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(oh yes – I jumped on the Instagram bandwagon)

For all the leaves raining down from the trees and blanketing the lawn, to the crisp air and the chickens deciding they have had just about enough of that whole laying eggs business thank you very much, now that the days are shorter – you would think the impatiens would give it a rest.  But they keep responding to whatever tiny attention we give them and they are still blooming away.

Since we were late in planting our pots on the deck I have to say I'm enjoying every last bloom and the verdant lushness of my three-tiered planter.  It's almost like it is making up for the slow start it got.  

The arbor on the deck is almost complete.  As soon as it is I'll take pictures.  Rick has tried to recreate it for me as best he can with the new deck configuration.  There are some support elements he had to change but the over all look and feel is the same.  I can't wait to look out my kitchen window in the Spring and see it covered in New Dawn climbing roses.  

In the meantime I get to look at the window and see this (notice all the maples leaves on the ground):

I did a super easy crafty thing last night that I wanted to share.  But then something weird happened.  

So I found this image via Pinterest and followed it to the blog Heavens Walk that had the step by step instructions for creating an image on a painted pot.  My intention was to just show my pictures and then link to the original inspiration.  I try to give credit for inspiration when I find it – and her pictures were way better anyway.

However – when I started this post and tried to go to her blog to get the link it says it has been removed.  I was just looking at it last night! I'm hoping that it's just a temporary glitch and she'll be back up and running soon.  In case she does here is her old URL:  heavens-walk.blogspot.com.  Oh whew!  She is back: Heaven's Walk

Anyway I'll try to describe the steps but keep in mind this wasn't my original idea or anything.  

I took a terracotta pot and painted it white.  Then I sponged on some light grey and grey-green paint to give it a slightly mottled, aged look. Nice thing about painting terracotta is that it dries super fast.

Then I took an image of vintage French label from the Graphics Fairy website (love her!) and flipped it so it was a mirror image and printed it on regular old printer paper.  I cut out the image and applied a thin layer of Modge Podge on the printed side.  

I applied it to the pot (printed side towards the pot) and smoothed out the paper.  Then I let it dry over night.  When I got up this morning I dampened the paper and began rubbing it until it rolled off in little bits.  What was left is the image.

Seriously I hope her blog comes back up because she had step by step, photographed instructions.  If she doesn't then maybe I'll to it again on a larger pot and do another post.  I just don't like finding a great project and then have it look like I am trying to pass it off as my own.

When I do it again I think I will pick a more open graphic – not so heavy with the ink.  And I'll print with dark brown, rather than black. My inkjet printer black ink tends to look slightly blue (like a tattoo) when it gets wet.  

We are coming to end the of the apples on our trees.  I had Rick drag out the ladder for me so I could pick some to make one last batch of apple butter and an apple cake.

He dutifully set up the ladder for me and then looked all alarmed when I was repositioning it and ended up picking the apples for me.  I swear that wasn't my intention at all….

This cake smells heavenly when it is baking.  It is from Gywneth Paltrow's Goop newletter and was part of a Rosh HaShanah feature. I realize that I am over a month late and not Jewish but this cake shouldn't be reserved just for one celebration during the year.  Apple and Honey Cake. 

I lined my pan with a circle of parchment paper and I think it might have been a mistake because the sugar and apples on top didn't carmelize the way they should have.  The cake is still tasty but I think it could have been that much better.   And it should be served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

I know I have said this before but it is so satisfying to bake something with apples from your own tree and eggs from your own chickens.