A cat as black
As blackest coal
Is out upon
His midnight stroll,
His steps are soft,
His walk is slow,
His eyes are gold,
They flash and glow.
And so I run
And so I duck,
I do not need
His black-cat luck.






Author Unknown











This is Shadow. Our neighbor's aptly named cat. She can be found in our yard quite often. Which is fine by me seeing as how her presence keeps the squirrels from digging up my plants. So no, I don't consider her the bringer of bad luck. But I will admit as the nights grow darker, earlier, and the oak and maple leaves littering out driveway skitter and dance in the restless evening wind Columbus Circle has taken on a slightly more ominous feel after hours. And I've been out and about lately only to have Shadow's 'presence' scare the living daylights out of me.

One of my mom's ambitions in life has always been to order a wedding cake as a birthday present to herself and eat the whole thing. She has yet to do this. But in the mean time I figured I could help her out and get her one step closer to her goal by making a "wedding cake" inspired birthday cake. For her to share. So this past weekend that's exactly what I did. And yes, she did share.

So I thought I'd this past month I'd try my hand at furniture refinishing and re-upholstering...

What do you think?

I know, I know. I didn't take "before" photos. I guess I was just too excited to rip off the old, musty, stained fabric and remove the small fleet of bent nails and screws and just plain get on with the work of restoration that I didn't remember to take pictures. My apologies. However, trust me when I say that neither piece looks anything AT ALL like they once did. It's amazing what some homemade chalk paint, sandpaper, new fabric, new upholstery tacks and a whole lot of sweat can do. Now, lest we fill up our new house too quickly I think I will take a break!

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.

-George Eliot

So while it may yet be the end of August I think these pictures, taken up north, testify that Fall is indeed waiting in the wings, and ready to take her place on center stage any minute.

Presenting the very "ode to pinterest" DIY chandelier now hanging over our stairwell.

I'm pretty sure my husband has mixed reviews. But I think it is a vast improvement over the bare lightbulb that was so forlornly hanging there.

"...and change comes like a little wind that ruffles the curtains at dawn, and it comes with the stealthy perfume of wildflowers hidden in the grass."

-John Steinbeck

Here is the before...

                                                                     
and the after...

                                           
of my kitchen curtain redo. What do you think?

                                                   
So it's been a wee bit hot as of late...
                                     
 and as a result my oven's been a wee bit neglected...

                   

                                       
but this week I found some recipes that didn't require baking.
                                                                     
So enjoy.
                                                                   
(I sure did!)