A Visit To The Farm

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We had a very productive meeting with the builder this morning and we’re hoping to break ground next month.

After our meeting we made our way to the Iron Kettle Farm. We enjoyed ourselves and had such a wonderful time watching the children young and old enjoying this beautiful autumn day.

Welcome to the Iron Kettle Farm


The farmer has so much to harvest


And the Mrs. keeping busy


He seems to be on his way home


And what’s wrong with this picture


A bounty of pumpkins with a sweet little pumpkin on top


Aw, he was just too cute


And he seems to be in a world of his own


Finding the perfect one


Cute little goat


And big plump turkeys


The little ones loved feeding the animals


Wagon filled with Indian corn


A game set up with large sling shots – The kids used little pumpkins to try and launch them through the hoops.


We enjoyed our little visit at the farm and then my darling took me out for a nice dinner. We truly enjoyed our day.

Another Autumn Day

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I’m enjoying another autumn day and I’m still overjoyed with the season more than ever. It’s been a while since I’ve lived where the leaves glow like they’re on fire and it takes my breath away to watch the daily changes.


The picture above was taken in my backyard just a moment ago. I was busy unloading groceries when the sun popped through the thick layer of clouds. I grabbed the camera quick to capture the little ray of light that trickled through the trees.

Now it’s back to working on the floor plan as we need to have all the windows and doors throughout the house picked out by Friday and presented to the builder.

I still can’t get over how crazy busy I am these days and I’m sick that I have not had time to get to my dear friends pansy drawing. Little did I know at the time that I would be in such a pickle.

So, my deepest apologies once again and I would like to send out a message stating that I would like to have the drawing project complete and in the mail by the end of November. I hope all can be forgiven as it truly is killing me.

I also stated sometime back how I had the urge to get a job. Well, that has all blown over and as hubby says. “Honey, you’re going to be so busy with the builder and picking out stuff for the home, how are you going to have time to work”? And he’s right as things are really starting to kick in and I’ve already had two meetings with the builder already this week. So let the fun begin!

A Drive To Our Neighborhood

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It was a crisp fogy morning as I drove up to meet the builder for an early morning appointment.

The dense fog as I headed out


The sun burning off the fog


On up the road a ways


This will be the little street we live on one of these days


Turkey’s in our (soon to be) neighbors yard


Another neighbor’s birdhouse tucked away in the trees


Meet our neighbor


And another neighbor


And here’s another neighbor on down the road


Fall foliage up close


Looking up through the leaves


And this is part of our backyard view – There’s a 9 ½ acre lake (that’s what the builder calls it) but I call it a nice big pond out back.


And this wraps up the visit of our soon to be neighborhood.

Health Update

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I have never had a Health Wake Up Call like I had two weeks ago. I’m doing all I know to do and plunked the rest in God’s hands. Sure there are times I worry but doing all I know to do and praying God’s will be done, that’s really all I can do at this point. I have a brief check-up next week and then another check-up in a little over two months.

I have drastically changed my eating habits and cut back on the “bad” fat and cholesterol… My daily menu is loaded with fruit and vegetables and I’m packing in oats, yogurt, blueberries and walnuts daily.

My loaded baked potato last evening smothered with steamed broccoli, cauliflower and baby carrots with a huge side of green beans. I should say I like eating my veggies with LOTS of black pepper! No butter on this puppy but I did melt a splash of cheese over the top. This is a salad plate and the food really fills that baby and my tummy let me tell ya.


Yogurt – Contains beneficial bacteria that has been shown to boost the immune system. I’ve been checking this off each day.

Blueberries – Is my go-to fruit and I feel this is one of the best fruits for the body – say no more, I’m in daily.

Walnuts – Even though these critters are high in calories they have significantly higher amounts of omega 3 compared to other nuts and the protein from these rascals is amazing! So I consume ½ serving size of walnuts a day.

I guess you could say I’m pretty much eating vegetarian these days. I’ve completely cut the consumption of red meat but I’m trying to eat fish once or twice a week.

