~Every photo has a story~

Written by Sue, Wednesday, September 18, 2019~ Whoo Hoo Fall is visiting, sunny, cool, 70's
Here are a few of my photos with my  stories ...
Hydrangeas have been hard for me to get to bloom, I mentioned this to Mr P. who has such a green thumb, his reply was "No worry, Sue, I will take care of them for you," and he did, he faithfully watered, fertilized, and kept a watchful eye. Thus...

I will be cutting and drying these beauties, I also have three more hydrangea bushes that are blooming. Do you agree with me that Mr P. has an exceptional "green thumb, and is a loving husband"?
 
Dear One also mentioned how the fall, scents and decorations reminded him of pumpkin pie, sooo... Oh! it was quite tasty too,

This fella creates a new story every day, his name is "Uncle Joe," he is saying, "This corn is mine, all mine."He is so mischievous, but ever so sweet.

Here is the story about these two wreaths....
Last December we lost our precious, sweet pastor's wife, Lorrie, she was a  wonderful person, so giving, loving, and generous to all, she also had  a beautiful singing voice.Pastor Lynn was going through Lorrie's treasures, and asked if I would like her fall wreaths, of course I am  honored to hang  them on our doors in honor of her memory. This is the back entrance.

The only change I made on the front entrance was the bow, I wanted it to match the bows I bought for the bannisters and lights.

So here are my stories on this beautiful pre-autumn day. I enjoy seeing your photos,  and know that they too, have a story to tell. Sometimes our stories are happy, sad, funny, full of pride for accomplishments, future plans, and goals,decorating ideas, etc. 

So dear friends keep sharing and telling for we are all creating lifetime memories.

Wishing you much joy and happiness

 while you  travel this road known as "Life".

Sue

S

~Love fall colors most of all~

Written by Sue Friday, September 13, 2019, hot, hot, humid, 90's heat index over 100

Though the calendar, nor the weather says fall, I am enjoying fall inside, Smiles are contagious, when someone smiles at you, you automatically smile back.Try it, it works, smile first, and see what happens,we never know how much we may brighten someones day.

Counting my blessings,and placing them in the "fall blessings jar," to be read on Thanksgiving Day!

 "Am I weighing you down, could it be the pumpkin pie?"

 Love the colors of fall!

One of the reasons we celebrate harvest time, giving thanks, for our many blessings,sharing, caring, and for friendships!

 "Your secret is safe with me."

 I am also anticipating my holiday baking season. Pumpkin pie is number one on my list, dh says the decorations and candles reminded him of one, do you think that was a subtle hint.

It has been a busy week for us, we are in the process of scheduling  knee replacement surgery for Mr P.. That means lots of pre-op appointments ,the surgery will take place sometime between Nov., Dec, or Jan. Talk about waiting. Whew!

Have a great day, remember to 😃
Love,

Sue

The calm before the storm,

Written by Sue, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2019  hot, humid, waiting for the storm, Dorian, 90's


Today we are finishing our preparation for hurricane Dorian,  while praying she will turn more eastward and go out to sea. Our state is still recovering from the past few hurricanes. Our thoughts and prayers are for those who have already experienced devastation.
This is the calm before the storm.

While waiting I piddle,  I love to piddle, it gives me a little unstructured time to do exactly as I wish, though I still make a to do list.Would you like to see what I do when I piddle?

I took some lavender I had been drying, pulled the buds off and placed them  in a jar with lavender oil, I am thinking maybe sachets.

We were given two large bunches of green bananas, from, SIL, once they had ripened,

 I sliced them, froze in a pan, then sealed in bags using my food-saver, one of the best machines ever.
They will be used for banana bread, smoothies or just snacks, frozen fruits make the best healthy snacks.

I cut some zinnia buds to dry for seed, even though they self seed in the garden, I decided not to take a chance.

I finished putting some small touches on my fall decorating, once the storm passes by I will begin decorating the outside.This is my little farmhouse village, I have had it for many years

 The living room was finished last week, I like that the lights and candles on the mantle and coffee table come on automatically, so if we are out at light, they greet us when we enter, it makes everything so warm and cozy.All we need now is some cooler weather so the fire can be lit.

