NOW HEAR THIS----
Blogger makes me craaaaaaazy!

I spent 30 minutes doing pictures,
writing, re-writing,
fussing with everything
and THEN
it posts my words
without the pictures to go with it.....

I ask you,
what's a blog without
pictures???

Sooooooooooooooo
These are the pictures that go with the post
that follows.....
FIVE DAYS OF FALL -- Day 2

I don't have time to re-write the post to go with these pictures
and
I don't have the expertise to "fix" whatever is the problem.

I'm gonna have a great Fall day
anyway...

you do too!

Gwynie Pie

FIVE Days of FALL - Day 2

Okay, well ---- we are NOT movin' right along with these FIVE days, are we?
That's because ----
I got a little (lot) distracted.
I've been busy doing
~~~~
and
not much blogging.

I had a "brilliant beyond brilliant idea"
(name that movie)

aren't they all?
ideas.
brilliant.
at least in theory.
and on paper.

Well, THIS idea was a winner!!
whew.............
I moved the office/craft room
out of #1 bedroom
(which has not ever been a bedroom)
and
we are making #1 into a real live
usable-by-guests bedroom.

It's gonna be so cute.
More on that as it happens.

The moving of my office from one end of the
house to the other was a bit of a task, though.
And it involved calling in the net provider
to move computer connection from one end of the
house to the other as well.

Then, William and I turned our room on end
moving pretty much every piece of furniture
and all its contents to somewhere else
in the house.

Fruit basket turnover style.

A horrific mess for about 2 days and
now...............
ahhhhhhhhhhhh

Super good.
Super fun.
Super cute.

When I get the curtains up later today,
I will definitely share.

Soooo, BACK to Day 2 of Fall ~~~~~

The house is decorated end to end
and top to bottom for
Fall ~~~
it just makes me smile
and sigh a happy sigh
when I walk through the house.

Don't cha just love it when your home
IS your "happy place"?

My next step is to make this
happy place
smell
delicious.

I made a trip to Bath and Body yesterday
for Fall fragrances in
Wallflowers
and
candles.
I only buy these items there when they
are on 1/2 price
so I can get twice !!!! as much
:)

Delicious scents warm up every room
in the house .......
Frosted Cranberry
Autumn
Creamy Pumpkin
Leaves
and right now I have
a Winter candle
burning on my desk that
I promise you has a hint of mesquite smoke
in it.
Deeeelishus!!!

Glade also makes some wonderful seasonal candles
that smell great.
AND
am I the last person on earth
to discover Mrs. Meyers ???

I bought the all-purpose spray
back in the spring
and use it for cleaning just about everything.

It just freshens up a room instantly.
All her products are natural
and safe to use in kids rooms
and kitchens.

The best way to make your home SMELL deliciously Fall-like
of course, is to bake something yummy.
Something involving apples and cinnamon
is always a crowd pleaser.

And nothing!!! is better than a pot of soup or stew
simmering on the stove
with a pan of cornbread
or
homemade French bread
in the oven.

This soup
was kind of a "end of summer"
put together soup
that turned out fantastic !!!

Saute a big onion
and several cloves of garlic,
rough chopped
in a good amount (1/4 cup) olive oil.

When the onion and garlic are translucent,
add sliced or diced
zuchinni (2-3)
and
yellow squash (2-3).
Cook until they start to get done.

This is where you need to add about a Tablespoon salt
and 1/2 Tablespoon pepper
I also added about 1/2 Tablespoon
crushed red pepper
but it was borderline HOT.
I will back it down on the red pepper next time.

Then add
a large can diced tomatoes,
a can of Ro-tel
and
chicken broth --
a good amount is needed here....
probably 2 qts at least.

After it is good and hot,
break into small pieces
a BIG handful of
fettucini or spaghetti
(any pasta will do here).

Simmer until pasta is done.

THEN -- and do not skip this step....
Add at least a cup of
half and half.

You will not be sorry....
trust me on this.....
I know my soups.


Sooooooo - here is bottomline ---
get some great comforting
scents going in your home today.

You are going to love it.
Even cleaning house is better
when great scents are going on.
Yes.
Really.

AND ~~~~~
Your husband and kids
will be delighted to step through the
door this afternoon
to a warm Fall welcome.


Gwynie Pie

FIVE Days of FALL --- Day 1

There is just something so delightful about Fall.....
something refreshing and soothing.

Full of excitement as Fall arrives,
I know Winter will be close
behind and there is a
"get-ready-it's-a'comin'"
kind of feel in the air.

It's time to get buy and get my
house in order,
well-stocked and prepared
for Winter.

First things first -----
the house gets decorated for the season.
I use the same 3 tubs of decorations
year after year,
just arranged a little differently
each year.

Last week while browsing Walmart,
I found this beeeUtiful
ribbon.

I love the "Thankful" one best --
30 feet for $5.00
it's a real find.

Help me out --
~~~~~~~~~~~~
WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH THIS
GREAT RIBBON???

