SEEING AUTUMN THROUGH DIFFERENT EYES

TRAVELING FROM A WEEK-END CELEBRATION, made me a bit tired.  Today, I rest before doing a ton of chores.  We headed out early Saturday morning to celebrate our grandson's birthday in Oklahoma.  He's so grown up turning 17.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY !

We visited with one another, ate some food and ate birthday cake with ice-cream.  I enjoyed every bite.  I had been dieting straight for 5 days.  I knew ahead of time that I would allow myself some CAKE.  CAKE!  Wonderful to be with FAMILY.  Some treats when away from HOME, but back to so called mindful eating when at HOME.  

We went to the ROUTE 66 PARK.  

We'd work it in on Sunday visiting the ROUTE 66 Park and see how Sapulpa is decorating for the Holiday CHUTE.  The details for the Route 66 Chute. https://route66christmaschute.com/  At THANKSGIVING and CHRISTMAS, this CHUTE is really gorgeous to see.

HUBBY and I chatted about doing something like this on our porch ceiling.  We've got quite a few oversized ornaments that we could hang.  hummmmm.  Could be beautiful.

We ate at the CROSSROADS  COOKERY.  https://www.crossroadscookery.com/  I was a good girl and had a SALAD.  Coffee afterwards at their COFFEE LAB.  Mocha with some cinnamon to drink.  It's been over 5 years since I had a MOCHA!  Yummers.

~Our kids~

We journeyed HOME and are relaxing after our week-end.  The trip HOME had a few surprises.  Thanking GOD we were not in an accident as we sat in traffic on the interstate.  A semi-trailer truck came barreling down the ditch to the right of us doing his best to avoid a pile up.  Going too fast and coming upon the long line of cars stopped in traffic, he drove off in the ditch.  Hubby said that when the truck cab was next to him, he could see the tatts on the driver's arm.  Too close for comfort.  Once again you really do not know when you might take your last breath.  Know the Lord Jesus as your personal savior and be saved.  A insurance policy you cannot afford to do without.  Eternity is nearer than you think.

THE HEALTH CREDENTIALS.  Coffee for Breakfast.  As for my food program...I fasted until 2:30 in the afternoon.  About 5 oz. of steak with steak sauce and broccoli for late lunch.  Not hungry for an evening meal.  I'll do my best to get back to walking a solid mile like I was before my hip had a fit.  This evening, I walked two laps which is a half mile.  Couldn't do another lap around the football field tonite.  I'll add another lap in November.  This getting into the vibe of things has been hard for me since my hip episode.  One lap took me 7 and a half minutes to complete.  I was walking 6 and half minutes before hip issues.  I'll stay with it.  Lord willing.  Amen. 

BACK IN DES MOINES...

Prayers for HANK.  

He sure needs them and so does my sister.

I'll be visiting soon with my Mom and Sister 

to see how things are going.

Blessings to you,

~d

NOT TOO SOON FOR COLLECTING DECORATING IDEAS

TIS ALRIGHT TO COLLECT 

AND GATHER DECORATING IDEAS

for the CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS.

When I took a College level Interior Design class back in the day, 

the instructor shared that you should have a file box full of ideas for recall 

that you like for your decorating journey.  

I agree so I am doing just that.

Blue Peony Interiors has some great ideas.  

I have similar items in my possession so I might as well use them.  Right?  

Yes and amen.

Have a blessed journey,

~d

 

10 YEAR ANNI OF THE HOUSE FIRE IN OUR ROCK HOUSE

I'VE BEEN THINKING A GREAT DEAL ABOUT HOW I'D DECORATE if I still lived in the big house across the river.  3 years ago we left the big house and moved into our little COTTAGE in small town USA.  The reason we moved into the big house in the first place back in 2017 was because we experienced a horrific house fire 10 years ago on the 25th of this month.  Our 10 year anniversary of that fire brings back such memories.  

In a nutshell.  We started out in this neck of the woods living in Manhattan for 6 years, then renting a farmhouse for a couple of years before buying the two story limestone 1885 house in small town America.  We were fortunate enough to buy a 1900 Folk Victorian Cottage to rent out for awhile.  The 2016 house fire of the Rock house caused us to move to a community across the river for 6 and a half years before moving back into the 1900 Cottage in small town America.

