My Fall List

□ Fall Vignette. I'm so excited I found the little table over the weekend; it was a steal and I thought it perfect for rotating seasonal groupings like a Halloween vignette. Those guys on the buffet behind are some things I pulled from for ideas.________________________

√ Fall Fashion. What better way to celebrate Fall than with a leaf-print dress? On sale at Target for $8.74

No Joke!
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□ Fall Food. It's time to break out the warm, comfort foods. Check out this Spicy Macaroni and Cheese (courtesy of Food Network).

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√ Fall Home Decor. Pumpkins of course!

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□ Fall Mums to accompany (real) pumpkins would be a nice touch at the doorway.

He's BACK!

Last Fall, I had a pest issue: a Small Woodland Creature had somehow nestled a snuggly home inbetween my outside deck and a connected storage area underneath my house. The biggest annoyance (other than the fact that the stupid booger was probably biting through cables or other dangerous fire-starting wires down there) was that I work from home when I'm not traveling and this happens to be an area about 10 ft away and the burrowing sounds resonated through my office space. It's quite distracting!

I gave Mr. Small Woodland Creature a "by" last year, but I just can't stand for it again. It's my home. I pay the utilities and mortgage here!

Today, as our temperatures have slightly dropped to the ever-chilling high-60s/low-70s (ha!), he's decided to return to his Winter timeshare to prepare it for hibernation. There's no telling what damage he may be causing...not to think what it will be like if he invites his entire family of small woodland creatures.

Sorry bud, you've got to go. And this is just in time for my quarterly pest spray (how convenient!). Let's get rid of the rodent!!!

Gladiolas

This is so cheesy, but I just love fresh flowers! It's one of the simple things in life that makes me really happy =)

Last Sunday at Whole Foods they had Gladiolas- 10 stems for $4 so I purchased 20 thinking that they'd look great en masse. But to my delight, they were too large to combine for even my biggest vase so I now have the 2 bunches: one on my kitchen island and one in my living room.

I even left my blanket out on the sofa because they match the flowers (or maybe I was just too lazy to put it away...but we can pretend!).

It's a Small World

I'm back from Walt Disney World!{at the last evening's Gala}

And although I didn't get to visit any of the parks, it was a nice business trip indeed! This was my first stay at the Contemporary Resort so I took some pictures upon arrival.

The lighting was particularly impressive: from the dimming recessed lighting above each pillow (each with their own switch); to the lighting underneath the flat screen that highlighted the mosaic tile design; the lighting inside the entry closets (with frosted glass fronts); and then the lit mirrors in the bathroom were interesting as well.

Quite a successful trip- and then on my way back to the airport, I had a chance to reconnect with an old college friend and her husband. She's still recovering from a nasty bus accident 1.5 yrs ago and it was great seeing her still-smiling face and meeting her sweet hubby. Wow- I hope things return to "normal" for them soon. It was a nice reminder though of how blessed we all are to have loved ones, to have our health, and to have the financial means to live comfortably!

I sometimes forget where all of my friends have been dispersed...thank goodness for the Internet to help link us back up.

It's a small world after all!

M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

Wish You Were Here

Well, it's actually business travel again. Oh and I've got a red-eye flight (yuck)...don't get too jealous!

I'll be in my princess tower awaiting Prince Charming. Take care dahhhlings, until next week...

Cream Colored Ponies And Crisp Apple Streudels...

These are a few of my favorite things:

1. Chocolate Malts: growing up, it was always a special treat when Dadder broke out the blender and whipped up shakes and malts for the family. Malts are the reason I bought the blender =)

2. Re-learning Old Tricks: while I'm re-learning how to sew, I bought fabric for my kitchen curtains almost 1 year ago. These fresh and simple tab valances (Southern Living image) would be a great fit for my kitchen.

3. Army Wives: yep, I got hooked on this Lifetime show.

4. Meeting New Good-People: I like meeting new people in general, but it's always a special treat to meet new, Good People...you know the kind of people that warm your soul when you get a chance to really sit down and talk with them.

5. Cool Whip: or a few strawberries to season my Cool Whip...yeah, I could eat that stuff straight. Oh and this is out of the container if you couldn't tell.

6. Girl's Night Out: it's a requisite event that seems to occur less and less as I grow older. This weekend it's time for a couple of nights on the town...in Hotlanta!

www.shesheme.com

7. Pretty bohemian fabrics: Amy Butler Design's Full Bloom & Heather Bailey's Freshcut

Easily Amused

I love it!
http://www.yearbookyourself.com/

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Birthdays Galore

It's Birthday week for our Family!

Dadder's birthday was Monday!

Sorry Dadder that I didn't post anything earlier...but since you don't read my Blog, I guess you'd never know. Here we are 4 years ago at the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure. Are you seriously 55 now?

Ashton's birthday is today!

And then the youngest of the 5 kids is now 22. I just love this picture! He's always been funny about taking pictures and refuses to smile...so all of our family pictures have him making a face scowling, or in this case being grouchy and shutting his eyes. He was the 1 out of the 7...haha!

Care Package

A friend of mine who was recently diagnosed with a chronic illness has an already-weakened immune system which makes everyday sicknesses become monstrously icky. Last week I learned she came down sick again and although I didn't get this out to her when I meant to, I figured better late than never.

I wrapped up her box in simple brown craft paper even though it could have shipped as-is; there's something fun about being able to tear open a wrapped package before having to cut through the tape.

Brown Paper Packages Tied Up With String...

I dropped in some happy goodies (stationery & thumbtacks), and then of course the requisite chicken noodle soup (dry mix...much safer to ship and also weighs less than a Campbell's Soup can).

Tied a pink ribbon to the soup package, and then stapled this label to the top.

GET WELL!

What's Cookin'

Before it was mine...
An Empty Room (if you don't count my cleaning junk)...

After...

The biggest change was the light fixture. I replaced the tacky chandelier (circa early 80s) with a foyer light (inspiration: Pottery Barn) and relocated this to the end of the L-shaped room and the kitchen table fit perfectly in this nook.

My antique buffet (which will officially be an antique in about a decade) is showcased in the adjacent space and this opens up a traffic area that's great for entertaining. The stools were a great shape and size as I can fit 2 at the island; the previous owners were only able to fit 1. Another cool find was my kitchen desk chair from the 1800s and I simply plopped a cushion on the bottom to try and preserve the woven rattan bottom.

The Chantal Yellow was perfect for the walls. It's a pretty neutral rather than school-bus-yellow, big-bird-yellow, or banana-yellow. Plus, isn't that sage green getting old by now? I like a cheery yellow kitchen with white and blue willow-ish accents. The fondness for Blue Willow I get from my mom.

To Dos:

1. Eventually, I'd like to replace the stove, burner, and microwave, original to the home. Crosssing my fingers that they go out on their own as they're 30-yrs old and all covered by my home warranty =)
2. I haven't yet decided on a backsplash, but I'm thinking tin tiles. Although the white subway tiles have really caught my eye lately.
3. And while the pickled maple cabinets may fit some people's taste, I'd preferred either a faux finish or darker wood cabinets. This will come at a later time though when I have the $ and patience.