September Acres

'Love' -ly...

2012-01-26T10:19:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is around the corner. Really, it is. So I figured it was high time to show the mantel some love as it's been 'naked' since I took down Christmas. The lovely mantel was decorated using things I already had. That's the way I like it.

'Love' garland made using my Cricut a few years ago.

Another Cricut project framed in this romantic looking frame.

The DIY mercury glass vase makes yet another appearance. The silver branches look wintry to me and it is still winter so I figured they could stay out.

I love using books, especially on the mantel. I stacked some red ones here.

My mom framed the little print on the right for me. It fits in perfect here.

Do you do alot (or any) Valentine decorating around your house?

Linking up to Beth's Mantel Link Party & Sherry's Open House Party.

January 19...

2012-01-19T09:43:00.000-08:00

Well, alot of you woke up to this type of weather this morning. Not me. Of course here in Arizona a snow day is a thing of dreams. Hope everyone who got it is enjoying their winter wonderland.

Today actually has me thinking 'where the heck did January go?' It's more than half over and the month has been a whirlwind. I called in the payroll the other day and the lady at the payroll company said "2nd and last payroll for January". Um, no, that can't be. But sure enough she was right!

I hope to be back soon with something a bit more exciting than this. LM had her birthday party last weekend so there are cute cake photos to share. Lots of projects I want to do, of course. There's all that organized home stuff I want to share. Right now it's all I can do to keep the kitchen & bathrooms clean, beds made and clothes clean. I often wonder how three people can generate so many clothes.

So, there you go. Have a great Thursday. Enjoy the snow and keep warm!

The Organized Home-2012 Goals...

2012-01-11T21:31:00.000-08:00

It's already the second week of January. Yikes. I really want to get organized this year. I know, I've said it before. Things really got out of control the last couple of months and it's time to reign things in and get it all together before we end up on Hoarders or Extreme Clutter. So, the first thing I did was get this big wall calendar for 2012. I am a visual person and like to see the entire month when I lift my head so it's on the wall in front of my desk. So far so good.

Using this calendar I want to mark out time to take care of one big thing a month. 12 goals in 2012. Perfect. The first thing that needs to be done is my office. I haven't set a date for that yet but it needs to be in January and will likely take a couple of days. And a big shovel.

Next is our 'linen closet'. I use the term loosely since we don't actually have a closet but some cabinets in the hallway. That's not all bad expect that they aren't really deep and really not made for linens. And king sheets take up so much space. So I need to pull everything out of the cabinets (there's more than linens in there) and try to make it an easier space to maneuver.

Then there's LM's room. It's in pretty good shape most of the time but there's still too much in the room. She is getting good at purging, finally. I'd also like to get her some new shades. Her room is still sporting the vertical blinds from the 90's. Nice, I know.

The land of misfit frames. Should they stay or should they go. Good question. I love how Peter Walsh says that your things should have a place of honor. This is not it.

Books. I feel like we have books everywhere. I stack them on mantels, put them in bookcases and baskets. I feel like they are a constant project. I'd like to work on one place to put them when they aren't 'on display'. In order to do that some purging is in order.

The Garage. It needs to be emptied out and only the things we will use and need go back in. Simple Enough. I think.

Closets. This is one place that gets purged/cleaned a couple of times a year. We still have too many clothes, plain and simple. Not everyone does and I like donating what we don't wear to people who can use more. What is it that they say? We wear something like only 20% of our clothes. Crazy.

Outside. We need to re-do the rock in our front yard. No grass here but our landscaping and rock needs a little sprucing up. This is a spring or fall event due to the heat- probably fall due to the cost.

Craft area. This area is in my office but deserves it's own TLC. I have some nice storage pieces they just need some touching up. Like with our clothes I have way to many craft supplies (scrapbook paper anyone?) This is the perfect summer time project. While most people are spending time outdoors we're escaping the heat indoors. You can only spend so much time in the pool. Really.

Kitchen. Since we use the kitchen everyday it stays pretty organized. Tonight I went through one cabinet and purged expired stuff and made room for some things we got for Christmas. I need to go through the cabinets that house the dishes and serve ware to see what should stay & what should go. I wonder if the 'if you haven't worn it in a year toss it' rule goes for the kitchen? If you haven't used a platter in a year should it go? Hmmmm.

Paper. All I can say is UGH! I think I am going to shred a lot of bills from last year. Everything is available on line now so I just don't think I need to keep the Electric bill with 'paid' written on it for eternity. Doing this blog post is proof that I paid my electric bill otherwise the electricity I need to run this computer would have been turned off! Of course I'll still keep anything related to taxes and investments, receipts for big ticket items and the like but the monthly routine bills can go bye-bye.

The big thing we want to do is put new flooring in the bedrooms. Dark wood, like above to replace the carpet. I'm thinking September or October.

What are your home goals for 2012? I'm linking up to the Nester's Home Goals Party.

2011 in Review: Books

2011-12-29T09:47:00.000-08:00

I think it's safe to say that 2011 wasn't a banner reading year for Debra. I'm not sure why but I hope that I can read more in 2012 as I have a list of books I want to read. I did read the following books, which really stood out as the best in my mind:

The Help

by Kathryn Stockett

Who didn't read and love "The Help"? If you didn't, you are missing out.

by Holly Chamberlin

"The Summer of Us" was a quick, beachy-type read. Entertaining for sure & my first book of Holly Chamberlin's. She has others that I will put on my 2012 list.

One Thousand Gifts

by Ann Voskamp

"One Thousand Gifts" was another book I think most of us read. While I enjoyed the book I have to admit it took me a while to get through it - I found her writing style a bit difficult for me but there are post-it notes and highlights throughout the book reminding me of some of the phrases I really liked or paragraphs I want to look back on. I think it makes a great gift, too.

I did read some library books and non-fiction books I liked. In no particular order:

Veganist by Kathy Freston - Kind an eating manual of sorts.
Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin - Ditto, but this one kind of makes you never want to eat anything again!
American Wasteland by Jonathan Bloom- Chronicles how much food we throw away (can you believe half of our food is thrown away? I had no idea!)
Eat by Ian K Smith, MD. Yet another food book. Interesting by lots of common sense stuff, too.
The Future Church:How Ten Trends are Revolutionizing the Catholic Church by John L. Allen, Jr.-Interesting if you are interested in this type of thing.
Fatally Flaky by Diane Mott Davidson. I love her books and have read all but her newest, Crunch Time (see my 2012 list below). Culinary mysteries with some yummy recipes -a bonus.

As I said, not a banner reading year for me but I hope to do better in 2012. I have a stack waiting to read.

Crunch Time by Diane Mott Davidson
Perfectly Imperfect by Lee Woodruff
Late, Late at Night by Rick Springfield
The Gift of an Ordinary Day by Katrina Kenison

AND, waiting in my Nook:

Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer
Sliver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand

How about you? Any books I should add to my list?

Linking up to the Nester today to see what others are reading.

2011 in Review: My 11 Favorite Decorating Posts

2011-12-28T20:57:00.000-08:00

As I take a look back on 2011, I am linking up to Rhoda's party, where lots of others are doing the same. I don't know about you, but so often I don't think I get alot accomplished. As I looked back over what I did in 2011 I realized it was actually quite a bit and I had to narrow down my fun projects to 11 when I originally thought I might struggle to find 11 that were worthy of showing again!

Here you go, in no particular order (because what fun would that be?) If you want to see the original post just click on the caption below each picture. Enjoy!

Kitchen Backsplash

Guest Bath Reveal

A Little Bit of Glitter

DIY Mercury Glass

Easter Table

Those Really Old Paperbacks

Get Framed

How Do You Like Me Now?

Fresh Towels

Ballet Shoes

Sprucing up the Entryway

Don't forget to head over the Southern Hospitality for more reminiscing!

Also Linking up to Tatertots & Jello...

Favorite Things...

2011-12-19T16:57:00.000-08:00

It's time for Melissa's Favorite Things Party over at 320 Sycamore. It's one of my favorite things!

Here's my list of my other favorite things:

The Kitchen Aid Mixer. L O V E It is the first Christmas gift my husband bought me 15 or so years ago and it's still one of my favorite things in my kitchen. Mine is white and the basic model. Nothing fancy here but it can take all the attachments and is a whiz in the kitchen! Can't imagine not having it.

Pan Am, the series. I really look forward to Sunday nights. This is the only hour long drama I watch and I am hooked. I hear a rumor that the show may not be here for the long haul (& I hope it's just a rumor) but there are still a few more episodes that are supposed to be aired and I am going to enjoy them and ignore the nasty rumors.

The pomegranate. I love a good pomegranate. In it's pure state, eaten raw. Just like you see here. Yum!

Park City Mountain resort. I love this place. Love it. So much to do, even if you're not a big skier it's just fabulous. The perfect family vacation destination. You will not regret a visit here. Winter or summer.

