Happy Halloween...

First of all, I want to say that my heart and prayers are going out to all affected by the hurricane...  when you think about donating to some of the charities to help...  don't forget all of God's precious little creatures who need our help as well...  if you would like a list of some of the best places to donate for the animals, please send me an email... or click on one of the links on my sidebar...  I will be adding more links soon... animals are all so very precious to me... and I so appreciate anything at all you can give...

Wishing you all a safe and Happy Halloween...  xoxo  Julie Marie

How do you measure pumpkin love?...

With little pumpkin measuring cups, of course! ... I love pumpkins...  all shapes, sizes...  colors...

Are these the sweetest lil' punkins you ever did see...  I have been wanting them at JoAnn's Crafts for the past month... but not at $19.99...  right now, all of their Autumn is 70% off...  they were $5.99...  pumpkin love!... (love the price too!)...  xoxo...  Julie Marie

Is it Halloween yet???...

I'm getting tired of waiting...

Where's my treats???... you got any treats???...  xoxo...  Tessy

Indian Summer... a beautiful Native American description...

November is almost upon us...  for me, it is a quiet month...  time to collect my thoughts and count my many blessings... I love to leisurely plan our Thanksgiving meal...  make sure I have all of my supplies for baking and cooking... but no hurries this month...  my gardens are put to rest for their long winters nap... porch furniture is stored safely inside... our vehicles are serviced and ready for the snow and cold... these past two days our weather has turned back into Indian Summer once more... which I love...

My sister owns an exquisite Native American shop called "Indian Summer"... and has been in the business of collecting and selling the finest authentic Native American art for well over thirty~five years... I am so proud of her and her love for and knowledge of the Native Americans, their beautiful crafts and their enchanting way of life...  I asked her to explain to me what the Native Americans consider Indian Summer... here is  her favorite description...

"A warm period of time following the first frost, 

after the leaves have started to change colors,

a tranquil time to relax after a Fall harvest...

a serene time when the hard labors of Summer have ended

and the winter is not yet upon you

a peaceful time in ones life when they can relish their past productivity"

Isn't that a  beautiful description for this gorgeous time of year?...

 I have learned much from my sister about the Native American ways... and I love their beliefs and traditions...  I especially love how they respect their elders...  and seek their wisdom their entire lives...

Today, I filled my corner open hutch with these beautiful plates I just bought that seem to say Indian Summer to me...  I found them at Wal Mart of all places... they are Better Homes and Gardens and I just love them... infact, I took every one they had left...

Each time I look at them, I am reminded of my many blessings...  for which I am truly thankful...

Wishing you all a tranquil, serene and peaceful time relaxing after your Fall harvest... enjoying Indian Summer... and counting your many blessings...  xoxo...  Julie Marie 

Happy Howl~o~Ween...

Happy Howl~o~Ween everyone!... doggie kisses... xoxo...  Tessy...

A promise to myself... and a gift for you for Halloween...

So many things to do today... groceries to buy... all the ingredients to cook up some of my homemade chili... it's a tradition at my house...  we have it every Halloween... Jack loves it...  and I do too... and you know me...  I always keep traditions!... my secret is my New Mexico red dried chili powder my sister brings me back from Santa Fe...  it's the only kind I use...  makes the chili sooo yummy and the color is beautiful!... it certainly says "Autumn"!... then, there are pumpkin spice donuts to buy at our favorite bakery...  they only make them this time of year, and they sell out fast...  so I will buy a dozen and freeze them for Halloween night... (I have been known to wake up in the middle of the night and eat one out of the freezer...  yep, they thaw really quick and sometimes at midnight they just hit the spot!)... and I  must finish up and wrap the birthday gifts for my sweet niece Filly whose special day is tomorrow...  her photo is on my sidebar...  I love you Filly!...  Happy Birthday!...  I also want to wish you all a Happy Halloween, and give you one of my vintage Halloween Beistle die cuts, mine from when I was a little girl in the 50's... I have scanned in for you to print and use as you please...  it prints out  nicely on cardstock to hang in your window, make a card with it, whatever you choose...  yes, there is years worth of scotch tape on it from hanging in our windows sooo many years...  but if you just cut around it, it looks fine!...  I didn't want to cut it off and ruin any of the die cut...  besides, it's vintage scotch tape now you know!...  you can see more of my Beistle die cuts from my childhood in my previous post if you like...

