I know I am a bit behind in my posts, and I could have waited until this Fall to do this post, but this year's display will be completely different. So, there is no time like the present.
The Arboretum has a pumpkin display each Fall and the theme for the display changes to one of four themes each year. My post in November of 2016 shows the Autumn Arboretum pumpkin display and also the beautiful fall plant and flower displays. The 2016 theme for the Pumpkin Village was "The Art of the Pumpkin". The Village was decorated with mosaics of pumpkins and gourds including one of the State of Texas. The 2017 theme of the Pumpkin Village was the "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz". Here are some pictures of the 2017 Village.
We did not make it to the Village until the last day of the display, so many of the pumpkins were gone. I have included some of the pictures from the Arboretum that show some of the displays in their full glory.
Follow the yellow brick road.
The Cowardly Lion and the Tin Man.
The Cowardly Lion was made of cornstalks and hay.
Welcome to Oz!
Painting of the main characters.
The Mayor of OZ lives here.
The Mayor of OZ!
The Witch's Castle with a flying monkey on top.
The Wicked Witch
Auntie Em's house with the legs of the witch under it on the left.
Cinderella's carriage (here every year for pictures) is being pulled by a horse(s) of a different color.
These are my favorite displays at the OZ Village, the beautiful "Horse of a Different Color".
I recommend that if you are ever in Dallas in October or November, go to the Dallas Arboretum and see one of the countries best Pumpkin displays.
Many years ago I made Roman shades for my Kitchen in our house in Indy. My daughter just bought a new house in Texas and asked me to make her shades for her new kitchen. We went to Joann Fabric and bought some beautiful fabric from the Home Decor Fabric section of the store. The fabric was 55 inches wide, and our finished width for our shade will be 27 inches. It will have a finished length of 58 inches. With a four inch hem and an extra six inches on top for the mounting board we needed a length of 68 inches for each shade. We bought 4 yards of the chosen fabric.
I cut two panels of fabric 33 inches wide and 68 inches long. Then I turned the side seams in 3 inches on each side. I then turned the raw edges of the sides under one inch and pinned. I measured 4 inches from the bottom and marked the measurement with a fabric pencil. I then measured 6 inches from the top and marked that measurement with the pencil.
The folded sides and hem with the lining in place.
I had leftover curtain lining fabric and was able to cut that in half to line both panels. I laid the lining piece on the back of the panel and tucked the sides under the pinned side seams. I folded the hem up so the fold was on the 4 inch pencil mark, I turned the raw edges under an inch, and tucked the liner under the hem and pinned.
Sewing the side and bottom hems with the lining in place.
I made sure the lining went above the 6 inch pencil mark at the top of the panel. I then sewed a seam down both sides and then across the bottom hem.
Now it was time to mark the panel for the dowel rod casing and string loop strips. These came in the kit we bought at Joann Fabric. Also included in the kit was 4 brackets with screws, cord, 4 eye screws (we bought more), and the hook to tie up the cord. I marked the panel every 6 inches from the bottom. I measured and marked across the width of the panel. Then I pinned the dowel casing along the markings and cut then about 1/2 inch from each side. I put 6 rows of casing on each panel. I pinned and then sewed them onto the panel with the sewing machine according to the direction on the kit.
Some of the items in the kit
The pinned dowel casings and string loop strips.
Sewing the casing in place.
We cut 2 mounting boards (1 x 4's) 26 7/8 inches long. Then laying the board on the pencil mark at the top of the panel, I wrapped the top fabric around the board and stapled the fabric in place. Next, we decided what loops on the casings we were going to use for the cord, I tied the cord on the lowest casings loop, and threaded it through the corresponding loops on all the casings above it stringing the cord to the top mounting board.
An unwrapped board and a finished one.
The casings were sewn in place and the 1/2 inch dowel rods were put in the casings. The cord was tied to the bottom casing in a loop about 6 inches from each side, then strung through the corresponding loop on each casing strip.
Next we cut 1/2 inch dowel rods to 26 to 26 1/2 inches long and then installed them into the casings. We also put a dowel rod into the hem section and sewed the side seams of the hem closed.
Once the cord was in place we knew where we needed to screw in the eye screws to the top board to string the cord through. There were two eye screws about six inches from each side, and then one at the very end to keep the cords together and to let them hang down the side of the shade. You can see the eye screws two pictures above.
