Friday, October 19, 2012

Entrails, Anyone?? (aka Dining...Halloween Style)

I have been decorating for Halloween in a sort of piecemeal fashion.  We have been so busy since the move (before it, actually) and after getting all of our regular, everyday decor set, neither of us was too keen on replacing it with Halloween.  That said, we couldn't let OUR holiday pass by with no attention!

As you have seen in previous posts, we did outdoors with pumpkins, gourds, our arch & gates, some signs Chris made over the years.

Inside, we have two ceramic lightups that my mom made when I was young: a witch on a pumpkin and a haunted house.  For me, it isn't Halloween without those!!  We received a couple Halloween gifts, which are out, too: the witch legs from my mom and a "Keep Calm & Scare On" sign from our friends, the Stephenses.  Additionally, I have placed a few other items in the living room, bathrooms and, now, the dining area.



Before we moved, I bought these awesome Halloween plates from Pottery Barn!!!  And earlier this week, I stumbled across the black plates at Target...which are perfect as chargers and will be used for everyday after Halloween!!!

Here are 2 of them individually:




I love mixing what we have with a few new purchases!!! 


And how about the adorable green & yellow gourd with the twisty stem?!?  This is the only one of my pumpkins & gourds in the house.  I just knew it would be perfect on the serving tray centerpiece!!

Buon Appetito!!

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Our First BIG-time Collegiate Football Game

"We Are...ND!!!"


So, last Saturday, we had tickets that we bought off my cousin for the Notre Dame vs. Stanford football game.  I was really looking forward to it!  The campus would be beautiful this time of year!  We were heading there early (it is an hour's drive east), so we could see the Golden Dome, the grotto & to meander the grounds.  We planned to watch the "Players Walk" and catch the "Trumpets under the Dome," as suggested by my cousin.  We packed up some grub for a little tailgating.

We arrived about noon (eastern) and get out the food to eat before we headed up to the campus for the remainder of the day.  Wouldn't you know, it started to drizzle.  We quickly made 4 sandwiches to throw in my purse/bag and made our way to the shuttle bus that would take us from the parking field to the library.

The.rain.never.stopped.the.whole.day!  As a matter of fact, it more than drizzled!!!  We were soaked to the bone by day's end...before day's end!  And we had an umbrella and plastic ponchos (or garbage bags as Chris kept referring to them!!!)!!!

We didn't get to tour the campus, we didn't make it to the Trumpets under the Dome, we didn't make it to the Grotto! 

We found a cafe in one of the (gorgeous) buildings and got warm drinks, pumpkin spice coffee for me and tea for Chris (he is working hard to give up coffee for digestional reasons).   

We saw the Players Walk and then made our way into the stadium for cover ~~ with another hour & 20 minutes until game time!  We sat on the floor, on our blanket, eating our sandwiches and pretzels and drinking our water. 

We stayed from beginning to end of a game that went into overtime.  Other than a couple/few minutes during halftime, we stood...in the rain...the entire game!!

Definitely NOT the experience I had hoped for...but, I can now cross attending a Notre Dame Fighting Irish football game off the bucket list! 

Watching the student section lift people into pushups each time the team scored, joining in on the chants and cheers and being part of history were all pretty cool.  If only it had been a crisp, clear, sunny & cool Fall day ~~ it was October 13th, for goodness sake ~~ it would have been simply perfect!!!  But, then, I guess it wouldn't have made as good a story, right?!? 

No pics of us were taken (I was not having it since I was a soggy mess!), but Chris got some terrific ones of the game!  He has an awesome camera and is one hell of an action photographer!  ND should hire him!!!




Wednesday, October 10, 2012

More Fall Around Our Place

You can see my 3 big orange pumpkins at the top and 2 of my 4 whites from Ghostwood.

Here is another of the white pumpkins and I, finally, added a broom.

I eventually moved one of my new big orange ones to the birdbath.

Here is the flower box filled with 3 acorn squash I bought at the gas station in Bedford and the 2 daisy squash from Oliver Winery.  The branches are from a tree Chris trimmed and the pinecones, sign & lantern are ours.


Ghostwood Farm


A high school classmate of mine, Adam, and his wife, Melissa, have a small farm on their, oh, 33 acres in Bedford, Indiana, just south of Bloomington.  They were hosting their 3rd Annual Ghostwood Farm Open House this past weekend.  We didn't make it down last year, so I wasn't going to miss it. 

Originally, we planned to camp on the farm.  I borrowed a tent and Adam's parents were loaning us an air mattress; however, the weather report was freaking Chris out b/c rain was in the forecast.  He was all, "We are NOT going if it rains!  I am not walking around in mud!" etc., etc.  I was able to convince him to go by getting a hotel room (with some credit card points). 
We were going right past Oliver Winery, one of our favorite producers, which incidentally opened in 1972 ~ the best vintage, so I suggested that we stop for a quick visit.  We love visiting wineries!!  We didn't do any sampling b/c we already know what we like, but we were able to get a small tour of the winemaking facilities.  The grounds are beautiful, made even more so with pumpkins, squash, mums, etc.!  I bought a couple "daisy" gourds to use in my Fall flower box display!  It was a really nice break from our long drive, too.

From Oliver, we went straight to Comfort Inn to check in, drop off our stuff and freshen up real quick.  

