Yes, I Know....

I've gone a little cake happy, but can I say WOW!!! about this site!!!

A Pink and Brown Birthday

One of the themes that I'm considering for Audrey's birthday is not really a "theme" at all, it's more of a color scheme. If you ask anyone I know, they will tell you that I love, love, love the color brown. My husband actually teases me about it, because it's really more of an obsession than a love!! So I'm considering throwing Audrey a pink and brown birthday party. I think this would end up being cheaper than an actual themed party too. Well, look at this cake I found. Isn't it adorable?!

Oh, by the way, I found this cake at Cakes By MaryAnn. Check it out if you get a chance. There are tons of awesome cakes on that site!!!

Awesome Cakes

So I'm now starting to think about my daughter's next birthday party. It's a little over three months away, but I like to be prepared and party planning is one of my favorite things to do. So I found myself googling different types of birthday cakes tonight. I have several different themes that I'm debating in my head right now. Anyways, one of the ideas that I had was a whimsical type theme, like Dr. Seuss or a Mad Hatter Tea Party. I remembered seeing some pretty cool cakes that had a "Mad Hatter" style. They are SO awesome. Of course, one of these would be a tad out of budget for a two year old's birthday, but one can dream, right?!

I also came across this one that is just so amazingly adorable!!! I love that they look like gigantic cupcakes!

I DID IT!!!!!!!!!

I FINALLY finished 'Anna Karenina'!! 819 pages GONE!! I absolutely loved this book, but I will admit to feeling bogged down during certain parts of it. I'd actually tried to read it once before a few years back. Get this, I got like 700 pages into it and put it down!! What was I thinking?! I highly recommend this book to anyone who is into classic literature. Now I'm reading the 3rd Harry Potter book (which I should actually be done with probably by tomorrow!), and then onto 'Animal Farm' and then 'The Brothers Kamarazov'. That last book is another 700-800 page book, so this will be my reading list for the next several weeks.

On a side note, I'm SO glad that I've gotten back into reading again! I went for a LONG time only reading pregnancy and baby/childcare books. But there is nothing like sitting down and getting completely lost in a good book. This is something that I definitely hope to instill in Audrey and our future children.

Are You a Lady?

You Are 60% Lady

You're part lady, part modern woman. Etiquette is important to you, but you brush aside rules that are outdated or silly.

Are You A Lady?

Yay! I've Been Tagged!!!

My husband, Bryan, has tagged me for a "What's in/on your:" meme. By the way, this is the first time I've EVER been tagged (is it sad that it's by my husband?!).

I want to know what's in/on your:

CD Player - I switch it out a lot, but probably Incubus, "Make Yourself".

DVD Player - A disc from season 9 of 'Friends', the BEST comedy EVER!!!

To Read List - 'Animal Farm', the rest of 'Anna Karenina', the rest of the 'Harry Potter' series.

To See List - 'I Am Legend'

Mind - "How do you keep a toddler occupied?!"

I tag anyone who reads this!!!

If You Want A Few Reasons To Stop Drinking Sodas....

Have you ever wondered why Coke comes with a smile? It’s because it gets you high. They took the cocaine out almost a hundred years ago. You know why? It was redundant.

• In The First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.
• 20 minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat. (There’s plenty of that at this particular moment)
• 40 minutes: Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, as a response your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked preventing drowsiness.
• 45 minutes: Your body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.
• >60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.
• >60 Minutes: The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play. (It makes you have to pee.) It is now assured that you’ll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolyte and water.
• >60 minutes: As the rave inside of you dies down you’ll start to have a sugar crash. You may become irritable and/or sluggish. You’ve also now, literally, pissed away all the water that was in the Coke. But not before infusing it with valuable nutrients your body could have used for things like even having the ability to hydrate your system or build strong bones and teeth.

This will all be followed by a caffeine crash in the next few hours. (As little as two if you’re a smoker.) But, hey, have another Coke, it’ll make you feel better.

from healthbolt.net

Making Your Home A Haven - Day 6

Go over to Biblical Womanhood to view this and other challenges.

1. Refresh Your Spirit -

Begin your day with the Lord. Fix yourself a delicious hot drink and spend at least a few minutes praying, reading God's Word, and meditating on Scripture. Ask God to bless your day and love through you. Find your joy, hope and strength in Him.

