Showing posts with label black cat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label black cat. Show all posts

Thursday, November 1, 2018

October One Day at a Time


I can smell autumn dancing in the breeze.


The sweet chill of pumpkin and 

crisp sunburnt leaves.

~Author unknown

October 1

I was really, really hoping that October wouldn't start out rainy, seeing that it is my favorite month of the year. I was wishing for cool, crisp sunny days. I did not get my wish :-(


October 2

It is still raining today, more than yesterday. I decided it is a good day to stay home and make some spaghetti sauce and Apple Crisp Shortbread Bars that my sweet friend Stephanie at The Enchanting Rose posted on her blog. Wow, are they good!


October 3

Another rainy, cold day. My grandson JC is here before school with his new birthday fire truck.


October 4

Rainy day #4!

For the past few times I have taken my son to school I have driven by a house with a large tent full of vintage and antique items. This morning I decided that on the way home I was going to stop if someone was out there, and ask if they were having a sale. I saw the sale on my yard sale app but it wasn't supposed to start till tomorrow. As I drove by, there was a guy in a bright lime green shirt, so I mustered up some gumption and pulled in the driveway. They were the nicest people and let me look all I wanted. It started to downpour, but in the rain I found a trunk I have been looking for and a whole truck full of other treasures. It was well worth soaking my sandaled feet and clothes!


October 5

No rain today!

So that trunk you see in the picture above turned out to be too HUGE in front of the couch. It sure didn't look that big outside in the tent where I bought it. So.....seeing that I paid a mere $20 for it...yup, $20....I had to find a place to put it. I wasn't giving up on it that quick.


I bought the copper bowl and brass fish to sell but I think they have to settle here for awhile :-)


October 6

This was the forecast on my phone this morning for the whole day and it did downpour here. It did clear up but then it was hot and humid. As they say in New York state...wait a few minutes if you don't like the weather!


October 7

Do I dare mention it? Rainy day again!

Today would have been my nephew Christopher's 33rd birthday. He passed of a heart condition at age 25. He and my daughter Jena and niece Danielle were all born in the same year. This day is so sad every year. This picture of him was drawn by a friend. He had one of those smiles that lights up a room.



October 8

Today was a down day for me after a theatre event we had last evening. I decided to tackle (meaning cleaning, researching, photographing, listing) some of the vintage treasures I found at last week's fabulous sales.

Every time I went down "in the dungeon" to pack and weigh them for shipping, I was amazed at how my bubble wrap pile is growing. Thanks to my husband who goes dumpster diving at work to find bubble wrap, bubble pillows and paper for me. My daughter Jena has been getting bubble pillows at work and my daughter Candice and lots of other friends save their boxes for me.  The box pile is twice as high. Not sure I could sell on Etsy if I didn't have those donations. Packaging is expensive!

I am so ready for the holiday shopping blitz on Etsy. This is exciting stuff people.

Messy works for me. No sense straightening when I have to dig through it again!

October 9



I cannot resist taking a picture of a sunrise, even if it is with my cell phone while I am driving, literally aiming crossbody with my eyes on the road and clicking. Pretty good huh?


October 10

We have had two days of near 80 degrees, after 50's last week and 50's in the forcast for the end of this week. I went out to check my gardens and they are fading fast, as they should be this time of year. The Lantana and Bacopa pot is still going strong as is the Zinnia garden. The Zinnia never grew until mid September so I am happy to have them around still.


October 11

I know I sound like a broken record....raining today! Downpour actually. But nothing can keep me from an Antique Estate Sale. I know going in that the prices will be too high but I am too curious not to at least look. Wow, did I get an eyeful! The 1875 house was chock full of Antiques and Vintage. It looked like an Antique store and I found out that that is how the owners lived....with their huge collection displayed all around them in every room. It was quite the collection too. Every room looked like the one below, perfectly styled with a theme. Can I just say that I feel much better about my "hoard" of stuff at home!




October 12

My time in the kitchen is done for the day! My husband is having a Fireside tonight with some guys and he is serving Nathan's hot dogs with all the fixin's, including New York City pushcart onions. I was asked to make Italian Potato Salad and a dessert. Of course I chose Caramel Bacon Brownies, oh my!


