Pausing for a few moments..........

   Well it has certainly been a rough few weeks around here. My 91 year old mother is currently at a rehab facility and we are trying to find long term care for her. It has been quite the learning experience! And once it is all settled and done, I intend to take a very detailed look at my own life!!!
   Before I was simply stressed out (to the breaking point) about how my home, yard and life in general had all fallen by the wayside in the effort to look after Mom. And I figured that the day would come when I would finally have time to reorganize and pull it all back together.    You know what? That ain't how it works!    I'm looking at things with different eyes right now. And considering it all in ways I would not have before. "Life is a learning process" has a lot more depth of meaning now.
    As I sit here at my kitchen table with scattered paperwork and even more scattered thoughts.... I keep going back to LIVE YOUR LIFE AS BEST YOU CAN. BE THANKFUL FOR EACH DAY AND NIGHT. BE GOOD AND KIND AND SEND LOVING THOUGHTS OUT INTO THE WORLD.... ALWAYS.

5 sisters. From left to right:  Helen, Mae, Beatrice (Mom), Thelma and Delma

 Aunt Mae and Mom at the beach.

Freyja's Day.......... 50's necklace in Autumn colors!

    Well it seems that the Spirits of Autumn are smiling upon me! For probably three or four years now I've had this one triple strand necklace that I would just love to wear. But as usual, its a bit too tight on me. (I'm sure I've said before that I inherited my father's short thick neck!  Not my mom's mind you! She has a lovely graceful neck.......  I got Dad's! hahaha)   So, for all these years I've been looking for another necklace just like it so I can scavenge beads and enlarge mine. And I've had absolutely no luck at all.
    Until now! On Etsy I found not one, but TWO double strand necklaces that match perfectly. So I'll be able to lengthen my three strand one and have more than enough beads left over to make a nice big bracelet . And since there are two clasps I can make them into earrings. I'm so tickled!!!!

My original necklace!

 

So what to do on a rainy afternoon? Hats and cats, of course!

   Well, its that time of year again. At the supposed end of a long hot summer I sit and fantasize about all things Autumn! Of course, I'm also watching the weather radar because we are under a tropical storm warning and hurricane watch with flood warnings up along the coastal areas. But hey, that's Florida!
   So what to do on a rainy afternoon.... with dreams of autumn leaves and pumpkins dancing about in my head? Look through some clothes and hats, of course!!!  OR clean the house.  Just try and guess which one I've chosen to do.

.

   As you can see, Ronan and Fergus have decided to join the fun. But they don't seem overly enthusiastic about looking through everything. Their goal is to turn it all into a mattress with linens. Can't blame them. The rain is starting to really come down now and the thunder is rumbling around. Thankfully the winds have not kicked up much!

   I dug out some of my velvet skullcaps and clutch hats to try on with the clothes. I like to sort of balance elements out.... simple color clothes with a fancy hat and vice versa with a bright colorful garment. But I love it when you find the perfect combo and it all SINGS!!! hahaha
    Found this cute little fascinator a couple of years ago, it needs just a little bit of TLC. So much fun for Autumn! But Ronan wasn't the least bit impressed.

   And then there is this little turkey feather hat. I LOVE turkey feathers!! They look stunning when the light hits them right. Let me say, this photo does not do justice to this hat. It isn't even a style that looks good on me, but the colors are so captivating I try to wear it whenever I can!
   There are a few pheasant feathers scattered throughout to add visual interest. And I want to make note that the turkey feathers may be dyed somehow. They look "normal" on the surface, but the red and orange sheen seems a little extra intense. On a couple of hats that were falling apart (badly) I saw that the shafts had obviously been dyed. In one instance they were a vivid orange!  I don't understand the process, but I can appreciate the result.

Tags in the turkey feather hat.