Pottery Barn Fall Inspiration

Fall is my favorite season.  I love when the leaves turn beautiful shades of red, orange and yellow and the air is crisp and no longer hot and humid.  I love to light a fall scented candle in the evening.  The scents of vanilla, pumpkin, apple and cinnamon are all comforting to me.  This Saturday, September 22 is the first official day of Autumn even though it may still feel like summer in your neck of the woods.  I recently attended a Pottery Barn class on Fall and Halloween decorating and entertaining.  Some of you may not know this, but every so often Pottery Barn offers free decorating demonstrations from 10 to 11 a.m. at their stores.  They also give you a 10% off coupon to use that day.  I usually come away with a few new ideas and new items to add to my collection of home decor.  I love 99% of everything in their catalog.  I would have loved to buy every single piece in their new collection, but I narrowed it down to items I could use most of the season.  Thankfully I had my friend Christine along to help keep me focused.  I purchased the owl martini shaker, owl platter and a green glass vase.  I already own an abundance of Halloween decorations so I was trying to focus on more of the Fall theme, and I love owls so I display them year round.  The following are a few photos of Pottery Barn's displays for inspiration.  Next week I'll share with you my Fall decor and where I put my items.

Buffet set up- stack things at different levels for more interest.  

 I had to have the big owl platter.  There are also small plates to match.

Hang things from an old ladder or broom.

Metal mice you can haphazardly place on a table.
The mercury glass pumpkins are beautiful.  

Owl Heaven

Love these little mice cheese board utensils!

Love the Dracula cape on the wine bottle and the mustache stirrers.

Love the idea of framing a sketch of a pumpkin.

Pottery Barn also gives lots of ideas for theme, everyday and holiday entertaining on their website www.potterybarn.com.  It's worth checking out.  It would cost a fortune to use all of their items, but it gives some set up ideas and recipes as well.  It's a great source of inspiration.  Happy entertaining this Fall!  

Costco Finds

Pizzelles

Le Delice de Bourgogne Triple Creme

Sea Salt and Black Sesame Wildrice Crisps

It's amazing what you can discover at Costco.  I hadn't ventured into Costco for at least a month.  I have a membership to both Sam's Club and Costco through my husbands work.  I like Costco's food items a lot better, but Sams is more convenient.  I was thrilled to find Costco carried pizzelles.  My mother makes pizzelles every Christmas.  They are a thin Italian cookie that's made with an iron similar to a waffle iron.  My mother makes them with anisette which has a black licorice taste to it.  I'm not positive, but I think that's how they are traditionally made.  I have a pizzelle iron, but it only makes two cookies at a time.  It's a bit labor and time intensive so I was happy to find Costco sells a huge container of  vanilla pizzelles for $5.99.  They aren't quite as good as my mothers, but they are good enough.  

My second find was triple creme cheese.  A friend of mine told me about this rich, soft and creamy cheese. It's delicious spread on a slice of crusty french bread.  I think it's similar to a brie cheese.  It can be difficult to find because it sells out quickly.  It's also a bargain at $10.99 a pound.  

The third item is sea salt and black sesame wildrice crisps.  I bought these when a friend was visiting who is allergic to gluten.  There are a lot of gluten free items out there which aren't very tasty, but these are delicious.  I now buy them for myself.  Feel free to leave a comment on any Costco items that are your favorites.  

Create

In a Bible study I attend our leader made the comment people create because we were were made to create.  That sentence really struck a cord with me.  I enjoy creative pursuits such as crafting, writing, decorating, scrapbooking and photography.  However, when it comes to cooking and creating meals every week, not so much.  Sometimes I struggle with the idea that some might consider these hobbies for the lack of a better word fluff.  When people ask me what my blog is about it's basically fluff with an occasional deep insight.  It's my lifestyle and what I love.  It's a way to share with others, improve my writing and hopefully inspire others to create and pursue their passions.  I'm getting better at carving out time to work on my blog and putting chores aside temporarily.  For a long time I have fought against the urge to sit down and create.  Instead I would tell myself other things are more important.  The fact is creating is more important.  It feeds my soul and brings me joy.  Does the world need another blog about fluff?  Probably not, but it's what my heart is telling me to do.  What is your heart asking you to create?

Lists

salted caramel cupcake

I enjoy the art of making lists.  I may be a little odd, but I find the practice of making lists cathartic.  It gets thoughts out of my head and onto paper.  Lists are particularly helpful to me when I'm working on a project or planning a party.  There are a lot of people who don't share my passion for lists.  My husband is one of those people.  I found this out early on in our marriage when I would make him a honey do list.  He claims he doesn't needed to be reminded on paper what he needs to get done.  I also have a friend who never makes a grocery list.  I can't fathom grocery shopping without a list.  I get side tracked as it is with all of the new items on the end caps.  There are always several things that weren't on my list  that find their way into my grocery cart.  I also love to reminisce and read lists my children made in elementary school.  Teachers often have a list of questions on the first day of school for their students.  The list includes things like what is your favorite color, food, television show, etc.

