October Surprise

I  do not celebrate Halloween... but I certainly love October... I loved  decorating my classroom with  golden moons and  cats  caterwauling on fences,  I loved   fodder shocks and pumpkins... and  going to see  my dad  over the years after he retired in the country I loved arriving to see what October surprises he had created...living there he had access to all kinds of autumnal farm items..  bales of straw...   corn shocks.. you name it. and he usually had some kind of  scarecrow  that he created out of his old farm clothing... he had such a tender, merry heart.

Very reminiscent of his handwork!  Found online..
So I guess I would like to share my October surprise...
the fall fairy has  come and sprinked  a bit of  autumn around the house..

I exchanged  my  autumn arrangement  seen now on the sideboard  

for my pumpkin pie  pumpkin  who doesnt know it yet,  but its days are numbered!!  hehehehehe 

I am using my black transferware... by Johnson Brothers.... 

because they go so well with my   Thanksgiving dessert plates

 Yes,  in November  my  decor will only require a bit of tweaking!

I love to use my  antlers  that I have been collecting the past couple of seasons...

This year I added the smaller  antler  wrapped votives...  all of which I find at Pier One ...

Continuing into the parlor...  I  see the seasonal tree is decked out for fall...  

as well as,  the mantel.. 

wait.. what have we here....   an uninvited guest it seems...

Welcome , little fellow...  

so enticed by the  harvest table..my little omnivore   couldn't help  but hop up there to glean and nibble! You seem to  be polite enough to stay!

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Thankful and Loving It

Well, I have finally  gotten  my kitchen  the way I want it...

You might remember that last  summer we redid the kitchen   but as you can see... no walls what ever,  except  right over here by my desk area!

.... Now  I need to  say  that  wall space is very limited in this house..  I love the double hung windows and the   other   design features that limit  us  but  finding places to  add  wall  adornment  has  to  be  a bit  creative... for example,  my  coat of arms  are proudly displayed  on a strip of wall  in the hall.  And in this  photo   you can see my  gallery,   hahah such as it is  of  my  P. Buckley Moss  prints...  which  are  right above  my desk  area    where I can enjoy them  most..Well,  hubby  finally got around this morning to  finish off some  items  that have been  gathering...

I love collecting  transfer ware  yet these three  lovely pieces  seemed  to just be extras  in my collection,  so   I was longing to    incorporate them in the kitchen decor.

 Imagine  my huge delight when last autumn I ran across this  commerative plate  of  Bunratty Castle in Ireland...  Even though we didnt actually  get to go there,  we were very nearby  and opted to dine at  another  castle , even though this one was listed on our  itinerary, originally.  I still love it as a constant reminder of our  dream trip  we took last spring! 

 This is  a Christmas present  sweet Amanda had made for me... just like one  a friend had made    and  I have used many times in responding to Ann Voskamp's  1000 gifts  posts...  "eucaharisteo"  means  being   thankful...  I love the gift... and particularly  its sentiment and reminder to be thankful in all things at all times!!!

I am loving the final product... To me the kitchen has come alive!!!! 

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Ne'er the Twain Shall Meet

Last fall when we were in Newport,  we stayed in the most charming B&B...  and  I  fell in love with the decor..

I shared in  a recent post about how I was completely charmed by the    faux  stag head,  and the  use of  antler on the mantel....  I had been noticing    a popularity of  antler in table  settings  recently and  I  was  looking everywhere  for a way to  get my hands on some short of   asking  one of my hunter friends... but I understand  they value  antler as  great  trophies of  their  endeavors....HAHA.....Anyway,  I did find  the  faux  stag  and     put it on my Christmas wish list....
Well, sometimes,  Christmas   comes   in a little late,   and so did  a  nice  package   on my  doorstep!
My lovely   faux stag head....

I  absolutely  adore   this   lovely accent piece....   but  my next  dilemma  was  to  find a home for him...

my family seemed to think  it was  more  a den  piece,  so   upon reflection, it seemed perfect..

Since I sort of have a hunt theme going on in  there... I found this   lovely painting  at  an estate sale years ago, and  just loved the  it...  It was painted by a   the daughter of  a good friend  and    the daughter just didnt  want it... was  one of her early works.... Well, I     thought it was  charming...

 and now   decades later,  the object of the   hunt   resides  on  an opposite wall,,, 

But, ne'er  the twain shall meet... this stag is much too crafty to ever be    brought down!  For I dont think of    this representation as   a trophy of a kill,  but the  essence of a  glorious  life,  well lived....  a  beautiful wild  expression of God's creation!

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