 And this is how I piddle! Hope you are having a great, day for those in the path of Dorian, as we are, thoughts and prayers!

Love 

Sue

~A girl can change her mind, can't she~

Written by Sue, Wednesday, August 21, 2019~    hot, humid again partly sunny, 90's, heat index 100+
Our weekend was so busy, though I do my daily/weekly cleanings through the year. I try and give the farmhouse a complete cleaning twice a year, spring and fall.This includes windows, baseboards,air vents, light fixtures, furniture and all what-nots, (Sue has plenty of those,)  a good vacuum and mopping, actually everything......

I don't usually start major projects on the weekend, Saturday was an exception. I was planning to start  putting the fall decorations out, and then clean, but changed my mind, and decided to clean first. Since Mr P. had no plans I asked for his help in  starting in the living room, and foyer, which have cathedral ceilings, just couldn't manage that by myself, we have to use both 12ft. and 6ft. ladders. So it begins...
The living room window, pretty high, isn't it! But we got it and the shelf done, he always says, "Sue we make a great team, don't we."

Foyer window, chandelier, and the two shelves, which display my Dickens houses with little people, nice and shiny.

Dining room cleaned and ready to decorate, such a great feeling to have these rooms cleaned even if I wasn't decorating for fall. With all my canning and gardening in the summer it is hard to maintain as I would like too.

I just couldn't resist putting this plate out.

If I can contain my enthusiasm for fall, I might get started on the  breakfast room today. ~wink~ though I am seriously considering decorating the rooms I have cleaned ,Whoopee! It has been a almost a year since I packed the decorations away, I always enjoy seeing them again.

Aren't the bows adorable.. they are a gift from daughter Susan,I have them hanging on the hall tree, until Mr p. finishes cleaning the porch.

They will go outside on the bannister,which Mr P is cleaning today, I usually help but he has hired someone to help instead so I can continue inside

Enjoy your day,

love 

Sue

~I spent all my birthday money~

Written by Sue, Friday August 9, 2019  hot, humid, sunny 90's

I did something I don't ever remember doing..... I have a birthday this week,  per Mr P.'s suggestion, I have been celebrating it all week, and he has been helping me This has been a week of doing just what I felt like. I think it could become a habit. ~smile~😱

Monday~ Blogging, enjoying flowers from Susan💝

Tuesday~resting, enjoying my flower garden
My Asiatic Lilies are in full bloom, the fragrance is so wonderful., each year I seem to get more and more, because they self seed, when the wind blows the seed are scattered about the garden.

 These are planted along the walkway going out to my clothes line, so aromatic, I linger.

 Wednesday~ shopping for fall clothes
I rarely shop for clothes, especially in the summer when I'm so busy, I actually went to my favorite dept. store for one small item, the minute I walked in, there were all these sale signs. I thought it wouldn't hurt just to look, well the rest is history, I had so much fun, here are some tops, I also bought some jeans all half priced with 40% extra, my receipt says I saved aver 500.00!

Thursday~ shopping for fall decorated lunch with Mr.P.
Fall is my favorite season,  I live in such a hot, humid  climate,  this year has been an extra long,  hot summer, I am about ready for some changes both in color and temps.It doesn't take much to get me in the mood for fall, ~wink~

This little guy was half price,  he/she had such a cute face,  I know it isn't fall decor but I just couldn't resist, 50% off~wink~

Friday~
That is today, I am blogging once again, (enjoying it too,) catching up on laundry, seeing if the larger tub will do the job on rugs and pillows, so far so good,I am also piddling around the house. I love to piddle, do you?   Sunday will end my birthday week, Let's see.... that's two days from now, wonder what adventure awaits me.😇

Love,

Sue     

~Fall decorating and storm damage!

Rewritten by Sue, Wednesday, October1, 2018           sunny, very warm , humid still, 80''s
Before the hurricane came I felt the need to do some nesting, so I cleaned the house and  finished my autumn decorating, which I had started a few weeks ago tweaking a little here and a little there.

It wasn't easy for me to start decorating as we have had the most extreme heat since May, usually by now we have cool mornings, warming during the day and then cooling in the evening. I have always  associated fall with the beginning of the new school year, as the leaves begin to change from green to yellow, brown, red, and burgundy, and cooler temps.

