Autumn List

"In the garden, Autumn is, indeed the crowning glory of the year, 

bringing us the fruition of months of thought and care and toil. 

And at no season, safe perhaps in Daffodil time, do we get such 

superb colour effects as from August to November."

- Rose G. Kingsley, The Autumn Garden

Looking out my window  I am thinking  about all the autumns  I have  enjoyed since I began blogging... It is  so cool to have   the seasons  archived.. for me on photo bucket...  so I have the seasons at my fingertips.

I remember this taken a couple of years ago..  I loved that  blue-green pumpkin.... I saw one yesterday at Food Lion...  

shucks. I should have gotten it then... And I   also see my holiday tree needs  attention!

 The sideboard   will be decidedly more dramatic  when I  haul out my gingko leaves I purchased at Pottery Barn last year..  I love those....

I must say I love the drama of fall!!!



I am reminded when the darling young man who installed our  shutters   walked through the  house he said, ' Wow, you sure do like to decorate"  To this day I dont really  know  what exactly he meant by it,  but   so what.. I do!!!And that wasnt even during the  glamorous allure of autumn..  just the dog days of summer!  Hahahaha!!! OH, yes, I'm ready to  deck the halls for ...Fall!!!SO I now have a detailed list   for the next couple of days!!! 1. Pick out a  colorful pumpkin
2.  Autumnize the holiday tree in the doorway
3. Rummage through the  autumn   bins downstairs and   haul out  stunning leaves to  highlight  the rooms with  golden glory!
4.  Time to  put the blue  china away and bring out the  black transferware... I love that for Autumn.....

Tablescape Thursday

Thursday Favorite Things

Home and Garden Thursday

Grace  Home

Home Sweet Home

Guilty as Charged

Alright,  I  confess...  I am guilty of    charging ahead .. not giving summer it's  full allotted time....  but I have also admitted.. Im just not that much into summer.  and  I have also stated that once I  brought out  autumn and started placing it around...  there was a  break in the weather..  it shifted from mid ninties to low 80's, at least for a time.... It works that way with  winter, as well.. I can pull out a snowman,, and  whee...flurries start flying..  loved to do that  while I was teaching!

But I can not take all the credit.. I mean isnt it fashionable to  cast blame on  something else... for me it was Victoria Bliss magazine..  I mean if Victoria can,  can't I...   those  autumnal colors just  register  rest,  retire,  time to read a really great  book!  Perhaps even a classic... How about Sense and Sensibility...That plus it is time to start  bringing in and taking care of the harvest,... right? For us, it is  blueberries...  so prolific this year... I am getting  stocked up for  the  dreary months!

Ok, so I featured a harvest table...

 or two,,, 

   but how do these colors differ than those  exhibiting in nature..

So I went ahead and cut off some  lavender to dry    and  enjoy the  sultry  aroma..as well...

  Summer lovers may  naysay.. but I say.. go ahead... all the way... pull out the stops...my teacher friends   may really love me  when I pull out the snowmen come November!

No Place Like Home

Tablescape Thursday

Thursday Favorite Things

Home and Garden Thursday

Grace  Home

Home Sweet Home

Just Got Started on a Theme

Yesterday I had the extreme delight to host a  mini birthday party for my husband's cousin's  grandson who was visiting with his sister  from the Outer Banks, NC..

We only really had  time for  cookies and ice cream,  but  I baked the most delectable  chocolate chip  cookies  and the house smelled heavenly when they arrived!

My sunflower  bouquet was still looking  nice so  I felt the need to  redo the  table  to highlight their  awesome  golden color!

 And, if truth be told, I was  mightily inspired by the September issue of Victoria Magazine with their radiant autumn hues  against the blue transferware.And I am  so glad I did put this  beginning of my  early fall  table together because our weather suddenly  dropped from 90 degree days to  a  very pleasant 72 degrees!  Hahaha!

I  was pleased as well that when I took these photos the  flash  fired and   the  warm  tones of color  seem to pop off the page.

 Since we were only serving  cookies and ice cream I was using the dessert plates and  dishes from my collection...  a mix-matched  collection in blue...  

 I love how the sunflowers  sing against the   deep  tones in the paisley cloth!

I was so touched when  young Lauren reached forward to touch the sunflowers and asked.. "Are these real?"  I smiled and nodded and she said,  "I want some real flowers!"  Even young  Austin gingerly  reached out and  softly fingered the petals... so  precious to  see  our youth  realize the quality of  the  authentic!