I love making plans...  do you?...  I write lists and jot down notes... I put little Autumn stickers on my notes, and usually keep them tucked away to refer back to... I often sketch a little treasure from Nature on my notes...  I love sketching...  I paint a little...  but I really love to sketch...  nothing has to be perfect...  just capturing an acorn or an Autumn leaf as I see it... and today I made myself a promise...  to enjoy every single season to the fullest... I do that always with Spring, Summer and Fall...  but,  I am not a winter person at all...  yesterday we had our first snow storm...  a blizzard actually... and this morning with the wind chill it was 27 degrees...  brrr!...  but, I am warm inside with my little woodstove going and there is a cozy feeling that comes with getting  things ready for the winter that is inevitable... I promised myself to find the beauty in every single day of it this year... and our snow~covered fields and countryside really do look like something out of Currier and Ives... here is a photo I took of  "my" barn in winter a year or so ago...  it really is just gorgeous...  and our winter walks past it on the snow covered lane really are intoxicating...

Now, there are blankets to gather and  fold and have ready for the cold nights... and my pantry to stock... flannel shirts to bring out of drawers and wash... snow boots to gather up and put in our mudroom...  apples waiting to be baked into a pie... yes, I love Autumn... and hope it returns for the month of November...  at least through Thanksgiving... but winter...  I will enjoy you too this year... and all of the beautiful things you have in store for me...  I promise!...  xoxo...  Julie Marie

Cherished Memories of Halloweens Past...

As All Hallows Eve approaches, my thoughts drift back once more to my childhood, as they do often... and the happy memories Halloween holds for me...  times were simple back then... and innocent...  Halloween was a special time to be enjoyed by all...  it was a magical  feeling in the air...  that started as soon as the calendar pages turned to October... anticipation was a big part of Halloween...  would it be cold?...  hopefully not too cold... and certainly no snow!...  some years, we tramped through a foot or more  of snow to trick~or~treat...  we were determined little goblins back then... and nothing could stop us from our Halloween night adventures...  a slight breeze that scattered the fallen Autumn leaves and made a whistley, kind of eerie sound as we carried our little pumpkin lanterns in the dark made it delightfully spooky...  and if the full moon happened to fall on Halloween... well, that made everything just about perfect!...

Daddy always carved our jack~o~lantern...  that sat out front and grinned through a flickering candle at all of the little ghosts and goblins, witches and princesses who ventured to our front door... mama baked Halloween cookies shaped like pumpkins and witches... bats and ghosts... and mama always made a ghost out of an old pillowcase that hung out front as well...  a smiling ghost, nothing scary... a little ghost that seemed to say "welcome"...  as mama and daddy handed out the treats...

My sister Jill and I loved Halloween...  still do, and so do my nieces... when we were little, Jill and I could not wait to get into our costumes...  always something homemade... sometimes a witch... sometimes we were hobos, wearing some of daddy's old coats, our faces made to look like a hobo who hadn't shaved for months... darkened with damp black jelly beans... and an old bandanna tied on a stick like a knapsack...  probably considered not politically correct these days... to be a hobo you know... oh well... those were just the times back then...  and no offense was meant to hobos!...

