Monday

Blame it on pms or peri-menopause or Monday. I rarely buy these bad boys as I will be tempted to eat them but found my mini van pulling in the lot after the little one's dance class this morning.

Also, I have had a few people complain about my blog not loading and I have been trying to figure out what the problem is. I hope I solved it this morning. Sorry if you have had the problem. I do know Google Chrome works best for me when blog surfing. Thanks for letting me know if you have. I am such a novice that I just find these problems so frustrating.

Sunny Simple Fall

Before all the Halloween spookies comes out I wanted to share our fall decor. Our week with visiting family has been so busy that I just never got a chance to share. It was wonderful though. I miss them already.

I kept my kitchen simple this year as lots of orange would not look good in here.

This are the dining room and front room. For fall I just add a few pumpkins and fall flowers here and there.

This is my child's dry sink. Quinn loves to stash her kitchen toys in here so I regularly have to clear it out. The little autumn banner was picked up on clearance last year. I thought is would be perfect here.

Topped with some prim pumpkins.

I have to keep the table simple because we eat here every night and the table cloth has to come off all the time. I put my little slate in a simple wood tray.

And now that it is October, a sneak of some of the Halloween coming out of the boxes.

Linking to:
BNOTP
Seasonal Sundays
Show Off Your Cottage Monday
DIY Showoff
Making the World Cuter
Mod Mix Monday
Coastal Charm
Tabletop Tuesday
Wow Us Wed.

Family Fun

I am really enjoying my family this week. We see each other so seldom as we are spread out over several states. Today they are with my SIL's family but yesterday we drove out to the desert to have a barbecue at our other brother's home. I had to show you his cat. He is huge. Look at him next to my daughter who is 3 1/2. I guess he weighs at least twenty pounds. He is a total love though.

Here are two of my three brothers. Gosh I love it when we can get together. We desperately miss our parents that both passed away nine years ago. They were the glue. I don't want us to stop trying to get together. It is so good for my kids. They need this side of our family for the history and the attachments to the past. Family is extremely important to me. We already have plans to visit my brother next summer.

This is my visiting brother and his darling wife.

Our other brother lives in the dessert but still has a little patch of green and lots of shade.

Joshua tree grow everywhere here.

Doing what the men in my family do best... barbecuing meat!!

Melt in your mouth barbecue chicken.

Pumpkins

We have a favorite pumpkin patch we have been visiting since my 20 year old was two. It has changed a lot over the years but for the better. They have the best variety of pumpkins I have found. I just love pumkins.

I love anything made with pumpkins as well. Pie, bread but my most favorite...

source

Had my first one yesterday. It was as wonderful as I remember. Can't wait to get to the pumpkin patch this year.

Linking to:
Home Sweet Home
Show and Tell Friday

A Few Fall Snaps

Unedited here are just a couple of pics. After editing and some how deleting the previous post I did full of fall, I just decided to do a quick post and show you one room. We decorate a little for fall and then a lot for Halloween so this is just our fall decor. I wait until October to put of the Halloween goodies. This is a little room off of our dining room. Hubby took the little wagon up here and just filled it with a few things and added a string of lights twisted on a garland.

I love glowing lights around the house. I am a sucker for a cute strand of lights.

You already saw these lights I bought earlier in the month. With a little fall pillow, this sets the scene in this corner.

This fall themed Wysocki print hangs all year long. We love it. It is named Montana de Oro. Charles Wysocki found the black kitty at the beach there and name the cat after it. Montana de Oro is on the Central Coast of California and is one of the most lovely little beaches I have ever seen. We love it there and happen to have a kitty that is identical to this cat.

Soon any empty space will be stuffed with ghosts, pumpkins and goblins. We have more Halloween decor than Christmas. It is crazy. We used to have huge parties but then I had Quinn so when she is a little older we will start that tradition back up again. For now my SIL does the parties so I have to think of a costume. I am thinking cheap as in price not looks. Sort of leaning to zombie housewife. Scary with a cute apron and rolling pin. That might be me on some days when I wake up come to think of it.

Linking to:
Wow Us Wed.
Good Life Wednesdays
BNOTP
Transformation Thursday
Somewhat Simple
Nest of Posies
Home Sweet Home
Show and Tell Friday
Potpourri Friday

Company is Coming

My brother and sister in law are coming for a short visit tomorrow. You know how that is. You really start cleaning your house when company is on the way. The beds are stripped and made with fresh linens and every flat surface has been dusted and shined.

I loaded tons of pictures with my fall decor and somehow deleted it last night. Ughh!!! So I had to table that for another day and do it later. See you in a couple of days hopefully with my fall post. 

Linking to:
Coastal Charm
A Stroll Thru Life
Wow Us Wed.

