Observing November in the Land of Flip Flops

our front door

We continue to make note of the differences between living in Colorado and Florida as the seasons come and go. My family and friends out west have told us about the snow storms they've already had in recent weeks, while we decorate within spitting distance of tall palm trees in our still very green yard. There is no traditional autumn color here but the shades of green are beautiful.

wrapping Christmas gifts

Christmas gifts are getting wrapped and the grocery list for Thanksgiving dinner has been made without any concerns for a debilitating blizzard to put a snafu in the plans.  They tell us hurricane season doesn't officially end until November 30th, but the forecast looks like we'll be okay from here on out.

yes, that is clean laundry neatly stacked on the bed

The afternoon sunshine filters through the blinds on the west side of the house with intriguing patterns. I often have to just stop and marvel at the beautiful sight. 

beside St. Johns River in downtown Jacksonville

This past Sunday after church and lunch, we changed our clothes and drove downtown. We wanted to settle the question of where to park when we take out-of-town guests to the river walk.

The Lone Sailor statue at the Southbank Riverwalk, Jacksonville

After living in the Rocky Mountain west for so long, it has been very interesting to poke around the nautical sights of our new home. Jax is a big Navy town.

Jaguars' Everbank stadium

We don't claim to be Jacksonville Jaguars fans (although our Denver Broncos are a sorry team this season); but we did enjoy the cheers of local fans wafting across the river as we strolled along.

my veteran

Speaking of football and recent controversies, we hung our flag out for the first time in this new house on Veterans Day. Yes, we believe people should stand for the national anthem.

LED Cafe lights on the back porch

Beloved hung lights around the ceiling of the screened-in back porch and then built a ladder to hold the remainder of the string. I added some silk grape vines. I plan to buy some plastic grape clusters from Hobby Lobby to fill in the blank spots, giving our private refuge from the world a bit of an Italian ambience (neither of us are Italian, but we like to eat at The Olive Garden).

Beloved grilled our dinner

We love this quiet hide-a-way nestled near the forest. I still marvel at the Lord's goodness to give me this particular desire of my heart.

our local mall decorated for Christmas

We made a trip to the mall where, as I raised my camera, Santa waved to us from the lower level.

Did you know much of the Thanksgiving decor at Hobby Lobby
is on sale now for 80% off? 

As we prepare for Thanksgiving, Beloved reminded me of a cartoon where the turkey is telling Santa Claus, "Wait your turn, fat boy!"

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD,

and to sing praises unto thy name,

O Most High:

To show forth thy lovingkindness in the morning,

and thy faithfulness every night.

Psalm 92:1-2

In Case You Thought I Forgot .....

the Pilgrim People

..... the Pilgrim People made the trip with us from Colorado to Florida this past summer. MANY things were purged from my collection of stuff, but these friends were carefully packed away in a box for the relocation. 

making their entrance

Whereas they used to be in a box stored in the depths of our gigantic basement and every November they had to climb up the stairs to the main floor; this year their box is kept in an upstairs closet, hence, this year's grand entrance was a trip down the stairs.

 facial expressions say so much

Last November, an out-of-state move was one of the farthest things from our minds, so when the Pilgrim People were packed away in December, they had no inkling of what would happen as they slumbered among crumpled sheets of packing paper.

"a merry heart does good ..." Proverbs 17:22

I'll just say that the reactions to this surprising move were varied, reflecting human nature where some are cheerful most of the time and others are cranky more pensive.

a peek into my personal dressing closet

One bright little personality caught a glimpse of a sign I keep in my closet and took the cue to be positive about this change. She and her hubby took up their assigned stations with an attitude that set a good example for the rest.

Speaking of assignments, some locations have more prominence than others, but I appreciate their willingness to serve.

I'm still looking for just the right wall decor to go below the cabinet 

Others are now residing near the family room television and in the kitchen (where their assistance with mealtimes is appreciated).

what will it take to make them happy?!!!

So yes, I have remembered the Pilgrim People and they are adding to the Thanksgiving theme we've got going in our new Florida home. I am glad to have them on display. We love living here, but for the most part, the flora and fauna outdoors still look like summertime. It's good to have the oranges and browns of my ceramic, resin, and felt friends to add autumnal color.

decor pillow purchased at Hobby Lobby

Welcome Autumn!

front door message

I'm welcoming Autumn today. It's expected to arrive in my time zone somewhere between 4 and 5 p.m.  

It's advent will be of special interest to me since I usually greet the season with jeans, sweaters, socks, a light-weight coat, and sometimes a snow shovel. 

my fav footwear

This year, of course, I'll be keeping the boots and socks tucked on some high shelf while I continue my "life is better in flip flops" fashion mantra.

Yes, yes, I've read that wearing flip flops all the time is not a good idea (posture, back and foot problems, etc.)
http://www.somasense.co.za/blog/how-flip-flops-affect-muscles-posture-gait) 

But for someone who has been bound up with restrictive, cold weather footwear for decades, my toes are greatly enjoying this new-found freedom and cannot easily let it go. I've learned, to my surprise that flip flops are not just an accessory; they are a way of life! 

