Have I mentioned that I am really out of practice having company? I used to have 10-12 people for dinner without a blink of an eye. Anyway, I am trying to get back in practice and had these friends for Sunday dinner a while back. Check out the big little guy on my lap! I think he’s kind cute! 
I actually carved pumpkins this year!!!!! I am so excited. If you know me well, you’d know that I am usually at least two weeks behind on holiday things. (Like, I still haven’t mailed Ian his birthday present….I’m a BAD mom!) And I do have Halloween cards for Ian and my sister..I bought them TWO weeks ago, but are they in the mail? (no) So anyway, it was a big deal to get the pumpkins carved before Thanksgiving! It brought back lots of good memories of carving a pumpkin with dad (Lani, where did we learn that one pumpkin was not enough?!!) I stole the kitty cat face directly from Lani’s blog and got some inspiration from some other surfing of Google images. No trick 0r treat-ers here in my apartment complex, but I am hoping some of my neighbors enjoy the jack-o-lanterns. I’ve enjoyed the Halloween lights on the balcony across the parking lot and their cute witch blowing around in the wind!
Did some fall camping before it turned so chilly!
The hike-in campsites at Ledges State Park are awesome! The “hike” was only about a 3 minute walk, but you really got the feeling of being “back to nature”!
Part of my nesting week involves borrowing a friend’s wawa for a slumber party. This is Monty, a wonderful, silky, black, long-haired chihuahua. He’s the best little snuggling dog I’ve ever run into! After sharing a little dry cereal and spending a little time on the computer, we had a snugly night: little wawa up against the hollow of my back, something warm and silky wrapped around my feet, cute little face with big black eyes resting on my chest, waiting for me to get up! I’d kind of forgotten about the “taking dogs out” thing, but other than that, we had a perfect sleep over!
I made my sister a wall hanging for her birthday. A few years ago she put an addition onto the cottage. I have to admit, when she was in the planning stages and we had the architect’s drawing spread out on her dining room table, I thought she was a little crazy, but the addition is fantastic! I wish I had some of her imaginative and visualizing skills. I pretty much have to see something else and basically copy it, making some of my own changes and additions according to how it feels. I can never visualize the finished product. Anyway, I said I would make a little hanging for her new room. I took home a piece of her wallpaper border for inspiration, and this is the finished product. And, she liked it!! And I liked making it….so….win-win!
I think it is going to be a nesting week here at Passion for Green. I haven’t posted any decorating photos in a while. Going all the way back to spring, here are some views of what I had on the walls and just recently took down…..yah…..I’m a little behind! Some of you would know that I change the decor in my bedroom with the seasons. Spring focuses on Iowa fields, the progression of blooming and pictures of my family.
Can you tell I like to create things out of fabric?! The second from the last was my attempt to paint something that looked like it was made out of fabric.
This was the early stage of you birthday present. It’s finished now and it should be in the mail today. Sorry I’m late, but at least you’ll have a preview today!
Looking forward to this visitor from Poland today! I wonder if he is missing his bed back in Poland?!
here are some pics of my winter decor. Even in the winter, I make sure I have a little green around!
I’ve been so excited to see a lot of purple put out there for fall this year. I decided to go ahead and keep my tradition of changing the decor with the seasons since I moved to my new place, at least I’ll make changes in the bedroom. For fall I really heat it up, to fight off the approaching cold, you know. The photo on my little table is of my sister at her retirement dinner. She was a principal and had to have her portrait made to go on the wall with the other former chiefs! I love this picture and it reminds me of how amazing she is! While I was in Poland, she had my car detailed for me, DETAILED, mind you, which I have never done in my life! And she bought me a bike rack which I hope to use for the first time tomorrow!
Along with the purple and pink, I have reds and oranges too.
I have some of my own oil paintings to go with my fall decor. I love to paint…and I don’t care what anyone else thinks about my painting! That’s the best way to paint, just paint for yourself. This is my version of blurred fall grasses on fire with the light of a pink and orange sunset! Or…..just a lot of pretty colored brush strokes. And yes, my apartment smelled like my grandma’s apartment for a week or so! She took up oil painting when she was in her 70’s!