Frugal Fall Gardening

Come fall, I love to perk up my pots on the patio for the cooler lovely months of fall. Our weather is mild so we can grow flowers year round. But, committing to a more frugal walk, I just don't head to the nursery and load up on tons of flowers like I used to. I really like to re-use existing plants if I can and start new plants from cuttings.

These two pots on our patio flag the sides of our fire pit. It is actually the size of a spa I swear. When my dad was building it I came home from work and could not believe how big and high he built it. He said he wanted it safe for the grandkids. No risk of little ones falling into it.

The pots had summer annuals with a mum planted in the middle. I yanked everything but the mum and cut it way back. I plugged in some green trailing plants from the yard and gave the pot a load of time release fertilizer. From the nursery I brought home only three six packs of annuals, zinnias, lobelia and marigolds. 

I love the mix of oranges and purple for the fall. The coleus is from another plant I just snipped off a stem of.

Coleus is a wonderful plant to start from cuttings. At the beginning of summer I buy one plant. As it grows, I continuously snip off stems about 3-4 inches long and stick in other pots to start new plants. One plant this year became five. This was started from a snip at the beginning of summer and look how full it is now. Plus all the snipping of the plants makes them stay nice and full like this one.

There's a little one growing right now. It was started only a few weeks ago.

Here is the big daddy plant. The one and only I bought in June. Told you all the snipping makes them nice and full.

Impatiens love the cooler days of fall and just come alive then. These plants are years old. I just cut them way back every year in the winter and generously feed with time release fertilizer.

Here is the giant fire ring. I cleaned it all out the other day and now it is ready for our fall bonfires with smores of course.

Linking to:
Met Monday
Show Off Your Cottage Monday
Nifty Thrifty Sunday
Sunday Showcase
Funky Junk Interiors
Boogie Board Cottage
The House in the Roses
At Home with K
The Rose Garden in Malevik
Thrifty Decor Chick

Fall - Check

Guess what I did all day? What else. Got the fall boxes down and now the house is ready, glowing with fall color and coziness. I will take lots of pics and share soon but for now the candles are lit and I am enjoying my favorite time of year. Happy Sunday!!

Sewing Table Meets Kitchen

I have been wanting a little table in the kitchen for the end of my counter. I run out of counter when serving dinner and need some extra real estate for needfuls. Yesterday, while straightening the garage, I noticed my mom's old sewing table in the back corner and a light went off in my head. Why not try it in the kitchen. Sadly the top is scratched because a certain someone had a tool chest stored on top.

For now I threw a little rooster towel on it but I think it really needs to be painted. A crisp white would look great. Do you have any ideas on colors that might look good in my kitchen?

This is a great place for our serving items at dinner time. I like to set everything sort of buffet style on the counter and have everyone serve themselves. An old cheese box holds our napkins now and salt and pepper shakers.

When's dinner? Around five usually. We eat early. Tonight it's barbecued hamburgers with sweet potato fries and corn on the cob.

My memories of my mom sewing at this table are sweet. Why didn't she make me learn to sew. I am just dying to learn. I have her old machine. I need to find a place to take lessons that are for super novice beginners.

Update** Okay so I am not sure I like this here. I may sway it out with a butcher block in my service porch.
I see some moving around in my future tomorrow.

Linking to:
Common Ground
Farmhouse Friday
Show and Tell Friday
SNS #100
Seasonal Sundays
Met Monday
Rednesday

Fall - It's Official

It's here folks. Yeah!!! I  have been forcing that fall feeling around our home even though we still have been running our A/C when needed. I am in love with this new candle from Bath & Body. It is a close second to  my all time most favorite candle.

I also baked banana bread much to my daughter's delight. Her sister took her some fresh from the oven and made her morning.

I re-did my spice cabinet last year as I was not thrilled with the everything falling all over the place system I had before. I decided to contain everything in labeled baskets arranged by category. You can see my system here.

It has worked beautifully and the proof is I am still using it over a year later.

And last in celebration of fall have you seen these. Anything with candy corn is divine to me but white chocolate candy corn M&Ms. Be still my heart. I am on the hunt. Will let you know how they are after I eat the whole bag.

Linking to:
Home Sweet Home
Show and Tell Friday
French Country Cottage
Common Ground
Fireflies and Jellybeans
The Tablescaper

Hard Labor

Today I ordered myself to hard labor. Because hubby is out of town and my oldest just no longer is here to do the lawn mowing, I have sort of taken over this chore. Now if you know me you know I prefer yard work to housework any day. So today at 9:00 am I put on my grubbies and started my outdoor chores. I mowed and edged the front and back lawns. Blew everything off with my blower and let me just say, best yard tool I have ever bought. I then blew out the garage, put away all the summer camping gear, pulled out all the fall bins and then finished with bathing the dog. I was already very gross so I figured what the heck.

