Home decor

Transitioning Fall Into Your Home

On our walks this week I’ve seen little touches of fall – a few red leaves are swinging on tree branches, the corn is cut and turned to silage, the hay bales are rolled, and acorns are rolling on the street like marbles in a little boy’s pocket.

I love how the Lord slowly brings us into the fall season like that. We don’t wake up one morning and find it. BLAM! All the trees have changed colors, the birds have flown south, the days are short and summer is out of here! No, it happens slowly. It waltzes in, swirling and blowing about our feet.

The “Blam!” description has often been my approach to fall decorating. I’d open the boxes and spill it out everywhere. But I’m trying to make my technique mature a little. I’m having to rein myself in, but I think it’s going to happen! I still want to hang onto summer while I can and enjoy its sunshine and warm days, but also embrace the cool nights and changing hues. I believe it’s really best if our home decor echoes what’s going on outside.

So, here’s how I’m trying to do that:

Layering. I’ll start with subtle layers like here on the coffee table. As the season progresses, I’ll add additional layers by placing rugs on the floor, or throws on the side of a chair or the bed. It gives a warm, inviting feeling to the room.

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My fall magazines and Scrabble tiles give a natural transition into September and the new season.

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What says Autumn more than hot coffee? Coffee beans around a candle are almost as good! I love Susan Branch’s seasonal books! They inspire me! This one is my favorite!

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Of course a kitty makes any room more inviting!

I think a bookcase is so inviting and welcoming on its own, but with a few touches it can also say Autumn! I added a few books, leaves and an acorn dish.

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So, there’s a little of what I’ve done so far. Little by little, it will be finished – maybe just in time for the first day of Autumn at the end of the month!

Do you transition the fall decor into your home or do you add it all at one time?

Stay refreshed,

dessert · Home decor · Husband · Marriage

All Things Sweet

This week seemed to have a theme…it’s called sweet. Come take a peek from my porch to see why I say that…

A couple of friends shared delicious, peaches from their peach trees. Wasn’t that sweet of them? And oh my! They were sweet and yummy!

wpid-wp-1438000262835They were delicious in our morning yogurt, and on ice cream, but my favorite way to use them was to put them IN ice cream! I found a recipe on Cooking Light for Homemade Peach Ice Cream just before the peaches were brought to our door. As Rachel Lynde from Anne of Green Gables would say, it was “Simply providential!” So after a little bit of mixing and freezing this was the result…

wpid-wp-1438000246301This made for a sweet treat on a hot July day!

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Then, on Thursday, it was Free Tea Day at McAlister’s Deli. They have really good Sweet Tea, and we had to indulge! We went to Sonic Drive-in (because it was also national Hot Dog Day) and had our lunch for a whopping $2! Gotta love cheap dates!

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While I was praying one morning, Liza Jane came and pushed her way between my arm and the chair and then put her paw up on my face!
How sweet is that?!

wpid-wp-1438000286995I have to wonder sometimes if she isn’t an tool of the devil rather than a little angel; she can be very demanding while I’m trying to pray!

I got to spend Monday early afternoon at the beautiful spa in Johnson City, thanks to a bunch of sweet friends who gave me a gift card! The massage was so wonderful! The pedicure afterwards was a lovely indulgence as well!

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Before I went to the spa my husband sent me to have lunch at Wellington’s so that “this day could be all mine.” Again, his love and sweet gestures are over the top and I know I am spoiled far more than my furry feline friend!

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The restaurant is so beautiful and the food was great!  It got me all ready for a couple hours of spa treatment!

On Friday Alli and I worked on painting her kitchen chairs. They were old library chairs that needed a little spritzing up, and she chose a pretty yellow that will add lots of warmth to her kitchen. Thankfully we got more paint on the chairs than we did ourselves, but we were pretty covered in white primer and yellow paint!

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Time with my girls is always a sweet blessing! We laughed, talked, ate lunch and got lots of paint on those chairs (and everywhere else!)!

So that was a good bit of the sweetness I enjoyed since last Wednesday! How would you describe your week in one word?

With love from my country porch,

Home decor

A Peek from my Porch

Here are some recent goings on at my house this past week:

Recently while scouring through some boxes in the garage, I came across my father-in-law’s old lunch pail.  He used to take his lunch in it when he worked on a construction site.  My husband has fond memories of his boyhood years when his dad would save a little treat from his lunch and bring it home in his lunchbox for his son to enjoy at the end of his workday.

