Hello Wyoming!!!

Yesseree Bob I have arrived in fabulously beautiful Wyoming. This is truly "Big Sky" country. The weather is an amazing 75 degrees with gentle rain clouds floating by. This is my 4th visit to God's country and I really feel blessed that I have such a wonderful friend and others great people to visit with while I'm here.

My first day here was to attend the annual Gathering of Hope Longaberger Charity Luncheon. I was asked to be a guest speaker  to share the history of the Longaberger Co. and their 18 year association with the American Cancer Society's partnership with the Longaberger Co. Horizon of Hope campaign. It was such a lovely luncheon held at the Hampton Inn in Buffalo, Wyoming.





Kathy and I are finally here!! We left Montana at 7 am and arrived in Wyoming 3 1/2 hours later. Wow, whata drive and she had to make the same trip in reverse .... such a good friend to bring me all the way down.

The tables were ready for guests to arrive ....

 A collection of Horizon of Hope baskets from years past ...

OH my, dessert was sooooo good. Raspberry sorbet with a sugar cookie and served in a Longaberger Made in America bowl.



There were children of all ages ... meet Jackson, he is 1 years old and such a very good boy.

Amy was our entertainment .... she came in beating her drum to introduce our Christmas Drum baskets, ornaments and other holiday products. She was very entertaining!! Look at that concentration, she ready for a college drum line.

 

Amy, myself and Kathy ... peeking in on the right is Olivia, she is 9 and she was also a very good girl!

This is all for today folks! We have football about to begin and in this house it's a VERY big deal, so I've gotta go! See you tomorrow with more of Wyoming ....



Hello Montana!!!

On the road again, I can't wait to be on the road again ...

Woo hoo! For the next 7 days I'll be heading north and then east. My first stop was Montana to visit with a long time friend of mine! Meet Kathy ...

She was just the best chauffeur!!

 My flight was delayed an hour so we had to hustle to get some site seeing in!

So after driving 45 minutes to Columbus, Montana - we turned down this beautiful lane ....

Really Cool sign, just cracked me up. Note the rusty old muffler dangling from the sign!!

As we pull up the long driveway we saw some crazy geese, a lot of sheep, goats, and a donkey!! Finally we pulled in and there were  beautiful pink flowers growing out of all sorts of unique containers.

TaDa we're here! This big old barn was full of great, old treasures. Just wait until you see what I bought ...

Love these old hand made signs ....

Loved this old grain mill right off the highway going into Columbus, so much history ...

Now we're in the housing development where Kathy and Mark live, we stopped by her friends house to take a peek at their new chicken coop! These are the things you do in Montana. I sat on the grass and all the chickens came running over to me. I was cracking up. There is a white one that you can't see, she was nibbling on my ponytail!

This is my favorite, her name is Lacey and she was my new best friend. Everywhere I went, Miss Lacey was with me! So cute, we blondes have to stick together!!

Wild Turkeys!! These guys were running around on my host and hostesses property. They were too funny.

Can you believe this??? This beautiful wild doe just walked right up to the back door and posed for a picture. The wilds of Montana have just been awesome.

 

 

Thank you so much Kathy and Mark for such an amazing time. Their home was so warm and welcoming, I felt so welcome.
They even allowed their little wiener dog Sally sleep with me!! She was such a little cuddle bug and a great substitute for my Miss Betsy.
Tomorrow .... Wyoming, here I come!!

Don't Blink, the Holiday's are Coming!

Yep, the holidays are coming fast and here is the perfect little plate to make entertasining a little bit easier!

 



Fall Photo Journey ....

I think I have about finished with my fall decor. I say that with tongue in cheek since I'm sure I will continue to move, add and tweak my vignettes!

 

My Americana Tree has been transformed into a BewitchingTree! I love the color orange, wish I could wear it!

My Longaberger WitchKin has moved into the hanging lantern also in my living room. As you can see by the BIG grin on her face she loves it in there!!

Here is my wise ole Owl. I bought him during the summer and gave him a new paint job. I love him!! He is sitting at the foot of the stairs keeping a keen eye on all that foes on around here ...

 This big old pickle jar is a perfect place for my stray pumpkins, acorns and gourds! There is even a small black crow in there. It looks so cool at night with the candle is flickering inside the jar.

Speaking of night ... this is the back patio in a night time photo shot, you can see my can lanterns we made in one of my craft classes in August.



So, fellow bloggers and lovers of all things fall this is my home as it is today .... tomorrow, who knows!!



The Beauty of Fall ...

I made the decision this morning to bring in the holiday boxes for fall.  I had already begun creating a few fall vignettes last week and decided to continue on ... For some reason it takes me time to get things together! I am flying out of town on Friday and will be gone for a week meaning I would be into the month of October a full week before I began my decorating and that just won't do!!



 

My mantle is always the first place to get a re-do. We sit in the family room most of the time and this is the best place to put the things I love. Although I am still "tweaking" things a foundation has been set!

My trencher on the Hoosier ...

 A little closer look at my dried pomegranates...

The patio has begun it's transformation ...

Stay tuned, more tomorrow ....

 



Road Trip!!

I'm a Lucky Girl ....

Seventeen years ago I embarked on a new life. Little did I know at that time how richly blessed my life and the lives of my children would become.

I was convinced that after a turbulent marriage and divorce I would never marry again. But, then I met Joe, my very own knight in shining armour. It truly was one of those "God" things the happen in a persons life. We met, dated and were married all within nine months. My two children, mom (who was living with me) my Dalmatian dog and an aloof cat all loved Joe as much as I did. My kids called him Dr. Doolittle, simply because there has never been an animal that doesn't want his attention and that he doesn't love.

