"FALL FUN"


There is nothing like the feel of that first crisp fall day. Summer is over and it's time to move on to the next exciting chapter of the year. I love it when the trees turn all those reds, yellows and oranges, and the leaves drift slowly down, leaving the ground as beautiful as any sun set. Here, in the south, it's fair time. When I was growing up, fair time was only second to Christmas day for me….The thought of getting to ride all of those wild rides and being tossed round and round, sideways and up and down…just seemed to be the ultimate way to say ….bring it on.  I'm not afraid of anything! "And the food" I always wanted everything….."eyes bigger than stomach" syndrome would always be the case.  I mean, how can you choose from hot cinnamon rolls, cotton candy, those oh so yummy, bright,  red, candid apples and then there is the steaming hot corn dogs , hot dogs and yummy barbeque.….... toss all that  food around with those relentless "round & round" rides and it's the perfect formula for a stomach ache and a great nights sleep!

……But Fall is full of many "Happys." Getting the house ready for Halloween can be a true test of our imagination….I really enjoy the way everyone has kind of stepped out of the box as far as decorating goes….Now days,  Halloween decor is quickly becoming as elaborate as decorating for Christmas.

This pumpkin head lady sits on my kitchen counter….
with that fuzzy spider, add a candle and how cute is that...

Dressing up a mantel is always fun ….I love the little
white ghost on the witches hat…...

I love this picture of the pumpkins lighting up the house address. How creative is that?

THIS IS SO CREATIVE

What a great idea if you are having a halloween party at your house. Stacking the pumpkins will help your guest find the right house.  I have a best friend that has a birthday in October…..I've always had a ball decorating the birthday party like halloween and having all the birthday guest wear "Bat Hats" lol,  after all ….most of my friends are over 40…. so it always makes for a great laugh………!

 Fall Fun? ….You bet…..the falling leaves, the crisp cool air,  the state fair lighting up the sky, the smell of all that food and  hearing children and adults alike screaming with excitement as they are tossed high in the air….  Add a test of our own decorating skills to bring halloween alive to the delight of every child ringing our doorbells and saying "Trick or Treat"……yes... Fall might not be summer, but Fall is definitely…. "Fun."            SO GET OUTSIDE,  GET BUSY AND  HAVE A GREAT FALL……NEXT UP….WINTER!!!!!  BURRRR…..

The sky is the limit when having a halloween birthday party.

I like to use a lot of owls ….

Nothing says "Fall" like lots of pretty pumpkins………...

I thought this black scare crow was kinda festive….

Using lots of different colors makes a party table so
much more fun to eat at…..the napkins are perfect.

A halloween birthday party without lights and candles..
"NEVER" 

My 'SPOOKY' back  porch added to the birthday party fun!

                                                          " FAVORITE QUOTES"

THERE IS NO SUCH THING IN ANYONES LIFE AS AN UNIMPORTANT DAY!  ~Alexander Woollcott

I THOUGHT GROWING UP WAS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED AUTOMATICALLY AS YOU GOT OLDER. BUT IT TURNS OUT IT'S SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE TO DO!

THE ONLY WAY YOU MAY CORRECT BAD THINGS IN YOUR PAST IS TO ADD BETTER THINGS TO YOUR FUTURE!  ~Shiloh Morrison

MOST OF THE SHADOWS OF THIS LIFE ARE CAUSED BY OUR STANDING IN OUR OWN SUNSHINE! ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

NOW AND THEN IT IS A JOY TO HAVE ONE'S TABLE RED WITH WINE AND ROSES! ~Oscar Wilde

THE BEST WAY TO PREDICT THE FUTURE IS TO CREATE IT!  IF NOTHING EVER CHANGED THERE WOULD BE NO BUTTERFLIES!

Being happy doesn't depend on one's circumstances..it depends more on one's outlook towards things!

Give more than you take, but never take for granted what is given!

Vitiman SEA …. I'VE  HEARD IT WILL HEAL JUST ABOUT ANYTHING!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR VISITING MY BLOG…..

I WISH FOR YOU EVERYTHING GOOD AND MAY YOUR FUTURE ONLY BE FILLED WITH YOUR FAVORITE "QUOTES"…………………….!

