FALLING INTO OCTOBER---AND A GLOWING BURLAP TREE

Well, here I am again with things

that I cut out of magazines

over the years.

My own personal Pinterest!

I have NO idea what the source 

these outside ideas came from

so I can't reference them.

I LOVE this.

Here's the funny thing- 

I hung a lit pumpkin like this from a

 Shepherd's Hook

in our backyard.

I thought I was SO CLEVER.

Well, that cleverness must have come by osmosis

because I found that in my 

Book Of Ideas

two weeks after the "hanging"!

 At night it's very eerie because

the wind moves it and it looks

like it is floating.

Scared the beans out of someone I know.

I think the urn under it is just gorgeous!

 I need to put something like that together.

The green urn looks great for the base, doesn't it?

Crazy about this idea for a birdbath!

I can't tell you how many ideas I have copied

over the years.

Are there really ANY new ideas?

Or am I the only copy cat out there?

You know I  just sit around 

and eat Twinkies and wait

for others to come up with ideas

for me to steal use, right?

I never see burlap on blogs anymore.

I think maybe its time has passed.

However-look at this!

How about some glowing 

BURLAP LIGHTS

for your porch?

This says to use a topiary frame but I think 

it would work with a

tomato cage tied together at the top.
I'm not sure what the little "balls"
are but they look like burdock(?)
to me.  

It doesn't say what they are.

Here's the directions.

 Speaking of glowing.....

How about getting a little glow on 

INSIDE the house?

Oh- Wait-That looks like soda pop

to me!

Hmmmmmmmm-

Maybe you'd care for some of this instead?

IMAGE

Just make sure you don't 

drink too much

because you don't want 

to end up looking like

WC Fields

As for me?

I'll be warming up with a

sugarless Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Courtesy of Starbucks-

Thank you very much!!!!

Have a wonderful week!

FROM PRINCESS TO BARISTA~

Life is 

NOT A FAIRY TALE.

No, indeedy!

My beautiful princess,

ALANA (aka Lulu)

went from
THIS

to
THIS!

I think she is the 

cutest barista ever!
She knows that hard work pays off!
She is a 2nd generation barista-
following in her Auntie Mimi's footsteps.

She could have gone 
for the
glass slippers

source
Instead of the 
TENNIS SHOES WITH RHINESTONES~

But this girl knows that there is 
more to life than being pretty.
She's a grand girl with a kind heart
and as pretty inside as outside.

Can you BELIEVE she is working at

Neither can I!!!
Maybe I will get a free drink...
ummm--probably not!

Have a wonderful week
and upcoming
FOURTH OF JULY!!!!

THINKING ABOUT DECORATING FOR FALL-YEP---STILL THINKING

I am one of those weird people

(..I hear those of you that KNOW me..)

Anyway, I am one of those weird people

that STILL keeps notebooks of ideas.

Yeah, yeah--I know all about

Pinterest and the internet but

there is something satisfying to me

about sitting down and looking through a

BOOK OF IDEAS.

I have one notebook for each season..

(well- Christmas has 3 or 4 binders)

These are all I loose leaf 3 ring binders

filled with page protectors full

of inspirations and ideas.

Being as it IS Fall now..

I pulled my

PUMPKIN COLORED

notebook out.

Yes! They are colored for each Season-

White For Snow/Winter.

Red For Christmas.

Pink for Little Girl Ideas.

Blue For Little Boy Ideas.

Yellow For Easter Ideas.

Green For Gardening/Outdoor Ideas.

And a slew of white ones with

typed cover inserts.

Well, you get the picture.

But for Fall

(and Halloween)

I dug out the Pumpkin Colored binder.

Here are a few of the images I have saved.

These are pictures of magazine pictures

so don't expect award winning 

photography on my part...ok...

no whining about it either.

I have always loved window boxes..

and I like the earthy simplicity

 of this one.

and a  white pumpkin surrounded by Fall gatherings...

A peek at a birdbath that is

Closed for the Season

(poor birds)

And the path of pumpkins

that leads you through an arbor..

And brings you home to this..

A place to spend an afternoon,

or an evening,

or a life time.

I have had these images for many years

and don't know WHERE they are from...

but Thank You to the people

that photographed these.

Now..

Please excuse me..

I am headed to Starbucks...

I hear they have a

NEW COFFEE..

(edited to add-new for the 

FALL SEASON-it's been around for a few years)

I'll pick one up for my daughter..

cuz I don't do sugar...

Can you say..

