Fall, My Favorite Season

I enjoy all the seasons, but fall is my favorite. I love the colors, the smells, cooler temperatures, and routines after the long, lazy days of summer. I also look forward to wearing my jeans and long sleeves, not running the air conditioner and opening the windows and doors and enjoying the crisper air.

I'm noticing the leaves on some of the trees are beginning to change to the orangy-red color that I so admire. Soon, I'll be getting out my candles and enjoying the spicy pumpkin smells and making more soups and stews. Plus, reading those books I've set aside for when it is more relaxed with longer evenings.

I like to keep it simple when it comes to seasonal decoration, so here is my simple table decor to celebrate and welcome Fall.

More on Dehydrating

Chuck and I spent the day together on Monday doing business and then went looking for good prices on fruit. We went out to the farm areas and found some fruit orchards. We spent about $25.00 on all this fruit you see in my pictures. The large box of plums were only $4.00, The larger box of peaches were $5.00, and the smaller box was $4.00. The biggest expense was the gala apples at $12.00 a box.

Took it all home and have spent the last two days processing it. The small box of peaches I froze for smoothies, the apples I've been dehydrating, along with the other larger box of peaches. It is almost done and then I'll start dehydrating the plums.

This summer I found this apple tool that cores, peels and makes the apple into rings and then all I have to do is spray them with lemon juice and place on the dehydrator racks. I found it yard sailing for only $2.00. It was on my list of items I wanted to find, in fact my daughter, Christy, found another one for me, too, so now I have two of them. She also paid $2.00. Now I can get one of the kids to help me and get the job done faster.

We are enjoying the dried fruit and it's so good in oatmeal and snacking. I'm so glad I found the website http://www.dehydrate2store.com/ Her videos have helped me learn how to dehydrate and are so worth watching. You can take advantage of fruit in it's season and the prices at the orchards.

Happy 40th Lynette

Today, my youngest sibling and only sister is forty!!

She was born when I was fifteen and she became my guinea pig getting me ready for motherhood four short years later. I changed many of her diapers, became one of the few who could get her to eat her Gerber strained baby food, and endured her getting into my makeup. I was so proud of her that I took her to my high school childhood development class to show her off. I can still see her with her blond hair and little red poncho being cute for my classmates. I even took her on some of my dates with my then boyfriend, Chuck, who is now my husband. This was before carseats were mandatory, we would put her in the back of Chuck's corvette and off we would go.

After I married she would come and stay with us and at the age of four became an aunt to our newborn, Amy. She enjoyed playing with my kids and seemed more like my own child than a sister. It wasn't until she married and began having her own family that we became adult sisters on common ground.

I've been very happy that she is living close by and that I get to enjoy being a part of her life, the phone conversations, meeting for lunch, getting together to talk.

She is now the wonderful mother of four great kids, Kevin, Kelly, Krystin and Cortney and a loving supportive wife to her husband, Wade.

Lynette, I'm so thankful that God has blessed me with you. I see His hand on your life, especially this past year and how he has brought you through. I'm so proud of you and how you handled the emotional upheavel and so immensely grateful that Kevin is here with us and doing so well. What a story, huh?

Have a memorable birthday, 40 is a big one!!

Happy 37th Wedding Anniversary to Me and My Better Half

I look back to 1972, two 18 year olds, fresh out of high school starting a life together. It has gone so quickly, yet seems so long ago.

I watched my young husband grow into a man and was amazed at what talents and abilities surfaced when the need arose. He watched his young wife become a nurturing mother of his children and happy keeper of the home.

We've been through alot of lifes ups and downs together, the challenges of raising alot of children, economic hardships and our opposite personalities. But with the challenges came the rewards, the rewards are our wonderful children. The economic hardships made us strong and strengthened our faith. Our opposite personalities drew out our sense of humor and made us more balanced and besides where would salt be without pepper? The lyrics to this song are fitting.

Baby aint it something,

How we lasted this long,

You and Me,

Provin Everyone Wrong

Don't think we'll ever,

Get our differences patched,

Don't really matter,

Cuz we're perfectly matched!

I love you, Chuck, happy anniversary.

My New Chair

I've had a fun summer going to yard sales. I'll be posting some pictures of my finds, soon. This past Saturday I was on a hunt for a new chair for the master bedroom. Several years ago, we bought a chair for this same room at a local furniture store and payed $300 for it. I decided to give it to son, Carl, for his new room and find another for me.
I wanted something with more color and character and not so bulky as the other one. This time I wanted it to cost very little. I was very pleased to find one in the colors of my room that matched perfectly and for only $30 this time, ten times cheaper than the first one. The woman who sold it to us said that her mother loved this chair, but never sat in it, so it was almost new. It is very comfortable, too.
This coming Saturday I will be looking for a small floor lamp to go behind it and maybe a small footstool. I love the hunt!

Happy Birthday Jackie

Today, my mother-in-law is 80! Jackie was born in 1929 to deaf parents. She was the youngest of three children, growing up in Los Angeles, California. She grew up in the Great Depression and remembers being poor, but the family was fortunate that her dad was employed throughout that time.
Jackie married at 19 and had six children by the time she was 30. She was a wonderful mother and along with her husband, Carl, gave their children a happy and secure childhood.
I entered the picture when she was 40 and I was 15. I had met her handsome son, Chuck, and we began dating and going together. I remember her easy laughter and her welcoming ways. Her household was busy and lively with lots of children as she also babysat for extra money. Life seemed to center around her kitchen as parents would often stay at the end of the day for conversation and a cup of coffee as they picked up their children.
As her family grew up and married she became the grandmother of 20. All of her grandchildren have felt the love of this wonderful woman and it has blessed their lives with many happy memories. It has extended, now, to the great grandchildren which number sixteen.
Jackie has always amazed me with her boundless energy and her positive mindset. In her childbearing years she read a book that told her childbearing should not be painful, so she believed and it wasn't! She gave me that same book and it didn't quite work that way for me! Then, later, no perimenopause for her, she just sailed on through! Would you believe she lived with us for two years and we got along? Not many daughter-in-laws can say that. Most older women will talk about their aches and pains which is annoying to her. She can still outshop me and is still employed working seven days in a row, with seven days off schedule. Alot of those hours are on her feet. She says she would be bored if she didn't work. Who works at 80?
Jackie, you are amazing and I have been blessed to have you as my mother-in-law.

Fall Nesting Party At The She Bears Den

It's time for the Fall Nesting Party over at The Inspired Room at

http://theinspiredroom.net/ It's an enjoyable blog about decorating and has great pictures and like it's name, inspires me.

I'm to take a picture or two of a room in my house that needs help and if I win I'll be given a gift card for $200 to use at TJ Maxx to put toward redecorating that room.

I have chosen our 18 year old sons' room. Our older daughter just moved out and Carl is very happy to have his own space, This is his first time to have a room all to himself, coming from a large family of 11 children there just wasn't enough room until now.

It's very sparse and plain and needs some wall decor and window treatments. If I win I will concentrate on the walls and window, keeping it masculine and take Carl shopping with me.