Ablaze with Autumn

Autumn has finally arrived here  in our neck of the woods....
This  bookcase  near the   stairs showcases  a simple  vignette to remind us of your kingdom  life and responsibility..    that, first of all, we are the sheep of His pasture,  and  follow  the guidance of our Shepherd...  but we are, also, warriors, equipped to do  spiritual battle to  subdue the  earth  of its  dark forces and    reflect  the light of   the One who loves us best,  Jesus Christ!
As I  peer  into the  mirror,  I see   fallish hues   reflected...

When I  look outside,  there are  definite  signs that  autumn is here!

Lynn and I have had   quite  a fun time   on  our various pumpkin escapades...Im still  seeking  the perfect   flat pumpkin   that   Ive been promised  will  arrive   next week!

I am thinking   to  create  a  pyramid of pumpkins   if I can find just the right ones!  heheheh
For now, these beauties   please  me.

As I   move  on into the parlor,  I spy the  wall hanger  appears to  be  complete...

Again,  I  am so pleased to be using my   silk gingko leaves I  found in Boston last  fall, along with the   Japenese lanterns.
As I  move across the room,   the fiery  hues of  autumn  attract me f rom the    mantel...

This year, I am   enjoying   the   beautifu hand-crafted   wreath of  oak and acorns  that my mother made  several years ago, when she   participaed in the  the SW Virgnina Mountain Guild.

My bronzed   birds found a home   on the mantel, as well. 

Stepping   around the corner into the  dining room,    it  surely  doesnt look like   autumn  has taken a break....   blazing colors   attend  every   

spot!

This  table has  been in varying  degrees of readiness,   and now  it  appears  complete... 

It  was  great to finally   bring up the   box of  autumn  fare  and find  this  arrangement that  needed only a  bit sprucing up...  it accents the black and  white   with the most welcoming  array of  cheerfulness!

I am still loving the   pewter colored napkins from Kohl's and   the  Armetale  accents  that  lend their country    quaintness  and warmth to the scene!

I started   my small collection many years ago  when I was  teaching Virgina History and   decorated our first home in  Colonial  Americana.. so why shouldnt it lend its grace to my  olde  English   themes!

My  black  transferware, the Herdsman,  from Royal Stafford  are the  perfect compliment to  this table 

 I am  quite  happy with the final  effect!

Home Party@ Sandi's   Rose Chintz Cottage     

Tablescape Thursday 

and   

Thursday  Favorite Things

Grace at Home  @ Imparting Grace

Home and Garden at  A Delightsome Life

 Home Sweet Home@The Charm of Home

Inspire Me Tuesday@ A Stroll Thru Life

Late Summer Colors

I am honored to have been

here

Today,  as I begin a   week,  I am  thinking of  moving forward... ok,  I confess,   I  am counting the days  til  our  sweetest, Amanda, delivers  our  first grand daughter, Birdie....

This was  taken  in June.....   Birdie  has   growna  bit since then!  We've called her that   ever since her shower  where  the   theme was  Birdies! 

And I again, I confess,    the name  has  grown in my heart.
  So   Birdie will arrive in September   so Im thinking  that is right around the corner!  No matter what   this is  late summer....   ana evenings  cacophony  of the porch  attests to that..   click off the  music   at the top and enjoy a  bit of   evening   symphony!

Anyway,   I am thinking of the  colors of alte summer....   the  pastels of   spring and summer give way to the  jewel tones of autumn.....   but  it's not  quite autumn yet....   so  we have the   beginnings of   transformation   taking place   around the house...

The first mark of change comes to the  mantel

 with the  shades of  teal  replacing the  spring greens of early summer

 A    change of pillows to accent the subtle   greens   that  mark this   time of year...

Recapturing the  Olde English tone of the room  the   spring items  are   put away,  for now...

 This single  black on  white   plate   with the  gorgeous  Warwick Castle    finds   its new home.

 It seems  quite  comfortable   near  the   gothis  cross and   Shield that  remind  us of the   deep importance of   Spiritual Warfare,   which   our   Bible Teacher  reminds us   in these  trying days  we will  either   be a warrior or a casualty...m speaking of    the  magnitude  that we should place   on our prayer life!

More  on   the   late summer transformation   to come! A Return to Loveliness at A Delightsome Life
Make it Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House
Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life on Tuesday
Cottage Style Party @ Lavender Garden Cottage
Open House Party at No Minimalist Here
Favorite Things Thursday at Katherine’s Corner
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home on Thursday

On Old fashioned Gal

Oh, me!  have you ever  almost finished   a  really  great post  and  you  hit  a keystroke and it all  disappears.....!  Very disheartening... I  dont know  that I can retrieve it from  my  memory   much less  this computer's  !I know it started out with...

Good Morning!..  Well, it was morning, then!

 here goes,  again!

During the  few weeks I've been unable to blog,  I  have spent   some   time   processing   and  several revelations have come to me  about  myself.   I  guess they could be summed up   to  say, i truly am  an old fogey, ..oops, I mean,  an old-fashioned gal!

  Now  I  do  enjoy  HGTV  as much or more than  many folks,   but this  idea that  to sell a house,  one must  remove  all  personal   marks  of the home and   neutralize  it  stuns me....   I mean,    I become fairly paralyzed to think that someday I  have to do that if I  dare to think of selling   ...   and we do  need to downsize, and  move onto one level....  I actually have my eye on  a  sweetest patio home....and yes, I do need to  get rid of a ton of stuff....   but  how?

Ok,   I do   visit Zillow frequently!   And  there is  the living proof  that it  is and can be done....  I am  convinced   people     rent  a storage unit to  de-clutter their  home for showing....

