Category: SEASONS

The Calm before the Storm

I was able to capture these yesterday while it was spring like. Just look at all that grass peeking through.

It’s hard to believe that the next three pictures are of the same farm. I just love barns!

Look close at the next picture and you will see there is a ghost hanging in the loft window. A Halloween leftover?

This last one is my favorite with all the stone and warped barn wood. I love how the doors were hanging askew too.

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20 little things to look forward to in spring

Melissa at The Inspired Room is hosting 20 Little things to look forward to in spring. Head on over to see the other entries.
  • Green Grass
  • Flowers, lots and lots of brightly colored Spring Flowers ~ Irises, daffodils, tulips, lilacs…
  • Green leaves
  • Open Windows
  • Warm breezes through those open windows
  • Birds chirping
  • Butterflies
  • Bunnies
  • Bird Nests
  • Fawns
  • Easter
  • Spring Cleaning
  • Putting away the winter boots and gear
  • Fresh fruits in season
  • Iced Tea
  • Pastel colors
  • Walks in the woods
  • Yard Sales
  • The sound of kids playing in the park
  • Pedicures & Sandals

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Thank Goodness today's project keeps me Indoors

From weather.com:
ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE DROPPING FROM CENTRAL CANADA INTO THE PLAINS STATES WILL BRING A REINFORCING SHOT OF BITTER COLD AIR INTO THE UPPER GREAT LAKES REGION THROUGH THURSDAY. THIS BITTER COLD AIR MASS ALONG WITH AN INCREASE IN NORTHWEST WINDS THIS AFTERNOON WILL DRIVE WIND CHILL VALUES INTO THE 25 TO 35 BELOW ZERO RANGE OVER WEST AND CENTRAL UPPER MICHIGAN. EXPECT WIND CHILL VALUES TO TUMBLE INTO THE 35 TO 45 BELOW ZERO RANGE TONIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING AS THE CORE OF THE ARCTIC AIR MASS DRIFTS OVERHEAD. I’m sure glad I don’t have to leave the house today, my boots are only rated to 30 below – LOL. I think I’ll go get another cup of coffee.

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NOT what you want to sign on to see… Wait, I'm not ready!!! I need another couple weeks…

Special Weather Statement for Iron County, MI

Issued by The National Weather Service
Marquette, MI
3:42 pm CDT, Wed., Oct. 22, 2008

… STRONG WINDS AND SIGNIFICANT SNOW POSSIBLE ON SUNDAY INTO MONDAY MAINLY OVER NORTHWEST UPPER MICHIGAN…

A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL CROSS UPPER MICHIGAN ON SATURDAY NIGHT… USHERING A CHILLY CANADIAN AIRMASS INTO THE GREAT LAKES. EXPECT NORTHWEST WINDS IN THE WAKE OF THIS FRONT TO GUST AS HIGH AS 45 MPH OVER PORTIONS OF UPPER MICHIGAN… ESPECIALLY THE KEWEENAW PENINSULA ON SUNDAY.

AS THE COLDER AIR RUSHES IN BEHIND THE FRONT OVER THE RELATIVELY WARM WATERS OF LAKE SUPERIOR… LAKE EFFECT RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS WILL DEVELOP SATURDAY NIGHT AND PERSIST THROUGH MONDAY. THE SHOWERS WILL BE MOST NUMEROUS IN THE NORTHWEST WIND SNOW BELTS OF WESTERN UPPER MICHIGAN AND EAST OF MARQUETTE. PLAN ON THE BEST CHANCE OF A SIGNIFICANT PLOWABLE LAKE EFFECT SNOW LATE SUNDAY INTO MONDAY OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF INTERIOR WESTERN UPPER MICHIGAN FROM PELKIE TO WATTON… BRUCE CROSSING… PAINT LAKE AND MARENISCO.