Christmas carols. My favorite carol is 'Silver Bells'. And I kind of like to hear Elvis sing it!

City sidewalks busy sidewalks .

Dressed in holiday style

 In the air There's a feeling of  Christmas

 Children laughing People passing Meeting smile after smile 

And on ev'ry street corner you'll hear

Silver bells silver bells

It's Christmas time in the city

Ring a ling hear them sing

Soon it will be Christmas day

Head on over to Melissa's and check out some more favorite things!

It's a Wonderful Life...

2011-12-14T20:48:00.000-08:00

~ Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives.

When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?~

Clarence Oddbody, 'It's a Wonderful Life'

Touches of Christmas...

2011-12-13T10:46:00.000-08:00

Here are a few glimpses of Christmas at September Acres.

The Tree.

The wreath by the front door.

The stockings hung just inside of the front door. Not our 'Santa' stockings, just something fun.

A bit of our new Christmas Village. LM has been asking for one for a couple of years. We spotted this 'starter' set at Lowes for $79 so I caved! I am enjoying it and can't wait to see what additions I can find at the after Christmas sales!

Our coffee table and the Christmas card 'bucket'.

A side table in the living room. My mom gave me the print in the frame. I have no idea where it came from so if it's yours or you know who created it please let me know so I can give credit where credit is due. It's cute though, isn't it?

Everyday dining room table. You can see my formal one here. I love the blue with the red. Love.

The Christmas tree in LM's room. She picked out a pink one at Hobby Lobby but I gently steered her toward the green. I think it is the cutest tree ever!

Cute advent calendar I made last year; also in LM's room, right next to the tree. The little guy next to the calendar is 'Snow Bear'. Does anyone remember him from Thalhimers in Richmond? Way back in the day. He has been coming out every year at Christmas since 1986. Wow!

Hope you've enjoyed this glimpse into our home this season. Head over to Melissa's for some more home tours.

Don't miss out on the home tour at Hooked on Houses either. I'll be there!

Blue Christmas...

2011-12-08T09:15:00.000-08:00

The lights are twinkling on my master bedroom mantel this year. I wanted this to be simple, serene, relaxing. And blue. I like to incorporate my year 'round decor into my Christmas decor when I can - saves on the need for extra storage space - even for just a few weeks it's sometimes hard to find room to store some of the bigger things. Plus, it's fun to give the everyday a different look.

This bowl of shells gives the mantel a 'beachy' or coastal look which I love. The blue vase on the right was a summer purchase this year.

Another view of the shells and vase. The little white stocking on the right is metal. It's one of my favorite Christmas pieces.

The little tree has the only pop of red on the mantel. Shells lay around the tree like little gifts from the sea. The greenery is faux but works nicely here.

I was thrilled I could use the blue candle stick (below) here. The big frame is usually hanging in the center above the mantel. The smaller frame usually holds a family picture but I popped it out of the frame to pair the two frames here. I kind of like it!

I am linking my mantel up to Rhoda's Mantel party. Lots of beautiful mantels over there! Also linking up to Beth's mantel party where there is MORE loveliness!!

Winter Wonderland...

2011-11-30T23:20:00.000-08:00

The Christmas decorations are out and the first area I have totally completed is the dining area. My idea was to create a 'winter wonderland' - neutral, clean, simple. I am loving how it turned out and loving how little I spent to create the look even more! The pictures were taken at night so the lighting isn't the very best but I kind of like the wintry feeling the nighttime photos capture.

The picture above is the whole table including the stars (75 cents each from Michaels) hanging from the ceiling fan, which I LOVE. I hung them with 'tinsel' ribbon from Stampin Up which I already had and it is so perfect for this project.

I used a drop cloth (6' X 9') which I already had for the table cloth. I topped that with a cream damask runner that I have had forever - I thought that added a little bit of texture and was a contrast to the rough drop cloth. I considered cutting the drop cloth to fit the table a little better but in the end I figured it was perfect that way it was. I LOVE the idea of a drop cloth for a table cloth because it is easy to clean (no dry cleaning needed), doesn't need ironing and is great if you have kids- just pop it in the wash when it's dirty.

I covered my chairs with my cream cotton covers (I got them last year @ JC Penney, on line, on Black Friday for $9.99 each!)- again they are easy to take off and wash at any time.

Vases, jars, bowls, bells, twigs - all things I have had for a while. They work perfect into the color scheme. You can see the damask runner a little better from this angle.

I love the twigs! The ball shaped ones are from Walmart last year after Christmas. They were really cheap. Otherwise I wouldn't have purchased them. The twiggy ones are twigs from the yard I sprayed with glitter spray paint.

The place setting is my everyday white china. I love white china/dinnerware because you can use it all the time. It doesn't take away from or compete with your food. You can change the look of white dinnerware with your napkins or by adding a charger. I chose a silver charger for this table (2 for $5 at Michaels). But imagine how the look would change if the charger was red or green - perfect for Christmas Day!

So, in the end I spent $13 on the chargers and stars, everything else I already had. I love how 'shopping at home' can totally change the look of any room, or in this case, any table.

I am linking up to Kate's Tablescape Party and HomeGoods Contest. Head over there and see what the other talented bloggers have come up with for their Holiday tables. Lots of inspiration!

I am also linking up to Layla's table decor party.

A little bit of Glitter...

2011-11-28T16:59:00.000-08:00

I wanted to frame my pink and green advent calendar using something fun. I thought the Krylon Glitter Blast in Citrus Dream would be just the ticket. I got a simple white frame from Michaels. It was 50% off - I think I ended up paying $5 or $6 for it but this is the kind of project that is perfect for a dollar store or goodwill frame, so you could spend less.

Due to my super fabulous photography skills (is it me or the camera?) I am not sure you can really see how spectacular this turned out. I hope I did it a bit of justice anyway. I would use the Glitter blast again - it is so sparkly! And the color is really fun!

I think this will end up in LM's room with her new lime green mini Christmas tree. Photos to come really soon.

I'm linking up to Tuesday's Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia.

Advent Calendars...

2011-11-21T21:22:00.000-08:00

I am a lover of advent calendars. So when I saw this Stampin' Up stamp set I know I had to have it. Not that I need to make or buy another advent calendar. This set has a stamp for each day of December so instead of making a traditional advent calendar I decided to make more of a Christmas wall hanging using each day. The one above is the first one I made. I love the pink and green and the plan is that those will be my 'colors' for this year. I still need a frame for that one - my idea is to get a frame (a cheap one) and spray paint it with my Krylon Glitter Blast in Citrus Dream (a bright green). I'll definitely be sharing that and I hope it turns our pretty!

The hanging below is framed and ready for gift giving. I Love the simplicity of this. Basic Christmas colors and lots of white. I got a bit more creative with this one - some embellishments, embossing, etc.

For a more rustic or down to earth look I love the one with the kraft background. Still trying to decide on a frame for this one. I am sure something will hit me when I am at the store looking.

I think these will make nice gifts for that person who has everything. Each of these squares will make cute gift tags, too. I'd love to think of some other ways to use this set. I'd love to hear any ideas!

I'm linking up to Handmade Holiday over at Just a Girl.

Pumpkin makeover...

2011-11-11T20:32:00.000-08:00

I have had this pumpkin for a couple of years (it's a craft pumpkin from Michaels) and decided it needed a makeover. I didn't want to do anything permanent since I like the light blue color. It was white when I purchased it. I then painted it blue and added a bit of glitter.

For this new update I added some orange glittery ribbon to the pumpkin. I just used glue dots to stick one end of the ribbon to the top and one end to the bottom. This way it is removable.

I made the banner on the computer using Power Point. I printed the banner on white typing paper and cut out the pennant shape. I then glued the paper to a cheez-it box (very thrifty of me and sturdier than card stock) I cut into the pennant shape.

I added the ribbon, stamped images and swirl attachment for a little more interest. I then hung the pennant on the stem of the pumpkin.

A new twist on an old pumpkin. And the best part? It didn't cost me a dime - I used things I already had. Something else to be thankful for....

Linking up to Saturday Night Special at Funky Junk Interiors & Frugal Friday at the Shabby Nest.

Halloween Recap...

2011-11-01T20:54:00.000-07:00

Halloween is always fun around here. Truth be told, I could live without it but the family loves it. LM said today 'I wish Halloween wasn't over yet.' She was the Queen of Hearts this year. My husband was a pirate. Dred locks and all.

My friend H has a party every year and she goes all out. Don't you love that spider? She had brains on display and mummys; the whole thing! I don't think we ended up with too much candy this year. Enough for sure but nothing too crazy.

I was a Pan Am stewardess this year. I am hooked on that show. Such a glamorous looking life. Boy, my feet hurt in those heels! I am not used to that anymore. I switched into flats during trick or treating, just like the stewardesses do in flight!