I love fall, it is my favorite season, with Christmas being my favorite holiday! I love that they come so close together, as it is easy for me to transition from one to the other.

 I also enjoy the led timer lights, so nice to come home too in the evenings.

Just another visitor to the farmhouse, he has certainly made himself at home, "please, make yourself at home," which is one of our number one phrases around here.

 I love the cozy feeling of candles, more timed led lights.

 Lots of secrets shared here at the fall farmhouse, "I believe she loves us best."

This is my thanksgiving tree, it has timed led lights too!

 a few touches on the kitchen counter

I enjoyed sharing a few of my fall decorations, with more to share later. This post was written before Florence came, and has since been edited.

~Storm update~

*************************************************************************

We are all safe, including the animals, with the turkeys only losing a few feathers, what a sight. Florence came and certainly made her presence known, we have been busy cleaning up her mess, and what a mess she made. 

With all the water around mosquitoes have really been a problem., a BIG problem.

 We lost a few trees,

 We lost power for a few days, I really learned a lot about persevering and ingenuity, made quite an impression on my family. ~wink~

Lots of rain, (over 15 inches)  we are so blessed to not have the flooding as so many in our state had, losing everything.Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Thank you so much for praying, it meant so much to us. God is and has always been so faithful!

love, 

Sue

The phrase "There's no place like home," is so true.

Written by Sue, Friday, October 13, 2017          much cooler today, temps. 70's

No matter where I go, I always love turning the key and hearing that clicking sound in the lock of our door . Even if I have only gone shopping, I am so happy to be home.

Foyer decorated for the season

Did you know that every home has its own scent, the first thing I do is sniff the air, and I offer a quiet prayer of thankfulness, and safety.

The scents I am smelling now are fall scents, i.e. pumpkin spice, cinnamon, autumn leaves, sweater weather, (love Bath and Bodyworks.)

My decorating style is my own, I decorate with the colors and treasures that are me. 

If I had to choose my favorite room it would be either my kitchen, or dining room, the dining room would probably edge the kitchen only slightly, It is a place where we nourish our bodies, and spirits as we linger over a meal.

The fall view of the foyer and dining room as I come down the stairs,

One of the things that I have enjoyed about blogging is the difference in how we all view the world, and our homes. Just like our Creator made each of us to be unique, we create our own unique styles and colors in our own homes. I have learned so much from you and enjoyed your homes so much, and have learned so much about you from your homes...

I truly believe that God wants us to have a safe haven to come home too, a place we can claim as our own,... just like us, homes come in all shapes and sizes, if love (family) is there, it is our home, if our things are there, it is our home,

When we add our own personal touches, it "becomes our home"

Even in our bedrooms and bathrooms, (after all we do spend time in there,) whether it's putting my makeup on or brushing my teeth, I enjoy reading scripture verses on plaques, and seasonal touches.

Home is a place we can go to when the storms of life are raging. I often listen to the wind and rain when it is coming down hard and am reminded of the safety of our sheltering home. It is the one place that we control what and who comes in, (well,most of the time. lol)

Sometimes late at night, when I am unable to sleep I will get up and as I am walking across the room, I hear the floor creek beneath my feet, I go, sit, and listen to other sounds that my home makes, a pop here and there in the wall, it is like the wall is talking to me. A home not only has its own scent, but it also has its own sound. I truly believe that a home takes on its own personality, US!!

So why this blog?....

I wanted a place that I could come, talk about, and share of how my day was spent here at the "farmhouse", and about the things that I do to make it a "home". Making a house a home is a lifetime endever,

 and I might add a joy. 

As my life is always changing, my style, which I call "Eclectic" remains the same. When I first started blogging I made the mistake of comparing my style, tried to change, but soon realized that was not me, and not pleasing to the Lord. Again we are all "Unique," and I truly believe this pleases God, after all ,He did create us!

Love from my home to yours,

Sue

 Psalm 139:14~ I will praise You, for I am fearfully 

and wonderfully made;

Marvelous are Your works;

And that, my souls knows very well.