Sunday Afternoon Tea - Puttering as a seasonal activity

“If you have been afraid that your love of beautiful flowers and the flickering flame of the candle is somehow less spiritual than living in starkness and ugliness, remember that He who created you to be creative gave you the things with which to make beauty and the sensitivity to appreciate and respond to His creation.” ...Edith Schaeffer

The above photo that I posted on Instagram was taken for a couple of reasons.  First, I knew a cold windstorm was to blow in soon and the leaves would all be on the ground.  Also, I appreciated the way the Kitchen looked so warm, colorful, and cozy. 

The windstorm did arrive and with it our first snow of the season.  It snowed again today, although neither times did it stick to the ground for long.  Autumn was very late here this year and as I have mentioned, not as pretty as usual around my home. I was able to find some gorgeous color by searching for it closer to and in town.

Even with the leaves turning mostly brown on the trees in our yard, there were glimpses of scarlet and gold here and there.  When the sun shown brightly, even the brownish leaves looked splendid.  

As so often with nature, it reminded me of God and how His presence in my life can make even the areas which have not fully been, shall we say... sanctified... look lovely with His love shining through. 

As I write, I can feel the cold wind attempting to blow in through the windows of the Study.  Which is not easy since high quality weather proof windows were installed by the previous owners.  I feel like Pooh when he was attempting to go about his day in Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day.

I appreciate my home looking cozy all year but it becomes even more important when the cold winds blow.  After all, it is from a Scandinavian country that the word hygge was originally part of the vocabulary.  They know about long, dark, blustery days filled with cold and snow.

I know many friends and family member buy cut flowers once or twice a month to bring beauty into their home but I mostly use my flower budget to buy a plant now and then from the grocery store.  I have always loved plants.  Especially when there are very few opportunities to see the color green in nature.

There are times, though, that I will be at the grocery store... especially Kroger... and their gorgeous selection of flowers will woo me over to that department.  It doesn't hurt that it is next to the scent of coffee wafting over from Starbucks. Sometimes in Winter, a bouquet of flowers will find a way into the grocery cart to bring beauty and color in the home for awhile.   Even if it means not purchasing a package of meat or two to extend the budget.

This past week, I have been doing some household puttering.  I changed some things in the study over the Summer and realized how much fresher it looked. So, now the rest of the house needed attention... nothing really big since the larger pieces of furniture are quite content in their present location.   

However, I did some decluttering of magazines and sent some to charity. I don't purchase many magazines so I tend to hold on to them for... years.  Now, the basket with the stack of magazines to re-read no longer looks like the leaning tower of Pisa.  Until I had given this area attention, I didn't realize how messy it made the Living Room look.

I changed around some accessories and I took the black floral tray off of the Living Room wall to freshen up the area above the love seat. I moved the glass biscotti jar that holds the vintage cookie cutters back to where it used to call home in the Kitchen.  On the small bookshelf where it had resided, I propped the oil painting without a frame and added two small plants on either side.

Like I said before, it was mainly just puttering but by doing so, it added a freshness that the house needed between now and the decorating of Christmas countdown. I am almost ready for Christmas decorating, especially with the snowfall.  However, I love Autumn and getting rid of it is not something that is done quickly.

Even though there are just two of us here, I still decorate for Autumn and Christmas.  Because it makes me happy.  I had to cut back on Christmas decorations a few years ago, when I started dreading the process instead of looking forward to it each year.  Now there is just enough sparkle and what I have left is definitely what I love.

As far as the Fall decorating... along with the realistic looking pumpkins, pilgrim figurines, etc., there are real items from nature.  Pie pumpkins are so cute, they are the baby lambs of the pumpkin world.  They are also inexpensive where I live.

So, I left the large pumpkin on the porch when the temperatures dipped below freezing but I brought the pie pumpkins in to decorate the indoors now.  They will become pumpkin desserts (or soup) eventually, as is their purpose in nature.

I hung both the items purchased at the historical reenactment, the sprig of bittersweet on a hook in the Family Room and the large bunch of Sweet Annie has been drying upside down in the tiny bathroom the past few weeks.  It will find a place in a room someday soon.  Both are Autumnal but both remain out all year since they fit in with the way I like to decorate.

The glass pumpkin my daughter purchased for me on her visit last year is full of cinnamon scented Autumnal items like tiny pinecones and equally tiny man made pumpkins. They are so cute, I smile when I take the time to look at them.  It came with a battery operated candle that is safe to "burn" with them.

There are Autumnal scented melts in the candle warmer, which sits next to the Apple Cider scented Mrs. Meyers dish soap close to the sink.  I already have Mrs. Meyers Pine dish soap waiting in the wings for the Holidays.

I love walking into my home and seeing all the Fall colors and scents, especially knowing the season is so brief.  I want to embrace it as long as possible.  Which is why, the Christmas tree does not go up until the day after Thanksgiving.  Although, I have been known to watch Christmas movies and listen to carols before then.

I don't know about this year, if we continue to have snow off and on in the next week and a half... hmmm.  This may be the year that rule is broken.  For I do love the sparkle of Christmas!

Let's not forget the aromas coming from the Kitchen.  I was reminded of them as I looked at the clock and realized it is almost time to prepare a meal.  With the chilly weather this past week, I made beef stew early in the week and a family pack of chicken legs (on sale) was turned into chicken stock at the end of the week.  It became chicken vegetable soup the next day.

As an aside, I had no idea that chicken legs made a very rich bone broth until I saw it on a healthy cooking show.  They have quite a good bone to meat ratio.  Since it is dark meat, it does not dry out after simmering a few hours to become stock and can be used in the soup. 

I will return next week, God willing and the creek don't rise.  I can't believe it is almost time to put the turkey in a dish with sides on it to start defrosting.  It takes about a week for a large bird.  So... Thursday?  Although, it is a small turkey this year.

Goodness, the Holidays are upon us already!  Soon, the scents of cinnamon and pumpkin will be replaced with pine and peppermint.

Mentioned in this Blog Post

Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day.  Info for the Disney book... here.

However, nothing beats the original stories and illustrations... here.

Disclaimer:  Most links to Amazon.com are Associate links.

Image:  My Kitchen window; Instagram @coffeeteabooksandme