Pumpkin Spice Latte?

Now wipe the drool off your chin

and get busy (did I SAY you were lazy)?!

Hmmm...would that be what they mean

by the pot calling the kettle black?

You KNOW you need to get ready for Fall!

I do, too...

(if you are already done I DON'T want to know about it-m'kay...like I don't feel bad enough already?!)

Have a wonderful mid-week day & evening!

Back At Blogging- A Playhouse and A Poem!

Well, I made a promise to my friend,

Ron @ The Uptown Acorn

that I would start blogging today or tomorrow.

I got an ultimatum from him.  

I think his words were

"You BETTER start blogging".

Whew- like he is Louisana mafia or something~

So,

Even though I have projects up the kazoo

that I am trying to catch up on

I will do a "little" post today.

A VERY little post.

This has to be the most lit up playhouse

I have ever seen.

My son wrapped it with lights and

sent CJK out to say some

"magic words".

We are BIG on magic words around here.

So, as CJK got close to the playhouse

he said, 

"ABRACADABRA"

and POOF the lights came on!

Can you see the city lights in the background?

CJK about fell over laughing.

Here is the moment of LIGHT 'EM UP.

And here he is going inside.

My son said he could NOT get him out of there.

Ummm...I am NO GENIUS...

but maybe he could have

TURNED OFF THE LIGHTS....

but then what does Nana know?

I'll be around later-

And the poem?

Here you go!.

I have a dining room update to show you

AND a mini-master bedroom redo.

I'll be back- you know I will.

Good enough, Ron?

Where Is Nana Diana-Part Three

Where am I?

Oh- Baby!

It just doesn't get much better than this!!!

No internet connection where

we are staying~

well-we have it but it is 

tentative, at best.

What's a poor girl to do?

What?  Go Where?

Why Barnes & Noble, of course.

Where else can I find books

and a Starbucks 

under one roof?

I'll have a drink and a bit of a read

for you while I am here.

Having fun-be around soon 

to visit- 

SWEETCHEEKS GUILTY AS CHARGED

Ummmm..

WHO drank that bottle

of  performance juice?

The cap iss stihll on, Nana!

I'm jusht pretenhding.

See?

Really?

Yup!

Let me see your tongue!

You didn't drink that?

Look, Nana-Does it look like I drank it?

I'd say that enhanced her performance

pretty good, wouldn't you?

(you will notice she never directly

answered the question-I think

she is practicing to be a politician)

However, she can't stand it for long

she follows up with...

I'hm jus' kidddin'...

Nana- I drank it!

No KIDDING!

Give Me A Smile SweetCheeks

When a photographer

asks SweetCheeks for a smile

she flashes a natural looking

big ole smile.

When I ask for a smile

this is what I get~

Ready, SweetCheeks?

Yep!

C'mon...just one smile...

OKAY!

Ready?

Yep!

SweetCheeks!

That isn't even funny.

Just ONE smile for my blog, okay?

Okay. I'm done here.

Nana- I'm just kidding...

C'mon....

Okay...Ready?

Yep!

Was that a STOOPID looking smile?

Yes-It was and I'm done.

C'mon....I'm just kidding...

I was just pracktissing before.

Just one more, Nana.

Okay...

Why didn't you do that in the first place?

Cuz I juhst like to joke ya a little bit.

Yeah...consider me joked!

Nana?

I gotta go to the bathroom.

Do you wanta take a picktshure of me in there?

No.I.Don't.

Thasss good cuz I was just joking you again.

 Uh-Oh.....

I think all my 

"joke training"

is coming back to haunt me.

Habits Are Not Just For Nuns

My daughters tell me that

I am corrupting their children.

I don't know what they mean.

I don't smoke.

I don't drink.

I don't do drugs.

I don't dance in topless bars.

I never swear

okay-I mighta lied about the swear part

but only when nothing else seems to 

work to get MyHero's attention

I don't skinny dip anymore

SO

WHAT SEEMS TO BE 

THE PROBLEM?

Ah...yes....it is Starbucks!

Good old Starbucks.

I start them early with

Smoothies and Steamers.

All good for them.

Here is SweetCheeks at 3!

Look how happy SHE is!

Too young to drink?

Well, they can always bite their teeth

on the sleeve they give you with hot drinks.

Here's my philosophy:

Start them early.

Take them often.

It is never too soon to pick up a habit.

And after all,

it beats thumb-sucking!

