Hydrangea Wreath

My landlord was kind enough to let me cut bunches and bunches of hydrangea, from the bushes outside of the house. He's a sweet, older Italian man, who looked at me cock-eyed when I made the request.

"Help yourself, dear", he said, "but why do you want the flowers when she's a-dying?"

"Projects!", I explained.

He shrugged his shoulders and waved me toward the bushes.

I happened to cut the flowers, apparently, at just the right time. I popped them into vases and let them dry for a few days and (at the suggestion of some floral arrangement website) I soaked the heads in warm water for 15 minutes before it was time for wreath assembly. The "expert" assured that this would 1.) loosen all of the brown petals...which it did and 2.) make them easier to work with because they were less brittle....also true.

I simply stuck the flower heads into a green foam thingy, added a few silk flowers for color, tied a bow on top and she's a-finished! Cute, huh? Oh, because I am the queen of more, more, more...I decided to add a tiny bit of mica glitter to a few of the leaves. Just a touch of shimmer.

Gretel & Co.

Yesterday, Caroline decided that Gretel needed a playmate. Her reasoning was quite sound: "It's gotta be hard living with people every day". (There are days when I couldn't agree more...too many people, in my life, and not enough furry friends :-)

I'm not sure if Gretel and "Chloe" are destined to be kindred spirits, but it made for a cute picture!

Morning Glory

Once again, the title of this post doesn't really fit the subject matter. It was the first, semi-clever thing that popped into my sleepy brain, but I'll do my best to tie it together. As I have mentioned, repeatedly, my sweet daughter is not a morning person. The waking-her-up routine takes no less than 1/2 hour...and that's just to get her eyes half opened! Often, by the time she is heading out the door for school, we are both in absolutely foul moods because of the battle we have just engaged in. Sometimes our pup has more luck than I do with getting Caroline to face the day. Although I have tried every trick in the book, to rouse my sleeping "angel", I stop short of licking her face. That's reserved for the big guns...c'mon, Gretel!

Autumn Sacrilege

Normally, when I have something to confess it's best to grab hold of your seats and hunker down for a wild episode of As My World Turns...UPSIDE DOWN! Sorry friends. Nothing juicy or dramatic this time! Stay tuned, though, as that could shift on a moment's notice!

I am a full-blown, born & bred New Englander from the top of my W.A.S.P.-y head to my raised-in-Connecticut toes. With that kind of upbringing comes a natural love of all things sandy & salty, fresh Maine lobsters served with lemony butter (accompanied...always...by brown bread, cole slaw and baked beans), lighthouses in all shapes/ sizes/ locations, plopping fresh-picked apples into wooden baskets, extra sharp & crumbly cheddar cheese (best served with freshly-baked apple pie), tromping through the snow in search of the perfect Christmas tree...you get the picture. I can neatly check of all of the "You Know You're A True New Englander" criteria, with one exception.

***time for those of you who live in warmer climates to cover your eyes.

I HATE FALL! There...I said it! I do. I HATE it. Maybe it's because I have such a deep devotion to the spring and, to me, fall is the anti-spring. While throngs of people flock to the New England states to view the kaleidoscope of changing leaves, all I can do is lament the passing of trips to the beach and grumble about having to wear shoes (which touch my feet, only when necessary, from May-September). The falling leaves make me sad, the shorter days make me grumpy and the kids going back to school...okay, there is one reason to appreciate the bygone days of summer:-)

I do enjoy the crisp evenings and cozying up under my down comforter with a good book. I love being able to make the first fire of the season (alas, my new home does not have a fireplace, which I shall sorely miss ::sniff::). Give me some credit, I'm trying my best to compile a "Fall Gratitude List" here, but I'm running out of items to add. Ohhhhh, switching wardrobes for the season is always fun and there's nothing like slipping into a comfy sweater and my favorite pair of jeans. Boots! I have a near-gluttonous collection of boots that I am able to get reacquainted with.

I happened to glance out my bedroom window, this afternoon, and noticed that one of the trees in my front yard was blazing with vibrant color. 'How beautiful!", thought I. What????? A glimmer of appreciation from this autumn loathing gal? I grabbed my camera and spent a few minutes trying to shift my attitude. Perhaps, after all these years, I'm turning over a new....leaf! HA HA HA...get it? New...leaf...fall...changing? Oh, nevermind. It's an inside joke.