VICTORIA AND ROMANTIC HOMES......

Victoria is back and the first issue is now available on my website! Also, the December issue of Romantic Homes can be ordered from Grandma G's! Get your copies, at less than the cover price, soon....there is a limited supply!!

High Winds and Fires........

If you have seen the national news over the past few days then you are aware of the horrible fires all over So California. Thankfully, my home is not in the fire zones but
we are close enough to suffer the effects of the smell of smoke and ashes in the air. Our throats are sore, we cough continually and have horrible headaches.....not bad considering what others are going through....

I would like to ask any and all who read this to please pray for our state, the families who have lost their homes and the firefighters who are by now exhausted from fighting the blazes. One life has been lost, others have been physically injured and thousands have been evacuated from their homes. Pray, too, that the winds die down......they are still blowing and are one of the biggest problems in getting the fires contained.

Before the fires started breaking out there were the winds. We call them Santa Ana winds because of the direction they blow, from east to west. Santa Ana winds bring high temperatures.....we have been in the high 80's to 90's....and there is always
wind damage. Our yard is no exception here! We had a beautiful 20 foot tall weeping willow tree.......the wind ripped it from the ground and toppled it into the yard on Sunday night. We already miss it and the shade it provided. The photos at the top are
the before and after of our lovely tree!

Wherever you are, I pray that you are safe and not experiencing any horrific weather conditions or fires in your area.

Crispy, fall air and Pumpkin pie!

I know I said this in an earlier post, but it IS now fall in California! The air is crisp, a little damp now and then and the smells of fires in fireplaces fill the air!
I just returned from shopping in a nearby boutique where their autumn decorations are out and look so welcoming. And, oh, the smell of pumpkin pie from the scented candles just made my mouth water!! Yummy!
I'm a little late but now have my home decorated, too. The usual pastel shades in my decor have been put aside until after New Year's. Orange, brown, red, yellow and green; pumpkins, turkeys, autumn leaves and pine cones until Thanksgiving and then out comes Christmas red and green!! Oh, how I love having all our wonderful, special decorations out again! I will post a photo or two of some of my fall things this week and then more photos when the Christmas things come out!!
I would love to hear about your favorite decorations.....

Fall Cleaning and Memories.......

I hope you are all remembering Pink October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Do your self-exams and if you can, donate to BC research.......remember you can shop on my website and I will donate a portion of your purchase!!
DH and I have spent the last two weekends cleaning out the garage. I guess it is Fall Cleaning time? We filled several trash cans and plastic bags of things we had kept and never used. He thinks I am becoming radical.......I am actually getting rid of books! I am a keeper of books. I read and reread them. They are like friends but, now with the idea of downsizing in mind, I AM READY......many are being donated to the public library, some to friends, a few for sale on my website and even some have been disposed of, I mean actually trashed!! I find it most difficult, even now, to rid myself of my children's books. I guess it's the memories of reading, rereading and reading again that compels me to keep them. I wonder how many times I read the Richard Scarry books to my son, looking for the gold bug hidden in the pictures? I remember the hours of reading The Chronicles of Narnia to both of my kids. It was a joy to see their faces as the stories revealed themselves through my voice and then, as their reading skills increased, through their voices, too! The books are leaving but the memories remain!
All of this going through stuff, purging, is in preparation not only for downsizing to move but also for an upcoming Yard Sale. I have only had one such sale at my home and swore I would never do it again but here I am planning. Do any of you have suggestions to make it easier to handle??? Share them with me if you do.......leave a comment!
I would also love to hear how you all decorate for fall. With the warm air, I just can't get into it yet. I have decided without a young family it is not as much fun to put out things for Halloween so all I will be doing is autumn and Thanksgiving.....guess I better get it done!