Floral top and Fall Colors in the Great Outdoors

 Floral Style and Fall Colors

Hi everyone!  What do you do when your pretty summer flowers fade away?  Well, you wear a pretty floral top, that's what!

Aren't the colors in this top just beautiful?!  This top is just perfect for early Fall as the material is just a tad bit thicker than is comfortable on those hot summer days and yet is still short sleeved for comfort as the Fall days warm up. The white background is also more of a yellow toned white/cream color which also works for Fall. 

I find this to be a joyful top to wear. If you don't have a floral top in your wardrobe, I advise you to look for one and enjoy bringing some flowers into Fall like I do! My top was thrifted, so floral tops need not be super expensive in order to bring joy!

I took a little walk around our property today looking for Fall colors wherever I could find it. I'm already seeing changes happening with color even though it isn't quite mid-September. I don't know the names of all of the flowers/plants. Some may even be considered weeds! But, I don't mind as long as they are pretty to look at and have pretty color. If you know the names of any of the plants feel free to chime in with the info.

And, I took this next photo while shopping at Home Depot the other day.

And, The Mr. took the next two photos of the butterfly on the flower while he was hiking last week. He's a better photographer than I am!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! I'll be back next week with some more Fall decor so be on the lookout for another new post! Happy Saturday!

Until Next Time,

Debbie This and That

Welcome September

 Stepping Slowly Into Fall 

And Other Events

Hi friends!  Welcome to September!  Where on earth did August go, hmmm?  Today's post is chock full of early Autumn decor plus a whole lot more, so grab your favorite beverage and settle in to see how I have been styling life lately!

I'm settling slowly into September and the whole idea of Fall with just a few changes in decor at this point. I recently added this Fall faux flower arrangement to the items on the foyer table. 

And the Fall door sign and white wooden pumpkins look quite nice on our front door. Not too much orange for Fall just yet.

I also added the little white light stick tree to the bottom shelf of the living room side table for a touch of warm light in the evenings as darkness begins setting in earlier. You can already see changes in leaf color starting outside our window. 

I do love this little tree!

I've also turned the oven on and done some baking recently. 

This is my first ever attempt at baking zucchini bread. It turned out pretty good and I cut it into pieces and froze it so we can enjoy a slice now and again.

I did tweak the recipe I used quite a bit substituting honey for sugar and I didn't add salt for health reasons. Yes, it would be better with salt but I will admit the spices added quite a bit of flavor. Warming a slice in the microwave and then buttering the slice is quite delicious!

The Mr. and I recently went on an excursion to The Tobacco Barn antiques barn located in Biltmore Village here in town. The barn was wiped out in the flooding during Hurricane Helene a year ago and has been repaired and is now reopened. I wanted to see if it looked the same or not. 

We had a very similar record player when I was growing up. Remember having to put the little plastic discs in the middle of our 45's so the record would fit on the spindle and play?

Here's The Mr. looking at something of interest. My observation of The Tobacco Barn is that it is certainly filled with booths and lots of merchandise. However, I wouldn't say that everything we saw could be classified as antiques. It seems like they are renting booths out to any folks who have something to sell including craft items. I enjoyed my visit there and would go again, but I don't think it is totally the same as before the flood. 

I also picked up a new top last weekend when we stopped in to The Tractor Supply Co. Store to buy River his costly bags of bones he insists on. 

This top was on their clearance rack and I really like the embroidery on the flutter sleeves. I'm wearing it with a short sleeve top here but it could be worn over a turtleneck on cooler days or worn alone on warmer days. The colors on the top are perfect for Fall. 

And, finally, how gorgeous is this sunset I captured from our back porch the other night?! Just a beautiful sky with amazing color! 

You know, whether we like it or not, Fall is on its way. My back porch flowers are really starting to look "spindly" and I don't know that they will be blooming much anymore. I can't complain. My flowers have been just gorgeous all summer long. I do enjoy summer but, oh my, this summer was a hot one! The cooler temps we have been enjoying this week are welcome relief and, as always, I get a little excited at the prospects of a new season. I always think about school and teaching in the Fall. Remember, I taught school for many, many years so thinking about school at this time of year is certainly normal. Please keep teachers and students in your prayers as they return to classrooms. 

