I'm Old Fashioned

An antique muffin tin, tea lights and silk autumn leaves adds a homey touch.

One of my favorite apps on our Roku is Crooner Radio.  We have Sirius XM in our car, and when I'm in the car I listen to 40's Junction or Siriusly Sinatra, but at home I have Crooner Radio on almost all day, either that or an old movie!  When it comes to music and movies, I'm pretty old fashioned.

Even my decorating style might be considered antique.  Primitive decorating is popular now, as well as Farmhouse style, but I've been decorating with old things all of my adult life.  Back in the 80's when I first got married and set up my first home it was called, "Country", and it was all things rosy pink and country blue. Now days I lean more towards black and white and earth tones.

Yesterday as I was cleaning house and preparing for company, I heard a song on Crooner that so resonated with me, I immediately stopped and looked up the lyrics.

I am not such a clever one
About the latest fads
I admit I was never one
Adored by local lads
Not that I ever try to be a saint
I'm the type that they classify as quaint
I'm old fashioned
I love the moonlight
I love the old fashioned things
The sound of rain
Upon a window pane
The starry song that April sings
This year's fancies
Are passing fancies
But sighing sighs holding hands
These my heart understands
I know I'm old fashioned
But I don't mind it
That's how I want to be
As long as you agree
To be old fashioned with me.

You can listen to Ella Fitzgerald singing it here.

I have to say, if there was a song that perfectly described me, this would be it. Since I've been .

decorating with old things for so many years, I've acquired quite a collection of treasured pieces.  Nothing of real value or worth, really, but to me, they are priceless, and at this point I don't plan on changing my style anytime soon. I could care less about the current style or trends. Just call me old fashioned!
                                                             
Old furniture.
Old music.
Old movies.
Old sitcoms.

I'm even on a bit of a 70's earth tones bent right now, as we prepare to gut a van and turn it into an RV, our home on wheels.  We are planning to travel the country for a few years, and that is one of the reasons that I changed the graphics and color scheme. I'm actually going to be writing two blogs, continuing here, and also documenting our journey as we transition from home (apartment) living to van life for a few years (or more), who knows?  Obviously I can't take all of my pretty decorations with me, but thankfully our daughter is going to be living here in the apartment with a few friends, and she will be using most of it herself.  She likes farmhouse style, and many of the pieces I have will fit right in. I'll share  more about van life as things progress, and I'll link our other  blog as soon as I have it all tweaked and ready!

So what's your decorating style?  Are you a country/primitive girl like me from way back? If so, share what your favorite piece is in the comments.  And, if you like old music like I do, Crooner Radio is FREE, just follow the link above.
And if you have Sirius radio, check our 40's Junction (Ch. 73) and Siriusly Sinatra (Ch. 71).                                                                            

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The Perfect Day - Morning

I had about thirty minutes to kill waiting for an appointment yesterday, so I stepped into Barnes and Noble to see if they had any enticing new magazines to peruse.  As usual it's never really a matter of if they have "any", but rather, which one I'm going to choose first.

Bella Grace publishes a magazine for younger girls called New Generation.  I bought a few for Kate when they first came out, but she never seemed to take interest in them.  And even though they are written for girls in their late teens and maybe early twenties, I still find much of the content relevant for any age, and the pictures are equally as lovely!  So when I saw they had a new edition, I picked it up and made myself comfortable.

One of the articles prompted you to think through what elements would make for a "Perfect Day", which I thought was a fun exercise, and so I've decided to share my thoughts on that in this post.  But, since I'm certain my thoughts on the subject will be plentiful, I'm going to break it up into segments and I'll begin today with what I believe would make for a perfect morning.

Morning sunrise on a crisp fall morning in Virginia.

🍂 MY PERFECT MORNING
For me a perfect morning would start early, probably around 5 or 6 a.m., and for it to be truly perfect, it would be early Autumn when the morning temperatures dip into the 40's or even high 30's, because there is just nothing in the world like a crisp Autumn day!

Most likely I would be wearing my favorite pair of thermals or soft flannel pajamas with a pair of thick comfy socks on my feet.  The windows in the apartment would be open, as one of the things I love best is for the air around me to be cold but for my body to be wrapped in warmth.

The first thing I would do would be to make a cup of my favorite blend of coffee, Starbuck's Fall Blend, which is just scrumptious, and top it off with Pumpkin Spice creamer.  I typically do not eat breakfast right away as it take awhile for my appetite to wake up, but I ALWAYS want my first cup of coffee which is usually full strength. After that I have to switch to decaf as I've developed a bit of sensitivity to caffeine in recent years.

Morning candlelight at the kitchen table.             

While the water in the kettle was heating up, I would light a candle, spicy scents are my favorite, especially ginger and pumpkin.  Then I would find my favorite throw, a few pillows and make up a comfy place on the couch, and with coffee in hand, I would settle in to read for an hour or so, first from the Bible and then from a favorite book.

Once the sun begins to peak through the darkness, depending on the day I do one of two things, I go for a 2 mile walk, or if its an off day, I fix breakfast.  On days that I walk I eat breakfast after I get back and on those days its typically yogurt.  But on my off days I will often scramble up an egg, make some bacon and a piece of toast or hash rounds and have something more substantial. Scrambled eggs with bacon, hash rounds and gravy is my absolute favorite breakfast, so since this is my "perfect day", I would make that. But, I LOVE my morning walks, too, so maybe on a perfect day (with no time constraints), I would do both!

