HAPPY FALL!!

Hi there!  I hope you have all been well.  That little blog breather was a nice

break for me.... gave me some time to step away from constantly thinking

about decorating and look for some inspiration myself, instead of always trying
to give it.  I have definitely been inspired...  There is so much wonderful Fall
inspiration in Blogland right now... lovin' it! 

For me, nothing says Fall more than apples... especially fresh picked apples.  I was able

to pick sooo many of them from our Fuji apple tree this year... 2-1/2 buckets full, and there

were still some left on the tree that I couldn't reach. 

This was the first year that we've had enough to share with family and friends.  We

enjoyed a delicious homemade apple pie that my mom's husband, Paul, made for dessert

one evening.  We all went out for pizza and then came back to their place for pie. MmmMmm...

pizza and pie...... a nice, healthy meal......  It was sooo delicious though! ;-)

The pictures below are from a post I did last Fall.

I haven't started my Halloween decorating yet this year, but with October coming up

this weekend, I thought I would share this post with you to kick off the month of Halloween. 

I hope you have all been enjoying a nice start to Fall.  The weather has cooled down about 10 degrees

for us this week, but the high is still in the low 90s.  The mornings and evenings are so pleasant right now, though.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope the rest of your week is wonderful!

'Til next time...

 ~ Jo :-)

FALL CHANGES IN MY LIVING ROOM

Hello everyone!  I hope you're all doing well.

  Today, I'm sharing my living room.  It's been a while since I've shared any pictures from this room of

my house.  This post is going to be short and sweet with lots of pictures again.  I just haven't been in
the mood to write lately.  Hope you enjoy...

I changed out the metal gate I was using for a fire screen, rearranged the display

on the hearth, and added some hydrangeas... very simple changes.  Of course, this will

have to get changed out again in winter, when we're actually using our fireplace for heat.

Our sweet, little Ellie getting ready to take a nap on her favorite blanket.

One of my new favorite things to collect... grain sack lavender pillows.  All of these are from

Maria's lovely shop, Dreamy Whites Online.

Well, that's it... like I said... short and sweet.

Linking to:
Farmhouse Friday

Now that I have all of the posts updated on my sidebar that I've been wanting to get
done, I'm going to take a little break from blogging for a while.  I'm not sure how long...
I guess that just depends on if and when I think of something new and inspiring to blog
about. ;-)

So, 'til next time...

Take care everyone!

~ Jo :-)

MY KITCHEN and DINING ROOM

Hello everyone!  I hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

Today, I'm sharing some updated pictures of my kitchen/dining room.  I'm not much in the mood
for writing today, so this post is going to be short and sweet...... just a lot of pictures.

Hope you enjoy....

If you're new to my blog and would like to see before pictures of my kitchen and read more about how

we remodeled it, you can do so by clicking here (before pics) and here (the remodeling story).

Linking to:
Vintage Inspiration Friday
Farmhouse Friday

Next, I'll be sharing my living room, and that will complete updating all of the posts on my sidebar

that I wanted to get done.


Thanks for stopping by today!  Have a great day everyone!

'Til next time...

~ Jo :-)

MY LAUNDRY ROOM

Happy Saturday everyone!  I hope you're all having a nice weekend so far.

As promised, today I'm sharing my laundry room with you.  I don't think I've ever showed the

entire room in one post... it's either been one side or the other.  I wanted to put together a 

post that would give a better sense of the room in its entirety, so I could replace what I have

on my sidebar.

The above photo gives you a look at the view from my mudroom into my laundry room and kitchen.

My husband and I built the shelf below the cabinets a couple of months ago.  Some of you may

remember the post I did about it.  It fills in the space nicely and helps to camouflage the faucets.

It's nice to have something pretty to look at while I'm doing the laundry, rather than just a blank wall.

Below is the view from the kitchen looking into the laundry room.

I like to keep all the walls and trim white in my home, not only to help bounce the light around a room,

but also to make it easier to bring in my antiques that have their original paint in various shades of

color.  I used a nice warm, chalky shade of white called Cotton Ball from Ace Hardware Stores.  I first

bought it years ago, before our little town had a Home Depot or Lowe's.  I still love it and use it today.

The vintage tool caddy and jars are perfect for storing my twine and scraps of ribbon.

I chose subtle accents of green and purple to add fall color to my home this year, mostly

through hydrangeas and lavender.  I like using green apples as well, as you can find a never-

ending supply at the grocery store, and they're a delicious, healthy snack to have in the house

for the kids....... though they don't eat them as much as I'd like them to. ;-)

I hope you're not all getting sick and tired of looking at pics of my home, because I still
have a couple more posts to put together of rooms I want to update on my sidebar.

Next, I'll be sharing my kitchen/dining room, and then onto the living room.

And, on a final note, I'm not one to write about my personal feelings on my blog, but
with the anniversary of 9/11 coming up tomorrow, it's on the forefront of so many American
minds.  I just want to express how much my heart goes out to all of the families and people
who were effected by the horrible tragedy that was 9/11.  The memorial they built in New
York is absolutely beautiful and perfectly fitting for the void that was left in so many lives.
My heart fills with pride when I think of all of the Americans who risked and even gave their
lives to save others on that horrible day in American history. 

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by my blog.  I hope you all have a lovely day.

'Til next time... 

~ Jo :-)