Monday, October 31, 2011

We Can't Hardly Stand The Wait, Please Christmas Don't Be Late!

 


So every year, usually the first frost laden, chilly weekend, I get excited that Christmas is just a few weeks away!  Well that was this weekend!  Saturday morning, since our surround sound is finally fixed, I hooked the computer up with Christmas music blaring, lit my twisted peppermint candle and went to town on cleaning my house.  Oh how I love Christmas! 


Friday, October 28, 2011

Friday Morning

As I was reading blogs this morning, I could hear someone in 
the kitchen playing with what sounded like A piece of dog food.  She does this often, BUT usually it is just one piece.  She plays hokey with it, batting it back and forth between her paws.  This is actually what she was doing........
Who wants to play with one piece when they have a whole bowl to play with!  BTW there is more this is all I could fit in the picture!

And who could get mad at this cutie for just having a little fun!
 

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Christmas Planner!

 So I found this post on Pinterest.......

 http://eighteen25.blogspot.com/2010/11/christmas-planners.html

And thought "Oh my gosh, that's an awesome tool to stay organized in a very crazy time of the year!", so I made one!  Here is mine and by the way I didn't have to go and buy anything, I had all the supplies at home!  Here's mine.......


Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Fall Decorating! Day 3: Kitchen Ideas!

This is September's kitchen!  Here's a quick run down.
  • The place mats are from Pier 1.  They were a clearance deal!  
  • The candle and disk it is sitting on, they are both from Kohl's.
  • The leaf jars on the small shelf on the wall are homemade
  • Pumpkins for Sale sign above the door: Peddler's Mall
  • Autumn Welcome Sign on pantry door: Garden Ridge
  • Sign on glass door: Michael's.
My kitchen in September is nothing extravagant, just a few simple touches of fall!


October's Kitchen:
  • Place mats: Big Lots
  • Figurines on the stove: Michael's
  • Gourd pumpkins on windowsill: The Christmas Tree Shop
  • Pumpkin on bar: Target






 

















     
    This table is in the only corner of my kitchen that is open and this is how it stays all fall season long.

    Saturday, October 15, 2011

    Fall Decorating! Day 2: 10 Frugal Ways to Enjoy the Season, Missed Pics from Yesterday!

    Since yesterday, I have been thinking about the small, little, frugal things I do to be able to enjoy the season, but not brake the bank.  Here are a few that I have thought of:

    1.  Buy tea towels, I get mine at either Big Lots or Target and they usually come in a two pack, I got a two pack for $2.50 in the Target dollar section and I use them as bathroom hand towels.  They are something that is well worth the money!

    2. Stock up on stuff, for next year, ahead of time:  I will stroll through the holiday section every time I go into my favorite stores.  When they run their clearance, either right before the holiday or right after the holiday, stop in and see how much cheaper your favorite stuff is!

    3.  For pumpkins find some place cheap:  I use a small mom and pop farm about 15 minutes from my house, the lady is super sweet and I enjoy supporting the little guy.  Pumpkins over the last few years have gotten so expensive you really need to shop around and try to find the best deal.  Even if you have to drive a little bit, make a day trip out of it with your hubby or kiddo!  Stop and check out people selling them out the back of their truck.  Sometimes they can be pretty cheap.

    4.  Take pictures after you get your decorations up.  When I first moved in I had a horrible time trying to remember where everything went the year before, I am a compulsive person and like things to be put back where they were, so now I take pictures to help me not to forget.  I just store them away in that holiday's tote!

    5.  When it comes to decorating, think out of the box, the most inexpensive stuff can be some of the most sophisticated. For example,
    penningtonpoint.com
    I saw this last night on Pinterest and thought what a great idea.  Corn, dried beans, dried peas, a candle and some twine.  CHEAP!  
       
    6.  Recreating pictures out of a magazine or something you see online, doesn't always have to be exact.  Use what you have rather than going out and getting something new.  Just because the hurricane above has a stem, doesn't mean you have to buy one with a stem, it will look just as good in something without one.  

    7.  When you do shop for home decor, buy stuff that is versatile and that is going to last.  Buy things that you can use all year long, not something that is going to be on display for a few weeks and them going to collect dust for the next 48.

    8.  When decorating your home you should keep a few must have candles, I have way more than a few because I am candle obsessed but that is neither here nor there.  You need a larger white pillar, a small white pillar, some votives and tea light candles.  You can buy the Wal-Mart cheap pillar candles.  They do not have to be expensive.  


    9.  Think DIY instead of Just-Go-and-Buy.  You can make things a lot cheaper than you can going and picking something off a shelf.  I made three fall wreaths, two for me and one for my bestie, each wreath was under $10.00, they wanted $80.00 and I got my design from them!

    10.  Before you buy have a place picked out for that piece already.  If you willy nilly buy, you will end up with clutter.  If you are an indecisive person, don't shop until you have had time to think of a plan. Research, go online, in magazines, get ideas from your friends, whatever you want to do, but have a plan.  That cuts the cost and the cultter!

    I also forgot a couple of pictures yesterday, so before we move onto the kitchen, I am going to back track for just a second.
    This is a close up the the Happy Halloween sign on the table and the two spider candle holder, please disregard the gourds!


    These little guys, I am not sure that they will adorn my windows next year, but I got them like 4 for $1.00 at Michael's 
    Both pictures are from the October version of my dining room!

    I will post the kitchen pictures later!  I am off to the Glendale "Crossing Festival", the largest fall festival around, over 500 booths!  Can't wait!  Happy Saturday to all!

    Friday, October 14, 2011

    Fall Decorating!

