Loving Fall

The bins of fall decor are coming out. Some decorations are finding there way around the house while some are going right out the door! It truly is time to downsize around here.

The Pig always gets more than his fair share of the decorations no matter what the season...

My mother-in-law loved her large, multi-pumpkin wreath and hung it every year. 

I found it in the top of her closet when I was cleaning out their old apartment the other day.

This week we moved my father-in-law to an apartment with a higher level of care in an assisted living community closer to us. It's been almost 4 months since he lost his wife of 71 years. 

He is doing better than we expected, but it seems there is a stage you hit around 90 days after an event, which seems to be a harder part of the grieving process.

The change of community has revived his spirits somewhat. Maybe sometimes you just need a change of scenery to give you a lift!

To me it wouldn't be fall unless the scarecrow makes an appearance somewhere in the house! This little patched-up guy is my favorite part of fall decor.

The scarecrow seems to have a life of his own too. He often changes positions and places to sit! He moves around like one of those Christmas "Elf on a Shelf" dolls do.

Every year when I dig him out, I think maybe this year I will find the time to make a few copies of him just for fun. 

Of course I never do make any, but it is fun to figure out what I'd need to make more of him.

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Getting My Fall On...

Every year I plan to start fall decorating early and it seems I always get side-tracked. 

Some of you probably think this is early, but for people like me who hate summer, anytime after the 4th of July is open to fall decorating around here!

Do you think it's the colors of fall that make the season so warm and welcoming?

I like to add drama to the browns and golds by adding my DIY chalkboard for the background. 

I'll add my fall banner to the chalkboard as soon as it's uncovered in all the fall decor bins.

This year, half my stash of fall decor is going out the door as a donation...that's a promise!

I was moving the spring-like trough (above) out of the room when I noticed if I turned it around backwards so the words didn't show, the plain old-wood side and patched ends fit right in with the rustic fall themed colors...

So that's the entryway cabinet all dressed up for fall. I'll keep adding and taking away things until I get it the way I want. How about you? Has the fall decorating bug hit you yet?

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Home And Garden Thursday

Friday Finds For Fall

I love a good project and this one is perfect for fall and Halloween. 

Talented Tracey over at Porch Day Dreamer created this Witch Leg Candy Bucket, and if you want one too she generously gives step-by-step instructions on her blog. I pinned it for next year and look forward to having time to make it then.

There's lots of cute fall projects in this Farmhouse Style magazine that's in stores now.

My favorite uses a knob added to a frame to hang a wreath, thereby adding layers of decoration for your wall! 

Here's a close up of the knob the wreath is hanging on. Notice they used a length of twine to allow it to hang in the center of the frame...

I'm a more-is-more type gal so this inspired me to start pulling out some frames I had stashed away and hunting for some old knobs I'm sure are around here someplace. 

If you don't have an extra knob or two around, Hobby Lobby and Lowe's are both good places for hunting knobs...And don't forget to save the knobs off old furniture if the piece gets taken apart or is no longer usable. 

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Whatever Happened With The Bead Board Wall?

This is a story that starts with "Long, long ago there was a girl who wanted a cabinet/bead board wall to block the view from the front door..."

The cabinet/bead board wall got built a long while ago, but we planned to paint it when we finished framing all our windows too. 

The idea was we would frame the rest of the windows, then have all the window frames, bead board wall, and all of our trim professionally painted in the same color.

While waiting for that to all come together, I started trying out different chalk paint colors trying to pick the "perfect" color...yeah, like that will ever happen!

Finally, the bead board wall-side of the built-in cabinet got painted this summer when Middle Daughter visited. If I haven't mentioned it before, she's a GSD (Get Sh*t Done) type girl!

So much has been going on around here medically that I never got around to showing that pretty painted wall. 

Even today, we spent almost the whole day at an Emergency Room with my 95 year old father-in-law going through a whole litany of scans, X-rays and tests. 

Someday the bead board wall will be the same color as the front door, but for now I'm just happy that it has paint on it!

