A Visit to Shelly's

Friday night I was invited to a girl's night out at Shelly's house with. Always so much fun because not only is she the sweetest but her place is the cutest thing ever. There is so much to look at. It was evening so not the best for taking shots. But I know you will love another look at her place. Her kitchen is a red and white dream.

As you walk up there are things stashed here and there. This pink bicycle was tucked along the fence.

Every holiday she decorates outside her door.

So cute. Hey I love those wooden chickens.

Her living room in red and white but she had one area all in Halloween colors of orange and black and her signature polka dots.

This hutch, a Goodwill find, changes with the holidays as well. It is so fun to see all that she tucks in there.

I think she has such a way with display. And no she does not have a blog. Patty from Lemon Lane Cottage is her sister in law and could help her so easily. See those boo canisters? Just adorable.

I will share the last of my pics tomorrow.

Linking to:

Met Monday

Pinned It Made It Monday

Tabletop Tuesday

Tweak It Tuesday

Sunny Simple Sunday

Hello everyone! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend. Fall is here in SoCal and I am loving it. My feet are actually cold. Last night I had a nice girls night out at Shelly's. I will share pics later this week. Oh is her place just the most darling ever! Now some faves from last week.

The Charm of Home and her Farmhouse Halloween was so gorgeous. I absolutely love this gal's style. I could just move right in.

Everyday to Us shared a beautiful fall leaves tour. How I wish we had more of that here. I love the changing leaves and the photography is stunning.

Jann shared some wonderful vintage Halloween decor. Now you say Halloween and vintage and I am there honey. My favorite things. Adorable Jann!!

Now onto the party. Link up my friends:

A Favorite Thing

I love all of my pets but I am not sure what it is about my chickens that makes them my favorite. Yesterday, I spent some time just sitting with them near their coop.

Here is what I love about them.

First off they are just so pretty to me. I also suspect chickens are a lot like us women and we can relate to them. Whenever I head outside they follow me always talking. It is this sweet little bur, bur, bur bur. Just chatting telling me the happenings.

Unless they are resting, they, like us women, are always working. This area around an old orange tree used to have the hardest compacted soil. Now we throw some grass clippings down there and they just scratch and peck and the most wonderful layer of divine mulch surrounds the tree now. It is greener and full of leaves  than it has been in years.

They are tolerant of the outsiders. If you don't bother me, I won't bother you. I am lucky that even my big dog seems to just ignore them. Of course, I don't leave her alone with them but she has been found out back with the chickens and just seems to ignore them. The little chi however hangs around them and has chased off neighbor cats. A wonderful guard dog for them.

They take daily baths and always keep themselves so pretty. They have made a pit for dust baths under this slide. Perfect spot as no one can trip in it and it is sort of hidden.

They have never bothered their fall flowers. They appreciate beauty too! Wink-wink. I wanted to cover the coop a little from the rains and decided to use the old umbrella I was going to toss. For now I just leaned it over the coop. Helps keep me dry when I lift the lid on the laying box and gather fresh eggs for my favorite breakfast. There is just something about taking a warm, just laid egg into the kitchen and cracking it right into the frying pan.

Linking to:

 A Favorite Thing Saturday

Camera Critters

It Takes All Types, of Bloggers That Is

Yesterday, I read a post from Sheila over at Notesongs. It really caused me to think. She had a 107 comments so far, so it appears it had a lot of people thinking. She was reacting to an e-mail from a reader about how she portrays herself on her blog. Too happy. Maybe not real enough.

Really? Someone took the time to point out that she is too happy on her blog. Here is my thoughts on that if you care. Where have we gone that this is a bad thing. I sort of look at blogs as magazines. Something for entertainment, maybe a little advice here and there but something to enjoy. I am sure there are all manner of blogs out there but I prefer the positive homey type of blogs. That is what I write about.

Isn't the world full of enough ugly. T.V. is now mainly UGLY. Ugly behavior, lets laugh at people on a show, drunk, rich, poor but all acting terribly rude and vile but we call this T.V. I cannot watch much with my kids and we are not better off for this. So what is wrong with making one's own personal blog a lovely place to visit? The world needs more lovely if you ask me.

I think there is room for all of us and each one of us has to determine our own rules for OUR blogs. Someone may have a husband that doesn't want much shared or is going through a sensitive time in one's family. Maybe you put it all out there and things you share are helpful to others. That is great but another person may not be comfortable sharing . That is fine too. I am a firm believer that it is your blog, your rules. People will read or not read based on what appeals to them.

There is no one RIGHT format for blogging other than you have to post or you have no content. That is it. We all have something to give. My personal rule is this: If my husband or children might be embarrassed or uncomfortable reading what I posted, then I don't. That is just what works for us and what I blog by.

Perhaps none of this needed to be said by me but it was on my heart. If you are a blogger, blog what is comfortable and enjoyable to you. If you begin to blog for others, then you will probably stop enjoying it and we don't want to spend a lot of time doing something we don't enjoy. There is enough of that, like picking up dog poop and cleaning toilets. I digress. Thanks for hearing me out if you made it this far. Have a great weekend!! I would love to hear your thoughts.

Linking to:
Saturday's Sister to Sister

Fall Front Porch

Wanted to decorate the porch for the company we had over this weekend. I took the pumpkins I had, some galvanized things from the garden and a few extras and made a little fall vignette.

My hubby and kids like to decorate it all scary so I am sure that is coming this weekend. I prefer cute but I stay out of the outside decorating and let them have their fun.
The trick or treat sign is from Country General Store.

Fall pansies are a favorite of mine.

Happy Fall from my SoCal porch.