As soon as it was dark, Jill and I headed out with our pillowcases, excited to meet up with some of our friends and begin trick~or~treating... thinking back...  those old pillowcases not only gathered treats, which were soon eaten and gone...  they gathered a lifetime of memories...  which are still here with me to this day... Jill and I always headed to the house we called "the pink house" first, as they always gave out the best treats...  caramel apples, popcorn balls, donuts... maybe cupcakes...  and they decorated so cute... and they were kind... the kindest little "vintage" couple ever...  (I will never ever call anyone old)...  The other day, I drove past the old "pink house" just up from my old home I grew up in...  our neighborhood was  high on a hill where it was once surrounded by orchards.... and I was happy to see the "pink house" was all decorated these many years later for Halloween...  the "pink house" is now painted grey... and undoubtedly sold through the years...  but when I closed my eyes as I sat there in my car, it still looked pink to me... and I could just picture two little girls dressed as hobos knocking on the door... waiting for the kind man and lady to answer...  wondering if we would get a donut this year or a popcorn ball...  I also drove past my childhood home... where so many of my memories come from...  and it too is all decorated for Halloween...  it made me smile...

Many, many years have flown by since these carefree days from Halloween past...  but this "little girl" will always love this magical time of year... although I love white pumpkins alot and decorate with them too (they have always been called "ghost pumpkins" where I live and have been around a long time here)...  and many of the newer decorations...  the old, traditional colors of Halloween will always be my favorite... bright orange jack~o~lanterns...  smiling ghosts, witches dressed in black with warts on their noses and carrying  crooked brooms... black cats and bats...  a steaming cup of hot chocolate waiting for us when we got home... and excitedly telling our tales of Halloween night over and over again...  all of the vintage Halloween treasures in this post were mine as a little girl (I always took really good care of my things and kept them!)... with the exception of the newer Annalee's below...  if you look close, you will see years and years of scotch tape on the old die cuts from being hung in our windows...  those are all original ones from the Beistle Company from the 50's... not the reproductions they still make...I love my old "scratch cats" in the photo above...  must have been a cat~fight sometime over the years as one of them is missing part of it's tail now!... my little candles are original Gurleys from the 50's as well... my favorite Halloween treasures are my little witch candy container, and my cherished little old pumpkin lantern (in my photos)  I carried with me as a little girl...

Although many things have changed since back then...  I have not... I hold tight to these memories...  and let them flow freely through my mind often... I am so thankful my mama and daddy taught me life's lessons early on...  always encouraging us to follow our dreams... and let  our imaginations flourish...

Kids need to be kids...  let them know what childhood is...  don't be in such a hurry for them to grow up so fast...  let them believe in magic... let them find that "pink house" on the hill...  xoxo...  Julie Marie    Happy Birthday this Saturday  to my beautiful niece Filly,  Happy Birthday hon...  I remember the day you were born... I love you!...  Juju... Linking this post to Fabulous Fall Fun Vintage Inspiration Fridays with Debra at Common Ground...

  



 

A peek inside my Autumn country kitchen...

You've all heard the kitchen is the "heart of the home"...  well, at our home, it really is...  I love to cook and bake, especially now in Autumn, my favorite time of the year... plus Jack and I love to sit at the table in our breakfast nook, sipping a cup of coffee and chatting about our plans for the day... while Tessy lays close by at our feet...  here's a little peek at my favorite room in our home...  I call it country~farmhouse...  I guess that is what you would call my whole style of decorating... always has been... always will be... I like a little fufu thrown in here and there, but mostly  I want our home to feel cozy and comfy... where everyone who enters feels welcome...  doggies included, of course!... (and kitties too!)... a place full of simple treasures, many vintage... some new...  I don't worry about whether or not my things match...  everything I collect and use are things that call out my name and I truly love... many are family heirlooms... the very best kind of treasures...  these things  and the  heavenly aromas drifting from the oven remind me of  my grandmothers house when I was a little girl...  welcome!...

Our kitchen table where Jack and I solve the problems of the world...

Grab a stool and I'll pour you a nice hot cup of coffee...

Or would you prefer a cup of tea?...

My corner hutch I showed you in a previous post...

I have so many kitchen collectibles after a lifetime of gathering them...  many sit atop my cabinets... oops...  looks like I need to dust up there more often!...

Many of my cookbooks and such I keep on one of my bakers racks... ready to grab at a moment's notice...

