If you hadn't noticed, I haven't blogged for a week. I've had kind of a sore throat, sinus, all around crappy feeling kind of a thing (not the technical name). I'm going to try hard to ignore it and see if it will go away.

I'm also trying to make a decision on my house. My sister-in-law, Susan & brother-in-law, Mike, came this weekend. Mike power washed the house & got it ready to be painted. Below are the colors I'm using. The darker green/brown color will be the house. The lighter beige will be trim around windows. The red will be the door and I was thinking the shutters but now I'm not so sure. Maybe I could even paint them red & sand them a little then stain to age. Anyone have any ideas?

I love all of these shutters. Mike is going to make them for me so they'll look like real shutters. Here's another idea -- just stained.

Can't wait to get the house painted but I'm just not sure what I want. Any help will be appreciated.

Sure signs of Fall......

Today is the first day of fall & it certainly feels like it here. We've had lots of rain and it's been extremely humid. The mosquitoes are loving it and beginning to look a little like birds and my laundry wouldn't completely dry on the line. The trees are starting to turn and the garden has pretty much had it. The only thing still looking good is the sweet annie that needs to be cut. I love to take it to Leola's because it makes the store smell so good.

Would you believe that I actually have bittersweet growing in my back yard! I've been cutting it and using it on wreaths & taking it to the shop.
This is a table setting in my space at Leola's. This basket actually has a little metal tag on the side that tells the basket company where it was made in Iowa. This candlestick is something new I found that runs on a battery. It has the greatest flickering light. I left one on in Phoebe's room this weekend for a night light & she loved it. You don't have to worry about blowing your candle out.

Another sign of fall -- a deserted birdhouse. Sad!!!

I love the purple hyacinth bean vine and this is what you get in the fall. Big ole purple beans! I always cut & dry them for next year. My uncle gave me my original vine and he had saved the beans every year of his adult life and the tradition continues.

While the weather is so nice, I intend to get some pieces ready for the shop. Can't believe we're already planning our holiday open house -- yikes!!!!

Fall day at Rainbow Trout Farm, Rockbridge, MO....

We girls decided to take off on this beautiful fall day and head to Rainbow Trout Farm for lunch and maybe do a little antiquing in Ava. This area is so beautiful and so quiet and peaceful. We had a hard time leaving. This is the main building and houses the restaurant. The little house is a rental.

People come here to fly fish. We decided to have a women's weekend soon and get cabins and take fly fishing lessons.

This was a young woman taking lessons.

We couldn't believe the amount of fish people were catching in this river. This gentleman let me take a picture of his catch.

This is the group (except for me) -- Judy, Brenda, Jean, Kay & Linda (seated).

This place is a photographer's dream. Everywhere I looked was another photo op. I caught Brenda in front of this old shed.

Inside the old red mill they've set up a big bar where you can set and have something to drink and watch the water. They had the big back and front barn doors open so the breeze blew through. Judy wanted her picture taken at the bar.

The old mill is just a beautiful structure that has been so well maintained. It's on a road with at least 2 other mills in close proximity. There's a lot to see in this part of Missouri if you don't mind driving. Laura Ingalls Wilder's home is in Mansfield and if you've never seen it, it's well worth the trip. It's really beautiful country.

This was a shop we stopped at in Ava. We all bought something and then went to the drugstore and bought nickel ice cream cones (yes, you heard right). It cost us 30 cents for all our cones. The drugstore looked exactly like it probably did in the 50's but the elderly man's cell phone rang who was setting beside me on one of the old red naugahyde stools. He had on old bibbed overalls & a white t-shirt and was having a vanilla shake. Somehow it just didn't seem right that he should have a cell phone but he did and it rang and he answered it. Life goes on!!!

Have a great week-end!

Springfield's Japanese Stroll Garden.....

Saturday was such a beautiful day and a perfect day to go for a walk in the park with grandson Sage. It just happened to be a special day at the Japanese stroll gardens with all kinds of festivities to enjoy. We are so blessed to have wonderful parks to enjoy and this is one of my favorites. It was also a good time to take pictures with my new Canon. I'm really loving it.
There were huge fish in the ponds and they were all different colors.

Sage has always loved origami and they had several high school students that were taking Japanese and were helping the kids with Japanese crafts. This is a butterfly that a young man helped Sage make.

Seems that we have less time these days to spend together but it always makes me happy to know they still want to spend time with me. It was a good day.

Fall decorating at Leola's......

Thought the front of Leola's looked so great this weekend. Everyone brought in mums, bittersweet, twig wreaths & various other fall things to make the front look quite autumnal.

We finally talked Judy into getting a new washer & she brought her old one down to fill with mums (that's a joke). I do remember when my Mom used to wash in one of these and run that laundry through the ringer. Then take it out and hang it all on the line -- for a family of 10.