So, I'm really liking this part of the challenge! It's amazing how much better my day goes when I start with even just a few minutes of prayer and reflection. This time helps keep my perspective throughout the day!!

2. Do Your Morning Routine -

1. Brush Teeth/Take Pill - DONE
2. Swish & Swipe - DONE
3. Make Bed - DONE
4. Unload Dishwasher - DONE
5. Start a Load of Laundry - DONE

This morning I was actually very proud of myself. Normally I get up at 6am and make Bryan his breakfast and then head back to bed leaving all the dirty dishes. Well, this morning I got up, made Bryan breakfast, unloaded the dishwasher, and then washed all the breakfast dishes and the ones left from last night before hitting the hay again!!! Progress not perfection!!

3. Take Time To Plan -

After your morning routine is finished, write out a short to-do for today (five items or less).

1. Unpack from weekend getaway. - DONE
2. Do all laundry/straighten laundry room. - DONE
3. Call about family portraits. - DONE
4. Wrap remaining presents. - DONE
5. Write out remaining Christmas lists.

Here is a breakdown of my laundry today. I did 5 loads (dog linens, whites, towels, lights, darks) and after the last load was dry I wiped down the washer and dryer, emptied the lint holder, shook out the rug and swept the floor. Now my laundry room is straightened and my laundry is washed, dried, and put away!!!

Oh, I also actually got in some exercise too! If you haven't tried it I recommend the 'Dancing With The Stars' workout dvd!! It's AWESOME! It has tons of high intensity cardio that makes you sweat buckets!! Now I just need to go do some toning exercises...

4. What's On The Menu For Dinner? -

Take a moment to plan what you'll be having for dinner and then do as much of the prep work as possible before noon. Fix up a pot of soup, throw something in the crock pot, whip up a casserole, or pull something out of the freezer.

I recommend that you have this dinner prep work as part of your morning routine or scheduled into your morning somewhere. Then you'll save yourself realizing that it's five o'clock and you haven't a clue what to fix!!

Tonight I'll be making spaghetti and meatsauce with Italian sausage and garlic bread. So I went ahead and pulled the ground beef and the sausage out of the freezer to thaw.

5. Project of the day -

Turn some uplifting music on, light some candles, put an apron on, roll up your sleeves and let's get busy!!

Set your timer for five minutes and start at your front door again and quickly walk through the main living areas of your house straightening and picking up and putting away anything that's out of place. When the timer beeps, you're done, so work fast and don't get distracted.

Then, go to your kitchen (you knew we'd get there soon, didn't you?) and wash, dry and put away any dirty dishes there are (or use the dishwasher) and then quickly straighten anything else that's out of place, wipe down your counters and cupboards and replace your dish towel.

Okay, so it took me more than 5 minutes, but I got the main areas of my house cleaned. After Audrey layed down for her nap I went ahead and got to work. The main "picking up" that I had to do was Audrey's toys and books that she had gotten out this morning. Since we were gone for the weekend and I straightened the house the night before we left there wasn't too much to do. I did dust and sweep the living room/office, hallway, dining room, and bathroom.

As far as the kitchen goes, I did a bunch of dishes early this morning so all I had left to do was mine and Audrey's breakfast dishes. Then I wiped down the counters and the appliances and then swept.

Diaper Cake!!!

Here is a picture of my VERY first diaper cake. My mom has done these before for both myself and for other people, and she gave me some supplies to try my hand at them. I think I did pretty good for my first time! What do you think?

Making Your Home A Haven Challenge - Days 1,2, & 3 - Step Three

Okay, here is the next and final step of the Making Your Home a Haven Challenge!!

Step Three - Do Something!!!

Day One- Each day I'm going to be giving you a simple organizational task to complete in your home. And today we're going to start at the very beginning--a very good place to start!

Put on an apron, light a candle, and turn on some uplifting music. Then go to your front door and pretend that you're a first time visitor to your home. Walk in and take a look around. What is your immediate impression of your home? Is it calm and clean or cluttered and chaotic? Take 5-15 minutes to clean, de-clutter and beautify your entry way. Do a quick pick up if there are items out of place, mop or vacuum the floor, shake the rug, spot clean the walls, and rearrange things.

My entryway goes into the whole main part of my house, living room/office and kitchen and dining room. So I'll need to do a major straightening of all these rooms. I don't think that I'll post "before" pictures because I feel like a tornado went through my whole house, but maybe I'll post some "after" pictures!!--Done cleaning!

