Fun Fall Reading

As the fall frenzy of cleaning and sorting continues around here, I decided it was time to go through the books and see which ones we no longer need.

I have to admit that I don't always buy books because I intend to read them.  Sometimes I buy them for use in decorating and sometimes I buy them because of the cute pictures on the covers.

For instance, when I saw this book at the thrift shop one day I didn't think it looked like one I would enjoy reading.  However, I did think that this little doggy reminded me of ...

this little doggy and that seemed a good enough reason to bring it home.

  Because there are way too many an awful lot of books around here I was being fairly ruthless in what I was getting rid of.  I was thinking that maybe I really didn't need to house a book just because it had a picture resembling Peanut on the front cover.

Often when I am debating which book to read next I read the first page and if it appeals to me that is what I read.

So, before tossing this one in the donate pile I decided to read the first page.

Hmmm ....  jack-o'-lanterns, chrysanthemums, colorful gourds.

Maybe this would be a good book to read since it will soon be Halloween.  Kinda has that Fall feel to it. 

I think a good Fall read deserves a pretty Fall themed bookmark and luckily, I now have one thanks to Sherri at Sherri' Jubilee.  Sherri recently held a giveaway for one of her handmade bookmarks and I was so happy to be chosen as the winner. 

I think this beaded acorn is adorable.

Thank you, Sherri.  My fall reading has just gotten prettier :).

Just a little note:  I've been having trouble leaving comments for some of you.  After typing the comment and clicking Publish Comment, the comment disappears.  It is only happening on a few blogs so I'm not sure what the problem is.  Anyhow, if you've recently left me a comment and I haven't been back to visit you this is probably why.  I'll keep trying. 

Happy Monday!

I'm off to plant pansies before the rain begins.

What are you up to?

There Really is a Christmas in July

You may recall this post where I mentioned that I was going to a Christmas in July sale.  I did go to the sale and while it was fun to go and everything looked nice, I came away a bit disappointed.  Not quite sure if they had scaled back on their decorating or if it was the fact that the air conditioning didn't seem to be working, but I came away feeling a bit bah-humbug.  How silly of me to think it could really feel like Christmas when it's pushing 100 degrees outside.  Everybody knows there's really no such thing as Christmas.in.July.   Ho Ho Ho, silly me.

Not long after my shopping trip, I was going about the business of summer and went out to get the mail.  Sitting atop the stack of bills and junk mail was a package with my name on it.  How exciting and when I looked at the adorable gift tag, despite my previous bah-humbug attitude, I couldn't help but think it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

These sweet little feet greeted me when I opened the package.  I instantly felt my Scrooge-like attitude begin to soften.

One glance into those baby blue eyes and I fell in love.  This darling little snowman was made by Elizabeth at Creative Breathing.  Her blog is a delightful place to visit.  If you have never been, please do yourself a favor and stop by.  You can't help but feel happy after experiencing Elizabeth's creativity.  On a recent visit she provided the pattern and instructions for making this sweet snowman.  I studied them for awhile and wondered if there was any way I might consider giving it a try.  Deciding that if I did it would never look anywhere near as cute as Elizabeth's, I left a comment instead telling her how adorable I thought they were.  Shortly after that I received an e-mail from Elizabeth telling me that she would like to send one of her snowmen to me if I would provide my address.  I must say I don't think I've ever typed my address that fast in my life :-).

Oh my goodness, there really is a Santa.

Looks like there really is such a thing as Christmas in July after all.

********

Thank you Elizabeth.  Your dear little snowman will be a well-loved member of my Christmas collection.  Your kindness will be remembered every time I look at his sweet little face.

~ A Happy Surprise ~

Colorful flowers make me happy :-).

When I received this pretty package wrapped in colorful flowers, I was very, very happy!

I guess it's no secret that I have a soft spot for birds.

When I opened the card that accompanied this pretty package, this is what I saw.  A little girl hugging an adorable bluebird.  Oh my goodness, I want to be her. :-)

Inside the card was a sweet note from Carrie at Cottage Cozy.  She said she wanted to surprise me with a gift that she had made for me.  If you have visited Carrie, you will know that she is a very talented craft artist.  She recently moved to a new home and gave a tour.  After seeing her craft room, I knew I was in for an exciting surprise.

In addition to my love of birds, you may have noticed a little blue & yellow love taking place around here :-).  When I tore into gently opened the package, my heart skipped a beat when I saw this little birdie.

And when I spied this little blue mug, I was over the moon.  That swirl of whipped cream on top reminds me of my favorite summer coffee indulgence ~ Starbucks Java Chip Frappuccino.

Flowers embellished with buttons & pearls ~ swoon, swoon...

All add up to a very sweet surprise from a very sweet blog friend.

I am constantly amazed at the vast array of talent out there in blog land.  The extent of my craft supplies could be found inside a shoebox.  In other words, I wasn't at the front of the line when they were passing out the craft genes.  So, to be the recipient of such a beautiful, handmade gift makes me very happy.

I'm off to find the perfect spot to display this treasure.

Hope your weekend is colorful & happy.

A Sweet Surprise

~ Welcome ~

Come on into my blog home & let's get caught up on our weekends.

I hope your first official weekend of Fall 2009 was a good one.

I started mine off by purchasing a new wreath for the front door. I have been looking for one for awhile now and ended up finding this one at Tuesday Morning. I haven't been there in a long time, but after seeing it mentioned in a few blogs I decided to pay them a visit. It turned out to be a good move :-)

When I was outside hanging the wreath, I noticed a box on the front porch. Inside the box was this beautiful afghan. Recently I received an e-mail with the title "A surprise for you". It was from Karen at Life is Good
She wrote to tell me that she had made me an afghan as a surprise and if I would provide my address she would send it to me. This was such a sweet surprise and it has touched me so much to think she would do this for me.

Knitting is a skill that I do not possess, so I really admire people who do have those talents ~ like Karen. As you can see I spent some of my weekend moving the afghan around my family room. I can't believe how perfectly it matches my home decor. I am already getting excited to think how well it will go with the blue and white Christmas theme I use in my family room. Why I can hardly wait until I can make a mug of hot chocolate, put on a good Christmas movie and snuggle up under this gorgeous afghan. I might never get out from under it as it is so soft. Thank you so much, Karen. I sincerely appreciate your kindness.

Well, it was hard to have anything but a good weekend after receiving such a wonderful surprise. Even though it rained all day Saturday and the sun never came out, I was happy to stay indoors and put a few fall touches in the kitchen.

I have an apple pie recipe that I am anxious to try. I think I will have to put that on my to do list for the near future.

The gloomy weather put me in the mood for soup. I couldn't make any on Saturday as we were invited to a neighborhood Oktoberfest party. It was put on by a German neighbor. He planned very well and had many tents put up outside. A very good thing as it rained the entire time. This was the first time I have been to Oktoberfest and it was a lot of fun despite the rain.

I recently found these salt & pepper shakers at the thrift shop. I thought they went well with Susan Branch's Autumn book. I have noticed that this book is a popular one among the bloggers.

I bought this jar at my favorite little shop in Blowing Rock, NC several years ago. I enjoy changing it out for the seasons. Here some small gourds and a cranberry candle make it a nice centerpiece for the kitchen table.

Well, that's a little glimpse into my weekend. Now, let me hear about yours.