Housewares

Our living room space is finally starting to come together! Although this is not the best photo its the only one I have that shows most of the living room set up.

As you can see we finally got an armchair, although we need to get a second in order to arrange the room the way we want to.  I am also on the hunt for some amazing art and/or something that inspires me to make my own.  We have a 6' x 6' empty space that is just calling out for some art or something to be put up on the bare wall.

Domino totally approves of the new chair!  

I also picked up these crystal salt and pepper shakers.  They're the exact same kind that my grandmother has.  I love everything about them, the heaviness, the way they feel in my hand and the feeling of familiarity, of family, of being home whenever I look at them.

It's surprising what makes a house feel like a home. This Christmas we're going to get a Christmas Tree.  I haven't had a tree in years and am so excited to have one, to decorate it and to acquire new and different ornaments each year.  It will be Domino's first Christmas tree too.

McMiller Shooting Range

Last Wednesday Joseph took a vacation day and we headed down to McMiller Sports Complex to shoot some firearms.   It was a sunny but cold day but I had a pretty good time and got to shoot some different rifles than the one's I usually shoot.  

. 

When we left we went by this place that had caged peacocks, I only saw a beautiful white peacock in the cage but when we turned the corner we saw about 5 peacocks across the street in the woods, totally playing hooky.  I tried to take a picture it was like they knew and they ran deeper into the woods. 

The Cutest!

Check out these super cute little decorative creatures I found at Target.  I really want that foxy!

Check out my previous The Cutest! post here  

Football and Fall Colors

About a week and a half ago Joseph and I went and saw a football game of 7th grade aged kids at Franklin High School.  Joseph's cousin Andrew is their head coach so we were there to check out his handy work with the kids.

The game was pretty good, with a few stand out stars but what stole the show for me was the beautiful backdrop of gorgeous fall colored leaves and the gorgeous full moon, and okay the mini half time show!

 Little bitty cheerleaders

 Fall colors

 The moon! 

The half time show with mini dancers/pep squad.  It was pretty cute.

Afterwards we went back to Andrew's parents house for a big bonfire like the biggest bonfire I have ever been to on someone's personal property.  It was a cold night though so the heat from the fire was good. 

Pee-yew!

I was sitting here chatting with my dear friend Amanda when all this racket started. I looked over my shoulder at what the noise was and saw my kitty Domino who was going crazy at the window.

I figured the outdoor kitty must be outside so I checked and found...

this rascally skunk!  He was pretty bold and I was pretty shy, staying behind our storm door with the exception of my arm to get this blurry shot.  He was pretty cute but his cuteness doesn't help him when it comes to that stench.  I've smelled the bombs this little guy has laid around our house before and it's nothing to wrinkle your nose at so to speak.

The Cutest!

We are just a few days away from it officially being the third season, fall, autumn whatever you want to call it. Warm days, cool nights, beautiful foliage,  apple pies, pumpkin pies, hay rides, corn mazes and Halloween!

Look what I just picked up from my local Target, the cutest tissue boxes in fall themes and colors.

Foxes & Owls

There are a few other designs but these were my favorite.

Green Thumb

I've never had problems keeping plants alive, in fact at my last job I had amazing luck with many different plants, african violets and orchids to be specific but also some other green plants as well.  I was able to get my orchid to bloom at least twice a year which is pretty amazing.  One thing I had never thought to try was growing my own plants from seeds until this last spring.  I planted some basil, some catnip and some spearmint.  The basil and the cat nip took off quickly with more heartier sprouts than the spearmint which was super tiny and delicate.  I totally underestimated the spearmint.  Because of its more delicate stature I did not transplant them into bigger pots when I did the basil and the cat nip and for that they suffered, root bound and unable to grow further.  That all changed this last weekend when I finally transplanted them and they are taking off like weeds!   The feeling that you grew a plant from a seed and it is flourishing is amazing.

Check out my basil plant.  It is starting to get it's second round of leaves bursting at the seams of the older leaves thickening the plant up even more.

Here is the catnip.  The kitties love to eat fresh catnip leaves but the buds are where it's at, my plant hasn't budded yet though.  I just recently learned how to grow and maintain catnip so I am going to need to do some pruning.

Here are the spearmint pants (and one strawberry plant on the right which isn't doing as well).  when I transplanted them a week ago they were so very tiny and now they are full on fledglings ready to give me all the fresh mint I could ever want or need.  

I want to grow some flowering plants but not sure what to embark upon next.  I'm running out of window room there and am going to have to find another window to take over.

Stormin'

Check out the downpour we are getting right now.  Lightning, heavy rain, wind, hail, the sidewalks turning into rivers... this California girl isn't used to such intense weather.

Yes those are the storm drains overflowing.

Thankfully the largest size is only dime sized.  My poor car is parked outside!

Camping!

Joseph and I are planning on going camping again in a couple of weeks back to the campground we discovered last month.  The campground is quiet and gorgeous and simple. It is set on an old oak savanna near a nice sized lake and is covered in wild flowers.

 Heading down to check out the lake.

 We saw turtles!

 A walk we took down behind an old farm.

 The campsite at dusk.

 Roasting marshmallows for smores.

 We woke up to see this cute wild baby kitty keeping warm in the cinders from our fire the night before.

I'm looking forward to camping in fall, bringing sweaters and being all cozy in my sleeping bag!

Black Fluffy!

A few days ago it was decided that Joseph and I would sort of adopt this very sweet and loving fluffy black kitty that hangs out in our yard. He is pretty skinny and so we decided to feed him knowing that this pretty much means we're now his new parents.  Domino hates him though, she gets super growly at the window and tries to attack him through the glass storm door.  She just needs to chill out because Black Fluffy is so sweet and cuddly and just craves love and affection.

 Domino being nosy!

 Trying to get a better view of Black Fluffy!