Life is SHORT! Decorate EARLY!!!

Ruth Ann and I had planned to spend the day in Fort Worth doing the regular Beauty Shop Run with Mother and taking her out to lunch. However, Mother was still pretty much EXHAUSTED after spending all of Wednesday over here so she just wanted to get her hair done and go home and go back to bed! Soooooo.......that left us with a totally FREE day and we decided to head up to Southlake instead of going all the way to Fort Worth to hit up some of our favorite places!

First stop - La Madeleine for a Ladies' Lunch!!

We ate just about every single bite!!

It was simply wonderful to have no agenda. No time we had to get back home. No place we had to go. Just wherever and whatever we wanted to do - that's just what we did!!

EXCEPT! After we finished eating, I got a couple of to go cups for us to take tea in the car and as I gathered my things up, I started to get my car keys out.

I.could.NOT.find.them.

ANYWHERE!

I went back out to the car and retraced my steps.

Car was locked and I KNEW I had the keys when we went inside to the restaurant.

The only place we had been was the ladies room and the table.

At first I was tempted to panic but I realized the keys HAD to be somewhere close by!

They certainly didn't grow legs and walk off!

GUESS where I found them!!!

In the TRASH!

I do not REMEMBER tossing them in there but I most certainly DID!

God must have had a reason for our slight delay. At least that's the way I always try to look at it.

We did have a general destination in mind when we left home this morning.

We wanted to shop a Hobby Lobby for some art supplies.

We found one!!!

Oh, be still my heart!!!

I LOVE all things FALL!!!

I know it's early but BRING IT ON!!!!

I feasted my eyes on everything!!!

These wooden pumpkins will be my inspiration for an easy Fall Craft with the grands! 

Next stop - Calloways!!

SUCH a beautiful nursery!!!

They had me at this purple bicycle in the front flower bed!

Now I want one in MINE!!

Today wasn't unbearably hot so we actually enjoyed being out and about!

This would look good on my fence!

Metal flowers I wouldn't have to WATER!!

We walked down every isle and didn't buy a single thing but had a lovely time!

I really do love the sound of a waterfall!

Next Stop!! Pier I, Kirklands - my very FIRST visit - and Sample House and Candle Shop!

We are LOVING Southlake!

Everywhere I looked was something pretty!!!!

FALL and pretty!!

Don't we all need a scary curtain?? And spooky pictures?

And a clever fall painting with lights in the canvas?

It was so much fun to look at all these things.......

but all I bought was a $5 Apple Struesel candle - and it's a big one!!

Although I really did want to get this bag of bones!!!

AND this sign!!! Perhaps I can make one!

The last two place we went were practically across the street from each other!

Central Market is the next best thing to HEB!

It all looks and smells so good!!!

It's Hatch Chile Fest and they were roasting them right outside the store.

It's a really big deal here!!!

I did my fair share and bout some fresh, some roasted and this Queso and Waffle Garlic Hatch Potato Chips!!

You gotta love a Trader Joe's and I DO!!!

I loaded up here!

Just look at all the cool wine I will rescue!

I sip white while Louis Dean loves red.

I buy his in boxes!

Now I have lots of  'snackies' as Trystan calls them!

She went in the kitchen the other day and asked for SNACKIES.

I said I didn't have any - I misunderstood what she had asked for - and she put her hands on her hips and said, "YES, MeeMaw!!! You DO have snackies!!!"

I sure do now!

I am just as happy as I can be tonight!

Lots of cool food and what a fun day we had!!

I bet we walked miles and I did have to put my feet up after I got home and unloaded all my goodies!

Every day I have been getting a couple of tubs or a bag or two of fall decorations down from the attic.

By September 1st - which is just 16 days and a wake up away! - I will be all decorated and ready to celebrate!!! This year I plan to bake! bake! bake! while listening to Neil Diamond sing September Morn - over and over and over again!!!

And to think, I saw him in concert this spring but that is one song he didn't sing!

The thing about taking things down a little at a time is I can mend and repair and spruce up as I go.

This Spider man was a curbside find and I have used him for many years!

He's more than a little faded, as you can see,  so I sprayed him down with a can of black spray paint.

I took the photo so I could tell where to put the white lines back in.

However, the lines show faintly through the paint so tomorrow I will be good go in adding them!

Like I said, Life is short!!! I am decorating EARLY!

It was only 98 degrees today and I think I caught a faint smell of autumn in the air!!!