~Happy Thanksgiving~

I want to wish each and every one of my Blogger friends a Happy Thanksgiving!

I am so grateful that my son is home from Afghanistan, safe and sound this year...we missed him last year.

I am grateful for  my wonderful children and grandchildren.

I am grateful for being married to my best friend for close to 39 years.

I am grateful for my sister who lives 2000 miles away, but remains close in my thoughts and heart.

I am grateful for my sweet pets.

I am grateful for my home.

I guess that is summed up to say I am grateful for my family.

I am grateful that we will all be together at some point on Thanksgiving.

So with that I wish you all the happiness you deserve and hope you have a truly wonderful Thanksgiving.

~Autumn Visit~

Look Mom!

Here comes Auntie!

This is to you Margie! My only best sister lives in Texas and loves to come home in the Autumn. Due to work she had to come home a few weeks early. It was a quick visit~and don't you know it rained the whole time she was here. We took an overnight trip to Maine and the time just flew by. Not one picture of the two of us was taken, but a some of us as couples.

                       In front of Kendall Tavern Inn where we stayed. This is my sister and her sweetie.

 Freeport, Maine, Ken and I

 Lands End, Bailey Island Maine

 Come on in....the front yard has a red-orange glow from the oaks, these are photos taken today and I wish my sister was here to see the beautiful color.  My little potting shed tucked in for the winter. Margie, see Dale's tree...

                               The reds and orange pop against the green of the hemlock trees.
So Margie I raise my cup of warm spiced cider to you and wish you were here to sit down back in the chairs and enjoy it with me.

Margie, I know you remember when none of this was here, just trees. There are so many memories for us all. Family makes it all special! I am glad you came home and shared your new joy with us, most of all I am glad you are my sister!

It is still Autumn.

Ok, so the windows are washed and sparkling in the sunshine. I have cleaned the glass on the onion post lights and all the porch windows along with the house windows. All the oaks in the front yard are casting a wonderful warm red glow. They are the last to turn color...it starts with the maples and birch in the back that turn yellow. The red of the oaks will turn brown after the red. There is a sweet smell of Autumn in the air. Wood is stacked and gardens are almost all cut back.

As I look at the blogs I see Christmas everywhere. I want to think about Thanksgiving first. A bit more Autumn...although I did pick up some Christmas gift bags and have got my list together. I am just not ready for decorating for Christmas yet.

My kittys are staying in more with the nip to the air. I like them around the house. ~In the summer they are about in the gardens and when I go out to work they will pounce and run.

There will be snow and ice before we know it and the scent of pine will be in the air.

Let's just savor these last fall days while we have them.

I'll let you in on a secret...

Today is November 1st. I am so happy to say all my Halloween decorations are packed away. I love when there is just Harvest decorations, right up until Thanksgiving. This morning before work I grabbed a couple of plastic tubs and went from room to room picking out the Halloween stuff and putting it away. I put all jack o lanterns and witches and ghosts into the attic. They joined the many items I never brought out this year. 

My little secret is that my oldest child loves, loves, loves Halloween. It has always been his favorite holiday. He came over last night and greeted Trick or Treaters in his Frankenstein costume. He used to decorate like crazy. fog machine , scary stuff, you name it. Well he decorated his house this year, but he dosen't get enough kids, so he came here. There were a few disappointed kiddo's that the porch wasn't all done up. I was quite content. I enjoy it  a bit pared down. the other half of the secret is I could live with out Halloween. I just don't remember it being a big deal when I was a kid...it seems to have grown into a big holiday. Am I just getting old? Maybe.

So here are a few photos of my "Just Harvest"

Snow, snow, go away!

I am sorry but, this is just too early for snow. Thanksgiving maybe, but not before Halloween!!!! I won't bore you with pictures of the snow, making my tall grasses lay down. Or that everything that was still blooming is now gone! So time to clean up and get ready.....for dare I say it winter :(

So what do I do when there is snow outside? I bake :)

Today I made a Apple and pear Crostata....yum. First I make my dough and put it in to chill for a few hours.

Then I slice the apples and pears and mix with brown sugar and spices.

After assembled, you bake it for 25 to 30 min. It really is that simple.

DONE!!!

Do you wonder what cookbooks others might have?

Do you ever think about that? I love to read about books other bloggers read, not just cookbooks, decorating, DIY books and most any book. I do believe cookbooks are the most interesting to me. I thought I would share a few that I like best. When we redid our kitchen a few years back I had this small area just at the entry to the pantry that I had shelves put in for my most used cookbooks.

 

 I see a couple of our seasonal reads were stuffed in there, Scary stories and Witches of Plymouth County...great October reads along with my Susan Branch "Autumn". Just a little something to get us in a fall state of mind. I just did home made marshmallows from the Susan Branch book. Yum, they came out great.

 Look at this old cookbook I found in an old cookbook store. I loved that it looked handwritten. I have never made anything from it, but love the look of it.

 The Barefoot Contessa is a personal favorite. I use her books all the time. I love to watch her on the food network. I have posted about her here.

 My old Good Housekeeping cookbook was my first. I got it when I got married...so it is 39 yrs. old. It is my go to book. It is used and abused. I have a brown paper cover on it and the binding is coming apart, but it has many of my favorite recipes.I learned so much from this book. My Mom was not much of a cook and what I knew came from my Home Economics class at school. So I opened a book. I learned to cook. The internet has made it so different now. Not to mention cooking shows. I find my self still going back to my books. There is so much more in them the just recipes.
So tell me do you like cookbooks? Do you snuggle up on a cool fall day with a cup of hot cider and read a new or old cookbook? Look for something new to make?

Fall Door Decor

I am going to join Rhoda@ Southern Hospitality  in her Fall Door Decor.

~Simple and sweet~

It is hot and humid here and I need a cool, dry and crisp day to be in the mood. Everything is wet.