Autumn Giveaway!

I have been thinking about having an Autumn Giveaway and I finally decided what I was going to do. I made this All About Autumn bookmark for my etsy page and I've decided to give away one just like it!

The ribbon is a grosgrain ribbon in brown and an off white color almost taupe actually. Then I have placed an acorn cap on a brown (acorn colored) bead and created the acorn drop. The leaves are antiqued bronze. I have placed a chocolate pearl and antiqued gold bead at the other end. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it!

(**Note: I am sorry to say that I can only offer this giveway to U.S. residence only at this time**)

All you have to do to enter is:

1. Leave a comment on this post.
2. Leave me your e-mail address so I can contact you when you win (if you do not leave your e- mail address I will have to go on to the next person).
3. Leave your comment by October 1st. I will be picking the winner on October 2nd and notifying the winner by e-mail. If you do not respond to the e-mail in 48 hours, I will pick the next person in line as the winner.

Good luck everyone!!! Happy Fall Y'all!!!

Beautiful Autumn Front Porches

I love looking at how people decorate their front porches for Halloween or Autumn. I went on goggle.com and found some really beautiful porches and some really great ideas for decorating your porch.

Every Halloween porch needs some crows.

This porch is the epitomy of Autumn!! It has everything!

I love the monogrammed pumpkin!! The owner of this home also put a monogram on their door.

These orange mums go wonderfully with the white pumpkins! I also love the pumpkin lanterns this home owner hung from their porch-just awesome!

The house number on the one pumpkin is done with upholstery tacks. How clever!

Love the scarecrow and corn shucks in this picture. Really compliments the pumpkins and mums. Great decorations!

I love, love, love this idea!!

What a great idea to write Welcome Friends on pumpkins and put them in a wheelbarrow. I love the addition of gourds and bittersweet. Very festive!!

I hope you got some ideas and enjoyed viewing these beautiful porches and decorating ideas. Happy Autumn!!

Lions and Tigers and Bears!!

Lion

Tiger

Bear

OH

MY!!

All pictures are via Google.com

Lions, Tigers and Bears oh my!!! That is what is going on around our house! I am making Owen a Lion Halloween costume (not wild like the one in this picture). Just a cuddly lion! Jenny found the little tiger costume that Owen is modeling in the middle picture. Isn't he such a cutie!! I love this picture! The bear in the third picture just goes along with the lion, tigers and bears oh my! theme!! I think Jenny is looking for a bear costume too. Do you think she likes costumes-LOL!!!

I have to explain one thing. Jenny was a photographer and loves to take photos of Owen in all sorts of costumes. She has at times become very creative. I told her she is a blossoming Anne Geddess (the woman that takes all the pictures of babies in flowers, etc.).

Our Afternoon and Evening with Owen and Jenny

Kevin brought Owen down to our house around 12:30 today. Jenny was working and would be coming to our house for dinner after work. John and I played with Owen. He was really sleepy and slept for about 2 hrs. before Jenny got here. Kevin has a cold so he went back home to rest. We had a really nice dinner with Jenny and then John had to go to a meeting at our church. Jenny and I worked on Owen's Halloween costume and got alot of it done! Owen was chatting to us while we worked and then he nodded off for the rest of the night. Jenny and I had alot of fun working on the costume together and chatting about a multitude of things. What a lovely and memorable evening together! Here are some new photos of Owen and Jenny:

Owen and Jenny at the dinner table. She is such an awesome Mom.

Kevin had dressed Owen in his Crawl the Line-Johnny Cash onsie!

Papa and Owen having a visit on the couch.

This is the blanket I made Owen before he was born. He loves snuggling in it, especially on our couch!

Owen and I laughing. I love that little baby!

Sleepy boy. I think Jenny and I wore him out!

What a lovely and memorable evening!

Weekend is finally arriving!!

It has been raining off and on here in Charlotte for the last few days. We really need the rain and I don't mind. I love just curling up with a book, knitting and watching TV in weather like this. I am so glad Friday is here! I have alot planned for this weekend. John and I are having lunch with Megan and Ken. Then Megan is coming to our house and we will be working on her Halloween Costume. She is going to be the Queen of Hearts! Jenny has a really big Halloween party and they all dress up. I will be having Owen overnight for that party and I can't wait!! He is sleeping through the night now so that will be nice :). Then Sunday I will be working on jewelry and Owen's Lion Halloween costume. Jenny, Owen and Kevin are coming over for dinner and then Owen gets to try on his costume. Jenny and I will be making the hood with the lion's mane after dinner. I might even try to squeeze some knitting in with some friends on Sunday too!

There is always something going on around our house-never a dull moment!! I hope everyone has a great day today and a wonderful weekend! ENJOY!!!

Nature's Wrapture-Great Shawl Knitting Book!

I found a new and wonderful knitting book called Nature's Wrapture: Comtemporary Knitted Shawls by Sheryl Thies. I love this book! There are so many different beautiful shawl patterns in this book, I don't know which one to start!

Here is what amazon.com had to say about this book:

Adorn yourself with the exquisite textures, lacy patterns, and glorious colors of nature.