And for the “BIG” thing I gave up this week is my diet soda 100%. Water has become the leading beverage in my life as I feel this body of mine needs a real cleansing. I must say, the health scare has me on the straight and narrow and the lure to eat anything that looks unhealthy during this time is not enticing in the least.

Now, all that said, I do feel that there needs to be some sort of moderation (just keepin’ it real). I found myself really missing my daily cup of coffee and cream. So, I’ve added coffee and cream back in the breakfast slot and the oats has become lunch or dinner. I’m much happier this way and so happy to be on my way to a healthy new me.

The one thing that I’m not up for is taking meds the rest of my life and I’m fighting and praying so hard to keep it that way. And on that note, I’m adding something new this week, so stay tuned next Monday same time same place for an update.

Oh The Places I’ve Been

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Oh the places I’ve been all week. This week was supposed to start off slow and steady with drawing at the top of my “to do” list. Everything changed and in a hurry as I’ve had errands and duties 4 of the 5 days this week and a repair man here at the apartment the day I was home.

One of the big changes this week was an unexpected change in our floor plans. I’ve been working on the program “Better Homes & Garden – Home Designer Suite 8.0 ” during my free time and Bobby finished wrapping up all the loose ends around 1:00am this morning.

I can now “almost” officially say the floor plan is FINISHED! Our job this next week is to pick out the windows. We’re pretty much picking out all the stuff we want up front so that the cost of things doesn’t bite us in the end. We’re hoping we can move in by next spring/summer.

After the meeting with our builder today, I drove just about a mile out of my way to visit some of the homes in Historic Downtown. I was hoping to see some fall décor but enjoyed the little tour. Come along with me, won’t you?

We must first Cross the river into Downtown.


On the other side looking back at the bridge we just crossed.


There’s something about this house that makes me think “Hansel and Gretel”.


Quite a charmer with that nice porch out front.


There’s just somethin’ about about this place.


This place had me at hello.


I’m in love with the background.


Green and white with a burst of color.


Sorry for getting the wires crossed.

We went through rain, walked on sunshine and looked at masses of clouds on this crisp 52 degree day. And another thing, someone that saw me snapping pictures asked us (hey, you’re with me remember) “are you with the CIA”? We just didn’t pay any attentention to them and kept right on going. Hope you enjoyed your visit and I hope I didn’t embarrass you too much.

Short and Sweet

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Today’s post is short and sweet but the sweet part is just that, SWEET! My blog friend Cindy has her debut on HGTV’s Rate my Space tonight! The segment is called “A Romantic Cabana with an Island Vibe”. This is so exciting and I’m so overjoyed for her.

Presidential debate or not, there will be no way I’m missing her. I’ve got the tivo all set and ready to go. Now the only thing I need to do is wait which I’ve been doing for a while now.

A Cloudy Day Filled With So Much Cheer

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As I stepped out to my appointment this morning, the vibrant glowing trees seemed to take the place of the sunshine. Not only is the vivacious color of nature a beautiful site but the free cool air-conditioning of Mother Nature is sublime. This truly has to be my absolute favorite time of the year.

The pretty view of fallen leaves just outside my door


The trees from whence they came


And more brilliant color at the entrance of our apartments


May the splendor of autumn bring joy to your heart.

A Couple Issues On The Radar

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First up for Monday is my health and what I’m doing to bring down my cholesterol. I’ve boosted the fiber, and have started eating at least 9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. I’ve also cut off the consumption of coffee cold turkey the last couple days (yes coffee was my breakfast every day of the week and that’s it). It’s not the coffee so much as it was the Crème Brulèe Cream that I generously used. I had “BIG” plans to forgo the coffee earlier in the week but it was a very painful struggle so I didn’t kick the coffee ‘til the weekend. I’ve replaced my coffee with oatmeal and I’m really enjoying my little bowl of oats a lot more than I thought I would. I’ll be kicking another habit this week and I’ll write more on that next Monday.

My morning bowl of oatmeal with just a few walnuts, banana and blueberries


Next on the agenda is this pansy I started so long ago it seems.


I’m terribly sorry for the decline in drawing and my only excuse is that I can only concentrate on one thing at a time. I had high hopes of finishing the drawing last week but when hubby asked me to join him in Boston I couldn’t turn him down.

