Moses Basket.

Moses Basket in our Juliet balcony. We

had a beautiful basket we used for our

sweet babies, before they transitioned

over to the cradle and then in to our bed.

But our house fire years ago took away

a few precious items and one was our

Moses Basket. We found this one at an

estate sale for our grand babies. Right

now, it's full of teddies we've been either

gifted or we've found. Love our basket.

Prep Island.

Our kitchen island has had many uses since we

moved in to our little cottage. It's of course been

the spot where we create wonderful meals, the

spot where we set up our baking, where we read

the mail, where we eat at times, where we fold

laundry and every once in a while, it becomes the

best spot in the house to put together a workshop

or presentation. The size is just right to spread out

all the papers needed and put them in their order.

I never would have imagined this use for our island!

Quiet Read.

There is nothing like working all day long

and then taking time to make a hot mug of

tea and grab a great book to get lost in. At

this time of year, when the days are slowly

changing from hot to cool and the nights

are becoming darker and early, this is where

you'll find me. In our cozy, warm great room,

where the worries of the world melt away

and adventures and stories await. One of

my favorite spots to be, on cool Fall nights.

Dollhouse Update.

A little dollhouse update, inspired by

our recent trek to the Dollhouse Show.

At the show, I found the perfect wallpaper

for the living room ~ a pretty shade of blue.

And then remembered I had found this

paper for the kitchen at last year's show.

Time to put it up before doing the living

room. And now to decide what color to

paint the opposite two walls now that the

paper is successfully installed. Any ideas?

Hydrangea's.

We've had 8 days of snow out of 24 days of

September .... and just a few of those Fall.

I decided today to surround myself with beautiful

shots of our garden from the last few weeks, before

the snow fell from the sky. It will likely all be

melted before the end of the day. Finally warm.

Last year, the blooms on our newly planted Hydrangea

were very small but I was so happy to have some. This

Summer, the plant grew larger and then this happened!

Blooms of different sizes. It made me so happy each

day to come around the corner of the veranda to see

these pretty colors, changing each time. I can't wait for

next year already to see the size of the plant. I'm hoping

the blooms will increase in size and number. Shots today

so you can see the success of my little gardening skills

that are growing each year as I research then plant. Enjoy!

Hosta Pride.

 

I'm so excited that my attempt to plant
and nurture a Hosta has been a success.

And then, just before the snow arrived,

this little bloom began. It didn't end up

opening up, but it's given me hope for

next year that we'll see a sweet flower.

Snowy Drive.

This was our drive in to work yesterday, down our range road, out to the highway to take us in to the Big City. The roads are wet, not icy, which we were thankful for. It's too warm to really stick but the snow does accumulate on the grass and unfortunately, on the crops down the road. Too early!

Our view coming down the hill. You can see the Big City but it's foggy and there is actually whole back drop missing, lost in the haze and low clouds. I was thankful for a warm building and hot tea at work and later in the day, the sun did shine for a bit. However, today, guess what we woke up to? Yes, you are correct, large, slowly falling Christmas Eve flakes .... I'm grateful we aren't in the path of a hurricane. I'm grateful we aren't experiencing the heat of a drought. I'm grateful earthquakes aren't a thing in our region. I'm grateful we got thru this Summer without a tornado. But really Mother Earth? Snow in October? Snowing all day today, through the night and back at it for Sunday. Today, I have counselling sessions with grieving clients in our hamlet. At the end of the day, our board of directors for the festival we've created for next Summer will arrive for a meeting to talk about where we're at with our plans and what is next on our journey. Home to our warm and cozy cottage. Dinner, time to kick back and watch a movie or favorite show, play with grandson and then an early night. 

Tomorrow is like Christmas for me .... it's the Annual Dollhouse Show! We wait all year for this day and despite the snow, we'll trek in to the Big City to spend several hours marvelling at the small creations and fulfilling my list of things I'd like to try and find for the dollhouse. Be prepared for a very photo focused blog spot on Monday! In the midst of grief, political woes and tons of snow, a day like tomorrow feeds the soul and reminds us that there is still good (and fun) in the World.

How is the weather in your community?

Do you have big plans for this weekend?

Pickled Beets.

Last Monday, while the rain poured outside, I was introduced to the art of pickling, from someone who has so much experience, she doesn't even need to write down the recipe. Pure talent! My gramma, who died 10 years ago, used to pickle cucumbers and beets. She would bring them up to us whenever she visited. And I often asked her if she could share what she knew. She always would say "one day" ..... but then she died, and it was too late. So I feel so lucky to have someone in my life who not only knows how to pickle but had the time and the very important patience to teach me something new. Loved our day together and today, I picked up all the very successful jars of beets. We have to wait a bit longer before we can dig in but I think we're pretty set for the Winter. There is nothing like eating something you've grown and then made it in to something so truly yummy!

One day I hope to be that person who can share a recipe, a talent, patience and time. Such a gift when it comes from the heart, truly from the heart. Thank you S for this gift ....

And this ....

.... is what we woke up to today. Just 8 days before the arrival of Fall, while we were still basking in the warmth and sunshine of Summer, the season of Winter arrived. On Sunday, when we were trying to put our Pergola up with our friend, T, our older neighbor came over to chat and I asked him when we should be pulling out our veggies from the garden. He said that he could feel an early Winter in his bones and he had spent the morning pulling out his beets and carrots ~ which he brought some for us to add to our smaller crop. So guess who spent the next hour pulling out all the veggies, including the pumpkins, from her garden? Yup, this guy! But I'm so glad I did as last night, some of the members of my gardening board were discussing the impending weather change and many were worried about their gardens. A few of us had pulled and those who hadn't were scrambling last night, in the dark, and today, as the snow fell. 

The roads weren't too bad. Mostly wet and slushy. But accidents still happen, as they do every time there is a "first" snowfall. As most people hadn't been prepared, it's amazing that there wasn't more crashes. I'm looking forward to only having to travel into our hamlet tomorrow and not the Big City. A much less stressful drive. A busy day ahead but thankful for a warm house, an empty garden but a full pantry, and good country neighbors who share their wisdom.

Did you wake up to snow today?

Are you ready for real Winter?

Bird's House.

Thrift shopping often turns up some pretty

sweet finds, like this wood birdhouse, so

beautifully painted. I chose to  keep it in

the house so it stays vibrant in color. A

spot on my desk in the turret has worked

very well, especially with a few plants.

Empty Garden.

After a wonderful Summer of growing

fresh produce in our first veggie patch ....

.... we unfortunately have had to pull it

all out early due to 4 days of snow that

is currently on it's way to our region. So

sad to have to pick every thing so early.

In addition to these sweet carrots and our

pumpkins, we ended up with tons of peas,

huge zucchini's, an amazing amount of

beets and sweet onions. A great success!

September.

As much as I don't want Summer to end, this

month is always exciting. A month of new, a

month of change, a month of wishes for the Fall.

I welcome this month with Hello September!