On Friday night, my husband and I went to see Darius Rucker. It was a great concert. Even my husband had fun. He did some Hootie so that sold my husband. A super fun couple sat behind us so that made it even more fun. If you get a chance to see him you won't be sorry.

With a fun weekend behind us things will be all about the holidays before you know it. First I have to put away all our Halloween decorations. I believe we have acquired a bit more this year. What was I thinking??

31 Days of Hospitality: Day 31

2011-10-31T08:00:00.000-07:00

When I started this journey of 31 Days of Hospitality I really had no clue what I was getting into. Sure, I was going to blog about this one topic for a whole month. No problem. Well, it really was no problem but it was challenging and I had never blogged everyday for a whole month before. There were days when I thought I was at the end and could do no more on this subject. Then something would come to my mind out of the blue that I hadn't thought of before. i really had to think outside the box some days. Around day 18 or so my sister emailed me some ideas just in case I didn't have a topic for each day. Well, as a matter of fact, I didn't. And that was the boost I needed to finish. I actually still have a few more days I could blog on this subject. But I won't. :)

I hope everyone has enjoyed the topic and maybe come away with some new ideas. I appreciated all the comments that I have gotten. I look forward to doing this again but I am glad it's 11 months away!

Thanks to the Nester for putting this challenge out there.

31 Days of Hospitality: Day 30-Getting Ready for the Holidays...

2011-10-30T21:11:00.000-07:00

Halloween is tomorrow. Then we will head into Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah & Kwanzaa. The prime entertaining season. I am sure we all take on too much during this time of year. Baking, cooking, shopping, wrapping, cards, shipping, volunteering, shopping, traveling, more shopping. And entertaining. ON TOP OF WHAT WE DO EVERYDAY to keep things humming along: cleaning, cooking, laundry, working, volunteering. You get the idea. We are stretched t h i n during the holiday season. I don't know about you but the entertaining part is my favorite. What's a girl to do?

We all know the answer is to say 'no' more often, right? Easier said than done for sure. But every year, right about this time, I vow to have things run smoother and calmer than last year. As I was hauling my supply of Christmas wrapping paper through Target yesterday I was getting some looks. I know what they were thinking, 'Lady, here we are dragging our kids through the store looking for a Halloween costume and you are buying Christmas wrapping paper. What's up with that?' What's up is that I want things to run smoother and calmer than last year so in order for that to happen I start early. It's the only way I can do this Christmas thing without losing it. And sometimes I still lose it a bit.

I want to be able to have people over, even last minute, during the hustle and bustle of this season. Enjoy a cup of coffee with a friend before a big bake fest. Have friends over for dinner without worrying about all the stuff I have to do. How on earth will this serenity happen?

First off, I make a list of everything I have to do from November 1st to January 1st. Use whatever format works for you: paper, electronic, both! A great website to help you get started is called Orgainzed Christmas. If you've never been there you need to check it out. They have all kinds of printables to help get you started on your list making. Once you have your to do list in front of you, pull out your calendar and give everything a date to be done by. Break things down as managably as you can. Delegate if you can. YOU don't have to do everything. Your family can help or you can hire things out if you want. Just make sure you do it now - lots of housecleaners, bakeries, caterers, etc get booked up quickly this time of year. Make sure you also check your kids' school calendars - there are lots of festivals, programs and parties this time year at school and you don't want to miss anything.

Here comes the hard part - once you have everything you need to do written down on your calendar, cross out two of those things. That's right, you will be saying no to two things on your list. When you say 'no' to something you are saying 'yes' to something else. Trust me, you will be happy you did this. You decide what the two things are. Once you have crossed two things off your to do list it's time to get moving. I check my list @ night so I know where things stand for the next day. I try (hard to do here) to get up a bit early each day to start off with some quiet time. It really makes a difference for me - 15-20 minutes usually does it.

If you look back at the rest of the hospitality series you will find ideas to help you get ready for your guests while still working on your list. Being organized through this holiday season will help you enjoy yourself & your family more than ever.

I would love to hear your tips on staying sane throughout the holiday season.

31 Days of Hospitality: Day 29-The Party's in the Kitchen...

2011-10-30T08:24:00.000-07:00

It seems like just about every party ends up in the kitchen. Big or small, it doesn't seem to matter. Should it? Does it matter to you? Sometimes it's hard to steer the guests to another room. Sometimes it's downright impossible. If you want to get the group to mingle with your other rooms, try these ideas:

Move the drinks out of the kitchen. Try to set up a 'drink station' in another room. We have a wet bar in our living room area. This is a perfect place for us to set up drinks. You can also set up a drink station on a table in the living room or great room- just remove your usual decor from that table and set the drinks up there. You can even add a small card table to a corner and make that your drink area. Likewise, you can take it all outside.
Move the food out of the kitchen. Same idea as moving the drinks out. Be creative - look at your space and see how you can accommodate the food with the tables you already have. I actually love the idea of setting food out on the coffee table. Unless you have pets. Yes, I learned that one the hard way. But the dog loved the cheese dip! :)
When the weather is nice take the whole party outside. Have your guests enter the yard and not the house. Basically keep them out of the house! Sometimes this is the only way to keep the group out of the kitchen.
Make sure you have seating in the living room/great room/den/basement. If your only seating is in the kitchen then people will naturally flock there. I have been known to take the dining chairs and barstools into the living room to encourage people to mingle in there.

And sometimes no matter what you do people will migrate to the kitchen. I am not sure it's always a bad thing. Especially if you need help in there...

If you have missed any of my 31 Days post you can find them here.

31 Days of Hospitality: Day 28-Quiet Inspiration

2011-10-28T09:08:00.000-07:00

Image Coastal Living

Image Southern Living

Image Coastal Living

A little quiet inspiration for your Friday.

More of my 31 Days posts can be found here. Other bloggers are also taking part in this series. They can be found here.

31 Days of Hospitality: Day 27-Relaxing

2011-10-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

As I was looking at the other 31 Dayers posts last night I came upon one of Melissa's posts that I really enjoyed. We are all giving tips, advice, inspiration, etc on a certain topic for 31 days. A whole month. That's a long time. A long time to write on one topic and a long time to read the same topic. Melissa talks about how overwhelming her 31 Days of holiday inspiration might be. Lots of to-do's to consider during the month. She suggested that her readers take a break. Disconnect. Relax. Read a book. Savor this fall season. So, being the copy cat that I am, I am suggesting the same. In the blink of an eye we will all be running around trying to get a thousand things done for Thanksgiving and Christmas and Hanukkah and Kwanzaa and New Years. It's time to enjoy what's left of fall. Read. Drink tea. Play with your kids. Spend time with your husband. Take in a movie. Jump in the leaves. You get the idea.

Tomorrow my husband & I are going to see Darius Rucker in concert. I cannot wait!! My husband's birthday is Saturday and Halloween is Monday so there are lots of festivities coming this way. Tomorrow's 31 Days post will be some quiet inspiration for your upcoming holiday entertaining. Saturday will find me ~~yapping~~ talking about some hospitality ideas to take you into the busy holiday season.

I'd love to hear how you unwind or relax! If it's by reading my 31 Days posts you can find the rest of them here! :)

31 Days of Hospitality: Day 26- When you're too tired to cook...

2011-10-26T21:08:00.000-07:00

Image Coastal Living

Sometimes the last thing you feel like doing is entertaining. Sometimes it doesn't matter, you have to put on your happy face and serve up some dinner! Spur of the moment guests drop by. Your husband calls to say he's bringing a client home (does this only happen on TV?) You had a busy, crazy day but it's your night to host Bunco. It happens to all of us at some time. Being prepared for anything can help keep the chaos at bay. Let's look at these 3 scenarios:

A spur of the moment guest drops by: Since we are a family of 3 we always have leftovers. Which means there is always enough for an extra person or 2. If that's not the case at your house and you've started dinner when your guest arrives, you need to add to your menu. It's not always easy to thaw an extra piece of chicken or fish. But if you keep some frozen veggies on hand you can pull out a bag and add another veggie. Same with a box of rice. Make your salad a bit bigger. For your meat I would suggest slicing it and placing it on a platter instead of giving each person a chicken breast or fish fillet. It will go a longer way when sliced like this.

Your husband is bringing a client home: I would suggest doing a similar thing as above. Frequent travelers often appreciate any home cooked meal. I always keep a brownie mix on hand in case I need a quick dessert. I have found that most people love brownies and always seem impressed that I made them myself!

Girls Night at your house: Things I always keep on hand: cheese, crackers, popcorn, raw veggies (carrots, peppers, cukes), sour cream. Pop some corn, slice the cheese & veggies and whip up a quick sour cream based dip, make some iced tea and you are ready in a flash.

So, on the nights you can't just give the family cheerios and a glass of oj make sure your pantry's stocked with a few basics and people will think you're a genius. We all are, aren't we?

Find more of my 31 Days posts here. Check out the other bloggers taking part in this series here.

