Fall is in the air! October has arrived

October's here already?  How'd that happen?  I've been distracted by several things in recent weeks.  My TV shows are back.  House is still an all-time favorite.  Liking the new Flash Forward...for now.  Old Christine is still a winner and so is the new Modern Family.  Hank and The Middle were both dreadful out of the gate and I'm not sure I can give either of them a second chance.  I've recorded 5 episodes of Dancing With The Stars and the season premiere of Grey's Anatomy, but haven't watched them yet.  I've decided Jay Leno at 10 isn't much different from 11.  Tick tock.

I hate to even say it out loud, but we might have found the color for the first floor.  And you'll never guess where I found it...in the new pantry.  It hit me this weekend when I turned on the lights and walked in there, realizing it was a nice creamy color.  We painted some on several walls of the kitchen so I can try living with it.  Might want to go a shade darker, but I think I'm onto something. 

I've been using my new convection oven.  (It should come with a warning.)  In one week we had chicken casserole, spaghetti, beef stroganoff, and London Broil.  Might be a record in my house.

Gotta say it again:  2 dishwashers are NOT a genius plan.  Both were filled with dirty dishes at once which means both had clean dishes at once, which meant dirty dishes went in the sink til they could be emptied.  And this is the funny bit.  I unloaded both and began to refill the one on the right after lunch on Saturday.  Guess who cleaned up after dinner and began to load the one on the left?  All I'm sayin'...

I've been busy on class samples, which has been lots of fun.  And my stamp club has decided to make 10 ornaments to swap in 2 weeks.  I've known for over a month what my ornament would be so it's time to get started on those.  We've also decided to do our holiday container swap again for November's meeting.  Any container with a tiny gift inside.  In the past I've disassembled Chinese take-away containers and decoupaged them with tissue paper painted with metallic paints, then reassembled them and filled them with Oriental goodies.  Another year I gave tiny wooden trunks inked & stamped, filled with push pins I made using flat glass marbles showcasing tiny works of art attached to the tops of the pins.  Others have made paper mache bowls, crocheted baskets with lids, decorated paint cans, altered books that were hollowed out and filled with ephemera...just lots of clever ideas.  I'll have to put on my thinking cap for that one but it's hard to think of holidays beyond Halloween.  That's my favorite holiday ever!  I've got to hang the skeleton and spider web on the front porch, pull out the big things for the porch, buy the pumpkin and get it carved, find that little witch that makes the eerie sounds as she moves around the floor with her flashing eyes.  Last year I was so tempted to buy costumes for the puppies but didn't, so this may be the year.

And while I'm designing new classes I've decided to make up kits for old classes, creating an online class  Will let you know as soon as that's ready to post, so check back.

I bought a new Fall wreath for the front door and I'm so glad I did.  Hope the neighbors are enjoying it as much as I am.  You can tell it's Fall in the neighborhood.  First a little cheerleader came around selling pizza boxes as a fundraiser (you take the empty box to the pizzaria to be filled) and then a Cub Scout selling caramel corn.  Worthy causes with bonuses.  Lovin' that!!

Shopping for a fire pit for the lower level patio so we can enjoy these cooler evenings.  Wish me luck.

And if you find time to read a good book or two, I recommend 2 by Maeve Binchy.  First read Tara Road and then read Quentins.  Loved them both.  I'm waiting for Scarlet Feather now.  I also read A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick and I enjoyed some of it but don't know that it would ever be in my top 100, so if you read it, let me know what you think.  I don't like a slow book and I don't like them when the ending is less than what I imagined.  Also on the waiting list for Robert B Parker's The Professional.  I just love his Spenser series and can't wait for that one.  But while I was waiting I read 2 of his that are westerns: Appaloosa and Brimstone and enjoyed both.  (Just thought you should know I don't limit myself to TV this time of year.)

Til next time, hope the colors of Fall are reaching your corner of the world.