I have a few ideas but would
love to know how you would use it?
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pumpkins, gourds, leaves and nuts ~~
both real and fake, find their place in my decor.

~~~a cute couple of Autumn angels with
leaves for wings
(you can find them through
Celebrating Home)
and a garland of
leaves and feathers draped
over an antique tablecloth.

The mantel clock always stands on the mantel ~~
no matter the season,
chiming out the hours and the halfs.

I just decorate around it.
This very clock stood on my grandparents
mantel -- always.
It's like the heartbeat of this house.

Simple, rustic burlap runs the middle of the long
dining table topped with a wooden
placemat, a funky Fall plate,
then my scripture cake stand
topped with a rusty cloche
that is filled with three perfect pears.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good:
blessed are those who
trust in Him!
They shall not lack any good thing!
Psalm 34:8; 34:10b
~~~~~~~~~~~~

And maybe my favorite spot in the whole house ~~
below my loved church window
(from the church where I grew up)
hangs a German house blessing.
The open Bible on the buffet was a
wedding present 38 years ago.
Open to Psalm 112

~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
who finds great delight in His commands."
~~
a great foundation on which to build a home.

As Fall comes to your home,
slow down,
savor the days,
be thankful.

Gwynie Pie

Hope you are having a lovely Fall Saturday.

I sure am.
I really don't know how the weather could be any more perfect !
It's about 80.
No clouds.
Bright sunshine.
Smells fantastic.

Sitting out on the screened in porch
and
listening to
the cotton gin as it churns out the finished bales
is such a soothing sound to my ears.
That sound just means Fall and Home to me.

Texas Aggies are
playing in Dallas Cowboy stadium
this afternoon
and will be beatin'
Arkansas --
lookin' forward to that.

Later today
my daughter-in-law's mom is flying in from NC
for a little visit.
It's been a long year since they have seen one another
and I think I'm almost as excited for them as they are.
Almost.
:)

They will be here tonight
and I'm making
a Fall meal ---
bbq sausage,
mashed potatoes,
steamed brocolli,
and
Sister Shubert's parkerhouse rolls.
Yum

Then worship tomorrow,
where I am sure we will,
yet again,
be challenged and inspired
to live radically.

I haven't told y'all about Radical yet,
have I?
Hooooooboy, challenging doesn't really
quite cover it.
It's good, good stuff.

I've been Fall cleaning
and
decorating
and
I'm going to be posting
"Five Days of Fall"
starting on Monday ---
all about living life
incorporating the five senses
in all that we do.

Hope you will check back on Monday !
(which is a holiday for me !!! Yipppppppeeeeeee!)
So, so excited about that !

Enjoy your Saturday Friends,

Gwynie Pie

HEY !!!!!!

a rare event happened

at my house this morning................

I MADE up THE BED !!!!!!!! I probably shouldn't admit to this,

should I?

but..........I rarely make up the bed

before leaving for work

these days.

When I was a stay-at-home woman,

it was made up every day.

Without fail.

Just part of the routine.

And I do love the way the whole room

looks

when the bed is neat.

You know.........

the bed surface is about 80%

of the square footage of the average

bedroom.

Therefore..............

you make up the bed,

you instantly bring order to the

majority of the room

Now ----just tidy up the rest of the room

and I can check this off

my "to do" list.

:)

I think that's pretty good

motivation for making up the bed

every

every

every

day.

In fact, I like it so much

I think I'll try it again tomorrow.

Gwynie Pie

"Happy is the man who fears the LORD.
taking great delight
in His commandments.

His descendants will be powerful
in the land;
the generation of the upright
will be blessed.

Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness
endures forever.

Light shines in the darkness
for the upright.
He is gracious, compassionate,
and righteous.

Good will come to a man
who lends generously
and conducts his business fairly.
He will never be shaken.

The righteous will be remembered
forever.
He will not fear bad news;
his heart is confident,
trusting in the LORD.

His heart is assured;
he will not fear.

In the end he will look in triumph on his foes.

He distributes freely to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.
His horn will be exalted in honor.

Psalm 112: 1 - 9

After worship, lunch, and nap this afternoon
the sky got cloudy, the temperature started
dropping into the low 60's !!!!
and we enjoyed sitting on the
screened back porch,
curled up under a quilt,
drinking coffee with French vanilla creamer
and listening to the gentle rain.

A near perfect Sunday afternoon.
I pray your Sunday was a blessed one as well.

Gwynie Pie

Blue and white all over

It's that time of year again.

When our world turns
blue and white.

There is the occasional other color
on the landscape.....
maybe a red barn
or an orange cotton module cover.

The bright red,
yellow
or
green
of
a tractor
or
cotton stripper.

But mostly -----

it's just
blue and white all over.

Beautiful, breathtaking,
horizon to horizon
blue sky
over
a field of brilliant white.

I sure do love this land.

Gwynie Pie

Shades of R E D

I adore nail polishes.

I regularly stop in the store just to admire the lovely colors.
I have a LOT of polish --- 38 bottles of it.

