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.

💕

Memories Now

In the midst of the Christmas festivities, I could totally relate to granddog, Lacey's feelings on the matter.  LOL.

Once the hustle and bustle of the season has come and gone, it's good to reflect back on all that took place.

That Christmas dinner that was carefully planned and prepared is now but a memory.  Happy to say that it was enjoyed by all.

The gifts that were thoughtfully chosen and now given will be enjoyed for years to come.

Taking time out for a photo was tolerated...

But, became much more tolerable when silliness was allowed.

Now that all is said and done, it occurs to me that some of my favorite moments were not captured in photos.  Perhaps one of the highlights for me was watching grandpa teach Jaxson how to play Monopoly as I cleaned up the dinner dishes.  The game went on for hours (or at least it seemed to) with Jaxson being the winner.  Naturally that was very exciting for him and he was looking for Monopoly players first thing the next morning.

The planning, prepping, shopping, baking, cleaning and decorating are behind us now leaving behind many memories.  I do hope that yours are good ones.

As I sit here typing up this post, it is dark and pouring rain.

It's supposed to go on all day.  Inside, the coffee is hot and the Christmas tree lights are lending the last warm glow for the season.  A most welcome sight on this dreary day.

A Fall Road Trip

Last week we took a road trip back to our home state.

Winding our way through Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio and, finally, Michigan, the fall foliage becoming more vibrant as we went.

This rest area in Ohio gave us a welcome chance to stretch our legs and have a snack while enjoying the autumnal beauty.

The main reason for our trip was to visit my sister and brother-in-law.  What a surprise it was to all when we arrived at their house along with a gentle snowfall.  This was early, even by Michigan standards.  As we sat around the table enjoying Norma's delicious homemade chili, the weather outside seemed a bit confused.  The sun was peeking through lighting up the beautiful leaves on the trees as the snowflakes floated to the ground along with a leaf or two.

Inside, memories of my family together around the table warmed me.  The first 42 years of my life took place in Michigan with family together around the table at every holiday.  A brief reminder of those days washed over me as we enjoyed our meal together.

It's hard to go back "home" and not get a bit sentimental.

One day we visited Northville, the town we raised our boys in.

The downtown area was decorated for fall with these gorgeous planters lining the main street.

Another look at the main street decorated for the fall season.

High on our list of places to visit was the local cider mill.

That was always a fall tradition and one that we have missed.

It was worth standing in line for that freshly made doughnut and apple cider.  Naturally a bag of doughnuts and a gallon of cider came home with us.

It was nice to see that the wooden train was still there.

It was once a big thrill for my boys.

Of course I had to check out the unique shops in Northville and nearby Plymouth.  I thought this Thanksgiving display was especially pretty.

We went down memory lane when taking a drive by our childhood homes.  The home that Brett lived in through 3rd grade hasn't changed much.

This was not either of our childhood homes.

It was in the area and we always found the roof to be interesting.  

Since Brett's childhood home was near another cider mill, we felt obligated to pay a visit.  Apple butter and apple sauce came home with us from this one.  When it was time to head home, Brett wasn't sure he could fit everything in the car.  It seems we stocked up on all of the local favorites that we can't find in North Carolina.  

🍂🍂🍂

On our last day, the temperature went into the mid 70s feeling much more like a summer day.  In some ways it felt like a condensed version of all of the seasons in Michigan all put together in a week.

So now as the fall color change is just getting underway here, we will fill our glasses with apple cider, head for the patio and watch the squirrels scamper and the trees put on their seasonal show with warm memories of our visit back home.

When Life Hands You Disarray...

 

 My messy kitchen table is just an extension of the discombobulation going on here right now.

Very soon my husband's small business will move from a rented office building to our home sweet home.  After nearly 25 years, this will be quite a change for us.

We've been going full-throttle to sort through years and years of stuff in the garage, attic and son's former bedroom to make room for the desks, file cabinets, computers, new phone system, etc. needed for conducting business from home. 

I met Brett at work a long time ago and have worked along with him in some capacity since he started his business all those years ago.

Along with sorting through things here at home, we've been paring down to the bare bones at the office.  In amongst all of the stuff lies years and years of memories.  Former employees, office parties, business trips, loyal customers and on and on...

This (somewhat) unexpected move is reminding me how quickly time goes by.  There seem to be more of those reminders at this stage of life, I think. 

While I'm not quite sure how all of this will work out, I am trying hard to set it up here so that our office space is kept separate from our home space.  

Right now, the upstairs hallway is lined with stuff in transition.

I spent the morning scrubbing baseboards and carpet.

Now it's time to step away from all of that and bring some order and beauty to at least one spot.

I started by clearing the clutter from the table and then went in search of a clean tablecloth. 

 

Okay, I folded this one so carefully after laundering it last time.

What the heck happened?

I briefly considered leaving it. 

But, I just couldn't do it.

I love the looks of freshly pressed vintage linens.

I actually don't mind ironing them either.  Sometimes I'm a wee bit lazy when it comes to wrangling the ironing board out of the coat closet, however.

 I've been on the hunt for an oval tray to use in the center of my table.  My sister-in-law spotted this one the other day and the hunt was over.  I love the patina and the mixture of metals.  Let's have some fun playing with it as we spruce up the table, shall we?

