Hello!  Hello!  Hello! 🙂  I hope you’ve had a beautiful week and weekend!  I made my week busy by choosing to spend lots of time outside soaking up this autumnal season.  I spent two days at the Chicago Botanic Gardens and one day exploring a new to me forest preserve.  I feel quite rested and rejuvenated.

Below photo is from the “new” forest preserve.

And the photo below was taken in the Rose Garden at the Chicago Botanic Gardens.

However, even though I spent so much time outdoors, I did get a bit of knitting done this past week.  I am working on two more sweater dresses for the Little Darlings.  I think I am addicted to sweater dresses for my girls.  Anyone else feel the same about sweater dresses?  I DO LOVE them!  I keep knitting more and more!

The green one is almost finished–only a few more rows.  I am using my Sweater Dress pattern, but changed it up by making a wide garter neckline to look Santa-like.  The hemline will have a “fur” band also.  A Santa hat will most likely be in order for this one.

The pretty blue (love this shade of blue) sweater dress has long sleeves (my first for a Little Darling sweater dress) and narrow “fur” trim at the edges.  I blocked the first sleeve right after it was completed, and while it was still flat.

I am liking these two so much–getting excited for them to be completed.  I hope to soon be rid of the ‘sweater dress making bug’ and do some sewing of Christmas dresses (with cardigans or capes, of course) next.  You’ve seen my pile of Christmas fabrics; they really need some attention.

We have lots of small lakes around here and many of our forest preserves include paths around them.

This one had a boat launch, fishing pier, and lookout points at different spots around the lake.  There were some lookout areas with large flat rocks that I thought would be nice for taking pictures of my dolls.

I don’t have any little ones, but for those that do the playground here looks like a lot of fun.  I love the super huge frog, turtle, and beaver.  My daughter is taking a herpetology class (study of amphibians) so the frog and turtle are quite timely.  (I sent her photos. 😉 )

I wonder if at some time lightening hit this tree.  Regardless, it had a nice sculptural quality to it, so I took a photo of it.

Of course you know I cannot resist photographing mushrooms.

My two visits to the Chicago Botanic Gardens were a little different.  My first visit on Monday was spent exploring my favorite gardens:  English Walled, Japanese, Rose, Heritage to name a few.  Then, on Thursday I dropped my daughter off for her one class and her choir practice and then drove to the gardens for a few hours.  This time I decided to walk the perimeter of the entire place to go through the prairie, around the test greenhouses and test science center.  I felt like I was ‘behind the scenes’ at some points.

I discovered the McDonald Woods which are in the process of being restored.  At the entrance is a shelter with a fireplace.  It looked like it had been used and there was a log in it.  So cute!

While walking around the perimeter, I found myself on the other side of the Japanese Garden islands.  I’ve often seen people sitting on the benches here and wondered how they got over there.  Now I know how.

Flowers are still blooming here.  Lots of mums and asters everywhere.

Not sure what the blossoms below are called–do you know?  They seem to be some sort of fall flowering bulb?

And in my own back yard I still have flowers as the frost stayed away from the house.

Today, it is sunny and warm–so beautiful!  Even though the temperature is warm the look of the landscape is changing–gone are the deep greens which are being replaced by golds, oranges, reds, and browns.

How is autumn shaping up where you live?

Thank you for stopping by today.  Enjoy the week ahead! ❤