Glowing Hydrangeas

Wooden Bead Garland

 

 

So, Walmart has started putting their Christmas decorations out and I couldn't resist this wooden bead garland with cute little tassels on either end. I really liked having a garland of flag bunting on the mantle during the summer, but this is more seasonally appropriate!

Basketball Season is Coming

 

Basketball season is upon us and our daughter has finally acquiesced to basketball sneakers. 

A Day with a Goddaughter

 

    I was lucky to spend the day with one of my beautiful goddaughters today! We were very productive: we baked apple bread (recipe from the Wall Street Journal), cleaned the bird cage, read all of the Angelina Ballerina books I have in my possession, made lunch together (bratwurst in sautéed onions and peppers, potato salad, pickles, and macaroni and cheese with bunny pasta), worked on coloring pages, rode her scooter, and watched several episodes of the old Angelina Ballerina cartoon. It was nice to spend time with a three-year-old again! 

Boeuf Bourguignon for Sunday Dinner

 

Ina Garten's boeuf bourguignon recipe is absolutely amazing. This is the second time that we've had it and I made a couple of changes to suit our family. Instead of an entire bottle of red wine in the sauce, I used only one cup to give it a hint of wine rather than an overpowering one (I did use the full amount of cognac, however). I doubled the buerre manié (butter and flour mixture to thicken the sauce) so that the stew was lovely and thick to serve over mashed potatoes. This really is the perfect autumn and winter dish! 

Roses on our Table

Autumn Sunset

Bouquet Garni

 

 

 

I just put together a garland of bouquet garni. Most of them are made of parsley and rosemary, but I also have several of parsely and sage. I'll use these little bundled herbs in soups and stews and maybe even on our Sunday roasts. I had never heard of bouquet garni before, but @rue.dauphine.paris mentioned making them to use in her kitchen a few weeks ago and they intrigued me! I'm debating where to store these once they're dry: In the cupboard with my spices? Maybe hanging near my braided garlic? For now, I'll enjoy them as a garland in the dining room. 

White on White on White

 

 

I'm knitting a baby blanket in bed and I just love all of this creamy white I am surrounded by. 

French Inspired Shopping

 

 

 

 

I did a little French inspired shopping today! I took a drive to Fresh Market and bought Pommery mustard, two yogurts, some herbs, and fancy India Tree sugar cubes. Since I was nearby a favorite bakery/giftshop, I decided to pop in and bought the most wonderful ham and cheese croissant and a raspberry creme brioche pastry. The croissant was scrumptious and I'm glad I ate it when I came home, because I would have been tempted to get another! I'm excited to try the honey flavored la fermière yogurt... lemon is already a favorite! I'm also looking forward to tasting the crème fraîche, something I've been inspired to try by @noisettes1420, who uses it in lieu of whipped cream on her desserts. 

Candlelight in the Bath

A Little Bathroom Upgrade

 

 

 

We put up new window film in the master bathroom! I love the change and feel like it's a better match for the tile and general style in here. Everything feels more elegant and cohesive now. The film is from Artscape, which can be purchased both online and at Home Depot (maybe other places too, I'm not sure). We needed two different coordinating types because of our window sizes. 

Autumn Eating Mode

 

 

We're in autumn eating mode, that's for sure!

A Hint of Change

Improvements at the Rectory

 

 

I really love the changes that we made this year to the garden (espaliered pyrocatha bushes) and eterior of the rectory. Painting the walls and painting the shutters and doors sage green made such a gigantic difference.  I feel like it has really elevated the look of the rectory and I feel such joy when I see it now!

Small Everyday Deeds

 

 

I haven't changed the letter board on our piano all summer, but this quote was too perfect not to put up. I had enough letters until I reached Tolkien's last name and then I had to dip into a different font to finish! 

Chocolate Chip Cookies on Deck

 

 

I've got all the ingredients ready to make chocolate chip cookies for our monthly Finer Things Club knitting group tonight. I'm preparing early because we have a busy morning and won't be home until just before people start to get here.I could bake them now, but there's nothing better than a cookie straight from the oven, is there? 🍪 

Antique Marble Pastry Table

 

 

Eeek! I spotted this dream of an antique marble pastry table on Facebook Marketplace yesterday and it is ours today! I have seen tables like this for sale several times and they have always been too expensive or fallen short in some way. This one was exactly what I wanted, the correct size, and right in our budget. It can be used in multiple ways and is currently acting as my desk. I am so thankful to my husband for seeing my vision, driving to get it with me, and helping to set it up! 

Pansies in the Garden

Nature Finds

 

 

Our church had a beach day after coffee hour on Sunday and my youngest son found this interesting dried crab in the sand. 

