a fall break up north

Breaks are good.  We were long overdue for a break to take us away from our everyday routine here at the house.  Our cabin was located on Long Lake in northern Michigan. The cabin was exquisite.  The owner and his wife are collectors which made the cabin feel as though it was straight out of a story book.  Wood canoes hung from the ceiling and a stone fireplace was the perfect resting place at night for a cup of hot tea.

But the best parts were the little moments....apple picking, rock collecting, fires, gooey s'mores, row boat rides, laying on our backs watching the leaves fall over us and being still as a family.

Here is to a wonderful week ahead!

Plans here include...

Getting the rest of my bulbs planted  

(this year I'm laying chicken wire over my bulbs to keep the animals at bay)   

Using our apples to bake with the beans

Coming up with some more leaf projects for the beans

and maybe just maybe buy a sewing machine?!?!  

Happy making, baking, and growing!

linking with...Stone Cottage Adventures

the party

We celebrated 3 fall birthdays by throwing these beans a garden party!  Heavy rains were in the forecast so I set a table for the kids to create their own fairy/gnome house in our basement.  Each family went home with a gnome and fairy for their new house.

Ribbons were the general theme to create some simple whimsy throughout the house.  And old logs were used for serving trays.  Pictures of the beans enjoying the garden from the past year were hung and a fresh bouquet of dahlias were cut to add some color to the table.

I made each bean their own cake and topper. 

And we sang our hearts out for each one! 

via-Etsy Shop

All the best in the week ahead friends!  I hope the beauty of the changing season brings you great joy!

Happy making, baking, and growing!

Linking up with...

The Dedicated House

Cozy Little House

Stone Cottage Adventures

Common Ground

I Should Be Mopping The Floor

casual boxwood planters

via~HabituallyChic

via~The Urban Un-Martha

via~Homedecorphotos.blogspot.com

I have always wanted boxwood planters by my front door.  Partly because I live in Chicago and by February I am longing for something green by the door.  The other part, well, I just like the look.  Our home is not formal.  A 1967 basic split.  And with boxwood containers generally evoking a feeling of formality, I was a bit torn.  So what's a girl to do?  After doing my research and finding some inspiration of loosely shaped boxwoods in simple planters I just went for it!

Our front porch is primarily shade so I have always planted ferns and impatiens.   I went with Green Velvet Boxwoods because they do very well in the shady areas of my front garden.

Some basic planting tips I found from various articles...

~Choose a fast draining pot that is at least as wide and tall as the plant itself
~Stay away from heavy soils such as topsoil
~Leave space at the top to keep water from spilling out
~Water at least once a week in the summer months...be careful not to over water
~Add compost in the spring
~Try to rotate your containers

If they do well we might just have some green this winter and I won't have to buy annuals this spring to fill the pots!

Are you working on any containers this season? 

As always happy making, baking and growing!!!