My favorite vintage sugar sack apron from the old Layton Sugar Company hangs there as well...  you can read my story here if you like, to hear the history of this old sugar sack and how it came full circle back to me...

I am one who likes to keep everything I need to cook or bake handy... so they are mostly out on my counters... some of you like a "clean" look for your counters...  I love seeing all of my "stuff" out where I can enjoy them... the really large wooden spoon was special ordered and made for me by Anne Marie's husband Jason at Nada Farm...  love it!...

I love black boards in kitchens and have several...

Here's another one in the corner...

I also love to decorate for the Seasons... Indian corn and pumpkins in a vintage California Pottery bowl... nothing fancy...  but sincere...

My kitchen is full of vintage treasures and cherished recipes...  many from my mama and my grandmother and great~grandmother...

This is where I stir up yummy things to eat... and lots of memories... and a whole lot of  love...  I hope you'll visit often... Happy Autumn from the heart of our home!... xoxo...  Julie Marie  Linking this post to Fabulous Fall Fun at Debra's place at  Common Ground...


 

Capturing Autumn in the country... and treasures from the trail...

Come with me... let's walk... down the lane... and around the bend... yes, most of our little roads here are called "lane" rather than street, which I love...  Porter Lane, Walton Lane...  Jennings Lane...  lane sounds so much more quaint and old~fashioned than street...  don't you think?...

 Also, many are called "road" rather than an east~west or north~south only...  my favorite is Old Haul Road...  maybe it's because I love the country life so and my surrounding countryside and the heritage it holds...

Got your boots on?...  this time of year, I always wear boots of some kind down the trails and lanes...  we do have snakes around here... rattlesnakes too...  did you know rattlesnake's babies hatch in the Fall rather than the Spring?...  they do... so we must watch out for them... and mama rattlesnake... best we just let them be, should we come across any sunning themselves... aren't the Autumn colors just stunning right now...  I wish these luscious golden days would last forever...

First stop...  my beautiful barn...  I have posted it often, but Autumn is my favorite time to walk past it...  it's not really MY barn...  but I call it that... it should be my barn I love it so much...

 I thought it would be fun to gather some treasures from the trail today to take home and create an Autumn Nature jar...  capturing these blissful days with little finds from our walk...  here are some  jars I have made in previous years...  so many beautiful treasures just waiting to be gathered and placed in a pretty glass jar...  I get most of my jars from Home Goods, Marshalls or TJ Maxx...  any jar with a lid will do... or even with no lid... they are delightful!...

Here you can see some of my treasures from the trail from previous years  up close...

Pinecones and berries... an abandoned wasp nest...

Snail shells, acorn caps, seedpods, feathers, dried leaves...  so many gifts Nature has left for us to find...rose hips and teasel make for a beautiful arrangement...

Let's gather some cattails too...  they look gorgeous in a tall rustic bucket or jar...

Here is another treasure I brought home from the trail yesterday... only, I had to go back in my car to get it...  alot of the farmers have put out logs for the taking...  from felled trees resulting from our huge east wind episode earlier this year...  I was trying to lift it, saying to myself "this baby is heaaavy!" when a nice man came over and offered to lift it into the back of my CRV for me...  I love nice people!...  then Jack unloaded it at home for me and put it in my garden... a part of my gardens I call my "Prairie" garden...  full of purple coneflowers, black~eyes Susans and a variety of Prairie grasses and  flowers that just keep blooming all Autumn long...

Let's spread out our treasures on top of it and see what we found...  chestnuts and pods... berries and pinecones... cool shaped pieces of wood and twigs...

Oooh look...  the critters left me some twigs that look like "J"'s...  for Julie Marie and Jack...  hey!... where's my "M" for Marie?... maybe next time... LOVE the Honey Locust pods... and the special feather left just for me by one of my feathered friends...

Well, I am ready to find the perfect jar and go about making my new Nature jar...  capturing these beautiful treasures from the trail...  I shall toss in a handful of wishes...  and sprinkle in an abundance of Autumn memories of this blissful day...