Judy made the scarecrow.

The bittersweet is gorgeous this year. We've had rains all summer and not too much heat so should be an amazing fall. If you haven't ever seen the Ozarks in the fall, you don't know what you're missing.

Sorry, those big ole orange rockers just sold. A nice young couple is remodeling an old farmhouse and plan on setting out on their front porch in these chairs.

Pam's wonderful designs......

We've had an incredible weekend at Leola's. It seems everyone is ready for fall and it didn't hurt that the weather was beautiful. Everyone around seemed to be having an open house or a festival of some kind. Thankfully, lots of them came to check out the shop.

These were some of the new shirts and colors that Pam brought in. We all love her shirts and apparently, quite a few of our customers do too. Some come in often to add to their collection. I love these jacket sweatshirts. Pam does the best job of dressing her mannequins and decorating her space. She's one talented gal.


You might not be able to tell from this picture but she made necklaces out of old ties and keys.

She really finds great things and puts it all together in a way that is only hers'. That's the thing about most of the women at Leola's; in most instances I can recognize their things without looking at the tag first. They all definitely have their own style.

Hopefully, in the next few days, I'll focus on the different women in the shop and show you what they do and tell a little about them.

Fall Open House at Leola's -- Sept. ll, 12, & 13

We've worked so hard this week on the shop. Everything has been moved and redone. I'm getting too old for this. I had lots of furniture this time to take & just loading & unloading about kills me. But the shop looks amazing. Thought I'd post some pictures to pique your interest.
This is the coolest pumpkin. It's made out of barbed wire.

Brenda does beautiful florals. This would be so cool on a door.

Pam was still working on her area so didn't get any good pictures of her jackets and shirts but I will tomorrow. She had some wonderful colors. If you've never tried her shirts, you should. The nicest thing about them is that they actually fit women. I've loved mine and they've been worn & washed lots of times.

I've added several new crocks in great fall colors.

If you're anywhere near Ozark tomorrow, please stop by & see us. You'll be so glad you did. Just don't say anything if I'm setting down resting my feet.

A great weekend at Wells' family reunion.....

We had such a great weekend in St. Joe. Allison, John, the kids & myself drove up on Friday & headed back Sunday afternoon so it wasn't a very long stay but we packed a lot in. By the time we headed home, the kids were about ready to revolt if another picture was taken. We're all picture-takers. It must be a Wells' gene (not in me but most of the others) because they have the most wonderful pictures that record the history of the Wells' family. They're also lucky to have so many people interested in their genealogy who have kept excellent records of the family. What this seems to do is to set an example to the younger generation and hopefully, instill in them the need to continue this tradition and keep the family together. Below, is the youngest of the crew. They were the best kids but how could they not be with the wonderful parents they all have.

At the Saturday night picnic, one of the grandmothers brought her face painting kit and painted faces. Sage kept going back for more blood but Jake decided he was not in the mood to have paint on his face. Sage's & Jake's moms grew up together in Minneapolis & were best friends but Allison moved to Springfield and Leslie ended up in Philadelphia. Also, their great-grandfathers were twins so some of those Wells' genes show up in both boys.

This is Linnea, Jake's g'mother, trying on very thick glasses at the Rusty Chandelier. I always have to get a little antiquing in. We girls had a great day together. Even though there are sometimes long stretches between our visits, it just feels like it was yesterday when we get together. Families are such a great thing.

Below was Mike's Grandma Wells' house. Someone is apparently working on it right now. St. Joe is full of these big old houses that are almost impossible to keep up in this day and age. It's such a shame because many are falling down. It would take so many people with so much money to restore them. People would rather go out and build a new one. Mike's sister & brother-in-law live in an area of smaller cottages and it's a neighborhood that is very well maintained and has been lovingly restored.

It was a wonderful weekend and I'm so glad we went. Mike loved his family so much and he always wanted Allison to be a part of it and to know where she came from. I think she knows.

Tomorrow we start decorating for fall at Leola's. Summer is really over. They locked the gates on the pools today and the kids are back on that school routine. Life goes on.

Kelli's & Linda's project........

I had to show this picture I took today. Everything is looking fall -- it even smells like fall. This was taken at the apple orchard and the trees are loaded with apples. This must be a bumper crop. They even had lots of the limbs propped up with boards.

This was a vintage hickory set of lawn furniture but it was so comfy that Kelli decided it needed to go inside. Her mom, Linda, made these beautiful linen-look slipcovers with old crochet pieces appliqued on. They painted them creamy white and they look wonderful.

This old store fixture was just waiting to have her picture taken. A little bit of an exhibitionist.
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Can't believe it's the last weekend of summer. Where did it go. Next week will be a busy one getting ready for open house at Leola's. We'll be closed Weds. and Thurs. to re-do the shop. It promises to be amazing.

Have a great weekend.