Pumpkins

I've been making pumpkins.

I ordered a kit from Mary Maxim.

Five crochet pumpkins.

I've finished two and started the third.

Pumpkins, like other squash, are thought to have originated in North America. The oldest evidence, pumpkin-related seeds dating between 7000 and 5500 BC, was found in Mexico.

As one of the most popular crops in the United States, 680,000,000 kilograms (1.5 billion pounds) of pumpkins are produced each year. The top pumpkin-producing states include Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and California.

When ripe, the pumpkin can be boiled, steamed, or roasted. In its native North America, it is a very important, traditional part of the autumn harvest, eaten mashed and making its way into soups and purees. Often, it is made into pie, various kinds of which are a traditional staple of the Canadian and American Thanksgiving holidays. In Canada, Mexico, the United States, Europe and China, the seeds are often roasted and eaten as a snack.

And, today is Oliver's Gotcha Day.
He's lived at Twisty Lane one year today.
So glad you are here little guy! 

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Mosaic Monday

Make It Pretty Monday

Amaze Me Monday

Share Your Cup Thursday

Willy Nilly Friday

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To Guide The Uninitiated

I love the Farmer's Almanac.
It is fun and informative.
I thought I'd share some Victorian era Etiquette
along with more Autumn fun.
Be prepared to laugh out loud!

To guide the uninitiated, Thomas E. Hill compiled a list of dos and don’ts in his Manual of Social and Business Forms, 
first published in 1875. 

• Bathing: “Upon arising, take a complete bath. A simple washing out of the eyes is not sufficient. The complete bathing of the body once each day is of the utmost importance. Not more than a quart of water is necessary, preferably rainwater.”

• Skin: “Beware of exterior applications of cosmetics. Instead, once every two or three months, take a teaspoonful of powdered charcoal mixed with sweetened water or milk. This will prove efficacious in making the complexion clear and transparent.”

• Kissing: “Upon the meeting of intimate friends, among ladies, at the private house, the kiss as a mode of salutation is yet common; but this is a custom which ought to be abolished for physiological and other reasons.”
  

  
  

• Bowing: “A gentleman should not bow from a window to a lady on the street, though he may bow slightly from the street upon being recognized by a lady in a window. Such recognition should, however, generally be avoided, as gossip is likely to attach undue importance to it when seen by others.”

• Small talk: “No topic of absorbing interest may be admitted to polite conversation. It might lead to discussion.”

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Mosaic Monday

Amaze Me Monday

Willy Nilly Friday

I've Done The Taste Testing

October is here.

That means the heat and humidity is coming to an end.

And, Pumpkin everything has taken over.

I walk early each morning 
and noticed one of my favorite neighbors had decorated for fall. 
I call it "subtle elegance"!

Sometimes, even here near the Gulf of Mexico where green is king in Autumn, 
 Mother Nature does her own Autumn decorating.

Pumpkins at home.

The acorn candle is new this year.

I've been drinking Teavana Chai Tea

 from my Autumn mug by Susan Branch.

  Dreaming of cooler days.

I can always depend on Trader Joe's for yummy pumpkin everythings!

Petite Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Petite shortbread cookies with Pumpkin Spice or Yogurt icing.

I'm happy to report that I've done the taste testing for you

and the cookies are yummy.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Amaze Me Monday 

Mosaic Monday

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Share Your Cup Thursday

Home Sweet Home

Willy Nilly Friday

Autumn Days Come Quickly

Autumn days come quickly, 
like the running of a hound on the moor. 
–Irish proverb

If, in the fall of the leaves in October, 
many of them wither on the boughs and hang there,
 it betokens a frosty winter and much snow.

Spring rain damps;
Autumn rain soaks.

Of autumn’s wine, now drink your fill; 
the frost’s on the pumpkin, and snow’s on the hill.
–The Old Farmer’s Almanac, 1993

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.
~ Albert Camus

There is a harmony in autumn, 
and a luster in its sky, 
which through the summer is not heard or seen, 
as if it could not be, 
as if it had not been! 
~Percy Bysshe Shelley

“I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” 
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

“Fall has always been my favorite season. 
The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, 
as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.” 
― Lauren DeStefano, Wither

Wishing YOU well and much joy!


