Fall Decorations: Part II

I'm joining Susan at A Southern Daydreamer for

Outdoor Wednesday.

When the early morning air starts to carry a chill, that's my signal to look for the fattest pumpkin at the farmer's market.

It's as if the weather is saying, Put out the Fall stuff, Gollum. Time to shift your way of thinking. Gather nuts. Put blankets on the bed.

It's the orange season.

I've been working hard on the new book. Now, it's in the editing stage.

I was afraid I'd look up and it would be winter. As Mama always says, Enjoy the stillness of a moment. So I set out a pumpkin or two.
Mama was right.

Of course, at my house, mums don't stand a chance. I'd like to blame it on non-stop rain. But it's me. If anyone has any tips for potted mums, I sure need them.

Mr. Bunny embraces a few summer blooms.

The non-stop rain has done a number on the mums. I spent the morning deadheading them.
A lone pumpkin on a bench.
One healthy mum. Same amount of rain. Maybe it likes the pumpkin.

Visit Susan at http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com for a fabulous tour of the great outdoors.

Thanks for visiting--please come back soon!

Okay, Gollum, you've had enough fun.

Back to writing.

Love,

Gollum

Fall Decorations Part I: The Curious Case of the Halloween Curio

When Dr. Gollum brought the new "old" china cabinet into the house (his smashed finger is much better), I was faced with the dilemma of where to move the little curio cabinet. Thank goodness it's light. I moved it myself into the foyer. Then, I decided it might look good filled with seasonal stuff, so I went shopping around the house for Halloween doo-dads.
I desperately tried not to overfill it, as I so love to do.
We've had these same doo-dads forever, which can be very comforting. New stuff is great, but the old...well, they have so many memories. The ornament has a broken top, which I broke while trying to attach it to the old stick tree, but its brokenness makes me love it even more.
The ghost.
Fitz & Floyd cookie jar.

The Halloween snowglobes.
A closer look at the Nightmare Before Christmas globe. When shaken, bats fly rather than snow.

Spooky.
An old plate, pumpkin votives from K-mart (or maybe Wal-mart? Can't remember), and the ghost.

Stay tuned for more decorations tomorrow.

Foodie Friday: Fall Cookie Cutters

Not much time around the farm, but that's not stopping me from thinking about fall cookies. Dreaming about cookie baking saves calories, but it's not nearly as much fun as accidentally flinging dough onto the ceiling or having your cookies develop hip-spread.
I was telling someone the other day, I'm ready for Halloween. I haven't had time to cut my hair, and I look just like the girl in that horror movie, The Ring. You know, the girl with the hair who crawls out of the TV set?

Yep, that's me. So I won't need a costume this year.
The plates were bought at Big Lots this summer (when it was 98 degrees and Fall merchandise was being set about). The sprinkles are made by Wilton. The napkins are dish towels.
Darling cookie cutters. However, you all know about me and cookies, so please take pity on these poor cookie cutters. And the cookies are bound to show up someday in a Foodie Friday Trainwreck.(Cookie cutters, set of 5, by R&M International Corp, Pipersville, Pa). Wilton makes them, too.
A closer look at the sprinkles, which utterly fascinate me. 3 carbs per tablespoon is my kind of sprinkle. Unfortunately they will look 180 degrees different after I'm finished.
If you are joining us for Foodie Friday, Mr. Linky awaits your recipe and blog-post link. Thanks to all of you wonderful cooks for making this event fun.

Foodie Friday

A feast for the eyes this Foodie Friday....

Dr. Gollum brought me a pumpkin tureen.
Pumpkin tureen, 96 ounces, American Atelier at Home

Mister and Mama continue to improve.
If you are participating in Foodie Friday, add your recipe to Mr. Linky. Have fun!

Foodie Friday

Here's an oldie, low-carb finger sandwiches, made with Duke's mayonnaise (0 carbs) and low-carb bread. They're easy as 1-2-3. All you need are cookie cutters, parsley, tomatoes, cucumbers, mayo and bread. Talk about guilt free, and good!

Mr. Linky is ready for your Foodie Friday contribution. Happy cooking!

Metamorphosis Monday: Tinkering in the Dining Room

My name is Gollum, and my middle name is

Can't Leave Well Enough Alone,

specially when it comes to quick, no-sweat changes

that involve lots of hammering.

The dining room just cried out for a change.

What to do? I know what,

lace panels!
Here's the before picture:
And the during picture.
I was underwhelmed.

But I happened to have some ribbon from Big Lots, and I went to work with my trusty hammer.

O, Mother, said Bandwith, when will this end?

When you're messing with curtains, you just know these things. Like, it's time to stop when the curtains hang right.

Or if the color works or if the ribbon doesn't show too much.

Then you stop.

Which is totally different from

Knowing when to quit.

I don't know doodly squat about that.

So even if I stop, I might not quit.

I like seeing the outdoors, so a gentle swoop-back worked.

For now, anyway.

As Mama says, they're easy to change.

Love,

(I found an easy way to insert a signature of sorts into a blog post. Not the real thing, but still).

http://mylivesignature.com/

To visit other Before-and Afters, and to meet some of the sweetest folks in blogland, visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch

for Metamorphosis Monday:

http://www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

A Glimpse of Paco, the Miniature Mule, & Other Critters

Yesterday, Mama and I were watching the sunset, and we were distracted by the grazing critters.
(Tootsie, I have all but killed the Big Ficus. I'm trying to nurse it back to health before cold weather hits).

On the far right, you can see Paco, the Miniature Mule. His former owners trained him to walk on his hind legs. Hopefully I'll get a picture of that one day.

Here's Paco on the move. He hangs out with the sheep.

Finally, here's a picture of the newest baby, a white donkey. We also have baby banty chickens, and one, Little Jimmy, is an attack banty. He's about 4 inches tall and furiously pecks Bandwith's shoes. If you pick him up, he's gentle, but put him back down, and he goes after the shoes.
I hope everyone is having a peaceful weekend.
Love,

Gollum & the gang

Foodie Friday: Homemade Grilled Pizza

Mister continues to improve and is eating chicken and rice.

The humans ate grilled pizza.

Start with a simple dough recipe...

1 packet active yeast (proof it), 2 c flour, 1 c water, 1 t salt. Mix, knead, and let rise for 15 minutes. For a thin crust, do not add yeast.

Grill 2 minutes on the bottom...

and 1 minute on top. Flip and add toppings

Grill on low until cheese melts (keep the grill's lid closed).

That's it.

If you are participating in Foodie Friday, you know the routine. Have fun!