Find 20 captivating wraps, shawls, and scarves in flattering styles ranging from casual accessories to elegant evening wear. The patterns display basic shapes and plenty of variety--ideal for confident beginners as well as experienced knitters.

Requiring little or no finishing, projects such as Dragonfly, Snowdrift, Waterfall, Cocoon, and Supernova invite knitters to celebrate the mystery and magic that surrounds us.

Knit yourself a natural wonder!

If you are a knitter and love shawls this is the book for you!!


**Note: I have not been asked to write this review nor have I been paid by anyone or any company to do so.

Spanish Class Update!

Oh boy did I work my behind off yesterday in the second Spanish Class!! We were learning numbers 1-100 in Spanish. That would have been all right just by itself but then the teacher thought it would be great to play a card game called 99. YIKES!!! We had to add cards in English, convert to Spanish, say it in Spanish and then continue round and round until there was 1 person left! I have a hard time with math even without converting from English to Spanish-LOL!!! I got myself all worked up over this because on my team of card players was both the owners of the company and my boss (one of the owners) is a math genius. No he really is!! He used to write computer programs for the FBI and the CIA!! See what I mean! I made it through but when I was done with the game and the class I was mentally exhausted. While John and I were having dinner, I was telling him about the class. I told him I really don't know what the matter is with my brain blocking on certain words or phrases. He reminded me I had a auto accident 1 yr. ago 9/11/10 and I ended up with Bell's Palsy. He said the Bell's Palsy probably has something to do with it. I was talking to one of the girls in the office and she told me Bell's Palsy can give you some form of localized amnesia because a very small part of the brain was injured and has not healed or may never heal. I will have to look into this.

Next week we won't be allowed to walk through the classroom door without telling Kelly our instructor what the Spanish word she just said or if she says a word in English we must tell her what it is in Spanish!! I think this class is more than I bargained for!! I am bound and determined though to learn Spanish!!

Spanish Class-Second One Tomorrow!

The company I work for is a commercial construction company. We have many Subcontractors that have Spanish speaking workers so one of the owners of our company decided to hold a Construction Spanish Class. We had the first one last Monday and it was alot of fun! I have been practicing in the car, at home, I've had John quiz me and I think I am ready for my second class tomorrow. I am the only woman in the company taking the class and to tell you the truth it is like grammar school again! Some men in class like to cover up their horrible attempts at learning this language with joking about everything! The teacher is really spunky and doesn't put up with them at all, which is great!! Her name is Kelly and she is from the local community college. There are 13 of us taking the class and she is definitely working hard for her money!!

Tomorrow we are learning numbers and a few other phrases. I have gone ahead in the book and I have been practicing. I always need to say things over and over again. John gives me a quiz in both English and Spanish so I can fully understand everything. He is a very good teacher!

Well I'm off to do some knitting on the shawl I'm making for Megan. I say to you Adios!!

Mother Natures Wonders

Today I was walking around the yard and I happened upon some truly amazing wonders from Mother Nature!

First I found 3 mushroom formations which were truly works of art. Here they are:

Then to the other end of the spectrum of Mother Nature I noticed my Rose of Sharon, which I brought with me from NJ when we moved here in 2004 was blooming so beautifully. Here are 2 pictures of them:

There is a story behind this Rose of Sharon tree. John and I had bought a victorian house in Branchville, NJ in 1986. We were the 3rd owner of this 75 yr. old home. There was a beautiful Rose of Sharon tree next to our window in the Dining Room. Every year little trees would come up and one year I gave my Dad one of the little trees for his house. About 4 yrs. later the Rose of Sharon tree at our house became diseased and died. My Dad's Rose of Sharon continued to thrive and grow into a huge tree. When we were leaving to move to NC in 2004 my Dad gave me a little Rose of Sharon tree from his tree. We planted it our first house here. When we moved to the townhouse it was doing very well, so I dug it up and put it in a nice larger planter. When we moved here I planted in the ground next to the fence in the backyard. The tree is thriving and reminds me a little of our first victorian and all the happy ties there! That tree has really made the rounds hasn't it!!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend! Happy Fall Y'all!!

Friday, Lovely Friday!!

This week has been so busy at work and home! I am so ready for the weekend to begin. I don't have alot of things planned but what I do is all fun! I will be making some more ribbon bookmarks for my etsy site. I have added some new things and I want to create more. I will be doing some knitting also and some reading. I will be working on Owen's Lion Halloween costume too! Can't wait to see him in it!! Other than that John and I are having a pretty low-keyed weekend. I think we both need this after such a busy week!

Enjoy the weekend everyone!!

Tea, Knitting, Outside and Bookmarks!

Sunday morning I woke up around 8:00 and John was still sleeping. I let Teddy out and felt the chilled air. I decided to brew myself a cup of tea and sit out on the patio. I brought my knitting outside too. The light coming through the trees and the palm tree I have next to the patio was just beautiful! I set outside for quite a few hours just taking in nature, the wonderful aroma and taste of my vanilla tea and the solitude. Here are some pictures of my day:

The sunlight on the fence in our backyard was just gorgeous!

This is the gazebo birdfeeder my Dad made. It was a very busy place with all the birds flying in for breakfast!

