Where Did October Go??

Honestly, it was just September and school was starting. How is it that it is almost the end of October?

I found this picture on Houzz some time ago and wanted to share. It has so many of the things I love.

Pumpkins (and gourds)
Fall color
Rocking Chair
Red and White Quilt
Pillow
Vintage table and chair
Vintage tool box
Porch
Radio Flyer wagon
Shutters
Click on Houzz above and there are lots of other autumn porches to admire, but if I had a porch, I would want it to look just like this one.

Besides dreaming of  fall porches, October brought with it busy and fun times.
The first weekend, as I mentioned in my last post, we took our little blue trailer to the coast.
Grandson Cade had a baseball tournament.
We watched lots of baseball.

Cousin Kyle, the college guy came to see all of Cousin Cade's games.

 We got to our favorite little RV park in Santa Maria a day early, so I had plenty of time to play house and do a little decorating.
First thing was to put my checkerboard tablecloth on my little vintage table.

 Of course anytime there is game playing going on there has to be snacks.
(Got to use my little refrigerator jar and blue mason jar from target)
I lined a little basket I had for the the buttons  checkers.

 I displayed some new finds from the last coast trip in my little corner cabinet.
along with the towel my friend Carol gave me.
Can you see the little trailer ornament on the top shelf. Friend Gail gave me that.
Guess I should have lemons in the bowl instead of bananas. I was going for yellow and that was what I had.

 I even had time to sew two more curtains. One for each side of our slideout that holds the table and chairs and our comfy rockers.

 Just as I knew they would, Cade and Kobi sat down for a game a checkers as soon as they got there.

 We managed to find time for a visit to Avila Barn and oh my! There were pumpkins and more pumpkins. These were a row of some of the unusual ones.

 I picked out three for the picnic table at our camp site.

One of the best parts of our trip though, was getting to meet up with one of my best blogging friends,sweet Annelies of Sew Blessed. We met at Quilting Cousins and had a lovely lunch with her husband afterwards.  

 While at Quilting cousins, I snapped a picture of this quilt. The border has little camping trailers on it, but of course the fabric was all gone...a girl can dream.

Besides two grandsons playing fall baseball, it has also been busy times watching volleyball, basketball, and soccer. No one playing or coaching football this year though. Can't remember that every happening before.

Lexi ask me to help her make a poodle skirt for Halloween. I agreed, only to find out that 3 of her sisters wanted one too. I asked Lexi if she would do all four. You know what...she did. They are all done. She cut them out and all I did was supervise and help out when she got into trouble. I also did the poodle appliques and basted the zippers. She was a trooper and came up every spare minute she had.

 She got to be the first to use my new scallop scissors. They made the perfect edging for the bottom of the skirts.

 I also made a Dorothy from Oz dress for granddaughter Kobi and a Roman queen costume for a school project for her. I couldn't get the patterns I needed in her sizes, so I winged it.
They turned out pretty good.

I also attended a wedding yesterday. I intended to get more pictures as I got to help with the reception decorations, but the only picture I got was of this beautiful tree, the couple was married under.
It is out by the Kern River (dry river bed you can see behind tree)

I love to leave with something to make you smile, and in my world that is always our Emmy Lou.
She got to ride by herself for the first time. She usually has Daddy leading the horse or is riding with a sibling.
Belle is such a good horse. She is as old as "dirt" as they say, but so gentle and just took her around and around the corral. Miss Emmy Lou thought she was such big stuff.

I will be back to show you pics of the Halloween costumes.

Then next week I fly to Kentucky to visit my aunt who is having some health issues. Hope to get some fall color pictures to post and some barn quilts...how I love barn quilts.



God is Good!!
Life is Good!!

Pinterest Try Tuesday # 6

In case you haven't noticed, I love acorns. First acorns cookies and now an Acorn Pillow I just couldn't resist trying.  I even have a little red chair.

This is what I saw on Pinterest.

It was a free embroidery  for an embroidery machine.

The software for my machine won't work any more, so I decided to machine applique.

I copied and saved the design then enlarged it on my printer.

There are instruction links for making the pillow, and lots of other ideas for using the acorn.

http://swakembroidery.com/info/free/SWAK_swak_niah_free_fallacornapplique2sizes.htm

My chair is smaller and my pillow larger, but I think it looks cute.

The fabrics are all some I had. The pillow background is made from Osnaburg. I had forgot about this nubby oatmeal looking rustic fabric and how much I love using it.

Recently, I have renewed my love for machine applique.

It could be done with buttonhole stitch or needle turn applique, but by machine appliqueing it, I was able to finish my pillow in one evening.

However, me being me, I had to add a little handwork, so I hand embroidered the curly ques and hand quilted around the acorn.

Found these buttons in my jar  that look "stitched" and tied them on with floss.