Are you looking forward to Fall? Doing any Fall decorating? Be sure to share in the comments. I enjoy hearing from you!

Until Next Time,

Debbie This and That

Thoughts On Becoming A "Dear"

 Oh Dear, I've Become A "Dear"

Starting to feel like Fall with Fall colors!

Hello friends!  So, there is something that I've been noticing recently as I have been out and about going here and there. It may have happened a few times before I began to notice too much. But now, since it has happened fairly frequently, I am starting to take notice. 

Maybe, it's happened to you as well. Surely, it can't be just happening to me, can it?!

And here it is.....I have become a "dear."

What is that you say?

It's where women of a "certain age" start to be called "dear" by virtual strangers. People who wait on them in stores, or who open doors for them into restaurants feel like they should address said women by using the moniker of "dear." As in, "Here you go dear, I'll get that door for you."

Now, I realize that there are far worse names that I could be called. And, also, I realize that there are some women who probably don't mind being called "dear." 

And, it's not that I hate being called "dear."

But, I kind of feel the same way I felt when I was in my young twenties and men who I did not know would call me "honey." 

It felt a bit offensive to me to be called "honey" by a stranger when I felt like only The Mr. had the right to call me that. 

You know what I mean?

Now, if people were to address me by calling me "ma'am" that would be okay with me. But somehow, calling me "dear" feels a little bit like they think I'm a doddering fool who can't get a door open without help. 

And I'm not.....doddering that is....and hopefully not a fool either. 

I do appreciate the courtesy of someone opening a door for me. That shows respect and helpfulness. Calling me dear? Not so helpful or respectful in my opinion.

Now, I'm sure no one is doing this to be mean spirited. Just like I'm certain that when men called me "honey" years ago they weren't trying to be mean spirited. But, I do feel like I was kind of being put in my place. And taken advantage of. As in, "Honey, I know you know nothing about cars so I'm going to take advantage of you by overcharging you what you should be charged for this car repair."

And, yes, that really did happen when I took my car in for repairs. Calling me "honey" was actually a sign of disrespect disguised as respect.

Now, is calling me "dear" at my age disrespectful?  No, not really. But, I would feel better about being called "dear" if it were a family member using the term. Just someone on the street calling me that? No, I don't care for that so much.

It probably doesn't help that, in my opinion, being called "dear" means that the other person is in full recognition of the fact that I am "of a certain age." And here's the thing; I already know that I am "of a certain age." I prefer not to be reminded of it too often by other people since my knees, back and joints typically remind me of it several times throughout the day. 

You know what I mean?

So, what is your opinion of being called "dear" by others?  Do you like it? Dislike it? Could care less? Wondering why on earth Debbie decided to write a blog post on the subject?

Feel free to chime in with your thoughts in the comments section. You know that I love to hear from all of my dear readers.......uh, oh...oh yeah.   Oh dear!

Until Next Time,

Debbie This and That

Celebrating Ten Years of Blogging

 Happy Ten Year Blog Anniversary!

Hello, Hello Everyone!!  Can you believe it?!  I'm celebrating ten years of blogging today and I am more excited than you can imagine! Lots of exclamation points, I know. 

When I started my blogging adventure TEN YEARS AGO I had no idea that I would be here now still writing. To be honest, I truly didn't know what I was doing but I learned from others and found a passion for blogging and sharing little bits of daily life with others that I truly enjoyed. Blogging has always been something that was truly all mine and so, here I am, ten years later, still blogging away and loving it!

This was the very first photo that I published on my very first blog post from July 30, 2015. The Mr. and I were vacationing in Estes Park, CO when this photo was taken. I've come a long way since then with photography I hope! Most of you know that when I began blogging in 2015 my blog was then called "Debbie This and That" using a blogspot domain. Even though I changed blog names to Debbie Styles Life, I still feel that what I do with my blog posts is to share a little bit of this and that with all of my dear readers. Just bits of everyday life that includes styles of clothing and jewelry, home decor, my faith life, flowers, cooking, books I read, my musical endeavors, my sweet fur family, life with The Mr. and so much more. I still will often close my posts with either Debbie or Debbie This and That because, well, that's who I am!

