Odds & Ends

 So...not too much of Teddy so far...although schools are closed...they expect more rain and increasingly high winds...

A quick shout out to one reader who suggested if I chose to go with another electric kettle...to move it to a different location.  Brilliant idea...and thank you for that!  I loved that kettle so much...I purchased it again...and moved it to the opposite side of the counter top range!  So far...so good!!

Mr. Seventies and I will be making a road trip to the Antique/Junk shop...as grand baby has quite the book collection already...and is needing a book case!  This one was for sale...a whopping $20 on their Facebook page...so purchased it to store her growing book collection.  We will take a close look at it...see if it requires painting...or just a thorough cleaning and will work as is.  Once she is older..it will be secured firmly to a wall...in the event she attempts to climb...and we wouldn't want it to tip onto her. Not a bad deal for $20.

We've become those grandparents....the ones who have things set up in their home for when grand baby visits!  She had a wonderful nap in her playpen yesterday afternoon...the little mobile projects stars on the ceiling...just like her crib toy at home!  And it circulates....she loves to watch it and nods off to sleep no problem!

I was sorting through our winter hats, scarves, and mitts...and the leather gloves I purchased last year...did not hold up very well.  And they were brown...and my new leather jacket is black...I found these Thinsulate leather gloves on Amazon..and ordered a pair in black.  I hope they fit well...I prefer them for driving and want them a bit snug. 

I recently sorted through my linen closet and sold quite a number of comforter sets I was no longer using....and want to share the pretty Toile set I ordered....I've never had this colour...so looking forward to seeing how it looks in the master bedroom and if I like it....I'm hoping it's more on the gold shade...or dark mustard...cannot wait for it to arrive. 

So that is it for today...the weather for the next few days forecast beautiful sun and temperatures.  I'm longing for cooler temps though...boots and sweater season is my favourite time of year!  

Welcome to fall ya'll!!

Teddy - And Not the Cuddly Kind

 We are in a Tropical Storm Watch...for Teddy.  It remains to be seen how much rain and wind we receive...depending on the track of the storm.  100 km/hr winds...we've had many times...as with any of these storms..the concerns are power outages, flooding and tidal surges.  The trees are full of leaves...making them heavy and in danger of falling on power lines and properties.  All we can do is wait this one out....

Remember that amazing new electric kettle I purchased a little while back?  Well...I win the stupidest move of the day...you will never believe what I did.  I filled the kettle...and not sure where my head was at...but instead of setting it on the base...I turned on the range burner & set the kettle on it!!  OMG!!!  I was close by too...when the house filled with smoke and burned vinyl smell...thanfully it did not catch fire!

What a mess on my burner...and we had to open every window & door to clear out the smoke!  Needless to say...the kettle was ruined....once the burner went cold...the vinyl hardened and was easily scraped off with no damage to my ceramic counter top range.   I really loved that kettle too!  I liked the fact it would shut off automatically....in the event we forgot it was turned on.  Mr. Seventies let my Julia Child's kettle boil dry...badly...and it needed to be thrown out.  

The only option is to either purchase the electric kettle again....or go with a stove top whistling kettle.  For now...we are using a Paderno pot to heat water for tea...

The other day, daughter and I were in Wal Mart...how sad is their home decor section?  I mean...so sad.  

We did pick up a couple sets of curtains for grand baby's nursery.  There were always blinds on the windows...but she likes to sleep in a darker room...we found coral and white stripe ones which are so pretty.  I'll take my hand steamer and get the wrinkles out once they have hung a day or two...

In other news...my memorial tattoo is done and healed beautifully.  It has been almost one year since I lost my best friend to a cluster of brain aneurisms.  Such a shock, not to mention a huge loss in my life.  Not a day goes by when I don't think of her and miss her terribly.  Getting this beautiful tattoo in memory of her is my way of coping and bringing me closure..and I know she would love it...

Until we meet again Christine...you will always be in my heart...

Virtual hugs to anyone who is dealing with the loss of a loved one.

And So It Begins....

Wood pellet burning season that is!  Mr. Seventies brings in loads of ten bags at a time...as each bag weighs 40 pounds...and that's 400 pounds in the back of our SUV.  As the old saying goes...wood warms you many times over.

At some point perhaps we will switch over to a propane model...but we are not there yet....

We spent one afternoon detailing the kitchen...giving it a good fall cleaning and purge.  The cabinets were cleaned inside and out....my Gripstand bowls on top were taken down for a thorough washing...while Mr. Seventies cleaned the top of all the cabinets.  I have two boxes of un-used "stuff" in the trunk to drop off to the Mission store...it seems the more space you have...the more things you store.  Things we never use...or need.

No job is successful without an overseer....we worked diligently under Liesel's watchful eye...

We're enjoying more seasonal temperatures...the nights cool down to single digits.  Fall is my favourite time of year...sweaters and boots season!

Quick update on the radio tart burner I ordered...(see earlier post below).  It arrived...and I was so disappointed...the little square on top (where the wax melt would sit)...fit so poorly...I repacked it and sent it back. I received a full refund...I'm happy to say...but did not bother to re-order.  I currently have two warmers going...one a fall pumpkin and the other a larger Scentsy one...so I'm set for now.  I picked up a few more of the new scents from Scentsationals at Wal Mart...while they still had a few in stock....

Are you enjoying cooler temperatures where you are?  We're looking forward to an apple picking outing once MacIntosh varieties are ready at the orchard!  

Fall Outdoor Decor

We set a few things out...once the corn is finished Mr. Seventies will do a cornstalk display...with a couple of real pumpkins.  On windy days, I suspect the welcome sunflower sign will need to be taken in...it's not heavy enough to prevent it from being blown over...

