Hello

This week has been busy.

I gave the front porch a Fall face lift.

On Sunday I went to Williams-Sonoma for the stew cooking class. It was informative, fun and relaxing to get out of the country for a day. Beth and I drove the 1 hour drive to the Galleria Mall in Roseville. We shopped and shopped, then enjoyed a yummy lunch at the Cheese Cake Factory when we were done shopping.

Of course, I got a cookbook at Williams-Sonoma:

See that chicken pot pie on the cover? I made them for dinner on Monday. It rained all day Monday so it was the perfect weather for doing such a thing. My pot pies were not as perfect looking as this one from the cover, but yummy none the less.

Did I forget to mention that I got new bowls at Williams-Sonoma too?

Then I baked a chocolate cake: 

I've used the same recipe for decades. It is on the back of the Hershey's Cocoa can:

After Monday's rain the weather was beautiful. I planted the plants I got at the Butte College annual Fall plant sale.

HEUCHERA

BUGLEWEED

Earlier this year I planted a bed of Nastursuims

A very sweet Sweet Pea bush:

All in all this has been a good week. Wonderful weather. Lots done outside. I have a green house I bought during the Summer and will be working on getting that assembled and up for the colder months ahead.

I'm itchin to start an indoor project.

Aprons, maybe a new quilt or two.

I'm hosting a Stampin Up party in November. I bought stamps years ago from this company. The demonstrator, Alex, is charming. I just met her and it felt like we were just old friends.  My oh my...they have amazing things now. I am really excited and think I have found yet another craft to occupy my time, and invade my already filled project "to-do" list. I'll just rename the list "Do What I Want To Do" list.

The real evidence of growing old, is that things level off in importance-Gladys Taber

The Girasole Lady