The drive to Ghostwood Farm is wind-y and beautiful.  We drove by Lake Monroe and lots and lots of trees, which are their most beautiful in the Fall, of course!!!  We got to our final destination about 5PM (their time) and were pretty hungry!  I knew Adam had smoked pork and couldn't wait to get a sandwich!!!  There was just a little more than 2 sandwiches worth left ~ whew!!!

Another classmate, Michele, and her husband, Dan, made it down, too.  We chatted with them while we ate ~~ so much good food...the sweets kept landing on my plate and in my belly the whole nite ~~ before Adam led a group of us on a tour of the property.






I brought home this geode, which Adam thinks he might have cut in half with the bushhog ~ score!!!

After the tour, we ended up around the bonfire.  BRRRRRR!  Even with the fire going, we were so cold!  I was bundled up with a long-sleeve shirt, sweater & coat, plus gloves & a hat AND a blanket!!!  We talked, joked, laughed & drank til close to midnite.  I am glad we had a warm place with a soft bed (& a shower) waiting for us, rather than the confines of a tent on this super-cold nite!!! 

The farm has chickens and roosters & they grow produce (pumpkins, squash, asparagus & beans, just to name a few).  I was looking forward to buying some of their white pumpkins ~ I got 4 to add to my burgeoning collection!!

Chris took some great pics of the Ghostwood fowl:





I believe that is Kingfish...the top "dog"

Chris named this one Chanticlear.



A breakfast of melons grown at Ghostwood

 Sunday morning, we headed back to the Farm for a breakfast that included eggs from their chickens and venison sausage.  YUM!  The house was full of people, but it was cozy and welcoming.  Adam & Melissa were so calm amidst it all ~ perfect hosts for such a gathering!  We brought a (store bought) sweet potato cake that paired perfectly with (the much-needed) coffee.

After breakfast, we headed back outside, where I immediately headed for the coop to see if I could find any newly laid eggs.

I found 4...one of which was still warm!

About eleven (our time) we started the drive back home.  The part of the drive that is south of I-465, on 37, is such a treat for the eyes at this time of year!!!  I only wish the sun had been shining more b/c the colors of the leaves just pop in the sunlight!!

We had a fantastic time and can't thank Adam & Melissa enough for their generosity and graciousness.  We will make the trip next year, if we still live in Indiana, that is.  There are many projects that Adam wants to complete and we look forward to seeing the progress. 


What a Way to Start a Morning!!

While enjoying our cups of tea, snuggled under blankets and being warmed by the fire of the electric fireplace this past Saturday morning, we were visited by a deer right outside our 3-seasons room!  Imagine my surprise when I caught a glimpse of something and realized it's a deer coming right to us!!!!!  It came right in front of us and went straight for the suet in the birdfeeder.  Didn't mess with it for too long before deciding to munch on the easier stuff around the yard.

This photo and the one below are a little grainy b/c they are taken thru the slider and the screen.




The cats didn't seem impressed which led us to wonder if the deer have been stopping by while we are at work, so it wasn't new to Isis & Luna!  Hmmmm...????

We bought a mineral block on Monday and hope that it will bring the deer back for more surprise visits! 

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Pink Ribbon Society 11th Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Tea

Nikki, Jen, Kim, Becky and Jen
This was the most successful Tea thus far!  760 attendees...sold out 6 weeks early!!  $9,200 raised from the raffle baskets (nope, still no win for me!!)!!! 


We were also joined by Deb and Che (he is our photographer).  Mary ended up out of town, so Che took her spot, the little gentleman.  Deb's daughter, Peyton (a previous attendee), had a cheer competition, so she had to bow out and Deb's mom, Andrea (also a previous attendee), was busy with her sister who just moved back to the area.  So, we had an empty seat from our original 8.  (And there were 2 other spots not filled, which I found out later were a mom & daughter we all knew from CPHS ~ so they would have been a perfect addition to our crazy selves!!)

Of course, if we are still living in the area, I will be attending next year ~~ fingers crossed that I FINALLY win a raffle!!!  ;)

Things I Love about Autumn

Our decorating scheme is very fall-inspired!  We love the deep reds, yellows & oranges.  I use leaves and pumpkins throughout my displays.  Soon, I will have apothecary jars to fill with acorns, corn kernels, small gourds, etc., that I will display all year through.  I have alot of blankets, which I keep stored all around (a wicker trunk, a black pleather ottoman, a small wire basket and a bin meant for firewood) b/c you just never know when you need to cuddle under a blanket to get toasty and comfortable!!

Here is a list, not all-inclusive, of the things about Fall I love:
~Leaves changing to vibrant reds, oranges and yellows
~Candy corn, which I don't let myself eat until the first official day of Fall
~Wearing boots
~Pumpkin ANYTHING (food, drink, displays, patches, decor)
~Halloween decorations in stores and on homes
~Baking & cooking, old & new recipes, especially with flavors of fall
~Bonfires
~Cuddling on the couch under piles of blankets
~Fall hikes
~Hayrides
~Leelenau Cellars Witches Brew
~County Line Orchard apple cider & pumpkin donuts
~Harvest Moon
~Scents --food, air fresheners, candles, hand soaps
~Indian corn & cornstalks
~Halloween music and movies
~Scarecrows
~Crockpot meals
~Dressing in layers with sweaters, gloves, sweatshirts, wool hats, scarves

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