October 2007 - A Storybook Life

Dressing Our Cottage For Autumn

September 24, 2013October 24, 2007 by Pearl Sanborn

Today, I though I would share a few pictures of the Harvest decorations around our home. We’ve had alot of fun putting things together this year, and I think we’ve decorated more than we ever have! The kids keep saying… everything feels so warm & cozy! I feel the same way, as I love the warmth that all of the candles & warm colors bring!

My husband & I picked up the acorns on a walk a few days ago.

This is my “new vintage” cabinet (I’ll share more about this piece later).

I love the pink & green squash! I picked up the black wooden bowl for $2 a while back!

Such a happy little guy – and how sweet is that little candy sack!

I decided to put this pumpkin on a candle stand.

Such a happy little family – the only way I like the little critters 😉

I recently picked up this little needlepoint for $1.25!

The vintage looking bubble glass is actually meant for a light fixture. I picked this one up at Lowes for $3!

I loved the marching crows on these prim tea towels.

Here’s the top of my vintage dining room cabinet that we bought for $2 at a yard sale!

Putting it all together

A little family of prim sheep that our good friends bought for us!

Daddy Sheep

Entry decor

Here’s a beautiful pumpkin that our friends gave us for a gift last week! I’ve wanted a pumpkin like this for a while, because I love how real they look!

I hope you’re enjoying your harvest decorations as much as we are!

A Drive Through the Country

August 19, 2020October 19, 2007 by Pearl Sanborn

Yesterday I shared the view from my upstairs home office window, but today I thought I’d take you on a little trip around the country roads that surround our village (she’s called the “Queen Village”, because she is said to be fit for a queen!). We’ve had such wonderful weather, but today the news says that there will be rain around mid-morning. So, my romantic sweetie, decided to take me for a ride through the country, so we could try to capture the view before the rain drops started. We’ve had such a dry summer, and we really need the rain, but… with the leaves being extra beautiful this year, I didn’t want to miss my chance… just in case the rain decides to wash many of the beautiful leaves away. Even though it is a bit overcast, I still think you’ll enjoy the drive.

* The picture above is the view from a high hill right outside of the village. This view has always reminded me of the story of “Heidi”, living a quiet country life making her butter & cheese up in the mountains with her grandfather, while the folks in the village below bustled about with their daily city life. The village is down below, but just over the hill, tucked into the forest… is our cottage.

Each picture can be clicked – then choose “all sizes” at the top of the picture to see a bigger view

I love this old barn! It is such a big barn, that the owners have to work on it a little at a time.

Here’s a picture looking at the front of the barn.

This is a church that sits high upon one of the highest hills in the area. I love the deep red trees against the white plaster.

This is Panther Lake – only a few miles from my house.

Here’s another beautiful red barn, that sits on a little horse farm. You can only see the top from here, but they also have a windmill and several other small buildings.

This is the view from another high hill surrounding the village. I love to come here & look at the village below. I thought this picture was especially lovely, with the old stone wall framing the view. We have stone walls everywhere here! As the tale goes… the village was built on stone. And I’ll tell you, that I for one believe every word of it (especially when trying to dig in the garden – but that’s such a small price to pay for the beauty of stone walls at every turn!)

Case in point… here’s an old farm bridge made of field stone. This is the stuff that dreams are made of… my dreams anyway 😉

I just had to show you the color from this stand of maple trees… don’t you love that chocolate & deep red!

Here’s another one of the beautiful windmills that we saw today! I love the red & white colors – especially with the reds & oranges on the trees in the background!

As we turned around the bend, almost to our country lane, we saw that the local Amish ladies were selling their farm goods at their stand in front of a local store on Main St. I would love to have been able to share that scene with you, but the Amish do not wish to have their pictures taken. Last year, we had 5 families move into our area, and now, several times a week, we see them in the village sharing their fresh goods with the community (and we are happy to support local farmers – especially where pies are concerned 😉 We were excited to hear that even more families will be moving here soon!

We got done just in time!

From what I hear… “the sun will come out tomorrow”

But until then…

Country Road Take me Home

Peek Through my Window

September 24, 2013October 18, 2007 by Pearl Sanborn

I don’t know how it is in your bit of the world, but in our little forest & surrounding village, the landscape is starting to become radiant with color. It’s almost as if a painter is standing above us, and with quick strokes of his brush, he’s changing everything around us into large swatches of deep reds, chocolate browns, and bright oranges!

Today, as I was “working” at my desk, I became captivated by the color I gazed out of my window! I’ve been watching the trees, and they have been subtly changing as we dive deeper in the Autumn season, but today, they are suddenly bursting with extreme color!

I am so thankful that I am able to be surrounded with such abundant beauty. But, I have to admit, sometimes I do become distracted by the view (I can’t seem to help it 😉

Click for a better view of the river

Just today I have witnessed…

– A mother deer & her two babies wandering around the forest, and grazing down by the river.

– Several wood peckers dancing up and down the trunks of the tall trees.

– Little creatures such as chipmunks and squirrels, carrying their treasures back to be tucked away in some secret nook or cranny, that has now become their winter pantry.

– And a flock of geese flying so close to my window, that I could actually see what each one looked like.

Our days pass by so fast…

How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. James 4:14

So lets enjoy each day to the fullest!

Now, back to work 😉

Free Grape Vines for Your Garden Arbor

September 24, 2013October 16, 2007 by Pearl Sanborn

“Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth: there will I give thee my loves.”
Song of Solomon 7:12

There is something so romantic about a vine that is dripping with clusters of ripe grapes! Sight, smell, taste, thought, texture… somehow, all of our senses become involved when we come in contact with this beautiful vine!