October 13

I LOVE candy corn and today, on our anniversary date, my husband gave me Jelly Belly candy corn. I had no idea they existed and they are good!


It was a cold 40 degree day but my husband and I took the yearly Fall drive down Rt 21 from Canandaigua, at the top of Canandaigua Lake, to Naples at the end of the lake. The scenery along the way never gets old.


We were looking for colorful leaves but it was too early. It was a nice day anyways and we had a great lunch at Roots restaurant.


And a nice, but chilly, walk in the woods.


It's always a treat to stop in at Joseph's Farm Market for concord grapes, Macoun apples and grape bars. My Fall is now complete.

October 14

It's another beautiful day so I decided to wash all of my small area rugs and hang them on the line. My dying Christmas Tree fern bed needed some color anyways :-)



October 15

I made my Monday morning stop at Goodwill today. I hear that is the best day to go but it is always hit or miss there.  I did find some vintage treasures, a gift and a scarf for me.


October 16

My most favorite part of Fall are the recipes that I love to make year after year. Isn't it funny how we don't make those seasonal recipes any other time of year? This Cheddar Apple Bread is a long time favorite and because I needed it for two occasions this week, I made two!



October 17

My truck is getting old. It needs new all wheel tires $$$$ before winter. Until we get them I have to keep filling the ones on there. Good thing my husband loves these portable generators and put one in both our vehicles, in case of an emergency. The only thing I know how to do is inflate the tire. No idea how to use those red and black thingamajiggi's. Shhh...don't tell him!


October 18

First snow.....just a dusting...


October 19

Morning light...….the cows were mooing and the roosters cockadoodle do-ing while I was taking this picture.


October 20

I am laid up today with a bad back, my sciatica. I went to the chiropractor but the healing is going slow. I am up and down from the couch to standing, from standing to the couch. I'd much rather be jumping in a pile of these....


October 21

Still laid up with a bad back but since I have to get up and stand or walk around every now and then I decided to make some Grape Bread. I used concord grapes from the Finger Lakes. I was so taken with the pretty color of the dough!


October 22

The primary school that my granddaughter Chloe and grandson JC go to is one street over from me. Every now and then a class will take a walk around the block right by my house. I usually always see Chloe. Today it looked like the whole school took a walk around the block!







October 23

This morning I was in Canandaigua and I had about an hour to kill. What better place to spend time than on the shores of Canandaigua Lake?

That is the moon!

That is snow on the line of rocks!


October 24

CAUGHT!! Cyrus likes to jump on top of my cupboard to see what's up there. Here he is nibbling on my Indian Corn. Naughty kitty! He is too cute to be mad for long though :-)


October 25

I decided it was to time to make the Concord Grape Pie from the filling that I made last week and froze, before I forget about it in the freezer!

SO GOOD!!



October 26

With the weekend before Halloween coming up, I think this field may be pretty picked over by next Wednesday.


October 27

It's that kind of day.....
With a nor'easter in the forecast and 100% chance of rain, what else is there to do?!


October 28

Every night between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m. we are serenaded by my son Michael playing his guitar. He practices an hour or more every day. This discipline has earned him high praise from his guitar teacher.


October 29

One of my favorite things in Fall....the Burning Bush turning red. I know I need to trim back all the bushes in the front of my house but when I know this red is coming, I don't have the heart to do it. Plus it is nice privacy for our front porch. They do cover up a lot of the architecture of this old 1870's house so I may need to call a landscaper next Spring :-(


October 30

Today was a perfect Fall day and one that Mom Jane and I have been looking forward to. It was to celebrate her 80th birthday so she wanted to go to the Sodus Point Lighthouse Museum. We took the tour, took lots of pictures and enjoyed the sunny, crisp Fall day. At lunch we shared a piece of the best pumpkin cheesecake I have eaten. A memorable day.



October 31

I have been making pumpkin cookies for over 30 years and decorating them with my grandchildren for the past 9 years, starting with Cassidy. There's always frosting, peanut butter (so good on the cookies) mini chocolate chips, candy corn, pumpkins, raisins and sprinkles to decorate with.

