...'VERA ALERT' - does it get much better?

"Hi S

I was in Auburn today, naturally at the Salvation Army. I found a Vera Xmas tablecloth. It's round and has poinsettias and red stripes on it. A few small stains, but they might come out. It was 5 bucks. I hid it in the back where the comforters are.

L"

If receiving an email like that isn't just about the best way to start your day, then I don't know what is!! Yes, I was down there in a flash. Yes it was still there. Yes it is a Beauty!

VERA 2011 #19

The rest of the Gorgeous 80+ degree first full Fall weekend was spent being productive in the yard and gardens...

cutting, harvesting, pruning, arranging, savoring

drying, and a bit of hoarding

(love my artemesia)

Hope everyone else had as Wonderful of a weekend as I did, and

THANKS L !!!!

...'too much time on my hands'?

The week I spent walking the shores of NC, gathering shells, I was inspired and I did have ideas brewing...there was 'criteria' to be met if a shell was to make it into the lime green tote...

Today was the perfect Sunny 'Fall' day to implement one of my 'ideas'!

May I introduce...

The Garden 'Conch Totem'

STATS: just under 6' tall, composed of (1) metal rod & approx 35 worn shells.

(The shells were worn in such a way that they just slid onto the rod with no modifications!!)

...and I can just see the look on my 'left-brained' Suit -brother when he see's this, he will just smile at me with 'that look', shake his head (lovingly) and say

"S. You have WAY too much time on your hands."

...do you know what today is?!

It is almost 'official' ! Tomorrow it WILL be the Fall Equinox,

which means today is 'Autumn Eve' (it is also National Ice Cream Cone Day - not something to be overlooked either!!).

Since I have been on hiatus, and neglecting my Autumn 'decorating duties', mother nature has taken it upon herself. I think that she has done a mighty fine job with this garland, and I am going to have a hard time harvesting these little guys to bring them inside for my Fall Vignettes.

I have tried and tried for years to get 'squash' to grow up a trellis, with no luck. Finally, this year some volunteers from the compost pile took it upon themselves ~ and then some!!

Remember that raised flower bed that I started this summer ?

(http://ssveltestuff.blogspot.com/2011/05/its-true-what-they-say.html)

I planted ONE Nasturtium in amongst all of the other flowers, and it C.O.M.P.L.E.T.E.L.Y. took over everything. She's a beauty though, and her orange flowers look stunning right now, so it's all GOOD!

J's Habanero's are turning lovely shades of orange for the season - but I refuse to have anything to do with the harvesting of those bad babies ~ they are all his!!

A 'small' accomplishment at the beach last week - a 3bag Plarn Pumpkin (about the size of a small orange) with a driftwood stem.

LOOK! LOOK! Sweet Silver Sweater Clip 2011#10 was sitting on my desk at work waiting for me upon my return - they DID MISS ME! they DID MISS ME! 8-)!!

To Celebrate the onset of the Most Wonderful of Seasons, I'm doing something I generally try NOT to do on my blog - and that is advertise our ETSY SHOP (but, it's my blog... so I guess exceptions can be made, right?!). Anyways, I'm trying out their coupon code thing. Starting today, good through October, the code AUTUMNEVE will get you 30% OFF anything in svelteSTUFFj ETSY shop! Spread the word~ the more the merrier 8-)

Don't forget to go have an ice cream cone today!!

...extending the season.

AUTUMN may be this 'dyed~in~the~wool' NE girl's most favorite time of the year, but letting go of the warm weather is never an easy thing to do!

So... when the college gals started talking 'roadtrip South'... What was I to do?!

We watched The Weather Channel (with fingers crossed that Irene & Maria would cooperate!!),

Packed the GMC Yukon as only 3 females with no 'luggage weight limits' could possibly do,

and headed 13 hours SOUTH...

DESTINATION: Pine Knoll Shore, NC

Oh, DIVINE!

Toes in the warm sand for one.more.week !

Sightseeing along the coast of NC.

Nothing but Beach in the morning, and poolside in the afternoon.

Oh, we did do a 'bit' of educational sightseeing ...

but yeh, it was mostly beach time 8-)!

(and yes, it was mostly deserted!!)

We DID get our exercise, walking a couple of miles each morning during sunrise on the beach - so we weren't completely 'Lazy bums'!!

...even made a friend one morning during our walk

BEAUTIFUL SITES

(not that time mattered much...)

