Sunday, September 16, 2012

Mums and a Peacock

I had a rough week.  Tuesday, on my way to meet a friend, I discovered both front tires on my car were almost flat.  I drove to the nearest gas station to get air, and was able to go about the day's fun -- pedicure and lunch.  

 Thursday both tires were down and I wound up having to get four new tires, very expensive.  And spent most of Friday dealing with this.  

The week ended on a brighter note, and  Saturday I spent some time getting a little fall flair in my flower beds.  I will be tweaking for a while, I still need to get pumpkins and my scarecrows will be out soon.

I no longer get the local paper delivered (too much to recycle and easier  to read online, for free) so I decided to tweak it by adding fall color by way of The Dollar Tree.

A little early for Thanksgiving, perhaps, but it is always time for gratitude.

I love scarecrows.  This one I purchased at a craft fair about 11 years ago.  He is the first one I take out each year to grace my front door.  My storm door made too much reflection so I had to take this from inside.

I do love to fly a flag.  The American flag flies from May to after Patriots' Day (9/11) and then I hang this one through Thanksgiving

I had to abandon my yard for most of the summer - it was the ongoing and always losing battle of the weeds.  No flowers made it into the flower beds.  I needed to have a shrub removed that was dead from some disease.  In its place I planted some large mums.  In the spring I will decide what I really want to do with the space.

This peacock I purchased from Target online, using a gift card I won at Pat's blog, Gypsy Heart.  It was quite a while ago, and I have apologized to Pat for taking so long to share what I had purchased.  It was on sale and I got free shipping ($20 savings).
Thanks again, Pat!

I can't believe the reflection in my windows.

This is the other bed.  Homeowners' association does the grass, and not very well.  The beds are our responsibility.  There will be more tweaking here with pumpkins, etc.

I also switched cable providers.  My bill was almost $200 each month, and I only have one television and one box, with triple play!  Now I have Verizon.

Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.



It felt good to get started.  More to come.  

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51 comments:

  1. Hello Barbara:
    Gosh you really have started to make an impact in your front garden. It is so welcoming to have a pretty display to greet visitors at the front door. Surely, you will have put a smile on every face that passes by or comes to your house!

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  2. Hi Barbara - Your yellow mums look so pretty!! Such a bright spot. Your yard and front door look great. A good idea for the paper box.

    Judy

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  3. I love it all! Your floral addition to the paper box is brilliant...and so colorful. I agree re: the gratitude too. The scare crow is a hoot! I need to find a cute one like that...mine bit the dust awhile ago and haven't replaced it due to the lack of cuteness of so many. :) The mums are gorgeous! I love the peacock...so happy you found something you liked.

    I've been working on the inside this past week so no outside decor yet. I need to open some bins and see exactly what I have.

    Thanks for sharing!
    xo
    Pat

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  4. P.S. I am so sorry about your having to buy tires! It's never fun is it? We have to have 'em but it's not like buying fun things. I spent so much on my old car the first 6 months of this year...could have had a grand vacation! :)

    xo
    Pat

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  5. Love what you did with the paper box! Cute fall popping up all over your home!
    hugs, Linda

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  6. Love seeing fun fall look in the city. Took some mum pictures at the Farmer's Market yesterday. I think I need to get some for my dining room table!

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  7. Looks good Barbara! I love what you did with the newspaper box-very clever:@)

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  8. Looks like fall to me. I like mums but I haven't found any inexpensive ones yet. Cute scarecrow and flag.

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  9. Far from humble - it is pretty, warm, charming, and full of autumn's color show.
    XO,
    Lisa

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  10. I'm so glad your week got better, Barbara! It's always fun to start decorating for a new season and I like to ease my way into it, too. Love your scarecrow and your mums are beautiful, now you don't have to miss not having flowers so much!

    I hope this coming week is wonderful! :)

    XO,
    Jane

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  11. It's looking great. Love the size of those mums. What I love most of all is what you did with your newspaper box. That's a very good idea!

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  12. Your home looks so festive, Barbara. Love that you turned your paper box into a flower container. So sorry to read about your tires, but at least you didn't get stuck someplace far from home with two flats.

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  13. Yay for fall decorating!!! I've just make a few tweaks here and there -- but I haven't but my fall garden flags out just yet ... this week, perhaps?! Hugs! :)

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  14. It all looks so nice and welcoming, Barbara. That scarecrow is adorable. You have re-purposed your paper box in a very clever and cute way. Great idea.
    Sorry to hear about your tire problems. No fun!

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  15. I enjoyed seeing the outside of your home, Barbara. I like the beginning touches of your fall decor! Sorry you had to replace tires and deal with the flats but glad it is taken care of now.

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  16. Barbara F.,
    Your fall decorating is coming along nicely. Everything looks festive and your bushes are very nice.
    Sorry you had flat tires.
    Pat

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  17. I love mums! Your fall decor looks great. The mailbox is beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing at A Bouquet of Talent linky party. I am so thrilled to have you. Have a great week. :)

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  18. I never look at tires. My Dad knew it and my Hubby knows it. Once we had a tire with a slow leak and my Hubby had it fixed before he left on a business trip and told me to look at it before I left for work the next morning. So I did and it looked fine. When he came home two days later the first thing he did was check the tire. It was almost flat and I had driven to work on it that way. I told him it looked fine when I checked it so I didn't look at it again. We have a good laugh over that. But tires are important and I'm glad you got new ones. I know they are expensive but it's a safety issue too. I love what you did with your paper mail box. It is so cute with the fall flowers. Your home looks beautiful with your fall decorations. I'm not ready to give up summer but fall is in the air. We had a great weekend - it couldn't have been more perfect with the weather. When we got home we had a voice message that our furniture is here and to call to schedule delivery. Yippee! And in three weeks our new front door will be installed. Now I have to get busy and line my new valances. And get the family room ready for the new chairs (i.e., move all my crochet stuff out of there! LOL !). Have a lovely evening!