As I have been doing with all my pillows, I used a covered button overlap to close the back.

I just love it . I think the original looks cute with the twig wreath.  Maybe I'll go to Michael's and see what I can find. Some bittersweet would be nice too.

If you try something on Pinterest, and blog about it, please come back and tell me so I can link up to your 

"Pinterest Try"

Patty @ Lemon Lane Cottage joined me to day and tried Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars that she found on Pinterest. Go Check them out. They look delicious.

 

God is Good!!

Life is Good!!

Subtle Changes

midwestliving.com

I think fall is my favorite time of year. (Check back in the Spring and I will might change my mind).

Even though the temps are still teetering on 100 degrees, there are signs that  change is acomin'.

The kids are back in school.

The mornings have taken on a chill.

The leaves are beginning to change  (well, not so much in Bakersfield)

I am wanting to make soup.

Labor Day is this weekend.

Where the sun is in the sky at sundown has changed.

Our table outside was in the shade at dinner time...now completely in the sun. 

How does that happen so quickly?
It's getting light later in the morning and dark earlier in the evening.
The garden is crying out for fall color.

Pinterest  is overcome with pictures of Fall inspirations.

I'm sharing some that I have enjoyed.

creativebreathing.blogspot.com

notjustrockets.com

 

justagirlblog.com

aquieterstorm.tumblr.com

 

sweetsomethingdesign.blogspot.com

seasonsblog.com

And my very favorite.

tsalunsfordthing.blogspot.com

 

 

Well, you get the idea.  If you want to see more fall inspiration, click my Pinterest button on the side bar .  I have almost 100 pins for Thanksgiving and fall. I just can't stop so there may be more by the time you read this.

LOL

 

 

 

God is Good!!

Life is Good!!

Fall is in the Air

Finally, I can feel it! As I do every morning from March thru October, I take my coffee and go outside to sit in my swing  at about 7:00am, do my Devotional for the day and read for a little while.  I face the sun coming up through the trees.  Usually it is a little too bright, but this morning it is diffused by clouds and is all orange and yellow. Then the clouds cover it up and the breeze is blowing.

Welcome breeze.

Welcome clouds.

More signs of Fall as my friends and I go off to Nipomo again last Saturday for the barn sale called

I did a long post on the spring show, and most of the venders were the same with some new stuff, but  two things impressed me the most.

One of those were these pumpkins that had been carved when they were small and on the vine. As they grow the writing becomes raised almost like scar tissue, I think.

Here were a few of my favorites:

One of the reasons we went back to the Remnants of the past was the quest speaker.

It was Rachel Ashwell of Shabby Chic fame.

My friend Linda and I sat down in the front row (hay bales) for about 1 1/2 hrs saving seats.

I have never been a Shabby Chic decorator, but have always enjoyed her style and use elements of it from time to time.

Here she is holding her newest book.  She has been through a lot of financial ups and downs in the last 2 years and she talked about that and reviewed her book...which is full of beautiful pictures, but her story is also written in it and after hearing her talk, I want to get the book.

She is the sweetest lady and so kind to everyone who wanted pictures.  I loved listening to her British accent too.

After leaving the barn sale, we ran across this place and more signs of fall.

Here we all are (missing Cindi again) Me, Ruth,Linda,Sandi,Gail and Sally.

Cindi, sweet lady that she is let us borrow her van so we could all ride together and still have room for treasures. Thanks Cindi.

I loved this little tractor, brought back memories of my boys and their little John Deere tractor they loved so much.

The gift store had plenty of fall to offer too.

This cookbook came home with me. I have seen it on some of your blogs and thoght it was so cute.

This trip, other than the barn sale was not spent trifting or antiquing as we usually do.  We were off to the outlet mall and TJ Max.

Then another produce barn called Avila Barn.

There I bought all kinds of yummy salad fixin's, as I had to take a salad to a Sunday night dinner.

We got apples, strawberry, peaches, zucinni, bread, and more,  but again my camera was drawn to the "signs" of fall.

Yep...Pumpkins

Orange ones

White ones

Green ones

Small ones and gourds of every size and color

And of course my favorite fall flowers.

Opps!! These aren't signs of fall.

Saltwater taffy in every flavor you can imagine.

Brought back memories of being here this summer with the grandkids.

They love to get a little brown bag and pick out their favorites.

Me too!!

This trip was in celebration of my friend Sandi's and my birthdays.

Our birthday's aren't until next weekend, but we will be doing the Peddlers Faire that weekend, so we got to celebrate early.

Thanks to all my friends for a great day of shopping, eating, laughing and fun.

Go to my friend Gail's blog for more info on the Faire, and I'm sure she will be posting more about our day on Saturday. She and Sally got their picture taken with Rachel Ashwell and had her sign their books.