31 Days of Hospitality: Day 25-Invitations

2011-10-25T16:28:00.000-07:00

Invitations are my favorite part of throwing a party. There are so many options out there. I LOVE the idea above for a cookie swap (from Tiny Prints).

This Holiday Party invite (also from Tiny Prints) is really fun, too.

When doing your invites there is some important info you don't want to leave out:

Type of party & who it's for. For a Christmas or Holiday Party it's pretty cut and dry. For a birthday choose something like: Hailey's 3rd Birthday Party! Again, pretty simple. Just make sure your guests know what they are invited to.
Date & Time. I like to add the day (as above) as well as the calendar date. For a child's party I always include a begin and end time. If you don't people will linger - this may include little people whose parent has dropped them off - you need to know when they will return! For an adult party in the evening I usually don't put an end time. Most people (at least those in my age group) will start departing around 11:30 or so. If you're okay with that then I would leave it open. If not, state an end time.
Place. At the very least you need a street name and number. Our town is isolated so I don't put the town but if you live somewhere where one town goes into another and people will be coming from all around I would list the town name. For LM's parties I always write 'LM's house -123 Oak St' so people know it's at a home. If it's not at a home you should name the business to make it easier to find - (ie. Chuck E Cheese, 123 Oak Street, Hooterville)
Hosted by. This is kind of optional. If you have stated 'Hailey's 3rd Birthday Party' your guests will assume that Hailey's parents are hosting. If you have stated 'Holiday Party' you should list your name as the host.
RSVP. I always say 'RSVP by date to Debra at xxx-xxxx. Be prepared to have some guest not RSVP - sad, I know but it happens.

If you order your invites on line most companies will show you a proof before you complete your order. I love this! If you make your own invites or buy the fill in type I suggest writing our your info on a sheet of paper before writing on the invites.

If you have missed any of my 31 Days posts you can find them all here. Other bloggers are taking part in the 31 Days series too. Check them out!

31 Days of Hospitality: Day 24-Traditions

2011-10-24T21:09:00.000-07:00

Image Donna Hay

Traditions are important. They make people feel comfortable. With the holiday season around the corner many of us will be partaking in decades old family traditions. From what we serve at Thanksgiving to where we spend New Year's Day, traditions are often what makes the holiday the holiday.

When my husband and I got married I added his Thanksgiving food tradition - yams (from a can) with marshmallows - to my family's traditional Thanksgiving fare. The year I made homemade cranberry sauce (it was good), my dad asked where the cranberry sauce was, 'the kind with the lines'. Traditionally, we served Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce & I tried to change that. As good as that homemade sauce was, it wasn't our tradition.

On Christmas Eve we have the tradition of opening one gift. Only one. No more, no less. Since my husband's family does Secret Santa on Christmas Eve we have the one gift picked out for us: it's our Secret Santa gift.

While some traditions date way back, most young families will start their own traditions once they have kids. A few years back we started making these sticky buns for Christmas morning breakfast & New Year's Day breakfast (they're that good).

Some of our other holiday traditions include:

LM and her dad carving the Halloween pumpkin. Other than taking the pictures, I don't get involved.
Christmas cookies - we spend a Saturday making cut-out cookies and decorating.
One night in December we hop in the car, bundle up (who am I kidding? There's no bundling up around here!) and drive around to look at lights. Our paper has something called 'Christmas Tree Lane' and people send in their addresses indicating they will participate and the paper publishes them one Sunday so we know exactly where to head.
Make a gingerbread house. Again this has turned into something for LM and her dad to do.

What kind of holiday traditions do you share with your family?

If you have missed any of my 31 Days posts you can find them here. Check out hundreds of other bloggers participating in the 31 Days series.

31 Days of Hospitality: Day 23-No Children...

2011-10-23T21:11:00.000-07:00

Some events you will host and some you be invited to will be ones that are 'adult only'. Living in a time when (in my opinion) children are taken just about anywhere without regard to appropriateness, you are bound to offend someone when your event is deemed 'adults only'.

Our wedding was adults only. My husband & I both liked the idea and since we weren't having a flower girl or ring bearer it seemed appropriate. I thought we would get some grief from some of this (12) siblings but they loved the idea of a 'date night'; an excuse to get a sitter.

There was a little to do when my husband's cousin tried to bring his (toddler) children to the reception. They didn't bring them to the wedding ceremony but tried to sneak them into the reception. Because we wouldn't notice the only two little people at all... One of these children was the same one that almost knocked over the tall lit candle sconces my sister-in-law had at the end of the pews at her wedding a few months earlier. As I caught the candle holder, keeping it from falling on myself and other guests, I made the decision that an adult wedding was just what I wanted (especially if this little guy was going to be attending). My husband nicely told his cousin and his cousin's wife that the reception was adult only (it was printed on the invitations) and they would not be able to come in with the children. I guess they were okay with it since they came back later without the kids.

Since LM was born most of our parties have been kid friendly with the exception of my husband's 40th birthday party. Again most people were happy to have a date night and enjoy the company of other adults without having to worry about the kids. There was an issue with 1 friend not getting a baby sitter (there's always one, right?) but we held firm and everyone had a good time.

There have been times when we have been invited to adult only events and have had to get a sitter. There have been times when we couldn't get a sitter and either we didn't attend an event or one of us went and the other stayed with LM.

I will say that infants are the exception to the rule when I am hosting a 'no children' event. Especially nursing infants. They usually just sleep and I always have a quiet room available for the mom to nurse and the baby to sleep. I know I always appreciated that when LM was small.

How do you handle 'no children' situations as a hostess? Do you even host these type of events if you are a parent?

Find my other 31 Days posts here.

31 Days of Hospitality: Day 22- Books

2011-10-22T07:11:00.000-07:00

I feel that a lot of inspiration can be found in books. I wanted to share three of my favorites with you. The first one is an oldie but goodie. First published in 1982, Entertaining by Martha Stewart is one of my favorites and one of my first entertaining books. Twenty-nine years later it is still relevant. One of the first chapters called Entertaining with Style covers everything from making guests comfortable and creating an ambiance to setting the table and making food look beautiful. She has menus and ideas for a cocktail party, Thanksgiving for eight and much more. I find this a lovely shower gift for the bride who wants to entertain.

Frugal Luxuries by Tracey McBride is kind of like a manual for me. I have post it notes on quite a few pages. The idea of the book is that you can live and eat well without spending a fortune. And this includes entertaining and hospitality. One of my favorite sections is called A Harvest Calendar which lists by month when each fruit, vegetable & seafood is in season. Truth be told, if the store is selling asparagus for $4.99 a pound, you know it's not in season. But I love being able to reference this list for more questionable fruits & veggies. This book was written in 1997 when frugality wasn't quite as 'trendy' as it is now. I am glad I have kept this one on the cookbook shelf for all these years.

Who doesn't love Susan Branch? I have most of her books, in which she mixes recipes with decorating and entertaining ideas as well her beautiful drawings. My go to book of hers right now is her Autumn book. It just gets you in the mood for Autumn (even when it's still in the 90's - will it ever cool off here?) If you haven't experienced one of her books, this is the perfect place to start.

Do you have a favorite entertaining, hospitality or cook book? I'd love for you to share. Leave a comment or go to my facebook page and leave a comment there.

See the rest of my 31 Days posts here, Find the other bloggers taking part in this series here.

31 Days of Hospitality: Day 21-Signature Drinks

2011-10-21T18:02:00.000-07:00

If you entertain alot (and even if you don't) it's fun to have a 'signature drink'. I never had one until I was in a Bunco group and the hostess was to provide the drinks. Most of my friends had fun things like margaritas & martinis when they hosted our group. Since wine is really our signature drink I had to find something for Bunco that was a little more signature-y. Once again, allrecipes.com came to the rescue. That's where I found the Red Rooster.

Red Rooster

Makes 1 serving

1 cup ice cubes
2 fl oz vodka
4 fl oz cranberry juice
1/2 fl oz orange juice

Fill a tall glass with ice, pour in vodka & cranberry juice. Top with orange juice. Stir.

I have also quadrupled this and put it in a pitcher. To share, not just for me!

Emeril Lagasse also makes a slushy version of the Red Rooster. I haven't made it but it looks yummy too.

Do you have a signature drink?

You can find my 31 Days posts here.

31 Days of Hospitality: Day 20-Thank You Notes...

2011-10-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

Image Crane

Thank You Notes. When you are on the receiving end of hospitality, whether as a guest for the weekend or just for dinner, a thank you note is a must. I am a stickler on this one. A hostess gift does not take the place of a note. A phone call is nice but it is not a thank you note. An email is also not a thank you note. Either is a (gasp) text. In my opinion, a gesture of hospitality requires a thank you note. Hand written. On stationery. Nothing else will do.

