Day 6 The early evening light in October is extraordinary. Magical. I relish it. The sky is a deeper blue. Trees stand proud in a blaze of color Illuminated leaves appear as wispy stained glass windows. Leaves.... Piling up on the sidewalk. Brilliant on the trees. Extraordinary. Stunning. Magical. Leaves. “Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” ~ Albert Camus Savoring every glint of Autumn's light. Marveling at the colors of the trees in full Autumn bloom. Infinite … [Read more...]
Day 5 "Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness. Kindness in your face. Kindness in your eyes. Kindness in your smile." ~Mother Teresa~ I came across that quote of Mother Teresa the other day and thought, "Could I impact another life so that following our brief encounter the other person would walk away better and happier?" Could you...or I...really do that? Really? On this adventure of 31 Extraordinary Days we are exploring what it means to live more fully, more intentionally. And … [Read more...]
Day 4 “I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.” ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne~ When the autumn skies are mostly blue and the sun is shining I want to be outside? How about you? Do you do any fall fluffing in your outdoor spaces? As I attempt to live more fully, more intentionally, I find myself taking time to make inviting outdoor spots. Such as the addition of a pillow to a chair. Rearranging the seating in the fall to take advantage of the sun's warmth. Or even bringing a little decor...which is often … [Read more...]
Day 3 Last Friday night we were invited to the home of some new friends for dinner. We had the best time. When was the last time you asked someone over for dinner? All this month we're exploring how to live an extraordinary life. When we live life to the full we do things outside our comfort zone. We do crazy things like carve time out of our busy schedules to spend with friends. We clean the house, decide on a menu, figure out what to do with the pets, or even the kids...just so we can invite new or old friends to dinner. When was the last time you … [Read more...]
Day 2 ...I Love about Fall! Zinnias Isn't it the little things that can make your day? Like... Zinnias Crisp cool air The smell of wet leaves Wooly Bear Caterpillars The Aroma of Concord Grapes Fresh Pressed Apple Cider Pumpkins, Squash, & Gourds Sitting by the Fire with a Creamy Mug of Hot Cocoa Falling Leaves A Kaleidoscope of Red, Orange, Yellow, and Green Corn.... Candy, Indian, & Stalks The Aroma of Apples in the Apple Barn Hot Apple Pie, Crisp, & Dumplings Butternut Squash Soup Warm Wooly Sweaters Snuggly Flannel Sheets El … [Read more...]
It's leaf peeping time! Right now the trees are just beginning to turn color. It's my favorite time of (F)all. The mostly green leaves provide the perfect backdrop for the riot of yellows, oranges, and reds. I'm sure you'll agree...it's extraordinary!! Just a few days ago, I spied these leaves when out for a walk and shared about it here. But there's more to the story. Several of you have commented that some of those leaves looked almost unreal. They certainly were striking. And I'm certain that I've never seen any quite like them. So, when I finished my photo session with the … [Read more...]
Everyone's doing it. Decorating their mantels for Fall. But, not me. Nope. In order to decorate a mantel, one must have a mantel. It's one of those details that makes all the difference. I had a mantel. Once. It was lovely. Of course, I just might be a little biased since I designed it. That was my Michigan mantel which surrounded my favorite brick, and housed a firebox where we burned cherry. Mmmm. So fragrant. I loved that fireplace. The mantel too. On a fall evening I could be found tending the fire, almost sitting in the firebox, to get … [Read more...]
Happy First Day of Autumn! Time for a little leaf peeping! What do you love most about Autumn? It's so lovely.... ...and so fleeting. Hope you can take time to soak in the sun, the scents, the brilliance, and the drama. Wishing you An Extraordinary Autumn! Diane Sharing at... A Rural Journal + Sunday Snapshot + Simple Things Sunday ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thanks so much for reading! Please stop by Longaberger Lifestyle A lovely basket to be filled with extraordinary Autumn goodness!! … [Read more...]
Fresh-Picked Pumpkins in our Home Decor What did you do today? Me? I had one of those very fun girlfriend kind of days. The kind where you both pick up pumpkins, go back to her house and create a magical moment with your stash? Yes, one splendid day. And what a nice afternoon it was. The temperature was perfect. To take advantage of the sunshine, we flew out to her patio and engaged in the grown-up version of playing Barbies. Only we used fresh-picked pumpkins in our home decor. Did I tell you we had fun? We arranged a little sitting area and filled it in with all kinds of fall … [Read more...]
Fall garden. For some, fall and garden do not go together in the same sentence. I remember back when I lived in Michigan I pretty much threw up my hands in exasperation by the end August. It was a sad sight. Can you relate? When I moved to New York I knew that my next garden needed to be an all-season garden. Since I love the colors of fall and being outside, I made sure to select perennials that would bloom in September and into October. My husband even says that he likes our fall garden best. For me, that's success! I wish I could show you photos of that … [Read more...]
