Sunday, October 12, 2008

Mums The Word





I love fall-the colors, the scent of the woods, fireplaces with that first curl of smoke, apples, pumpkins & spices. Shaking out those wool sweaters from the blanket chest & throws to wrap up in with the scent of lavender sachets still clinging to them. Earthy buckwheat pancakes for breakfast with hot apples, carmelized in maple syrup & hearty baked pumpkin oatmeal. Changing the flowers to the frost-kissed, mop head hydrangeas that I'll dry later to decorate the Christmas tree.


We took a drive in the country to our favorite road side stand for pumpkins & mums to finish decorating. The colors looked like patches in a quilt. It was so hard to decide-but there's only so much room in the car! I love all the funky gourds-especially the ones with all the "warts".


On the way home we stopped for a leg-stretch at the Haldeman Mansion. The Haldeman Mansion, is on the Pennsylvania & National Registers of Historic places. It was the birthplace of Professor Samuel Stehman Haldeman and was completed in 1812 by his grandparents, John and Maria Brenneman Haldeman. The style of architecture is vernacular German combined with Federal elements. When it is restored, it will be the first historic structure in the Bainbridge-Conoy Township areas, and will serve as a museum house, community landmark and meeting place. It was a lovely day and perfect for a stroll!


I always get a bit nostalgic this time of year. When my husband & I first went "house hunting" 23 years ago, the first two properties we looked at were stone farmhouses. I love my Victorian-(it is after all my first house), but I am always drawn every fall to a stone house.

Fur Ball




Every year our local Humane Society sponsors an auction & gala to raise funds for the animals at the shelter. It is called the Fur Ball-(little play on words for us cat owners!) since Micky & Pee Wee were fromer shelter mates, the Humane Society is one of my"pet" -(no pun intended) charities. This is the gift basket I donated from The Victorian Garden this year. I truely have a great time coming up with a new basket each year. This one was an autumn theme-(my favorite time of year) with soup mixes, herb sugars, tea, pastas, Dansk cutting board, tea towel, mugs, plates, napkins... I just love the basket-it reminds me of a country French market basket. When it was all put together it weighed about 20 pounds. Even though times are tough & we have to make every cent count, we can't forget about those who need our help. Donate to your favorite charity-it just makes you feel warm & fuzzy all over!