Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  One year I made the above place-card for my Thanksgiving table and had them printed at Walmart on a 4×6 print.  I figured out how to go in and put each name on the card in fancy lettering using my computer.  Folded it in half and it just looked so cute.  It came from a free template online.  Cost only $.29 each to print and there is no way I could find personalized place-cards for that price or even find anything I liked unless I paid an enormous price.

On Thanksgiving you always have turkey gravy.  I love the above gravy boat to have as it would go with any dish pattern because of the white background.  I found it on Amazon.

 

 

Gingerbread Trifle looks so fancy and is so easy to make.  I love the trifle bowl to show it off.  I have the recipe on my Thanksgiving board on my pinterest.

 

One year we went to a country inn on Thanksgiving and they had a coaster like the one above and they had a glass of hot mulled cider on it.  Such a cute crochet turkey.  I have the pattern link on my Thanksgiving pinterest board.

 

I like the orange and yellow candles in a small white pumpkin idea for a centerpiece.

 

I think the above would be a nice display to have by the front door.  The colors are just so beautiful for Fall.

 

Gotta have an apple pie and I like the looks of the above apple pie.  I have the recipe on my Thanksgiving board on my pinterest.

 

I love a pumpkin pie with whipped cream.  There are a ton of recipes for pumpkin pie.  It’s a must have for Thanksgiving.

I like a traditional type Thanksgiving dinner with turkey and all the fixings.

I like blue and white and the above table setting is just elegant.

 

I like the idea of a cheddar and chive pumpkin cheese ball.

 

Another cute idea is the adorable cornucorpius made from a waffle cone.

It makes a cute favor for the table.

 

Cranberry orange bread is always nice to have.  I have the recipe on my Thanksgiving pinterest board.

 

I first saw the Oreo cookie turkey idea on the Giada Delaurentis cooking show.  I had to find the recipe on how to make it and I pinned it on my Thanksgiving Pinterest board.

I love all the ideas but truthfully I have all the time in the world to create all of the ideas.  But not the money.  And that is what it takes.  A lot of money.  I barely scrape by on the small income that I have.  After bills, there is not much left.  But I still have fun with what I would do if I could.  And I have done some of the ideas here and there.

I envy families and gatherings.  There is nothing like it.  I have memories of when I was a kid and the beautiful Thanksgivings with the parents, siblings and grandparents.  And there were a few years with my husband and children that are sweet memories.  We had a dining room with a fireplace and we always lit a fire in the fireplace on Thanksgiving day.

Then I have had some wonderful memories with the precious grandkids.  I remember one time the little ones had turkey T-shirts that were made from their handprint being the tail of the turkey.  So cute.  Love how my son carved the turkey.  And instead of making pies I bought a mile high apple pie and a pumpkin pie from the Woodstock Creamery.  They were very impressive.  I have 2 sons, but my daughter-in-law is the daughter that I never had.  Just precious.

But I have made lots of turkey dinners and I have gone out with friends on Thanksgiving sometimes.

The holidays are meant to be a joyous time.  Somehow I just get sad.  And I don’t think that I am alone on that.

With the Presidential election coming up, I don’t know what is going to happen.  I’ve seen better times then what we have had in the last decades.  They all promise change but we can only hope.

I miss my parents and grandparents.  All the laughter and good times.  I have an autograph book that I got on my birthday when I was about 8 years old and I still have it.  My grandma and grandpa both signed it.  My grandpa said “We gather together to ask the Lords blessing.”   And signed his name.  My grandma said “My pen is pink and my ink is pale and my hand shakes like a little dogs tale.” And signed her name.  I also have my Mom and Dad and siblings all autographs as well as all my little classmates.   I treasure that autograph book.

I watch the candidates for office for the state of Vermont.  My Mom’s grandfather was in the Vermont legislature way back.  Now it’s all about their political careers and they are so careful to follow the establishment ways.  I can remember when people cared about one another and wanted what was best for families.  Really honestly from the heart.

As I grow older, I realize that the world is not a pretty picture.  My Dad always said that I looked at the world through rose colored glasses.  Not anymore my Dad.

And that’s my musings for today.

 

 

 

 

In northern Vermont they got a dusting of snow already.  It sort of looks like confectioners sugar on the ground.

I like hot chocolate and have heard that the French people really know how to make hot chocolate.  It’s so thick that your spoon can stand up in it.  I pinned a recipe for French hot chocolate in my All things French board on my Pinterest.