 I hope you enjoyed capturing Autumn in the country with me...  can't wait to see what treasures you have gathered...  Autumn blessings to you...  xoxo... Julie Marie 

These boots are made for walkin'...

I love boots...  and I love walking...  put the two of these together, and for me it is pure bliss!...  I wanted some comfy, casual boots that I could tuck my jeans in...  found these yesterday at TJ Maxx for $49.99...  great price!... they are so comfy and zip all the way up the back, making them really easy to put on... they're soft... and smooshy... they are by  Dolce Vita... ahh...  "the sweet life"...

I walk and jog~walk so much every day...  Jack and I take a 2~3 mile walk together every morning...  plus I walk Tessy another mile or so plus shorter walks throughout the day with her...  just recently I have added a little jog~walk back into my daily routine...  I don't run though...  too hard on my toe I had the stress fracture in this past Summer...  besides these, I take a daily Nature walk...  where my pace is slower... and my thoughts  are only of taking in the beauty of my little countryside and all of God's precious little creatures that inhabit it...  clearing my mind... letting all my cares just drift away...  sounds like I spend a lot of time  walking, huh?...  well, besides loving to walk, I walk for my health...  there is nothing better for your heart than walking...  you don't need to do as much as I do...  or some of you probably do more... but I want to be as healthy as I can... I fix really healthy meals for Jack and I, and Tessy only eats organic doggie food and treats...  she gets Newman's Own, which I have found to be the very best and only natural, quality ingredients...  Tessy wants to be a healthy girl too!... and she loves our walks as well...  besides being so good for your heart, it is the best thing in the world for a feeling of peace and contentment...  after I walk, I feel like taking on whatever my day has in store for me...   obviously I will not jog~walk in my boots, but they will be perfect for the trail and my Nature walks...  got a little extra time today?...  if not...  make some...  take a walk...  your heart will love you for it!... xoxo...  Julie Marie

Simply... beautiful...

Hope you are savoring every single...  simply beautiful moment...

and Nature's golden treasures...

 this enchanting Autumn has to offer...  xoxo...  Julie Marie 

Vintage White China and Precious Memories...

In my previous post, I showed you part of my collection of Bauer bowls I had put out for Autumn in my corner hutch in my kitchen...  then,  we decided to take the doors off the hutch since they kept getting in our way being open and I wanted to see everything inside, so I had to unload everything I had just put in it...  (those Bauer bowls are heavy!)...

I loved the new look the hutch took on with no doors, so I decided I wanted to play around a bit more with different things inside of it now...  even though I love my pretty Autumn colored bowls... (you know me, I've gotta have color in our home!)... I also love my pretty vintage white pieces...

I ended up putting a  number of my vintage white china pieces in there, along with some newer pieces... and also some of my vintage silver... the little creamers and butter pats belonged to my great~grandfather Souders and came from  the Harvey House  restaurant which he owned years ago, located inside of the historic La Fonda Hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico...

I added a few Autumny accents, like my little French velvet pumpkins and some little squirrels scampering around in there... some pinecones and Autumn leaves...

I also placed my two new teacups with the pretty trailing vines and leaves on them there...  their saucers are leaves...  love them!...

Today it is overcast and cool here... I love how these photos took on the feeling of this beautiful Autumn day...  I never use a flash or have any lights on...  just natural light...

The Bauer bowls are sitting on top of some of my kitchen cabinets now, and I actually like them even  better there... after a lifetime of collecting,  I just have soo many antiques and vintage collectibles and just not enough room to display them all at one time... but...  I just keep finding more I love, like the little vintage white leaf... my latest addition...  purchased from Becky at  Timewashed ... love how teensie and sweet it is!...

 
and I am  loving my "new" corner hutch!... filled with a few of my vintage whites...  and a whole lot of my precious memories...  xoxo  Julie Marie  Linking this post to Fabulous Fall Fun with Debra at Common Ground on Friday this week...also linking to Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage...