LITTLE AUTUMN TOUCHES

Hi!  Happy Fall!  I didn't mean to stay away so long, I have actually wanted to get back to posting twice a week.  But...I caught a nasty little bug that has totally zapped my energy and so I have been doing very little, especially creatively.  It was a good thing that I had my yearly check up with the doctor last week so she is aware of my bad cold and can prescribe something if I need it.  I'm just happy with my box of Kleenex and a little Nyquil before I go to bed.  I caught it from my two girls and so that I don't spread it to The Husband, who has been down for the count with something else, I have been sleeping on the couch every night.  It's really not that bad...I have all my books and magazines stacked up on the coffee table, the TV remote and close proximity to the kitchen for when I want to grab a handful of Nilla Wafers!

My bin of fall decorations remains downstairs as I knew it would depress me to be stepping around it while I had no desire to dig into it.  It has been far more fun to visit your blogs and see what you all have been up to in the fall decorating department!  Oh, has that been fun!  I am getting so many ideas.  So as I was dragging around my house today in my old bathrobe, I decided that I had enough natural elements to put together a few table arrangements that will suffice for decoration.  The only thing this old dough bowl has ever held is a rolling pin, so I dressed her up with some real gourds and pumpkins and added some flowers.  I didn't even notice the clutter on my counters in the background!  I guess it makes for a colorful picture!  And by the way, they are usually like this.

I think everyone has this book by Susan Branch.  I bring it out every fall and re-read it.  It really puts me in the mood for cooler, gorgeous weather and all things associated with it.  This little vignette sits on the kitchen island.  In the upper right corner you can see dinner defrosting in the microwave!  I'm bad.

I found this pitcher at Homegoods last year.  It's huge and heavy and I just moved it into the living room to hold some very old hydrangeas.  Remember me ordering them from a farm in Indiana last year?  I think I just need to grow my own.

I bought these dishes at Target about a month ago and thought they would be fun in a fall tablescape.  I have the perfect brown salad plates to go with them, but they are up at the lake along with some other great accessories.  I hope to get up there soon, but no promises.  So here is a peek at them.

I usually bring out these little mercury glass tea light holders at Christmas, but they look perfect now, too.

I love this table in my family room.  It's so feminine and goes well with the slip covered furniture...

Here's the little vignette I made.  I cut the flowers from my garden, I think they are called sedum.  They dry very well.

So this is about all I have accomplished in the fall decorating department.  I really only have my mantel and a few small tables in the living room to jazz up, so maybe I will just rummage through my box without lugging it up the stairs.  Genius!

I'm leaving you with a picture of the pizza's I made the other night.  Abby gave up meat a few weeks ago so these are just veggies and fresh mozzarella.  Very quick and easy with the store bought crust and a great way to use of vegetables sitting in your fridge.  There is no sauce, just olive oil and Parmesan cheese.  Delish!

I hope to be back early next week, feeling better of course.  In the meantime, I will keep visiting and gathering up ideas to make this fall the best.  See you soon!

I'm joining the party at A Stroll Thru Life hosted by Marty!  :)

FALL NESTING

Hi everyone!  What a wonderful week it has been!  Sunny skies except for that bit of haziness that autumn brings, crispy air and a cool breeze.  At 7:00 this morning it was 52 degrees.  I love this weather!  Although I haven't unpacked my fall/winter clothes, I did do a little online shopping in the comfort of my cozy little home!  Some sweaters, a few long sleeved cotton tops and two pairs of jeans.  I haven't dared to look at the shoes and boots yet!  Yesterday I pulled out my favorite pair to run my errands in, but I'm sure we'll get another heat wave and I'll be back in my good 'ol flip flops again!

Despite all my running around in boots yesterday, I was able to throw together a quiche for dinner and it puffed up so nicely, I thought I'd take a picture of it.  It's so simple and quick to make, we have it quite often.  In a nutshell (or pie plate), I used 8 eggs whisked with 1 1/2 cup whipping cream, 1 1/2 cup of shredded cheese, 1 cup of chopped veggies and a handful of chopped ham or bacon.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.  Very simple!  Your family will love you!

To help me squeeze into my jeans this winter, I have been stocking up on my favorite Greek yogurt.  If you have this brand in your grocery store, try it!  It's not as sweet as other yogurts and I love to have it as a late night snack.  I have banned the Keebler elves from my kitchen and I am trying to get back on the right track with my eating habits.  I know that being cooped up inside during the cold winter months I tend to cook and bake more, thus I eat more and I'm less active...so I'm trying to stock up the fridge with healthy things.  Does apple pie count?

No fall decorations yet...I am waiting for one of my big boys to come over and bring my bins upstairs.  In a way, I'm sort of avoiding it because I love each and every thing I have collected over the years and I want to put it ALL out.  Then I get frustrated with the clutter.  This year I want my mantel to be simple and natural, I want woven baskets filled with fruit, nuts and fall leaves.  I want soft, muted colors.  Tomorrow is Emily's day off and we are going to swing by Michael's and Hobby Lobby where I hope to find some silk flowers and leaves that aren't screaming orange.  In a moment of de-cluttering last year, I tossed out my bags of faux flowers and swore I'd have no more collecting dust.  Well, I've changed my mind, but I will not go overboard.  Wish me luck!

Lastly, on the reading front, I have been having a lot of luck finding good books.  I have discovered that if you really like a book you have read, or a particular author, you can go to Amazon.com and look it up.  There you will find suggestions for similar books or book by the same author.  Genius!  This is an incredibly good book that had me up reading until midnight last night.  I'm not good at describing what a book is about and I definitely don't want to give anything away, but I really do recommend it.  It's a page turner.

Well, this post is longer than I intended (and I thought I didn't have anything to say!), so I'll sign off now.  Hopefully I will have some "fall" going on the next time you pop in!  Hope you are all having a wonderful week! :)

THE LAZY DAYS OF FALL

Hi everyone!  I hope you are enjoying your week so far!  The weather has been gorgeous here...crisp, cool and dry.  I sat outside with the dogs this morning having my coffee and as I looked around at my flowers, I thought how they seem to be loving this weather, too!  Normally my inpatiens are overflowing out of this old barrel but they struggled all summer due to the heat.  But they are little fighters it seems!

This pot was in the shade of the hedges all summer and did quite well.  My patio needs a good sweep, but I'll save that for another day!  This was just a nice break to get out and breathe the fresh morning air and watch Milo and Layla roll in the grass!

As I mentioned in my last post, I have been going through my cookbooks looking for some great cool weather recipes.  I have really been gravitating toward casseroles for some reason.   I get the same gratification of chopping vegetables and mixing things up as I do when I make soups and stews, but you can't beat the creaminess of a hearty casserole.  Once I choose a few and get my ingredients in order, I will share some with you.  Does anyone have a tried and true recipe they want to pass on?

It's quiet around here with Emily working and Abby going to school and working at the pub a lot of evenings.  I keep myself busy with an equal share of housecleaning, laundry, trying to organize clutter (!), as well as things I love to do for ME!  I'm plowing through book after book and I recently picked up a sampler that I started last year hoping to get done with in time for Christmas.  It didn't happen so I am going to try to devote a little time each evening to get it finished by December.  It's a cute wintry scene and will be perfect to bring out each year during the holidays.  Ironically, I used to do a lot of stitching when the kids were younger and I had less free time.  I guess we need to carve out that "alone" time, even if it's during their nap!

I've really been enjoying my visits to your blogs.  All the fall decorating is inspiring me.  I might add a thing or two every year if it really catches my eye, but it really is all about creating something new and fresh with what you have.  I hope to get started on that closer to the end of the month (which is flying by!).

So, this is just a short post on one of my lazy days!  I'm having a cup of coffee while the dishwasher hums and a fall candle makes everything smell yummy!  Hope you are having a wonderful day, too! :-)

HAPPY SEPTEMBER!

Happy September everyone!  A new month and a fresh start!  It's not quite summer and not quite fall and I am loving it!  Our temperatures have finally started to behave and I no longer have an excuse for not cleaning up the dead flower pots in my garden.  I have a flower box in my bay window ledge...I keep the cafe curtains closed so I don't have to look at the flowers that died while we were on vacation!  It's time to put them to rest and get ready for a sweet row of pumpkins there!

We went up to the lake for a short stay in spite of the fact that it was a long weekend.  People everywhere were having their last hurrah.  The house and garden were in tip top shape after all the loving they got while we were there for 2 weeks, we had nothing but time to sit and relax.  I took some pictures of my plants that were re-blooming (I had to use my phone...forgot to get camera batteries again!).  I was so surprised to see my climbing rose with a bloom and a few buds.  Now at least I know it blooms twice a summer!