It’s a good time for comfort food like macaroni and cheese.  I found several recipes to try on my Pinterest casserole board.  Everything from Paula Deen’s recipe to Cabot Cheese recipe and worlds best macaroni and cheese.

Also a good time to get the crock pot out.  I pinned a ton of recipes for slow cookers on my crockpot recipe board on my Pinterest.

I like the ideas of using gourds as candle holders.  Would look so neat on a Fall table.

I love window boxes and the ideas that people have for all seasons.  The above window box is cute for Fall.  The little crow and the pumpkin as well as the black eyed susan flower and decorative kale make it so adorable for a window box.

Just some inspirational things for when there is a threat of breast cancer in the family.

And that’s my thoughts for today.

 

I love the above view of Mt Ascutney.  That mountain is just beautiful from any angle.

I love the idea of tea on a Fall morning.  You can just feel the crispness in the air from the above photo.

It may be chilly outside, but it’s warm and cozy inside.

It’s a good time of year for soups and I found a recipe for a Fall Vegetable Soup that sounded really good.  It has butternut squash, rosemary, swiss chard, cannelini beans, onion and red peppers in it.  Also vegetable broth.  I am going to try it and I pinned the recipe on my Pinterest Fall recipes and I think also my soup board.

The leaves are starting to fall off the trees now.  I love to walk along paths and feel the crunch of leaves.  It’s just the sound of Autumn.  I can remember as kids when we would take the colorful leaves and iron them between two pieces of waxed paper and preserve them.

I love the above ironing center.  I saw one on one of the shopping networks and the white one with the print sold out fast.  Not available for now.  But I found one just like it on line and I bookmarked the page.  There are several options out there but you have to be careful as some of them have a height of about 28 inches and you need at least 35 inch height to be the height of a regular ironing board.  The one above is the exact right height.  I think that it would be beautiful to have in a sewing room.  I might stick with my regular ironing board for regular ironing, though.  This one would just be fun to use once in awhile, though.  It would make ironing more enjoyable.  And definitely a pleasure to have for quick ironing on seams and stuff when sewing.  And then the baskets could hold any number of organizing materials.  The sky is the limit.  Love it. ❤

I love soup in the Fall.  I love all the Fall recipes from the above Fall Soup Dinner Party.  I pinned all the recipes on my Fall recipes board on my Pinterest.  The roasted beet salad, the Pumpkin dump cake, the soups and the hot toddy sounds really seasonal and also fun to make and enjoy.

So many neat recipes to try.

I just love Fall days.

And that’s my musings for today.

The trees are just beautiful vibrant colors this year.

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It was 28 degrees here last night, but it’s going to be in the 60’s this afternoon.  Nice afternoon to go for a bike ride.  I love this time of year.

I pray every night and every morning.  Even if everything doesn’t go right, I never lose faith.  And I can appreciate the little things that make the days at least tolerable.

I like the looks of an over-sized chair and ottoman with soft pillows.  So comfy looking.  I could see myself using the above space to enjoy writing in a journal each morning.  Don’t know if I would dare have a cup of coffee on the white everywhere but it might be possible.

I love the look of chandeliers.  They just look elegant.  And I love white kitchen cabinets.

A lot of people like to go hiking this time of year.  When my kids were little, we used to climb Mt Monadnock every Fall.  At the summit, you could see as far as Boston.  And the views were just gorgeous.

With Halloween coming up, I saw a cute idea for treats.  They had the pattern for the bat that you can cut out on black construction paper and they had the “Happy Halloween” emblem that can be scanned.  They used double-sided tape on the top and bottom of the candy bar.  I pinned the idea on my Halloween pinterest board and the link for the pattern.

Beautiful time of year.

The northeast kingdom way up north near Cabot, VT is just gorgeous.

I had fun last week with two of my little grand-kids.  Their Mom had an appointment and I picked them up at their school for her.  We ordered pizza while playing video games on their X-box.  They had fun adding me to their video games and the first grader had to try every hair do and all before settling on what one looked like me for the on screen character that would be me.  The 4th grader said he was a little rude but we all had fun.

I didn’t know the phone number to the pizza place, but I just had to ask google now on my cell phone and this voice comes on my phone with the number.  And to make it even nicer, the number comes on my screen and I just had to touch the number and it dialed the pizza place.  I wanted a Margarita pizza and they said they didn’t have that one.  So I told them what I wanted on the pizza and they made my Margarita pizza with tomato and basil.  Love it. ❤

I love the early morning when the mist is just starting to rise.

In Yankee magazine they were showing Julia Child’s kitchen.  My kids used to like to watch her TV program when they were little and she would say Bon Petite!  She was such a fun cook and I want to get one of her cook books for French Cooking.