I used to be a bit more adventurous with my style posts as you can see from this collage taken in 2019. I had so much fun with this post. The Mr. and I went to Biltmore Village in Asheville and he took the picture you see in the middle. Sadly, much of Biltmore Village was devastated in the flooding that occurred during Hurricane Helene last September. But, the shop owners are working on rebuilding. Experimenting with how to style and accessorize clothing is very satisfying to me. For some reason, I became less confident about sharing my style ideas on the blog. I began to feel a bit "silly" and didn't want to look ridiculous. I think I need to work on my confidence and start styling a little bit more on the blog. What do you think?

Sharing life with our fur babies has always been an important part of my blog. If you have been a long-time reader, then you may remember "Gracie the Ace Cat Reporter." She always helped me to write posts and sometimes would "write" one of her own posts from a cat's perspective. Sadly, Gracie passed on. I would like to dedicate today's 10 Anniversary post to sweet Gracie, The Ace Cat Reporter. We miss you Gracie. 

Now, our fur family consists of Cassie, Garden and River. They keep us on our toes and Cassie, especially, has a penchant for blog writing. Every once in  a while, I allow these furry writers to take over the blog in a post. You never know what to expect when they start writing (and singing!) however. If you want to read a Christmas Post they wrote, I have linked it for you. 

Over the years, I have created many posts related to tablescapes but none as "infamous" as the tablescapes I create on our foyer table. The pic you see above remains one of my favorite designs for the foyer table. I created the little box filled with flowers and the doily was crocheted by my mom. The tea cup was given to me by my oldest sister and the pearls were given to me by The Mr. This tablescape is designed and filled with love! 

Sharing my faith in God has always been an important part of my blogging experience. I enjoy writing and sharing devotionals and, recently, I have begun sharing my faith by giving sermons in local churches as I am called on to do so. My faith is part of who I am. The most important part. I remember frequently that, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." I hope that when I share scriptures and devotions that my readers are blessed. 

And so, dear readers, I am celebrating today! Wow. Ten years. That's a long time. A lot has happened in those ten years both personally and in the world around me. COVID, elections, retirement, family deaths and births. And through it all-sometimes with tears streaming down my face, I have continued blogging. 

I realize I don't post as often as I once did. As I have mentioned before, sometimes I feel like the well has run dry and I have nothing "new" to share. But, I'm not ready to give up blogging anytime soon even if the posts are fewer and farther between. There is still some "this and that" left in this old girl! 

Over the years I have gained some readers and, sadly, lost some readers. Many bloggers have given up blogging either entirely or they have moved to shorter posting on either Facebook or Instagram. And as my dear friend, Shirley, would say, "and that's okay." 

I'm still here. And I hope that you are still here with me because I would miss you if you leave. 

I don't get as many comments as I once did on the blog. But when I do, I love and read every one. 

So, thank you all for ten lovely years of Debbie This and That and Debbie Styles Life! 

Until Next Time,

Debbie 💗

A Little Bit of This and That

 A Great Variety of Pictures and Topics

Hi friends!  Today, in true "this and that" fashion, I have all sorts of pictures and little tid-bits to share with you. I hope you enjoy. I've been collecting these photos over a few weeks. Currently, I am recuperating from a sinus infection. Haven't felt well the past week or so and finally broke down and went to the doctor yesterday. As I am now on an antibiotic I hope that I will soon be back to normal. It's been terribly hot here and somewhat rainy during part of each day. That doesn't help much when one is constantly blowing one's nose and dealing with congestion. Cooler weather will definitely be welcome. My porch flowers are really blooming beautifully in this weather, however. The zinnias are really stunning as you can see. 

Before I came down with the crud, I decided to try and create an all- white tablescape using various white dishes, a white tea set, mostly white (with pretty pink flowers) tea cups/saucers and a beautiful white table cloth given to me many years ago by a lovely older woman I worked with when I taught preschool. 