My Son in-law installed the brackets onto the mounting board and then onto the window. We used an old skeleton key replica to tie to the end of the cords as a cord pull.
The finished product.
They really did turn out great, and we all just love the colors in the kitchen.
Most of the bathrooms in my house have white cabinets with rubbed bronze knobs and fixtures. In other words BORING!
Master bath with the old cabinet knobs
Up close picture of the old boring knobs
The master bath has about 35 knobs, so I was in the market for pretty knobs for a reasonable price. The bathroom is blue and decorated in a beach theme, so I wanted knobs that were blue and white and decorative. My next step was to start looking on Amazon.
Knobs on Amazon
New knobs on the cabinets
I found pumpkin knobs on Amazon selling 25 knobs for $20, so I bought two packs. I tried to mix them up so they were not duplicated on the same set of cabinets.
We had to counter sink the screws to make them fit, but the whole process took very little time for a huge payoff. They turned out so cute.
I also changed the knobs in the guest bath. The bathroom is decorated in maroon and gold, so I decided to go with fancy gold knobs.
Amazon order for the Guest Bath knobs.
Back to Amazon for shopping. I found 6 white ceramic knobs with metal gold trim. These knobs were a lot more expensive, they were $22 for 6 knobs, so they were over $3 a piece. A bit more than the 80 cents a piece for the blue and white knobs.
The guest room knobs sure makes the bathroom look rich and elegant.
The last bath was the hall half bath. These knobs were replaced with ceramic green with bronze plates and inserts. There are only two knobs in this bathroom, so I had to buy a package of 5 for $10 which was still a good price of $2 a piece.
Amazon knob listing for the Hall bath
I will share the changes on the other bathrooms as I finish those projects.
I did a rant on standing in check out lanes, and one of the topics was about people that stand right next to you while you are paying at the cashier. I cannot stand people that stand right on top of you when you are standing in line, or stand right next to you when you are checking out. If you are standing close enough to see my PIN or signature then you should have to pay for my purchase.
We were at Disney World last Summer and there was a family that seemed to follow us from ride to ride. One of the kids in the group had no concept of personal space. My son was so irritated with this little girl that I thought he was going to yell at her. She looked to be about 10 or 11, maybe older, and she would stand so close to us that she would actually touch us. She would put her hand on us, step on our feet or lean on us. It was very uncomfortable. We would turn and look right in her eyes, as if saying stop touching me, and she just did not get the cues. So, finally I just turned to her and in a very nice voice I said, "Honey, please move back and stop touching or leaning on us." It did absolutely no good. Her parents heard this request and said nothing to her. Maybe they didn't speak, or understand English, or maybe they were just rude people, not sure which. From that moment on we made sure they were not in the same line with us any more.
Ben Stone and Paul Robinette (Richard Brooks), poor Paul had to have many close encounters with his boss Ben.
What made me think about this whole personal space topic was watching the original "Law and Order" TV show. The first years of the show the Executive Assistant DA was Ben Stone, played by Michael Moriarty. Ben Stone did not recognize other people's personal space, and every time I see him in these conversations it makes me uncomfortable. Face to face conversations where they are inches apart and even walking scenes where they are so close that their shoulders overlap, or they are bumping into each other. I would be paranoid that someones breath was bad standing that close. I would have to tip my head back and look at them through my bifocals just to see them clearly. Maybe the cameras back in the late 80s didn't allow for more space in these scenes, but it sure looks uncomfortable to me.
Ben talking to a Defense Attorney up close and personal.
I wonder if Ben needs a breath mint.
I wonder if Paul is picking up bad habits from his boss.
This last weeks episode of "Law and Order SVU" Assistant DA Rafael Barba, played by Raul Esparza, is being replaced by Peter Stone, played by Philip Winchester. Peter Stone is the son of Ben Stone from the original "Law and Order". Let's hope, that like his first episode as the new Asst. DA, Peter recognizes and respects every one's personal space, unlike his father.
Look at Peter Stone having a normal conversation with Olivia at a regular distance.
Jack McCoy The DA is also having a normal spaced conversation with Peter Stone. Jack came after Ben on Law and Order as the Executive Assistant DA and maybe Peter is using him a role model for personal space.
Oh Ben, you really need to back off!