Just recently it was pointed out to me (again) that although I have a lot of bottles ---

"all of them are red"

WHAT????

Are NOT !!! Are not!

I have a ton of different colors.

And I can prove it ---

there is Cherries in the Snow

Double Decker Red

Smitten with Mittens

Cajun Shrimp

Frankly Scarlet

Ruby Red Stilettos..............just to name a few.

Well........okay................maybe they are all in the "red family", but
they are all so very different.

So I got thinking......maybe my kids are right about this.

I need to branch out a little. Try a new color. Something way different.

So browsing at CVS the other day, I spied a new "Fall" color and thought
"Why not?"

















Ocean Breeze Blue.

Hey. That's the very name of the Krylon spray paint I've been splashing
throughout the house all summer.

I'm sure that is just a coincidence.

After I painted my toes, I held up my foot to show Pops.
"Do you think this color is too young for my 58 year old foot?"

"Nope. I like it. It's shiny."

Done.

Gwynie Pie

Autumn Quiz

In reading through some fun blogs today, I found this little "quiz".

AUTUMN in my kitchen means ...........
soups, stews
breads
warmth
laughter -- Fun!


AUTUMN in my home brings..............
we bring in --- the wood for the fireplace
we bring out --- the throws and quilts
we bring on ---a little bit slower pace to life



I bring AUTUMN indoors by.................
decorating with as many natural elements as I can
They aren't always "real" but I like them to at
least look real. I love decorating with
gourds, pumpkins, squash,
nuts and leaves.


A few favorite AUTUMN activities are ...........
The Woodchopper's Ball (this scene is from last
year) and .....it's nearly that time again.
and
we love just being able to sit out of the back
porch without roasting......to drink a cup of coffee
and just take life a little easier......visit.....laugh
And
we play host to my family reunion at the end of
September -- next Sat. in fact......always fun!
.......I love those people !!!!







Two favorite AUTUMN recipes are..............
Skillet Cake

and

Pumpkin Penne
(I'll share both recipes in a coming post)
















This AUTUMN I would like to........................
let's see????.............hmmmmm.............

Spend some quality time with my kids, their spouses and the grand.

I'd love !!!! to get to have 2 days off in a row so William and I could go to Fredericksburg during October. Never been. Been to Fredericksburg many, many times, just not ever in October. Love Fredericksburg and the Hill Country.

......and......oh yeah............Beat EVERYBODY!!!! Gig 'Em Aggies !!!


Gwynie Pie

Kitchen Revival

Warming up the kitchen with *zero* dollars
and
minimal painting as well as minimal
effort ---

That was the goal.

One can of paint later --

"Alfalfa"
by Kilz at Walmart

and
a can of Krylon spray paint
"Blue Ocean Breeze"

a roll of red and white houndstooth
print wrapping paper from Hob-Lob

and
that's pretty much it as far as
new stuff goes.

This e-NOR-mous counter is probably my favorite piece of furniture
in the whole house.

It was used in the general store my grandparents ran in the 1930's thru 50's
here in Mereta.

The counter once had glass on this side to display various wares.
The storekeepers stood on the other side.

The top is so scratched up and dented and scraped --- how I wish it
could talk ----- the stories it could tell.



Gwynie Pie

I have long wanted to put glass doors on my upper kitchen cabinets.

But that just seems like such an undertaking.

Especially when..............

what I REALLY want to do is paint the cabinets white.

But ----------------what I really, really, REALLY want ------------ knock out a wall

open up the kitchen to the dining room and living room.

That isn't going to be happening any time soon. Nor the painting of the cabinets.

my mother made me promise.

long story.

:)















Sooooo, in browsing through some of my favorite blogs,
I was inspired by
the story of a kitchen that could not be painted
because the landlord said "no" and
do you know what that clever renter did????


She completely covered every single part of her cabinets with white contact paper. It cost about $10.00
for the entire room. And it looks spectacular !!!!

















So --- being inspired --- I just decided instead of painting the outside of the cabinets,
I would change up the inside of them. With wrapping paper.


Hobby Lobby has some of the most beautiful wrapping paper right now.

Paisleys, polka dots, damask, stripes and this beautiful houndstooth design.

I cut the strips to fit the back of the shelves, spray a little(lot) of adhesive on the back side of
the paper and press into place.

Oh yeah - I removed the doors entirely.

I LOVE the new look.

It just completes the bright, old-fashioned look I have going on.
Right now.

Stick around.....it'll change.

Liking it a lot!











("antique" cookbook collection)

Gwynie Pie

Fall is a comin' .....

....................I'm just certain it is.

Doesn't exactly feel like it yet.

You know --- that fragrance in the morning air....

.....a little occasional breeze with a promise of
more cool where that came from.............

Not

here

yet.



That doesn't stop my Fall decorating desire from getting all
stirred up.

And so......I've moved some furniture around.



Warming up areas around the house.

Getting down all those boxes marked "FALL".


'Cause you just never know when you'll
wake up one morning ----------and there it is !!!!












I can not wait !!! How 'bout you????
















Gwynie Pie