Signs of Fall

Though we have not had any fall like weather to speak of, there are subtle changes around us. Leaves changing and the sun hanging lower in the sky. I have begun to mix a few fallish items in with my decor.

Warm colors and spicy scents always a must for the season.

Bath and Body finally had the fall scents on sale so I headed in to pick up a few for myself and some as gifts for teachers. This is my favorite this year. Of course I always have my favorite on standby. And don't forget this trick to extend the life of your candles.

Oh to have the weather dip enough to need a sweater in the evenings. I cannot wait!!

I am sharing with Cozy Little House for tweak it Tuesday.And with Marty at Tabletop Tuesday and with Coastal Charm.

Pillows by Bloggers and Back to School Owl Cupcakes

Early in the year I ordered this darling chicken pillow cover from the Kathy's Cottage etsy shop. I just adore it and am a little nervous of all the white.

So cute and already matches my blue and white chicken pillows.

It was my hubby that finally put a pillow in it. I am so glad he did because I just am enjoying it so much.

Remember when Brenda of Cozy Little House made a bunch of the fun owl pillows? Well I had to have one. It really is for my daughter but I have been enjoying it in our front room as a dash of late summer, looking forward to fall color. After I am done with it, it will return to my daughter's owl themed bedroom.

Not my usual muted colors in here but an unexpected splash that is perfect for September and all those wise back to school kids.

And remember these guys?

Making a batch of these this week for my daughter's preschool class. The instructions are here.

BNOTP

Sunny Simple Sunday #14

Help I am melting!!! No kidding. Supposed to be 106 here today. I feel I moved into an oven and I will never get out. I won't tell you what my last electric bill was. I think a swim at grandma's house may be in order today. Have a wonderful weekend and if it is cool where you live, I am jealous.

Some of the highlights from last week. Do we ever tire of seeing the lovelies at Cozy Little House?

Her Lucy and Ethel Moments post is funny but oh so pretty. You can laugh and see great shots of her sweet little house. What more could you want?

Maple Lane  shared this sweet post of puppy and kitty love. So cute! We almost love our pets as this was one of the most viewed posts. Sadly our cat would put a claw into our dog if it tried to come near his bed.

Farm Road Ramblings shared this quilt top she just finished. I just had to share it. Is this not gorgeous. I never stop being envious of you talented quilters and sewers.

And the most viewed post from last week was A Spoonful Of's post on how she painted her kitchen counter tops. AMAZING. I did not know you could even do that. What a wonderful change. So much cheaper than replacing them that is for sure.

All Sweat and Glory

Well I am not sure where the glory comes in but I sure have been sweaty. The endless summer continues. I am OVER IT!! I thought I would show you at my dirtiest. Mowing the yard and cleaning the coop. I was so hot and dirty but that's real life. I love to work hard in the yard. I wished I loved to work as hard in the house. It would be spotless.

Not much going in the garden. I want to plant some fall seedlings but with this heat I have been waiting. The great thing is we eat the veggies from my garden and the chickens love the carrot tops and cucumber peels. They eat it, poop it and then I scoop it and make wonderful black gold compost. Oh, is it alive. When I move the compost pile and scoop some from the bottom, it is so alive and full of worms.

The chickens come running to scratch and eat all those wiggly worms which in turn is a great source of protein for them. Wonderful cycle of life. Two of the girls go to my friend Kris at Simplify today. We are meeting to swap the chickens. I know they will love her place. She has a big orange grove that they will happily scratch in and live the rest of their days.

I will miss the pretty green eggs they lay though. Sigh. But I think the two chickens left will be a better amount for my little yard and I like to let them roam so they will less damage.

So we will be left with our two Barred Rocks and I will continue to enjoy chickens scratching in the compost pile. As it should be.

