Our #InspiredFallNesting series is coming to a close. And though I usually focus on the "pretty" of life...today we'll wrap things up with some practical Fall Nesting tips. It's great to pull out the colors of Fall and add pumpkins and gourds to the mix.  But, if things fall on our heads when we open closet and cabinet doors, oh my!   With Fall upon us, along with longer nights, shorter days, and cooler weather....now is the time to get things organized.     Last Fall, as part of my 31 Extraordinary Days series, I shared some organizational ideas I used in my kitchen that helped me in a really … [Read more...]

What a great week! I've had so much fun sharing Fall Nesting ideas with you the past 12 days! We're nearing the close of our 14 day #InspiredFallNesting series, but, that doesn't mean the fun has to end.... I'm excited to announce the perfect Fall Giveaway! My sweet and inspiring friend, Denise wrote a terrific Kindle book: Autumn Bliss - Over 200 ways to celebrate the Fall Harvest Season through faith, home, and family a "Family Celebration series" It's filled with delicious recipes, memory-making activities to do with family and friends, autumn nesting and home decor ideas, and underlying it … [Read more...]

Do you have those weeks...months...when everything seems to fly by and you feel like every day is a catch-up day? Yeah.  That's me. My connection to the blogging world began in the fall several years ago. I followed all the link parties...wondered what "Mr. Linky" was...and consumed tons of #InspiringFallIdeas and drooled over all the amazing fall mantels. When I finally had my own blog, one thing I wanted to do for sure was to link up to my favorite fall link parties.     Sometimes life throws curve balls and it's challenging to get back on track.  (At least no one can accuse me of … [Read more...]

  What is it about the colors of fall that make my heart sing?     Rusty oranges.  I think they just might have been my dad's favorite.     Golden yellows.  Rudbeckia and Goldenrod are two of my favorites. I couldn't believe there were still Rudbeckia, often known as black-eyed Susans, still blooming in the garden.     Greens.  The backdrop for making the colors of fall even more dramatic.     Taupe and every shade of brown.  Who doesn't like acorns and pinecones.     Table for four, … [Read more...]

Almost every where we look this time of year, nature has something amazing for us to see. Our world is a tapestry of color and texture.     I couldn't agree more with this quote: Of all the seasons, autumn offers the most to man and requires the least of him. ~Hal Borland What a feast for our eyes and our senses! And what a feast I had yesterday!! I know I talked about getting out in that world and bringing the outdoors in.  Though I went out collecting yesterday, my next step is to assemble my finds and see if I can artfully photograph the beauties.   You'll just have to wait a bit … [Read more...]

Did you enter An Extraordinary Day's giveaway to win a beautiful European house number sign?   The best thing about Fall Nesting is bringing the outdoors in. It truly makes my heart sing.   image: tradgardsflow   So, when I came across this image on my Fabulously Fall Pinterest board I knew I had to share it with you. It is just the reminder I need to go on a scavenger hunt.  Clippers in hand.  Seeking out the beauties of the season to capture and enjoy.   Maybe it's a bunch of leaves you can stick in a vase of water.  I did that yesterday.  [big cheesy grin] Maybe you … [Read more...]

Who loves to peruse the magazine section at the local Barnes & Noble? Me!!! They have such an amazing array of magazines on home decor. You'll find all kinds of decorating styles.... cottage, country, modern, traditional, romantic, and so on. What is your style?     When I got married I began decorating my home in an early American style with a nod toward primitive. We even built a 1620's style New England saltbox. I started out as a purist. But, then I inherited my mother's parents' bedroom furniture.  Two dressers and a sleigh bed.  No...they weren't early American … [Read more...]

Apple picking. It's easy.  It's fun. Everyone can do it!   Even me!     Pick as many apples as you like. Make applesauce...apple crisp...apple pie. Or best of all...eat an apple from your hand.   When it comes to #InspiredFallNesting...apples say, "Fall!" Their aroma, their flavor, their crispness.  Mmmmm....   What's your favorite apple? What's your favorite apple food?   ~    ~    ~    ~   ~    ~    ~    ~    ~    ~    ~    ~   ~    ~    ~    ~    ~    ~    ~    ~   ~    ~    ~    ~   ~    ~    ~   Catch up on all that's … [Read more...]

