Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Autumn Decorating and Other Adventures


I've brought in some sweet autumnal touches

as we transition to a new season. 

This country basket was once my Dear Mother's. 

She loved unusual baskets and so do I. 


A favorite fairy scene as they fade away

along with their flowers. 


Golden light streams in

as I redecorate for fall. 


Birdy Boy, my sweet Cockatiel, supervises from his lofty perch. 


He comes out to play every morning.

(Once the cats and dogs have gone outside) 

He's been my little friend for 15 years. 

I found him - he was lost. 

He comes when I call. 

Most of the time :) 


The mantel gets a new look....

warm russet tones replace summer blues and greens.



Just a few seasonal touches. 




Gifts from nature.
I grew the strawflowers.




Heart rocks that my Ramblin' Man

 has collected over the summer for me,

ring the stove pipe. 


Soon we will have to find a new home for them

when it gets a little colder and we fire up the woodstove.....

Ramblin' Man has his work cut out for him stacking wood for 

the next month. 


Our weather has held out long enough for us to get the side

and the front of the house stained! 


This is what I did today after I played decorator. 

We are 'blessed' with an abundance of rocks here- 

every place we dig! So we have lots of little piles

that have been waiting to be used.......

We needed some drainage here. 

I am not quite done yet. 

I filled my little garden cart with rocks

and because we have no level ground, 

I had a wild ride trying to keep the 

cart from careening out of control and spilling my rocks! 

I am tired and sore.....

Usually Ramblin' Man does these things, 

but he has been Ramblin'.......


I finished up my decorating by putting some rustic 

bark covered votives beside a matching planter. 



This is where I sit in the evenings. 

The basket fills up with my reading material

and I watch television (inside the closed cabinet). 

I watched the first part of 'The Roosevelts' on PBS

last night. I am recording tonight's to watch with the Mr. 

It's a 4-part series. 

I love history, autobiographies, and documentaries. 

So far, it is wonderful 
(except for Theodore's penchant for killing helpless animals).


 It has been so dry that there are forest fires raging once again. 

When I stepped out onto the deck this morning, I could smell smoke,

and you can see the haze over the mountains. 


Mt. Rainier is barely visible. 

Luckily, we are finally getting some much needed rain

tomorrow night. 

I have had to spend every day watering. 

Some things I can't save......

We have a well and I have to ration the water. 


I bought myself some new flowers, though. 

And the little basket holds miniature roses from earlier this summer. 

One rose is still blooming. 



One perfect little rose. 



I also bought some dear little pansies. 

These are 'Glacier Pansies' and will bloom all winter. 

I have to pot them up....



This big guy was flying around trying to get a closer look at me

as I admired the flowers. He is about 3 inches long. 



Come back inside and I will show you something cute...



I bought these wooden letters and heart to make a sign.

 I put them here on my enamel-top desk until then. 

They are so cute, I am tempted to just leave them here. 

I will show you my finished sign in a future post. 




I found these tiny white pumpkins, too. 

They are real, not painted! 



Soon, I'll have to change my Scrabble letters, as 

Indian Summer is almost over. 

Time just flies by, doesn't it? 


We celebrated my youngest son's birthday over the weekend
 at his home - he's 32. 

How did that happen? 

It was just yesterday that he was 

a chubby cheeked little boy. 

Now he's a married man. 

But he still loves a party! 


So does this guy, my Son-in-Law, Eric, 
who shared the birthday honors. 


I've eaten way too much cake and ice-cream this month! 


But the sweetness of sharing these wonderful celebrations with loved ones
is worth the extra lbs! 

Besides, I worked it off today! 

I will leave you, Dear Friends, with this lovely view 
of my son and new bride's chandelier
over their birthday table. 

xoxo

A Gardener's life
Is full of sweets and sours;
He gets the sunshine
When he needs the showers. 

-Reginald Arkell-

xoxo
Wishing you a lovely day. 

