My sweet blogging friend Jenn over at Bittersweet Prims has honored me with this gorgeous award she created - The Fabulous Fall Decor award. Didn't she do a great job designing it? If you haven't been to her blog check it out. It looks so Halloweeny right now. She is very kind gal and I admire her very much for the way she handles some rather large bumps in the road that life has put in her way. She perseveres despite some things that would take many a strong person down! Thanks Jenn, I really appreciate this award!! Please don't hate me but I am going to honor the decision I made back here and not single out any blogs because I think everyone who has shown us their fall decor deserves to be honored!
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Whatcha Working On Wednesday ~~~ This is just one of the many little thing I have been working on. Last week I showed you my new craft Needle Punch, and once I got started, this little star worked up very quickly! I have to finish some other projects but once they are done, I can't wait to start another NP project. Thanks so much Karen over at Farmhouse Woolens for suggesting the right frame and for the great Valdani floss! I think I am going to make this into a little pillow to tuck into a shelf.
I also spent some time this weekend making more meals to freeze for the winter. I got about 8 quarts of a hearty Italian soup made and frozen. You know the kind - tomato based with sausage ( I use hot turkey sausage an crumble it in the ground beef), lentils, spinach, carrots, onions, and lots of garlic, basil and oregano. I add pasta to it when I serve it and of course some fresh grated parmesan. It's another of those recipes where I don't measure. And I made and froze about 6 quarts of a hearty pasts sauce. With the chili I made last week, I have quite a few meals frozen now but still want to make some chicken soup. There's just enough room in our small freezer for a few more quarts of something chickeny good.
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My DH's parents are up from their home in SC. About 15 years ago the sold their home in MA and moved to a gorgeous over 55 golf community outside Myrtle Beach. They always make a trip home for the foliage and they picked a great time to come up this year. They always bring their adorable King Charles Spaniel, Andy, with them. He is such a teeny thing compared to our grand doggy Brady!! Please meet my in laws, Herb and Jean, and Andy of course!
Look at that face! Isn't he just the cutest thing??
Mom and dad and our kids all came for dinner Saturday night and it was a nice evening. DH and Dad played golf Sunday, and I had the in laws back for soup on Sunday evening. We don't see enough of them so we squeeze in as much time as we can while they are here.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO??
By now, you all know I LOVE LOVE LOVE fall, right? Well about now, something happens that could put a wrench it, if I let it. Let me explain....
We live in a lovely suburban neighborhood. Everyone is very cordial - not quite as friendly as I would like, but after 22 years, I have come to accept that. We chat when doing our yard work (those of us that actually DO yard work or do our OWN yard work) and we return the mail every time the mail carrier gets it wrong, stuff like that. We only share our property border with one neighbor so our lot is pretty private. Those neighbors are on the dining room and living room side and we don't have windows on that northern wall of our house so we don't even see them from inside. From the house all the way back to the brook are pines and lilacs and trees that block the view of the back yard. Not that we need them because they are quiet and don't bother anyone. They are older than us by several years and have an adult son who lives at home and he is quiet too. They are the ones I would give my house key to if I needed too and they let me use the phone when our lines went dead, so you can see I trust them. Sound like great neighbors huh?? Well they really are - MOST of the year. But for a few weeks in mid October to early November, well... they do something that really bugs me. Why?? Well because they put up this:
Can you see it? It is old broom sticks, old pieces of wood and what ever other scrap stick they can find to hold up the chicken wire fence they use to keep leaves from other yards from going into their yard. The one word I use to describe it is TACKY! And it gets worse ....just before Halloween, they take rags and tie them at intervals across the chicken wire. I presume that is so the children can better see the tacky fence and not trip on it when they trick or treat. Not hat many people bother to come down to my house now that the fence goes up. And wouldn't you know, the maple tree in our front yard is one of the last trees in the neighborhood to drop it's leaves so that fence stays up too long. Now I know all my gardening and farming friends are saying SO WHAT? We use that kind of fence all the time. Well, I have used it as well- for back yard gardens too - but not in a nicely landscaped area out front, next to the sidewalk. I know it is not the end of the word and actually sometimes I do sympathize with them because the neighbors across the street rarely clean up their leaves and because a road runs perpendicular to the next door neighbors front yard, the wind come sweeping down the street and blows all the leaves over there (and here). We deal with it too because long after the trees are bare, those leaves end up in my garden and garage - ALL WINTER and ALL SPRING! I don't mean a few leaves. I mean inches of them pile up against my front steps and blow into the garage making a mess. But I would never dream of putting that TACKY fence up. If that is the worst thing that happens between neighbors, we are lucky, right? Some other neighbors think I should say something. If they had started this practice when I was younger and not so - um - mature - I might have said something and regretted it. But they only started it when the folks across the street moved in. I know my neighbors are getting older and it is harder to do that yard clean up. So with that in mind, my plan it is to just let it roll off my back. It's really ugly and tacky but it doesn't hurt me or our property. The rest of the neighbors all know it is not OURS, and now that I am blogging about it, so does the rest of the world! Okay, I feel better now for getting that off my chest! (EDITED: I guess I wasn't clear. By blogging, I got it off my chest, I did let it go and I never would hurt anyone by saying anything - especially since I know they are getting older. Heck DH and I are getting older too so we do understand. BTW, us raking for them is just not an option.)
And once again, the mail brought me a wonderful treasures!! No I didn't buy something or swap for something this time, this was just a very kind and generous surprise from a new online friend. Many times I have mentioned that I have our home photo albums over at Webshots. There is a nice group of prim gals and we have a great time chatting and admiring each other's homes and crafts. One of the newest members of this group is a sweet gal named Jill also know as PrimChick. Jill and I have a mutual admiration society going. She also lives in a split level home very similar in style to mine. We both have many of the same pieces and love the same type of colonial primitive decor. But there is a big difference between us - SHE MAKES HER OWN FURNITURE. I don't mean just simple shelves and candle holders either. She makes cabinets and her own pencil post bed even! I am so in awe of her talent. Click on PrimChick and you can go to her albums. You have to see the moldings she applied to her plain doors to make them look paneled. She did the same to some of her lower walls. OH and you have to check out the wonderfully prim table and chairs she made for her kitchen and that pencil post bed she made for the bathroom. She liked the plate rack in my kitchen and asked if she could copy it and she whipped it up in no time! Well, Jill got busy last week and made some new pieces for herself and she was very sweet and generous and made some for me as well. When I got home from errands yesterday, there was a box waiting for me and when I opened it up, I found these two delicious wooden surprises inside!
I love both the hanger and the whale tail shelf. They are so colonial!! I am going to put my Christening dress on the hanger but I am not sure where the shelf will go just yet so stay tuned. I'll have pics to show and tell next time. Thanks again Jill - you are so kind!
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I was over at the Black Sheep Prims Homeplace, the blog of my talented and sweet friend Lisa, and she mentioned she was at a little quilt shop the other day and got to chatting and mentioned her blog, and lo and behold the lady working there knew all about my blog!! How kewl is that! The shop is Thistle Bee Quilt Shoppe in Goldsboro, NC which is far from Behind My Red Door. I have been through there several times in the past on the way to a friend who lived in Greensboro. So if you are the gal who chatted with Lisa, PLEASE do leave me a message and THANK YOU for visiting. You probably know by now I am not a quilter but truly admire those that do!! Your shoppe looks lovely - full of treasures!!
This post is running long so I am going to save my few Halloween decor pics for next time as well. Thanks so much for sticking with me and listening to me gripe about the fence and as always for all your sweet comments. You enrich my life and I so missed everyone when my computer was down for the count.
Until next time - hugs, Linda
