Hello Again: Let's Celebrate the Beginning of Fall

Hello friends...

Well, it's been a minute ... or months to be truthful, since I've shared here on the blog. So in all honesty this is me sticking my toes into the water to see how it might go to share a bit of my current life and a few pics for some Fall Inspiration.

I've been taking a sabbatical of sorts to rest and try to understand my life and health and really just who I am. I haven't set down at this computer for literally almost a year. Earlier this month I had some blog maintenance to take care of and it surprisingly ignited a little spark in me. Fall has always been my favorite season and I start thinking about it in August. Here are a few posts from early fall from  past posts. 

Welcome to Fall in the Kitchen Niche

5 Quick and Easy Ideas

 to Get in the Mood for Fall

Autumn Greetings from the Cottage Porch

This year has been a brutal summer with a mini drought and temps consistently in the upper 90's this last six weeks or so. That doesn't do much to get me in a fall mood, especially every time we open the door and it's like a blast furnace. The yards are brown and brittle and it's not a pretty sight. I didn't even put out any flower containers this year because I wasn't up to taking care of them. It looks pretty forlorn out back. The only thing growing is a few mounds of lambs ear, which is basically indestructible, and a little sycamore tree in a concrete pot that the squirrels planted. It's sort of embarrassing thinking the mail man and Amazon drivers only have that decrepit view to look at.  

I had to step back from blogging 18 months ago because of my health. If you'd like to read the whys and reasons you can read that post Here. A lot has changed and then nothing has changed if you can understand that line of thinking. I still go through my blog list every morning and visit and check out Pinterest. There's still a part of me that would love to be totally engaged in blogging but right now I'm just trying to see what happens on a daily basis. But since next week is the first day of fall, I thought I'd say Hello and just share a few posts that might give you and me a bit of the cozy and nostalgic feels of autumn.  

I hope to see you soon. Take care and here's hoping that we all get the first bits of Fall to enjoy this week!

Re "focus"

Hi Friends, I've been absent from the blog for this last month after a back "situation" that has been with me for quite awhile worsened with a minor injury. I had lower back surgery in 2021, and even though I've recovered I still have lingering effects from not only that, but a diagnosis of myasthenia gravis in 2023.

MG is a neuromuscular autoimmune based disease that causes the nerve-muscle junction to be compromised which results in mobility issues, chronic pain, and a mixed bag of other fun symptoms. Because of drug allergies I'm limited to the basic meds, while treatments that can work wonders for many people aren't available to me.

After a lot of time and prayer I know that I need to step back from blogging. I love blogging and as many of your know, I've been at it for 16 years and through many health problems. If you blog, you know it's a lot of work. Not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. Over the last few years I've not been able to do much physically and since I focus on vintage décor, the constant change up for seasons and holidays has become difficult even with my wonderful husband doing the heavy work. 

It's hard to "refocus" after this many years but it's become evident that I need to. I'll still be around to visit a bit but I need to take it easy and avoid any and all kinds of self imposed "stress". Isn't that the way it usually goes? We put more stress on ourselves than any thing else. 

I could have just "not blogged" but many of you are real friends and I always want to be transparent, instead of you wondering why I dropped off the map. I've had to keep this short, otherwise I could write a book. I'm not 100% sure of what will come, but for the foreseeable future I'm going to take it easy and rest. Thankyou for being with me all this time. Love to all of you. 

Vintage Milk Pitchers in Bloom

Hi friends, so glad you're here today because it's time for another get together with the Lifestyle of Love group where we share and celebrate how we use specific vintage items in our décor. Today is all about how we use old pitchers in our everyday home décor. If you're coming from visiting Ann at Dabbling and Decorating, welcome, so glad you clicked over. And thankyou to Cindy from County Road 407 for getting us all together. 

Vintage Metal Basket Garden Bunny Vignette

Who needs a smile?

Anyone who has a retirement fund might need one right now.

Cottage Easter in the Cupboard

Hi Friends, I hope you all are enjoying your early spring and the transition from frigid gloomy days to some sunshine and colorful trees and blooms. No matter the weather I always enjoy some color and seasonal cozy in the garden room. Of course every change in season and holiday is reflected in the re-styling of the Holiday Cupboard. 

Spring is in the Air Cottage Home Tour

Depending on where we live, we might be enjoying warm weather with tons of green grass and colorful blooms popping out... or we might still be dealing with snow storms, high winds and brown yards. And maybe since it's March... we can be doing both!

Spring Tote for a Farm Table Vignette

When I think about the color brown I usually envision fall décor or maybe after Christmas with some wooly blankets and needlepoint pillows to cuddle up with. But I have a couple of pieces that feature spring florals on a brown background and I love using them when early spring entices us outdoors and into digging in the garden.