Here I sit in our tiny 1900 FOLK VICTORIAN COTTAGE with high ceilings and tiny rooms in need of a thorough remodel.  I will praise GOD that none of us were burned, injured or died in the house fire.  We were not HOME at the time and the inspector believed the fire started in the kitchen with very old wiring inside the stone wall starting an electrical fire.

We were stunned and in disbelief that our stone house had a fire.  On the outside of the house, it didn't look like anything took place, but on the inside everything was covered in black smut and smoke.  Some areas looked like they were painted with tar.  Smoke stains had made its way into the basement and into closed boxes.  Every nook and cranny had been molested. 

The ceiling in the kitchen collapsed into the kitchen and the bed that was in the bedroom above it was in the kitchen.  The mattress springs were in the kitchen when I first looked at the interior of the house after the fire was put out and it was safe to enter.

In shock, I thought to myself, what are the bed springs doing in the kitchen?   duh.

Since the fire, we have lived in this small cottage and the large house across the river for 6 and a half years then back to this small cottage where we had planned to retire in the first place.  3 years later, here we are.  We are retired.  Here we are doing our best to make sense of all the contents in boxes.  

We'll continue to remodel the cottage after we have gone through all the boxes and have enjoyed the HOLIDAYS.  One room at a time.  Our bathroom is the only room that we have completely remodeled.  The front porch was completely rebuilt and the she-shed was redone.

We purchased tile for the kitchen backsplash several years ago and tile for the kitchen floor, pantry floor and utility room.  Paint is waiting to go on the walls.

It's my prerogative to change what I want to use for the remodeling, right?  ~d

AUTUMN RAMBLE

BACK TO IT.  We've had a few days off doing other things than work on the ATTIC out at the storage unit.  Back to it.  Hubs talked about it and I will follow.  

There's a stack of storage tubs that have a dish set in them waiting to journey to the cellar.  I had to find all the missing pieces and group them together so they can be together on the shelves. When you have three storage units, a garage, a she-shed and a cellar holding things that got separated from one another with a messy move, it takes longer getting organized.  Or at least it did in my case.

This move has been a nightmare.  Terribly messy.  The worst.  We relocated from our large house 3 years ago Halloween.  Here we be going through boxes making extremely slow progress.  Two storage units have been emptied since the Halloween MOVE took place.  It took us 2 1/2 years to be able to say that. 

The last unit is being kept so we can use it as an attic.  After the ATTIC is finished, then the cellar, garage and she-shed will be dealt with.  Crawling right along, I am in over my head with stuff.  Illnesses, challenging physical conditions, medical appointments, weather, etc. SLOWED us way down.  WAY, way down.  

Tis tempting to throw it in the trash or haul it all away to GOODWILL and be down with it.  For now, I go back and forth about it.  I've done both.  Still, if we can recoup some of the money that has been spent through the years, it will help the budget.  PTL.    

👚👚👚👚👚👖👖👖👖👖👕👕👕👕👕 Laundry got away from me again.  Seems too easy to let this happen.  Anywho, I have probably 6 loads to do of blue jeans that were boxed up hidden in storage.  I think I will just go to the launder-mat and place them in the oversized wash machines so I can get them taken care of quicker.  I can dry them at HOME, but using the larger machines to wash seems like a better option then using my HOME units which cannot handle the heavy loads.

🚼👶🍼A large trash bag sits on the utility room floor full of children's clothing.  Think I will do the same thing with them.  They'll be ready for next Spring's Yard Sales so I will be a head of the game if I don't donate them first.  They still need laundered.

🍁🍂🍃🍂🍁 The AUTUMN COLORS are more prominent showing up in nature and with decorating items in the stores.  Slowly the trees are changing their leaves into gorgeous oranges, yellows, browns and reds.  I think it is really beautiful this year.  Perhaps I will be ready for what is next.  Colder weather with sleet, rain and snow.  🌧⛄. The decorating makes the seasons more enjoyable to me.

The stores have completely ignored the PILGRIMS 🦃🦃🦃 of THANKSGIVING and have gone from Halloween 👻🎃 straight to 🎄🎅🤶 secular CHRISTMAS.  Sad.  Too busy to be thankful for our harvest and abundance we have received?  Not here.  Living a grateful and THANKFUL LIFE is the best yet.