Ah....yes...for me...It's the

Nectar Of The Gods.
It is my one treat for myself.
I drive every morning and use the
time to reflect on the day and
say a few little prayers for the
kids on their way to school
and the bigger kids on their 
way to work.
It keeps me connected to
the here and now somehow.

So, as you are reading this I am off....
I'll give you three guesses where

I am this morning and the first two

don't count! 

SweetCheeks Slugs It Out At School

I pick SweetCheeks up after

school.

We have an hour to kill while

waiting for Mom

How was your day, SweetCheeks

Before she can answer

her sister pipes up.

SweetCheeks got in trouble today.

You did?

She gives me the

I Love You, Nana grin and nods.

DID you get in trouble today?

NOH- Noht really, Nana!

Now comes the coy look~

Tell me what happened.

Whew- Must be getting warm in here.

Gotta take off the coat.

So....what happened?

Uhmmmmmmm....wellllll.............

Sometimes it is easier to tell the

story to yourself in the mirror

rather than to face the Nana.

Wellll.....iht's lihke thissss!

I hitt a boy.

What?  You hit a boy?

Yehp!

And THEN he hitted me bachk

and so did his two friends

and I started crying!

OMGosh!  What did your teacher say?

He asked me why I hitted him.

What did YOU say?

I told him I hitted him and 

I said it was because he was

RHUDE AND DISREPECKTFUL

cuz he throwed my ball in the

waste basket.

What did your teacher say?

He just smiled and thurned away.

Then he said I wusn't gonna get in

eny truble.

Then what?

Nothing...but I think those bohys

shoulda got in truble for 

hitting me!

No MORE hitting ANYONE,

SweetCheeks.  That is NOT NICE-

AND hitting someone is  also 

RUDE and DISRECTFUL

Pfffffftttt...

I KNOW THAT, Nana!

Nana-

Yes, honey?

Did you see that lady's nose over there?

It's so big I bet she has a hard time driving!

Lord, please keep me from
choking to death in 
Starbucks.

Alphabet Laughs- N Is For NO and Naughty (SweetCheeks)

They say a picture says a

Thousand Words.

Step by step

I will show you how

NAUGHTY happens.

I sit with the kids at

STARBUCKS

(imagine that)

while Mom runs an errand.

We get a 

Strawberry Smoothie

to share.

SweetCheeks!

(Who is starting to pull her

straw out of her glass)

Leave your straw IN your glass!!!

Whut, Nana?

I repeat...Don't pull your

straw out of your drink.

I'hm NOTT!

Well, it looks to ME like you are

doing that.

I'hm NOTT- I promise!

Okay- so what happens when you

sit for an hour and drink coffee?

Yep- Potty break.

I come back from the bathroom.

SweetCheeks!

Did you take your straw out of

your drink?!?

NOH! I din't!

Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire!

WHERE IS THE BABY?

Now I suppose because you know

that we have a
New Grandbaby
that I am talking about

THAT baby, right?

Nope!

I am talking about

SweetCheeks Bitty Baby.

She had one of the twins.

It looked a lot like her..

dark hair and sweet little

chubby cheeks.

I made a whole suitcase

of clothes for this baby.

And now it seems it has

gone missing.

Where IS your twin, SweetCheeks?

I dunno!

Is it in the basement?

No.....

Is it in your room?

Noo...

Is it in your toy basket in the family room?

Nooo Nana!  I telled you I dohn't know

where it is.

We sit in silence for a minute or so.

Nana?

Yes, honey?

I knhow where it is and Ih'll

tell you, okay?

Okay!

You know my Mom?

Yeah?

Well, she taked it in the woods

where the deers hide and lefted it there.

She did?

Yeah...I know so and guess what?

WE cahn't go in there because

there are NO DEER signs

that sumbudy putted up.

Really? (asked rather disbelievingly)

SerioUSly, Nana!  Thass whut happened!

(Notice how the head is now turned down

and away from my piercing glance?;>)

An hour later we were sitting at

Starbucks with Mama and Uncle Ryan.

So, I mention casually to Mama,

I hear you put SweetCheeks doll

out in the woods with the deer.

As soon as I said that

SweetCheeks stuffed her mouth

full so she couldn't answer any

questions.

REALLY?  Mom asked...Where

did you hear that?

SweetCheeks told me.

SweetCheeks swallowed her mouthful

Ummmm..I think I makeked a mistake.

Uh...yeah...I think you did!

To punish - or not to punish-

(Does it count as a YES if everyone turns

their head to the side when they laugh
so that SweetCheeks doesn't see it)?