Here is a picture taken from the front door. As you can see, the view from the front door no longer allows you to see all the way through the house, which means we have a lot more privacy.

I would still like to add a high shelf and a row of hooks to the bead board wall, but for now it passes as finished if we sell the house before we add anything more to it.

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Friday Finds

Oh how I wish I had an old piano to paint a bright color like this...

Piano At The Fogue Abode

I love the idea of a great big yellow prop for fall decorating. Of course that won't happen here! 

Wild Bill (who spent 5 or 6 years of his childhood taking lessons) goes crazy when he hears about people painting pianos and other musical instruments. The lecture goes...paint can block the pores in the wood and change the tone...yada, yada, yada.

But the point Wild Bill misses is that most old pianos aren't kept anymore for playing unless it's an expensive one that's been well cared for. Usually old pianos have long past their prime and may have missing parts and are seldom played. Why not repurpose one for another use?

I found the yellow piano, and lots of other wonderful ideas at the Grace At Home party over at the blog IMPARTING GRACE

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Three Pretties In The Family

This year our youngest granddaughter went off to kindergarten. Of course a new backpack was necessary to celebrate the occasion!

Her older cousin, our only other granddaughter, got her long hair cut and a sophisticated hairstyle for her return to school this year.

Not to be outdone, my 95-year-old father-in-law made it to his monthly appointment with Mary at the beauty shop in his retirement community. 

Pop And Mary Getting The Pedi Started

A haircut, a mani, and a pedi is something Pop loves and looks forward to each month and I don't blame him. Mary has done his hair and nails for the last 5 years, and she always makes him feel special.

How about you? Pedicures...like 'em or loath them? 

I don't like my nails touched by other people so I thought I would hate them. I finally tried it this month for the second time in my life. I did cringe a little at times, but it was so worth it in the end.

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Copy-Katting Penny's Darling Tiered Tray

Browsing the web for inspiration recently, Penny's 3-Tiered Tray stuck me as oh-so-adorable!

Penny's Treasures 3-Tiered Tray

I had all the stuff to make a copycat of the tray except for the cute white enamel farm animal ornaments. 

Lucky for me and you, Penny was kind enough to let us in on her secret supplier...Hobby Lobby in the Christmas section!

Now I've been downsizing like crazy...but what's a girl to do? 

Of course I've been to Hobby Lobby's Christmas section hunting down those dang little farm animals! Our local Hobby Lobby doesn't have them so I'll look for them in other locations.

A few weeks back I found the link to Penny's Post on the Amaze Me Monday blog party at Dwellings-The Heart of Your Home. If you're in need of a little inspiration, hop over to either of these blogs.

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The Things We Keep: More Precious Finds

Our garage is finally getting back to normal with more boxes of things going out the door than being stored! 

The two youngest daughters convinced me it is time to "Marie Kondo" the things my mother-in-law collected or saved, and then left behind.

This Hand-Painted Box Brings Me Joy!

In her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo tells you to touch each piece and ask yourself if it brings you joy? 

That's a hard one to start doing, but it gets easier the more things you touch and pass on.

At first I wanted to keep everything of sentiment or value, but our life is in fluctuation right now...this is NOT the time to store a bunch of things!

My mother-in-law's next younger sister has always shared mom's interest in collectibles and hobbies. I breathed a sigh of relief when she happily accepted the many boxes of dolls and doll parts!

If I had kept these things, it would only be to sell them on-line or in a booth. If I passed them to this favorite aunt, I knew she would love them or find a good home for them. 

Whatever she does with them it's now up to her...Kind of a "Tag You're It!" action.

The night I called the aunt, she had just finished putting an old doll together so I knew she was the right person for mom's favorite vintage dolls and doll parts. 

Here are a few things I kept as they really do bring me joy. They are all old and had been stored away inside this hand-painted old wooden box:

1. This little wooden case holds thimbles. Mom gave me some vintage thimbles years ago, which I plan to add to the old thimbles she had stored in this box.

2. This very odd clamp was also in the box. I knew it must be something involved with sewing, but was perplexed with it until September's Country Living Magazine arrived.

