Where We Gather Pt. 2

Hey everyone!  Well, I think it's time to share with you the rest of the family room.  I love that this room is so open to the kitchen and breakfast room.  It is truly where we gather -- just The Man and I each evening to watch our favorite TV shows or a movie, & also where the grandchildren play when they come for a visit.  We have 3 large baskets in the lower part of the entertainment center that are filled with goodies to keep them entertained.

This is what I can see from the kitchen when I'm using the island for meal prep.  I just love seeing the reflections in the mirror of the decorations on top of the kitchen cabinets.

Don't Throw It Away!

Hey everyone!  Well, I affirmed my reasoning for not throwing stuff away.  I created this cute wreath for absolutely "Zero Dollars" by using just a bunch of leftover "stuff" from my Fall decorating.  I didn't have a wreath form, but I got this idea for making a cardboard wreath form from Amanda @ Serenity Now.  I not only love "FREE," but I also love using and recycling what I already have, so let me show you how it turned out.  Then I'll show you how it went together.

Isn't it cute and just perfect for above the kitchen sink!

Where We Gather Pt. 1

Hey everyone!  I've been dying to share my Fall mantel and the rest of my family room with y'all, but have decided to just show the mantel first so as not to get more photo-laden than it is anyway.  I've spent a lot of time tweaking the mantel &  thought I had it finished a while ago; but then I came across something I had pinned on Pinterest and realized I wasn't quite finished.  Does that ever happen to y'all?  Anyway, I got this great idea from Emily at 52 Mantels, for a really cool garland and it didn't cost me anything -- I already had what I needed.  You will be surprised when you see what and how this garland is made.  Emily is one talented lady, so go check out her blog if you haven't already.  Okay, let the pictures tour begin!

Our mantel is pretty small and shallow, but The Man is working on some plans to give the fireplace and entertainment area a new look.  

I'm thinking that will probably be a January project.....hope, hope, hope!

I Love Aprons!

Hey everyone!  It's been so much fun watching Fall pop up all over blogland!  There are some seriously talented and fun-lovin' people.  I'm just a wee-bit jealous that some of you are already into Fall weather -- cool, crisp, and changing leaves; but there is a "feeling" in the air, a slight glimmer of hope, that cooler less hot days are just around the corner.  I might even be able to add some mums to my front porch!

Well, today I wanted to talk about aprons.  Do y'all like aprons & use them?  I love aprons and almost always wear one when I'm cooking.  I have a couple of really cute ones and love having seasonal ones;   but as the retailers have caught onto the trend of cute aprons, the pricing has gotten a bit crazy.  Don't you agree?  So, I decided to try my hand at making a trendy Fall/Halloween one.  I looked through my stash of fabric and found some leftovers from a few years ago when I made some trick-or-treat bags for my grandchildren.  Now, all I needed was a pattern and simply used a current ready-made apron for the basic shape.

Okay, if I had gone to the store to choose fabric for my apron, I probably wouldn't have chosen these; but I had this and just decided to be "wild and crazy!"

Fall Has Arrived in the Heart of Our Home!

Hey everyone!  Of course y'all know which rooms I'm talking about, right?  You guessed it, the kitchen and breakfast rooms.  I've actually had this finished for awhile, but I just kept tweaking and tweaking.  That will probably continue, but I couldn't wait any longer.  I also want to mention that nothing new was purchased for any of these vignettes -- just shopped my stash!  You know the drill, grab a beverage and get comfy -- plenty of pictures!

 As you enter my kitchen, this area is just to the right of the doorway.

Some "Falling" in Our Dining Room!

Hey everyone!  Isn't it fun watching "Fall" pop up all over Blogland?  I've been enjoying my own "Fall" decor for a week now, and I don't think I've ever smiled so much.  Well, you have to understand how HOT it is here -- I'm talking 108 to 110 degrees!  Yes, it is the first week of September, but Arizona marches to its own climate drummer!  I've always had a great imagination, so the air remains cranked down, and I live in my little imaginary "Fall" fantasy world.  It's quite a "happy place," and I'm eager to share it with y'all!  It's time to invite you into my dining room.  Well, what are you waiting for?  Come on in!

I wanted to keep the decor in here and in the sitting room a bit on the softer hued and 

"less is more" side.

A Little Baking Therapy

Hey everyone!  As I've mentioned several times, The Man and I have been following the low-carb eating route for awhile now, so I haven't baked anything in quite some time. It is paying off, we've both lost weight and inches and feel better for it.   But, here's the rub, I love to bake.  I love the whole process of baking, probably more than the actual eating, but I do enjoy that, too!  So, when our ladies' group here in our neighborhood decided to have a "Fall Potluck," I quickly volunteered to bring a dessert.  I knew immediately what I wanted to contribute -- Bread Pudding!  Why?  Because I absolutely love Bread Pudding, plain and simple.  I've had this recipe for a very long time, but have no idea where I got it -- I've been making this recipe since long before I started blogging and thought it was time to share.

It's kind of fun to pretend I'm the Pioneer Woman and do a "step-by-step" picture tutorial.  Notice I said "pretend," because I am definitely not Ree, but here's by version.

I really do like to collect all my ingredients & pre-measure all or most of the ingredients.  The cupboard just above my baking station has spices, all kinds of baking goods & cork on the doors so I can pin my recipe right there.  I forgot to take a pic of that, but I simply open both doors to that cupboard and all things are right at my fingertips.

Are We There Yet?

Hey everyone!  Are we there yet?  Are we at "Fall," yet -- yes, no, maybe?  Well, it's kind of looking like it around here. We are still experiencing hot, hot, hot here and finally got some rain Friday evening, just not enough.  It may be hot outside, but the Fall leaves, pumpkins and gourds are popping up all over my home and receiving a standing ovation from me!  I've been working like a fiend on my Fall decor and have it almost finished.  I promise not to overwhelm you with a gazillion pics, so I'm only going to post little bits at a time.   Ha Ha -- if you believe that, I have a bridge.....lol!  I do still have some tweaking to do in several places, and nothing much has happened outside;  but heat or not, I will be getting to that soon.

So this first post is just the inside entry.  Y'all know it's one of my favorite places to decorate.  I have to make a disclaimer right up front about one of the key elements in my entry decor.