After four and a half ours of dirt and sweat, I finally made it in. I think one reason I love yard work and outdoor chores is that the final product tends to stay nicer for a longer period of time. When you do indoor chores you can leave a room and find a brand new mess in the next room. Any amount of cleaning in a home with kids is short-lived. Thankfully two of my bigger girls were home today and could get the house in order while I worked outside.

I don't know if anyone noticed but my oldest daughter left me a comment on my last post. I wanted to share. Her and I are very alike and have always had a very lively relationship. We both say what is on our minds and that can be good or bad depending on the topic. She is house sitting this week and stopped by after a very rough day at the hospital on Tuesday. She needed to cry and then be put back together again. Nursing is such a stressful line of work and I know she will be great but the successes and tragedies are very great when you are working with people's lives. Her ability to do this job garners my up most respect as I could never in a million years do what she is doing. Here is her comment:

You know mom I don't think I ever tell you how awesome you really are. I know we butt heads and argue, but you're my inspiration to work so hard and reading your writing...kind of chokes me up sometimes. Thank you for always trying to teach me to be content and thankful for everything (even nursing school)You are the best. ~Audrey


Now if that doesn't choke me up, then what will. Life is stressful sometimes and around here it has been just that the last couple of weeks. My 3rd daughter had to have some tests to see about a lump she had. I refused to even go to the possibilities in my mind. I just couldn't. I am so very thankful today to tell you all that the doctor called and it was benign but she will have to have it looked at in 6 months just to make sure there are no changes.


Well, I have said enough. Kids bring great joy and also great amounts of worry. I envy the parent that never seems to worry if there is such a creature. I my friends, am not. Thank God for a spouse and family to support me and each other. Blessings for a wonderful weekend everyone.


Linking to:
Fridays Unfolded
Potpourri Fri.

Frugal Challenge-Amish Thoughts on Money

I love to check books out from the library. We visit several times a month. My latest read was very good. I read it in a couple of days, it was that interesting. The title is Money Secrets of the Amish  by Lorilee Craker.
For the most part I found this very informational. The only thing I didn't care for was the author's personal action plans at the end of each chapter. Some were so simplistic that I skipped them. But what really held my interest was the constant focus on simplicity and their constant focus on money. Not in a bad way but how their actions can preserve their money.

My favorite chapter was on using things up, wearing things out, making do and doing without. It really hit home with me. For everything you make last and learn to live without or discover a substitute for, it equates to money in your pocket. Say you break your yard rake, which I have, but then have your husband screw on the handle again and repair it, it is $15 in my pocket. I have been eyeing a new rake at our local hardware store, knowing ours is sort of on its last legs. Well my new philosophy is making the rake last to its dying day. Repair it as long as we can and it is $15 I am ahead. Money still in my pocket.

I also loved their simple take on holiday gifts. They usually consist of useful needed items but I think I am really going to enact some of this in our holiday gift giving. Not only will it simplify things for me, but will cut down on the cost of Christmas. My older kids are so hard to buy for so I think some gift cards and maybe a couple of things to open while Quinn is so young you could wrap some very inexpensive items and she would be thrilled.

The Amish thoughts on thrift extend to all areas of their lives and I already implement a lot of these ideas as well but I am always looking for more areas I can improve on and continued motivation on my frugal quest.

Linking to:
What We're Reading Party
Raising Homemakers
Wow Us Wed.
Momma Hens Coop
Transformation Thursdays
Alicias Homemaking
The Charm of Home
Show and Tell Friday
Fridays Unfolded
Thrifty Things Friday

New Beginnings and Saying Goodbye

It has been a sad couple of days. Didn't feel much like blogging about fluff while my girlfriends family said goodbye to their mother and grandmother. So I took a couple of days off and hubby and I attended the viewing and funeral. Yesterday before the funeral though, I had the joy of taking Quinn to her first ballet class.

She was so excited. Now if you have ever seen a class full of three year olds dance you know what I am talking about when I say I laughed until I cried. It was so cute and funny. She loved it and did so many twirls I could see she was getting dizzy. It brought a wonderful joy to an otherwise sad day but that is how life is. Full of lots of real life with some good laughter in between. I tell my kids all the time to understand a few things about life. First, that it isn't fair and the sooner you accept that the better and second, that life is really hard, full of a lot of what you don't want to do sprinkled with a little of what you do like to do. BUT it is how you handle the things you don't want to do that can make or break your outlook on life. If you go through your days thankful for the small things and thankful you are able to take care of the daily tasks then you will be a lot happier. I know from experience. So on with life. I hope you all are enjoying the last days of summer. Fall is almost officially here.

Linking to:
Time Warp Wife