I'm going to share a few lists every so often that will give you a little more insight into who I am.  I  found a few of these fun to do and thought you might want to make your own list.  That is if you are a list maker like me.  I've been a little ravenous lately so I'll start with a list I found in O magazine.

My Idea of a Delicious

• Dessert- anything with caramel and chocolate or chocolate and peanut butter
• Comfort Food- macaroni and cheese
• Place- Italy
• Sandwich- roast beef and cheddar on a baguette with mango chutney
• Dinner Date- Bravo or Bonefish Grill
• Book- Nordstrom's cookbooks
• Movie- Chocolat  ( I added this one)

There are several answers I could give for these categories, but these are the first ones that popped into my head.  It's best to go with your first thought otherwise you could make yourself crazy.  What is your idea of delicious?

Dogs

My Dog Fritz

This picture of my dog Fritz brings a smile to my face.  The story behind the photo is that my friend was watching Fritz for the first time while we were out of town.  She was a good babysitter and sent me photos and updates on how he was doing through text messages.  She is a teacher and was trying to grade papers while Fritz sat close by and wanted her attention.  Anyone who has met my dog knows that he's a little lover and if you stop petting him he will start nudging you with his face.  

Leaving your dog can be a lot like dropping your child off at daycare.  You worry if your dog is going to cry, play nicely with other dogs and behave.  Fritz is a very social dog, potty trained, and listens pretty well and so I don't worry too much.  In other words, he passed doggy kindergarten with flying colors.  He is our first family dog and brings us joy.   I know there are a lot of dog owners who would say the same about their dog.  

Laundry Room Organization



Laundry Room Before

Laundry Room After

Jar for spare change

Bins for Delicates and Repairs

This week's organization project is my laundry room.  It's my least favorite space in the house with the garage running a close second place.  The fact that I hate doing laundry probably has something to do with it.  I wanted to share my before and after photos not because I think this is now an awesome space, but it does bring a smile to my face compared to what it looked like before.  I honestly think it has something to do with having matching containers.  I would like to add a little bit of color to all of the beige, but I'm not quite sure where yet.

The containers are all from my favorite store Target.  I have beach towels which are now out of season stored in the two large fabric containers on the top shelf.  Extra light bulbs are stored in the wicker basket beside them.  God forbid we'd have to walk downstairs to get a light bulb.  I made a little tip jar out of an old Starbucks frappuccino bottle and some chalkboard sticker sheets. This is for all the change that comes out of my husband's pockets.  The wicker basket next to my delicate and repair bins has sewing supplies in it. Having the right containers seems to be the answer for most of my organizing dilemmas and an excuse to use wicker baskets.  I have a thing for wicker.  Have a great weekend and happy organizing!

Plans Change

My first baby

Second baby

A friend of mine used the expression yesterday, "if you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans." It has been awhile since I've heard it said, but it was somewhat apropos for me yesterday.  I attend a Bible study group once a week and this years first session was yesterday.  I had gotten a call from the children's leader asking if I could help them on the first day in the nursery.  I helped them last year and if you've ever volunteered your services you're probably familiar with the subsequent calls for help that follow from time to time.   The children's leader is a delightful person, and I often have a hard time saying no to delightful people in need.  I'll be honest, I love children, but not babysitting children.  I enjoy the ages between 3 to 5 when kids are imaginative and start to become little people. Last year I helped in the 1 to 2 year old room filled with tears, difficulties sharing, and not wanting to pay attention to the lesson.  I should also add I don't have much patience for teaching lessons.

This year I had a plan.  I was going to state what I wanted and ask for the 4 to 5 year old room.  I walked into the church with a new found confidence instead of dread.  Surely, she would agree to my request.  No such thing happened.  As soon as I could get the words out she replied with force, "you are with the infants."  Before I could even mutter a "but I" she explained that several people called in sick and they were short handed.  God had a new plan for me and I wasn't too happy about it,  at least at first.  My neighbor's granddaughter happened to be in the room which was a nice surprise.  There were eight babies from 2 to 10 months old and three adults.  We were besieged by beautiful bouncing babies who were crawling, curious and sometimes crying.  Normally my blood pressure would have hit the roof, but I remained calm and was a source of comfort.  It was hard work at times especially when half of them decided to be hungry all at once.  I've always felt a tad awkward around infants, but this time I felt confident and at ease.

Lately I have been mourning the fact that my kids are older and don't think they need me as much except for when it comes to finding something they've misplaced.  They don't need the constant comfort a baby needs.  There is a HUGE part of me that is grateful my children aren't hanging on to my legs anymore.  There would be something wrong if they still were at 13 and 16 years old. However, I guess a tiny part of me misses being able to hold my babies and have them fit on my lap.  What I was dreading turned out to be just what I needed.  The next time the children's leader calls I'll ask for infants or maybe I should just let God decide and have faith it's what I need.