Tuesdays With Tracy October Ponderings On the Pond

Hello friends of The Tattered Pew.  This is Kelly’s mom here to join you with my monthly Tuesdays with Tracy.  I like to refer to this as my “ponderings on the pond”.  We have a small pond behind our house that we share with some great neighbors. This is the current state of the pond as seen from our backyard.

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Tuesdays With Tracy October Ponderings On the Pond

“It was a beautiful bright autumn day, 

with air like cider 

and a sky so blue you could drown in it.”

Diana Gabaldon

Fall In Colorado

The colors here in Colorado are changing and it is beautiful seeing all the gold, red, and orange trees and bushes.  Our sprinklers are turned off due to cold overnight temps so we are hand watering.  The Iceberg roses are still blooming but not much else is. 

The tree/bush behind the roses is Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry. The fall color is striking but I wish that darn thing would grow to its expected height of 15-25 feet. It has stayed at about 5 feet for a couple of years.

How To Make Beautiful Harvest Wheat Bundles For Fall Decor In Four Easy Steps

I’ve really been liking  wheat for fall decorating. I have some long wheat stalks placed in a large vase and a couple of small wheat bundles on our entryway table.  There is something simple, natural, and  organic about wheat in fall decor.  

I decided I wanted more small wheat bundles to add to a fall/Thanksgiving tablescape, but it had to be simple.  This easy wheat bundle DIY only requires four items.

Craft Supplies 

400 Dried Wheat Stalks

Raffia or twine

Velvet Ribbon

Scissors

1. First, separate the wheat into four bundles. Then lay each bundle on a flat surface and layer into a fan shape.

2. Second, slide a piece of raffia or twine underneath the bunch and tie it tightly. Adjust the wheat puff ends to your desired shape.

3. Third, decide how tall you want your wheat bundle and cut the bottoms off to that height. Don’t these look like ladies dancing on the table top!?

4. Fourth, tie your desired ribbon around each bundle. I tightened them up with the ribbon so they weren’t as fanned out.

Setting A Fall Table With Beautiful Wheat Bundles

My table is set for six but on Thanksgiving we usually host family and friends.  We have had as many as 16 guests and in that case we extend this table and add another table to the end. Since the table is set for six I only used two wheat bundles.

This table setting is layered with a cream linen tablecloth and six placemats. The gold linen napkins were my mom’s and that was my inspiration for the ribbon color on the wheat bundles.  I do not iron linen.  I prefer the slightly rumpled look of linen fresh out of the dryer.

I added some candles and realized that it was important to make sure they weren’t too close to the wheat bundles!  

I’ve always enjoyed candles and even when the kids were little I would sometimes light candles at the dinner table. 

Once when Kelly was about eight we had some drama when she reached across the table and fire from a candle danced up her sleeve!  

She quickly jumped up from the table and put into practice the “stop, drop, & roll” that she had learned at school. I’m pretty sure I may have been hysterically screaming.

I added the extra two wheat bundles to our entryway sideboard that is adjacent to the dining room.

A Simple Freezer Recipe To Make Ahead For Those Busy Fall Days And Holidays

I try to keep bags of these in the freezer for busy times and also to bring to those needing an easy and quick meal.

Tuesdays With Tracy October Ponderings On the Pond

I love this time of year.  Warm days, crisp nights, candles burning, falling colorful leaves, football, volleyball, and grandchildren playing soccer.  Life is all too short and can be so fragile.  While I look forward to heaven which will be unimaginably beautiful, I will treasure the beautiful moments here with family and friends.

This life is marked by enjoyable highs and deep and hard lows. So… light a candle, say a prayer, and treasure the beautiful days of autumn!

“Fall colors are funny. They’re so bright and intense and beautiful. It’s like nature is trying to fill you up with color, to saturate you so you can stockpile it before winter turns everything muted and dreary.”

Siobhan Vivian

Love,

Tracy