Wrapping Up October: 2016

Ok, I just really wanted to start the post off with a cute puppy picture. Mission accomplished 😁🐶❤️

Can you believe it's November already? In 6 short weeks, the hubby and I will be leaving for Oregon! I'm in shock. I feel like it was just yesterday that I was telling the hubby it was time for a Christmas in Oregon. And now it's almost here! Unbelievable. 

But for now, now it's time to wrap up October! In October...

The fall decor came out! I changed out my centerpiece on the dining room table. Here's what it looks like in the spring and summer-

I love changing out the runner for the more traditional fall colors. Last year, I put autumn floral in the flower bottle centerpiece but this year I opted for a change. 

As much as I love my flower bottle centerpiece, it is not conducive for proper dining. You can't see the people across the table from you. Indeed, I have since heard that centerpieces should be short enough to see over. Oops. When my family was visiting in August, the centerpiece was taken off the table and didn't return until everyone had left. It just wasn't practical. Pretty. But not functional. 

This is not to say that I'm not putting it back come spring... 😉 After all, only 2 adults live in my house and we never use the dining room table.

But this year, we are hosting Thanksgiving again so I really wanted something a little more practical than this-

I'm really pleased with the new centerpiece. I simply filled my window box with straw, added a couple of candles (I went with LED), a couple of mini pumpkins, and then crazily enough, Christmas decor berries. I think the whole thing works though! After Thanksgiving, I'm going to trade the straw out for evergreens and the pumpkins out for poinsettias. 

Someone had to watch me take pictures that day. There's always at least one Chi checking out what I'm doing at any given moment.  

It wasn't just about me though. It was window-watching time 😜

My parents brought me this little teacup when they came out to visit. It found a home on the coffee bar. 

The football turkeys are back!!

Fall decor in the kitchen. 

I found a new use for last years autumn floral! I love when that happens 😁

It's November 1st and I still haven't cleaned up the garden yet! There are still so many bumblebees and butterflies visiting the garden that I haven't felt comfortable pulling anything up yet. I love to watch the bumblebees. We get these huuuuuuuuge ones here, they are almost the size of my thumb! Very gentle creatures. 

Remember how I was saying all my potatoes plants died when the marigolds took over? Well... they're baaaaaaack. I've got lots of potato plants sprouting all over the bed. I have no idea what this means. I figure I'll see what I can find when it's time to pull the marigolds. In the meantime, it's a mystery. Are there potatoes under there? Or not? Maybe I'll have an answer for you by the November post... 🍠😁

Lettuce I allowed to go to seed. For my honey bees 🐝

My 2nd bell pepper of the year. I only got 2 from this sad little plant. Better luck next year!

Another reason I haven't pulled my tomatoes yet? They are still flowering and new tomatoes are coming on. This is madness!!

Dill that has propagated itself in between raised beds. The hubby is fit to be tied 😂

A completely picked over hyssop flower. Oh, that hyssop. Every September I end up getting the fall blues a little bit. I start to know I'm going to miss the warm weather, the hummingbirds, the flowers, the summer garden... but this year, something unexpected happened. The hummingbirds left, and my fall blues encroached. The hummingbirds have been gone for I'd say, oh, about 2 1/2 weeks and I was starting to wonder if I needed to deadhead the hyssop because the flowers were completely spent. Or at least I thought they were completely spent...

Well, I didn't do it and I'm sooooooo glad I didn't! After all the blue flowers were worked by the wildlife, goldfinches started showing up in packs and eating the worked-over flowers. They end up eating all the seed off the hyssop so you end up with this brown pod, like above. A finch destroyed that. I've had the best time standing at the window and watching these packs of goldfinches. Along with autumn baking, it's tremendously helped with the fall blues. Just for comparison, here's what the flower looks like before the goldfinches get to it-

Quite the difference, huh? Now I know I have something to look forward to when the hummingbirds are gone and the flowers are dead... goldfinches! You guys know I love those birds 🕊

Someone tell my strawberries it's November! Still picking em' people! 🍓

Autumn in the garden 😍

The puppies did a lot of couch wrestling in October. To be honest though, they do that every. single. day. 😂

Until they inevitably wear themselves out. 

Tired Gizzie! He says no more! 😂

Again, I didn't share too many recipes in the month of October, so I'll share my favorite things that I made for which their recipes will be coming very, very soon-

Pumpkin Cognac Cheesecake

Turkey Bacon Avocado Paninis

Cinnamon Pumpkin Cookies

~That's it for October! I hope everyone had a terrific month!~

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