What you write your note on is personal. Monogrammed or personalized stationery is always appropriate. A thank you card from Hallmark is fine as long as you add a personal note of thanks along with the pre-written message. The idea of the thank you note is to extend gratitude to your host/hostess for taking the time to invite you into his or her home. It should be heartfelt and sincere.

Image Crane

As a parent, one of the most important things we can do is teach our children to be gracious. Teaching them from a very young age to write thank you notes will serve them well throughout their lives. If our family goes to dinner at a friend's home I will write a note for the whole family. But we have a rule in our house that a gift is not played with & a check is not cashed until a thank you note is written. I got some flack from the beginning from LM about this but as the years go by she gives me less and less. And my hope is that when she spends the weekend at her college roommate's parent's home down the road the first thing she'll think to do is write a thank you note.

Image American Stationery

As I said, stationery is personal. For myself I like the basics. A cream foldover with my monogram. I have other, cuter, more exciting notes too - for variety. For a family/couple thank you we have a cream foldover that says 'Mr & Mrs xxxxxx'. And LM has her own personalized notes. Of course, she likes more exciting stuff than I do. But we try to compromise when it's time to shop!

On the Nate Berkus show I once saw him say that he will often frame a very special note so he likes to use flat cards. I love that idea. I plan on ordering flat notes the next time I need some.

There are TONS of places to order notes. Crane has been around forever. I like American Stationery as they have great service and reasonable prices. And lets face it, even reasonable monogrammed stationery may cost more than we can spend at times, so the $1 bins at Michael's always has a fun selection.

Find my other 31 Days of Hospitality posts here. There are hundreds of other bloggers taking part in this series. They can be found here.

31 Days of Hospitality: Day 19-Breakfast for your guests...

2011-10-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

A few years, right before Christmas, I was watching Good Morning America when Ina Garten made her Sticky Buns. I got the recipe from the GMA website and those sticky buns have been my 'go to' recipe for holiday breakfasts as well as when we have guests. I usually make them 5-6 times a year-they're a special recipe here @ September Acres. We could eat them every week but then they wouldn't be special. You can find the recipe here. You won't regret making them!

Do you have a special recipe you make for your overnight guests?

If you've missed any of my 31 Days of Hospitality posts you can find them here. The rest of the 31 Dayers can be found here.

31 Days of Hospitality: Day 18-Who Invited You?

2011-10-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

I'm sure we've all encountered it: the uninvited guest. The only way the gracious hostess can handle this (in my opinion) is to smile and nod and welcome the uninvited guest into your home. After all, in most cases the uninvited guest was brought to your soiree by one of your friends. They most likely have no clue you have no clue they are coming, right?

For this reason, I always make sure I have prepared a little extra food and provided a little extra drink. On top of that you can usually count on one of the guests you planned on having at your event being unable to come at the last minute. So, in theory, you should always have a little extra for those uninvited guests.

How do you handle the uninvited guest?

My other 31 Days posts can be found here. The other 31 Dayers can be found here.

31 Days of Hospitality: Day 17 - Accidents Happen...

2011-10-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while accidents happen while we are entertaining. A broken wine glass or dish or a spill. I would be lying if I said these accidents are avoidable. They aren't. If you entertain you will, at some time, encounter some breakage or something involving the carpet cleaner.

My first bit of advice for any hostess is to put away anything you would be devastated to lose. Everything else is fair game. That's it.

Once you have put all your valuables in a safe place think about how you would handle a breakage. Remember, you are a gracious hostess and should act as such. None of our friends will intentionally break or damage our 'stuff'. Smile, say 'it's okay, it was an accident', clean up any glass quickly and worry about the rest later. We never want our guests to feel bad or as if we are mad at them for any type of accident.

Have you had any damages to deal with as a hostess? How did you handle them?

My other 31 days posts can be found here. I'm joining these other bloggers in this challenge.

31 Days of Hospitality: Day 16-Hostess Gifts...

2011-10-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we are on the other side of hospitality. We are the guests, the visitors, the recipients of a gracious deed. When I am invited to someone's home for a weekend or just for dinner I like to bring a hostess gift.

While I try to tailor the gift to the hostess (or host) there are some universally accepted (and welcomed) gifts. In no particular order:

Wine - my number one, all time favorite gift to take to a hostess (and receive as well!). Unless she is not a wine drinker.
Liquor - we are not liquor drinkers so we seldom give this but if I know that my hostess loves something special and is not a wine drinker I will venture over to the liquor area.
Home baked goodies - I love to share some good cookies or a cake. This pumpkin cake would be especially nice during the fall season.
Candles - Most people I know like candles and a seasonal scent is usually a welcome treat.
Flowers or a plant- unless allergies are an issue I love this idea.

These are usually 'safe' gifts that most hostesses will enjoy and appreciate. Do you have a 'go to' hostess gift you like to give? What's your favorite hostess gift to receive?

There are 15 days of hospitality before this one. If you've missed any you can find them here. There are many more bloggers taking part in this series. Find them here.

31 Days of Hospitality: Day 15-The Symbol of Hospitality...

2011-10-15T14:09:00.000-07:00

I guess we all know that the pineapple is the symbol of hospitality. But have you ever wondered how that came to be? This is what I've found out:

In 1493 Columbus brought a pineapple back to Renaissance Europe from the Caribbean Island of Guadalupe. At this time Europe was largely devoid of sweet foods, including fresh fruit. The pineapple became popular over the years. In the 1600's, King Charles posed for an official portrait receiving a pineapple as a gift.

In Colonial America hostesses would set out a pineapple on their dining tables when they had visitors. The pineapple would become dessert at the end of an evening. Often colonial grocers would rent pineapples to hostesses desperate to make an impression on their guests and appear to be of a higher financial status than they were. After the pineapple was returned to the grocer it would be sold to a more affluent customer who could afford to buy and eat the pineapple. Regardless of social and economic status, visitors to homes that displayed a pineapple felt honored that the hostess spared no expense on their behalf.

These days the pineapple is still considered the symbol of hospitality. We see this in carved decor, furniture and stationery as well as on the tables of our hostesses.

If you have missed any of my posts during the 31 days series you can find them here. Check out the other 31 Days posts at the Nesting Place.

31 Days of Hospitality: Day 14-Pumpkin Cake

2011-10-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

So much of hospitality revolves around food, doesn't it? So I thought I should share this pumpkin cake recipe that I recently made. It is delish and without frosting it can also be called pumpkin bread!
I found the recipe at allrecipes.com. I am a huge fan of this website. I have made quite a few things from recipes I have found there and have yet to be disappointed.
(just a note on this cake:I reduced the sugar from 2 1/2 cups (yikes, that's a lot of sugar!)of white sugar to about 3/4 cup of white & 3/4 cup of brown. Tastes great- and not too sweet.)

This cake/bread is perfect to serve during coffee with friends, take to a potluck or new neighbor or even decorate like the above photo (from allrecipes.com) to take to a Halloween party. It's really tasty!

If you've missed any of my 31 Days posts you can find them here. The other really cool 31 Days participants are found here.

31 Days of Hospitality: Day 13- Southern Hospitality...

2011-10-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

Southern Hospitality. Just the sound of it is nice. It conjures up visions of men holding doors for ladies, people smiling and saying 'hi' on the sidewalk, men giving up their seat on the bus for ladies and welcoming new neighbors to the neighborhood. Just all around being polite and friendly.

After living in the south for much of my life, I guess I just took that all for granted. Moving to the Southwest was a real culture shock - and not just the summer heat! I'm not sure if it's because most Arizonans moved here from somewhere else - being the 48th state admitted to the union means most of us aren't 'natives'. Since it's kind of a 'melting pot' there's no southern hospitality, Yankee ingenuity, Midwest values; just lots of everything from everywhere.

No one's grandma has lived her for all of her 90 years (at least not in our town). An 'old' house was built in the '60's, not 1910. There's not that same history that you have in Savannah or Charleston. I have never heard a child say 'yes mam' to his or her mother. My own daughter looks at me like I'm off my rocker when I tell her to say yes mam or yes sir (a real work in progress). It's just different. And not always in a good way.

Southern Hospitality is a good thing. It's nice for people to be friendly, bring us a muffin basket when we move into the neighborhood, hold the door as we're leaving the bank. Unfortunately, it happens all too seldom. Even southerners may have noticed a change over the years. But I hope not. I still like to think that ideal is still alive and well in Dixie.

If you have missed any of my 31 Days posts you can find them here. The rest of the 31 Dayers are listed here.

31 Days of Hospitality: Day 12-Favorite Things...

2011-10-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

On Day 6 of the 31 Days of Hospitality I talked about overnight guests. I mentioned the things that help make your guests feel at home. I thought that today I would mention some of my favorites. I am not getting a thing for mentioning these products, they're just faves of mine and when I find something I love I like to share.

Towels: Royal Velvet are my faves. I prefer white towels but I know everyone has an opinion on colors. For wash cloths I do like something darker since they usually get dirtier; taking off makeup and such things. I remember reading years ago that Martha Stewart gets dark wash cloths and has them embroidered with the word 'makeup' so guests know to use those clothes for makeup and they're easier to keep looking clean than white.

