OCTOBER…FALL, MUMS and AFGHANS!

October!! Yeah! It’s a great time to pull out the afghans and snuggle up on the couch. My hubby is wavering between watching football games and Halloween movies. I don’t need any of those scary movies. But both of us always watch Wheel of Fortune. I am SO good at solving those puzzles!

bread dough rising.

Two yummy loaves!

This week, I made some homemade bread . I hadn’t made any of that in forever. It turned out pretty well. Seems a lot thicker and heavier than store bought bread. (OK..I admit…every so often, we have a craving for good ole Wonder Bread, from our childhood.) But part of the great thing about making bread is the whole science related thing. Watching the yeast interact and create a dough, watching it rise..again and again..and finally baking it in the oven. You know it’s going to take all day. When I make bread, it’s like I’m channeling my ancestors.

The oil diffuser, with Lemongrass scent.

At Nana School, with my grandson, Isaac, we are thinking about Fall. This week, we talked about our five senses. Isaac was particularly interested in smelling things. I pulled out all of my sensory oils, and he had fun smelling them. I let him choose the oil for our diffuser. He chose Lemongrass. The next time he came back, he said, “let’s smell things!”

Painting the witch
The finished product. Look at that smile!

Isaac also painted a witch. I bought a small wooden square from Joann Fabrics. My hubby drilled a little hole in the back, so it could be hung up. I kind of outlined the face and mouth, and he painted with our tempera paints. I told him to not spread the paint too much, because it showed the wood underneath. We had googly eyes to put on, and I cut out tiny black teeth from felt. Isaac was so excited when it was done!

Today, I bought some plants…unfortunately, my two mums kicked the bucket before I got them planted. Tomorrow, I will work on the garden.

Yesterday, my hubby said he would take my car and get it inspected, so that we could get the registration renewed. He went to 5 different car places, and would either have to wait two hours, or they couldn’t get their machines to work. He finally gave up. Today, I drove to the Kwik Kar , in Crowley, and they inspected it for me. YES!! After that, I went to CVS and had my flu shot. One more check off of my list.

No matter our political views, we are praying for our President and the many other people who have tested positive for Covid. We’re still wearing our masks and limiting our outings.

Hope you are remaining safe and snuggled up at home. We all need some outings, here and there. A good walk in the woods, a bike ride, or even driving through the drive-through at McDonald’s…these are things to get out of the house. Wear your masks. Wash your hands. Use Social Distancing. Be kind.

Have a fun weekend,

Grandma Sherry

Projects and Organization

Happy September and Happy Fall! I’m starting to feel more alive, since the weather is finally down in the mid/upper 80’s. All over town, the Texas Sage is blooming their beautiful purple blooms. I bought two new mum plants today. Tomorrow, it will finally be cool enough that I can work in my flower beds.

Margaret and I, at my nephew and fiance’s bridal shower, two years ago.

We’ve recently returned from Kansas. My sister-in-law, Margaret Wood, passed away last week. She had gone through four different bouts of cancer, in the last 30 years. She was fun, classy, with impeccable taste in furnishing her home, her wardrobe, and was super organized. She planned her Celebration of Life service and it was a beautiful service. We were all worried about Covid but the church was very aware of the things that needed to happen to make it healthy and secure. Afterwards, the family met at the farm, and had lunch and visited….6 ft. apart, and masks on. We were able to see the newest member of the family, Brooks Treaster. He’s a little doll!

Brooks Treaster, our newest member of the Wood family.

My husband, Dick and his sister, Lu.
My cousin, Scott, my brother, Mike and my cousin’s wife, Sonja.

I bought my brother a fun mask to wear. Will he see the humor in this?

A Classy Mask for my Classy brother!

PROJECTS

Though I still love the light turquoise color that I have decorated with, in the past, I was ready for a change. Our breakfast nook chairs were a total mess. Too many toddlers have sat in them! So I took on the task of recovering the cushions. I also recovered the bar stools to match. Navy is now my go-to color for my breakfast area and family room. We bought a new area rug, curtains and pillows. I will eventually make pillows that match the chair cushions. Oh wow, I LOVE having a new look! I also decorated for fall.

The old decor.

The old rug.
The new rugs and pillows.
New cushions and curtains

Cussing at the corners of the bar stool cushions

The new bar stool cushions

Adding a bit of fall decorations

Fall decorations

ORGANIZING THE SHELF IN THE LINEN CLOSET

I have a wide shelf, at the top of my linen closet. It has been full of cleaning supplies, that were kind of mish-mashed together. I had a little time this afternoon, and I decided to organize it. And now you see, my lovely baskets with labels on them. What is it about labels that make you feel so much more organized?

Before
Before
After

After

After

My next project is cleaning out the big mess of gift bags. Yuck! I’m going to winnow them down and see what I need to add.

What kinds of things are you working on during this time? Are you a person who enjoys Fall? Are you able to get out and go anywhere? I hope that if you have kids, that you are able to help them with online school, or home schooling. I’m so happy that I’m no longer teaching!!! Leave me a message telling me what’s going on in your life.

Blessings,

Grandma Sherry