"SOUTHERN MAGIC" 

I thought maybe this time of year was the perfect time to share a little "Southern Magic." While it might be a little bit hot, and the days a little bit long, there is nothing "little" about a southern summer. We southern belles "nevah" get tired of adding our own little magic to life. I've always said, "if you want to be happy, you gotta make it happen, sittin around thinking about it will get ya nowhere."  Since I love to garden, I love to surround myself with lots of shade and plenty of flowers. My secret to making life right on a hot sumer day is to create my own place to enjoy. Us southerners love making our gardens a lush, private retreat to share with family and friends, even my husband loves it and he doesn't like much of anything…lol. Every Spring as soon as the last frost, I start planning how I'm going to make a little magic in my own back yard. Color is key, and I use lots of it, whether it's from many colored pots filled with flowers, fun green ceramic frogs and multi -colored vases, colored  bottles or hanging chimes from trees, anything goes. Fountains add lots of charm, and the sound of the water calms the soul. I have them tucked away everywhere.  Since I have so much shade, I love planting orange and pink impatiens and angel wing begonias in reds and pinks. Hostas are a must, but deer love to eat them to the ground, so I have to put them in protected places. Mirrors are hung here and there and reflect the sun dancing on the trees. My favorites are the long strands of tiny round mirrors hung from the branches of trees. When the wind blows, everything sparkles like twinkling stars. As everyone knows a southern girl loves some sparkle…..Talk about magical, it's simply  enchanting …

 Making magic is just what southerners live to do, and there is simply nothing more entertaining than a bunch of southerners getting together. Add a charming garden setting. ... lots of sparkle….. some good food, a bottled of red wine, and some funny jokes from my brother…... Wha-La'….. I have the perfect mix for some good ole fashion "SOUTHERN MAGIC."

Mia and Roxy enjoying a little "Southern Magic" off their own. ( actually they are looking for squirrels) 

 I hope ya'll enjoyed a few pictures of my small bit of paradise and I hope I have inspired you to think about making a little "SOUTHERN MAGIC"of your own, even if your living in the north…..anything is possible…….you just gotta make it happen…………….

Yes that is an Eiffel tower in my back yard. (I am southern ya know so I can get away with anything…lol)

A SOUTHERN BELLE IN DESTIN, FLORIDA

 A SOUTHERN BELLE IN DESTIN, FLORIDA


Destin, Florida is snuggled against the Gulf of Mexico in northwest Florida, and is famed for it's clear, emerald waters and sugar, white sands.  Destin is named after  Captain Leonard Destin, a New London,  Connecticut fishermen who settled there in the late 1940's. He and his decendants fished the area for decades. I first visited Destin with my family in the late 50's, because my dad loved to fish. Back then, there was only one pier, some small cabins and one camping ground. The sand  dunes were like mountains and the shoreline was unspoiled. Sea shells abound by the thousands on the shore and the waters edge was teaming with beautiful Blue Crab, of which my dad would catch and cook in a huge black pot at the camping ground where we would stay. He also fished for flounder and would add them to our menu. Dinner was always fine and my Dad loved every minute of it, as did I. I have visited Destin almost every year of my life since I was around 5 years old, so for me, Destin is like my home. I've watched it grow from this small intimate fishing village, to one of the most visited tourist coastlines of it's time. Destin was a well kept secret from vacationers until the 70's, when people began to discover it's magical sugar white sands and it's crystal clear emerald ocean. By the 1980's Destin was booming with construction of high rise condos, hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions, the rest is history. Now days even celebrities call this beautiful coastline home from the likes of  singer, song writer Sheryl Crow, Author, John Grisham to famed chef, Emeril Lasasse. Today, the cities population of around 12,000 explodes into about 40,000 during tourist season. From the annual Destin fishing tournament and seafood festival in October, a laid back atmosphere and open air shopping, fabulous local seafood restaurants, and many high rise condo's, Destin allows vacationers to get away from the routine of life and  experience a little bit of paradise.

 The beautiful white sand comes from the Appalachian Mountains, and is made up of finely ground crystals that gleam like diamonds in the morning sun, and is so white it looks like sugar.

The sunsets are made with God's own paint brush, as the rainbow colored sky meets the emerald green waters of the ocean rushing to the sugar white shore. It is truly magical. A sight that pleases the soul and makes life paradise. The sunset turns into evening, the stars hang in the darkened sky and the moon glows off the waves as night settles in. The ocean breeze promises another sunrise….and another day in a place called Destin.