There will be the Thanksgiving Parades and turkey dinners, but the decorating is a different story.  We can add Pilgrims and turkeys to the AUTUMN decor.  I have a complete set of dishes I could use for our Thanksgiving Meal that will probably remain in the boxes this year as this downsizing and organizing EVENT is a bit much.  Paper plate time.  I have no shame.  Being real. We may just eat a Community meal prepared by others.  Seems likely we may do this.  It will certainly be an economic way to eat.

We grocery shopped yesterday for meats.  STICKER SHOCK when the register hit $350.00.  Being frugal is so important.  

I have a few AUTUMN decorations in the house, but very little.  I'm still concentrating on the stuff that came out of the storage unit that need dealt with.  Lord, help.  It shouldn't take as long as it does for me.  TODAY, I plan to box up MORE glassware that I will turn loose of.  Clearing out the Living room will be my PLANS today.  

🍬🍫🍫🍫 🥨🥨🥨 I've got to get some Halloween goody bags made up for my Grandchildren as well.  I have luncheon bags to fill with some Hersey miniature nuggets and pretzels. I think this will be plenty for them.  I'll place the goods inside the bags and tie them shut with twine.  Should be alright.  

Up early today.  Best put some laundry in and round up some glassware to box up.  The quicker I get this done, the better.  Truly.

This is not what I want to consume my old age with.  Heavens.  It will be 10 years ago on the 25th that we had the house fire.  The shock of it all.  10 years.  We lost so much of our physical things that this contributed to going overboard on GETTING THINGS to replace what we lost.  I know now, I overdid it and am detoxing from this mindset.  I can relax about not having so much STUFF.  So that is what I am working at doing.

At 71 years of age...with a brother-in-law deathly ill and a Alaskan girlfriend's Hubby in the hospital with head injuries...I am convinced that we have to live a life that doesn't need so much stuff.  Life is short and eternity much longer. Knowing God, following the Lord and loving people is the most important thing of all.  Only through being BORN AGAIN through Jesus Christ and filled with the HOLY SPIRIT can I be who I am suppose to be.

Thank you for stopping by.  Hope you are well.

~d on the prairie

ODDS AND INS OF BLUE WILLOW CHINA

Unpacking a large grey storage tub that was in storage, I unwrapped odds and ins of Blue Willow China that were not in my china cabinet.  I could count the pieces and see what I had.  These misc. pieces are mismatched, but in pretty good condition.  

My China cabinet is filled with mostly Churchill Blue Willow and a few older pieces.  The mismatched pieces I came across in the tub are in pretty good shape except for a few very chipped ones.  

USA, Willow Ware by Royal China, not marked.
Same pattern, different manufacturers.

I was going to sell all of these misc. pieces, then I got to thinking, if I get into making jewelry I could use these misc. pieces for earrings, necklaces, charm bracelets.

It has taken some time to get to where I am going through tubs and boxes.  I hope to be finished with this bunch of Blue Willow TODAY and have them in newer boxes placed in the cellar for future fun.  I haven't ever made china jewelry.  I think I am convinced that I'd like to try making some pretties.

Soooo, I will box them up and set them aside for craft projects to do after this decluttering and down sizing EVENT is over.  

Pray it is soon.

AMEN, 
~d on the prairie

Can I hear an AMEN?

~d

 

DECORATING ON THE PRAIRIE: AUTUMN PUMPKIN

~AUTUMN HARVEST DECORATING~

My simple attempt to copy what I saw
at a HOME in Manhattan, Kansas.

Pumpkin, Autumn leaves garland plus urn.

The simpler the better, especially for me.

~d on the prairie

 

BURGUNDY AND GREEN CHRISTMAS

The burgundy colors with the deep greens
are enchanting to me.  
Beautiful color theme.  

A DICKENS CHRISTMAS seems appropriate.

 

In time for the HOLIDAYS,
~d

WHAT WORKS FOR ME

SATURDAY MORNING.  Plans were made early, so I had time to work on the repacking of glassware and grouping piles of full storage tubs ready to go to the cellar for safe keeping.  Since the COTTAGE is tiny, doing things like this requires patience and a great sense of balance as tippy toeing about the room is awkward. So awkward.  🩰

Had my ☕ coffee with half/half this morning without breakfast and made a BANK RUN and then a mad dash to MENARDS for the coveted storage tubs.  Thankful they still had tubs like I bought 3 years ago.  I sure like them. STERILITE brand.  SO far no complaints about their shelf life.  Pack it full and snap on the lid.  Lock into place. Store away.

