Fall and Happy

Beautiful fall day!  I guess that's been my theme lately, but this time of year gets me so jazzed and happy.  Here's a shot of our front door taken by my hubby, Jim Mayfield, this morning.  We live in an old rock house built in 1929.  WE LOVE IT!

This past weekend was perfect!  I spent Saturday with my dear sweet friend Katie.  It started with a honey almond latte from the Mud House, moved on to a trip to one of my very fav places, Leolas, and ended with these very fashionable black birds sitting in our chandelier on the porch.

Their top hats with feathers are so posh!  And the keys around their necks look important.... like they really mean business!

Last evening we ended the weekend with a small house concert by our good friend Randle Chowning.  I had to buy a green rock (artistically painted by a little girl who was handling the door).  Not a bad price for great music!

A cute couple of tiny fans danced the night away.........

Hope it's as gorgeous wherever you are as it is here in the Ozarks!

xo
dulcy

Fall, Food, Creativity, and Beauty

FAll

This early fall is quite fantastic!  The temperature and light are just perfect for outdoor play and creativity.  I'm taking advantage of it and puttering around the house and outside.  Nightly bicycle rides with hubby are wonderful.   We're getting ready to hit the road with our bikes for a few days and trying to get into "bike shape" for the trip.

I'm not a big seasonal decorator, but love to put out bits of fall in my home.....

 

Willow likes to bask in early morning fall light.  The spare bedroom is actually hers..... or so she says!

 

FOOD

Fall encourages my "culinary skills".  Enjoying some of this bullet proof coffee.  You can find out how to make this yummy latte at Tammy's blog  here.

 Currently have a pot of tomato soup simmering on the stove.  I just throw in organic diced tomatoes, vegetable stock, lightly sauteed celery, basil pesto, and a good bit of crushed red pepper.  Makes for a light and spicy soup!  

CREATIVITY

Almost done with my crazy abstract red rug.  Wanting it finished, and anxious to figure out my binding.  Hoping to take it completed to a neat little hook in Tammy and I have organized at Ivy Jeans in Cape Fair during November.  Already have 19 "hookers" and newbies coming.  Should be a fun day at Cindy's farm hooking, eating, sketching, and spending time with lovely creative friends!

BEAUTY

This is sort of "off topic" for my usual blog posts, but the most amazing info keeps finding it's way to me lately.  Pinterest, Facebook, blogs, friends.... I'm hearing the same message over and over from very gorgeous, educated and accomplished baby boomers.  NO PLASTIC SURGERY FOR ME, thank you very much!  Love it!  First, last winter I was turned onto this book....

"French Women Don't Get Facelifts" by Mireille Guiliano.  This is not a "French women know everything because they're French, blah blah blah kind of book.  Very practical advice on everything from skin care to food, relationships, life in general.  Lots of info on good creams and oils!

I LOVE this quote from Annie Lennox, musical artist and beauty.....

 

"I really think people need to think very carefully before heading for the needle or the knife. If it were subtle and it just made you look a bit better it would be fine. But that's not what happens. It's very obvious, and looks like the person's wearing a static mask. You just lose all semblance of authenticity. I don't know why so many women seem to flock towards having their lips swollen and their foreheads stiffened like cardboard. It doesn't make women look younger. It just makes them look disturbing... Plastic surgery looks very obvious and truly unappealing."

Or this quote by fav actress, Emma Thompson.....

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"It's psychotic, isn't it having your body opened up and stuff put in, injecting yourself with poison?" Emma Thompson.  I read where she and Kate Winslet have a girlfriend pact not to have any kind of plastic surgery.  I love how these women speak their mind!

I also have recently come across two panel discussions on line that included several famous models, actresses, fashion designers, and journalists discussing this very topic.  There's lots and lots more of this type of thing from many gifted and self assured women on line and all over the place. I think it just displays a bit of sanity in this currently, at times, very insane world..... Is cutting, burning, and injecting about beauty, or is it about something completely different?  Just something to think about.

xo

dulcy

Animals, Color, and Friends

Today is the most gorgeous type of early fall days!  The light and temperature are perfect.  It makes all the colors outside, and in, particularly vibrant!  The kind of day to put sunflowers on the mantel.  Picked these up at the little farm across the road.

 

I also put out my Debbie Wilson print.  She's a fabulous mixed media artist that we befriended when doing shows.   Such a sweet piece of art.

I'm so happy because our little feral Firefly found his way home after a botched (on my part) attempt to get him to the vet and fixed.  If you're in my circle of animal loving friends, you already know the story and how completely devastated I was.  Let's make this short..... got him trapped (amazing because he is so feral) to the vet in a carrier in the car.  A whole another part of town across creeks, neighborhoods, busy streets, etc.  And he burst apart the carrier in the vet's parking lot and was gone in a flash.  I looked, my husband looked, my husband and I looked together, my friends went by and looked.  No luck, I assumed he was gone for good.  I felt horrible since he had lost his excellent food source and safe outside home.  I sobbed and sobbed!  Well....... late Saturday afternoon (11 days following the escape) we're leaving for a get together with friends, and there he is in the drive right by where I always feed him!  It's absolutely mind blowing to me that cats can do this!  I truly never expected to see him again.  I'm leaving well enough alone for now.... no trapping and fixing..... too much drama for us both.  My hubby took this picture of him yesterday in one of his little hiding places outside.

 

I did manage to get my mind off things during this unfortunate situation, when I went with Tammy to the Warsaw hook in.  This is one of my favorites because they have the best vendors there with all kinds of unusual fabrics and other trinkets.  Here's a few things I snatched up!

Three gorgeous pieces of hand dyed velvet......

 

This exquisite piece of antique paisley from Anita White.  I splurged here because of the cream color.  So different from the deeper reds and maroons.  I won't hook with this... will most likely use as embellishment for a clothing piece.  Ideas are forming!

A fun colorful hunk of curly sheep wool.  I think part of this will eventually find it's way into a hooked bag.

I like to keep my new pieces of fiber out where I can see them.  It keeps me planning and thinking creative thoughts.  I can't imagine living in an environment without lots of color.  How unstimulating and boring!

Ended the afternoon with sketching by the lake.  Here's Tammy working on her piece.

My little sketch.  Very excited because I've just enrolled in Sketbook Skool on-line.  Tammy and my friend Mary have also enrolled.  I think it's fun to have a little group to head out to parks and cafes to do some sketching.

Fall always brings a lot of reflection.  After all that's happened over the past week or two, I've thought about how wonderful life is with friends and a husband who go out of their way to look for your  uncatchable feral cat,  or friends that take you away for a day to a happy colorful creative retreat, and all the little animals that we care for that give us such love and happiness....... and of course........ lots and lots of color.  The perfect combination for a wonderful life!  Thank you Tammy, Katie, Sarah, Jim, Lora, Dr. Pfander (my vet) and his wonderful crew that looked and kept food in the little guys bowl, and of course Firefly!

xo

dulcy

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xo

dulcy