. I'm syncing them onto my walkman MP3 player. How's that for technology?

There is so much I want to do and not enough time to do it. As Calvin (of Calvin and Hobbes fame) says "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want to do." Today my goal is to get up into the attic and get some things out that might go in Linda's sale. There has to be something I'm willing to part with up there. Don is going to clean out the garage. It's a rainy, cold day here in Bradford and a good day to nest. I'm baking bread (well, the machine is baking the bread really)....honey wheat berry. Sounds good. I also made a jello salad with nuts, celery, and apples to go with the stuffed pork chops that I will put in later. What a typical fall dinner.

Tomorrow is the first Women's Literary Club of Bradford's first meeting. It is a luncheon at the Pennhills Club. since I am Vice President and Chairman of the Program Committee I will be introducing the speaker and telling the girls all about the programs we set up for the year. Tomorrow's program is a gal talking about Ebay. Our lunch is always wonderful. We are also bring a "castoff" and exchanging it for someone else'. One man's trash is another man's treasure so they say. I'm taking a pumpkin dish that Yrsa gave me.

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking successive autumns." Author: George Eliot


Autumn is certainly here with its bright touches of orange kissing the leaves. I'm trying out my new camera today with a few pictures. Tonight we are having some out of town company for dinner, a small repeat of the fish party.

PLAYING AROUND WITH PHIOTOSHOP

hERE IS THE PICTURE OF THE SCARECROW ENHANCED.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

I have decided that my life is in constant flux. As much as I like decorating it seems that I never get it done. I keep changing. It might be just seasonal decorations I'm putting up or at other times I change my whole decor. Above is a picture of the new material for kitchen curtains. The floral will be the valance and the heavier check, the tiers.(they look pink in the picture but they are green,rust and tan. I've been looking for some fabric to match the new cinnamon colored walls. I am not a seamstress by any stretch of the imagination, but I think I can sew a straight line and make these curtains. I just have to find the time.

Today I went up in the attic to bring down the rest of my fall decorations and sort through them to decide what I can let go of and take to Linda's sale in a few weeks. Letting go is hard for me, but I need to do it. Especially letting go of country items I know I'll never use again. It took me hours of sorting, purging and cleaning up afterwards but I feel it is a beginning. I'm trying to keep only the items that I will use. I used the scarecrow and some of the other fall things down at my lightpole.

What a busy fall!

I must say I haven't been keeping up this blog lately. With the advent of fall my nesting instincts are taking over and there are so many chores to do around the house I've been busy. It seems everywhere I look there is something out of place that needs tending to. By the time I get home from workout and coffee and errands my morning is spent. I guess I should prioritize better. Or add a few hours to the day. Anyway, here are a few pictures of Ryan and Jenny's new house. It is a ranch house with a big fenced in back yard. It's only ten years old and layed out so well on the inside with the master suite on one side and two bedrooms and bath on the other. It has a workshop/ room in the basement for Ryan to do his projects.

How well do you know your husband?

1. he's sitting in front of the tv, what is on the screen?
The History Channel, the Discovery channel or an old movie

2. you're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad?
blue cheese


3. what's one food he doesn't like?
cooked carrots

4. you go out to the bar. what does he order?
Pepsi or Vodka collins

5. where did he go to high school?
Bradford, PA

6. what size shoe does he wear?
12

7. if he was to collect anything, what would it be?
coins

8. what is his favorite type of sandwich?
ham and cheese

9. what would this person eat every day if he could?
pork chops with gravy

10. what is his favorite cereal?
none

11. what would he never wear?
a colored shirt other than blue or brown

12. what is his favorite sports team?
not a sports fan

13. who will he vote for?
obama

14. who is his best friend?
Tim, Jim, and Bill

15. what is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do?
complain about others

16. how many states has he lived in?
2

17. what is his heritage?
GErman/French

18. you bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake?
chocolate

19. did he play sports in high school?
no

20. what could he spend hours doing?
fishing

Blogging from Tennessee

I'm having a ball with Sean. Today I got to watch him while Jenny and Ryan worked. I gave him a bath in the morning and we played all day. Last night we went to the Red Lobster for dinner and tonight we are going to a Japanese Steak House where they prepare the food right in front of you. I'm taking pics but haven't had a chance to download them yet. Tomorrow Jenny and i are going to see her new house and shop in Knoxville.

