~ Halloween... Salt Lake City style ~

                                 Some folks just go all out for the holidays, don't they ?? !!!
I made this picture just as large as I could, so that you can see the many details that went into this Halloween display in Salt Lake City.
Notice the sails on the windows, the chain above the entry, and the ships lanterns.



The pirate theme for Halloween, is right on the mark.

I'm sure a lot of thought and a lot of work went into getting

this Halloween display, just right. 

 My sweet husband and I went to Salt Lake City this past weekend.

We wanted to have a little getaway, and enjoy the Fall weather, and just spend time together before the holiday season begins.

We had so much fun together!

We drove around the old neighborhoods and took pictures of great old houses.
The blue house above is just scary looking, but it were renovated, it would be gorgeous.
Looks a bit Halloween~ish now though.......

 One of our views on our drive.
Old houses, old neighborhoods, and old buildings make me smile.
I just love old stuff!!

 Gorgeous mansion.

 Same old mansion; different angle.

 Salt Lake City temple.

 Salt Lake City capitol building.

 Downtown Salt Lake City  ~~ City Creek Center.

We shopped at City Creek Center, and ate lunch at The Cheesecake Factory.
It was our first time eating at The Cheesecake Factory.
      Our daughter had gone to The Cheesecake Factory in Ohio, and she told us that we would love it. We did!
We had their grilled chicken tostada salad, and split a slice of pumpkin cheesecake.
If you've never been to The Cheesecake Factory, be warned... they serve huge portions and one dish easily can be shared!

We also got a jump on our Christmas shopping at City Creek.
It's a nice feeling to have a bit of shopping done already.

 It's turning cold here.
It was just 33 degrees this morning, and that was the thermometer on the porch.
Once you stepped off the porch, it was even colder.
My sweet husband snapped these pictures of the moon last night.
They are not super clear, however, if you look to the right of the moon, you will see what looks like a tornado funnel.
It was just a really neat cloud formation.

 Just a few seconds later... it had disappeared.
So glad that he got the picture of it, when he did.

On the way back home, we stopped by Costco, and stocked up on Halloween candy.
Last year, we had over 150 trick or treaters!! What a surprise that was after only having less than a dozen trick or treaters when we lived at the homestead.
     Last year, our daughter had to make an emergency candy run, because we had more trick or treaters than we had planned on.
   This year, we are ready for them..... I think......

Wishing you all a great rest of your week, and a Happy Halloween.
Just think, in a few days, it'll be November!!!

Attitude of gratitude ~
~ Feeling thankful for these last Fall days.
~Grateful for an amazing husband. I am so blessed to be married to my very best friend! He indulges me, and doesn't mind me asking him to stop the car just so I can snap a picture. What a guy!!!
~Feeling grateful that all the winterizing around here is done. I just have to plant garlic this afternoon, then that will be the last Fall chore on my list. Oh... and straightening the storage room, but that shouldn't take long, or be too bad.

~ October Snapshots ~

 Well my friends, another month is leaning into its final days.
Orange, reds, golds, and rust colors are prevalent.
Mill Hill Meadow is decorated for Fall and Halloween
*Pumpkins and squash nestled in the borders around the house.
*Wild turkeys
* More wild turkeys..
*Front porch Witch parking
*Field and shrubs all aglow in Fall colors.

*Sunflower colored pom~pom wreath { Gift from a friend }
*Witch at Gardner Village
*Canning jams
* Water wheel at Gardner Village.

The air was colder today... warming up to just 52 degrees.
 Soon, we will have a frost.

~As October bids us farewell for another year, and we welcome November, the month of giving thanks, a short list of all that awaits us :

 The annuals will die off, and the perennials will nod their heads and go to sleep for the winter.
Windows will stay closed during the days, and extra blankets will fluff the beds and keep us cozy throughout the nights.

We'll click on lamps earlier in the evening, and warm a cup of cocoa to sip on.
Soup will be the star of weekly menus.
Herbs will grace the kitchen window sill, once more, to brighten winter days.

