The inner party... last shots of Wedding

So, my indoor shots just didn't quite do the whole vista justice. Tons of fall garlands, sparkly leaves and pumpkins, white seed lights.... these huge candelabras made by my friend's husband and his welding classes... It was a riot... (and not in the same way as my morning English class this a.m.) No, not even.... Talk to you tomorrow! I'm hitting the snoozer....

Autumn's Splendid Reception

After the drive to the reception, total fall passion awaited us at the wedding yesterday...

Tomorrow I'll finish up with the shots from the interior of the reception... These fall colors simply popped in the Old Mill Emporium.

Scenes from the exterior of the wedding reception... Add in a clear, crisp breeze, and it was divine!

Autumn Wedding...

Yesterday I drove with a couple of dear friends to the wedding of a former student and niece of one of my best friends... What a beautiful day and a beautiful, beautiful wedding... The ceremony was short, fabulous, and sweet in a little park near the bride's new in-laws. My friend and the bride's mother conspired to create just about perfect decorations for both the wedding ceremony in the park and the reception later across town in The Old Mill Reception Hall. I'll post reception pictures for tomorrow... These are from the park. I wish I'd taken some of the whole scene as I came down from the car, but at that time, I was consumed with "getting there" in one piece!.. The wedding was down on a layered area between the residences and the little lake. In the background we heard running waterfalls, woodsy birds, light traffic, and the occasional overhead roar of jet airliners taking off from KCI... The guitarist was amazing. He played all kinds of music, and truly set the scene. I adore white pumpkins, and these make the whole place look fairy-like and enchanted with the white mums, which had been carefully nurtured for the past two weeks. White mums are so fragile. Tomorrow's spread shows fall's riotous colors, but this was just right for the more formal ceremony. The attendants wore beautiful fall brown gowns, and the bride was knock-out beautiful. We left Macon about noon, and I walked (crawled) in Mom's door about 12:30 a.m. I was conked out by 1:08, which isn't like me.... I was so lucky to have two great co-pilots and my son's GPS, and great instructions, but these places were off the beaten path and kind of hard to find... We took a River Road that was fantastic, but no photos of any of that... I was concentrated on driving without dawdling into any of that traffic!!!

Carry the Load!

Just a quick shot of the sunset (almost missed it, but if you double click, you will see the layers of clouds)... the flower by my door on the day before fall!!! and my new fall Isabella's Journey tote bag. It's huge!!! I can carry papers, laptop... you name it!!! So harvest-y!

p.s. I confess. The flowers are silk. They have looked beautiful all year with NO, ZERO effort... Of course, we have real ones, too, but these are my babies!!! haha...

Lifelong Buddies

So... I took my mom to the Crossroads Restaurant and met a group of retired telephone employees who are friends. They used to work with my dad, and the group meets about once a month for lunch. I enjoy each and every one of them, but today held a fantastic surprise. We were all sitting there when around the corner came the daughter of one of my dad's best friends... I hadn't seen Jan in YEARS. We were buddies from the time I was born, and we used to play such wonderful games together... We played Flora Fauna and Merriweather (I'm thinking we made her unfortunate baby brother be one of those fairies???)... we had Barbies. We rode bikes. We ate yellow pear tomatoes... and we, as all good, truly good friends can do.... we picked up as if we'd never been apart... After my initial meltdown to see her walking in ... WHAT A SURPRISE!!!!!! I was so excited I couldn't think of my own name for a minute or two... You should have heard me try to think of the word "cauliflower" to identify the little bits of crunch goodness I had just ordered for our appetizer!!!!

Jan brought me a gift... This little valentine had my name scrawling across the back in much worn pencil.... I think it was a prior to school printing of mine, so that puts it at at least a half century old!!! whooo whoooo!!!

We ended the day with a little dip into Randolph Mercantile, the best store in the world!! I bought some dip mixes, a string of brown-cord lights, and a bag of autumn potpourri.... Oh, and a little crow pumpkin.... Of course, a little crow would have to caw his way into my heart.

Have a great day. I'm going to try and find the Mizzou Tigers on TV or radio... Happy weekend!

Luxurious Me

Since my little girl days, I have had this thing about bedtime... Although always possible, it's not always something I can do... Clean EVERYTHING... These happen to be my fall/winter gift to myself: new sheets in an amazing texture that is silky smooth and absolutely wonderful. I bought them on QVC, and I love them!!! Spice is the color! So, after a hot shower, hair washed and conditioned, teeth all scrubby dubbed with my electric toothbrush, and delicious lotion slathered all over my legs and shoulders... I am ready to snuggle into this bed with my Romantic Country magazine!!! Add in some ice water in a pretty glass, and I'm good for tonight! I'd say a tiny bit of dark chocolate, but then... the teeth thing..... Ah, well.... It isn't the line-dried, stiff cotton sheets of my childhood... with a smell that rivals anything I've ever had.... but it's fabulously calling my name!

I was rummaging through my shots...

Yeah, I think I forgot to share these beauties from just three weeks ago... Amazingly, these landscapes are no longer summery and green. The bean fields are yellow, and the air has a different look. I have an absolute passion for clouds... I mean, really... just look at them!!! If there is anything more beautiful than cloudy skies, I don't know what it is... Our farm is now tended by a wonderful neighbor who is never at a loss for something in the works.. He is usually the first in the fields and the first at the grain elevator. These were his second round of bales from the little patch in front of Mom's house... Have a great day!