25 comments:

  1. Hello dear Karen
    Such beautiful decorations to welcome your autumn season.
    I love wicker baskets too and yours is a lovely shape - perfect for holding berries and leaves.
    What a pretty room filled with all your lovely bits - the fairy print is delightful - I think Birdie Boy admires it too! He looks like a character - that seems a great age for a bird.
    Your stack of wood hints of fires to come, so comforting as the weather gets cooler!

    We love the history channel and good documentaries too - I hope we get The Roosevelts here, my husband in particular loves war history.

    I love seeing your little pansy faces - I planted three containers of them in our autumn and they are still providing colour at our front door after five months!
    I loved seeing a photos of your son - my baby is now 37, it's hard to believe - those years gone in a flash!

    Such an enjoyable post Karen.
    Hugs
    Shane

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  2. Your home is looking beautiful, I love all the fall colours and little touches. Big hello to Birdy Boy, he looks very sweet and tame, love his pretty feathers. Happy Birthday to your son and son in law. So many September babies. My boy just celebrated his birthday too!

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  3. All your Fall touches are so pretty and homey! It's amazing how time flies - I still think of my kids as chubby-cheeked toddlers sometimes - sigh... The birthday celebration definitely deserves some yummy treats - and you've been working so hard, so now worries about a couple extra calories:-)

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  4. love your sweet birdie boy! cockatiels are so sweet and i love their whistles. i like your rocks, but i can imagine trying to transport that load. :) sorry about the wildfire danger, but those smoky scenes are just incredibly beautiful! so soothing in their colors and tones!

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  5. Oh wow your home looks like an autumn-lover's heaven!! I love that pic of Birdy Boy by the way. And that pile of wood is ginormous!!

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  6. I love your living room Karen. It looks so cozy and golden in the sunlight and that wood stove would be so cozy in the fall and winter. I would really enjoy that room a lot. Your mother's basket is a beauty. I hope you get the much needed rain to put out the forest fires. Such a concern I'm sure. Have a wonderful week. Hugs. Pam

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  7. Dear Karen,
    I really enjoey your post !You have such a lovely, warm and comfortable home! I can you all your love in all those tiny details .....
    Love your tiny rose she ist beuatiful, also your pansies! I will get some too soon, for the patio pots ;O)
    Yes, time just flies away....where is the year gone?
    Wishing you still wonderful autumn days in your wonderful home and garden!
    Sending Love and hugs and Blessings,
    Claudia xo

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  8. Love your Autumn touches, Karen! I adore your house, and it is always so CLEAN! :-) If I walked around my house to take pictures I'd be too embarrassed to post them! :-) But, my daughter says I have to start culling out all the clutter, and she is right. Your pretty little rose makes me so thankful for the one I have right now. I lost two miniature roses, after having them three years. They just suddenly started getting brown and brittle and I couldn't bring them back. In a moment of "Oh how pretty!" I bought a new one at the grocery store, and put it on the front porch with a geranium that has been struggling and the bird of paradise that never seems to grow. It had six blooms on it yesterday! Perfect, gorgeous apricot-colored roses! We are getting a light lovely rain right now...all that we have seen so far in regards to the hurricane. Sorry you have such a drought right now. The fire danger is always such a concern! Enjoy having your hubby home!

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  9. I love all your fall touches to the house. You bought such pretty flowers too! I love your view of the mountain. Seeing your gorgeous chandelier reminds me that I need to clean mine! Take care and enjoy the week.
    Julie

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  10. Hola amiga querida ! Sí casa es hermosa en cualquier época del año l sobretodo ahora que se avecina el otoño!,

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  11. Hi Beatrice
    It is so fine with the berries in the basket.
    Lovely decorations and fine inspiration.
    Thank you!

