2013 Fall Mantles

I have not one fall mantle, but two for you today!  Although one is basically how I like to decorate a mantle that has a giant TV hung above it leaving just a few inches on either side to add a touch of fall.

I was so inspired by Ella Claire's Autumn Sign that I knew I wanted to make that the center of my Fall mantle in the kitchen.  It seems perfect for our area since Lynd Fruit Farm is practically just around the corner and all of those things couldn't scream Fall more than that!

Besides the DIY Chalkboard, my favorite part of this mantle is the giant burlap leaves.  I found this garland at Hobby Lobby and when I saw it, I so badly wanted to make it myself.  This could definitely be a do it yourself kinda garland, but I was realistic and knew that by the time I got around to making it, there would be snow flying.

I struggled figuring out how I would hang the garland but finally realized that I need to find my stocking holders from Christmas time!

Free Printable: Autumn's Smile

Happy Friday! I made this free printable for my lovely readers (that's you!)  I've always loved this quote and it couldn't be more true.

You can get this free printable HERE!

Now that you have this printable, what are you going to do with it?  The go-to is to just frame it.  But something I like to do with some printables is to resize it to a piece of scrap wood that I have laying around.  Then, you can mod podge it on to the wood.  Bonus points if you take the time to paint it a pretty color first.  This piece of wood is 7x7.

Autumn Cinnamon Apple French Toast

This might be the wrong thing to say to everybody.  But, I'm just not all that into "pumpkin".  It's everywhere you turn right now.  You just can't escape it!  If you're a pumpkin fanatic like (everyone) else, this is the best time of year!  But, I have a secret to share with you.  Pumpkin isn't the only fall flavor out there!  Say what?!  Yup... it's true.  Turns out, apple & cinnamon seems to be widely overlooked in the last couple of years (largely due to this pumpkin craze, I'd imagine).

DIY Emergency Car Kit

September is National Emergency Preparedness Month.  It's a great time to make sure you have enough extra water in your home, fresh batteries on hand for all of your flashlights, a battery operated weather radio with am/fm capabilities, as well as plenty of non-perishable food.

Friday Find: Mint Chocolate

If you know me at all, you know that I have a problem.  It's an addiction, really.  I can't get enough of mint & chocolate together!  It's just so good!  Below are some of my all time favorite Mint & Chocolate combinations!  Feel free to send large amounts of any of these to my door step.  If you're sending any of the ice cream or coffee though, ring the door bell so they don't melt/get cold. ;)

source, source, source, source, source, source, source, source, source

I found some amazing recipes that I am so eager to try and I wanted to share with you, too!  Thin Mint Brownies.  I am nervous make these because I may never make "regular" brownies ever again.  And that would be a-okay with me!  But possibly not the rest of my family.

Talking About September 11th with Kids [Free Printable]

It's bizarre to think about September 11th happening 12 years ago.  To almost all of us, the day seems like just yesterday with vivid memories of where we were and how we remember things happening.  For me, I was still in high school.  My kids will never have to understand the weight of that day first hand.  I will never understand the magnitude of Pearl Harbor but it is so important to learn about it and appreciate the sacrifices that were made that day as much as September 11th.  Okay, so what am I trying to say?  It's up to us to teach the next generation about September 11th and the attacks on our country.

Obviously, you can't have a full history lesson about that day with a three year old... but you have to start somewhere.  So, I felt it was important to talk about what happened just briefly with our little girl.  I made her a coloring page to keep her entertained while I talked.

Did you share your September 11th story this year?  I'm very thankful for all the men and women serving this wonderful country and praying for all those still suffering from the loss of those on September 11th.

Janice

Quick Fix for Scratched Wood Furniture

So our living room coffee table is only a couple years old.  We still love the look and design, but something started to happen to it about a year ago.  It started getting these really ugly spots where the finish was coming off on the top.  Some of us believe this is from not using coasters.  Others believe it's from just normal wear and tear (and having two kids!) The table still looked great from a distance but once you got up close you could see all of these terrible spots:

Just recently while I was at Lowe's, I came across the Homex wood stain markers.  I found it next to the wood putty!  I knew these existed but I just wasn't sure it would solve our problem.  I was also hesitant that I would be able to find a color to match our table.

So Many Scattered Projects

Are you the type of person who is able (and loves) to read about a half a dozen novels all at the same time?  You might read one while you're eating breakfast and another before you fall asleep at night.  Well, I'm not that type of person.  It makes me feel scattered and spread too thin.

I have that feeling though right now but it's because of too many projects around the house!  Let me tell you about a few.

You may remember me telling you about the kid's bathroom?  Well, we worked on baseboards... We got those painted, nailed to the walls, covered the nail holes, sanded, & painted them again.  We also painted the ceiling in there as well as the walls themselves.  (I just did the second coat of paint on the walls yesterday!)

Seems like things are moving along but just taking forever!  I still need to pick out new faucets that won't break the bank, towel & toilet paper rods, we need to figure out the lighting situation, put up a new exhaust fan & switches, plus, I'd like to re-do the vanity... It'll get done eventually.

On top of working in the kid's bathroom, we also decided it was a great time to cut down 8 more of our trees.  Yes, they're dead... Yes, we're planting new ones as fast as we possibly can.  In fact, we have two sitting in pots that are dying to get planted.

Here's where we took out 8 trees:

Unfortunately, I didn't take a before picture because we were running on limited time and needed to get right to work.  But, I did dig up a picture from this blog post to give you somewhat of an idea of how dead these trees really were!

Friday Find: How to Fold a Fitted Sheet

This may have been the greatest thing I have ever seen.  It takes me longer than 30 seconds to wad my fitted sheet up into a wrinkly, large mess.  This guy uses some sort of witch craft, I'm sure, but he give us all something to aspire to.  Am I right?  

Well, I hope you are all running off to re-fold your fitted sheets.  Get it done now so the rest of your weekend will be super peaceful knowing your sheets are nice and tidy.  OR!  Just keep that linen closet closed and enjoy your weekend anyway!

Janice

Free BonFire Starters

I shared this photo collage below on Monday and I really want to focus in on the top left pic for a moment, here.  Okay, now that you're done drooling, look past the s'more and check out that nice fire burning.  It's not built in our fire pit because we are dealing with some terrible fungus in our yard and apparently the best way to remove it is to burn it out.  Sounds like a great opportunity to have a little campfire and make some goodies!

Kid's Bathroom Tile Renovation Details

So I've given you a couple sneak peaks of what we've been working on, but I wanted to back up a few steps and show you exactly what we've been dealing with.

Without further ado, I present to you our bathroom before, untouched:

The floor is (was!) a vinyl linoleum which is a fine option for some folks and can truly look good if you pick the right color, quality, etc.  Unfortunately, this linoleum was making us cringe every time we walked into this bathroom.  There were several spots that were peeling up plus, the pattern and color was just not our thing.

Labor Day Weekend

Hope everyone is enjoying their long weekend.  I decided to just pop by to show you a few of our highlights (that DON'T include housework)!  Although, I can't lie... we're definitely still over here with paint brushes, spackle, and sandpaper in hand!

I'll be back tomorrow with more tiling details from the kid's bathroom!!  Looking forward to seeing you here soon!

Janice