Here is the "office" part of the living room. You can also see Audrey's room down the hall.


Here is the living room.


Here is the kitchen.


And here is the dining room. I put Audrey in her chair to color while I took pictures so she wouldn't mess up the house! All I have left to do now is push the dog pen back into the corner once the dog's linens are done (they're in the washer right now), and put up that shirt once it's finished drying.

Day Two- Since we tackled our entryways yesterday, we're moving onto our living rooms today. Light a candle, put on your apron, turn on some uplifting music, and then set the timer for ten minutes and get busy cleaning your living room. Start by throwing out trash, putting away misplaced items, and straightening up things. If you have time do a quick dust and vacuum of the room.

Well, this one is easy since it applies to yesterday's challenge for me!! The living room/office area are now clean except for some clean clothes on the couch that need to be folded and put away and the ironing board which needs to be put away (I'm waiting until after Audrey's nap is over for that as not to wake the little princess up!!).--ALL DONE!!!

Day Three- Today we're going to focus on the laundry and laundry room. Light a candle, put on your apron, turn on some uplifting music and get busy!

Your goal by the end of today is to have all your laundry finished, folded and put away. For those of you with a laundry room or laundry area, take some time to organize and clean up this area. Wipe down your washer and dryer, check for socks and other articles of clothing on the sides of and behind your washer and dryer, and clean out your dryer lint.

This is now done. Well, almost. I already wiped down the washer and dryer. I also shook out the rug in the room and swept the floor. As far as doing laundry goes I had a load in the dryer and a load in the washer this morning when I woke up, I also did a load of sheets. All three loads are now put away. Right now I have the dog's linens in the washer so I just need to dry those and put them back in the dog pen. YAY!!!

Making Your Home A Haven Challenge - Days 1,2, & 3 - Step Two

Okay, now on to Step Two of the Making Your Home a Haven Challenge!!

2. Take Time To Plan-

Day One- Today's planning project is centered on a morning routine. Write down five things you want to do in the same order every morning. Keep it simple and only stick to five things. If five things seems overwhelming, start with three. Starting somewhere is better than not starting at all.
We'll be keeping each other accountable for our morning routines over the next few weeks. Put your list in a very conspicuous place and consult it first thing each morning.

My Morning Routine: (italics are finished)
1. Brush Teeth/Take Pill
2. Swish & Swipe
3. Make Bed
4. Unload Dishwasher
5. Start a Load of Laundry (if needed)

I posted this by the door leading out of my bedroom.
And they are now done for the day!!

Day Two- Do you have a plan for today? A few minutes of strategic planning before you begin your day cannot only help you to be much more productive, but it can also save you a lot of time.
If you have not done so, make a short to-do list for today of things you need to do or would like to accomplish. Keep your list to ten items or less. Number the items in order of importance and tackle the first one. Don't move on to #2 on your list until #1 is completely finished.

My To-Do List: (italics are finished)
1. Wrap the rest of the presents on hand.
2. Clean living room.
3. Clean kitchen.
4. Clean dining room.
5. Wash the dog's linens.

Day Three- In addition to writing out a short to-do list, I encourage you to plan what you are having for dinner.

Dinner:
I put out some chicken leg quarters to thaw. Bryan's going to grill them tonight and I'm thinking about grilling some corn on the cob to go along with the chicken. YUM!!!

So, there you have Step Number Two. I'll update my to-do list as I complete things. And I'll be adding Step Three in a little while!

Making Your Home A Haven Challenge - Days 1,2, & 3 - Step One

Okay, so Crystal over at Biblical Womanhood started a challenge about making your home a haven. I am a HUGE homebody, so I really like to enjoy being in my home. Which means if it is cluttered and disastrous looking I can't be happy, and if mama ain't happy, ain't no one happy! So I'm going to go ahead and jump in on Day 3 of this challenge and try to combine the first three days into one! Hopefully this will help me start to feel more in control of my house, which is hard when you have a 20 month old!!

The first thing every day is this-

1. Refresh Your Spirit (5 minutes)

Take five minutes, brew a cup of tea or coffee, and sit down and be still before the Lord. Pray, read a Psalm, thank the Lord for His goodness and blessing in your life.