 

The article said that Julia had a really unique stove that had gas burners and a special broiler.  Plus she had every cooking tool that was ever created.

Julia’s pantry had peg boards on the walls for her tools and a marble top island perfect for rolling out pastries.  I have read that she didn’t know how to cook when she got married and they lived in France at that time.  Her husband sent her to a French culinary school and she didn’t pass the test to get her degree.  But she persisted and got her degree from the culinary school and went on to become the chef that she was.  In the 60’s she moved back to Cambridge, MA and that’s where the kitchen photos were taken.  What a life she had.  Awesome.

I like the above mirror that looks like a window.  Pottery Barn doesn’t make that mirror anymore but I’ve seen similar ones on Amazon.

I found a recipe that was called the best macaroni and cheese ever.  It calls for a lot of cheese in the recipe.  I pinned the recipe on my pasta board on my Pinterest.

I love the above painting and printed it out to put in my organizer.  Little things like that just cheer up a day.

I print out a lot of recipes on my printer along with little things that I see.  Now the ink has to be replenished.  Oh well.  It’s just the Magenta cartridge.

And that’s my musings for today.

 

 

Beautiful Fall day to go for a walk.  I love how the leaves crinkle when you walk through them.

I think that Swans are so graceful and love how they grace the beautiful background.

 

I like tablescapes and the above for a breakfast table is just so country and so colorful.

The cottages at Cabot Cove in Kennebunkport, Maine are just plain awesome.  People own the cottages, but rent them out when they are not there.

The cottage that I thought was especially awesome was the one called “The Anchorage” which had a view of the harbor.  I love how they decorated it.

All the cottages have a name and they are all decorated different.  I love Maine and would love a cottage in a harbor like that.  So beautiful.  Even a visit to a cottage like that would be awesome.  You get to use kayaks if you want and if you rent one it includes breakfast brought to you each morning and housekeeping and linens.

I like to watch the Create channel on TV and this morning they showed how to knit a pair of slippers.  Plus the pattern is free on knitandcrochetnow.com.  It’s on Season 5, episode 8.

And they showed how to make the above scarf using a cable stitch.  That pattern is free, also.  That would be fun to make.

I saw a recipe for a neat Fall smoothie that I am going to try.  When you put a frozen banana in a smoothie, it just makes it taste like a shake.  And then the pumpkin puree, vanilla yogurt, maple syrup and ginger.  Yum.

The above Apple-Pumpkin bread sounds really good to me.  I pinned the recipe on my breads board on my Pinterest.

I just love how people decorate their front doors and steps in the Fall.

I was watching Cook’s Country and they were testing insulated bags to see which one worked the best.  They decided that the Rachel Ray Chill Out Bag worked the best to keep cold groceries the safe temperature the longest plus held a lot of groceries, was the right size and easy to pack.  I knew that QVC had these Rachel Ray Chill Out bags but they didn’t have any of the purple ones left and you had to spend $29.00 plus shipping to get the above one along with a smaller version.  I found the purple one on Amazon for $15.00 plus shipping.  I love it.

Also on Cooks Country they showed how to make sausage meatballs and sauce.  The recipe was not easy to find but I persisted and pinned the recipe on my pasta board on my Pinterest.  I also printed out the recipe because it was really a neat idea how they used a food processor and mixed in fennel and herbs into some ground pork and also baking soda and water to make it tender.  Then they mixed in bread cubes, eggs and the sausage taken out of the skins using the food processor.  Then they baked the meatballs for 15 minutes at 500 degrees.  Then they used crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, fresh basil and I forget what else to make the sauce and they simmered the meatballs in the sauce.

I like the above view.  I always dreamed of living somewhere near water.  Just beautiful any time of the year in my opinion.

And that’s my musings for today.

 

 

The leaves are just really pretty this year.  The colors are just vibrant and gorgeous when the sun hits them.

It’s a good time of year to use the crockpot to just throw the ingredients in the slow cooker in the morning and have a nice hot meal ready for supper.

Chili is always easy it’s even better combined with cornbread.  A little shredded cheddar on top and maybe a few chopped scallions.  I pinned a ton of crockpot recipes on my Pinterest crockpot board.

Another crockpot classic is Spaghetti sauce and meatballs.  I found a couple of recipes that are easy and sound very flavorful.

You can make spaghetti or use the sauce for meatball grinders.

I found a recipe for slow cooker Salisbury Steak that sounded easy and also tasty.

