Indoors - Outdoors

It's been a transitional set of days since I last posted; we continue to embrace this incredible fall season by being outside as much as possible and that hasn't been too hard to do since it's been so unseasonably warm!  I've put all the dahlia tubers to bed in the cellar for the winter but I have yet to winterize the borders here at home or at the Yellow House property because many annuals and perennials are still blooming and green unharmed by the couple of frosts we've had and I haven't wanted to cut them down or pull them out so I still have much yard work to do when at last the true cold and frosts slam everything for good.

These Strawberry Fields and Fire cracker Gomphrena are still blooming like crazy in the yard.  The above creek flows from a marsh just down the street from us.  

For the past couple weeks, Dan and I have started back at the gym, almost everyday except Sundays and we've gotten a routine back.  I've also been making lists for winter projects, some you see on the chalk board above and the majority are on my desk written on a yellow legal pad.  And I'm painting again!  I've been so excited for cold weather to start so I can justify staying indoors and sitting more than moving.  I also signed up for some sewing classes at a new shop in Exeter called Pintuck and Purl right next door to the Handkerchief Company so I can increase and refine what sewing skills I have, which are very basic.  I've been sewing pillows and simple curtains and window treatments for years but I don't know how to set in a sleeve, hem evenly, or read patterns very well and I want to really know how to sew well and not be embarrassed to show my handiwork on the inside of a piece.  I took my first class a few days ago and made a very decent pillow case and learned how to sew french seams.  It was so fun and the only other students were a couple of home schooled 12 year old girls so it wasn't intimidating at all. Next week we make a tote bag and other classes will be tee shirts, skirts and a blouse.  I am so excited!

 I bought some more of the same fabric so I can make another at home and have a pair.

This chair in the living room has a very dated fabric on it so we are choosing new fabric to get it recovered soon - we are on the waiting list with the upholsterer at the Handkerchief Co.

In the studio/laundry room…..

 Hmmm..  what kind of flowers should I put in that vase?

Now, below, something more whimsical and loose.

On the chalk board at the top of the post will see a note to make apricot almond scones - I did that tonight after dinner and the gym.  Last week I stopped in the Ceres bakery in downtown Portsmouth when I had a couple minutes to kill before an appointment and I bought a beautiful apricot almond scone and it was fantastic!  So I made a note to make some myself and now I can erase that from the board.  I also made some chocolate chip ones for Dan because he isn't too keen on apricots.  I think I over baked them by a few minutes judging from the dark bottom crust.  Ceres's didn't look like that.

Our final day trip for chasing fall color was to the Litchfield area of northwestern Connecticut.  We drove first straight to the town of Housatonic, Massachusetts in the MA Berkshires just to buy chocolate sourdough bread at the Berkshire Mountain Bakery.  They make some of the best sourdough I have ever eaten and the chocolate bread is a bubbly, chewy, sourdough stuffed with chunks of Callebaut chocolate.  To die for (and drive 3 hours for).  We bought three loaves to save some for the freezer.

You can order this bread on their website and have it delivered to your house - you should do it!

And some pictures from the neighborhood on our walk yesterday.  It was 74 degrees outside on November 5th!  And it's been that warm most of the week.

 I just love when the yards are smothered in leaves - and the intoxicating smell of decay!

I kicked this path up in to a whirlwind of leaves as I trudged through it!

And lastly, my precious Scotty, permanently lent to son Heath and wife Emma, had a benign tumor removed from his side.  He tore off the plastic cone they put around his head after one miserable night wearing it so they wrapped him in his body sweater to protect the stitches.   I keep looking at this picture of him resting post surgery snuggled in laundry.  I need to go visit him …..