Early Morning Scenes

A Little Bit of Romance

 

 

We were at a very elegant Italian restaurant a few weeks ago where they served water to the table in glass swing-top bottles. I bought these Le Parfait ones hoping that they would bring me the same feeling as the ones in the restaurant and they're exactly what I was hoping for... a little bit of romance for something so useful and practical. 

The First Pie of the Season

 

The first pie of the season | Google 'Alicia Paulson Sour Cream Apple Pie' for the recipe! @aliciapaulson, there is not an autumn that goes by without me baking at least two of these! Thank you for sharing the recipe many moons ago! 

Garden Updates

 

 

My husband and I were able to espalier the last pyrocantha bush today (we currently have six, with one more to be planted sometime soon). It's really made a difference to have these bushes upright and growing against the walls so there isn't so much vast beige space anymore. 

Feathery Autumn Grasses

Tortellini Pasta Salad

 

 

We're going to the beach tonight to visit with friends and eat dinner together, so I put together a tortellini pasta salad to share. It's just a combination of lots of yummy things: tortellini, jarred artichokes, fresh basil, tomatoes, kalamata Olives, chopped onion, salami, and fresh mozzarella peals. The dressing is Olive Garden Italian. 

Lift Up Thine Eyes

 

 

Norman Rockwell, Lift Up Thine Eyes (1957) 

Eucalyptus and Roses

 

 

Trader Joes flowers never disappoint!! 

First Pumpkins

 

 

I made a huge list of autumnal things that I would like to do and make this year. I got my first check mark for these beauties that I found at a farm stand. I just can't believe how many beautiful kinds of pumpkins there are! 

Túrin Turambar

 

 

Túrin Turambar (from The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien) made of oven bake clay and paint by our thirteen year old son. 

The 2021/2022 School Year

 

 

They've been in school since the September 7th! I can't believe that we have a tenth grader, an eighth grader, and a sixth grader! Where does the time go? Weren't they all just in diapers and watching episodes of Little Bear on Sprout TV? 

Joyous Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross!

 

 

Sunday's Perfect Pot Roast

 

 

Sunday's Perfect Pot Roast! I could eat this every single day.. Recipe via Pioneer Woman. 

Memory Eternal!

 

 

Here is an excerpt from a letter written by Metropolitan Tikhon on the 20th Anniversay of the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks:

"We remember the lives that were cut short in the collapse of the towers of the World Trade Center, the damage to the Pentagon, and the wreckage of Flight 93 in Pennsylvania. There were almost three thousand people who never came home, taken from their family and friends who were left to grieve and try to make sense of their loss. Many more were injured and forever scarred, both physically and emotionally. Even those who were not present at the sites of the attacks have vivid imagery of that day come into their minds unbidden.

Great tragedies in our world call us to repentance, and anniversaries like today remind us that we are sojourners and exiles here on earth (1 Pet. 2:11). We look with hope towards the Kingdom of God. Always do we, as St. Paul remarked, “desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one” (Heb 11:16).

Let us continue to remember in prayer all those who lost their lives, the survivors who continue to live with disability, the first-responders who carry emotional burdens of that day, and the families and friends of the victims who have suffered their grief over these twenty years."

Memory Eternal! 

Still Fluffing

 

 

I guess that I wasn't quite finished fluffing our bathroom. I framed two @carleighcoureydesign calendar pages and hung them using command strips (to protect the tile). I originally planned on keeping the two vases empty, but I love the addition of the @masterpieceflowers bouquet that I shared earlier today. With everything in such a neutral palette, the privacy tint we put on the window ten years ago isn't quite right. I might go to the hardware store someday soon and see if there's a better option. 

Memories of a Dear Friend

 

I was so excited to go to the open house at @masterpieceflowers today! This gorgeous dried bouquet was one of the treasures that I brought home. It was perfect for this vessel near the bathtub. Dried flower bouquets always remind me of a dear lady that I knew the first few years of our time in this parish. Jane loved dried flowers and was always looking for good sources for them. I wish that I could have shared this with her and had been able to buy her one. Memory Eternal, Jane. I think of you often! 

Little Roadside Friends

Pond Scenes

Deep Cleaning and De-Cluttering

 

 

 

When I talked to one of my sisters today, she told me that she was slowly deep cleaning and de-cluttering her bedroom. I was inspired to do the same, but in our master bathroom. I de-cluttered, deep cleaned (with my new Thieves cleaner from @homegrownlifemama), and then rearranged all of my bits and bobs. I'll be enjoying a book and candlelit bath in my newly freshened up space tonight! 

Vingnettes at the Antique Store

 

 

 

 

I love looking at little vignettes that people come up with at antique stores. This booth was particularly lovely. My daughter and I visited last week when we were running errands and bought the landscape painting and a tiny pitcher. She bought a beautiful etched brass ruler that isn't pictured.