  Accent blues and  gold  mark the change on the hutch

 I had my daughter's  teen scrapbook out for the kids to  peruse so they could get to know her as their peer... even though she now is twice their age!

 umm, chcocoalte  in  dark and white.. the cookies  in dark and the bars in white....  tasting all the better with  a dollop of Vanilla with Caramel Gelato by Breyer's!    

I am inspired now to  begin a  much grander  centerpiece in  bold  autumn with blue using  the items I have in storage... as per the  gorgeous arrangements I saw online today on Pier One..

but more along these lines but much more  russet  thrown in for good measure...

  from pinterest

pinned from efavoremart.com

 or staging blue and white.. with  autumn through in as well.. but that  will be a mind game for me for some time...

But, don't you love blue with  the  rich colors of fall??!!?

Thursday Favorite Things

Home and Garden Thursday

Grace at Home

Tablescape Thursday

Home Sweet Home

Enjoying Tea for One

Enjoying  Tea   for One

 
One of my favorite  ways to enjoy  tea  alone here at home is  over my Bible Study...

as I did the morning I  baked my first   loaf  of  Irish soda bread!


whether  inside 


or outside

Or  when  I have just finished  changing up  the seasonal decor.. I celebrate with  a  spicy  brew!

maybe with a bit of  brunch..

  This could very well be me in a day or two as I sit down with my  gardening books.

or maybe  just because I need an afternoon snack


I love a cup of  tea  while I am blogging...


and when I am  lazing on the sofa enjoying my new  magazine

Let's just admit it.. a  cup of tea  goes along with everything...
Let's face it,  C. S. Lewis said it best!

Friends Sharing Tea 
Teacup Tuesday

  Grace at Home

 Thursday Favorite Things
No Place Like Home

 Home and Garden Thursday 

Dainty Green Filigree

Tomorrow's forecast  shows    an almost  completely green state of Virginia...    and with  a forecast of  up to 3 inches of  rain  on top of already  satuarated ground,, the next  48 hours   could be
treacherous, to say the least.
Of course,  we're praying for   God's best for all  connected with this  storm...  and  for possible flooding to  be  minimal.
On a happier note,  all that  green   really gets me to thinking spring..  and new life!!! 
A pot of  red tulips  certainly ushers in   the life of spring  almost like none other!!!
How fitting they should preside  over  a spring tea!

My cup for  today is  shows off her  dainty  green beautifully.. 

Any Country Rose pattern  indeed  expresses  the  perfect  essence of spring! 

 How about a little  green inspired   teatime    sweet..
 recipe  found here!

Friends Sharing Tea 
Teacup Tuesday

  Grace at Home

 Thursday Favorite Things
No Place Like Home
 Home and Garden Thursday  

Who's That Hiding in the Daffodils

Who's that hiding  in the daffodils?

The reds and hearts are all packed away and  the    bunnies are making their  return.. for spring is only 24 days away,,, and  even though  the  ground is white,     you've got to know that they are ready for spring,  and so am I!

 The  soft greens of  spring  are so soothing to my  eye and    warms the room  with  the delicate  fragrance of   the  pre-eminent vernal pleasures  to come!

The splash of yellow   puts a smile of each face  in anticipation of a sun drenched  mornings   just around the  corner...

A delightfully intimate   tea  for  my love and I  to just  enjoy a  morning break and  linger over our Earl Grey  and discuss  the momentous  events  that are upcoming  with  the changes in the weather  as  spring  makes its happy appearance!

 Today I'm sharing  with   

Make it Pretty

A Return to Loveliness

Home Sweet Home

Thursday Favorite Things

Martha’s Favorites 

Tea Time Tuesday 

 Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Friends Sharing Tea 

Share Your Cup Thursday

In Lieu of Halloween

Our dining room  seems to be the heart of the house.... it reflects the  seasons  and family activity...

If it is autumn the black and white  linens are  usually   prominent...

The contrasting colors  just   brighten  every  tablescape...repeating colors     are echoed in the kitchen...



My inherited antique chicken  reminds me of  childhood gatherings around my mother's kitchen...
it's no wonder I  have  also inherited my mom's   love of  roosters.... like this fine fellow

  both these items   find their way into autumnal  vignettes  around my house..  simple  treasures   that  remind me of   family,  hearth, and home!

A Return to Loveliness at A Delightsome Life
Make it Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House
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.