Weekly Round-Up

 What a wonderful week we had!

Early in the week this lovely, pumpkin design pillow cover arrived from Stacey at Poofing The Pillows.  Leaving a comment was all a person had to do, and then let the random comment picker do the rest of the work.

It chose my name, and I couldn't be more in love with the pillow cover to help celebrate the Autumn Equinox and show my love for the season on our porch!  Thank you so much, Stacey!

That same evening we ate hearty homemade lettuce salads with grilled chicken breasts on our porch.  It's just a perfect place to be this time of year.

 as these two fur babies can attest.  They too are loving the cooler weather.

We also celebrated our wedding anniversary with dinner out on Wednesday evening, at Carlos Brazilian Restaurant which sits on a mountain hillside and offers views of the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains and also of the setting sun..

 The company (my husband) and I REALLY enjoyed our celebration this year!

 A litte wine.

 and a little chicken, shrimp, crabmeat and pasta for me,

 while he enjoyed rice, keilbasa, clams and scallops.

 Then I did a naughty thing and ordered Key Lime Pie for dessert, and while my waistline fussed with me over the calories, my mouth said, "just shut up and enjoy".  And so I DID!

 And a piece of chocolate cake jumped onto his plate.

 Then the sunset put on a show for us.

 and just as we arrived home after dinner, it looked like this!

Can you think of a more perfect view to end your day?

 We awoke Thursday morning to a blue and gold sunrise, nearly as awe-worthy as the sunset the night before.

 and enjoyed some of our anniversary flowers on the deck as we sipped coffee.

 This could be the last sign of summer, the last butterfly of the season, which fluttered about my butterfly bush this week also.

 Like I said.... just a PERFECT week for us!

Thanks for stopping by to see us.

How About A Hydrangea Instead

 I went for a drive in search of a sunflower field, but I have not come across any in our area for a few years.

 So I headed home with these hydrangea photos from a local garden center instead.

 My own hydrangeas have done NOTHING for a couple of years.

They have been a complete disappointment to me.

 Sometimes you have to take what you can get when it comes to photographing living things in this world.

Hydrangeas are a good thing

BUT

I still hope to capture the elusive sunflower.

In Full Swing

 

 A while back I needed to make a run to our vet's office to pick up a supply of the regular monthly meds that we give to our pups.  Flowers were in full bloom on the front steps into the building and demanded my full attention with camera in hand.

I have to wonder what they look like this week with our very high outdoor temperatures beating down on them.

Anyway.... they made me smile.

I have to be sure to tell my husband after I do the grocery shopping as to whether or not I have 'plans' for some of the food I buy so that he won't use them for his own meal planning purposes.

The cherry tomatoes and mushrooms were a part of the 'roasted veggies' for last night's meal.

Quite tasty!

 It's been in the upper 90's, so it's really just too hot to spend time on the porch... and that plant has moved indoors for it's own summer survival.  Smart plant!!

Rowdy doesn't care... he sits out there anyway, but we do have to monitor his time spent in small quantities.  He seems to have a 'summertime heat cranial disorder' (jk) that does not allow him to know when he is hot and to come inside, even when panting.  You would think he would get the hint.

  *sigh*

Yes.  Summer is in full swing here in southwestern Virginia.

Springtime Cool Weather

It's been a busy and somewhat rainy week,

but in between the storms we have found the time to enjoy ourselves

and do some grilling on the deck.

This is my husband.... the man of the hour who is a very 'take charge' kind of guy and does all of the grilling.

 This is our little girl dog, our boxer, Izzy.

She's always very sniffy and curious when grilling happens.

 WE also found the time to do some planting between rain showers,

A couple buckets of daffodils will hopefully add some color beneath our Bradford Pear trees this year.

 and of course you can NEVER have enough pansies, so we have them in the planters on our deck, in pots on the front porch and back patio, and a few with the daffodils.

 The weather was so iffy, but mornings required that I wear a sweater.

I found this new white cable knit at H&M, a store a rarely step inside,

but who can resist a sale with a very nice cable knit for $20?

Certainly not I.

 I paired it with my favorite leather hat,

an old pair of Naturalizer leather boots.

a pair of Tommy Hilfiger jeans from a couple of years ago,

my Michael Kors Runway watch that I STILL LOVE from a few years ago,

and a matching necklace and bracelet from The Loft from my over-flowing jewelry box.

Hat HERE // Watch HERE // Jeans SIM HERE// Boots SIM HERE 

Sweater SIM HERE

The Death Of Chrysanthemums

 Chrysanthemums.

Just as beautiful in their dying state as when blossoming at their fullest.

These are my dying mum photos.

Thanks for viewing today!