Dogs, Teapots, and other Fall Randomness

Fall will be over before we know it. Let's face it, as soon as the carved jack-o-lanterns find their way to the curb we'll all be thinking Christmas. (OK, maybe not decorating, but definitely thinking) I'm always ready for whatever new season is coming up, but before I trade out all my orange for some evergreens and Holly berries I wanted to share some of the little things I love that are in my lower level sitting area. Just a few random dog figurines and some squirrel teapots.

When I was really little my grandmother had a three tiered corner shelf with animal figurines. Each time I visited, she would lift me up and we would admire and discuss each one. That is one of my earliest memories...she started my love for little things.

Tea for One with it's own cup.

...and an old Japanese Majolica teapot that I adore.

and here's a sneak peek at what I did yesterday...

can you guess?

it's one of my Fall traditions.

see you tomorrow,

xoxo,

My grandkid is a real dog...

sounds pretty pathetic, huh?

But hey, it's the truth...

You met Vinnie last Christmas, and this little man can steal your heart.

He's a riot, and a little better behaved than last Christmas.

He's in his buffalo check rain gear, but hates it.

He can hardly move, he thinks he's in a straight jacket!

(sorry the photos are fuzzy, this was before I realized

my new lens was set on auto while my camera was on manual)

Last Christmas my shin and his head had a little encounter, 

and my shin came out the loser.

He has a hard head and in one of his chasing games he plowed into me.

I won't go into details but I'm really glad his obedience school was a success.

This is Vinnie's mom and dad.

Our daughter Erin and her husband. 

and just so you'll be sure and know that the Living Room

actually does get lived in, these are a couple of photos

 of the kids unwrapping presents.

This is our younger daughter, Alyson and her husband.

do you feel sorry for me?

My grandkids are dogs and cats. 

(sorry no photos of the old ornery black cat

 that will slap the stuff out of you as you walk by

and the rotten, but oh so cute Himalayan )

OK, just wanted to share some real life with you.

Hope you all are having a great weekend. 

I had to do a booth check and supply at Relics today,

and put away some of the outdoor Christmas decor

Yikes, I still have Christmas stuff to box and put away.

someone, please tell me that you still have putz houses out!!

xoxo,

Oh, that face...

It's no secret that with two married daughters, I'm old enough to have grandkids, but alas, I have none; only a grandpuppy and grandkitties. Vinny, (Vincenzo) a French Bulldog, is the newest member of the family and he belongs to Erin and Keith, our St. Louis kids. Spoiled is a word that comes to mind. Notice the quilted barn coat and rhinestone collar. But hey, he's so darn cute you can't blame them. 

Puppy portraits...

(Gee, I love this new camera!)

Erin and Keith

and Aly and Chris,

waiting to unwrap gifts.

Our tradition is to open them Christmas Eve.

I was in my pajamas and glasses, so no photos of moi.

you'd thank me.

I'm looking forward to the New Year,

but first our Anniversary, tomorrow.

Hope you are recovering from the Christmas Rush.

I spent all day Sunday in my Jammies.

love to all,

Debra



Out on the Town

We had some really great fun this last weekend. The kids are up on all the trendy places to eat and hang-out. (Wow, that kind of slang really dates me) Erin really went all out on showing us some great spots. I think everyone in St. Louis was out Saturday, so there were no parking spots at a couple of places we wanted to try, but we did get into a great spot called "Vin de Set", which is somewhat close to the Arch. These murals were painted on the walls inside, but we headed out to the rooftop for drinks and coffee with a few crepes thrown in for good measure.

This picture is on the rooftop with the Arch in the background.

All that you can see of it is a tiny silver sliver over hubby's right shoulder.

It was all lit up, but hard to see in a photo.

Saturday morning we headed out for coffee at one of the neighborhood spots, Winslow Home. At one time it had been an old storefront, so they kept the idea and turned it in to a "general store" of sorts. They served bakery items and lunch and then had the best displays of home items, linens, chocolates, candies, stationary, etc. Tons of organic produce...really a cool place. The sunflowers were the largest I have seen, that came from the farm that morning.

Just look at that tin ceiling.

Then we headed to the "Central West End", which is kind of Hippie, Boho, Arty. You know the kind of place. Little pubs and outdoor cafes...antique shops..book stores...coffee shops, and oh my, a cupcake shop! It was a lot of walking and oogling and window shopping, so we stopped at an outside spot for a yummy little lunch.

The weather was PERFECT this last weekend with upper 70's and low 80's,

a bunch of little clouds and a heavenly breeze. perfect.

Great old buildings everywhere you looked.

These kids cannot take a bad picture!

Below is the storefront to one of Erin's favorite stores, "Cassie's". Here you can have perfumes, lotions, creams all mixed for you personally. I love her concoction of cherry-almond. Wonderful!
She was showcasing her "Harry Potter" potions here in the front window.

These are just a few of the hydrangea bushes that were everywhere in Forest Park.

These are a few of the houses in the neighborhood. Tudor Style has always

been my favorite, along with English Country furnishings.

I would have paid good money just to have been invited in for a tour

of some of these amazing places.

This looks like a place out of Hansel and Gretel or some other fairytale or nursery rhyme.

It is directly behind Erin and Keith.

Sunday we headed to the Galleria to have lunch at the Cheesecake Factory,

another beautiful day to eat al fresco.

Next to Forest Park at the Boathouse. Kayaks and paddleboats could be rented,

but we sat in the shade and sipped our favorite beverages.

St. Louis made diet root beer.

This was a dog-friendly zone, as is most of the park, so we had lots of laughs watching

all the dogs, and how they related to each other.

trying to cool off.

This guy was just too cute

We visited Anthropologie, where I found an awesome scarf,

Restoration Hardware, where I bought my favorite "Crack Cream" so good for dry skin, Brighton, where I just had to get new earrings, and Dillards,

where the salesman of the year talked my man into a new pair of great shoes...

not to mention tons of other great places, where I was so busy oohing

and aahing that I actually forgot to get my camera out.

St. Louis is amazingly beautiful with all the old buildings, and architecture,

great places to eat and shop.

Thanks for coming with us.

Debra