No real thrifting, but came home with LOTS of Seaside treasures!!

A WONDERFUL week, with the best buds a girl could ask for! Back home now to much, Much, MUCH cooler weather - but that's okay, it is definitely feeling like Fall! I'm refreshed and relaxed and ready to enjoy every minute of what the new season brings with it ~ hopefully!.

... I stand corrected!

This morning's phone call to Mom went something like this...

"HAPPY 79TH BIRTHDAY MOM!!"

...and her reply?

"Susan! I'm ONLY 78!"

(((OOPS!!)))

OH Well, we had a good laugh about it then, and I told her I did it on purpose so that she could say that she was 'ONLY 78' and feel good about it 8-)! Then she thanked me again for 'HER' day on Friday...

What she was referring to was that on Friday I travelled to my hometown for the day (where they still live!), and Mom & I spent the day together doing 'Whatever' we felt like. There was no agenda, other than that I was taking her to lunch for her birthday. I was her chauffeur for the day, anywhere she wanted to go, anything she wanted to do... We DID! Just a girls day together - after all, what can you buy for a Seventy-something's birthday that they 'really NEED'??

I arrived by 8:30am, we had coffee and set out... 'shoe shopping' (she had worn out a pair of sandals this summer and wanted to try to replace them with some end of summer sales!)

Of course she is as much or more of a Garage Sale maven than me!!

First sale netted a NY & Co. watch - WORKING!! - .50¢

(I'm from the 'stoneages' and can't get used to using my cell instead of a watch... what can I say!)

Quite a Few garage sale 'Dud-Stops', and quite a few shoe stores later we did find a pair of sandals that would 'work' until she found 'THE' pair that she REALLY wanted, but enough of Shoes, it was time for LUNCH!!

Couldn't drive right by sales though!!

Brand New In Box Weller Soldering Iron - $5 - do you think this is a sign that I need to get working on my soldering again??
Oh, and there is another sale!!
("But Mom, it is all Baby Furniture!" Mom is a die-hard saler!)
It did yield a GREAT Guess Jean Jacket $5, and two classic V-neck long sleeve Old Navy T's for .25¢ ea ...
' Mother Know's Best'

F.I.N.A.L.L.Y.
Lunch.
Lovely little FOO-FOO, 'Ladies-Who-Lunch' type place.
Very nice.

~BUT~
only lunch, dessert is later!!

Now it's time to go to the Lake (Lake Ontario) sea glass hunting...
You guessed it.
More Sales along the way!
Yes, that is a WHOLE box of kids building blocks just waiting to be painted or created with - and yes Shara, I took the WHOLE FREAKIN BOX FULL!!! - But I also bought some new grape handtowels for Xmas presents and a Sheryl Crow CD (so it's okay - right??)

We walked a 'new to us' private beach... but only two tiny little gems to be had.
Oh well.

We worked up an appetite for our dessert 8-)

Of course on our way... another sale!
A HardRock Washington DC Bear and a Spain Xmas squeaky toy (I'm hoping maybe the two of these will help defray the cost of gas for the 300+ miles I logged during this journey - do ya think? Yeh, probably wishful thinking... ha, ha!!)

One of my fav spots!

HAMLIN BEACH STATE PARK

on the south shores of Lake Ontario

Mom and I got ice cream from the snack bar and ate it while listening to the waves.

(can't you almost hear Don Henley's BOY'S OF SUMMER)

Perfect ending to a WONDERFUL DAY WITH MOM!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

"nobody on the road

nobody on the beach

I feel it in the air

summer's out of reach"

...a DECADE. ...Really?!

T.E.N. years ago, this Fall, 2 vehicles FULL of my favorite gal-pals gathered to celebrate my upcoming wedding...

In lieu of one of my personally despised 'stuffy sit-down traditional bridal showers', they took me on a wonderful Autumn in the FingerLakes Winery excursion with many 'twists'! It was a Beautiful Day that I shall never forget!

I think of that day, and the many friends that made the day special, often when I'm out in my Herb Garden. Today was one of those days! You see, one special lady gifted me with a few herbies that day -

a couple of which were the perennials TARRAGON and LOVAGE. Hearty, strong herbs that have been the center pieces to my herb bed (above to the right of the stump) for TEN FREAKIN' YEARS NOW!!

The Tarragon grows TALL, and requires pruning often - when left to it's own accord it will completely cover the stump, so it keeps the 'memories fresh' 8-)

THANKS 'C'!