To be honest, I don't really like the result of this all white tablescape experiment. To me, it just doesn't look all that great. There needs to be more color and more elements to the tablescape to make it look more striking. This experiment was a bit of a disappointment, but it was good to give it a try and learn from the experiment for future tablescapes! If you don't try you don't know, right?!

The Mr. and I have been doing some cleaning out of our house looking for items that we are no longer using and someone else would benefit from having. We do this every few months it seems. I came across a couple boxes in our attic that I had forgotten about and lo and behold found these Avon figurines that I had collected years ago when I was a teenager. I had totally forgotten about these figurines and yet, when I saw them again, I was kind of thrown into a quandary about whether I should keep them or give them away. What to do? I really don't have room to display them anymore and yet many were given to me as Christmas or birthday gifts long ago and I felt guilty thinking about giving them away. After debating for several days, I finally arrived at the decision that giving them away didn't mean I was giving away the memories or the people who had given them to me. I enjoyed these figurines for many, many years but, at this point in life, I knew it was time to give them away. I did line them all up to take this picture so I have the picture to remind me of them and I did keep one figurine (the little gardening girl with the water pitcher) to display in my dining room curio cabinet. Sigh. These decisions are so hard to make aren't they? I feel confident, though, in my decision about what to do with the figurines. 

I also made the decision to donate this ceramic planter that (I am told) was given to my mother when I was born. This was another item that had been packed away in the attic in a box and was being unused. While it was a nice memento, it was actually a gift to my mom and not to me and I found that I didn't have a place to display it or use it. Hopefully, someone else will be blessed to have it. Since I am now an antique, I guess that it is an antique! 😉

In other news, did you watch Wimbledon? We did, and at the closing ceremony of the men's final HRH Catherine Princess of Wales came onto the field to present the trophies to the winners of the men's finals. The Mr. snapped some photos of her off the TV as he knows I love to see her. She looks so pretty here (although very thin) and her blue dress is just stunning! 

She is always so gracious and kind and I enjoyed seeing her and, later, the rest of her family, greeting the winner!

And here we have Cassie and River touching noses on the rock in our backyard. They both love lounging on this rock. 

Here's Cassie laying on her back living her best life!

                                        The two amigos!

And finally....you've heard of Sloppy Joes for dinner? Well, this is a Turkey Joe that I made for dinner recently. Sloppy Joes made with ground white turkey meat are delicious and filling. I added onion, green pepper and tomato sauce to the ground turkey and simmered it before spooning onto a toasted bun and serving with sweet potato chips. Delish!

I hope you enjoyed a little bit of this and that today. You know, I've blogged for many years at this point and it's hard to come up with new ideas to write about that folks might find interesting to read about. So today is just a little slice of my life for you. Things I'm doing, things we're eating, our pets, etc. I sure hope you all are enjoying your daily slices of life. Be sure to share some of those slices in the comments!

Until Next Time,

Debbie This and That

 

A Beautiful Blue Dress

 Feeling Blue and Loving It!

Hello everyone! Today, I'm sharing a lovely blue dress that I purchased from April Cornell. Have you ever heard of that brand? I'm not promoting or selling for this brand but I must admit that I love the dresses that are designed by April Cornell.

I wore a dress or two by April Cornell back in the 80's and loved how they were mid-calf length and very feminine and flowy. I was glad to see that they have not changed their design. You know I love anything in blue and the embroidery on the pockets along with the lace on the bodice just makes this dress so appealing to me.

I added a heart shaped cross necklace, a pretty watch and some earrings to complete the look. 

This necklace originally belonged to my late sister, Star, and I enjoy wearing it so much. The colors on the stones and in the middle of the cross are so very pretty. 

The Mr. recently replaced the watch battery in my pretty pink floral watch and I'm excited to be wearing it again! 

I have been wearing this pretty blue dress on repeat as it fits beautifully, feels great and makes me feel happy when I wear it! Who knew that feeling blue could feel great!

You know, when you find a great article of clothing that you love it can surely brighten your day when wearing it! Do you have a particular brand, color, style or type of clothing or jewelry that you love and find yourself smiling when you put it on?

Be sure to share in the comments and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Until Next Time,

Debbie (This and That)