It looks like it’s going to be a good week to begin working on the pansy again and I have high hopes to have it shipped to New Delhi, India soon! I’m terribly sorry for the delay.

My final note is that I’m wishing all of you a very pleasant week!

Enjoying Time With Hubby

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Bobby and I made our way home from Boston late Thursday evening. As we were heading west I could tell by the dense layer of haze that we wouldn’t have a sunset to speak of. But the night sky had a nice surprise in store for us as it came alive with so much color. It was like a very bright blanket that quilted the sky with swirls of blues and magical bursts of red. It truly was amazing as we drove into the sunset.


Friday morning was the best as Bobby didn’t have anything pressing at work so we slept in without the alarm. We got up and around visiting over a cup of coffee and breakfast and Bobby didn’t leave the house ‘til 11:30am. It’s been such a wonderful week with Bobby and today we’re just chillin’ with a little heat on. We don’t have anything pressing and we’re just letting the day unfold together.

What Ta Do – What Ta Do

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Since moving to NY, it still has not quite felt like “Home – Home” yet. All of our stuff is in storage (as many of you have heard me say time and time again) and I’ve been taken from my pottery studio for a little over a year now.

So what does the What Ta Do part have to do with this – you ask? Well I’ve been thinking about going back to work lately. Sometimes I’m not sure if this is what I want and hubby certainly loves wifey at home but he’ll be happy for me if this is what I want. I quit work 2 weeks before we married some 9 + years ago so this would be a big change for me.

I thought about teaching pottery classes but then I would have to teach night classes and I’m not up for being away from Bobby when he’s home. So it would have to be working during the days – absolutely no evenings or weekends.

Well it just came to me and I mentioned it to hubby yesterday to see what he thought about it. So my thought is to apply for a secretary position where hubby works. I think this is something I would enjoy and get me out to greet the world each day. And the bonus would be to carpool with hubby every day. So when I think about it, I’ll actually get to spend an hour a day more with hubby each day by carpooling. I’m sold hook line and sinker with the thought of that and hubby says “we would even get to do lunch more often”.

I’m still thinking about this and it may take me a while to really decide if this is what I want. I have a few nerves but I have a feeling I’ll enjoy myself. We’ll see.

I’ve Been Tagged

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I’ve been tagged by Jamie over at Baldwin Bungalow and here’s the rules.


1. When my hair is short, I want long hair and when my hair is long, I want short hair – Now that’s just downright weird.

2. I sleep right through my hubby’s snores, but when he sits up in bed I wake up in an instant to see if he’s alright.

3. I’m not cut out to be a leader but as soon as I see a path, I can follow just dandy.

4. The older I get the more I enjoy life

5. My favorite times are times spent with hubby.

6. I love a good salty sweet snack and right now my favorite mid afternoon snack is the 100 calorie mini popcorn sack of kettle corn. (I can’t do this right now due to following strict Dr’s orders) but Candy Corn mixed with nuts is an amazing treat and it reminds me of a Pay Day.

7. Long eyebrows drive me nuts and I’m so happy hubby lets me keep his nice ‘n trim.

Now I tag anyone that would like to play.

The Streets of Downtown Boston

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It’s a beautiful crisp autumn day in the heart of Boston. I was up before Bobby this morning showered and dressed to hit the road as soon as he left for work. He carpooled with one of the other guys whose here in town and I had the car for the day.

I started the day bright and early with Nellie, one of our best road trip friends. Yeah, that’s what we call our Nuvi Garmin. Normally I would be nervous to endeavor such a drive to the city alone but not today as Nellie had my back. She’s been our pal for nearly 2 years now and I can’t imagine driving without her.


Deeper


And Deeper into the city we go just me and my little pal Nellie.


We found a nice parking spot and I programmed Nellie so that she could take me right back to that spot should I get lost.

The first little jewels I saw were these beautiful babies all nestled into this Baby Limo as I call it. That little carriage seats 6 babies and on the side reads bye bye buggy. I have never seen such a carriage in all my life and I had to capture the moment. I just can’t understand why that little guy in the front seat didn’t have any socks or anything on his little feet. It was in the low 40’s this morning and reaching a high of 65 for the day.