Sheets: I love the Pottery Barn Essentials line. The prices are reasonable for good quality. 300 thread count sheets that are comfy. Again I prefer white but they are available in a few other colors.

Soap: I love Caldrea's Basil Blue Sage. Having hand soap and lotion is a nice touch for guests. For bath soap I usually put out a bar I have from a hotel visit (a new, unopened one!). They are small and I can toss them when the guests leave. If you don't have any hotel soaps you should be able to find small bars at Target or the grocery in the travel/sample section.

Candles: I always love a candle in the guest bath and also in the guest room if you have the space. My all time favorite candle scent is Yankee's Buttercream. It's good for all year long but during the holidays a cinnamon, pumpkin or apple is very festive.

What are some of your favorite goodies to leave out for your guests?

If you've missed any of my 31 Days series you can find everything here. See the other 31 Dayers posts here.

31 Days of Hospitality: Day 11 - Quotes

2011-10-11T08:31:00.000-07:00

I love quotes. Quotes about anything. A few quotes about hospitality caught my eye.

For 't is always fair weather

When good fellows get together

With a stein on the table and a good song ringing clear.

Richard Hovey

Let me live in my house by the side of the road, And be a friend to man.

Sam Walter Foss

When friends are at your hearth side met,

Sweet courtesy has done its most

If you have made each guest forget

That he himself is not the host.
Thomas Bailey Aldrich Quotes

Image Better Homes and Gardens

If you have missed any of my 31 Days series you can find the posts here. Meet the other 31 Dayers here.

31 Days of Hospitality: Day 10 - Come on in...

2011-10-10T08:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I talked about the outdoor entry way. It's definitely the first impression that someone gets of your home. An extension of your outdoor entry would be your indoor entry, or foyer.

foyer: an entrance hall or vestibule in a private house

I'm going out on a limb and saying that most of us don't have foyers like this:

But more like this one below. You will notice one thing they have in common is that they are neat and inviting. Very welcoming to guests. The perfect place to receive those guests.

Part of hospitality is feeling welcome in someones home. A clean, tidy foyer is much more welcoming then one that is cluttered with shoes, backpacks, shoes, toys, shoes, etc. Something we struggle with here is shoes (if you didn't notice!). People kick off their shoes at the front door and there they stay. Usually until Debra moves them. If you are visiting someones home the last thing you want to greet you is a pair of shoes for every family member.

Make your foyer inviting by:

Clearing the area of 'stuff'. Put the shoes away. We have cubbies with baskets by the door for shoes. It helps a bit but I am usually putting shoes away sometime during the day.
A small rug at the door helps keep from tracking dirt in to the house.
A small table (keep the size of your foyer in mind when picking it out) gives you a place to put keys and other small things when you come in.
Hooks for hanging jackets and handbags when you come in.
Setting out a bouquet of flowers or a scented candle. Nothing says "I'm glad you're here" like flowers.

Take a look at your foyer and try to see it through the eyes of your guests. Does it invite your guests in and make them feel welcome?

If you've missed any of my 31 days posts you can find them here. Check out the other 31 Dayers here.

31 Days of Hospitality: Day 9 - A welcoming entry...

2011-10-09T08:16:00.000-07:00

As guests approach your entry way are they welcomed with an inviting sight or one that's a little 'blah' or messy? I'm sure we've all been guilty of a messy entry way every now and then. I know I have! Fall is always a fun time to spruce up your entry way. Mums are in abundance. So are pumpkins. Trick or Treaters will be coming around soon. So will Thanksgiving guests.

After sweeping up around the entry way I brought out some of my Halloween goodies. The chalkboard rocks fill an empty pot for now. I hope to get some more mums- there were only 2 of the rust colored mums when I was shopping the other day so I think the rocks will work until I get more.

The most important thing to make your entryway welcoming is to make sure it's clean. Sweep often. Anything else just makes it special:

A wreath on your door.
Potted plants.
A 'welcome' sign.

Keep the size of your entry way in mind. Don't go crazy buying things that are too big (or too small) for your area. Your entry way is the first impression your guests get as they walk up to your home. Make it a great one...

If you've missed any of my other 31 Days of Hospitality you can find the whole list here. Check out the other 31 Dayers here.

31 Days of Hospitality: Day 8 - Compassionate Hospitality

2011-10-08T09:28:00.000-07:00

As I was doing research about hospitality and the bible, I came across an interesting phrase: compassionate hospitality. A combination of the definitions of the two words, compassionate hospitality goes a bit beyond opening our homes to friends. It is more focused on helping others than on entertaining others . It is extending hospitality in a variety of ways. A few examples from the bible include:

The Jews came to comfort Martha and Mary after Lazarus' death (John 11:19)

Shobi, Machir and Barzillai brought couches, coverlets, basins and earthenware as well as food to David and his people while they were in exile (2 Sam 17:27-29)

Pharoah's daughter adopted baby Moses (Exod 2:6-10)

Job's friends journeyed to give him sympathy and comfort after his misfortune (Job 2:11-13)

How can you practice compassionate hospitality?

Taking meals to a friend or acquaintance who is ill, recovering from surgery, just had a baby, etc.
Providing clothing and household goods to someone who has had a home destroyed due to fire, natural disaster, etc.
Spending time with a friend after the death of a loved one.
Donating supplies to a the humane society.
Working in your church or community soup kitchen.
Watching a friend's children without expecting anything in return.

Most of us have done some or all of these things at one time or another. And most of us have also been on the receiving end of compassionate hospitality.

You can find out more about compassionate hospitality at The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.

How has compassionate hospitality touched your life?

If you have missed the beginning of my 31 Days of Hospitality please see this post for info on the other days.

31 Days of Hospitality: Day 7 - No guest room? No Problem

2011-10-07T07:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I talked about overnight guests. Holly had a question about how to make an office with an air mattress and inviting guest retreat.

We all can't have that dedicated guest room. What a luxury. When we bought our house it was just my husband and me - and 4 bedrooms. Plenty of room for a guest room and it was nice. Then the guest room became a nursery and we had that, a master, a game room and and office. At that point we moved the bed into the office. Looking back I am not sure how we accomplished that. But I know we didn't have as much stuff then so we had the room. Now the bed is in the shed and in it's place is 2 bookcases and scrapbooking cubbies. What about our guests, you ask? The guests now reside in the playroom (used to be a game room) on an air mattress. How do we make that comfy?

The principles are the same as when you have a dedicated guest room. Clean sheets, clean towels, blankets, toiletry basket. When using an office as your guest room the first thing I do is put away all the stuff. No one wants to see your bills, checkbook, etc. so put it away. Make sure there is plenty of flat space for your guests to use for their personal things. It's all about keeping the room clutter free, or at least making it that way for your guests.

Next, invest in an air mattress. They are fairly inexpensive so look around for a queen size one that fits into your space. If not, a double will work. Most of them are high enough now that you don't need the 'legs' but if you want one you can get a portable bed frame to raise up the bed. Make the bed just like you would a regular one. Try to have the bed close enough to a lamp so your guests don't have to get out of bed to turn off the light. Sometimes office lighting is harsh so a nice small lamp is a good investment, even if you just take it out for the times your office becomes the guest room.

Finish off the room with a small bouquet of flowers. This will soften the room a bit and take away a bit of the office-y feeling.

If you use your office as your guest room do you have any secrets to share?

If you've missed any of my 31 Days posts you can find them here:

Day 1:Inviting Others to Share Holiday Celebrations

Day 2: The Lost Art Of Hospitality

Day 3: Hospitality Basket

Day 4: Something to Share

Day 5: Hospitality vs. Entertain

Day 6: Overnight Guests

31 Days of Hospitality: Day 6 - Overnight guests

2011-10-06T08:50:00.000-07:00

Most of us have overnight guests once in a while. And most of us have been an overnight guest our share of times. When entertaining overnight guests I like to make them feel at home. To accomplish this I try to think of things that make me feel at home. I don't get all crazy and think I need to have them feel as though they're at the Palazzo or something with robes and a mini bar but I want them to feel comfy.

Image Coastal Living

Here's what I do:

Clean sheets. I know we all think that's an obvious one. Let me tell you a little story. My family and I traveled to an unnamed destination to stay with unnamed people several years ago. Our hosts apparently purchased new sheets for the bed we were sleeping on - a nice gesture - but failed to wash them before putting them on the bed. So for more than a few days we slept on these unwashed, chemically smelling sheets. I didn't have the heart to say anything and never had an opportunity to sneak the sheets into the wash. I will never forget that. My dad always says 'clean clothes are dirty clothes'. That goes for sheets (& towels) as well.
Clean towels. I generally offer one bath, one hand and one wash cloth. Just like at a hotel! But I know people have different towel requirements so I will let the guests know where the other towels are if they'd like to help themselves to them. If someone stays for a few days I'll usually wash towels after the 3rd day unless there's a reason to do it sooner.
Extra Blankets. Only in the winter since we're in Arizona. In a colder climate I would offer one all year round. I will place this at the end of the bed.
Toiletries. I will put a small basket out with shampoo conditioner, soap, bath gel, lotion. We have oodles of these small size from travelling (yes, I am one of those who takes those things home. I know some people call this stealing. I don't.) I also have small toothpaste tubes available. I picked up a few of these after an unnamed guest took home one of our large tubes when they forgot their own toothpaste at home. And while I don't put them out, I have a nice supply of toothbrushes.

Before our guests arrive I ask them about any dietary requirements, allergies, etc. I also ask about drinks since we have very little to drink here besides milk,coffee, tea, wine and water. We don't buy soda or juice as a general rule but if a guest wants it I am more than happy to oblige. Upon their arrival I show them around the kitchen and ask them to help themselves to anything.

I think what I do is pretty basic. Do you do anything different or more extravagant? I'd love to hear...

31 Days of Hospitality: Day 5 - Hospitality vs. Entertain

2011-10-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

Entertain means to invite people to your home for a party, visit or meal. Pretty much the same as the definition of hospitality, right? Maybe that's what makes the thought of hospitality so daunting. Entertain sounds so elaborate, big, expensive.

Entertaining in your home is such a nice way to show people you care. When we moved to Arizona and started making friends I noticed that people just don't entertain at home here. You meet people at restaurants, even for parties. We came from a small, rural town in the south where opening up your home was the norm and I guess I just figured it was like that everywhere. I was a Pampered Chef consultant back in those days and continued to do that when we moved to AZ. It was here where I first encountered the hospitality roadblocks: my house is too small, too old, etc. At first I thought it was a nice way for someone to say that they didn't want to do a show. But it happened so often that I realized that might not be the case & they really believed that. When I stopped selling PC after LM was born and we joined the MOMS club and started getting involved in playgroups I realized that only a few people wanted to do playgroups at their home. The others had the sames reasons: house to small, too old, no pool (that's a big one here in the summer). Since it's a little hot to take small people to the park in the summer, playgroups ended up being at the same people's homes all the time. And while I love to entertain and my home is always open, that gets old after a while. As the years have gone by we've made new friends and luckily alot of them enjoy opening up their homes as well. I always find it more relaxing to enjoy dinner at home with friends and have time to chat afterwards and not feel like I am being rushed out of a restaurant.

Just because you are entertaining at your home doesn't mean you have to do all the work. Sometimes it's nice to provide the entire meal but so often potluck is the way to go. Maybe set up a theme to direct people to certain items: Mexican, Italian. Be creative and make it fun.

Remember that while entertain sounds so elaborate it's just the same as hospitality. So hopefully that will make it less intimidating to open up our homes a bit more often....

31 Days of Hospitality: Day 4- Something to Share

2011-10-04T13:00:00.000-07:00

Hospitality often involves serving our guests food and drink. It's not required but most of us usually do it once we have invited friends into our home. A possible reason for hospitality being a lost art is the pressure we may feel to provide meals for our guests. Sometimes it's just pressure we put on ourselves, right?

The hospitality basket helps us have pretty things quickly available when our guests arrive but it's always nice to have something on hand to serve on those plates. My grandmother always had a cake in the freezer. For as long as I can remember. She was always ready for guests. She baked her own cakes and would usually cut the cake in half or into several pieces and freeze it for later. As soon as she knew she was having guests she would take one of her cakes out of the freezer.

If you're a baker, make an extra cake the next time you're in the baking mood, cut it in quarters and freeze it. Or if your make a dessert or quick bread for family, serve what they need and freeze the rest. If you're not a baker check your supermarket's bakery for a coffee cake or brownies that you can freeze. Don't forget to check your store's clearance bakery items (our Walmart keeps this over by the milk, so does our Albertsons). If you see something freezable you can snatch it up for a deal. I bought a loaf of french bread at Walmart for 96 cents, cut it into 3 portions and froze it. I took it out for 3 different dinners and it was delish all three times. For 96 cents!

My 'go to' recipe is the Banana Bread from The Martha Stewart Cookbook. You can find the recipe here. When time is tight I make muffins instead of bread. They cook in about 24 minutes vs. 1 hour. If I make the bread for our weekend breakfast there's always some left over so I freeze it. I have found that most people like banana bread, kids and adults alike.

Do you have a go to recipe to serve your guests?

Check out these other posts in the 31 Days Series.

31 Days of Hospitality: Day 3 - Hospitality Basket

2011-10-03T19:10:00.000-07:00

I have a basket in one of my cabinets that I have always kept cute paper napkins in for when company arrives. I have quite the collection of fun napkins for all types of occasions. I thought about taking it a bit farther and filling it with not only napkins but other things I can use for impromptu visits from friends.

Depending on what type of impromptu visits you get - people stopping by for morning coffee or tea, spur of the moment play dates, after school visitors - will dictate how to fill your basket. Most of my visitors are the morning type, ones that come around while coffee's brewing. My basket contains small (cocktail size) paper napkins, small paper plates, a little candle, paper coasters, tea and sweet & low. I put the sweet & low in there because it's something we never use but guests do so I find it a good place to store it.

As a general rule I don't use paper plates but there are always a few left over from birthday parties so I tossed them in the basket. This way if my everyday china is in the dishwasher I still have something to serve a snack on.

Tea & coffee not your thing? How about these basket fillers:

After-school basket: napkins, plates, plastic kid-sized cups, straws, packets of kool-aid mix.
Playgroup: napkins, plates or bowls, straws, kid cups with lids, a couple of bibs for the really small visitors.

Because I have a love for these cute little cocktail napkins I am always looking out for them when I shop. I pick them up when I find a great deal somewhere. I have found some cute ones at Marshall's and TJ Maxx; and don't forget the grocery store. Stock up on holiday napkins when they go 50% (or more) off after the holiday and save for the next year. There's no need to pay full price.

Some of the other things can be found at Michael's for a song right now. We are all familiar with the Michael's dollar ($2,$3) area, right? Our Michael's pulled all of it outside and is selling it for 70% off! I picked up 100 bendy straws for 30 cents! A coaster set for 60 cents! They had cute kid plastic cups and bowls for 70% off. A great time for make one of these baskets.

Be creative: don't go out and buy a basket. Use one you have already, use a plastic container, cover a shoe box or smallish corrugated box or even use a drawer in your kitchen. The ideas are endless!

Most of the time you will probably know when guests are coming but wouldn't it be fun to invite a mom from school over for coffee instead of chatting in the parking lot for an hour (I say this from experience!)? With a hospitality basket you can invite her over without freaking out about finding things quickly so you can enjoy her company. Just reach for your hospitality basket and you'll have most of what you need.

Be sure to keep some drinks on hand for your visitors. Coffee, tea, drink mix and of course, good old water!

Tomorrow I will share with you some snack ideas you can keep on hand for your unexpected visitors.

Please check out the other 31 dayers. So many fun things to read!

31 Days of Hospitality: Day 2 -The Lost Art of Hospitality...

2011-10-02T10:00:00.000-07:00

Is hospitality a lost art? As I was perusing the Internet for information on hospitality I kept coming across the same sentiment: Hospitality is a lost art.

I see it everyday and I am sure most of you do also. There are many reasons for the decline in hospitality, the most common being the busy lives we all lead. Other reasons include things like "I don't cook", "My house is too small", "My kids are at home", "I am not comfortable having people over" & "My house is dirty". All fabulous reasons, right? Not really, in my opinion.

Our busy lives do get in the way of many things including spending time in our homes with our friends and family. It sure takes effort and thought to stay at home for a day- sometimes it's not even possible - there are carpools and sports and girl scouts and groceries to take care of. I am home alot but even I have to make an effort to spend one day at home without going anywhere. And it's the rare day during the school year.

So how do we welcome friends into our home if we're not there? Well, I don't think you can. You need to be home to have friends come for coffee or have your playgroup over or invite your parents for dinner. If entertaining your friends and family in your home is important to you (it is to me) you need to make time. It doesn't have to be elaborate or back breaking. Invite a friend over for coffee one morning after your kids leave for school - it doesn't need to be an all day event- just a cup (or 2) of coffee. At home watching your college alma mater play football on a Saturday afternoon? Invite your brother & his family over to watch the game with you -provide some popcorn and sodas and you're set. I bet they'll even offer to bring something - take them up on it!