Joe was willing, even eager to take a wife, my mom and two teen aged kids into his home. As a widow he was anxious to have life and laughter return to his home. When the kids and I would have an argument, doors would slam etc., I would look at Joe and ask "are you sorry you took this on?" His answer has always been "no."

 

Joe is not only my spouse, he is my best friend. In these 17 years he has taught me so much about patience, loving unconditionally (that can be so hard) and listening, really listening. Even though he is deaf!

 

So today, we celebrate our 17th year anniversary. No fancy meals or extravagant gifts. We spent the day together just being comfortable with each other and enjoying the life we have built together. We watched the Angels sweep the Chicago White Sox this afternoon and cheered for our boys. Later we went to McDonald's for an ice cream cone and enjoyed the beauty of the sunset. Life is good, it's peaceful, it's happy. Thanks Joe for 17 fabulous years ....

 



A Sew Day ... a Birthday ... Such Fun Days

Friday was our monthly sew day and it just was NOT my day! As usual I misplaced a couple of cut fabrics so that made piecing my blocks next to impossible. Then as I plugged along and thought I might actually get a few things accomplished and my sewing machine foot peddle stopped working! Yikes, right in the middle of making a block it just stopped. So now I need to call my repairer dude and see what the problem is.

 

Rita has been busy working hard on a cute Halloween project, she needed to leave early in order to celebrate her grand daughters birthday at Downtown Disney. After all, quilting is so important but grand kids trump quilts!

Penny is a busy little beaver only taking a quick minute to smile for the camera.

Just one more quick picture of my Orchard House bundle. Isn't the ribbon just yummy??

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Bright and early this morning Tanya, Ronna and myself headed south on the Surfliner Amtrak to San Juan Capistrano to celebrate Ronna's 75th birthday.

Here's the girls, track side at the historic Fullerton station. Even though today is the first day of fall no one told mother nature. It was hot and muggy - yuck. But these two didn't let that get them down, we were on a road trip and rearing to go.

 

This is our train, rolling into the station right on time. We get less then one minute to board the train so there is absolutely no messing around!



Things you see from the train. Is it the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown?? A hot air balloon? No clue, it's floating in a field near El Toro.

Here we are in historical San Juan Capistrano. This is one of the several California Missions settled by Fr. Juanipero Serra along the Camino Real. This mission suffered two damaging earthquakes in it's history. With the assistance of the local Indians the mission was re-built. However, after the second quake the damaged remains were never restored but have stood the test of time as a constant reminder of the missions rich history. Each spring the Swallows return to the mission to have their babies and spend the summer in the warm California climate. By now they are beginning to make their departure plans for South America! They must really love a warm climate to do so much traveling!!

The mission today sits right in the middle of town. The majestic palm trees surrounding the property reach for the sky and set a beautiful back drop for this Southern California landmark. Our restaurant "Cedar Creek Inn" is just across the street and the mission was our view over lunch ... so peaceful.

 

That darn Ronna looks fabulous for 75 don't you agree? She was wearing stylish blue jeans and accessorised with a very cute ruffled hand bag. Definitely not my grandmothers fashions!!

 

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you ...... This was one BIG piece of cake! It's a coconut cake with cream cheese frosting served warm with vanilla bean ice cream. Oh my goodness it was to die for! We all three ate some and we still left a plate full. If you are ever at a Cedar Creek this is a must have dessert.

 



 

Lunch is over, let the shopping begin. This is my favorite antique store, it is just chalk full of treasures. I needed to sit on the floor to get a close up look at all the goodies in this case!

 



This little 50's glass lantern candy container was so cute. I'm sure it probably sold for 5 cents, unfortunately it was selling for a LOT more the a nickle today! I thought it was a treasure Tanya should have taken home with her.

 



I love Civil War memorabilia, Tanya and Ronna found an awesome set of small President Lincoln book ends. I loved them, but $95.00 was a bit out of my price range. So sad for me ....



Time to go home, we've eaten, shopped and sweated, now it's time to head for home. Something interesting ... over to the left is and older lady sitting on a small chair. Ronna bought this at the antique store and offered it to this lady to get off her feet. Wasn't that just too kind?





Finally, it's present time! Tanya made Ronna this festive Americana table runner. She did such a great job and Ronna was so pleased to get it.

Well ladies, thanks for a great day. In spite of the warm, muggy weather we had such a good time. Until next time!

Fall is Continuing to Creep in ....

Fall will officially make her entrance Saturday evening, however, everytime I walk around my house I see more and more glimpses that she is creeping in and I don't even have my boxes in the house yet!

 

Here is my Bemis pumpkin, love this big guy ...

Tomorrow is sewing day with Penny and Rita at my house. Now mind you the temps are in the 90's but I'm setting a autumnal table and serving fallish foods!

My table favors are pumpkins made of quilting fat quarters, and how about that bundle of fat quarters peeking in the picture .... yep they came today from Country Sampler quilt shop. They are the new Orchard House fabrics from Windham. If you know me you also know Little Women is a favorite book of mine and Orchard House is the name of Louisa May Alcott's childhood home. Can't wait to get the pattern to make this beautiful quilt!!

This is Presidents Pride, we did this quilt as a group, I LOVE it so much it's on the dining room table.  Our next group venture is Pinwheels for Charoline.

Believe it or not this  is going to be a Christmas quilt. The fabrics are from Primitive Gatherings ... I've never really thought of orange as a Christmas color, but the finished quilt looks awesome. Have a good evening y'all - more tomorrow from the quilt girls!!