unofficial start of summer

(my niece and my son)

What a glorious, full, extended weekend! 

Tons of errands, more yard work (Brian planted coleus in-between some hostas ~ they will be so beautiful when they fill out), my "baby" niece's high school graduation party that ended with us sitting around a bonfire and talking late into the night, lunch on the river at a nearby restaurant, getting things done around the house, and ending the beautiful evenings on the patio.

Here's to a beautiful summer.

finds and fadings

Sharing some of my latest finds with you...

Aren't these plates perfect for fall? The thrift store only had two each of these dinner plates and salad plates, but that's OK. They'll look pretty as part of a place setting on the table. They're made by Vernon Kilns (USA). 

A pretty hand-painted pitcher...

Mini hobnail sugar and creamer...

Another owl to add to my collection, but this one is different. Instead of a figurine, it's a vintage clip and quite heavy. Found in my favorite antique shop.

This was my best find, by far.  A brand-new Dooney and Bourke wristlet! Still had the original price tag of $75. My price was $13. :-)

These aren't thrifting finds, but they're still bargains: wire magazine holders from the Target dollar section. They were $3 each. I snagged the last two. The navy and aqua colors are perfect for my office. I just need to make labels for the fronts. 

Meanwhile, being the end of August, the gardens are fading. All my potted annuals are history (except for one hanging pot of petunias in a shady spot) and some of the perennials are starting to dry up.

The end of August is when Sedum starts showing its beauty and since I have it planted in the butterfly garden, it's nice to have something blooming while the Purple Coneflower and Black-eyed Susan are fading away.

I just cannot get over my coleus this year. This pot started out as four small plants. At first, these plants weren't doing well. The leaves started to shrivel up and were crispy. I tried a sunny spot, shady spot, more water, less water...nothing was working. One of the plants even died. I was just about to give up when I decided to move the pot to the other side of the house. I don't know why this was the "magic spot", but wow! Next year I'm planting coleus in the ground in this spot.

I had to run into the grocery store while I was out this evening and I found mini mums for $2.99. I bought two yellow and one purple to plant in the planter box that previously held basil (now harvested and made into pesto and frozen). I guess fall really is coming. I'm one who wants to hold onto summer just a bit longer.

what weekends were made for

Monday morning again, my friends! Hope you all had a restorative weekend

so that you're ready to tackle whatever this week brings to you.

Brian had a rare weekend off work. We spent Saturday cleaning out the

garage and working in the yard. I dug up some rosemary and parsley and

planted them in pots and brought them into my kitchen. The parsley is already

looking sad and droopy. I also brought in my potted geraniums and a couple

of hanging plants. Between all those plus my usual 15 or so houseplants,

my house looks like a jungle.

We could've continued on with the home projects on Sunday ~ after all,

they never end, right? But we decided getting out of town would be more

fun, especially on a gorgeous autumn day. We decided on the town of

Geneva, which I've written about before. They have a quaint little downtown

area with some really neat shops and restaurants, and gorgeous houses.

While we were walking around, I saw this house and my heart stopped.

I just had to get a photo. Those columns. And dormers. And huge porch

off a second-story bedroom. Swoon.

Look at that roof with the x-beams underneath it. Gorgeous architectural details.

And while we were standing there gazing at this house, a little doggy ran out

of the open door on the second story and out onto the porch. I told Brian this

type of set-up would be perfect for our cats! They could be outdoors without any

risk of getting hurt. Dreaming...

Another beautiful building I found on our walk was this church - St. Marks.

I love the stone and the red door.

 

 I was looking forward to stopping into two of my favorite stores in Geneva:

Cocoon and Deja Vu Thrift Shop. I was disappointed to find that the thrift

store was closed on Sundays, so no bargain treasure hunting in store for

me yesterday, but I did find a pretty beaded bracelet at Cocoon. Oh man, I

love that store. It's one of those stores a woman could go crazy in - IF you

had a lot of money. 

I loved this side table: I am finding myself drawn to these metal barrel side tables

 lately. But not for $300! This one had a granite top.

While walking around, we stopped at an independent coffee/tea shop

for iced tea. I love the character and "artsyness" of most independent

coffee shops.  Check out this stairway. I love the bright yellow walls, the

stained glass window, and the huge, colorful paintings. I would love to

do something like this in my own, boring stairwell.

Ummm...yeah.

These potted coleus plants sat outside the coffee shop. I love how

the vibrant colors last long into the colder weather. I must remember

to get some of these next year. When I was 12 years old, I remember

wanting a coleus plant. I have no idea how I knew about them - I must've

seen one somewhere and asked my mom if I could have one. At that

age, I didn't even know that I liked plants - until I saw the coleus. So I 

ended up with one large coleus plant in my bedroom for quite awhile.

Thank you for the sweet comments about my grandpa. His funeral

is tomorrow in Kentucky. I never did get around to blogging about my

thrifted finds from last week's Goodwill jaunt with Penny. Hopefully, in 

the next post! For today, I must go tackle the housework and laundry,

plan the weekly dinner menu and make a shopping list, work on

a couple of decluttering projects, and then I have yoga class. 

Happy Monday!