Having a home that is a haven starts with an inner peace in our own hearts, a quiet resting in the Lord. You can have a beautifully decorated home with everything neat and orderly, but if you are frazzled and frustrated, your home will not be a peaceful place. After all, the saying is so true, "If momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy."

So before you do anything else today, take time to refresh your spirit in the Lord.

and also today-
If you have a chance, I encourage you to think of three things you are thankful for. Write them down and express gratitude to the Lord. Focus on the blessings in your life, not on the things you wish you could change. Choose to bloom where God has planted you! An attitude of gratitude will go a long way in making your home a haven!

The things that I'm thankful for:
1. My Husband - he is the greatest husband and father that I could ever ask for. He loves me and Audrey so much and it shows through his actions.
2. My Daughter - You can't spend time around Audrey and not be happy! She is such a bright light in this sometimes dark and depressing world. It truly is amazing how much a mother can love their child!
3.The Ability to Be a Homemaker and the Sacrifices That Make That Happen - I love, love, love being a stay at home mom. It is the best job ever! Though it is hard and often unrewarding I feel like I'm showing my family how much I love them by being there all the time! I love to take care of my husband and daughter!! And Bryan sacrifices so much for me to be home. He goes to work 5 days a week, every week. And he donates plasma on top of that to make extra money. He has sacrificed some of his dreams to let me live part of mine by being home and raising our daughter. If I don't say it enough, "THANK YOU, BRYAN!!". I love you and am proud to be your partner in life!!

So I have finished this part and definitely feel refreshed and peaceful and ready to start my day!! I'll post Step Two in a bit. Now I'm going to go put my "Thankful" list on the fridge to remind me all day!!

PS - I honestly don't know what's up with the fonts and text sizes. I've tried to fix it several times, but oh well, life goes on!! Sorry!

Time For A 'Friends' Clip...

I Love The Smell...

...of a freshly bathed baby!!!

Cucumber and green tea bath soap combined with lavender and chamomile baby lotion is absolutely heavenly!!

'Deceptively Delicious'

I got this book as a birthday present this year (thanks Bryan!). It just came out about 2 months ago or so. It's written by Jessica Seinfeld, wife of comedian Jerry. And I am SOOO looking forward to actually trying out the recipes. So far I've just been "reading" it. Sidenote: Bryan finds it extremely odd that I like to read cookbooks. Anyways, the whole point of this book is how to add veggies and fruits into your child's diet without them really knowing it. She uses all different sorts of purees (kind of like if you were making your own babyfood) and then adds them into all sorts of dishes. Honestly, I will have to try some of them before I believe that you cannot taste the puree, such as, Brownies with Carrot and Spinach. But some of them actually look pretty good, I can't wait to try the Creamy Potato Soup with Cauliflower and butternut squash or carrot.

The cookbook shows you how to make the different purees (11 vegetable; 6 fruit). It also gives you a basic nutritional guideline for children. And then it breaks down the recipes into categories, breakfast (12 recipes), Mealtime (39 recipes) and Dessert (25 recipes).

Anyways,as you can tell I'm excited about this cookbook! I think it's probably one of those little magical treasures for mom's with picky kids (or wives with picky husbands!)!!

Muggles and Mudbloods and Wizards, Oh My!

I did it. I finally broke down and started reading the 'Harry Potter' series.



I'd already seen the first two movies when they were in the theaters. In my opinion they were really good, so I'm kind of surprised that I've never become part of the 'Harry pandemonium'. Honestly, I've wanted to read them, but I just never got around to it. Part of the reason was probably because my husband and I were Youth Pastors for three years and I guess I was afraid what some of the people in church would say if they'd found out (I've been criticized for stupid things before). A lot of people in the charismatic movement in the church think that Harry Potter is evil. That it's trying to lure kids into Satan worship and witchcraft. In my opinion it's just really great fantasy. I love the whole world that is created in the books. They are very well written and are VERY hard to put down. Case in point, I bought the first book last week and made myself only read a few chapters here or there and then yesterday I got the second book and as of last night when I FINALLY put the book down and went to bed, I was already more than halfway through the book. It's too bad there are only seven books in the series! The good thing is that they seem to get thicker as you go!!

I Love A Messy Child!!!