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20 Little Things to Treasure in Autumn

Melissa over at The Inspired Room is inspiring women all over the blogosphere to share their favorite 20 things about Autumn. It all started with this post at Beautifully Imperfect, and since this fits in so beautifully with all we’ve been trying to accomplish this month, Barbara decided to share her own list and now I will too.
20 Little Things to Treasure in Autumn
  1. Adding the quilts to the beds and then the down comforters too! I just love snuggling in with a good book on a chilly fall evening!
  2. Flannel Sheets.
  3. Pumpkin Butter on a fresh slice of bread.
  4. The leaves changing to the reds, golds and oranges of fall.
  5. Apple cider on the front porch bundled up with my favorite flannel blanket.
  6. Steaming bowl of chili and Monday night football with hubby.
  7. Trading things and tennies for slippers and boots.
  8. Soups and stews simmering on the stove all day.
  9. The cat curled up in the warmth of the sun streaming through an upstairs window.
  10. Turtlenecks and flannels – I just love them together.
  11. Hot chocolate and fresh baked chocolate chip cookies.
  12. Candles on the mantle.
  13. Seeing your breath when you talk.
  14. Fresh made applesauce from our own tree.
  15. The first snow of the season.
  16. Harvest Festivals and Oktoberfests.
  17. Decorating for Halloween.
  18. Trick-or-treaters in their cute little costumes.
  19. Decorating for Thanksgiving.
  20. Decorating for Christmas.
Isn’t it great that we decorate for all these holidays during the same season?

PUMPKIN BUTTER
1 13 ounce can solid pack pumpkin puree’
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
4 1/2 cups sugar
1 package unflavored gelatin

  • Mix pumpkin, spices and gelatin into a large saucepan.
  • Bring to a hard boil over a high heat, stirring constantly!
  • Stir in sugar all at once.
  • Return to a full rolling boil. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly!
  • Remove from heat.
  • Ladle into jars.
  • Water bath process.
Give me 5 Monday came up with the same topic, so I guess I’m covered 4 times over!

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Autumn Tablescape

Autumn Tablescapes is being hosted by Heidi at Foxgloves, Fabric & Folly
Head on over to see all the other participants.

My dining room is still a staging area for the remodel so I’m using the kitchen table. In all likelihood it will be just the two of us this year so this scenario isn’t too far off the mark. One of my favorite pieces is the nut bowl you see on the far right, made by my grandmother who has passed on. So each year having that on my table reminds me of how thankful I am that she was in my life and for all the wonderful things I learned from her.

I also couldn’t yet find the Thanksgiving plates (probably another setback of the remodel) so have used my Thanksgiving trivets as stand ins.

As for the recipe to share check out my beef stew, the perfect cool fall meal!

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Happy Fall Y'ALL


Have I mentioned that Fall is my favorite Season?
Or that I’m a transplanted Texan?
It’s the only time of year I get to say Y’all.
I love saying Y’all.
Happy Fall Y’all!

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It all started with a box in a bag…

For my birthday my girlfriend just brought me this great home style box that just screams FALL. She filled it with coffee and a couple of Danish preserves, apricot and raspberry, my favorites! I’ll have to make some Monte Cristo sandwiches to go with the raspberry jam.
So it seemed like the right time to start pulling out the Fall decorations and getting into the spirit of the season. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE fall – it really is my favorite season!! So I turned the autumn garland into a wreath and even washed all the door windows on all 4 front doors (2 of them are storm doors, but still multi-paned). I also found some foil leaf twined package decorations that look great on the front door.
These candles on the coffee table are some of my all time favorites along with the grapevine pumpkin. The hall wall table below has my favorite wooden pumpkins on it.

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It's about time!

YESTERDAY

TODAY

My first Iris of Spring.
It’s about time.
The sun graced us for enough time to let this little one open her bloom.
Barbara, I hope yours bloom this year. This is what those bulbs look like.
Aren’t they beautiful and worth the wait?
And now it’s thunder storming and pouring down rain yet again.

The birds are SOOOOOOOOO confused and NONE too happy!

Friday would be the night we would do pizza if we still lived near the city. So since we can’t have it and their feeders were really low on food and full of snow, I decided to throw the birds a pizza party of their own. They seem to be enjoying it.

The party didn’t last long though before the snow began again!

Isn't it SPRING yet?

Now they’re adding wind? This just gets better and better – will spring ever get here?

…RAIN SHOULD BEGIN BY MID EVENING… MIXING WITH AND CHANGING OVER TO ALL SNOW BY DAYBREAK FRIDAY. WINDS GUSTING TO 30 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT…ACTING TO REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO NEAR A MILE OR LESS AT TIMES. THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE FIGURED NEAR LAKE SUPERIOR. STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF 7 TO 10 INCHES ARE EXPECTED BY THE TIME THE HEAVY WET SNOW EXITS SATURDAY AFTERNOON…

I was asked this morning if the barn in the above picture was ours… I wish, but nope not that one – I just LOVE old barn pictures. This one is ours:


Hubby is thinking of turning it into a work shop… maybe…