Willy Nilly Friday

Mosaic Monday

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If We Would Enjoy Ourselves

From the Farmer's Almanac

"If we would enjoy ourselves, we must take the world as it is; 
mix it up and a thousand spots of sunshine, a cloud here and there,
 a bright sky, a storm today, calm tomorrow, the chill-piercing winds of autumn, and the bland, reviving air of summer.
–The 1854 Old Farmer's Almanac"

I love the Old Farmer's Almanac, their daily emails and words of wisdom.



The Sun is Shining.
Our brief glimpse of Autumn has ended.
Heat and humidity are back.



Musashi's Garden has been busy.
This little Painted Lady made a visit.
After remodeling the garden a couple of years ago,
one of the best things I did was put in lantanas.
It takes awhile, but the butterflies and bees find the lovely blooms.

I love peaches.
Peach season comes to an early end here.
I rarely buy peaches this late in the summer.
The grocery peaches are hard and have no taste.
But, I was craving a peach smoothie.
So, I bought California peaches from Trader Joes.
I've been patient, letting them ripen slowly.
This morning I had smoothie number one!
Looking forward to smoothie number two!

The hat is a must now that summer is back.

The new Michael's ad had Caron Cakes on sale.
They were calling my name.
I love the fall colors and there is a nice shawl pattern on the label.
It will be my next project.
Getting into the fall spirit!



Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Willy Nilly Friday

Amaze Me Monday

Make It Pretty Monday

Home Sweet Home

Mosaic Monday

         

Bobbing For Apples

The week after Harvey's visit,

the Houston Zoo decided to "proceed as scheduled"

with their annual Asante member dinner.

Believe me,

we all needed the break.

A lovely break it was.

Do you remember bobbing for apples?

I do!

It was one of the fun things that happened in the fall.
Well, elephants enjoy bobbing for apples, too!

Miriam is getting ready to toss apples into the pool for
Baylor and Duncan.

And, BOB they did! 

I'm not sure who had the most fun,
the elephants or the folks watching!

It was a lovely evening,
 a wonderful dinner,
fun time with the Asian elephants
and with friends.
A wonderful break from all Harvey wrought.

Back to the real world.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Mosaic Monday

Fair On September First

Fair on September first,
Fair for the month.
~Proverb

September 1, 2017

I certainly hope that is true.

As most of you know,
Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas Gulf Coast causing massive damage.
The rains from Harvey inundated Houston -- my home.

I'm pleased to report that I am fine.
I remained high and dry.

Yikes!

Kids really should not be in the flood water.
Nasty stuff. 
Kids will be kids, I guess.
Stir crazy, too.

Things are getting back to the new normal in my area.
People are going to work.
Grocery stores and restaurants are opening.
Schools will be opening in two weeks.

Friends invited me out to lunch and grocery shopping yesterday.
What a treat!

I'm so very lucky.
So many have lost everything.

If you wish to donate, I recommend donating locally.
The Houston Food Bank is excellent.
Friends For Life is helping pets.
There is link at the top of their page for donations for Hurricane Harvey.

Meanwhile, back at home, Mina keeps me smiling. 
She loves her tunnel!

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Amaze Me Monday

Mosaic Monday

Willy Nilly Friday

Today Is The End

Today is the official end of ICAD

(Index Card A Day).

Tammy started this challenge in 2011 and I've participated every year.
Some years more successfully than others.

The ICAD challenge is about doing a tiny creative project each day for 61 days (June-July). It's not an art challenge and you definitely do NOT need to be an artist to participate. Instead, it's a creative challenge. 
The project must be done on an index card.
Tammy provides prompts for each day.
Participants can follow the prompts or go their own way.
A friend of mine used the prompts and wrote a haiku each day.
I went my own way trying to do more collage.

This year I'll be playing catch up.
I've made 40 cards so far.
I hurt my hand (wrist and thumb) several weeks ago.
That slowed me down.

Here are a few of the Index Cards (all 3x5) I've made this year:

I've had people ask what I do with the cards.
Some of my favorites I have framed and they are scattered around the house.
I scan all of the cards as I finish so that I will always have a record of them.
Some have flown off to new homes because someone has done a lot of begging! 
Many just continue to live in a decorated box I have.
Looking over six years worth of cards I can can say my "art" abilities have come a long way!

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Mosaic Monday