A New Season.

Well, it's November, and I've done what I said I wouldn't do...or rather worried that I would do...or both?...anyway, I've fallen off the blogosphere for a while, but now that things have shifted a bit in life for me and Mr. Darcy, hopefully I will have both more posts and more things of interest to talk about!  When last I checked in, it was the middle of summer, I was working full-time as a makeup artist at a department store, and one of my BFFs was about to get married to her man.  A handful of months later, we're now in the midst of a full-fledged East Coast autumn, I'm working part-time at a florist as a delivery driver, and that one BFF is happily married, while I scheme and plot for when my other BFF gets herself hitched.

Suffice it to say, I have a lot more time on my hands now that I'm no longer working at the department store.  How did that all come about?  Well, I got laid-off due to a lack of sales...it turns out that I wasn't a very good salesperson.  I just couldn't ever work up the willpower to get in people's faces and haggle them into buying things, and in the end, in some businesses, lacking that skill is enough of a detriment that ends up costing one a job.  I bawled all the way home from the store on the day that I was let go, but the good Lord didn't let me wallow in my shock and despair.  One of Mr. Darcy's friends proposed to his girl that very evening, and instead of staying home and weeping my eyes out, I got to go and be a part of that happiest of occasions.

And, it turns out, the Lord had a plan for my job even before I was let go.  Mr. Darcy happens to be in acquaintance with one of the local florists here, who needed a new driver to deliver flowers for her.  Two days after I was relieved of my position at the department store, this sweet old lady--seriously, she looks and acts like Mrs. Claus!--was kind enough to give me the driving job.  I've been working for her for a little over a month now, and I love my new job.  I have lovely, normal working hours, so I get to be home with Mr. Darcy during the evenings and for most of the weekends.  And being employed at a florist is such fun--I'm surrounded by flowers, and people are always quite happy to see the floral deliveries when I show up at their doorstep.

So, the Domestic Fairy Tale Princess has become a sort of shabby Domestic Fairy Tale Princess...I'm kinda working the Cinderella-chic life at the moment, or I'm trying to, at any rate.  Having very little money is teaching me a lot of lessons, namely in humility and frugality.  But one of the things that I enjoy the most is getting to experience the kindness of others during this admittedly rough time in my and Mr. Darcy's life together.  We're almost constantly being invited over to his parents' house, or my parents' house, or friends' houses, and everyone is so helpful and giving.  People are always reassuring us and praying for us.  I look forward to the opportunities that I will have to give back some of that kindness to them!

And now, for a showcase of the projects I've taken on recently.

A birthday gift for my sister...I couldn't resist a French accent.

A pumpkin cake, courtesy of two Bundt cake pans and a lot of food coloring.

And in case you ever need to know...

If you combine a normal cake mix

(I used caramel-flavored cake for this particular project)

with pound cake mix,

it will give you a firmer cake, much better suited to making forms.

And it still tastes like the normal cake.

The Phantom of the Opera made an appearance for my and Mr. Darcy's pumpkin

in our Sunday school group's second annual Pumpkin Carving Party.

The lovely Christine Daae joined him in the Halloween cameo appearance.

I sketched out the idea and drew it onto the pumpkin, 

and Mr. Darcy carved it.

Ahh! The flames of true love burn eternal.

(Mr. Darcy and I won first place for this sucker.  Oh yeah!)

And now for something slightly different...Christmas preparations have begun!  After we visited a craft show, Mom and I were rather disappointed to find that not much that was for sale had caught our eyes that day.  However, not to be dissuaded, upon our return to Mom and Dad's house, Mom dug out some burlap material and the glue gun, and we got to work.

Here is how my project turned out....

Included in the materials for this wreath:

twine, satin ribbon, fabric scraps in gold and cream, 

burlap, hot glue, masking tape, and...a pool noodle.  

And one of my projects from today:

a Christmas tree skirt, made from one of my sister's old dresses.

I cut the skirt away from the bodice, cut the skirt and its underskirt into four parts,

and sewed those together to make a long, wide strip of fabric.  

With some further embellishing and a few stitches 

to tack down the material around the "waist", to make the skirt fit snugly around the tree, 

this will be my first Christmas tree's skirt, 

come sometime in December.

Obviously, I'm on a shabby-chic, French-Country style kick right now...actually, let's make that I'm permanently and extraordinarily enamored of that style.  I keep dreaming of the day when I'll be able to pack up my bags and fly over to France with Mr. Darcy, and actually get to see the Provence that I so admire and seek to emulate in my home.  As for now, though, I'm happy to keep churning out the projects that will give the apartment some comfortable yet elegant appeal.  

Next post will include a recipe...I think I've gone on for long enough.  Oh, but it's nice to be back.

À bientôt!

Cait