"THE MIMOSA TREE"

                                                          "The Mimosa Tree"

Sometimes, our lives end up where we started in the beginning.....My first memories are when I was about five ....I remember being high up in a Mimosa tree, looking down .....I even remember the branches that I climbed  and how sturdy they were under my tiny,  bare feet....The tree was huge, and it was full of fuzzy pink blossoms....thousands of them.....with tiny honey bee's buzzing, and small black ant's crawling around in single file, and on this day, to my delight, I remember seeing a long black and yellow catterpillar chewing on a juicy green leaf......I felt safe in that big ole tree.....It was strong,..... It was pretty with it's beautiful pink blossoms......It felt like the world was mine sitting on the strong limb I choose to perch myself upon....I remember sitting in that tree for hours that day, wishing I never had to come down......Nobody bothered me because they could see me through the long, green leaves and the tree sat right at the edge of the front yard of my house.......The road beyond curved and around the corner lived many of my childhood friends......By late afternoon, our maid (Lotty) opened the front door and called for me to come in for dinner.......As I climbed down, I saw my mother pulling up our drive way in her long, white station wagon......It had light blue interior and always smelled like my mom, especially when I would ride in the front seat ........I can still see "Lotty" at the stove finishing up dinner and saying "Now Sheila, you go wash up those little hands now, your dinner's waiten." Mom would almost always be beat from working all day and had very little to say until way after dinner....Then it was always......brush your teeth, put your pajamas on, hurry now,  it's time for bed......Then the next day was a lot like the last .......Family leaves and there I am, just Lotty and I .....By the end of most days, I always wound up in that beautiful ole tree........My days seem a lot like that now ......My family is grown and gone making their own memories and here I am alone, one day seeming much like the next.......My family comes and goes, but most of the time I find myself alone thinking of and wishing I had that big ole Mimosa tree to climb, with it's beautiful pink blossoms and many green leaves to look through. I wish I was sitting on that strong limb where I sat so many times before, feeling like I was not only safe, but the world belonged to me,........ just one more time.... I wish my friends were still just beyond the curve in the road and I could see my mom pulling in the drive in that long, white station wagon......I wish I could hear my sweet "Lotty" calling my name and the smell of dinner cooking on the stove waiting for my little hands to dig in...................I think I'll plant a Mimosa tree this Spring when the weather warms...right at the edge of my own front yard...........................and maybe my life can end up the way I  remember the beginning..............sitting in a beautiful Mimosa tree, safe, and at peace, feeling like the world is only mine............and at any moment a long, white station wagon is going to pull up in the drive way with the smell of my mom and the sight of that light blue leather interior.....

"SIZING UP SUMMER"

 "SIZING UP SUMMER"

Late summer heat ignites reason to plant heat tolerant plants in the early spring. Doing so, can pack your summer garden with late color blooms that can offer up food for the soul. In late summer, when sitting in my own garden, I often think back to the past. Some of the plants that bare late summer blooms take me back to another time. The late August heat sometimes reminds me of sitting on my late grandmother's porch swing back in the late 50's. I loved being outside, no matter the heat. I remember that porch so well. It had wide, white steps, as high as I was tall that were built off the ground and her sweet cocker spaniel, "Peaches" would hang out under there to escape the heat of the day. The old wooden porch would squeak as soon as my tiny foot would step on and waiting for me beyond, was a curved wooden swing,  hung with two heavy grey chains, suspended with the largest hooks I have ever seen. In the late summer I remember sitting in that old swing. I would swing as high as my little feet could push, just to catch a small breeze.

 Looking out into her front yard were two tall crepe myrtles, covered in large white blooms, that would rain down like tiny snowflakes at the slightest breeze. There was a large sycamore tree in the distance. The long, green covered limbs shading the earth, made it a wonderful place to sit in the shade and daydream, while making necklaces of  green clover with my cousins when they would visit. Sometimes, my dad would cut fresh stalks of sugar cane and cut them up in tiny slices for us to chew until all the sweet juice was gone. Spitting out the left over cane was always so much fun and made us all laugh at each other. I learned to shell butter beans and peas sitting on that old wooden swing, while drinking coke out of those cute little glass bottles. But, nothing was as nice as the aroma of my grandmother's "old time roses." She always planted so many here and there and the sweet fragrance floating in on a slight summer breeze, surrounding me with the precious smell of late summer, was a true August delight.

