Sunday, October 21, 2012

An Autumn Day Enjoyed

Hi Lovelies!

                                     
I thought I'd share some of my photos from when we went to the farm.  It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm at Lone Pine Farms. It was teaming with families of all ages picking out pumpkins and enjoying the many activities that are going on there up until Halloween.
 We went to the U-Pick Flower garden first and I was able to capture Mr. Bumble Bee.  
 The birds were taking advantage of the sunflower seeds that were left and had stripped several flowers of all their seeds.  I liked this little group of flowers that had been picked clean, devoid of their pretty yellow petals and leaves, they reminded me of bristle brushes.  I especially liked the nice color combo with the blues, greens and natural earth tones.
 Speaking of color, I placed a little orange pumpkin on a cart full of white pumpkins.  Loved the contrast.  This little squash (below) was sitting pretty among many.  I had never seen any this color before!
After wandering through the flower garden and seeing all the spectacular produce we headed out back where they had set up two little towns for the kids to play and for photo opportunities.  There was the Lone Pine Trading Post.
 The Sheriff's Office, right next a mine shaft...
 Austyn's Livery complete with old horse tack...
The General Store - I love their little tin roofs and flower boxes...
 Of course, the Lone Pine Saloon complete with swinging shutter doors...
 and Hayden's Post Office & Telegraph.
There are wagon rides complete with draft horses out to the pumpkin patch to pick your very own perfect pumpkin, petting zoo with goats, sheep and rabbits.  Free range chickens to see and more.  Lone Pine Farms has the largest corn maze in the area that is a terrific workout during the day with the little ones as you follow clues to lead you through to the finish but at night it becomes haunted and is a great draw for the thrill seekers, teens and adults as chainsaw welding spooks chase you through haunted graveyards, zombie filled school buses and other spine chilling thrills.  We've taken our youth group several years in the past and it is definitely a creepy scream-filled experience!
But during the day the spooks are resting and after picking out our pumpkins we stopped by their store where you can pick from other local vendors jams, jellies, chocolates, Carmel corn, and sauces that compliment their fresh produce, and of course, carmeled apples, apple cider with homemade apple-cinnamon and pumpkin flavored donuts.

If you'd like more information on the activities at Lone Pine this season you can go here

This is what we do on an autumn day in Oregon, how do you celebrate fall in you neck of the woods?  Comment below and share with me your adventures.

Be Blessed ~

Disclaimer: I have not been sponsored or been provided any compensation for my post or to promote Lone Pine Farms.  The opinions shared are my own and I am not affiliated with them in any way.  I just like sharing great places that I've been with my readers.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

In the meantime...

Hi Lovelies -
I woke up Saturday morning with many tasks on my to-do list.  I have so many unfinished projects right now, but it was cleaning day. Time to get serious about...
  • Laundry
  • Dishes
  • Clean the cat box
  • Sweep the kitchen
and the list went on...
At one point, with broom in hand I went out onto my front porch to sweep down the cobwebs and got sidetracked looking at how beautiful my hydrangeas were that were drying there...

I noticed the blues, the purples, the greens and the pinks and just marveled at them for a minute.
Ever get that way?
I looked at my half finished dresser that has been sitting under the front walkway (to my neighbors' dismay) and thought I bet the flowers would look great arranged on top of that so I dropped everything else and began to play with the hydrangeas. Nope not quite right, went in and grabbed a vase, too tall. Grabbed a bucket, yep, that works!

Once the flowers were arranged I thought they needed a focal point so I scouted around for something and decided on the little cherub statue holding a puppy that Mr. Man had bought for me earlier in the year representing the passing of our dear Springer Spaniels, Molly and Lucy. I loved the little arrangement once it was finished so I grabbed my camera and took a few shots.
What do you think?
It was a nice break to be spontaneous and creative from my to-do-list.
The dresser isn't done yet but in the meantime when I look at it, its a source of inspiration instead of a source of stress, a project not done, another to-do on my long list of chores, and its a nice tribute to my pups who adored spending time with me in the front yard.

Remember in our journey for perfection, life happens in the meantime. Stop and enjoy it!

Be Blessed...

Thursday, October 4, 2012

I Love Freebies...

Hi Friends,

Just a quick post to share with you some of my freebies I've gotten on some of my junking trips this summer and what I plan to use them for...

The hubby and I collected almost all the items below at a sweet retiree's sale one Saturday: 
  • 4 clear hard plastic plates which I will be decorating for Halloween, 
  • a tea kettle with a missing lid that will be planted come spring with some annuals, 
  • 4 plastic blue cups which I used to mix up some milk paint and grout for projects, 
  • a spool of curly ribbon in several colors (to add that special something to birthday gifts), 
  • a muffin tin that has seen better days (which I will use in a drawer for separating some of my smaller craft items), 
  • a glass bottle (for a simple posy holder), 
  • a terrifically patina rich green tool box which I haven't decided if I want to use it as a tool box or something else... and,
  • a metal box which used to house an Irish adult beverage in a previous life.  I may use it to hold playing cards for the hubby's man-den or give to my son to put his Sharpie pens and Copic markers in.

We also brought home some other great finds from this sale, including a bike for $10.00 for the hubby!

I scored when I saw the Old English Scratch Cover in the freebie box at this sale that I came upon while junking with my girlfriend and S.I.L. (Sista-in-Law). I use this not only to cover scratches but to distress furniture and there was just enough in there to finish a project!  The potting shovel was a cast off from someone but the handle appeared to be in good shape still so I will spray a coat or two of Rustoleum spray paint on it in a bright color and be ready come spring for planting bulbs.

What freebies have you scored lately?  Share your finds in the comment section below.

Be Blessed...