Home Tour - Family Room - New and Improved and Ready for Fall

Today is a a two-for-one-special. I finally took the time to photograph our family room, which has been undergoing a makeover since I started painting the brick way back when. (Search "family room" for other posts related to the progress of this room.) I feel like it is finished mostly (for now), so I'm sharing it with you today.  And I'm also sharing my minimal fall decorating! :)

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In The Quiet

Good morning friends. I am writing to you from the quiet. 

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Feeling Fallish

I woke up this morning to a gentle rain. A rain that had "cooled" us off at least for the day. (100's in the forecast for several days :-/) And for some reason my thoughts went to fall. I'm not trying to rush things by any means. I'm still not really ready for school to start, but it's August and I can't deny that it's going to happen anymore. So, I sat at my computer and started scheming dreaming for fall.

Things like orange, yellow, and red

Home is Where The Boat Is

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Thanksgiving Table Two Ways

Last Thursday we had a wonderfully fun ladies dinner at our church!  To get everyone in the spirit of the holidays, several (as in around 50) ladies volunteered to host a table. The job of the hostess is to decorate the table - from linens, to centerpiece, all the way down to flatware.  We do this at least once a year usually in the spring, but on occasion we get to do it twice!!!  It's so much fun to see everyone's talent and interpretation of the season.  :)

Since we are hosting Thanksgiving dinner at our house this year, I decided to go with a fall theme for my table - knowing I could carry over some of those decorations for our dinner.  Here is what my table looked like that night.

Since the table are round and seat eight I decided to use four gingham runners, so each place setting had that black and white background. The black and white check that Lindsay used here was my first inspiration and these napkins I spotted at Williams Sonoma

were my inspiration for the plum accents.  I love plum for fall!!

I brought everything home and decided to play with what things would look like on my table. Since my table is black I first needed to lighten the background.  I have searched for an inexpensive square tablecloth for years.  They don't exist.  This year I had an epiphany! Canvas drop cloth = tablecloth.  Perfect neutral color, good size (cut-down to a square) and perfect price!!  {just make sure you don't get one that is too heavy because it will be very stiff - mine is 7oz and a good weight}

I decided to keep it a little simpler at our house and only use two runners.  Most likely there will be an additional table that will get the other runners.

The place settings are very simple - gold charger + dollar tree white plate.  Plum napkins that I made myself with gold top stitching, small grapevine for napkin rings, and DIY gold-tipped feathers.

Then I decided to play around with some other pumpkins that didn't make the initial table cut.  

Don't forget to try using different things to vary the height of your items.  A candle stick and a cake plate do the trick here. :)

I'm still not sure exactly what will show up on our actual table, but it really helped to try things out.  Visual, visual, visual.  I can't help myself!!

We are gearing up for some cold weather here in the next couple of days.  How about you??  I know some parts of the country has already seen snow - not ready for that at all!!

Linking up with Inspire Me Monday / Tutorials & Tips Link Party / Take-A-Look Tuesday / One Project at a Time / Create It Thursday / Hit Me With Your Best Shot / Wow Us Wednesdays / Frugal Friday / Link Party Palooza / Share Your Creativity / That DIY Party / Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop / Party In Your PJ's / Show Me Saturday

Improving The View

Hey y'all!!  Hope your weekend was grand!!  We had a family work weekend in the yard. It was fabulous!  My back and shoulders are aching today but the weather was glorious, and we got some outside chores done that were overdue.  I also decided to take this opportunity to improve my morning view. 

Each morning I sit at my kitchen table in front of my big picture window and drink my coffee. And, this is what I am greeted with each morning.

Granted it's not all bad.  And the large crop circle to the left is something I have learned to overlook - that's where our ghetto pool goes during the hot summer months.  

But that bare corner back there has been calling to me for a while now.

It's all shade - hence the lack of grass.  So, I decided to embrace it and plant some hostas, bordered by some monkey grass (as my hubby calls it).  

Simple, colorful, low maintenance, comes back year after year (with prayer) - what could be better. So, now I have a new and improved view for my morning coffee.  Ahhh.

I have decided to join The Nester and most likely hundreds of other bloggers in her 31days writing challenge again this year.  I will be working hard the next few days lining things out.  Hope you will join along on the journey!!  If you are new here and want an idea what this is all about - check out my series from last year.