Fall Fridays!!!!

I can't help myself....I cannot wait for cool temps and frosty nights with the outside chores put away for Winter, fires in the fireplace, candles, soups on the stove and needlework on my lap....so until it gets here (we're going back to the 90's next week with no rain in sight) I will be sharing some of my favorite fall "pins" and projects I hope to work on.
My favorite is the last one on the lower right corner with the lights.  I checked it and there are directions/hints and I've written down supplies needed so we'll see.   There are other cute ones too.

 This looked interesting and I love to use my crockpot when I can.........

 I think I told you that I've wanted to make my own decorations etc. for each holiday and this one looked like a nice start from Country Stitches

 I have always "had a hankering" to make one of those pumpkin rolls as I've tasted them and they are darn yummy.  But I really don't want to go to all that length.....this looks much easier....I'm after the taste not the looks..............

 I doubt if I'll get to this but it would be pretty on the mantle...........I'm thinking candles inside though....battery operated with an automatic on and off.....yes, I'm lazy..........

 Another easy project with darling results............and lots faster than the ones I crocheted last year and much bigger........

 Love this sweet little cross stitch from Prairie Schooler
 I used to cross stitch years ago and loved their patterns then............

 This is an absolutely gorgeous table runner and I would love to make it but we'll see how far I get with my fall decorations/projects.  I may not get much if anything done but a girl can dream!

 So Happy Fall to you even if it is a bit early...........

YESTERDAY I:
painted sill on front door
painted another half of the shed coat #2
sprayed "poisonous everything" in the yard
mixed up more spray
unloaded some bags of rocks
pulled weeds
cleaned up house
knitted on section 2 of Christmas present

Happy Trails...Dish comes today, more painting and more laundry......boring! LOL!
P.S.  The above "pins" are all on my Pinterest Fall board if you need further info.

Short post today...you'll be grateful! LOL!

I've been pretty energetic lately but yesterday was a struggle and today I am really tired.  Not much to show but then painting is like a slow boat to China.  I think I'm done with the door frame....it was just a re-coat.  I could use a new storm door as it is black that is fading and bare metal in parts but it's functional and they are expensive...for me anyway.

 This is the side of the shed I had already painted 3 coats on but it could use another.  When you stand at a distance you can't tell but close up you can.  We'll see how far I get this Fall before it's too cold to paint outside..

This is the first coat on the other side....pretty awful isn't it? LOL!  I'm tuckered out today so we'll see if I get any painting done at all. 

YESTERDAY I:
emptied and relined all the garbages
took the garbage out to the street and back
painted (hopefully) the last coat on the front door frame except for the sill...almost forgot
picked, hung, and washed a load of laundry
cleaned up the house and kitchen (dishes, dishwasher, sink and counters etc.)
painted the shed
cleaned the litter box
blogged and read some
searched for fabric for Amanda's birthday purse and ended up sending a photo of the one she liked to The Fat Quarter Shop to see if they could find the fabric or something similar.  They have great customer service!
knitted some on Christmas present and finished one section of it
no crocheting just read and went to bed

Happy Trails!

Books, books and more books.............

FINISHED READING:
1. Non-Fiction 
I didn't get a lot of reading done with company here but it's been awhile so I have some books you haven't heard about yet.
I wasn't really "looking" for a book about sociopaths but our library has a table with new books on it as you walk in and this one grabbed my attention.  I think there is spiritual guidance in every moment of every day and I have gotten pretty good at listening to mine.  I picked it up.  I'm so glad I did because after all the years of having a lot of rejection and betrayal and never an apology for any of the mistreatment or criticisms....I finally got closure!  I attract them like flies! LOL!  It doesn't bother me anymore but I've always been curious as to why and usually looking at myself for flaws (oh, I have them alright) but none to explain the relationships or treatment I received by people who supposedly "loved" me.   It had me flummoxed to be sure.  I knew some of it was jealousy and envy but there were also those that just plain wanted to break my spirit from the time I was little.  This book gave me the answers.  I have always been the one to speak up and say "the emperor isn't wearing any clothes" and for that I was shunned, criticized and blamed.  For awhile I was starting to believe everything WAS my fault but then I got sick...very sick and was also going blind (literally).  I had to sell my farm, give up my career and come down here where the doctor said the climate would be better for me.  During this "exile" to Arkansas,  I came to the realization that THEY were all wrong about me and I was wrong about myself too.  I had allowed people to convince me that everything was my fault.  Since then I have listened to my spiritual guidance and have healed both body and soul.  This book just gave me an explanation. I have never been happier!  I deserved so much more and now I have it.....peace, happiness and a love for all regardless.  "Forgive them for they know not what they do" has been my mantra and I also look at rejection as not only protection but direction.  I highly recommend this book.  It's great information by qualified individuals and there are great resources in it also.