My husband & I were out for an evening walk through our little Victorian Village on a chilly Autumn evening, minding our own business, when suddenly… the amazing sweet fragrance of ripe concord grapes started wafting around our heads, almost as if they were tantalizing us to come & find them! Following the sweet fragrance (one that reminded me of those yummy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on a hot summer afternoon), we finally came upon the vine. I’m almost sure that God blessed the grape vine with it’s heady fragrance, just so it could beckon passersby, such as ourselves, to come & enjoy it’s splendor!

Words can’t describe the beauty of the leaves, that were now dressed in their Autumn finest. Deep reds, chocolate brown, purple, and orange are just a few shades of the colorful mix. Nor can they describe the beauty of the vine itself, twisting and turning, and winding around everything in it’s path, seemingly taking ownership of everything this side of the garden. The brown splintered bark and corkscrew shaped tendrils, were reminiscent of the beautiful wreath that hangs in my cottage welcoming our guests. But sweetest of all, were the clusters of deep purple grapes that seemed to be layered at every twist and turn of the vine.

There’s nothing quite so romantic as a cottage garden path covered in vines that are dripping with grapes to welcome every guest into your home. And, contrary to what you might think, these precious vines are very easy to grow!

Here’s a way that you can have your own vines to dress your garden free of charge!

Perhaps you have a friend, or friendly neighbor, that will allow you to use this method with their vines this fall. If not, you could put out a request on one of your favorite lists such as; craigslist.com, gardenweb.com, freecycle.org, etc. I’m sure that you will be able to find a willing gardening partner!

Start a new grape vine from an old one

In late autumn (you can usually tell the right time, because it is no longer necessary to mow the grass), take a section of a grape vine & bend it down so it can touch the ground. With a fork or other small gardening tool, lightly rake up the soil a bit to make sure that the vine will be able to root properly. Holding the vine down to the ground, brush some of the soil on top of the vine. Then, use a small stone or branch to hold the vine in place. Be sure not to use something heavy enough to smash the vine, but just heavy enough to keep it from becoming dislodged. For now, that’s all you need to do. Then, come early spring, clip the section of vine from where it is attached to the main branch. Now, all that’s left to do is… plant your new grape vine in your cottage garden. You can continue to use this multiplying technique using your new plant, and in a few years, you could have a whole vineyard!

* To make more than one plant at a time, simply bend a longer section of vine down to the ground, weight it down to the soil in several places. Then, cut each section apart in the spring.

Now… it’s time for you to go out, take a walk, and have the sweet fragrance of the vine come and find you 😉

Trip to the Apple Orchard – Picking the Right Apple for the Job

September 24, 2013October 3, 2007 by Pearl Sanborn

“You & I can count the seeds in an apple, but only God knows how many apples are in each seed”

There’s something so heart warming about the aroma of apples cooking in the kitchen! Maybe it’s because of the memories of childhood when, as a little girl, I would “help” my mom & grandmother peel the buckets of apples on my great-grandma Pearl’s farm. I remember watching great-grandma Pearl put an apple in her hand sitting out on the front porch of her little farmhouse. Then, she would peel it as she spun the apple around and around in her hand. When she finished the entire apple, there would only be one very long piece of apple peel that would drop into the big pile of peels, as the apples made their way to the canning kitchen. Although I tried and tried to “get the big long peel” as a youngster, I’m only just now attaining that great skill 😉 Perhaps it’s the knowledge that Autumn, which is my favorite season of the year, is finally here that makes the onset of apple season so special? Or, could it just be the anticipation of getting a little taste of the delicious dish of apple goodness that is baking in the oven? Knowing me and my nostalgic outlook on life, I’m sure it’s a mixture of all of the above 😉

Even though great-grandma Pearl has long since passed, and I don’t currently have my own orchard, each year our family travels a few miles up North to pick apples at our favorite orchard. We usually wait until the end of October, but this year we decided to go up with some friends to see what we could find earlier in the season. I was amazed to find so many different types of apples available! I guess our trip will be an earlier one from now on, because when we wait until the end of October, most of the variety is already gone. But, that’s not to say that we can’t go up more than once and make the season last as long as possible 😉

I just love going to the apple farm, because besides apples, they have so many other things to see, smell, and taste! There’s the rows of corn stalks lined up like a marching band along the children’s corn maze, keeping the little ones continually guessing how they’re going to find their way out. There’s crate after crate of colorful pumpkins, guards, and squash, and I think the bunches of Indian corn must have every color imaginable, because they aren’t just brown & red anymore! And I mustn’t forget the luscious aromas that escape out of the big red barn, and somehow find their way right to our little noses! The scents of popcorn, cotton candy, apple cider, chocolate fudge, fresh baked donuts, and caramel apples all seem to mingle together and scream come & find me… and of course we must!

Even though I know what “type” of apple that I like the best, when we get to the farm, we still have to ask the same question every year – which is the best kind of apple for eating, and which is the best for baking?

Since I ask this question every year, I thought you might face the same questions when you get to the store, apple orchard, or farm stand in your area. So… I wanted to put together a little list of the different kinds of apples, their descriptions, and what they might be best suited for.

* My little secret… I love a crisp, tart, apple that is great for both eating & baking – so Jonagold wins the “Apple of my Eye” award 😉

Jonagold: An apple that is both tart and sweet. It’s firm texture makes it one of the world’s most preferred eating apples