20 Little Things To Treasure in Autumn
Quiet dinners by the fire
Reading mystery novels in darkened rooms
Flannel sheets at the end of a long day
Candles Flickering
Smelling cinnamon, oranges & cloves
Pumpkins
Roasts, Potatoes & Carrots
Chicken Pot Pie
Fluffy feather beds on a cold night
Watching movies snuggled in soft blankets
Cozy socks
Pie in the oven
Warm crackling wood stoves
Squash with buttered brown sugar
Chili and corn bread smothered in honey
Wind blowing through leaves
Glow of lamps through windows
Laughter filling a room
Carmel apples
Family

And here are some more:

The crisp "snap" in the air; warm enough to lift your face to the sun & glory in the warmth, but cool enough to need that jacket.

The changing colors of the leaves; the waves of colors on the hillside as you drive into town. The rich reds, golds, oranges and browns with a smattering of green still holding on to the memories of summer.

Comfort food that takes hours to simmer: stews and sauces, filled with the goodness of "fresh from the field" produce.

Bonfires. Complete with S'mores.

Snoogly sweaters pulled from their summer slumber.

A nice cup of Earl Grey while curled up on the couch with the cat after a long day.

. Soups. I could live on soup. And a crusty French baguette.

The Full Harvest moon that seems to take over the entire sky.

The first night that it is chilly enough to light a fire.

Sleeping with the window open & the blankets piled up.

Winding down

Here we are winding down from the party, just hanging out and talking. It seems Top Gun wanted to see what he was missing because he jumped up on a chair at the table.

It's Fall

I couldn't help myself! I had to get out some fall decorations. It's beginning to feel a lot like fall here in Bradford. Some trees are just starting to show their orange leaves. I read once that in the fall the trees lose the chlorophyll that makes the leaves green and the leaves turn their original colors. It's always a spectacular sight that we sometimes take for granted. I put some mums out on the courtyard to add some color.

A WATERFALL AT LAST

What a project the pond has turned out to be...but what a result! It is so beautiful and the sound of the rushing waterfall makes me feel like I'm at a resort in the tropics. It's too bad that summer is over and we won't get our full use from the courtyard. But wait until next summer! Today we're getting ready for our "fish party" Don just got the waterfall finished yesterday and it has rained all day today. He and tim have been working on it all week. The landscaping is not all done yet but it still looks nice. I'm hoping for nice weather tomorrow for the party.

Finding time for blogging

Don and I at Salvatore's Gardens
The large mum plant I bought at Lowe's.
The pumpkin pick and beautiful shimmering ribbon to tie on the back of my dining room chairs.

The little metal wheelbarrow that Yrsa gave me for my birthday.

Sorry I have been so negligent about my blogging lately. It's been so warm and these last nice days have me outside enjoying the weather. We are still working on completing our pond and waterfall. It becomes increasingly clear that there are professional landscapers for a reason. They know what they are doing. We, on the other hand, have to think and rethink how we go about doing each thing. Therefore, it is taking us twice as long. But we will have the satisfaction of knowing that we did it.

I had a wonderful pre-birthday celebration yesterday. Don took me up to Salvatore's Gardens, a beautiful restaurant in Buffalo. We first went to the Galleria where Don bought me a deep chocolate brown twin sweater set . It will make a perfect backdrop for all the jewelery I've gotten for my birthday from my sister and Kay. I also have some great animal print scarves that will look so nice with the sweater.

I hit Macy's during their Estee Lauder gift time. That is when I purchase my moisturizer every 6 months and and get the free gift. It was a large makeup bag with a small plastic bag plus free lipstick, night repair cream, mascara, perfume, and eye shadow. While I was in Buffalo I stopped at Michael's craft store. You know that I do not , I repeat, do not need any more fall decorations, but I found the cutest pumpkin picks to hang in the back of my dining room chairs with gorgeous ribbon. (I just can't help myself!!) After those shopping stops we met Aline and Jerry at Salvatore's for a divine dinner. It's hard to describe the difference in atmosphere, service and taste that an upper class restaurant has. It was the most enjoyable meal that I've had since the last time we ate there. I'll just describe my food and wish that you could have tasted it. Home made bread load dusted with butter and parmesean cheese, Caesar salad with crumbles of blue cheese, mashed potato tower , fresh seasonal vegetables, filet mignon butterflied topped with carmelized onion and a dijon-herb sauce. If that wasn't enough, I couldn't resist the Snickers pie for dessert which I split with Don. The sparkler that was lit on the top when they brought it out made it even more special. It was a great way to make me feel loved.

Today Yrsa and Kay stopped out to give me some presents. Yrsa bought me a cute white iron small wheelbarrow that I had been admiring in the gift shop where she works along with a seasoning package to make a red pepper dip. Kay had picked out s necklace and earring set with the help of my sister Linda. I am so lucky to have such great friends.