2. Fiction
This was a Pulitzer Prize winner?  Really?  I'm not even going to "review" as there was no plot and it was more like a documentary in words about fictional people....very strange. This was my audio book last month and it is going, going, gone!  LOL!

3.  Fiction
Someone recommended this author and boy am I glad I picked it up!  She is an Australian writer and does a superb job of story telling, suspense and fascinating characters.  It was one of those books where you can't wait to go to bed so you can pick it up again.  The great thing is she has written quite a few so the love affair can continue!
A tiny girl is abandoned on a ship headed for Australia in 1913. She arrives completely alone with nothing but a small suitcase containing a few clothes and a single book—a beautiful volume of fairy tales. She is taken in by the dockmaster and his wife and raised as their own. On her twenty-first birthday, they tell her the truth, and with her sense of self shattered and very little to go on, "Nell" sets out to trace her real identity. Her quest leads her to Blackhurst Manor on the Cornish coast and the secrets of the doomed Mountrachet family. But it is not until her granddaughter, Cassandra, takes up the search after Nell’s death that all the pieces of the puzzle are assembled. A spellbinding tale of mystery and self-discovery, The Forgotten Garden will take hold of your imagination and never let go.

CURRENTLY READING:
1.  Non-Fiction
This book is a collection of newspaper articles that Gladys Taber wrote for the Cape Cod Oracle in her town of Orleans, Massachusetts on Cape Cod.  It was what she was working on just months before her death in March of 1980.  The book is a years worth divided into "monthly" chapters.  She writes about her friends and animals, of nature both human and Mother and it is the gentlest, kindest thing to read before going to sleep at night.  I'm on October right now but I can see keeping this on my nightstand and reading the corresponding month at the beginning of each month throughout the year.  A gentle reminder of the gifts of each season.

2.  Fiction
Another Kate Morton book!

3.  Audio - Fiction
This is the book that made her famous.  Unfortunately, having 2 of her books going at the same time can be confusing so I'm not sure this is going to work out.  I may have to stop reading one of them.  I'm getting "character confusion"! LOL!

Here's an update on Miss Peeps.  She has grown as you can see and she is long and lean.  She is in the "terrible twos" right now.  She is part goat and part monkey even though she looks like a cat do not be deceived!  She can climb walls, cupboards, lamps and windows.  She can leap tall buildings in a single bound!  I am so grateful for my porch where she gets "timeouts" and also where she sleeps at night so we can all get some rest! LOL! 

Here she is with her big sister.........

YESTERDAY I:
cleaned the tub
cleaned up the house
blogged and read some blogs
vacuumed the living room
watered outside
changed the sheets
picked, hung and washed a load of laundry
called Dish on problems with t.v.
made bread
knitted some
finished crocheting squares for Dottie Angle blanket

It's a beautiful day here and I hope you're enjoying yours!
Happy Trails!

Mammoth Spring State Park Part 2

Here is the last of my vacation travelogue...lol!  This a train station from the old days and no longer in use...too bad as I love trains.

I'd love to have one of these to ride the rails with....so cute and I love the "lookout"!

 I appreciate these informative signs explaining things and giving you more information on the history as you would never learn about these things otherwise. 

We made up stories about who or what might live in this big tree hole.....hobbits?  Fairies?  Leprechauns?  It has to be someone's home!

Amy, Sam and Grayson.....in front of the train depot.

Interesting and very detailed "corbels"?

They even had their own weather station!  I want one!

These were hibiscus in pink and white and they seemed to be growing wild.

Don't fall in!

You start at the Visitors Center and circle around the entire park and end up back where you started

We loved this little flower growing near the spring so I asked about it at the Visitor's Center when I got back and the lady got out an Arkansas Wild Flower book and said it is Jewel Weed.  It is supposed to be good for poison ivy and nettle stings if I remember correctly.  I would have liked to buy the book but it was pricey as it had tons of info and lots of color photos good for identifying plants.

Run for the hills...Sam and Grayson are loading up "The Big Gun"!

Plenty of water fowl all over the park too.............

This was an unusual bird I'd never seen before.  I should have enlarged it before posting.  Beautiful colors and a long beak. 

Well, vacation is over and it's back to work!  Tune in tomorrow for my book reviews....there's been some good books this month when I got a chance to read...lol!
I'm off to the great outdoors to work today as this week is cool temps and low dew points.
Happy Trails!
P.S.  I've decided to not list my "accomplishments" on the weekends as they really should be days off otherwise how am I ever going to get those projects done that I posted about yesterday? LOL!

YOP Week #8

Well, I've missed 6 weeks of this but I am back now.  I most probably will not be moving as soon as I thought but I am still working towards it and my family came down to help me get the yard in shape so that's taken care of and I have done some organizing, packing and even some painting with "miles to go before I sleep".  But I did get the birthday presents finished and have some new projects in the works also.
First up, the birthday giraffe for my namesake, Sam.  This is a Susan B. Anderson Craftsy class I took and I'm so glad I did.  I think I'm a visual learner.  I also bought her book which has this pattern in it plus so much more!  I really enjoy toy making.