Okay, so my belief is that a child should be a child and being messy is part of that! Why are some moms SO overly concerned about their children getting a bit messy. Maybe it's because most of the time the moms have to do the cleaning up! I try to keep in mind that stains on clothes are okay as are marks from pens on the body. So what if I have to stick my child in the tub one more time that day. So what if I have to wash another load of clothes or, heaven forbid, throw a shirt away (which, by the way, I've NEVER had to do). Life is too short to be so concerned with this. I love the memories that are made when my daughter gets down right messed up! Of course she won't actually remember any of this, but that's what my memory and cameras are for! The pictures and the smiles on my daughter's face are SOOOO worth the extra 10 or 15 minutes of cleaning that I have to do. So I challenge you to bite the bullet and let your children get messy!

Here are a few instances where Audrey had fun getting messy:

This was chocolate pudding!!




This was Pop-Tarts!!




This was highlighter!!


Notice how if I think ahead of time I'll strip her down to just her diaper to save the clothes!!

Does Laundry Make You Smile?

Being a homemaker I'm the one in charge of doing laundry (by default). This task can be so mundane, boring and even at times, overwhelming. So I like to try to find little ways to cheer myself up while doing even the most basic of tasks. One way is to make my laundry area a little more aesthetically pleasing. I found the following idea in an InStyle Home magazine a few years back and it has always stuck with, so a few weeks ago I decided to go ahead and do it already!!

I just took a round fishbowl style vase and a yellow ceramic measuring cup (both are things that I already owned) and dumped my laundry detergent in. My vase can hold a full 40 load box of powder detergent. Putting it on the dryer reminds me not to put anything else there, so the top stays clutter free. Also, the vase and measuring cup are much more pleasing to the eye than a neon cardboard box and the plastic scoop that comes with the detergent. I encourage you to try this idea. See what creative things you have lying around the house to make into the scoop. It could be a measuring cup, or a large, beautiful seashell. Let the creative juices flow and I promise doing laundry will be a little more pleasant!!

Audrey's Growing Up....

I know I still have awhile, but the thought of Audrey not being in her crib any longer has started to creep into my mind. So I've started to ponder what kind of furniture she is going to have when she is ready for her "big girl" bed. I got an Ikea catalog in the mail awhile back and fell in love with the Mammut series of furniture. It's very whimsical and almost reminds of something out of a Dr. Seuss book! I could just imagine her having a Dr. Seuss room eventually....

The Little One Really Hates The Big One...

....but I caught a rare moment of peace!

There's Nothing Like...

...tickling your child!!!







By the way, if you can't tell, I'm both the tickler and the photographer!

Beatitudes For Homemakers

I got this off of another blog, and she got it out of an Amish cookbook.

Beatitudes For Homemakers
by Ella May Miller

Blessed is she whose daily tasks are a work of love; for her willing hands and happy heart transform duty into joyous service to all her family and God.
Blessed is she who opens the door to welcome both stranger and well-loved friends; for gracious hospitality is a test of brotherly love.
Blessed is she who mends both stockings and broken toys and broken hearts; for her understanding is a balm to her husband and children.
Blessed is she who scours and scrubs; for well she knows that cleanliness is one expression of godliness.
Blessed is she whom children love; for the love of a child is of greater value than fortune or fame.
Blessed is she who sings in her work; for music lightens the heaviest load and brightens the dullest chore.
Blessed is she who dusts away doubt and fear and sweeps all the cobwebs of confusion; for her faith will triumph over adversity.
Blessed is she who serves laughter and smiles with every meal; for her cheerfulness is an aid to mental and physical digestion.
Blessed is she who introduces Jesus Christ to her children; for Godly sons and daughters shall be her reward.
Blessed is she who preserves the sacredness of a Christian home; for hers is a divine trust that crowns her with dignity.

Pumpkin Patch

I took Audrey to a Pumpkin Patch this afternoon. I wanted to do it last year, but I never got around to it, so this year I was bound and determined to go! I was very pretty outside today, in the high 80's, with a breeze and clear, sunny skies. So we went and walked around the patch for about 30 minutes. I took a LOT of pictures of her, but unfortunately I didn't have my husband there to get her to look at the camera, so most of the pics are of the side of her face! At one point I resorted to dangling my keys next to the camera to get her to look! There was one pumpkin that she took to big time. It was a small pumpkin, I think they called them 'We Be Littles', and she carried that thing around for most of our time there! We left with 2 'We Be Littles', and one 'Spooky' pumpkin. Here are some of the pictures:

This was my favorite picture!


Audrey with her lil' pumpkin...