Books that have been collected throughout summer will be stacked on side tables, just waiting to be read.
Puzzle building, Uno games and Scrabble skills will be sharpened and shovels too.
Snow melt will be placed front and center on the garage shelf.

Cozy blankets and fuzzy warm socks to keep us warm.
Slippers for some....

Candles crackling, and a fire in the fireplace.
Soft snow falling, and that blue light that gathers before a storm.

Winters not so bad.....

~Attitude of gratitude
~Feeling blessed that my kids totally "get" me.
They know that I am resistant to change. So today, after many, many, many times of telling me about Pandora {the internet music site} our daughter patiently sat down with me, explained it once again, and helped me find beautiful music to enjoy while I putter~butt.  Yay! Loving this stuff!
Better late, than never.
~I am so grateful for safe travels. We have done a lot of traveling up and down the freeway recently.
I never take for granted the safety that our Heavenly Father affords us, and that we always make it home safe and sound.
~Feeling thankful that finally, all the borders are cleaned out, and ready for their long winters sleep.

~ Would you believe me if I told you.....

 That.. Garden Charlie is the official greeter of the season, here at Mill Hill Meadow?!
Well, he is!

We've had Garden Charlie for about seven or eight years now.

In his early life, he watched over our large gardens at Cottage on Main.
    Now, he's pretty much retired, except for during the Fall months.
Cute as ever!

 Garden Charlie got spiffed up a bit this year..... he got a new overalls and a new cozy flannel shirt.
Instead of frightening off the birds, he just grins and enjoys all thing Fall.
 Pumpkins, gourds, and decorations.

 Amazing gourds in beautiful Fall colors grace the dining room table.
A bit of the harvest season on display.

 The living room console table is gussied up for Halloween, as well.
Some of the darling crafts that we made are displayed, and that wonderful large birdhouse is an early birthday present from my husband. We saw it in a new boutique in town, and he knew I loved it and bought it for me.
Even though my birthday isn't until the 15th, he wanted me to have it now and enjoy it.  He's awesome like that!

 A few more crafts from our girls craft day on the entry table.

   ~ and some more crafts....

 ~ and some more.

 I realized that I didn't have a Halloween wreath.
Lots of Fall wreaths, with leaves and berries, etc.. but no Halloween wreath, so I made this one.
Looking at the crow, I think someone bumped him.. he looks like he's ready to fly away, or fall off his nest.

 Just two weekends ago, my sweet husband and I lucked upon an estate sale in a near~by small town.
I couldn't pass these amber goblets up. Not only do I love the color of them, and how well they will work for Fall tablescapes, but I adore the diamond cut design that extends down the stem of the goblets.  The folks had such a cute little requirement for buying something at their estate sale.. the requirement was that you had to consent to take a few cookbooks for free. Their mother had collected cookbooks her entire life, and had a room about 12X10 full of cookbooks!  So, I also got 4 neat old cookbooks in the deal!

 Our 'new' old door. We've been in this home now for just shy of a year and a half. We love our home! However, newer homes aren't built {generally speaking} with screen doors. We really, really wanted a screen door.
We ordered one from Home Depot, and it was quite nice, and a pricey. But, it wouldn't work on our house, because the reveal around the door wasn't deep enough to install a screen door.
So, my sweet husband had a carpenter build us a shallow depth door and then my husband built up the door casing, and now we have an amazingly beautiful hickory and cherry wood screen door, in the old fashioned style.
I'm over the moon!

Hope you all have a " Boo~tiful day , my friends.

~Attitude of gratitude
~ Feeling grateful that our old truck is getting a brake fluid hose replaced. Last thing I want is a fire under the hood.
~Thankful for cinnamon ~ sugar pecans roasting away in the slow cooker. Boy, does our home ever smell delicious, and Fall~ish!
~So grateful for our new range. Our old smooth top range conked out, and my sweet husband bought us a new gas convection range with 5 burners. Boy do I feel spoiled :)
~Feeling thankful that my sweet husband has gotten so much of the winterization done around here.. all the vehicles have had the oil changed in them, the rototiller and lawn mowers will be done this week, and the ATV's. What a nice feeling to know, when the snow falls, we'll be ready!