Lurking in the gloom...

As long as I can remember we have had Better Homes and Gardens magazines in our house.

BUT NOW... http://www.bhg.com/ has become a favorite read!!

The following ideas are from their daily site that you can subscribe to free and get inspired by hundreds of exciting ideas and projects. They arrive in the form of an email... subscribe and you will be adding a daily smile to your life.

Simple black upholstery tacks.

I adore these painted pumpkins with a touch of Bling!

Unique idea for a door or a fence.

Shortbread cookies with almond fingernails.

Little fabric ghosts tied to painted branches & stuck in a pumpkin.

Love this on a gate!

Add some fake black birds or crows to an existing wreath.

Better photo of the painted pumpkins!

Easy to make!

But the squirrels are feasting on all of my Indian corn.

Thanks Better Homes and Garden website... http://www.bhg.com/.

I anxiously await your daily email!!

Have a creative Halloween!!

Joni

Marathon Shopping

Kristin and Wendy were home for the weekend. It is always sooooo good to have them both under my roof!! We laughed and laughed and shopped and shopped. Kristin lives in Chicago (anyone want to rent or buy a cute condo on Michigan Ave?) and although she has access to great stores in Chicago, the sales tax is 10%. The moving van is coming to her Chicago place this week and she wanted to shop for her Denver place (Cherry Creek) as our sales tax is only 5%.

So... we shopped Friday evening and most of Saturday.

FUN, FUN, FUN! 

 She got the car packed and the realized that her suitcases needed to squeeze in someplace and so did Wendys. And... she was picking up her friend Katie and her luggage in Milwaukee and giving her a ride to Chicago.

 Kristin bought 16 place settings of FiestaWare in yummy colors!

And lamps, towels, etc.

I got a text saying they had arrived home safely!

I can't wait to hear the story of how they all fit in the car.

See you at Thanksgiving!

I'm flying to Denver for a few days to see Kristin's new home and then the 2 of us will fly to Phoenix together for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving at Wendy and Daren's is always a blast!

XOXO

Joni

Apple Pickin' Time

It's that wonderful time of the year... apple pickin' time! It's time to find an orchard and pick those apples right from the trees. A Fall tradition here in Wisconsin. 

Jerry, his daughter, two grandchildren, a little friend, our two dogs and I, went to his brother's orchard loaded with baskets and bags.

It was a beautiful sunny day!

The trees were laden with every type of apple you can think of and we picked some of each. The most inviting are always at the tippy-top and this 'basket gadget' was perfect for reaching up high.

It doesn't take long to fill a bushel basket with so many big and little hands working together.

I just love this time of the year... jeans and sweatshirt time.

My dog Otter just loves Jerry and he is so good to Otter!

Jerry's dog Dixie isn't in the photos as her legs are soooo long and she moves sooooo fast that I didn't get even one clear picture of her as she ran laps around the fields. Dixie's a Doberman.  

Otter had his first experience running in a farm field. All I could think of was, "I hope that his flea and tick medicine works well!" Just the thought made me scratch!

These apples are headed to the oven to become apple pies, apple squares, and apple bread. Jerry's daughter was going to make applesauce with a lot of her apples.

YUMMERS!!

Have an apple, polish it up, and crunch right in!

ENJOY!!

Enjoy the season that your part of the world is experiencing !

Joni

PS The photos of Jerry's grandchildren and the friend they brought along, are adorable. I was asked not to put the children on my blog and I want to honor their mother's wish.