The evenings have been gorgeous & we've been enjoying a few fires in the fire pot...most evenings its fairly dark by 8:00 p.m.

The days are still warm enough to sit out and enjoy reading my Outlander series of books.  I'm on book #4 of 7....and there are more to come I've heard!  Missing the show terribly...with Covid production in Scotland has been halted for months.  :(  It's looking like 2021 before we see another season...in the meantime it's given me time to enjoy the books!

Wishing you an awesome day!!  Going to enjoy this summer weather while it lasts!

Lamp Post Refresh

Our lamp post at the front walk way was looking a little worse for wear.  We discussed replacing it...which seemed wasteful as other than being faded...it works perfectly.  And they usually come in only three colour choices...white, black or bronze brown.

I decided to scope out metal paint colours...with tins only available in red, white or vibrant blue.  Rustoleum spray with the trigger handle has always been my go to spray paint...and this Copper Rose colour would be perfect....I purchased three cans but only used one can and about half of another...

The issue with spraying outside...it has to be a calm day...with little wind.  Hard to get here...but it does happen & thankfully did enough so we could get started.  Mr. Seventies removed the tops of each lantern, wiped everything down and taped off the glass parts....

These will give you an idea of how faded and beat up from the weather the post really was...

The tops after one coat....once dry I gave everything a second coat. This spray paint is great to work with...no over spray or drips....it goes on beautifully...

And when it was all done and put back together....it turned out perfect...for a fraction of the cost of replacing it!!  The actual colour is a little darker than in the photo...the sun was really bright...but I love how it turned out!  

I also cleaned out my dish cabinet and changed up to fall dinnerware and decor...

Our daytime temperatures are still warm and sunny....but things cool down overnight.  My poor Halflinger slippers are looking a little worse for wear...so I ordered these adorable ones!  I sized down..as I find they tend to run big...my daughter wears a smaller size so I tried hers on and the fit was much better on my foot as well.  These slippers are made from felted wool...(in Germany if I recall) and mold to your foot comfortably.  And...they are washable...(air dry).  The soles are suitable for indoor or outdoor use (I only wear mine indoors...) and they come in a variety of styles and designs on the top.  My current ones...have a dachshund...but this time I thought I would change things up a bit!

I was reading on another blog the other day...and in her area...her local Wal Mart was brimming with fall decor!  Not only did she strike some adorable decor...but at great prices as well.  So...I thought I would scout out our Wal Mart's selection.  Pfffttt....so sad...this is it...on the end of the garden hose and left over gardening pots aisle. Whole lot to pick from here...not.  Other than groceries our location carries little else...

I was checking out our garden crop...it appears the squash are doing really well...and we've been enjoying fresh sweet corn on the cob...nothing better than eating vegetables that were growing an hour earlier...hopefully the squash will be ready by Thanksgiving...

We've gotten a lot of use from our fire pit these darker evenings...and what's an outdoor fire without marshmallows?  A real treat...since they are pure sugar and not much else...but what's life if you can't bend the rules a little?  Neither Mr. Seventies or I have ever tried S'mores...so we will settle for toasted marshmallows...but they are on our bucket list!!

I may decide to set out the fall decor on the front step today....will share a photo or two!  Until next time...have an awesome day....and hope you are enjoying a long weekend before the school year kicks off!

Exterior - Before and After

I'm not sure if I ever shared before photos of our home...which we purchased in 1987....around this time of year.  When this photo was taken....we had already removed a dilapidated, leaking lean to car port from the left side...it served little purpose...

Those ugly, overgrown shrubs in the front and off to the right...we worked for hours digging them out...the roots were so long and tangled!  But they were so ugly....we had to get rid of them.  The trees were small then....and provided no shade or protection from the sun...so the front was a dry, barren spot....and very hard to get anything to grow or last more than one season!

Not to mention the ugly white Abitibi aluminum siding and fake rock...which was crumbling and breaking off.  And hardly any insulation in the walls...so the house was very drafty and cold most winters!

We quickly decided we had a choice of either move...or install more insulation, new windows, doors and siding.  There wasn't a lot of siding colour choices then...not like there is now...and what colours were available were not fade resistant.

This photo was taken this year....in spring...you can see how the tree to the left of the large window has grown over the years...

The cushion covers I ordered arrived...and I am so happy with the quality...especially the hidden zippers.  My daughter chose two (they were a set of four)....and I kept the remaining two.  How fitting one has a quote from the Anne of Green Gables series..."I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers"...Anne of Green Gables.  This photo was taken late evening...so the lighting is not great...

Daughter and I took our little Grumpy Cat (grand daughter) and browsed Michaels for some fall outdoor decor.  Since the BOGO sale was still on...and this was their first official outing since Annabelle's heart surgery.  Afterwards we picked up lunch...just in time for someone to snuggle in her crib for a much needed nap.

I chose the sunflower welcome sign....and daughter picked the larger one...they stand with an easel back...I may lean mine as we get some strong winds at the front of our home.

The pumpkin mugs I ordered arrived as well!  Love them...and will enjoy using them this fall season!

We may spray paint our outdoor walkway lantern...or end up replacing it.  Not sure which...one arm that is attached to the base...has cracked away from the base...if Mr. Seventies call fill it...and tape off the glass lanterns....I may just spray the whole thing.  And if there is no wind....hard to get a non breezy day here...but the weekend weather looks good...so if we are going that route...this will likely be the last chance we have to diy it.  Or just replace it altogether...but the colour choices are limited to black, brown or white.  

It's raining here today...which we need desperately.   Mr. Seventies has not had to mow the lawns in weeks...and the corn in the garden needs a bit of water.  

Have an awesome weekend...maybe see you here next week!!