And the daisies!  We thought the heat and lack of rain had stunted them!  Maybe it did for awhile but they are starting to bloom again as well.  What a nice thing to have happen just when we think summer is over!

I decided to bring my ferns home for the winter.  I usually lose one or two when I leave them at the lake all winter since we rarely get up there.  My neighbor is sweet enough to come in and water periodically for us, but these guys need a lot of attention.  So they will get babied here for the winter.  Here they are in the kitchen sink getting a shower and a big drink! 

Last week Emily and I did a little shopping.  Surprisingly, I didn't see anything at Marshall's that I liked, okay, I did get some napkins that I couldn't pass up, but didn't do any damage to my pocketbook like I usually do.  Then we headed to Old Navy and I found these cute little flats.  I fell in LOVE!!  They look really good with solid colors, capris and skinny jeans, and they are so comfy.  I could have got them in every color!

The end of the season makes me feel the way I did when spring was turning to summer, a time to refresh and renew the house.  I've been trying to come up with some inspiration for my mantel, something fall-like, but sans the pumpkins and other fall decorations...I'm just not ready yet.  I made some small changes in the bedroom, I brought in some berry colors to brighten up all the whites I had for the summer, new curtains and a throw and pillows from Pottery Barn.  I'd share a picture but I still have an air conditioning unit in the window that isn't too pretty!  You have to love old houses!  Anyway, I am trying to get caught up on the laundry, make room in my dressers and closet for fall clothes to be switched out, looking through my cookbooks for some great comfort foods to make in the upcoming weeks, and yes, I will have to get outside and throw away those dead plants!  It's almost time for mums!  Are you getting ready for fall, too?

Have a great week and thanks always for visiting! :)

THIS & THAT

I promise after this post, there will be no more talk of weddings for awhile!  I wanted to say Happy Anniversary to my son Kevin and his bride, Mary Clare.  They celebrated one year on Sunday!  It's hard to believe that one year ago I was running around like mad getting ready for the big day.  In the end, it all flowed magically and I have beautiful memories. 

This little girl continues with preparing for her wedding (shown here with The Husband).  I so appreciate all the sweet comments on her wedding dress.  She is going to look stunning.  As with any couple on a budget, their plans move along slow and steady.  They had their engagement pictures done a few weeks ago and Emily made an album with them.  I look at them and want to cry!  They are such a happy couple and so meant for each other!  Sigh!

The dog days of summer are winding down and I am trying to buckle up and get busy around here.  I've been spending a lot of time in the cool air conditioning, devouring book after book.  Did you know Target has one of the best selections of soft cover books?  It never fails that I find one or two when I'm there.  I alternate reading books and using my Nook...both are fine for me.  I'm in the middle of a good one now and I race to get the dinner dishes done so I can get back to it in the evenings!

We had a terrible weekend with first the heat and humidity and then rain.  We were cooped up in the house reading and watching movies.  I'm looking forward to the end of the heat, when I can throw open my windows and have some fresh air.  The Husband has had such a sweet tooth lately and has been binging on Twinkies and Hostess Cupcakes and ice cream.  Pure poison!  I want to bake for him but I'm avoiding using the oven.  That has me looking forward to fall, fresh baked sweets, slow cooked soups and the smell of woodsmoke in the air.  I think I may even decorate for fall early!  And I have some ideas for some tablescapes as well as a simple bedroom updo that I worked on last week.  But after I finish this book!  See all of you soon! :)

THE DRESS!

Although it's a bit hard to see, Emily gave me a picture of her wedding gown from the magazine it was featured in.  It's an ivory strapless dress that laces up the back with a full taffeta bottom done in layers.  We all just fell in love with this dress when she walked out of the dressing room!

We spent the weekend downtown while The Husband had some testing done at a hospital just off beautiful Michigan Avenue and just 3 blocks from the lake.  The Annual Air and Water Show was going on so that was exciting to see.  We ate at some nice restaurants and enjoyed the great weather.  I ran out of camera batteries so I have nothing to share!  But believe me, Chicago in the summer time is just gorgeous!

This has been a slow week but it's a nice reprieve from all the busyness that has been going on.  There is a stillness in the air that seems to signal that summer is coming to an end.  Not that I want it to!  After 2 weekends away from the lake, I am happy to be getting up there again on Friday.  

Now I have to run...I have grocery shopping and tons of laundry as usual.   I hope you are all having a great week! :)