Autumn Pretties in the Nest

Hello all you wonderful peeps!

I hope you are enjoying autumn and its perfect weather.

Don't you just hate having to come inside at all

 when it is so pretty like this?!

(Especially knowing what's in store in a few months.)

I do love winter but they're saying

 it's going to be even worse than it was last year.

So I am enjoying this fall like there's no tomorrow!

I haven't purchased a single new thing for this season.

That's a first, as this is my very favorite season to decorate!

I've been purging a lot lately and it feels just great.

It's a weird feeling of freedom.

It has taken me a lot of discipline not to go running in hysterics

to all my favorite stores and not spend every dime I have.

Yes, feeling pretty good about my resolve this year!

I just wonder how long it will last........

This (below) is my very favorite antique basket I have.

I absolutely love it and have had it for years and years.

(Awesome baskets never EVER go out of style!)

Neither does FRUIT, haha.

♣

Michele's Hint of the Week:  

Peel a grocer's sticker off real fruit and stick it on faux fruit.

Makes it look more real, doesn't it?

We interrupt this pretty eye candle to share

an ugly little true story to share with y'all....

***********************************************

When I brought my fake fruit out of my bin this year - 

which I bag up so it doesn't get dusty.....I opened the bag and

in horror discovered a very dried up piece of REAL fruit there too.

Yes, now I kinda remember putting

 a lone pear on top of the faux late in the season.

It now resembled a zombie head.

It was dry and furry and way icky and I cannot believe I did that.

GROSSSSSSS.  ME. OUT. THE. DOOR!

Thank goodness we didn't get bugs or something worse!

(Ask Orkin, I refuse to let a bug enter my domain!)

So, for a germaphobic clean freak such as me, imagine my surprise!

Half the faux fruit went straight outside to the garbage bin.

The rest that was ok was scrubbed with Lysol w/ Hydrogen-Peroxide.

(Which, incidentally is the best cleaning product EVER.)

****************************************

So, with that I wish you a wonderful weekend

 doing what you love

and spending it with whom you love.

As always, thank you for your visit!

♥

~Michele

Linking:

Show and Tell Friday

It's Autumn - Tea Time Wares at the Emporium!

Do you have anything you would like to sell? 

You needn't even have an Ebay, dot com or Etsy store
 in order to participate in a nifty new linky party!

Just go over and visit the weekly linky party

 at the blog How Sweet the Sound 

 and join in the fun at Beverly's BLOG SHOP!

It's a fun way to share/expose your wares!

 and it gives you or your store or collectibles some exposure

 where the right people hook up with the right stuff

 and all is well....helping them avoid overpriced retail, spontaneous shopping costs- and imported wares!

There's nothing that feels better than supporting the business
of fellow artisans or collectors
 who hand-make or sell wonderful items!

In Blog Shop so many who party there weekly
are fellow bloggers!


So, do yourself a favor and
hope on over to Beverly's party
to shop for yourself, or gifts - 
or even better- join in all the fun!
You will be so glad you did!


♥


Remember it's never too early to shop for Christmas!

Make more time for yourself to enjoy the holidays!
Get your shopping done nice and early this year!

As always, thank you for visiting -
and thank you again for giving me this opportunity to share!


Hugs, Michele

Transitional Early Fall Tablescape

I am really feeling the fall vibe lately-

but not quite ready to plaster my house

 with the deep rich colors of autumn.

So I went downstairs and "shopped" my china storage
to put together this tablescape that to me says
 EARLY FALL - a subtle hint of what's to come....

There are  still flowers and lots of green outdoors

 but a few of the early trees are changing up.

I am seeing some deep reds and pinks out there.

My table runner with its crimson roses and leaves  

was my inspiration.

Cloud shadows rush over drying hay, fences,
 dusty lane and railroad ravine.
The first yellowing fronds of goldenrod
 brighten the margins of the woods.

                                                       ~J. Kenyon

Even as leans on the fainting evening
 the foliage withering,
I am touched with a song of brown and of shadows.
and of colors lingering.

                                                              ~M. Turbyfill

We had the BEST crop of onions in our harvest garden

this year - better than any year previously.

So I have been making a lot of French Onion soup.

These little soup tureens are perfect for it

because they are oven safe.

For us the first to wain is the sweet basil, followed by the Italian basil,

then parsley - and the hardiest is the thyme, oregano and the rosemary -

 they hang on till the very cool weather comes.