I love the way the sun shines through my palm tree-very ethereal!

A day of Quiet, Solitude and Prayer.

Our family has decided to spend a quiet day at home in observance of the 10th anniversary of 9/11. We are flying our flag proudly on our front porch. My husband, John was suppose to be in that building that fateful day 10 years ago. I didn't find out until he sent me a fax at 3:30 in the afternoon that he was all right. He was on a train out of Morristown, NJ and headed for Hoboken and then on to the WTC. His train was running late and when the train pulled into the station in Hoboken it was stopped and all the passengers were told they could not go into NYC that one of the towers had been hit by a plane. Little did John know that a second plane was heading towards the second tower and all the devastation that happened after that. Our daughter, Megan was in college in Massachusetts and our other daughter, Jenny was at home. They were both frantic with worry for their father. Our family was one of the lucky ones that their beloved family member was not harmed or worse killed and came home to us that night. My heart goes out to all the families that lost loved ones and friends.

Prayers are in order for this day of rememberance. God Bless America!!!

Fall = Outdoor Fireplaces and Firepits!

When I think of Fall outside I think of crisp air scented with wood fire. John and I bought a wood pit for him on Father's Day and his birthday. We can't wait to use it!! There is nothing better than sitting outside when it gets dark with a roaring fire crackling and popping! The warmth from a fire outdoors just makes me relaxed and rested. I looked on google.com and found the following outdoor fireplaces and pits:

I love the way this fireplace has been decked out for Fall!

This beautiful firepit has a lovely glass edge around the pit. Just gorgeous!

What a gorgeous firepit by the lake! I would just love to sit by that lake and enjoy the warmth of that fire!

Isn't this just a comfy looking place to be at night! I could so be there with a nice glass of wine and a book!

I hope everyone has a really nice weekend!!

Enjoying the cooler temps immensely!!!

What an absolutely gorgeous day here in Charlotte today!!! The temps are down, the humidity is down but I am up because I love this weather!!! It is definitely getting dark earlier and earlier. I really am ready for one of my favorite times of year-Fall!!! I feel myself putting socks on at night and getting cozy under a warm fleece throw, having hot tea instead of cold and just plain snuggling in.

This weekend I will be making an apple crisp to celebrate this wonderful, wonderful weather!! I hope everyone is having this glorious weather too!

Rainy Day in Charlotte!

Today is gray, dark, gloomy and just plain not a nice day! We need the rain badly but I still prefer the sun and blue skies to the rainy, gloomy days!

Hope everyone is having a great day!

Craft Room Project Complete!

Tada!!! While this picture isn't real clear you can get the idea of what John and I created on Saturday! We are very proud of what we accomplished with little effort and little $$. I create jewelry for gifts and my etsy site and I needed to have things more organized. I was telling John a few weeks ago that I didn't even know how many different kinds of ribbon I had for my keychains and bookmarks because the were all just piled in a basket. He said I need them on a dowel. I told him I had a few ideas about that. One thing led to another and here we are with our craft room organizer! This organizer is 2 feet X 3 feet. We used prepainted pegboard for the base, which was much better than having to paint.

Here are some more photos (sorry they are not that good but that room is on the dark side and it is very hard to get really good photos in there):

I had always wanted to try to make something with chalkboard paint and here is my version of a little board I can put cute sayings on to encourage me! Right now I just have my blog name on there and create! How I made this chalkboard was really pretty simple. I had this old frame, which I spray painted white. I took the board that came with the frame and painted it with chalkboard paint. 2 coats to be exact covered it nicely! John and I drilled it to the white peg board. I decided to glue the beautiful teal silk flowers over 2 of the holes and I also found these metal scrapbooking plates. They say family, laugh, memories, always and together.

Closeup of the family metal plate.

Here are the 2 dowel ribbon holders we made. We used 4 eye hooks and put wood stops that move up or down to keep the dowel from popping out the end of the eye hook. Because of the span and the weight of the ribbons there was a little sag in the middle of the dowels. I came up with an idea of tying lightweight wire on the bottom dowel, looping it over the top dowel and attaching it to the hole in the white pegboard. It worked perfectly. Today I will be purchasing some more ribbon!! Gotta fill it up right!! After all a girl has to have supplies to create new things!!

I now have tons of places to hang my completed projects! This makes it easier to keep track of what inventory I have and it also keeps the keychains and bookmarks nice and smooth and wrinkle free!

Here are 2 of the keychains I made. Now I can keep everything in a section and find things more quickly. All the keychains together, necklaces, bracelets, etc.

Well that is all the pictures off my Craft organizer. I know have to devise a way to display all the earrings I make. I'm envisioning something with wire on a stand. Maybe a tree and all the branches (made from wire) will have my earrings hanging from it!! To the sketch pad I go!!!

If you would like to visit my etsy site you can click on the right sidebar for my etsy site on this blog or go to www.etsy.com, click on Seller in the drop down box on the top of the site, type in cherylmcdermitt1 and there you are! I will be adding some new things shortly. Some Autumn items will be added soon. Never to early to start thinking Christmas presents everyone!!