The little one in her hand was her favorite!


Checking out some pumpkins...



There are just SO many to check out...

YUMMY!

I made these Eagle Brand Magic Cookie Bars yesterday and boy are they GREAT!!! Everything comes in the box, all you need is 5 tablespoons of butter. It has a graham cracker crust, and is topped with sweetened condensed milk, coconut, walnuts, chocolate chips and butterscotch chips!!
Try it if you ever get the chance!!

My Birthday

Yesterday was my birthday, I'm now the ripe old age of 24! At first my birthday started off terribly, my mom called (her and my dad were supposed to come up to take me to breakfast) and told me that they wouldn't be coming because my grandma had a mild heart attack the night before and was in the hospital. But after talking to my grandma on the phone and realizing that she was okay, I was able to enjoy the rest of my day.

Bryan took the day off of work to spend it with me, he also lined up a friend of ours to watch Audrey during the day, and his mom to watch her during the evening. After we dropped her off, the rest of the day was spent shopping, eating and napping! What a GREAT way to spend the day!

We ate out three times yesterday (well,4 if you include the ice cream stop!) and I don't think that I've eaten that much in the past 3 weeks! The place we went for dinner was my favorite restaurant, Pappasito's, where I pigged out on chicken fajitas, YUM!

Some of the things that I got from Bryan for my birthday were:
~a book called 'Deceptively Delicious'
~'The Iliad' by Homer
~the movie 'Knocked Up'
~the new Foo Fighters cd

And on Friday he's going to take me shopping again at Old Navy because by the time we got there last night I was WAY to full to try things on!

So, even though my birthday started off bad it ended up being absolutely WONDERFUL! Thank you SOOOO much Bryan! You are the best and most thoughtful husband EVER!!

Friday Favorites - October 5th Edition

I know that this edition of Friday Favorites is late, but better late than never, right?!
My favorite thing this time is a wooden jewelry that my mom gave me on my wedding day. It has a picture of her and I from when I was 2 months old. When opened it plays 'You Are My Sunshine' which is the song that she would sing to me when I was a baby.

Halloween Cookies

So anyone who knows me knows that as the years go by I love Halloween increasingly more!!
So on October 1st to celebrate my favorite month I made a batch of Halloween Cookies. They were just regular sugar cookies from a mix that I rolled out and cut out with my new Halloween cookie cutters (which I got from Target, they were $1.00 for 10 cutters).
The shapes were:
~2 different tombstone shapes
~2 different ghost shapes
~a pumpkin
~a haunted house
~a spiderweb
~a bat
~a scary cat
~and a crescent moon



I put Halloween frosting (orange tinted vanilla) with Halloween sprinkles on the cookies.
I can't wait to make these again!

Fall At Our House...

As I've said in a previous post, I LOVE FALL!!! Everything about it is absolutely divine! When the weather starts to change it gets me even more in the Spirit of Fall (here in Central Texas the early Fall temperatures are still soaring). I love the scents that come along with the Autumn season. All of the pumpkin and spice scents just make me melt! I also love all of the rich colors and the fact that nature is so celebrated in all of the pumpkins and gourds and apples and leaves that come along with the seasons decor. It truly is wonderful! So far my personal collection is still extremely small, but in the years to come I plan to make my autumnal decor grow!

First, and foremost I think that scent draws you in, so I got a Harvest Spice scent air freshener.



These are Pumpkin Pie scented candles hanging on 2 wall sconces in my living room, they smell absolutely delicious!



This is a Pumpkin Swirl scented candle that is in the main bathroom.



This is my Dining Room table, with yet another Pumpkin Swirl candle. The candle holder is actually a coaster from Pier 1, the table runner is a new find, also from Pier 1, and the candle stick holders are a ruby red color, I bought them at a garage sale and believe that they are from Avon.



These 3 little felt pumpkins sit atop my television. I bought these last year at the local grocery store for $1.00 each.



This little white ceramic pumpkin is on my coffee table and I found it for $2.50 at Target. I plan on getting some fall candy to put in it.



And this is what greets you at my front door. My mom made this and gave it to me on Sunday as a pre-birthday present.

And although I don't have much "actual" Fall decor, most of my house is done in rich colors such as browns and oranges and mustards and reds and olives and rich Robin's Egg blues. So my house coordinates well into the Fall season!

Happy Fall to you!!!