I just took all these pics today - our thyme is still going strong!

EASY FRENCH ONION SOUP:


1 cup of skinny strip cuts of onion  per person.  

1 cup beef bouillon per person.

Melt a little butter in stock pan and fry up onions until tender and clear - don't overcook or brown.

Add half stick of butter, the broth and some thyme, salt pepper and garlic powder to taste. 
I use a few shakes of all. Add a little bit of nutmeg but not as much as the other flavors.

I use fresh thyme from my herb garden and freshly grated nutmeg from a nut but dried is fine- use less with dried - it's nearly impossible to ruin this easy soup so I never measure, sorry!  : - )

Cook on low simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes. 

Fill oven safe bowls and place on a cookie sheet. 

Place stale bread (love baguettes past their prime for this) or croutons or whatever kind of thick dry bread and then sprinkle about a tablespoon of parmesan cheese, heavily cover with mozzarella and/or provolone on top of bread. Lots of cheese is yummy so don't be shy with it.

Place bowls on sheet and broil in preheated oven until cheese melts and lightly browns. Watch CAREFULLY that it doesn't burn- doesn't take very long.

This keeps in fridge for a couple days if you have extra.

As always, thank you for your visit!

♥

~Michele

Linking to these fabulous parties:

Show and Sharehttp://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/2014/09/show-and-share-no229.html

Tablescape Thursday   *   Home Sweet Home    *   Time Travel

Feathered Nest Friday   *   Garden Party   *   Foodie Friday 

Autumn Eye Candy

It's cooled down finally and is feeling like FALL!

I now have 4  large bins of autumn decor items

 sitting in my living room needing to be opened!

Fall is my very favorite time of year- 

but never at the cost of wishing my life

 or summertime away!

It flies past fast enough without trying, doesn't it?

I just wanted to say hello and share a few of my favorite pics

 from the past for you (and for me) to get inspired....
and let you know I will be finally putting away summer

 and welcoming fall into our home.

I love opening my seasonal decor boxes - 
it's almost like Christmas...the joy of discovering
 things I forgot about owning....such as my sweet little

corn husk autumn harvest doll.

I absolutely love hosting autumn tea parties -

they're not as "old fashioned" as my spring ones,

 but tea never tastes better than when

 there's a chill in the air!

Ah the wonderful warm scents of Autumn-
cinnamon, clove, orange, mums....

And the rich colours of autumn....golds, rusts, browns....

Sunflowers are the perfect transitional flower.

As always, thank you for your visit!

♥

~Michele

Linking:

 Teatime Tuesday  *  Tuesday Cuppa Tea   *   Teacup Tuesday


Tea with Friends   *   Return to Loveliness

We Shall NEVER Forget!

“Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts. The victims were in airplanes or in their offices: secretaries, business men and women, military and federal workers, moms and dads, friends and neighbors. Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror. The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge -- huge structures collapsing have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness and a quiet, unyielding anger. These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. But they have failed. Our country is strong. A great people has been moved to defend a great nation.”                                                                                                             – U.S. President George W. Bush.

Teatime with Cake and Hydrangeas

Today is so beautiful; cooler, sunny with vivid blue skies!

Thank you so much for joining me for

 teatime outdoors.

How about a yummy piece of cake leftover

 from a sweet little new family member's Baptism yesterday?

My husband was asked by his brother 

to be our little niece's godfather.

Here's Little Miss Happy, Lilly on her special day.

She smiles really big and often.  : - )

 Father V doesn't nearly as often, lol.

But it kinda looks as though he's trying to back there!

Isn't she just a sweetie?

Sorry it's blurry- was an action shot from a few rows back with my phone.

I ♥ this very old and delicate teacup. 


I think it as tea it meant to be taken, do you agree?

It's very translucent.

Here is the inside showing my finger and 
showing the backstamp through the china.

I so ♥ that!

The hydrangea cuttings are from my garden

and simply placed inside a little antique teapot.

I treated one of my hydrangeas with an agent 

I purchased from the garden store this year 

to make them more purple - as ours are always pink.

It really worked!

Be sure to hop on over to Sandi's

Rose  Chintz Cottage

for Tea Time Tuesday!

If it is pretty china and tea time you love

you won't want to miss this weekly party!

As always, thank you for visiting!

♥

~Michele

Also linking:

Mosaic Monday   *   Tea Cup Tuesday  *   Home and Garden 

Tablescape Thursday