I will admit, however, that when I have serious walking to do beyond my home, I usually change out of the blingy footwear into a more serviceable sandal that can support my feet better. (Having my entire foot exposed to crowds of clumsy people and grocery cart wheels makes me shudder.) I still have a long-standing love affair with my 5 pair of Naturalizer pumps (with hose) that I wear most Sundays to church. (may they never wear out!!)

back porch table

Another difference in how I will greet Autumn this year is with more outside dining. In years past, September temperatures could vary from fantastically wonderful to suddenly cold (along with measurable snow). Enjoying dinner out on the deck was not an assumption.

My readers may remember that we brought with us from Colorado a beautiful, huge heavy black metal table and chair set that fit with lots of room to spare on our equally huge deck.  Due to some blindspots in our perspective, we didn't realize until we were unloading the moving truck that the set absolutely would not fit on the back porch of this house in Florida. We sold it to our realtor and bought this smaller round table.  The fit and look are perfect.

pancakes on the porch

Especially now that the back porch has been screened in, this has become a favorite place for breakfast, lunch, and coffee. Dinner? Well, the current angle of the evening equinox is such that the sun pierces through the forest trees, blinding us. This will change in the weeks to come, so when that happens, we'll be having supper out there, too!

Internet photo. Google Images: "cardinal"

The other day I was enjoying my coffee on the back porch when a fellow who looked just like this guy showed up just steps away! I was delighted!! Red Cardinals don't normally take up residence in Colorado but according to my research, they are in Florida year around. Later that same day, Beloved got to see both Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal in our trees.

Of course, in our former home, September was a time when the birds were packing up their bags and heading to warmer climes! 

jigsaw puzzle - TWO pieces were missing from the box!

As I work this line of thought about changes we experience with this season, there is one "elephant-in-the-room" difference between Autumn in Florida and Autumn in Colorado. Hurricanes. That is one dissimilarity that does not please me. 

When we moved here, we knew that kind of weather was a possibility, but in spite of Hurricane Matthew taking out the Jacksonville Pier just this past October, such storms were more of a rarity in northeastern Florida. We did not especially concern ourselves about that. Well. 

The deed is done. We are here. We will do our best, just like everybody else.  

As the storm came closer and we were gathering our survival supplies, we stopped into the Hallmark store to buy two jigsaw puzzles. That proved to be a good idea after Irma took down our electricity (at least during the daylight hours).

our dining room is just inside the front foyer of the house

With the arrival of Autumn, I don't know how much I'll decorate with the traditional cold weather themes, especially when we get to winter. I mean, we sold our snow blower and donated most of our really heavy winter clothes, so why would I feel obligated to decorate with snowmen?  Hmm. I may have to re-think that one. I do have some mighty cute snowmen in my collection...

beaded butterfly table runner from Pier One Imports

We were in Pier One Imports last week when one positive aspect of Hurricane Irma came to light: a reduction of an additional 30% off ALL merchandise (including sale items) in all stores affected by the hurricane! I have had my eyes on the beaded table runners for months but did not want to hand over the full asking price. 

The first one I saw was autumn leaves and it was gorgeous.  I looked through all of them to see if there was another one I might like better. That's when I found this one with the butterflies, a decidedly spring design, of course.

A mental debate ensued and I finally decided that since our house has a tendency to look a little dark during the daylight hours, I preferred the brighter colors of the springtime beaded runner over the one with the autumn leaves.  This is Florida, after all. 

close-up of the beaded butterflies

So with that conclusion, the purchase was made. Now that the jigsaw puzzle has been assembled (minus 2 missing pieces that apparently never left the puzzle factory, grrr!), the dining table is showing off the new table runner.

There is more to Autumn than what I've recorded in this post, food being one.  We will enjoy the traditional edibles of the season. Some things just never change, and that's as it should be.

Autumn door decor with a palm tree in the background

P.S. If you have the time, please visit the blog of my friend Lea who has encouraged me to invest in beaded table runners. She's been buying them for some time, which inspired me to add them to my decor. 
http://www.ciciscorner.com

Happy Birthday America!

the front door to our new home

Happy 4th of July, dear blog readers! I wanted to briefly check in to wish you all well on this birthday of our nation. 

This year our celebration will be more of one in our hearts than in outward display since we still have many boxes to tackle as we unpack from our move into the house just this past Saturday. 

our 3-car garage this morning

Yes, many boxes await our attention while the car sits on the driveway. We cannot complain of boredom around here!

Surfer Girl with her pups

On Sunday afternoon Surfer Girl, Surfer Boy, Grandson #4 and Granddaughter #5 came for a visit to see the house and help us with some moving-in activities. Surfer Girl finished removing all the plastic shrink wrap that encased all of the furniture. 

Granddaughter #5

The grandchildren loved stomping down the plastic and stuffing it into bags for disposal (after making a mountain of it and jumping onto it with glee). 

Saving this picture for future use --
perhaps a video at his wedding?