  I mean, I am not   a minimalist, and  have no  intention of  becoming one...call me old-fashioned, but I love my stuff.   it represents  our lives together!

I mean,    I think in layers....

   layers of   flavor in my  food,  and layers of   dimension in my decorating!

The storyteller in me   comes out when I  put  a  vignette  together...

  Items  that  remind me of  my   family,   times as a child on the farm,    heirlooms that  passed on to me,   these   all   become   such a part of   my  decorating schemes,  I  can't imagine disconnecting  from    treasures  that   have  contributed to making  our  house a home, and    that   carry with them  such   living   memories....

Yes,   I love to layer,  

 but now to the problem at hand...

  I didnt   grow up  in the Depression  but my family did  and  somehow the genes to keep everything    passed on to me!

Take this painting ,  for example,    well,  go ahead... take it!...
Because I dont know   what to do with it...  My mother loved it, and it hung over her  sofa....   It  is   lovely , but it certainly doesnt   go   here... in the least...  I   really need to   disconnect  from  pieces  that  dont   speak  anything except....  how  my mother loved it....

Note that the tall   flower  arrangement will be going to Boston soon when the baby arrives.. That was used in Amanda's shower and will  look  great in the nursery!  And the  fairy items will be incorporated into  a  fairy   village  this   fall  outside....   so   I will reclaim this space  soon... YAYAYAYAYAY!

  

 But   let's  turn to the dining  table in the sun room...
Now the blue and white   makes the room  seem   cool, and  with the humidity returning,   this   tablescape is in no hurry to    be changed...

But what I really love about it is the planter.

Not just the planter  but my wonderful   new   philodendron...
 An  old-fashioned   kind of   indoor plant...  so  forgiving....  I dont think I  could   kill this  plant if I tried... as I have all the other newer  varieties I've used in this planter... I love it   so much  I think I  should name him...  he is so handsome and healthy....  perhaps  Hugh, (  loved Les Mes)  so much....
   and  oh, how Id love to see    Hugh just take off and   spiral  his tendrils  up the wall and over the  sashes and  consume the  sun room....  just like philodendrons  used to do   back in the day!

Nothing minimal about that, I daresay!

Yes,  IM   just old-fashioned, and I say,   so what..  it is who I am, and  I have no desire to change....Will  I   try to   do what Amanda  tells me to do...."Mom, take  a bag around  the house everyday and  put   something in it   to take  to the Goodwill...  I guarantee, Mom,  after a while,  you'll forget all about it!"

Yes,  I do that  about  once every other month>..  And I  know, I  should try to  do that  at least  once every other week.....  because,  after going through all of  mom's   clutter, I do not wish that on Amanda!  Just  writing this  again   has  made me  feel a bit  motivated....   I think it  is a God thing that I was   made to   recreate this post because the   ending is rather different and  much more   appropriate....So  let me  go  find a nice  large   sturdy bag and  get to   house shopping  for   my next   delivery  to   the   Good will! For someone   may be truly needing   something  I just dont  anymore!

A Return to Loveliness at A Delightsome Life
Make it Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House
Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life on Tuesday
Cottage Style Party @ Lavender Garden Cottage
Open House Party at No Minimalist Here
Favorite Things Thursday at Katherine’s Corner
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home on Thursday

Pass the Pot O' Tea Please

Nothing  speaks  to the   inner  soul   like  a  calming    afternoon break over a  cup of   lovely tea...  Teatime around here  is  an essential  part of  the day.... No matter  what I am doing,   taking a tea break makes everything  seem more  peaceful and  less dreadful...  and  let's face it, life can become somewhat dreadful..  Just having  the tea components   readily available is  part of the experience....

One doesnt   want to spend   undue  time trying to locate the  implements!
How about tea  in the morning,    by the bedside!Why, I think tea for one, as long as it is for me, is a lovely  thing!
 

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” 

― C.S. Lewis

Tea on the sideboard  in preparation for  a  luncheon  gathering is   an absolute!

On   a miserably hot and humid day like today,   an iced tea  break is called for....

Kate Greenaway  wrote....

"With a cool breeze blowing, and not too much heat -

And doesn't the tea-tray look charmingly neat?"

Or,   sometime,  an iced tea  break on the porch with my sweetie,   makes the day   special!

One of my favorite   teatimes is when I steal  away  with   my  cuppa tea  and   enjoy  my   new magazine of fresh ideas and   lovely  inspirations!
Or if it is   extremely pleasant in  the garden,   an afternoon  soiree' is   simply sublime!

"Bread and water can so easily be toast and tea."  ~Unknown

An afternoon of bird watching and  drawing,  is much more   festive with a bit of tea and  a sweet!

“There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.” 

― Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady

The Tea Party 

I had a little tea party 

This afternoon at three. 

'Twas very small-

Three guest in all-

Just I, myself and me. 

Myself ate all the sandwiches, 

While I drank up the tea;

'Twas also I who ate the pie

And passed the cake to me. 

~Jessica Nelson North 

Sometimes  we just cant wait and  must have  tea with our   breakfast...  

I always  enjoy so much  everyone's   lovely  sentiments about tea and  their   beautiful teatime settings....    Please  check out these  sites for   more !

Tea Time Tuesday at Rose Chintz CottageTea Cup Tuesday~ Artful Affirmations
Tea Cup Tuesday ~Martha’s Favorites
Tuesday Cuppa Tea~ Antiques and Teacups
Friends Sharing Tea ~ Open House @Bernideen’s Teatime Blog
Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life on Tuesday
Cottage Style Party @ Lavender Garden Cottage
Open House Party at No Minimalist Here
Home and Garden @ A Delightsome Life
Favorite Things Thursday at Katherine’s Corner
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home on Thursday