A couple of my "things"

I'm no domestic doyenne, like the formidable Martha Stewart, but I do enjoy certain things that make my home more inviting and comfortable. One of those things is fresh flowers. I'm up to eight vases a week of flower arrangements.
It's become a ritual for me to get up early (for me) on Sundays and get doughnuts for our Sunday treat and then travel to nearby Ojai (Calif.) to the farmers market.
There, I'm sometime referred to as the "flower lady" because I will buy about 10 or more bouquets to arrange and sprinkle around the house. To me, this is a soul-saving activity that always provides me with a sense of peace.
This past week the pickings were rather slim, but that may have been because I was late getting started this morning.
I really enjoy the grand bouquet by the fireplace as my centerpiece and am working out some concepts. There is also the urn on the other side of the fireplace where big, dramatic flowers look great. I have a smaller bouquet over the TV, because I can't stand the idea of people just staring at a Spartan electronic box without some decorative touches.
Finally, I have a bouquet in the kitchen over the sink, on the dining room table, in my bathroom and in our bedroom. I give our housemate a bouquet for her room every week.
I also love to decorate the house for the holidays. This, too follows a rather established pattern. On Oct. 1 each year I put out my fall and Halloween decorations. My husband complains that the kids are grown now and there is no reason to decorate, but I enjoy it and we have lots of people who stop by, nephews, nieces, daughter, friends, so it's nice to have some pretty accents around the house. And it makes me happy.
I put up some Halloween decorations because I love the holiday. I learned years ago not to make them too scary because one year I had a tape of spooky noises and a little 2-year-old was too scared to come up the driveway.
After Halloween, I put away the scary decorations and leave the fall decorations up for Thanksgiving. I call this "trasitioning" and am way prouder of my efficiency than anyone I've told, so far.
I've already begun my Thanksgiving preparations and am actually stocking up for Christmas. Might as well, the holidays are just around the corner.