    Hugs
    JetteMajken

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  12. Your home has such lovely autumnal touches already Karen. I have just collected some conkers and have noticed pumpkins in the shops so I am very excited as I am such an autumn lover. Well done with the pebbles, I do hope you are recovering now :-) Your chandelier is so beautiful. Have a wonderful week and keep safe from those fires xx

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  13. Greetings dear Karen!
    You Found Birdie Boy? How? Where? He let you touch him? Wow.
    :) m & jb

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    Replies
    1. Hi Maureen, Thanks for stopping by today! Yes, my dear little bird....he was lost and I found him on the roof, panting and battered. I opened the window and offered him some wild bird seed that I put in a dish - rattled it, so he could hear..... he came right over and gobbled it all up and I carefully closed the window. He was tame and hopped right onto my finger. I put up flyers, but nobody claimed him. He could have flied from a very long distance by the looks of him. He sat quietly in my decorative bird cage for 4 whole days recovering.....then he came to life. I bought him the biggest cage I could find - 4 ft x 3 ft. and he is very happy. Sweet boy, he sings me songs and gives me kisses. I will do a post just on him some day. xo Karen

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  14. I love the autumn touches in your cosy home! We're still enjoying summer like weather in Brittany, but the mist in the early morning reminds me that autumn is on its way. What a sweet feathery friend you have!

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  15. Incredible view, but I am sure the smell of smoke would dampen the joy a bit. Love all your fall decorations. Have a wonderful week!

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  16. You've taken so many beautiful photos of the mountains. And you have the perfect home for Fall decorations! I love all of the natural wood. You're probably having a taste of Fall weather this week! Enjoy your evening! Sweet hugs, Diane

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  17. Dearest Karen,
    Birdy Boy is a lucky pet for being able to live in a home with dogs and cats!
    The special, lower light entering the home makes things look so different again. Very warm and cozy with the natural wood and nice, natural decorations.
    Your husband got a lot of logs split for the coming winter.
    Hope you get some rain for filling the well and also for saturating the garden.
    Sending you hugs,
    Mariette

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  18. Such a beautiful Fall post. I enjoyed seeing pictures of your pretty flowers cozy home decorated for Fall, and your cute little cockatiel. I think he was supposed to be yours all along.

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  19. Hello Karen! Your home always looks so warm and beautiful, just like you! I love your mother's basket with berries and your heart stones are simply precious!

    My husband and I have been getting our firewood read for the Winter and it won't be long until we are sitting by a cozy fire enjoying the cold months.

    Thank you, sweet friend, for always sharing beauty and love in your posts. You are such a joy!

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  20. Oh Karen!!! I think you and I have so much in common when it comes to decorating! I love how you use natural elements from your garden in your home! Your mantle is stunning and your wood burning fire place is such a cozy spot...like I could sit right there with a cup of tea! And all of that wood is such a sight! I hope that the fires let up around you and that you all get some rain to ease the dryness. We have been very cold here already and the trees are turning which I find very interesting. I am so glad you were all able to celebrate your son and son in laws birthdays! Looks like a great time! I can only imagine how fast 32 years goes as my beans are growing way too fast! I always enjoy coming by and seeing your space here! A lovely weekend to you friend! Nicole xoxo

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  21. Here I am at the close of the day relaxing by the fire taking a sweet walk through your beautiful home and yard. Your place warms my heart, Karen.
    Birdie Boy is quite special I must say. What a blessing for you to have found him. He its beautiful, that is for sure.
    I have never had a bird for a pet, but sure enjoy the ones God blesses me with in the out doors.
    It is always a joy to visit you here, Karen.
    The Lord bless you.
    Joy to you, Debbie

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  22. Dearest Karen,
    Happy Birthday to your son Dustin!
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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  23. Dear Karen,

    You have been very busy! Hope your husband will be back soon to help you with the rest of the work.

    Happy birthday to you son! Did you bake him those beautiful cupcakes?

    Hope the good weather will hold for a little while longer. Enjoy the beautiful flowers in your garden!

    Happy weekend,

    Madelief x

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  24. Dear Madelief,
    Thank you for your sweet visit! No, I did not bake - my new Daughter -in - Law did the honors! They were gluten free, too, and very delicious. Happy week, to you, my friend. xo Hugs Karen

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Thank you for stopping by! Your comments are important to me and are very much appreciated. xx Karen

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