Fall In The Courtyard

The seasons change slowly in my area of California.  We are still having temperatures in the high-80's, yet the pumpkin patches and corn mazes are open. I have a hard time getting into decorating for fall when I'm still in my summer clothes! I've not done much interior decorating, we are going to be in and out the last few weeks of the month so I know I won't get too carried away with this year's decorating. I did do some fall decorating of our courtyard.  It was time to replace the summer annuals with flowers that will last through the winter; pansies and snapdragons are my favorites for that. We dragged out some old crocks from storage and I filled them with colorful mums.  A few pumpkins and we're fall festive!  I can't quite let go of summer so left my sunflower wreath on the door for a few more weeks.

When we bought our home in 1984, the courtyard area consisted of a small grassy patch and flowerbeds on each side.  It was hard to maintain and was really a waste of space.  I told my Hubbers many years ago that I wanted a brick courtyard.  Well, we had kids to raise, college to pay for, so that project got put on the back burner.  About five years ago we were finally able to complete that project.  I love our courtyard and spend a lot of time in it, especially in the late afternoons.  It's shaded by then, I sit out in one of the chairs and stitch or read.  I'm entertained by the hummingbirds coming to feed at the feeder or play in the fountain.  The fountain is also used by the finches and sparrows that frequent our yard.  Every now and then we even get a hawk that comes to take a water break! It's a very peaceful spot for me. Decorated for fall, it's even more special!

This morning my Hubbers and I watched a hummingbird taking his morning bath in the fountain!



I got my cat, Krisha, in 1981.  She lived 21 years.  I adored her.  She loved to curl up in this spot so her ashes are buried under the figurine.



My Hubbers lost two of his brothers to lung cancer last year.  One of his clients bought us this rose bush as a remembrance. It's growing like crazy!

My old guy, Harley, wanted his picture taken, too!  He will be 15 in January.  He loves to sit out in the courtyard with me!

No-Sew Burlap Table Runner

I had a monogrammed burlap table runner that I made a few years ago.  Last year we spilled red wine on it (oops!) and I couldn't get the stain out.  I wanted another burlap runner to complement my fall decorating, but didn't want to take the time to sew one. While watching football a few weeks back I whipped this one out.  I like how it turned out; it's a little rustic but softened up a bit with the satin ribbon.

I've gotten frustrated in the past while working with burlap.  It's a very loose-weave fabric and frays as it's being looked at, I think! It's hard to get a straight cut. The clerk at the fabric store enlightened me to a neat trick as she was cutting the fabric for me. She ripped out one of the threads, then used that as the cutting line. Well, how nifty is that?!!

To make this runner I measured how wide and long I wanted it to be.  I identified the thread that was closest to the point of measurement. I followed that thread to the raw end of the fabric and tugged at the thread.  I then gently pulled the thread, holding on to the fabric, so that the thread slid out of the burlap.  That became my cutting line. 

To make the space for the ribbon I marked where I wanted the ribbon to go and how wide the opening needed to be.  I pulled out enough threads so that the ribbon would fit. 

After that it was a matter of weaving the ribbon in and out of the fabric (I went every 5 threads).  To make it easier to weave, I attached a safety pin to the end of the ribbon. 

This is easily a no-sew project.  As the burlap does fray so easily, I ran a quick zig-zag stitch about one-inch in to limit the amount of fray.

I found the most beautiful tulips at the flower mart!

Is It Really Fall?

According to the calendar, fall has arrived. According to the weather, it's still summer! Yikes, it's been warm! The only evidence of fall I see is in the plants and flowers; the summer plants are fading, the morning glory is turning yellow, we had to pull up the sunflowers and we have harvested the pomegranates.

As it's been so un-fallish I just couldn't get into the normal fall decorating with pumpkins, gourds, and harvest colors. In a few weeks I'll get there but not yet! In the meantime, to celebrate the transition from summer to fall, I did a little decorating with an apple theme. Apples and fall go hand-in-hand.

For the mantle I made a burlap banner, incorporating a bright red apple. I decorated a small grape vine wreath with some greenery and apples. An antique bucket, with some wooden apples, carries out the theme.

 

The dining room table is anchored by an apple print table runner.

My wooden dough bowl holds an assortment of apples from our espalier tree.

I had this wreath, the little green orbs remind me of green apples, so that's the vibe I'm hoping it gives off when people enter our front door!

Pumpkins are arriving in the stores, the pumpkin patches are getting ready to open.  Soon I'll join in and decorate with the more traditional fall/harvest colors. For now, we're living with apples!

Strawberries and Football?

In most parts of the country, the beginning of football season corresponds with the beginning of fall. The leaves are turning, there is a chill in the air, the tailgaters are serving chili.  The seasons change a little slower in central California and the start of the 2015 NFL season was ushered in with temperatures in the upper-90's. While there were some apples and squash at the Farmers' Market, I was still able to buy some gorgeous strawberries. I hadn't yet made my granddaughters their annual batches of strawberry jam so I found myself in the kitchen, doing what would normally be a spring endeavor,  and enjoying the boys of fall. It was quite a contrast of seasons!

The berries are just as plump and flavorful as the ones we got in the spring!

Those that know me know I love my football Sundays.  When we remodeled our home I made sure to have a TV in the kitchen so I wouldn't miss a down (and so my family wouldn't miss a dinner!) With the TV blaring, I made a batch of strawberry freezer jam and two batches of cooked jam.  My granddaughters have enough jam to last them for a while!  

I can't view the TV from the sink area so the dishes had to wait until halftime.  I asked for a maid but no one ever showed up!

Tonight it's Monday Night Football (go Niners!) On the agenda tonight?  Cutting out and baking pieces for Halloween gingerbread houses. That's a little more fall-oriented than strawberry jam!