Another Breath of Fall...

Our busy little mantel with fall dolls and all kinds of berries and leaves... You can double click it if you'd like to see in between the little, cluttery-clusters of goodness!!!!!

This little kewpie is ready for my favorite season!

Our coffee table. These pumpkins are actually batter/glow candles that softly flicker at night... Really cool...

Mom's great purchase from Valerie at QVC... what a wreath!

You know, I started decorating for fall in late July, I think... and now it is finally time to truly deck the halls with Fall's glory!!! haha.. Don't you love cheesy soups, cheesy snacks, and cheesy blog writers at 4:30 a.m.??? Yeah, I have been bitten by the awake-too-early bug. I truly never suffer from THAT kind of insomnia... I sometimes struggle to get to sleep (mainly because I don't lie down on the bed, haha... and I watch television too late or blog... or putter) But this morning, I am just wiry. I realize that about a quarter to six, I'll become very very drowsy, almost as if I'm hypnotized... grrrrr... But, as it goes, I could be worse. I'm sitting here with my shower already done and a cozy towel fluffed around me, my hair air-drying... (I won't get that bed-head look that just swoops around in an upsy-do that the kids just love!!! hahaha....) I can remember one time a girl, a very beautiful and kind girl, came up behind me and softly said, "Uh... I think maybe you wouldn't be so happy if you could see that back part of your head!" haha.. do you think, honey? And one time a very beautiful, but not-so-kind girl asked me in that made-for-teen voice,"How DO you fix your hair like that?" Something about her tone made me just know she didn't really admire the "look," wasn't trying to cultivate an identical one fo herself. I just told her I washed my hair about midnight and swirled it in a towel and went to bed ------and then it just "did" whatever it pleased when I woke up... Looking back, that was about the funniest, little, puckery "oh" I think I ever heard in my life... coming out of her sweet, burgundy/berry-lined lips...

Well, enjoy our early glimpses of fall... Mom got a great report, so far. I will have to get some sleep here in a few... Hugs.

Good advice...

And I suppose that's true. Sometimes it takes everything we have to just let go and let everything happen by the will of that Greater Power. I would love to be nicer, thinner, happier, better, kinder, sparklier, foxier, perkier... but right now, I have not found the strength to do/be all those things... I am afraid that sometimes I think if I can't do it, it won't get done... and lately that has been the case... I haven't been doing it, and it "ain't" a gettin' done! haha... My classes are bigger, nobody seems very positive around here, I can't keep up, my expectations are higher, my budget groweth tighter, and on and on... But, as the misty mornings show that there is a huge, bright sun who won't say "die," neither shall we--- and we beat on boats against the current.... saying one bright day... (my apologies to the conclusion of The Great Gatsby on that one!)

Have a wonderful week. We are headed to Columbia tomorrow for a first-go checkup on Mom. Wish us luck!

Autumn Sunshine...

Busy days and cooler nights... it's all about the fall! We went on our usual little jaunt today, but no photos... so I thought I'd re-share this jewel from last year at the Bevier Sesquicentennial Festival.... It doesn't get more fall than this, huh? I hope to get perky and take some new shots any minute... I seem to have been bitten by a little bug and feel under the weather... Hugs all!

I hear the call..... of beautiful fall!!!!

Happy Birthday... 28 years!

Tonight was my son's 28th birthday! Wow. I have loved every year of being his mom. Such a sparkle of fun, individualism... he's amazing! We just had a quiet dinner here at home with pizzas, breadstix, and wings... And the star of the show, a black forest cake Mom had ordered. It was spectacular! I think the candles are a bit askew, as well as the tablecloth in this picture... We finally got it all together, but I didn't retake the photo... I found this Ebay auction for my son's favorite book.. So I told him in his card he must be "getting old" if his toys were now collectibles!!!! We LOVED reading this book together! "Rat-a-tat-tat. Rum-a-tum-tum. They all marched together to the top of a hill, and if they haven't stopped marching, they'll be marching still...."

p.s. Big Hugs, Baby!!!I didn't get the book on ebay... just made his card with it!!! we still have our copy!!! I got him a stack of computer games and movies and speakers... clothes, stuff!!!! You name it! My post was unclear!

Tending...

Two homes, built in the glory days of Bevier... One of these is carefully tended, adored, decorated... and look at the stunning results. This home is always beautiful any season of the year. Then, only two blocks away... the other. Once a miraculous showplace, and later a well-kept home for the elderly, this mansion has seen its last of the glory days. The story goes that the man who owns it bought it for his daughter. She never really wanted the house, and he refused offer after offer to those in Bevier who ached to buy it before it was "too late." Alas! I would say that deadline is past. I don't know the actual "truth" behind the legend... I just know the old house peers through its overgrowth in disbelief... I am sure it had every confidence it would be kept in the manner to which it was "born.".... Is there a lesson here? Probably... But as in all good fables and parables... I think I'll let us all derive what we will... It's time for me to wrap birthday gifts for my son's party tonight! Hoo0ray!