Left - Chloe 7, middle - JC  4, Right - Cassidy 13 as Harley Quinn

Goodbye October.....hello November! You are already a busy month.....


Happy Fall!

AnnMarie xoxo

I am linking up with these blog parties:

Saturday, October 31, 2015

October One Day at a Time

I haven't written a "one day at a time" post since Spring so I decided to do it for October, my favorite month.

October 1...

The perfect way to start Fall......a barn sale. These are my treasures.

 
October 2
 
My crazy girlfriends and I celebrate each other's birthdays, usually with a day of shopping and lunch. Kim came up with a fun birthday purse to bring to each get together filled with dress up items for the birthday girl. Colleen was all into it and put on almost everything in there! She is silly! Happy Birthday Sweet Colleen!
 
 
 October 3

 
I finally started to decorate for Fall with a little vignette at my front door. I found the fabulous branch/stick in my front yard. Benita, it's because of you that I picked it up!
 
 
October 4
 
It has been 8 days since we adopted Sprite and Cyrus. They are getting along like true kitten buddies and we are having a blast with them! Here they are in one of their more serene moments.
 
 
October 5
 

 We have been pulling out overgrown shrubs and trees from along the south side of the house little by little all summer. I wanted to move my lilac bush over from the shade where it was not blooming. On a whim we decided to cut down the 8' cedar tree by the porch. It looks so much better. Now I need to fill in the ground all around the replanted lilac. I stopped at the garden store today and bought two purple Anise Hyssop plants and two pink Creeping Phlox to plant now. The rest can wait till Spring. That gorgeous mum is the prettiest pink and is a true hardy mum. We will see if it comes back next year after the winter's we usually have!


October 6

Just put the finishing touch on these two sweet stools. The Barn Sweet Barn stool started out brown. Lots of layers of chalk paint, antique wax, finishing wax and elbow grease on these and I think they came out great! They are listed in my Etsy shop.


October 7

Today I took a ride with my daughter Jena, granddaughter Chloe and grandson JC to Naples, NY. It is a quaint town at the end of Canandaigua Lake, known for it's vineyards and wine. We went for the goodies to be found at Joseph's Wayside Market.  I bought gourds, concord grapes, apples and a piece of grape bar, something I always get there. Chloe LOVED the pumpkins!


October 8

Still enjoying my favorite summer lunch....fresh tomato and cucumber sandwiches....on toasted whole grain bread. YUM!!

 
October 9
 
My son still likes the same school lunch he has had since elementary school....he is a senior now! Even today when he is home sick. The sandwich is a pb & j (homemade strawberry!).


October 10

My sweet bloggy friend Benita from Chasing Quaintness sent me this cute pumpkin filled with scented beads as a Fall gift. It is hanging on the cupboard at the entrance of my kitchen, where I can catch a whiff of it each time I go in....and think of her sweet, funny self too. Visit her blog for a fun read each time you visit!


October 11

I am so excited about finally finding a vintage wire egg basket. I found it in Naples on our day out at a cute country store. It was only $12 and when I went to pay for it the lady sighed and said "that would be my husband", implying that he underpriced it!! Yup! I filled it with the giant pinecones my sister in Florida sent me.


October 12

I had to go for my yearly (dreaded) mammogram today. It was in a new facility and the bright spot there were these fabulous decorated bra's on every door! I had to take a picture of them all and show them all to you! They were decorated for a hospital event and now adorn each door.

 
 
 
 
 
 


October 13

On the 13th of every month my husband and I celebrate our wedding day (July 13) with a little gift for each other. This is what I found on the kitchen island this morning....


The note on the candy corn says "Happy Anniversary...some seeds for you" and on the bird seed it says "some seeds for your birdies". He knows me so well!

October 14

My sister Michele is visiting here from Florida so we had a girl's day out with my other sister Rosanne. Eating, shopping and laughing all day. What else do you do with your sisters on a girl's day out? :-)

Oh, take bad selfie photos!



October 15

MMMmmm, yum, yum, breakfast! I'll eat a little from my bowl....