 I'd love for you to Pin or share this image on Facebook or Instagram. One thing I find myself doing more this time of year is cooking. I'm sure it's because of the plentiful harvest of some of my favorite fruits and vegetables. Now, I confess, I'm more of an eat-to-live gal, than a live-to-eat gal. I'm totally in awe of those of you who are wonderful and creative cooks.  But, having said that, I can cook.  And yes, it even tastes pretty good. [wink]     These days I'm enjoying some new recipes assembled by my friend who not only loves to cook, but is a terrific cook.  When she … [Read more...]

    I'm all about creating moments. Moments? Yes...those small sweet vignettes that you create around your home to embrace the season. Recently I shared a few coastal moments with you here and here. But, now that we're moving into Fall, I wanted to create a new seasonal moment.     Remember the free fall subway printable that I created for you to kick off the first day of this #InspiredFallNesting series? I printed it off on some nice photo paper and slipped it into an 11x14 photo frame that included a mat and a place for an 8x10 picture. This is one of … [Read more...]

Autumn has unofficially arrived! Each morning I get up in the dark and sit with my chair facing the window to the East, drinking my Chai, and drinking in the quiet and HIS "still small voice." The nearby fields are coloring golden and heavy with dew as that first light magnifies in each tiny droplet. What a contrast from last Fall in the mountains of Pennsylvania where the day begins shrouded in fog. I am seizing the beauty around me in this new season of my life....and the year.     One of the things about Fall Nesting is the aromas.  I love it when my husband comes home and says, … [Read more...]

This is just the second day in our #InspiredFallNesting series. When I decided to embark on this series it was a very big step for me.  As I am living in the "inbetween" and not my own home, I wondered if I could really do this.  And then I thought, "Why not?!"   BHG   This is not going to be a show-off series.  It won't be filled with bunch of my crafty accomplishments.  Or views of my home decor.  But, my gracious friend, will let me do a little playing with her decor.  If all goes as planned, I will share a few recipes and a few updated posts from the past that really only a few people … [Read more...]

  This past weekend we went from summer to fall in just a few hours. The weather was picture perfect in every way.   Sunshine, temperature, the sky was even a gorgeous fall blue. It was just what I needed to get in the mood for fall.   That got me thinking about some of my favorite fall things. Actually I came up with...  20 Things I Love About Fall! Homemade Apple Crisp or Apple Pie Amazing Fall Sunsets & Clouds Hot Spiced Apple Cider Wooly Bear Caterpillars Crisp Cool Air Apple Cinnamon Donuts from the Cider Mill Colorful Gourds Bowls of Steaming … [Read more...]

  What do we celebrate on Thanksgiving?     When I was a little girl, the front of the church would have a beautiful assembly of pumpkins and squash and corn stalks. Even then, it warmed my heart.  We would sing a song about the harvest being gathered in, and it seemed so big, like a great accomplishment.   And I would think of the glass canning jars filled with peaches and tomatoes that lined the shelves of the "turntable" in my mother's cupboard....so heavily laden I could hardly make it spin an inch.  Harvest....that was what Thanksgiving was about.  Everyone gathered together in … [Read more...]

Recently we painted the trim in our great room and sun room.  That was quite a project!!  Have you ever noticed that when a room undergoes a dramatic transformation, everything in the room also undergoes a bit of a transformation?  What is it with us?     For the past year I've been living large in a 1,000 square foot home. My piano...which my parents purchased for me when I was just 4 years old...is a major player in the great room.  (Haha...I love it when I'm accidentally funny!)   It has a wonderful mantel-like top which allows for some fun displays or vignettes.  Although I was a … [Read more...]

  We all do it. We look for the brightest and prettiest....set them up nicely...maybe we even create a tableau to admire. We don't stop there.  We place "ours" alongside. And then we do it. We compare.     Comparison. It can be our appearance, our house, our blog, our kids, our art...you name it. Theodore Roosevelt said, "Comparison is the thief of joy."     How quickly we spiral downhill.  It can almost be a free fall. I found myself there today.  It's a ploy of the enemy. And I fell for it. I knew better. I knew what to do.  But, I … [Read more...]

  Some days my heart is heavy. When I have a day like that, I go for a walk in the woods. There I feel the awesomeness of God and his presence.     Concerned about the future? Things wearing on your mind?     Trust God. In you, Lord my God, I put my trust. Psalm 25:1 He already knows the future and he's already there loving and protecting and fighting for you and me.     Just like I used to tell the kids every week... "I know I can trust God no matter what."     What's weighing on you right now? Will … [Read more...]