Autumn in the Courtyard

We've lived in our home 30 years now. When we moved in, there was a small front courtyard, behind a mid-length wooden fence. The courtyard was filled with grass.  The weekend we moved in I told my Hubbers I wanted a brick courtyard someday. Over the years we replaced the wooden fence with brick and added brick columns to the house. We added brick flower beds to the front lawn area. When we remodeled our home seven years ago we were able to brick the front porch. But the demands of a growing family kept pushing the brick courtyard to the back burner; things like braces, Catholic school tuition, cars, college, law school, weddings, grandchildren, etc. Three years ago it was finally the right time and our courtyard was built. We added some flower bed borders inside the courtyard area and a water fountain in the center. I love, love, love this space!  I spend many an early evening in this special place; reading, stitching, watching the birds in the water or at the feeders, chatting with neighbors out walking their dogs, or sharing a glass of wine with my Hubbers.

I especially enjoy the courtyard in the fall.  The temperatures are cooler, which makes sitting out here more pleasant. I plant fall and winter annuals with their bright colors and the smiling faces of the pansies. I supplement with colorful pumpkins and gourds. All these colors seem to "pop" against the warm red of the brick.

It took a lot of patience as I waited until it was time to get the courtyard bricked but it was well worth it. Besides my kitchen and craft room this is my favorite spot in our home!

Heading Into Fall

Fall is my second favorite season (in my life the seasons are spring, summer, fall and tax season!)  Pumpkins, colorful leaves, football games (Go Niners!) apples, the smell of cinnamon baked goods are a few of my favorite fall things. Life becomes a little slower in the fall, my Hubbers and I tend to nest more.

I'm not ready for summer to be over.  I love the warm days and nights, tending to my flower garden, watching the birds, swimming in the pool, grilling, fresh fruit and veggies.  But, much to my dismay, I see signs of fall each day.  The local schools are in session again, the days are getting shorter, football is back (this does not bother me!), the summer flowers are looking a little tired.

Just when I was feeling a little bummed that summer was waning, I get a batch of new magazines in the mail, all with fall themes. All three magazines are filled with decorating ideas, fall recipes, party ideas.  Now I'm envisioning caramel spice cake, pumpkin tartlets, cranberry coffee cake, tailgate parties, scrumptious soups, Halloween festivities, tea party ideas (yes, Mom, I'll make some lemon curd!)

I may go kicking and screaming into fall but once I get there I know I will be enjoying the fun!

Fall in the Garden

I love spring in the garden, all the plants come out from their winter slumber, everything is new, green and pretty again. The summer is filled with blooms of all kinds, butterflies, bees, birds and, unfortunately, weeds (sigh!) I devote many hours each week to tending the flower beds but it's a labor of love. After spending hours sitting at my desk it's nice to putter in the dirt, prune spent flowers and enjoy nature's show. However,I think I exert the most labor in the fall. The perennials need to be pruned, soil amendments need to be done, dead plants need to be pulled and leaves are everywhere. As the summer flowers have come and gone I find that I plant a lot of annuals this time of year so that we can enjoy color in the garden all throughout the winter. I plant pansies, cyclamen, primrose, snapdragons. They all are colorful and last through our somewhat mild winter. My backyard garden was particulary pretty this morning, the morning sun highlighted the flowers. Birds were flitting about everywhere, singing their cheery songs. I thought I'd share!

It's Fall So It Must Be Soup Time!

When the fall weather begins to arrive my culinary thoughts turn to soup.  Soups are easy, they're pretty (can a food be pretty? I think so!), they are nutritious and nothing warms you up better! I recently bought a new cookbook (despite my vow to buy no more!), The Soupbox Cookbook. What a great book! There is a restaurant in Chicago called The Soupbox and it was voted best soup in Chicago. I can understand why! The book has many pictures and easy-to-understand recipes as well as the author's personal anecdotes. It's a keeper!

So far, I've made two soups from the book, mushroom barley soup and roasted butternut squash soup with sage and apple. We enjoyed both.

Lots of mushrooms and veggies! You just know it's got to be good for you!

 

Though it looks "light" it really is a substantial soup, very filling.

 

Mushroom Barley Soup

8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
8 oz. shitake mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon thyme
2 bay leaves
48 oz. vegetable stock **
1/2 cup pearled  barley
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

In a large stockpot with a lid, sweat the mushrooms, onion, carrot, and celery in the olive oil over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic, thyme and bay leaves and cook till fragrant, about one minute longer.  Add the vegetable stock, cover and bring the soup to a simmer.  Add the pearled barley and cook for 35-45 minutes until the barley is tender.  Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.

Lots of color and flavor in this pan! I've made butternut squash soup many times but this is the first recipe I've used where the vegetables were roasted first. 

Garnished with an apple slice, this soup was slightly sweet and very flavorful due to the herbs and the roasting of the vegetables.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Sage and Apple

1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
2 medium carrots, quartered
1 medium onion, quartered
2 Gala apples, cored, peeled and cut into quarters
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
32 oz. vegetable stock**
1 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl toss the squash, carrots, onion, apples, garlic and the dried herbs in the olive oil and spread them evenly on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Roast in the oven until the squash is tender, approximately 35-45 minutes. The vegetables should be tender and lightly browned.  Remove them from the oven and transfer the contents of the baking sheet to a large stockpot set over medium heat.

Add the vegetable stock, bring the contents to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to marry. After 15 minutes, remove the soup from the heat and puree with a food processor in batches.  If the soup is too thick, add a bit more stock.  Add the heavy cream.  (Be sure to remove from heat first.) Taste the soup and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper as needed.

** The authors provide recipes for vegetable and other stocks, I used a boxed organic stock.