Linking to:

Fantabulous Friday

Show and Tell Friday
Potpourri Friday
Home Sweet Home
Simple and Sweet Fridays
Farm Girl Friday
Weekend Whatever
Vintage Inspiration Friday
Simple & Sweet Fridays
Friday Unfolded
Thrifty Things Friday
Grace at Home

How to Divide Bulbs

I love to divide my iris bulbs every fall. This is the time of year to do it. Dividing bulbs not only gives you more lovely flowers come spring but helps the existing bulbs to bloom more. Every year I divide the same area and each spring the bulbs bloom more than the year before.

The best dividing tool is a large fork spade. Just dig gently down below the bulbs and lift. You will see the bulbs and can just scoop them up with your hand once they are unearthed.

When you replant put the flat end down and just recover the area you divided from.

This is the area I divide from each fall and you can see I still get loads of blooms come spring. This is an easy and free way to add more blooms to your garden.

Linking to:
Country Homemaker Hop
Share Your Cup Thursday
Katherine's Corner
A Return to Loveliness
It's a Keeper Thursday

My Favorite Way to Not Boil Potatoes

This summer was so darn hot that in order to cook anything, I had to get creative. To boil potatoes would have been unthinkable with how hot it was. Yet I wanted to make potato salad for dinner from time to time. We love potato salad and I make a big bowl for leftovers.

One day I decided to experiment cooking the potatoes in the crock pot. I washed and just put them whole into the crock pot with about an inch of water and turned it on high. After about three hours I had perfectly steamed potatoes ready to cool and peel for potato salad. I will never boil potatoes again for salads. Tonight I am trying a mashed potato experiment. I will let you know how it turns out.

A few favorite recipes to use your perfectly cooked potatoes:
Baked Potato Salad

My Mom's Best Potato Salad

This is the best potato salad recipe hands down.

Linking to:

Down Home Blog Hop

Wordless Wednesday

Share Your Cup

Dining Room Spruce Up

We have been busy busy trying to get some unfinished projects done. The dining room has been our main focus for now. We had popcorn ceilings plastered over, molding put up and finally now painted. We took down the crummy looking cabinets hanging on both sides of the china hutch. I said lets just hang plates and boy does that give it a cleaner finished look. We have an odd dining room in the center of our home because of an addition. It has six doorways and little wall space. It is nice and big so I love that for entertaining.

Of course the mister had to decorate the top of the cabinet while I was at the store. I approve.

Fresh paint just makes a room feel so much nicer. Nothing like it for a sprucing up.

We still have a mish mash of furniture and a table we would like to replace but for now it will stay. You can see I don't have much wall space.

My thrift store red chairs are still needed. We bought four new black Windsors last year but need to get four more. Not sure when that will happen. Always more want than money it seems.

On my dream list a large harvest table and open shelved hutch. Much less formal than the ones I was given by my mother when she redecorated. I am so much more relaxed and like simpler less fussy furniture but I was thankful to have them and have used them for many years.

It only took us over a year to get all the crown molding painted. Anyone else on the slow track of home improvement like us? We are paying for it today. Both of us saying ooh and ouch when we are walking around the house.

Linking to:
Met Monday
Tabletop Tuesday
Tweak it Tuesday

A Bowl Full of Lemons

Coastal Charm
SNS

Sunny Simple Sunday

Happy Weekend! We are painting and cleaning and getting ready to host a birthday gathering for my sister in law. It is cooler here and we are loving it. Fall is finally here.

Now for some highlights from last week.

Two Birdies and a B. shared the story of how some of her friends achieved their dream of moving to the country. I share that dream. I could move right in. The little farm is complete with chickens too.

Priscilla showed us her Halloween decor with her pretty mantel but I loved this idea. You know how over the years you accumulate those Halloween signs and maybe you don't know how to display them. You could do like she did and hang them up the banister fixed to an autumn garland. Great idea!

Julies Little House showed her pretty glowing all white autumn vignette. I love that you can celebrate fall and if orange isn't your thing you can still decorate for the season.

Now link up and have a Simply Wonderful Sunday!! Thanks everyone for coming by.

Favorite Things

It's homecoming weekend around here. We went to the game last night.

Gotta love the kilts some of the band members wear. We are the Tartans so lots of red plaid. How did they know that was a favorite of mine.

We left in the third quarter but we were winning 36-0 so I think it was safe to say we won.

My girls waiting for me on a Saturday morning. It is safe to say they are spoiled. "Grapes please mom."

Oh yeah, and if that ain't sexy what is? Your man finishing home projects. Oh yes it is going to be a good day.
My daughter and I are off for pedis before she goes to the homecoming dance tonight. Another favorite as she has two older sisters and she is wearing a dress her sister wore so no cost there. She is only a freshman so there are plenty of dances and dresses to buy in the future.

I am linking to Claudia's A Favorite Thing

Wonky Little Halloween Village 2012

Our Wonky Little Village was moved to the den this year. 

It is really just a mish mash of things picked up over the years.

I guess I should show it at night all aglow but this way you can see the spooky village lit up.

Love these vintage looking Halloween trees I bought last year at Country General Store.

Little witch flies on her broomstick.

This is one of my girls favorite scenes for Halloween. She always looks to see where we set it up for the season.

You can see the village for 2011 here.

If you live in the area Country General Store is having their Christmas open house this Friday and Saturday.
I will be there sometime Friday morning so if you see me there say hi.

Linking to:
Home Sweet Home
BNOTP
Down Home Blog Hop
Potpourri Friday
Seasonal Sundays
My Froley
It's Party Time
The Weekend Hop
Sew Many Ways
Pinned It, Made It Monday
Octoberfest of Fun
A Bowl Full of Lemons