Here's the lucky recipient too.........he loves stuffed animals.......
we celebrated 4 birthdays while my kids and grand kids were down here.

Next up was Uriah's quilt and I only got this picture of it with him.  I was so busy trying to get the gifts done that I forgot to take pictures.  That's his dad holding it up.  Uriah really loved it and he slept with it that night!  I hand embroidered a quilt label on linen that was on the back of it which I also forgot to photograph and it turned out pretty good.

I finished the knitted blanket for Grayson and backed it with a dark brown Minky fabric.  It really turned out great considering all the warnings I saw out on the internet about sewing with Minky fabric.  But then I did all hand sewing of it.  I made a hem and then used a blind/hem stitch to attach it.  Not only did it hide the seams of all those squares but it really helped block it and keep it's shape.  I would recommend backing for sure.  It really looks so much more finished when you do.
Unfortunately, this picture is before I backed it or blocked it.

This pattern is a keeper and it would be a great way to use up scraps too.
I also made a crocheted flower pin for my daughter and once again forgot to photograph.  I live alone so having all those people around was very confusing for me...more than my normal confused state! LOL!  I'm not used to it anymore but I loved it!
All my projects this year are WIP's pretty much or projects I need to make for gifts or kits I have had laying around that I never started.  This is a Dottie Angel blanket that I started and I have all the squares done except for weaving in the ends on the gold one there and doing one more square in the gray.  I need to find a joining method.  I've never joined squares before. Any good tutorials out there that you know of?  It's too late for join-as-you-go.  Dottie did not give directions just some pictures and a few tips but it was no tutorial that's for sure!  She has stopped blogging too which is a shame.  They get famous and then forget those who got them there...their loyal followers.
Current Crochet Project:

Current Knitting Project:
This is a Christmas present so I can't divulge what it will be...........

but it is something from this book..............

Current Sock Project:  I will always be making socks.  I am onto the foot of my Canadiana sock which I need to pick back up again..........

 I also need to make the 2nd Spring Garden sock..........

 Some of my projects are "hush-hush" as I have family that reads my blog.
Current Cross Stitch Project:  
This is an old, old WIP that I ran across in my stash called Frost on the Pumpkin which can't come soon enough for me!  Frost that is and Halloween and all things Fall!

Current Sewing Project:  This is my very first quilt which keeps getting ignored.  That's the backing fabric.  The reason I have it under sewing is that all the quilting is done and I just need to bind it now.  You've probably seen this before and once again it got shoved aside but not this time!

Current Quilting Project:
 This is a gift for someone so I'll leave it at that.......I started quilting it and forgot to put my walking foot on my machine...duh!!!!  There's a few puckers at the end of the row which helped me finally catch on! LOL!

Current Embroidery Project:  I bought this for myself last Christmas and I had looked at it for several years before that.....what am I waiting for?  I love this picture as it reminds me of my home town and childhood. I ordered it from Purl Bee and low and behold, Alicia Paulson also got it and blogged about it.  Great minds think alike! I am starting it this afternoon!  A cup of tea and thee.....

Current Holiday Project:  I was going to call it Ornament Project but then realized that it's so much more than ornaments!  In fact, my plan is to make decorative items for each holiday and slowly get rid of the "commercial" and/or hand bought decorations.  Truth be told, the simplifying of my life has a goal of a "handmade" home....from clothes to food to decor...you name it! Maybe I'll even build myself a "tiny house" but then where would I put all this stuff?
These are the supplies from an Alicia Paulson wool felt Christmas Ornament kit but I can't put my hands on the instructions.  Story of my life!  That's what happens when I clean and organize....I can't find a thing! LOL!  But I will! 

Meanwhile, the next holiday coming up is Labor Day so I'm thinking of treating myself to something new.  I deserve it after all those birthday presents, right?  I have little if any patriotic decorations so I think I will do a little internet shopping this afternoon!  Oh, I'm so glad I thought of that! LOL!
Tidbits:
Speaking of shopping..........there are a few things you need to know...
There's a drawing for some great yarn at Susan B. Anderson's blog
also a drawing for a darling coin purse kit over at Nana & Co.
but that's not all............Diane from Lavender Dreamer 
posted about the entire set of Miss Marple ebook mysteries by Agatha Christie on sale at Amazon
for just $5.99........I'm just sayin'! LOL!  Good deals are a girl's best friend!
Happy Trails!

P.S.  I almost forgot.........
Yesterday I:
made Mario Batali's Italian tomato sauce
made his recipe for eggplant parmesan
fed the hummers
watered inside and outside plants