Ben Stone you make me uncomfortable. But of course, I was not so uncomfortable that I did not watch every episode. Still the greatest TV series ever made!!
I published this post in September of 2015. A few days ago there was a school massacre in Florida where 17 adults and children were killed. My sister sent me a text a few days later telling me about a distraught father who was speaking at a vigil for the victims of the shooting, one was his 14 year old daughter, and he said he couldn't remember if he told his daughter he loved her as she ran out the door for school that morning. My sister said she thought of me and the speeches I made at my Daughter and Son's weddings about this subject. So, I thought I would just publish it again to reinforce saying the three most powerful words that we can speak or hear.
These three simple words are used so often in this world that sometimes we don`t really think about what they really mean and how powerful they are. I was reminded of their power a week ago, by of all people, my real estate agent. Odd, I know. Here is what happened.
Once again we hit a real estate snag causing us to look at more houses in Texas. My agent and I went out alone and while we were in one of the homes my husband called. I talked to him for a few minute and as I was saying good-bye, as always I said, "I Love You"! My agent heard me and said that was so sweet. I told her that we never hang up without saying "I Love You" to each other. Then I told her the story about why.
A very old picture of my Loving family. I am the one in the pigtails.
When I was growing up my parents and siblings have always said "I Love You" to each other. We said it when leaving each other, or when talking on the phone. We have done this for as long as I can remember. I lost my Mom this year and I found a voicemail she sent me for my Birthday, and at the end she says, "I Love You". I love to listen to the recording and it never gets old hearing her say those three words to me. This has carried over into my family. My husband and kids always say, "I Love You" when leaving each other, before hanging up the phone, and now even when ending a text thread. For over 35 years my husband has kissed me good bye in the morning and we ALWAYS say "I Love You" to each other. There have been mornings when he has left for work while I was still sleeping, and after he leaves I could not remember if we said it. I call him sometimes before he even gets out of the garage. He always assures me that we have said it, but I was not quite awake, so I just didn't remember.
This is my favorite Picture of me and my Mom. I miss her everyday.
A few weeks ago I dropped my grandson off at school and was afraid to kiss him good-bye and tell him I loved him because he was having a bit of a problem separating from me at drop offs. So, this once I sneaked out and left without tears. The only problem was it bothered me all day that I didn`t kiss him and say "I Love You". Now, we say our good byes while we are getting out of the car and he gets a few minutes to get adjusted as we are going in the building. But there is nothing better in this world than to hear those words from the sweetest grandchild ever!!!
Our children always say "I Love You" to us and to each other. My sons would say it to us even when they were in a car full of their friends. Our youngest, the hockey player, always kisses us and says, "I Love You" when we are leaving after his games. He does this in front of all this college teammates and he doesn't even think twice about doing it. It is funny when I am texting with my kids and I end the thread with "I Love You", I wait a few seconds and hear the text tone. The text is always, "I love you too"! We ALWAYS say it no matter where we are, what we are doing, or who we are with.
Number 21 is our son, and I am sure he is not using the word Love in his comments to the player laying in front of him from the other team.
My sweet Pop! I miss him so very much.
Back to the story I told my agent. Five years ago my Dad was in the hospital with a minor throat irritation (Thrush). I was living in Indianapolis and he was in Ohio. I got updates all the time from my siblings on his recovery, and after a few days I got an urgent call that he was going to be put on a respirator in an hour. I lived 3 hours away and there was no way I was going to be able to see him before that happened. He was put on the respirator and within about 5 days, we had to take him off the respirator and let him pass. I never saw him awake, or was able to talk to him before he passed. I was devastated. Then, my sister said something to me that changed everything. She said, You know that the last words you two ever spoke were "I Love You". And she was right. The last words we said to each other were not harsh, funny, sad, or unimportant, they were the most meaningful words two people can say to each other. I Love You!
One of my daughters engagement pictures.
I then told my agent that those are the last words I want my husband or kids to hear from me, or hear from each other. You never know if they are going to be the last words you ever speak, or hear. When my daughter was married a few years ago, I made a toast that included the story about my Dad and I reminded them that they should always say "I Love You" when leaving each other. My agent was tearing up and said that she was going to start that same tradition in her family.
We were at a showing yesterday and my agent said, "Our last conversation about saying "I Love You" was so touching I now make sure I tell my husband "I Love You" every time we part.