Earl Tupper, the creator of TUPPERWARE had a partnership with the Stones to create STERILITE products.  Pretty good stuff.

Came HOME early from this shopping trip.  We treated ourselves to STARBUCKS TEA and traveled HOME, unloaded our spoils and started loading china in the new purchased tubs. 

 

Taking a break as I needed to rest.  Had left-over HOMEMADE Broccoli, Cauliflower, Carrot soup with crackers for lunch.  A very hardy meal.  Supper tonite needs to be GREENS.  More greens needed in our meals for a healthy diet.

FAMILY.  I visited with my Sister and she said their news about her husband's health is not good.  The doctor will try a different kind of chemo with him starting today. He has a very aggressive lymphoma.  Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.  It's like a weed that cannot be killed.  Tis fatal.  He's been given til CHRISTMAS.  God can change the course of this.  Still, one should have their household in order as best as one can.  I'm not sure this will happen as he is extremely ill and sleeps so much of the time.  Prayers appreciated.  

The good coming from this at the present is it is causing his family to come closer together. 

It puts a serious push in our agenda to get our own estate in order.  I could just sit all day due to fatigue, but this push makes me do just the opposite.  I have to keep moving.   

Back to seriously working on our estate.  Each day we're working on it.  Not always for long periods at a time, but every little thing that gets done helps.

The less we have to deal with, the simpler this LIFE can be.  Housekeeping made easier.  Being organized is the route I need to go.  

This works the best for me.

~d 

OUR FIRST FROST?

FIRST FROST IS ON THE WAY???

🧥CHILLY MORNING.  Sweater weather for sure.  Hubby covered our geraniums and mums last night with a make shift shelter.  He gathered the potted flowers and covered them with a large canvas.  The large mum left in an urn on the porch was covered with an old bed sheet.  They will stay covered until Saturday afternoon.  There were frost alerts for early Saturday morning.

OUR FIRST FROST of the AUTUMN SEASON?  Not ready for this.  Oooooh not so ready.  The furnace is ready for use.  The cars are ready for cold weather.  I am not.  I need to get our heavy coats out, gloves and scarfs out of the seasonal closet.  Mood wise, it'll take a hot minute to be ready. 

A few days ago we went to Manhattan for Hub's medical appointment.  First sweater of the season was worn and I was still a bit cold.  Chilly and rainy.  We had a decent day as we went to the appointment, had medicinal iced green tea, went to two grocery stores and Walmart.  Needed some greens for meals. 

I quickly managed to clean out the fridge before leaving for the day.  There seems to always be veggies or fruit that go to ruin before we get to use them.  Always.  I scaled down the purchases as I am being careful to not over buy.  We had corn on the cob, blueberries, grapes, carrots, cauliflower, some lettuces that were still eatable.  The rest was rotten.  I bought some more arugula, spinach, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, canned beans for quick fixes.

To me, having a full pantry and full fridge gives a sense of satisfaction and contentment that we are taken care of.  Feeling this way for years.

COMPUTER TIME.  I watched a video by a lady where she talks about 10 or so foods to have on hand to feed a family for little expense.  These items last longer.  Need to watch it again.  She suggested peanut butter, oats, canned tomatoes, dried beans, cabbage, potatoes, rice, butter. That's only eight.  Maybe pasta?  Can't recall.  Finding that video again might be fun.  Salt, pepper, sugar.

DECLUTTERING AND ORGANIZING.  Spending time with the glassware in boxes.  I want to get some more small, heavy duty storage containers for storing my glassware in.  Three years ago, I purchased some and they have held up real well.  I just need more to keep the unity.  Heading out later to shop Menards.  I think they still have them.

Finding my pretty, white china beverage servers brightened my mood.  Oh my gosh...I forgot I even had these.  Made me smile. 😀 They're vintage (maybe antique) with lots of curves and glossy, beauty finish.  I do not want to get rid of these for now.  A coffee server, tea pot, chocolate and one other.  Small, dainty chocolate cups, larger tea cups with saucers and soup.  Lovely.  I'm working at grouping like-kind items in like-kind containers.  A run to Menards for more super duper tubs to store these little darlins' in.

Praise the LORD.  

He is good is worthy to be praised!

~d  

GORGEOUS HOUSES FOR IDEAS

~OH SO PRETTAY~

Lovely ideas,
~d