WOW, It's October!

Happy first day of October!  I have a love-hate feeling for October.  It's definitely the signal for a cool-down here in the desert, but that does not mean "put on the sweaters & pretty scarves" just yet.  It is still in the 90's, but cooling down at night and cool enough to have windows and doors open in the early morning hours.  October is kind of the "get on your mark, get set, GO" for the race to the end of the year....wish it would not speed by quite so fast, don't you?  What I'm really trying to do this year, is slow down, stay out of that race, and savor every single day.  I do have all of my decorating finished and love walking through our home filled with all the rich colors of Fall.  Today I'd like to share some pics of our kitchen and family room.  I'll try not to be too chatty, but grab a beverage & snack just incase!

I adore the scene on the little plate from HobLob several years ago.  Almost makes me want to become a farmer...HA! HA!

Flowers from Trader Joe's.

Mums from Sprouts...it's so beautiful!  See the wood slice that the mum is sitting on?  The Man cut several of those for me from a piece of mesquite.  I'll share more about that in another post, but I've decided just about anything looks good sitting on a wood slice!

I wanted some fun new napkin rings, so I made them....empty tp roll, yarn, & some small pumpkins from a few years back that I had already painted!

Got these cute towels from HomeGoods a couple of years ago.

My pompom wreath is back for about the 3rd year in a row!

I don't change things on top of the cabinets anymore, but I haven't grown tired of the things I chose to fill the spaces.  I love how those upper lights create interesting shadows.

Awww....the rich colors of Fall!

This is my current coffee station, but it will be getting a bit bigger with a larger tray to accommodate more cool weather beverages....teas & cocoas!

On a whim I decided to combine this leafy-berry swag with these adorable balsa wood leaves

that are lighted.

It is so cute at night when only the kitchen task lights are on.

This always makes me smile.

Now, let's go into the family room.

This is how I had decorated the mantel the first time.  I liked it, but it started feeling 

too messy.

Then I decided to remove the lighted wreath, and I like it so much better now.

This was the combination of 3 very worn and tattered leaf swags that I cut and blended together.

I also cut some leaf shapes out of cardstock and book pages and then painted them with chalk paint.

I simply hot-glued them into the swag to make it much thicker.

I also added some of those painted leaves to the wreath that has now moved to a new

spot above the tv.

I took a bunch of odds and ends of berries, leaves, & small pumpkins and filled this lantern.  To make it more fun, I added in some tiny orange lights.

Well, I'm about to send you on your way, but not before thanking you so much for visiting.  I

cannot wait for your next visit!

I hope October is super-special for you, and I hope you get to slow down a bit 

and savor all those special moments and the everyday moments as well.

Hugs,

Carol

I'm hope to be joining these lovely ladies this week:

Kristi at Making it in the Mountains for The Creative Gallery

Cindy at Dwellings--The Heart of Your Home for Amaze Me Monday

Maria Elena at Our Home Away from Home for Tuesdays at Our Home

Marty at A Stroll Thru Life  for Inspire Me Tuesday

Suzy at Worthing Court for The Scoop

Carol at The Red Painted Cottage for Share Your Style Party

Richella at Imparting Grace for Grace at Home

I've Been Fallin' Around!

Hey everyone!  I hope you are all having a great start to your week.  I had a "super-surge" of energy between Saturday morning and Sunday noon (then I crashed!), and pretty much finished up my Fall decorating and some cleaning projects, too!  Before I finished "fallin' up" my kitchen and family room, I cleaned, re-sealed & polished the granite and cleaned my refrigerator from top to bottom & inside & out...I was on a roll!  It's not feeling very Fall outside this week, with temps in the 90's, but the air is on and there is plenty of Fall color to see inside.  Come on in!

You all know this is one of my favorite places to decorate for the seasons,

and I love having my cute aprons so handy!

The wood blocks say "Welcome."

I love this island, but it is such a "junk magnet!"  Getting it all cleaned, polished and looking so pretty, will keep it junk-free for awhile....I hope!

The colors of Fall make me smile.

No chocolate-chip or oatmeal raisin cookies in this cute cookie jar, but it is filled with

biscotti-goodness!

These are from Costco and are so good, but I limit myself to no more than

one-a-week....lots of calories!

Sooo true!

Nothing much has changed on top of the cabinets...I'm not allowed on the "BIG" ladder any more!

The same goes for over here.

This little wood veneer, battery-powered leaf swag was a recent purchase from our new

Home Goods store that is only 15 minutes away....uh oh!

So sweet at night with their warm glow.

I'm still crushing on this gallery wall of our travel photos.  Do you see Abby?  Just pretend you cannot see her, because she thinks she's invisible when she faces the wall...shhh, don't tell!

I'll be back later this week to share how I made the leaf & book page garlands and a delicious

Fall soup recipe!

I adore this little plate (HobLob a couple of years ago).  It reminds me of heading to the pumpkin patch with my children when they were just a wee lad and lass!

I'm calling this a wrap for the kitchen and family room, but you know there is always "tweaking" to be done....heehee!  I do hope you enjoyed your visit.  You are always welcome here.

Warm hugs,

Carol

  I often party with these lovely bloggers:

Monday
 Cindy at Dwellings--The Heart of Your Home for Amaze Me Monday

Maria Elena at Our Home Away from Home for Tuesdays at Our Home

Tuesday

Marty at A Stroll Thru Life  for Inspire Me Tuesday

Wednesday

Suzy at Worthing Court for The Scoop

Thursday
Jemma at  At Home With Jemma for Thoughts of Home on Thursday
Richella at Imparting Grace for Grace at Home