I really like baked beans and they make a nice Saturday night supper with grilled kielbasa and maybe some brown bread.  If you have ever tried to make baked beans from scratch, it’s a lot of work soaking the beans, parboiling them and then it’s not certain that the beans will soften up in the amount of time that the recipe says that it takes to cook them.  I found a recipe for Slow Cooker Bourbon Baked Beans.  It calls for bacon, chopped onion, 3 cans of undrained pork and beans, a can of Northern Beans drained and rinsed, a can of Navy beans drained and rinsed, mustard, ketchup, molasses, bourbon, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder and cayenne pepper.  And it takes only 4 hours on low on the crockpot to cook.  I mean really easy and the flavor sounds perfect.  And the canned beans make it easy and they actually taste just as good as the soaked beans way and in my case much better.

What a cute idea to make mini pumpkin pies.  King Arthur Flour has neat Fall cookie cutters that could be used to make the pie dough cut outs.

So cute for Fall and I love how they used the Pumpkin can for a vase for Fall flowers.

I like Zinnias in a mason jar.  Just so pretty.

I love how pumpkins look like a jewel like lantern when they are carved with a drill.

Fall never fails to amaze with it’s beautiful color.

I like the above Fall outfit from one of my favorite fashion bloggers.  L L Bean has a burgundy sweater similar to the above that has cashmere in it for $39.00 on sale.

Ankle boots are in style right now and the above “Trolley Bootie” is $99.95 at Nordstrom.  I just think they look stylish.

Jo Lynne Shane had a neat idea for a shift dress with leggings or tights.  Really cute for Fall.

I saw the above watch on QVC that has real Citrine and Blue Topaze in the watch.  So much of everything that I like as Citrine is my birthstone.  The strap is a navy blue color.    I put it on my wishlist.

I love the buckle on it, also.  Very extravagant and just a whim.  I would never actually buy it as it is way more then I would spend on a watch even if I could afford it.  Which I can not.  But it really is a kind of cute design if you look at the details in it.

And that is my musings for today.

 

 

I love the idea of pumpkin lanterns.  So neat how they just take a power drill and make designs on the pumpkins.  So festive for a window.

A pumpkin pie smoothie sounds really nice for a Fall treat.  And as a plus, it’s healthy.  I pinned the recipe on my Pinterest smoothies board.

I like Fall wreaths and the above Bittersweets wreath is kind of pretty.

I would love to have a terrace like the one above.  I have a friend that grew up in Woodstock, VT and the street that he lived on was called “Slayton Terrace”.  I love Woodstock anyways, but the names that they have for streets are so awesome.  They also have a “Rose Hill”.

I love Fall soups and pinned the above recipes on my soup board on my Pinterest.  Something about a nice bowl of soup on a chilly day.  It’s just cozy.

Add a nice Fall salad and it makes a nice lunch.  I pinned the Broccoli salad recipe on my salads board on my pinterest.  I love the cashews idea in the salad.

I would love to have an Oktoberfest dinner party.  The above is a menu that a really neat blogger had for a Gourmet Club that she had.  Everyone brought a dish.  I bookmarked her blog page because it had awesome ideas.  She had all the recipes for the dinner party on her blog.  Plus she said which dishes were a hit and which dishes were not as good.  The recipes were from Epicurious, Food and Wine and pinterest inspired recipes.

I love the table setting that she had and she told where she got everything.

She said that her club was made up of girls that all got along and also had fun husbands that they got along with so it made for a really fun gathering.

The Spaetzle with Gruyere and carmelized onions sounded really good and I pinned that recipe to my Oktoberfest board on my Pinterest.

Then the German Soft Pretzels and home made Spicy Beer Mustard.  Yum!

The Blaukraut recipe sounded really good and she said that everyone really liked it.

Everything on the menu sounded scrumptious.  The apple strudel was a hit, but the Saccher Tort wasn’t as good.  They had vanilla ice cream with the Apple Strudel.  Yum!

The Obatzda Cheese Dip sounded like a really good recipe and she said that everyone really liked it.  I pinned that recipe on my Oktoberfest board on my Pinterest.

The Sauteed German Sausages with apple bacon sauerkraut sounded really good, also.  I pinned that recipe on my Okboberfest board.

It’s not easy to find stuff like this, but every once in awhile I come across really cool stuff that I want to save.

I like the above idea for a pumpkin because I love sunflowers.  There were no instructions on how they carved it, but it looks like they drilled holes in the middle, drew the leaves and carved through where you see yellow light coming through.

I love a fire-pit in the Fall.  The crisp air and the warmth of the fire.