 
.....and a little from her bowl....and a little from my bowl....and a little from her bowl....and a
 


October 16

Today I treated my friend Bonnie to lunch for her birthday. She picked the restaurant and the shops to browse and it was a nice day. She bought yarn to make socks for her daughter at the yarn shop, we both bought cute socks at the boutique and we ate at a bakery café that has fabulous coffee and sandwiches on homemade bread. And of course, a stop at Trader Joe's pumpkin aisle. I FORGOT TO TAKE A PICTURE!! I can show you the cute socks I bought and the gift I gave her.....



 
October 17
 
I went to a movie and dinner today with three of my most favorite people to hang out with....my husband Frank, 4 year old granddaughter Chloe and son Michael.
 
 
Chloe was keeping us entertained.....when I told her to hold her horses because she was bugging me for something she said "I don't have any horses!". At the end of the meal I asked her if she wanted an ice cream sundae and she said "No, I want it today!" Ba dum bum ;-)


 October 18

We had our first snow today! I have plants waiting to be planted! It's too early!


October 19

No words needed....okay, maybe one...PRECIOUS!


(On a side note but exciting for me....I hit 1,000 sales in my Etsy shop today!!)

 October 20

I like to change the top of my old dining room cupboard with the seasons. This is how Fall inspired me this year....

 October 21

Time flies when you're a Grandma! JC is now 13 months and big enough to play with the block table. It was my son's favorite toy (now 17) and then Cassidy's (now 10) and then Chloe's (now 4).



One thing I look forward to in the Fall.....a wall of burning bushes dressed in their Fall red surrounding my front porch.



October 23

Today my son had the day off from school so we planned a Mom and Michael Day. We went for lunch at  Joe's Brooklyn pizza, where we ate the best Sicilian pizza I have ever had. Then off to Power's Farm Market where they have these cool, huge teepee's made of corn stalks, with a surprise inside.

They are huge! See the girl at the bottom of the picture?




There are hand carved, lit pumpkins on shelves all around and all the way up to the tip of the teepee. There were even some hanging down the middle.

We picked out a great pumpkin for Michael to carve. He is 17 and it will be his first. We do not participate in Halloween so he never had the interest until now. He picked out a design and created this...

 

 
October 24
 
Our community theatre group The In Your Face Players performed at Artisan Works, a renovated factory building that houses many facets of art. Incredible is the word that describes this place!
 
 
There is literally wall to wall art in there, and lots on the ceiling too!
 



October 25
 
It was a full moon tonight......pretty eerie looking too...
 

 

 October 26

Been craving some kind of candy bark and since I have a bunch of candy corn around I decided to make Candy Corn Oreo Bark.  I needed something to blog about too. The recipe is in a post here.



October 27

I had a very productive day today. I baked two things (one made two), glued three things and painted one thing.

Apple Crisp and Pumpkin Cranberry Chocolate Chip bread
October 28

Wednesday is my day with Chloe and JC. Chloe is in school now mornings while JC takes his nap. They come to NaNa's for lunch and play time. I am the referee!


 October 29

I went on an adventure today with just me, myself and I. It was rainy this morning but the weather cleared and the sun came out as I made my way to Naples. The drive is just gorgeous and I wanted to visit some antique shops, get some apples and see the pretty leaves again. This is the scenery on the way down....




 
and these are my treasures....
 


October 30

I started a Fall tradition with Cassidy about six years ago decorating homemade pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Last year Chloe joined in. In a few years JC will also come over to NaNa's to decorate the cookies with peanut butter or buttercream frosting, candy corn, mini M&M's, raisins, chocolate chips and sprinkles. They take home the ones they decorate.  I eat the rest.

 
 
October 31
 

The only thing we have around the house that's a little bit Halloween is our Black Burmese kitty Cyrus. He looks like the typical black cat you see in vintage Halloween ads. We adopted him and Sprite 5 weeks ago and they have grown so much! They are very naughty but we love them!
 
 

 That's my October....one day at a time!

AnnMarie xoxo

I am linking up with these great blog parties:

Best of the Weekend
Amaze Me Monday
You're Gonna Love It Tuesday
Home and Garden Thursday
Share Your Cup Thursday
Pink Saturday