My backyard is also in a state of discombobulation, but that's another story for another day.

I was able to gather a bouquet of limelight hydrangeas out there this morning.

I am liking the cut crystal with the tray.  How about you?

You know those posts where they give you step by step directions for creating the perfectly pinworthy centerpiece vignette for your table?  Well, this is not one of those.  This is just little ole me mixing and matching with my garden flowers and thrift shop treasures.  

 Speaking of thrift shop treasures, I pulled a few dishes out of the cupboards.

That tiny tea cup had no saucer.  It's tiny price tag made me no longer care about missing saucers.

I like my table centerpiece vignettes to have a candle included.

Looking for something less predictable than a candlestick, I'm going to try using the tea cup.

 

I think that is the cozy glow I'm looking for.

That little snippet of hydrangea fell off while I was arranging them.

I'm good with leaving it on the tray.  What about you?

The goblet in the forefront was given to me by my Aunt Marge.

I was still in junior high when she gave them to my mom to save for "Kimmy" (as my family affectionately calls me :).  Aunt Marge said she thought I would appreciate them and she is right.  I kept them neatly packed in a box in my closet until my wedding day.  

She received them as a wedding gift.

She was 13 years older than my mom.  If my mom was still alive she would now be 90.  I'm too tired to do all of the math, but I think we can conclude that they are very old.

I'm just happy to have them.  

Good memories of my dear aunt.

 While it's true that most of my house, yard and office are in a major state of disarray, all's well at the table.  

Oh yes, the beauty of blogland... a wonderful place to come to escape reality from time to time ;-D.

Now I guess it's time to get back to reality and make some dinner to go on that table.  I'm thinking this  will be on the menu tonight.  It looks like a great way to use the tomatoes and basil I picked from the garden.

 

Fast Away The Old Year Passes

 As another year draws to a close it seems a good time to look back at the year that was.

It seems January always finds me ready to scale back, pare down and embrace simplicity.  At this time of year I welcome the slower pace and use my time to clean and declutter my surroundings.  A new houseplant often makes it's way into the house.  Something to tend to until outdoor gardening season begins.

 

February brought a beautiful snowfall.

This is rather rare here so we grabbed the camera, donned our boots and went out for a walk.  So glad we captured it in photos as it was our last one since.

 March found me attending a gardening seminar.

This always makes me anxious for the gardening season.

Because it was still a bit early for that I enjoyed clipping a few early bloomers and recreating an arrangement I had seen at the seminar.

It made a cheery centerpiece on our Easter buffet table.

 With April came the blooming of the dogwoods.

What we lack in snowfall we make up for in a long beautiful unfolding of the spring flowers.  Springtime in the south makes you happy to be alive :).

After the procession of spring blooms, May brings something new every day.  A few that popped up in my yard... clematis, peony, that red and white flower (which I forget the name of :) and the purple and yellow iris.  Time to don the gardening hat and gloves and get it in gear before the heat and humidity arrive.

June... Swoon.

My first grandbaby.

I was privileged to be present as he arrived into the world.

What a beautiful miracle.

Oh how I love this precious child.

 

 

 Hard to tell by this picture, but our summer was basically a rain out.

We never even got to use the boat.  Although we tried once and the boat didn't cooperate.

On the rare occasions that it wasn't raining, the butterflies came out to play.  I never tire of their graceful beauty.  Thank you God for butterflies.  They add so much to our earth.

 By August we were picking tomatoes.

The rain gave us a profusion of cherry tomatoes.

They responded favorably to all of our rain.

Oh yes, August also brought a broken toe.  Ha!

Sorry for the photo.  Just documenting for my own sake here.

 Our nephew's wedding in Seattle gave us a wonderful opportunity to visit a part of the country we'd never been to.

Since we were so close we welcomed the chance to also visit Vancouver and Vancouver Island, BC.

That was September and it was a September to Remember.

 October and I loved spending time getting to know my little guy.

November

If I wasn't outside enjoying the beauty of the changing seasons, the kitchen beckoned.  Pumpkin bread and apple pie were just the thing to warm up the kitchen and send sweet and spicy scents wafting through the air.

I guess it will come as no surprise that the yearly wrap up would bring me back to him.

Middle age can at times make me feel... well... old.

Too many years without the happy sounds of young children in the house can be... well... a tad lonely (at least to me).

Amazing the joy one tiny little person can bring to a home.

Thank you God for babies to love.

Please guide me in my duties as a grandmother.

May he always know the love we have for him.

Amen.

 

And now, my friends, a new year awaits us.

It is my sincere wish that yours will be a happy one.

It can't be said too often how much I have been inspired by you as we walk together on this blogging journey.

Everything from household tips, new recipes, gardening ideas to wonderful ideas for creating memorable moments with friends and family.  That sentence leaves something to be desired in the grammatically correct department.  Ha Ha.  All that to say we never know what little thing we share that speaks to another out here in blogland.  

I'm looking forward to a fresh new year.

Who knows what will happen by this time next year, but how comforting to know that we are all here sharing and supporting one another through thick and thin.