It’s fun to make S’mores over the Fire-pit.

Nothing like roasted marshmallows.

And that’s my musings for today.

 

I love window-boxes and I think that the decorative kale looks beautiful in the Fall.

The Kale also looks beautiful in containers.  I see ideas like the above and they stay in my mind and I use the idea over and over when I get the chance.

I like the Fall flower arrangement using a pumpkin for a base looks really festive and it’s nice for a Fall table.

I love how people decorate their front doors with a Fall wreath and then all kinds of pumpkins and gourds along with corn stalks, Mums and kale.

I love it when all the colors of Mums are displayed like jewels.  Just so pretty.

Then there is nature’s own display of natural awesomeness.

I love pumpkins, gourds and Fall leaves.

Blue pumpkins are beautiful, also.

Pumpkins make neat candle holders for Fall.

I like little white lights and the above idea is kind of cute.

Something about an antique truck with pumpkins in the back.  So nostalgic.

I love the look of a hay bale with pumpkins.

Add a wood wagon and it’s even more nostalgic.

Pumpkins in themselves are just beautiful in the Fall.

Pumpkins are colorful and just a signature of Autumn.

I love the look of old lanterns, also.

Fall decorating is fun and brings out the creativeness of everyone.

Autumn is just a very fun time of year.

I love the Tartan Plaids for Fall.  So cozy and warm to take on a Fall picnic.

I would love a picnic with the above view.  Totally awesome.

Have some thermos’s of soup and all kinds of fixings and treats.

I love the above photo.  The heart shaped pond with all the autumn colors around it.  Totally awesome.

I just love this time of year.  Everything about it is everything cozy and it just warms the heart.

The autumn mist is just beautiful.

It’s chilly evenings and a nice time to turn on the fireplace for ambiance as well as to make it cozy.

Beautiful time of year for going on long walks because there is a crispness to the air and the colors of Fall all around.

Remember when gas pumps looked like the above and there would be someone to pump your gas for you?  Now you have to run in and pay first and then get your hands all scented with the gas smell.  Let the wind, rain or whatever blast you.  And to add insult to injury, pay a lot more then it was back then.  Just love the modern ways and all the technology.  Especially when the attendant is on her cell phone and forgets to turn on the pump and you try every button to see what you are doing wrong.

That’s when you feel like “Grumpy Cat”.

I love to remember the old times.  People were cordial and not in a rush all the time.

I love the colors of the Autumn leaves.  It’s like fallen leaves, pumpkin pies and cozy weather this time of year.

I love how the leaves reflect on the water.  So pretty.

This time of year is good for Apple Cider and donuts.

And that’s my musings for today.

 

Last year at the Woodstock Inn, I took the above photo.  Love the vibrant colors of the Mums as well as the beautiful Woodstock Inn in Woodstock, VT.

It’s sweater weather and the above v-neck sweater is in style right now.  I will skip on the jeans.  Sometimes I think people have gone mad.

I love cottage style and I think that the above is just my style.  Love it.

I really like French Onion soup.  The above is a crock pot Guinness Irish version of the soup.  It has onions, beef broth, red wine vinegar, Rosemary, beer and low sodium soy sauce in the soup.  Then it has Irish cheddar that has been broiled on French bread.  I pinned the recipe in my soups board on my Pinterest.

If you like Owels, the above is a cute idea for a wreath.

I saw another Sur La Table on line cooking class that is $29.00 that looked neat to me.  It’s from Bon Appetit Healthy-ish.  I wouldn’t mind taking that class.

I like the above Flowering Vines Fleece Wrap jacket.  It’s perfect for Fall.

I like the Lekue Popcorn maker for the microwave.  Fast and easy popcorn with no mess.

I love the above dream idea of a picnic in Paris.  I also saw a summer concert in
Vienna, Austria that was just stunningly beautiful in the Imperial Gardens.  There were people on one part of the concert grounds having picnics while watching the concert like the above blanket on the ground picnic.

My cousin is in a music group in Burlington and they went to Austria last summer.  She has some beautiful photos of that trip.  She majored in music in college and plays the French horn.  She sings in the choir that is the music group that she is in.

I love tea and like the above idea for a Fall tea.

I like my crockpot and the above Veggie Lasagna sounds kind of good.  I pinned the recipe in my crock pot board on my Pinterest.

I love the above idea for using a pumpkin as a vase for fall flowers.  They put a little plastic container to hold water in the hollowed out top of the pumpkin.

Blanket scarves are in for this Fall.  I love the above scarf.

And that’s my musings for today.