Linking to:
Show and Tell Friday
Funky Junk Interiors
Sunday Blog Love
A Favorite Thing Saturday
Seasonal Sundays

Just a Quick Update

Just quickly wanted to say thanks for all your support and kind words. They always lift me when I need it most. My daughter's procedure, though painful and something that had to be done, is now over and she is home resting on pain meds. Praise God the results are that her issues were not cancer or something serious but rather something she was born with. No further appointments needed for now and it is behind us. Poor girl though she is traumatized. She is young to have had to go through this. But mom is sky high with the relief I feel and when she wakes up, she will be too.
Thank you friends! All my cars can break down now and I won't care a bit. Can you see my happy smiling face?

Oh to Be in the Garden

I yearn to head to the nursery and fill my garden with fall flowers but it won't happen here this week.
To say it has been crazy is putting it mildly. I topped off the day yesterday with a car full of groceries, a hot tired four year old and a dead battery. Today promises to be rough as well. Taking my daughter for a much dreaded procedure that she is begging me to cancel. If I could take the pain for her I would in a heart beat. Get me to the weekend. So just a quick check in while I drink some coffee and buck up for the rest of the week. Am I whining? I don't mean to be. Onward to take the day and get this appointment over as quickly as possible.

News In These Parts and This Weeks To Do List

The weekend was spent working and working and then working some more around here. Less time during the week has left chores for the weekends. I also made a tough decision about my chickens. For now, I am going to give two away and keep two. My friend Kris has agreed to take two to add to her flock and she has a wonderful piece of property that will make them happy so the two brown Easter Eggers will be leaving. At first I had thought I would get rid of all the chickens and then cried collecting the eggs one day and Kris suggested I maybe keep some and then my hubby the same thing. So two will stay.

These two girls will remain. When you have chickens roaming a small backyard, they can be destructive as well as leaving lots of poo all over where my little one needs to be playing. The yard had become the chickens and not ours as I hated seeing them locked up all day. We will erect an enclosure around the main coop and confine them to a back corner of the yard. They will have lots of scratching room and shade and we will have poop free grass. I was always hosing down but come winter do I really want to be doing that?

We will see how it goes. I love the chickens but as in all new things, am try to find a balance where they are happy and we are still using our back yard. The chickens can come out and play a few times a week so they get their fix. My husband is ever the patient man with this hobby of mine. Will keep you updated.

Hubby had to work on Saturday which was trailer washing day so the girls and I had at it and got her all clean and spiffed to put her up for sale. Hopefully it doesn't take too long and folks camp here year round so we will see.

Just cleaned and did laundry. I am trying ever so hard to get this orchid to rebloom. I am feeding it every two weeks which is what I read so maybe it will work this time. It has lots of new growth so something is happening there. Not much else. Waiting for this endless summer to well end. Hot and humid every day it seems. I want to work in the garden but can't bare it.

I am going to share my weekly to do lists in the future as a visual for me and you can read and share tips if you have any.
1. Finish going through Q's toys. Decide which baby toys to keep and donate the rest.
2. Call for thrift store donation pick up.
3. Mow back lawn.
4. Plant swiss chard, fall tomatoes and make a trip to nursery to see what fall veggies are available.
5. Continue dividing bulbs.

How to Refill Couch Cushions Cheaply

For Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House and this weeks Down Home Blog Hop, I spiffed up our den couch cushions the cheap way.

These inexpensive couches are about eight years old and they have held up well except the back cushions. Because of our little dog laying on them and just everyday use they had become deflated as you can see.

So off to Walmart where I bought a few cheap pillows for $2.50 a piece.

My husband took the stuffing out and first placed the pillow in the cushion adding back the stuffing to fill in and reshape.

Wa-la... I think they cam out pretty well.

Now to get a few more years out of these.

We had some left over stuffing and filled the chair's back cushion as well.

Linking with:
Met Monday
Tabletop Tuesday
Tweak it Tuesday

A Bowl Full of Lemons

Coastal Charm

Tip Junkie
Pinned It, Made It Monday
Wow Us Wed.
Success U Party
Treasure Hunt Thursday
Common Ground
Sat. Night Special

Sunny Simple Sunday

Hello and happy weekend! I am one happy woman as between my husband and I, the internet and some dirty work, we managed to repair our central air conditioner. I am so excited. I will share this week what we realized was wrong in case anyone else has the same problem.Okay, onto some highlights from the last Sunny Simple Sundays.