I passed by so many beautiful buildings and this church really caught my eye


But the doors of the church are what truly caught my eye first


$1.00 for a sack of red peppers. I’m kicking myself for not swooping in on that deal.


No doubt this is Chinatown


Pretty little nuggets


Thought they were just too cute watching the birds


It was a feeding frenzy in the heart of town where bread and rolls were freely given.


This telephone booth with the pagoda on top caught my eye.


Nellie and I stopped for lunch and I had tilapia on a bed of rice with some nice steamed veggies on the side. It was oh so yummy!


I walked and walked, shopped and took in the city one step and block at a time and by the time I was ready to go I was completely lost. There is absolutely no way I would have been able to find my car. Even though we’ve had Nellie for about 2 years, I panicked thinking what if Nellie steers me wrong and I can’t find my car. But as always, she knows right where she is at all times and she directed me right back to my car without any trouble. And little Nellie and I will continue to live happily ever after.

Now I’m ready for a little afternoon nap and then I’ll be ready to go out with Bobby when he gets in from work.

Health Wake Up Call

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I realize I’m not getting any younger and one thing that has had my attention this past year is my weight. Sure, I’m happy with me and hubby tells me he loves every single ounce of me but still. I’ve put on some weight with this past move and I know it’s not doing me any good whatsoever and I realize it causes other areas in my body to fall apart.

We have both started eating healthy and the weight is coming off (18 pounds for me and 17 for Bobby as of this morning) but more importantly I feel we’re getting healthier because of it. I had my physical and blood work last week and didn’t pass with flying colors either. I would have rather waited ‘til I was down another 20 pounds but felt I should get checked, so I did.

I got a call from the nurse today that my cholesterol was 249 and that I need to go back in three months for a check-up. And there is one more issue (blood in my urine) that they have asked me to come back in three weeks for another check.

I have really been kicked in the teeth today but I’m going to work as hard as I can to stay off meds and get healthy. This is a definite wake up call for me and its certainly got my full attention.

I had no intention of writing about my weight loss but I feel it’s nice to get it out as I could use your support to help me keep focused and to get this cholesterol in check. Perhaps I’ll make this my Monday post just to keep me in check. More on this later.

Through The Years

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Ever wonder what you would have looked like back when? Well me neither until today. Hah, I saw someone’s blog where they did the Yearbook Yourself and couldn’t help myself. I dug for a photo when I wasn’t wearing glasses and had fun seeing what I would have looked like. You can laugh with me and then do it yourself if ya like. My 1964 is hubby’s favorite.



Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend.

Kitchen Taking Shape

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Here are a few things I brought with us to the apartment as I wanted to ensure the right paint color for our rooms.


The background is a pillow sham from our bedroom. Then my handy dandy Sherwin Williams chart. There is a swatch of the same yellow leather that’s in the living room and two green swatches of fabric that match the celadon pottery we purchased while living in Korea. That pottery is displayed in our kitchen but I don’t have any really good pictures of it as it is pretty much displayed over the cabinets. The family room is not that difficult as we purchased the identical leather furniture for our apartment and basically our accessories are blue and white.

Fifi asked about the program I was using to do my project and it’s called Better Homes & Garden – Home Designer Suite 8.0. It’s a very user friendly program and I can’t say enough good stuff about it.

I’ve been working in the kitchen a bit more. We want the kitchen “open” to the family room but not “open – open” if you know what I mean. We would like a bar area and pillars of sorts flanking both sides of the bar. The picture below gives a similar idea of what I’m talking about. I’m still thinking of some cabinets over the bar area but have not decided 100% on what to do on that just yet. I just don’t want to box myself in too much in there so we’ll see.


Not sure if you noticed but the pottery was changed to match similar to what I have and I also tweaked the color of the green walls in there. Still playing in my “Doll House”. I’m already looking forward to working in the yard. This program allows you to make gorgeous flower beds, plant huge trees and then gives the most amazing 3D effects outdoors as well.