If I could size up my late summer, it would include all the memories I packed into my own little piece of heaven. I can still hear my children's laughter while playing as I toiled in my beautiful garden to bring forth the late summer blooms that I enjoy every single day. Memories that taught me at summer's end, it is so nice to have some of the late summer blooms that I remember so long ago. Sitting on my precious grandmother's porch, sipping my cute, small, glass bottle of coke, looking out at those majestic crepe myrtles and remembering the sweet, sweet fragrance of those "old time roses" was indeed a special time for me. Thank you, grandmother, for showing me that it really is the simple things in life that make us the happiest.  Even in the heat of August, when I remember you, I always remember the comfort of your wonderful front porch and the laughter of our family and the way things USED to be. The swing that I loved so much as a child still swings ever so slow in the memories that you gave to me.

 Staging a memorable late summer show is easy with a little pre-planning skills and a few memories of a garden's past. "SIZING UP SUMMER"....
Easy..............Wait till early evening ..........Be sure to turn on the outdoor fan..........Kick back in your favorite chair............Enjoy some of your late summer garden blooms ........Add a few sweet memories of late summer's past.........and don't forget to have a wonderful ice cold COKE!

Late summer doesn't have to look hot even though it is the sight of shade pulls you in and makes sitting outside seem like the thing to do even though it is so hot in the late summer heat. Oh, and don't forget to grab that ice cold coke....lol

Thinking of you grandmother, thank you for the wonderful memories of late summer!

"A SPECIAL JOURNEY"

Roxy

I love you......Roxy

Over the past year, I've heard a few animal stories that made me realize the amazing ability of dogs to love.....I have always had dogs in my life and each one of them has taught me a lot about unconditional love .....Just recently, I watched a story on TV about a lady that loved her dog so much, that she was willing to pay a facility in South Korea 50,000.00 dollars to have her beloved pet that died cloned........I don't know that I would ever do that and of course I don't have that kind of money, but I can understand her desire to re-experience the adored love of a pet that she obviously considered "Priceless"..........All of us, I would think, desire unconditional love, and what better way to have that experience than to have a "pet" in your life......I have two darling, tiny, loving, little yorkies.......Mia is eight years old and weighs 5 pounds and Roxy, who is three years old, weighs 4 pounds......both of them together don't weigh as much as one regular size dog, but they dish out more unconditional love than I could possibly need in two lifetimes.....lol.......Both of them have bigger than life personalities and their fun outlook on life usually colors my own.......Happiness to them is to cuddle as close as possible and playing with their basket full of toys is the highlight of their day ......They play with each other well, but nothing is as special to them as having my full attention, and when I play toys with them it leads to much unspeakable joy.......

I know I will be safe with you.........

"WHOEVER SAID YOU CAN'T BUY HAPPINESS, FORGOT ABOUT BEING ABLE TO BUY PUPPIES."


When you get a pet, a journey begins, one that can bring more love into your life than anything else.....If you allow it, the journey can teach you many things about how vulnerable life can be.....a puppy depends on you for everything.....it is at your mercy at all times........caring for something so helpless can teach us a lot about ourselves......but it also shows us that we can be loved unconditionally......The little eyes that look back at you wants so badly to make you happy, they live for your approval, only wanting to know that in some way they are worthy of your love....a pet trust you, without question.....To your pet, it doesn't matter where you are, what you do, or how life treats you, it doesn't matter if your rich or poor, as long as they can remain by your side, and you can be together.......respect this .......I'm sure it would be hard to find this devotion from anyone except maybe your mother......

"I HOPE WHEN I LEAVE THIS WORLD, WITH THE LAST BREATH I TAKE, THAT MY FATE WAS ALWAYS SAFEST IN YOUR HANDS."

"A DOG'S PRAYER"

Treat me with respect and kindness, my beloved friend, for no heart in this whole world is more grateful for your kindness than the loving heart of me....Don't hit me, teach me with patience, love and understanding, there is nothing that I want more than to please you and make you happy.....Please keep me warm and clean, I'm happiest, when I know that you love me and take the time to care for my needs...Keep me fed and watered for I can not tell you when I am hungry or thirsty...I ask nothing more than to be by your side and to show you how much I love you....Speak to me often, for your voice is my music, as you must know by the fierceness that I wag my tail....I trust you with my life, and I love you unconditionally...Your love is all I need to make me happy until the end of my day's.........

Just knowing that you love me is happiness.........Mia & Roxy

I will always be there for you............Roxy

"Dog spelled backwards, spells God"
Maybe this is a sign of why I can love you, no matter what, that my love is unconditional and even during the worst of times, you need not look far, for I will always be right there, by your side, a journey together until the end of my time.....

Happiness can be as simple as playing ball.......Mia

Mia & Roxy