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  19. Dearest Barbara,
    First of all, I didn't know what mum is and when I read the title, I thought some ladies will be in your post, haha.
    Wow!!! the most I was amazed was the flag you decorated which is really first to see for me♡♡♡ You really are a talented lady for all these works; loved the pictures of your outside of the house very much, my friend♬♬♬
    Wish you will be my partner with all ideas(*^_^*)
    Sending you lots of love and hugs from Japan, xoxo Miyako*

    PS> Luckily, typhoon is a bit out of the course which really relieved me. After having lunch, I'll do the last preparing,(^^;)
    Sending you lots of love and hugs from Japan, xoxo Miyako*

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  20. Love the way you did your front beds for fall.
    The tires were a bum at least now it shouldn't be a worry for awhile.
    Hugs...

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  21. Lovely house you got and I like all those nice things you decorated it with :)

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  22. Hi Barbara, what lovely things. I like everything in so autumntime. You made gorgeous decorations!
    Kisses
    Alessandra

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  23. Thanks for sharing. I saw a tiny bit of blue.

    Happy Blue Monday, Barbara.

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  24. A well decorated house and getting ready for Halloween? :)

    Visiting from Blue Monday- hope you can stop by..

    http://www.heavenly-dreams.com/2012/09/auntie-annes-pretzels.html

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  25. Your fall flag and decor look great!! Sorry about your tires... now atlast you wont have to worry about them. hapoy monday.

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  26. What a clever idea with the newspaper box--it turned out so pretty. Don't you love the dollar store!!! Your mums look so lovely in the front to welcome in fall.
    Ann

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  27. Ok... you've inspired me to get busy with my Fall decorating. I especially love your flower arrangement. Everything looks great Barbara!

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  28. Love the idea with the newspaper box! No one has anything like that around here -- if they have a newspaper subscription, it just gets thrown in the yard! I also like the mums with your cute peacock peeking out from behind them!

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  29. I love what you did to the paper mailbox. Super cute. I wish it were colder here so I could get into decorating for fall. Have a great one!

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  31. What a sweet addition to your home and love this thought - it may be too early for Thanksgiving but it's never to early for gratitude.

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  32. Hi Barbara

    Love your "mums".

    Sorry to read about flat tires
    but glad that all turned out ok
    even though it was expensive.

    Your postbox looks great

    Have a good week

    Fiona

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  33. Hello Barbara,
    Your autumn decorations are looking very nice. I love this time of year and mums, pumpkins, etc. It's so colorful. Sorry about the tires. I had when things go wrong with cars!
    Hugs, Cindy

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  34. Beautiful yellow mums. I love to see mums in the fall. They look so festive in yard.

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  35. Hey Barbara! Looking good! Love the mums! I just planted three myself!
    Your old newspaper box looks great all decorated! That was a great idea to use it! Your scarecrow is a cutie! We all have those old favorites!
    I like your flag too1 I have a flag pole that I have decorative flags for- I need to get my fall one out there! Thanks for reminding me!

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  36. Your front entry is so inviting with the scarecrow, flag and pop of color from the mums!

    Debra

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  37. Hello Barbara,
    So glad your weekend turned out well - I had to have some tires replaced a while back too - always at an inconvenient time - love the mums and the peacock is gorgeous! great idea with the mailbox - I do appreciate you sharing with A Return to Loveliness,
    Kathy

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  39. It is never fun to blow $800 on new tires- I had to do that a few months ago. That is money I'd rather be spending on my decorating! LOL
    Speaking of which- I like your idea of popping some color into your old newspaper box, Barbara. Just too cute an idea. Hope your mums survive- the cooler fall weather should help. :-)

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  40. Everything looks so pretty! I love your mail/paper box decorations.

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  41. I love all the fall gussying up. How clever to make a planter out of your newspaper box. It looks wonderful. Sorry about the tires. I don't know when they became so expensive! Joni

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  42. Hi Barb, I'm sorry to hear about your tires, but at least you were able to get to the important stuff--you know, lunch and a pedicure! hehehe Your fall decor looks wonderful. I have to get on the ball with mine. I see your SI Advance box. I have a picture of my hubby published in that paper when he was only 6, with a little wild bird he rescued perched on his shoulder. I would show it but he won't let me. Have a wonderful fall day. It's pouring here and winds are very strong so I'm hoping the power stays on. Can't miss my blog reading! Linda

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  43. Your fall decorations are so sweet. I love the scarecrow. He looks so friendly..my kind of scary! Sorry you had to buy new tires..it's always something when you just dont expect it. Enjoy your sweet decorations!

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  44. Barbara, I think everything looks so lovely. I am eager to see what else you do. Blessings, Ginger

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  45. So sorry to hear you had a rough time of it last week...I hope this week is going better. Love the fall decorations...very pretty. Wishing you a happy week Barbara!:D

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  46. Great inspiration! I like the way you transformed the newspaper box Thank you for sharing at Potpourri Friday!

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  47. Lovely home , love the flowers too :) i would appreciate if you can visit my entry too. Valley of Fire

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  48. Linda casa e enfeites! beijos,chica

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  49. I like your fall decorating. Thanks for sharing. Take care, Linda

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  50. I love the tweaking of the mailbox. Very cute idea. I just added pumpkins to my outdoor decor and boy do they add alot. Yours is looking pretty. Will be wonderful with the added pumpkins. Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    Hugs,
    Jann

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  51. Barbara, Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful fall post on Simple & Sweet Fridays. I love all the colors of the mums and pumpkins. Fall is beautiful at your home.


    Jody

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