On days that I walk I shower in the morning when I get home, and on off days, I shower in the evening. I prefer to show in the evening because it just feels like it washes all the stress of the day away and then I can crawl into my comfy pajamas and settle in the for the evening. But on days that I walk and get a little sweaty, I shower early so I'll feel fresh. But sometimes, if the temps are low enough and I don't sweat much, and especially if I'm not going out, then showering can wait, and on a perfect day it could!

Afterwards I would tidy up the house a bit, if needed, but on a perfect day, well, it would be perfect, right?, so it wouldn't need tidying and I could just return to my comfy spot on the couch.  But first I would change into my favorite pair of soft grey jeans, my favorite ginger colored t-shirt and my favorite orange and grey flannel with my cozy white socks with the grey and orange stripes.  It's my all time favorite outfit and I wear it at least once a week this time of year, sometimes twice!  Then I would settle in to my spot on the couch, and enjoy a few favorite leisurely activities for the rest of the morning, but for now, we'll stop here and I'll pick up on my Perfect Mid-Morning in another post.

So what about you, what would a 🍂 PERFECT MORNING 🍂 morning look like for you?  What is your favorite season, weather?  Do you have a favorite pair of pajamas, socks, or maybe a cozy robe?  Do you drink coffee, tea or neither?  What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?  Do you like to hit the ground running, or prefer a quiet, contemplative start to your day?  I love hearing from you, so please share in the comments!  Who knows, we might inspire each other to add in a new ritual to make that will take our perfect morning to a new level!  Perfectly perfect, in every way!

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Savoring Autumn Weeks 2-4

I realized when I was writing my post about all the changes, that I needed to follow up with my Savoring Autumn posts, and since this is now week 4, it was due time.

One of the things that we traditionally enjoy every Autumn are mums.  We usually purchase several pots to decorate the porch, or as is the case this season, the balcony.  My favorite color is orange, followed closely by purple and I also like the red variety.  This year we bought five, one large orange and red, and then two small purple and one small orange. 

We've been eating a lot of chili pie, or Frito pie as some call it, which is typically another Autumn tradition. I don't know about anyone else, but I tend to be a seasonal eater and things like chili, stew, even chocolate and caramel, like Milk Duds, are typically flavors that I crave this time of year.  We do have chili pie at other times, but we traditionally usher in the Autumn season by eating it while we watch October Sky.

     
Something new to me this year is Starbucks Fall Blend coffee.  I'm pretty sure it's been around for a number of years, but this is the first year that we've purchased a bag. We also bought a bag of Pumpkin Spice, but we haven't opened it yet so I'll let you know if we enjoyed it, as well.  But the Fall Blend, especially with pumpkin spice creamer, is divine!

We drove up to the mountains last week.  From the valley the mountains looked as though there might be a little color, but unfortunately that was not the case.  We had a lovely time, none the less, and shared a picnic lunch together of chicken salad with crackers, cheese cubes, grapes, and cashews.

One the way up, we stopped at our favorite little mountain produce store and picked up some cider.  Its made locally, and so good.  They had a lovely display of pumpkins and corn husks out front, pictured above.  Later that evening we walked to a restaurant just a couple of blocks away for dinner.  There is a small liberal arts college just a block away, and we took a short cut through the campus, where I was happy to discover a labyrinth. I'm hoping to make an early morning trip over on my walk soon, and hoping its to do so. I guess campus police will tell me if I'm not welcomed.

While it got off to a late start, it's definitely begun to feel more in season this week with temperatures dipping into the 40's most mornings.  We've been sleeping with the windows opened, which is D-I-V-I-N-E!  Looking at the forecast earlier today I noticed that they are predicting we might even get into the upper 30's before the end of the week.  It makes for a chilly start to my walks in the morning, but if you dress warm you end up shedding layers, I do, anyway.

And speaking of walking, I borrowed a sweet little book from Internet Archives, In Celebration of Autumn by Helen Thompson.  She suggests a number of ways to enjoy the season, including everything from carving a pumpkin to refurbishing a chair.  Another thing she suggests is taking a walk, and I loved what she had to say on the subject;

"The benefits of aimlessness have long gone unappreciated, but an occasional afternoon to being footloose can do more for the soul than just about anything else.  Forget the rigidity of schedules, the pull of pressing obligations, the insistence of deadlines, and take an afternoon off. Window-shopping, wandering through a museum, and browsing in a bookstore are all excellent approaches to aimlessness - but a stroll through a park or forest resplendent with fall foliage is the best." 

She suggest that you collect leaves, acorns, berries and flowers on your walk, and then arrange them, perhaps on a mantel, as a boisterous reminder of fall. What a lovely idea!

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Change Is In The Air

Obviously, as you may have noticed, there have been a few changes around here. And while I'll go into more detail soon, for now I will say that as our lives are changing I needed a new feel for this space, as well.  The content will remain largely the same, and it is my **hope** to visit this space a bit more often, but those life changes I mentioned?  They may take precedence at times.  As for the color scheme?  I think I'm bringing back the 70's earth-tones, so don't be surprised if a mushroom pops us here and there. :). I love it, and as the details of our lives unfold I think it will all make sense.  It does in my head anyway, and hopefully that will translate here.  I hope you'll continue to join me, and  let me know what you think of the new look!

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