Mom's Clamp

Country Living's "What's It Worth" Section had similar

According to the magazine's article, this is probably an Early-20th-Century Sewing Bird Clamp! Mom's bird clamp has what is probably a pin-cushion on the back of the bird. 

Appears To Be A Pin-Cushion On The Bird's Back

3. A cute metal cat with a pin-cushion-bucket attached to the cat's side.

Another Pin-Cushion Of Sorts

The cat's head bobs up and down, and it feels like it might come out, but I don't want to ruin it if it doesn't.

4. An old case with lining, with a logo from a jewelry store in Birmingham. At first we thought Birmingham, Alabama, but the spelling of "Jewellers" and "Crooke" and the address on "High Street" makes us think it might be from England.

What Are These Used For?

Alabama or England?

We plan to do some research, especially to determine what were these used for...cracking nuts...crab cracking...hair crimpers maybe? 

Since they were with other sewing things, are they used for something in that field? Anyone have an idea for us?

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The Weekend View...Fall Ahead

We have passed the halfway mark in August... September and fall are just around the corner. 

You can wait if you want, but I'm breaking out all the pumpkins and welcoming fall right now. Summer is done as far as I'm concerned!

If you've been to Hobby Lobby or PotteryBarn lately, you're probably convinced (like I am) that fall is near and Christmas will be here before we know it.

Hobby Lobby even has their Christmas displays out and their Christmas decor was on sale this week.

This "Fall Find" came from PotteryBarn. I'm a big fan of crows and really like this more subdued version of brown, black and green.

On other news...Wild Bill has been to the emergency room 3 times in the last 10 days, and had to go into the hospital 3 days the first E.R. visit and overnight the third visit. I started thinking he might have a girlfriend up there! 

The first time it was pneumonia, and then breathing problems and insanely high blood pressure readings. 

He's doing better now so don't worry. We're tough Texans after all! 

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LaurieAnna's At Canton TX Trade Days

Just a reminder to all local Texans that Canton's "1st Monday - Trade Days" is this weekend.

Here's the latest photo from LaurieAnna's shop in Canton...

Laurieanna's

LaurieAnna's shop is broken up into different type rooms. This bedroom setting is in the entry room of LaurieAnna's. Their Kitchen Rooms and Dining Rooms are always my favorite rooms to walk through and pick things up for our house. 

LaurieAnna's shop will be decorating for fall soon, my favorite time of year in their shop.  I'll be impatiently waiting to go there even if it's just to look around and get ideas on how to use the fall decor I already have.

Speaking of fall decor...this mustard colored spray was new at the Frisco Mercantile shop the other day. The vendor was just setting them out so I plucked one out of the box to try at home. Love them!

The Kitchen Pig got this fall sprig to replace the pansies he's been sporting since spring. He does seem to smile a little more since his mini-makeover!

The colors of fall go well with our house since it's a blend of browns, yellowish golds, and such. 

How about you? Do the fall colors make you happy the heat is almost over...or sad because summer is coming to an end?

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The Continuing Birds Saga...

Would you believe the birds are at it again? Yep.

I started noticing my clothes dryer was steaming up inside...like a sauna! Our dryer vent goes up the inside of the wall and out the roof. 

When I looked at the vent coming out of our roof, I could see a nest up against the vent keeping it from opening.

This is not our vent, but it's an example of how birds can clog up vents...

For quite some time, I've been trying to find a company that cleans out dryer vents. Now it was time to get serious and find someone.

We were discussing our nest problems with some friends at a restaurant and a friendly older lady told us "Try a Chimney Sweep!"

Polar Bear Chimney Sweep

A local chimney sweep company came out the next day and took care of the dryer vent problems. The chimney sweeper also climbed right up on top of a ladder and plucked down the nest the birds built in the outside chandelier. 

Polar Bear Chimney Sweep Took This 16-foot High Nest Right Down!

Happily we are "nest free" once again...for now. 

So if you find yourself in need of a dryer vent cleaning, or the removal of anything up high, try calling a chimney sweep for the job.

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