Fall Is Up...Mostly

I absolutely LOVE fall!  I think it's the most beautiful time of year.  Even though we get it a bit late here in Southern California, I decorate early;)  So I started with our kitchen table.

I've had these little pumpkin bowls for years and yes, we use them all the time.  As the weather cools, I cook more soups and stews and these bowls serve up hearty portions.

Here's a picture of the kitchen aglow.  It's so nice to have a ceiling again.  Since it was exposed, Scott installed three mini pendants.  I love them!  There is such a nice glow at night.  We also got a new chandelier for the kitchen which matches everything so much better now.

And I started decorating the mantle.

Here's a picture of it at night.  I added a string of white lights and a pumpkin basket filled with pine cones we collected during out camping trip.

I still have two more cabinets to decorate before the family room is finished.  It's hard to believe I still haven't gotten through all of my fall containers in the garage.

I'm linking up to Kristin's Creations Party, Imparting Grace, The Tablescaper, and Savvy Southern Style this week.

A Random Post

So much has been going on here...including my string of bad luck.  I was taking pictures of some fall decor when I dropped and broke my camera.  Luckily, I was able to find my old one just in time for the first day of school.  Here's a picture of the littles starting their first day.  Ethan is so excited to be in preschool.

And, Allie finally lost her first tooth!  

Here she is with the tooth pillow I made for her from one of her favorite dresses she outgrew.  The dress already had a small pocket and I made a tooth from scrap pieces of felt.  I filled it with fiberfill and sewed the ruffle from the dress around it to complete it.  She was very happy with the finished product, especially after a special visit from the tooth fairy.

Also, this past Sunday start the Holiday Gran Plan at Organized Christmas.  Does anyone else do this?  I know Christmas seems so far away but this plan helps me get everything deep cleaned, organized, and focused on what is really important.  So, this week I will be updating my notebook and printing off worksheets.  I've used this plan for the past six years and I love it!

So there you have it, a very random post.  Before the week is up, I plan on sharing some of those fall decor photos.  I love this time of year!

When It Rains...

It pours!!!!!  And makes a great BIG mess!  Ethan decided to flush and flush and flush the toilet in his bathroom and it overflowed....into the kitchen.

We feared mold or rotting wood, so we hired a cleaning service that cut a huge (did I mention HUGE) hole in our kitchen.  Even with the fans they installed, it took three days dry out.  What a nightmare!

Finally, it's all repaired!  I'm in the process of decorating for fall (no, I couldn't wait any longer) so I'll show the kitchen all decked out, minus the big hole, next week.  But for now, I wanted to share a little project I had been meaning to work on for quite some time.  

Here's the before picture.  I have a small side table that I though would look nice but it was really battered as you can see.  It was given to my husband by the priest who married us; a very dear friend of the family who has gone on to be with the Lord.

 So I sanded it and stained it a dark walnut color that matched out existing furniture much better.  Here is the after picture.  Sorry about the glare.  I really need to learn how to take better pictures.  Also, I've had my eye on a dark bronzed mirror at Kirkland's for quite a while now that would replace the display pictures.  It retails at $39.99 and I missed the sale by a day when it was only $25!  But being the bargain shopper that I am, I'll wait.  I'm sure it'll go on sale again.

Here's a close-up of the table for now.  However, I see pumpkins on it by the end of the week.

I'm linking up to Kristen's Share Your Creations Party.