    For some reason, this season I have gotten many compliments on my decorating.  I love fall sooooo much that the last week in August I start dragging stuff out and wont put it away until Thanksgiving!  Now keep in mind that although I keep fall decor up from late August to late November, I switch things up each month.  September: just fall, October:  Halloween (of course) and November:  well Thanksgiving.  only a few things change each month.  My table arrangement has never been the same two months in a row for the four years that we have lived here, I just couldn't bear the thought of looking at the same thing for 62 days! 

    So I figured that "My House" would be the perfect subject for my next blog!  I will make it into a 5 day post.  
    Day One: Dining Room
    Day Two: Kitchen
    Day Three: Living Room
    Day Four: Bedrooms
     Day Five: Bathrooms

    This is Octobers dining room.  I couldn't get the whole room on one picture so I have had to split it up.

    Here's a list of where I got either ideas for things or actually bought them.
    1.  Table Runner: Big Lots
    2.  The Happy Halloween Sign: Kirkland's
    3. The two spider candle holders on each side: Big Lots
    4.  The wooden pumpkin on the far right and its stand:  Bardstown Arts and Craft Fall Festival
     1.  Bookshelf: Target
    Top Shelf
    2. Wooden pumpkin bowl: T J Max
    3.  Yankee Candle "Pumpkin Pie": Bed, Bath and Beyond.
    4. Plush pumpkin: The Christmas Tree Store
    First Row
    5. plush scarecrow: Garden Ridge
    6.  Halloween Picture: Meijer
    Second Row
    7.  pumpkin picture: I got a printable picture off line and my baby sister painted it for me
    8.  Two small pumpkins on each side: Kirkland's
     Third Row
    9. Frame: Kohl's
     
     Sorry this picture isn't better there was no way to avoid the glare!
     10. The pumpkins on the top with burlap: I got the idea from this month's issue of BHG.
    11. The glass pumpkins on the middle shelf:  all came from Garden Ridge
    12. Dishes on the lower shelf: Kohl's
    This is the other portion of my dining room.
    13. Starting in the back there is a lantern under the easel: Sam's it was a 2 pack,the pumpkins and pine cone mix inside, Michael's
    14. On the table, the two candle sticks with the gourds: Target.  The gourds are real and I get all of my pumpkins from Wooden Farm in Elizabethtown.
    15. floor mat: the idea came from TLC, its a black rug with silver puff paint.


    This is the dining room in September. 

    The table runner: fabric is from Wal-Mart.
    The platter: Kirkland's 
    The iron pumpkin (also in October): Bardstown Arts and Crafts Fall festival

    Papmered Chef Party


    So I threw a Pampered Chef party last night, I had a great turn out, the food was good and it got plenty loud enough in here, but everyone had a good time!  I, of course, went all the way out.  I had a cider bar, chicken noodle soup, pumpkin dip, an Autumn salad, French baguette, Mummy Munch and for everyone to take home I make individual S'mores! 
      * These are not the actual ones that I made, the idea came from www.southernvogue.com, I got my cellophane bags from Wal-Mart, they had pumpkins on them.


    My Mummy Munch!  This was so easy, it is Honey Chex cereal, roasted peanuts, pretzels and autumn mix with white chocolate drizzled over top and mixed in together!  You can find the recipe at www.picky-palate.com.

    My cider bar, this table is actually my kitchen table that I just moved into the dining room.  I got the glass container the cider is in at Hobby Lobby, the table cloth from Bed, Bath and Beyond, the glasses (BTW some are not pictured here, I searched high and low for the glasses I wanted, I stopped into The Dollar Tree and there they were!) I got some at Target, some and The Dollar Tree and the large goblets Sam's.  
    I got the recipe from this site,http://www.espressoandcream.com, my salad was actually a little darker than hers and I used apples instead of pears!  It was a major HIT, everyone loved it and I will be making it again! 

    Tuesday, October 4, 2011

    AHHH...My Favorite Time of the Year!

    Autumn is by far my favorite season of the year.  To be quite honest I love many things about each season. Winter:  the crisp cleaning feeling you get when the first snow fall comes, the taste of hot chocolate on a cold winters night, and of course Christmas!  Who doesn't love everything about Christmas.  Spring:  the much needed sun shine and warm air, the beautiful spring flowers and the soft pastel colors.  Summer:  the beach or any vacation for that matter, nice cold treats like ice cream that melts before you can finish the whole cone, and bright warm colors.  But Autumn, there is nothing that can quite compare to the warm spicy smells of pumpkin pie, cinnamon, colves, ginger and nutmeg.  The warm, heart warming colors of burnt orange, red and yellow.  Oh and the tastes, how I love pumpkin everything, muffins, bread, cheesecake, cookies, pie, you name it I love it.  I thought I would write this blog about my favorite things about Autumn, and while you read it try to think of your own favorite things about Autumn are.  


    20 Reason to Love Autumn!

     1.  PUMPKINS
    2. Apple picking
    3.  Fall fabric prints (ex. plaid)
    4. Cozy socks
    5. Fresh baked goods
    6. Fall fabric (ex. wool, flannel)
    7. Hay rides
    8. Bond Fires
    9. Leaves changing colors
    10. Fall scented candles
    11.  The first frost
    12.  Chicken and Dumplings
    13. Thanksgiving Dinner
    14. Scarecrows
    15. Halloween costumes
    16.  Family 
    17.  Warm cozy blankets
    18.  Cool crisp morning and warm sunny afternoons
    19.  Wind blowing through the trees
    20.  Fall decorations!