When I put my hands on this old treasure I longed to find a way to integrate it into the decor in my husband’s office.  I knew it would be a clever place to hold all kinds of things, but I wanted it to be something my husband uses often, so he could have the joy of using it daily.

So, I placed it on the table beside the recliner in his office and put his prayer journal, his daily journal and his pens he uses to study in the mornings inside.  In the lid I just added a little greenery.  I like how it looks and it really meant a lot to my husband.  Take a peek…

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A couple weeks ago I posted a recipe for Chicken with Blackberry Salsa from Taste of Home.  I hadn’t made it yet, but was excited to make this recipe for two.  I fixed it for us last week; here are the results:

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It was very good!

Then last weekend for our church’s Sunday night fellowship, I made my mom’s recipe for Homemade Ice cream and followed my dad’s technique for layering in the ice and rock salt.  Here’s the end product, and trust me, it was as good as it looks!  You can’t beat homemade ice cream!

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How about you – do you have an antique that is sentimental?  How have you integrated it into your decor?

Any new or yummy recipes going on in your kitchen this week?

With love from my country porch,

Home decor

Freshen Up Friday

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What’s the biggest difference between the way your house looks and one of those lovely rooms in your favorite decor magazine?  It’s really not the size of the house, its value or the finishes of the walls and floor; it’s really about the details you use to decorate.

What is currently sitting on your kitchen counter?  How about the coffee table?  The side table in your bedroom?  Those are the details that can take a room from ordinary to lovely!

In the kitchen:   I had recently been given a few (delicious) cupcakes from a friend and they were so pretty!  Rather than leave them in the covered container in which they were delivered, I set them on a cake plate, then covered them with a glass dome and displayed them on the counter.  They became a lovely focal point of the kitchen (until dessert time, of course)!

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The February Susan Branch calendar picture that I’d saved from last year is the new backdrop for my magnetic board.  It also adds some height to that long island.

20150131_163604_resized (1)cThe runner underneath adds another layer and brings warmth to the kitchen area – a place full of hard surfaces.  I also love adding bowls of fresh fruit or vegetables out in the kitchen, too.  Using pretty food as decor in the kitchen just makes sense, doesn’t it?  It makes your kitchen inviting to those that would enter.

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My kitchen table …

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Here are some other kitchens that I love…

Notice the lazy Susan in the middle of the table below.  Love that!

Love the red check seat cushions, the greenery, and the lantern.
http://www.anitahollandinteriors.com/portfolio
kitchens should be lived in. Love the open plan with kitchen island! So inviting!
Woohome.com

From Country Living…

Notice the use of cookbooks as decor and the lovely lamps alongside the windows…

A French Provence Kitchen with a Franke farmhouse sink and two Fisher and Paykel dishwashers drawers. Limestone Versai patterned tile finished with vintage wall mounted sconces create an inviting kitchen.

The slipcovers on the chairs in this kitchen at a softness; also the napkins over the top of the chair.

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Cherry Hill Cottage

I hope you’ve been inspired to refresh your kitchen with some little touches over the weekend!
Which of these kitchens do you love?

Be sure to refresh your heart by being in a Bible preaching church Sunday!

Lovingly,

8E63C63AC0BC189BF1C68B03C74DBB5FP.S. Don’t forget to enter for the drawing for the $50 Target gift card by Saturday night!  The winner will be announced here on Monday!

Home decor

Freshen Up Friday

Nothing refreshes me like a beautiful view! When we moved into our house I already had a vision for where I wanted my desk. Since the views are so beautiful from the windows, I knew I needed to be where I could see outside. My sweet little white desk is in the corner of the living room beside the window. I am beside the fireplace and next to the view outside. It can’t get any prettier!

Here’s my daytime view:

If you don’t have a window but need a one, why not  hang a piece of stained glass and place a light behind it?

Or hang a neat old window there and then decorate it attractively. Maybe a picture or two or three in the panes:

Old Window Panes
Another pretty use of a window:

Old window shelf & hat rack
Old window photo display. It's about more than golfing,  boating,  and beaches;  it's about a lifestyle  KW  http://pamelakemper.com/area-fun-blog.html?m

Old windows can be found easily. Scoot yourself closer to one of your home’s windows, or create one just where you need it!

Be refreshed,