Surfer Boy helped Beloved secure a drapery rod that was loose, broke down boxes, and helped with a carpentry alteration on  Beloved's office desk. 

handmade treasures from little hands

As we unpack we are finding both treasures and new trash -- things we realize we no longer need taking up precious storage space. But some items will continue to merit their space in the china cabinet!

As I close this out, I am sharing with you a really neat wall hanging/table topper made by my friend Carole Lee from the ladies' quilting group back in Colorado. Isn't it striking?!

Carole Lee's patriotic table topper/wall hanging

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Memorial Day 2017

Altar floral arrangement at my church yesterday

As our pastor said in his sermon yesterday, none of us faced opposition getting to church that day, no one threatened our worship of God, public Bible reading, and prayers. 

How easily I forget these freedoms but how lost I would be if we were to lose them! 

Thank You, Heavenly Father, for blessing the efforts of so many to preserve the freedoms we have in the United States of America.

.

canteens

As we remember people we have known who have sacrificed so much for our religious and political freedoms, I also remember deceased people, who have given unselfishly of themselves for my other freedoms and comforts:

- those who tended to me when I was too young and helpless to do for myself

- teachers who gave me an education when I wanted nothing more than to play with my dolls and ride my bike

- those who allowed me to learn to drive with their car

- those who bore with me in my youthful ignorance and pride

- those who listened to me when my talking would seem to never end

- the many others who have blessed me so I could learn maturity and apply wisdom to the circumstances of life

one of two American flags on the wall
behind the choir and orchestra at my church
Memorial Day weekend

God has richly blessed us all. Memorial Day is a time to remember those to whom we are indebted.

A Tribute to My Mother

graphic created by author with the help of

https://creativemarket.com/IrinkaWW/1250875-Watercolor-blue-orange-flowers

Years ago when I was visiting my mother in The Windy City, I expressed a desire to shop for a small Bible that I could easily slip into a tote bag. She left the room and came back with a Bible that was exactly the size I needed and told me I could keep it. 

I then asked her if she would share a favorite verse inside the cover, so she again left the room. Before my visit was over, she returned the Bible to me with the following verse in her beautiful handwriting:

My mother, affectionately referred to on this blog as The Cook on Fifth Street, celebrated her 92nd birthday this past week. May the Lord continue to shower her with blessings, peace, and security as He has done for so long.

Manifestations of Spring

pink Hyacinths from Walmart

Unlike some Easter weekends we've had through the years, this time we were blessed with abundant sunshine and the kind of warmth that makes you want to wear sandals and buy flowers.

Well okay, I admit it. I wore socks with my sandals and jeans. It was still on the cool side.

Columbines and Hosta

We also bought more Columbines... they did so well for us at our last house, but the four years we've been at The Brown Bungalow our state bloom has faltered, sadly. Each year we try a new location. Maybe this setting under the bay window will satisfy their requirements.

We paired them with Hosta, a plant I've wanted to try for years.

a hardy little bud has appeared

I am so pleased to report that on this Easter weekend, Veronica Speedwell has come out of what looked to be certain death to bud once again. She had me scared but I guess she just needed a little more time. Apparently she wanted to be a sermon illustration.

Former Farmer gave her to me four years ago and although she protested a bit with the relocation from the Midwest to Colorado's Front Range, she has shown off her purple flowers every year before summer's end.

a re-run photo of the thrift store Easter center piece

I shared this delight just a few days ago as we were preparing for Easter. It really made the dining table decor just pop!

dishes from Walmart and the thrift store

I've said before that I like to shop at thrift stores. I buy the occasional skirt or cardigan there, but the real treasures (for me) are jewels for my home. This yellow bowl is one of them. Actually I have a set of six of these buttercup delights. They cheer me just to look at them, and doesn't the white dinner plate from the Pioneer Woman collection at Walmart just set it off? The placemats are from Kohl's and the napkins came from Sister a couple of birthdays ago.

The chocolate bunny -- I have to tell you a funny little story about him. When Beloved bit off the ears of his bunny, he (Beloved) suddenly became deaf! He could not hear a thing I was saying to him! Such a jokester!!

the table adorned with my dear guests

Everybody held still and nobody blinked while I took this obligatory snapshot before they began to eat. 

The menu was light because on holidays we need to share the kids with other family members who prepare a much larger dinner. Blessedly, this has worked out well for all of us.  Our menu was an Asian Pear Salad with a Lemon Vinaigrette dressing, deviled eggs, crescent rolls, ice water, and chocolate bunnies. 

visitors in Sister's yard

Before I close this out, you need to see other signs of spring that have appeared in Sister's yard.  Obviously that's Peter Rabbit to the right of center. This other fellow was the topic of a family round robin of emails, trying to figure out just who or what he was.

posing for the camera

The first thought was he might be a badger who had traveled down from Wisconsin.

"What are you lookin' at?!"

But the final consensus among those who know such things was that he's a ground hog.  If he was indeed from Wisconsin, then Sister concluded that the grass must be greener in Illinois, hence his appearance in her yard!

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