Oh my, you have to see the Cozy Old Farmhouses No Sew Burlap Curtains. I cannot sew so these really appealed to me and the have such down home charm.

I was so drawn to the color at Frugal Ain't Cheap when she shared Kitchen Decor on a Budget. I am always on a budget and this kitchen is so fun.

My heart be still. I have to make these once the weather cools down. Baked Banana Doughnuts by Treat and Trick.

And the most viewed entry was Country Girl at Home on The Simple Life. Now this was the most viewed post on any of the parties I have hosted so that is saying something. We are all yearning for a simpler way of life and find the Amish ways intriguing. I know I do. 

Great post. You will enjoy her take.

So onto the party. Please link up what you have been up to this week. Have a wonderful weekend.

Frugal Challenge - Cooking on the Busiest of Days

My days are so busy now that I am having to be very purposeful in making dinners at home. How I would love to cruise through the drive thru but that can get expensive and it isn't very healthy. We usually pick up dinner one night a week on our busiest day. Other than that we don't eat out much. We have been craving more comfort foods even though it is still hot here so I pulled out the crock pot and made this easy dish.

Crock Pot Chicken and Rice  (This is for our large family so you may want to cut in half)

6 boneless chicken breasts
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of chicken noodle soup (if you are halving the recipe then use the can of cream of mushroom soup and a half can of chicken broth)
1 full can of water
1 1/2 cups of white rice
generous sprinkle of Mrs. Dash

Butter or grease your crock pot. Use the largest one you have to spread the ingredients out. Pour in soups, water and rice first and mix well. Layer chicken breasts on top and season. Cook on high for 4 hours. My crock pot seems to cook hot so adjust your time as needed.

This recipe is great for variations. You could add a bag of frozen broccoli or mixed vegetables. Grate some cheddar cheese and sprinkle on top for last half hour.

I made a salad and drop biscuits and it was a hit.
Check my recipe page  for more quick dinner ideas.
Sunny Simple Sundays will be back this weekend.

Linking to:
Sat. Night Special
A Favorite Thing Saturday
BNOTP

Family Time - Cambria

I cannot tell you how good it was to get away last weekend. I think I had been going at full speed down here and up there there is no cell service hardly and forget WIFI. So I was totally in the moment and disconnected and really enjoyed just doing what we wanted at a slower pace.

We always head to the beach for sunset and tide pooling. This time the tides were wonderfully low.

Grandma and grandpa were there for one night with us and it was nice to spend some time with them. We ate at our favorite restaurant in there outdoor patio.

Afterwards we had to go in our favorite candy shop. A real treat. Every kind of malted milk ball you could want.

Trying to grab a quick self portrait of me and the kid.

Saturday dawned clear and sunny so we knew it would be beach day. This is the most gorgeous cove in San Simeon.

For most of the day we had it pretty much to ourselves.

Uh could we get any sandier?

The next day was more foggy and we went to town and did some more tidepooling. Our kids have grown up on these beaches. Our favorite spot in California.

Linking to:
Fantabulous Friday
Show and Tell Friday
Potpourri Friday
Home Sweet Home
Simple and Sweet Fridays
Farm Girl Friday
Weekend Whatever
Inspiration Friday

First Day!

Someone had a big first day of preschool. Actually it was the first time any of my kids did so it was exciting for both of us. She never had one reservation. She was ready to go.

A brand new lunch box was all she cared about.

All packed with a BPA free sandwich container. Everyone got these this year. They have a frozen piece you put in the top and it keeps the sandwich cold for a long time.

All ready to head in with her Popeye smile.

After placing her stuff in her cubby she wanted to play with the kitchen set. A girl after my own heart.

She never looked back. My independent girl.

When I went to pick her up the teacher said she sure was a girl her knew her own mind. Very independent. Yep she pegged her right. We will have to have some reminders that the teacher is in charge. All a part of learning how the classroom works.