Fall Inspiration at the Furniture Store

Well, it's still HOT here.  The kind of heat that has worn out it's welcome as far as I'm concerned.  So, while I have nothing against summer, I am just yearning for the cooler temperatures to arrive.  I want to be enjoying the outdoors without melting.  

Yesterday we escaped the heat and spent a few hours in the air conditioned Hickory Furniture Mart.  One of my favorite stores to visit is an Amish made furniture shop.  The craftsmanship of the furniture is so impressive to me.  I also enjoyed how they had decorated for the fall season.  This large dining table with seating for 12 greeted us when we first walked in.  I could just picture each chair filled with family members enjoying Thanksgiving dinner together.  A fire would be crackling in the fireplace and, perhaps, the snow would be falling outside the windows.  Ha!  On a blistering hot day, one can dream.

I would love to curl up in this bed with a good book.

Unfortunately the scale of this furniture was too large for the guest room we are trying to furnish.

I'm not quite ready to decorate for fall.  I did, however, enjoy gathering inspiration for when the time comes.

Sitting by a campfire on a cool, crisp evening sounds heavenly right about now.

This display makes me anticipate fall baking and those delicious fall flavors.  Pumpkin Spice, Apple Everything, Cinnamon, Cloves & Nutmeg.

All of these pretty fall decorations are getting me in the mood to start adding a few touches to my own home.  This week our temperatures are forecast to drop into the 80s.  One day the high is only supposed to be 79.  Woo Hoo!!!  I think that might be all that's needed to start the decorating process.  I may begin with the hutch.  I like the simple way they decorated the one above.

I'm nowhere near being ready to see Halloween decorations here as they look out of place to me when it's full on summer outside.  When the leaves start to change and cooler temperatures are here to stay, that will be the time for jack o' lanterns.

I did have to laugh at this display in the Amish buggy.

While we didn't find furniture at the Amish shop, it was fun to wander through and be inspired.  

We did find what we were looking for in one of the other shops.  Awaiting furniture delivery will be a pleasant way to pass these late summer days.  My son has recently bought his first house.  We have donated some of our furniture to him.  I now feel right at home in his house :D.

Enjoy this last August weekend!

What Happens in the Courtyard

When we created this courtyard patio space, we planted jasmine at the base of the trellis and watched it grow and fill in nicely.  Just what we had in mind to offer privacy from our close proximity neighbor :).

This is how it looked last summer.

A late winter freeze threatened to do it in.  In fact when spring rolled around it was totally brown.  It was a bit devastating to lose it after watching it thrive for a few years.  Brett was set to dig it up until I noticed a few green leaves at the base of each plant.  Rather than surrender it just yet, we decided to see if in time it would rebound.

Knowing that it wouldn't look too impressive this season, I planted a row of morning glory and moonflower seeds along the base of the trellis.  For some reason only the seed on each end germinated.

As summer has evolved we have been watching these vines climb up the trellis.  Not quite as pretty as the jasmine, but at least it's green and growing.

Since they haven't bloomed, I'm not sure which flower to expect.

The other evening I went to see if there were any buds yet and was surprised to see this:

~ Ipomoea Alba ~

One big beautiful moonflower.

For a relatively small patio situated so close to the next house, a lot goes on out there if one is paying attention.  In the spring this cardinal was a daily visitor.  Flying from window to window banging his beak into the window, it was easy to tell when he was here.  Oftentimes his mate would be out there with him.

This sweet little chipmunk has discovered the bird feeder.

I enjoy watching him along with the birds while drinking my morning coffee in the living room.

Apparently someone else is visiting the patio during the night.

On a recent morning the feeder had been knocked to the ground and I spied the little chipmunk wondering where his food source had gone.

Standing on his tippy toes for a closer look.

Behind him grow our two tomato plants.

Upon closer inspection I found the night visitor had helped himself to several tomatoes along with the bird food.

This visitor is my least favorite.

You have to really be paying attention to spot him there hiding between the patio and the siding on the house.

I know that snakes have their place.  I just wish it was nowhere near my place.  One day I was stepping onto the patio from the house to water my plants and nearly set my foot down on him or one of his many, many relatives.  EEK, I'm not sure who ran/slithered away faster from that close encounter.

🐍

Summer. . . So Far

This week my grandson will be heading back to school which has made me realize that despite the soaring temperatures outside, summer is beginning to wind down.  Before it's gone for good I thought I'd take a moment to document some of the highlights.  Like, for instance, finishing my first 2000 piece puzzle :D.  It was a challenge that was well suited for those summer days when the heat and humidity made being indoors much more desirable.

In July we travelled to Michigan to meet the newest member of the family.  Our nephew's first child is such a happy little guy.  We thoroughly enjoyed getting to know him.

With family spread around the country, it makes seeing one another a bit more challenging.  When my sister and brother-in-law organized this family reunion, we couldn't wait to go.

My brother and sister-in-law flew in from California for a few days.

Not the best picture, but apparently the only one I took.

As a child our summer vacations were often spent in Ontario, Canada.  My Dad was born there and although the family moved to Michigan when he was very young, he had many cousins still living there.  Crossing the border via the Blue Water Bridge always seemed a bit adventurous to me back then.

One day we drove to Port Huron as my son wanted to see one of the great lakes while in Michigan.  Port Huron is located on the Michigan side of the US/Canadian border and runs along the St. Clair River.  Here you can see the Blue Water Bridge in the distance.

The St. Clair River connects to Lake Huron here which provided an opportunity to walk along the beach and listen to the waves hitting the shore.  I was transported back to childhood days of enjoying long summer days in that water.

We enjoyed a long walk along the river enjoying the sights and the periodic signs and statues providing historical information.  Apparently Port Huron is the boyhood home of Thomas Edison.

Soon after returning home from Michigan our Florida family came for a visit.  Brett's brother and our sister-in-law joined us for dinner one evening.   One day Jaxson made an innocent observation about my aging neck which prompted a conversation among the ladies about what the heck happens to our necks during/after menopause.  Ha Ha!  This would explain why we are using his arms to camouflage our necklines.  :D

Here the timer feature captured all of us bare necks and all.

***

During much of this time I wasn't checking in much with blogging.

When I took the time to catch up on things, I was so sorry to learn of a great loss to our blogging community.  Vee of A Haven for Vee was well known to many of us.  She was one of the first to leave a comment on my blog many years ago and has been a faithful commenter ever since.  Her blog was one I always enjoyed reading.  She had a love for home and family and was gifted with putting her thoughts into words in such an interesting way.  

While I don't think the blog world can ever be the same without her in it, I know that she is now at peace and reunited with her dear husband, John and, if blog reading still happens in heaven, I send my love and thanks to you dear Vee for your friendship through the years.  You will be missed.

💕