Once you make the time to be home keep the following in mind:

You don't need a big house. Notice how everyone seems to congregate in the kitchen when there's a party? Notice that it doesn't matter how big the kitchen is? It doesn't matter how big your house is.
You don't need to hire a cleaning crew to have friends over. Sure, you need to pick up and make sure your guest bath is clean but there are doors on bedrooms for a reason! And try to have a simple routine for each evening that will ensure your home is ready for any spur of the moment invitations. The Fly Lady can help with this.
You don't need to provide a huge meal. Let's face it - this can get expensive. Have friends for a potluck dinner. Have a dessert get together one Saturday night after dinner. Invite your gym buddies over for coffee.
You don't need alcohol. This can get even more expensive. Hold your get togethers during the day. If you're having a wine and cheese event have each guest bring their favorite bottle of wine.

The idea of hospitality in your home is sharing and friendship. No one cares if your sofa is old or your dining table is small or there are fingerprints on your windows. They care about you and spending time with you.

Tomorrow I will be talking about a 'hospitality basket' that will help you be ready for last minute guests.

31 Days of Hospitality: The Real Day 1-Inviting others to join your holiday celebration

2011-10-01T15:55:00.000-07:00

Since this is really day one of the 31 Days series I made my title 'the real day 1'. Okay, that's out of the way so let's get started.

My first post of this series listed a couple of the many definitions I found of the word hospitality: the generous and friendly treatment of visitors and guests. I like that one. Most of the definitions were pretty much saying the same thing but with different words. We all have our own idea of what hospitality is. Our ideas come from our own experiences; watching our parents and grandparents opening up (or not) their homes for friends and family at different times. I am sure we all have memories of holidays at certain relatives' homes, Sunday dinners, birthday parties, etc.

When I think back to my own memories of hospitality I am happy to say that I had friends and family that were very hospitable and I feel like I am the same way. When I was living away from family I always had friends who were happy to include me in their family holidays. Their hospitality sure was better than sitting at home watching a movie and eating a tv dinner alone!

It's always fun to have an 'outsider' at your holiday table. They bring different stories and experiences to the day. Maybe you won't have to listen to Grandpa Stan's war stories one more time! When I invite others to spend a holiday with us they usually ask what they can bring. The easy answer for me is always 'just bring yourself'. But I have found that when people offer to bring something they usually do so because they want to (and they have manners). For years now I have been asking them to bring something they would normally eat if they were at home for the holiday (the holiday can be Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, even the 4th of July-we all have traditions). I like to think that makes our guest seem more at home.

As the holiday season comes upon us it's nice to remember those who are far from home. Invite a friend or two who will not be able to travel home for the holiday to join your family. Ask them to bring a dish that is traditional to them. Your own holiday will be richer as will your friend's.

31 Days of Hospitality: Day 1

2011-09-30T22:17:00.000-07:00

Day 1: Inviting Others to Join your Holiday Celebration

Day 2: The Lost Art of Hospitality

Day 3: Hospitality Basket

Day 4: Something to Share

Day 5: Hospitality vs. Entertain

Day 6: Overnight Guests

Day 7: No Guest Room? No Problem

Day 8: Compassionate Hospitality

Day 9: A Welcoming Entry

Day 10: Come on in

Day 11: Quotes

Day 12: Favorites

Day 13: Southern Hospitality

Day 14: Pumpkin Cake

Day 15: Symbol of Hospitality

Day 16: Hostess Gifts

Day 17: Accidents Happen

Day 18: Who Invited You?

Day 19: Breakfast for your Guests

Day 20: Thank You Notes

Day 21: Signature Drinks

Day 26: When you're too tired to cook

Day 27: Relaxing

Day 28: Quiet Inspiration

Day 29: The Party's in the Kitchen

Day 30: Getting Ready for the Holidays

I am joining The Nester this year for the 31 Days series. A challenge to write a post a day for the month of October on the same topic. Definitely a challenge, right? I had a list of things I considered writing about but finally decided on 'hospitality'.

As the month goes on I'll write about different aspects of hospitality from making your entry way a welcoming area, to weekend guests, to party planning, to teaching your children the art of hospitality and more. I am by no means an expert at hospitality but I might be by the end of the month!

While researching hospitality I came across quite a few different definitions of the word. I'll leave you with a couple that I liked:

the friendly reception and treatment of guest or strangers.
generous and friendly treatment of visitors and guests.

I hope you'll check back each day for more on hospitality.
How do you define hospitality?

Fall-ish Mantel

2011-09-28T17:43:00.000-07:00

My post title is 'fall-ISH mantel' because I'm not quite ready to make the mantel too Halloween-y, which is what I like to do but I needed to 'de-summer' it. Maybe it will help cool things off around here. HA. I put my funny shaped paper pumpkins in my apothecary jars and I like them much better that way!

The orange pumpkin is just fine out on it's own.

The far end of the mantel - the black urn holds my blue glittery pumpkin. It also is tall enough to cover all the cords from the tv. I love things that do double duty!

Another angle. Here you can see my initial place I got for my birthday (it came from Hobby Lobby) and the cute orange pumpkin.

Here's the whole thing - tv and all! It's a bit sparse but I think I am okay with that because in a few weeks it will be totally busy and all Halloween-y.

I am linking up to Sherry's Open House Thursday - Always a fabulous collection of links. Plus she showcases one really lovely home each week. Tons of inspiration!!

I am also linking up to Layla's Fall Y'all Mantel party. I've got nothing on some of these fabulous mantels others have done. Go check them out!

Craft Day...

2011-09-26T20:04:00.000-07:00

LM had her sleepover on Saturday night. It went off without a hitch. Noisy but otherwise fine. The girls even decided they wanted to go swimming after dinner. That lasted about 15 minutes as the water was freezing! Two of the girls left at 10am and one stayed a while later. The girls were pretty tired as they stayed up late (I got several answers to what time they went to bed: from midnight to 1:30 to 'we stayed up all night'). I wanted to work on some paper pumpkins I had seen in Scrapbooks, etc. magazine so I thought the girls could craft as well. I pulled out the beads for them to make bracelets.

I picked out some orange paper and ribbon from my stash and started cutting 1" strips for the pumpkins.

I cut 16 1" X 8" strips out of 2 different orange papers. The instructions for these pumpkins are here. They are super easy and quick (my kind of project!) I also made some out of some scrapbook paper I have that looks like pages from a book. I like the orange better as the paper is thicker and holds it shape better. That's the one tip I would mention: make sure the paper is fairly thick or it will kind of 'slouch' a bit.

I love the way this pumpkin turned out. I used random buttons I had for the stem and used kitchen twine to hold them together, then hot glued it right to the top of the pumpkin. A little ribbon adds a soft touch.

I am sure I'll make more of these before Halloween. I have all kinds of ideas rolling around in my head...

Linking up to Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest, Hooking Up with House of Hepworths, Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays @ Coastal Charm & Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch.

Sleepover...

2011-09-23T22:01:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago LM decided she wanted to have a sleepover this weekend. Not just one friend, but 3. I didn't think much of it until she presented me the invitations she made on the computer. She was serious. My husband asked the other night, 'is she really doing this,?' As it turns out, yes. I am fine with it and he really is too. He even loaded the Barbie All Dolled Up Nail printer software into his new computer so the girls can decorate their nails!

LM wanted to know if we should have goody bags. I reminded her that this wasn't a birthday party, just a sleepover and goody bags definitely would not be necessary. She's quite the party planner, I tell you!

I told her we'll order pizza (no cooking for me!), get the movie 'Spooky Buddies' and even buy some soda - as long as what she picks out is caffeine free!! She found an idea online of a 'popcorn bar' - pop some corn and set out bowls with toppings - m&m's, Parmesan cheese, brown sugar, honey, pretzels, etc. I thought that sounded really fun.

I did draw the line at 'bobbing for donuts'! (hang donuts from the ceiling and try to see who can eat their donut the quickest without using their hands!) Who thinks this stuff up?

I'll let you know how this goes...

Painting Season...

2011-09-19T20:27:00.000-07:00

With the weather cooling down we are entering what I like to call 'painting season'. It happens to coincide with football season so I am usually on my own. But it's getting cool enough to open doors and windows for the day making it good weather to paint a whole room as opposed to a small piece of furniture or an accessory.

I am thinking about painting the guest bath next. We never painted the walls when we did the remodel. I am really liking gray right now and I think that bath is the perfect place for the perfect shade of gray. In the coming weeks I hope to carve out some time to look at some grays and see if I can find one for that room.

I liked the grayish color Melissa used in her hallway. You can see it here. She is actually having a giveaway for a $150 giftcard from Walmart so you can get your next painting project started. Now there's some motivation!

How do you like me now?

2011-09-07T08:09:00.000-07:00

I bought this candle holder years ago, right after we moved to Arizona. To be honest, I never really cared

for it. So I stuck it on our pot shelf, way up and out of the way. I bought it because it was that rustic, southwest-y look that was so popular 10 or 11 years ago. Even though it was not my style. When I was redoing my pot shelf a week or so ago I took down that candle holder with the intention of donating it to the Goodwill. But it's a great size; tall and kind of chunky. I figured I would keep it but I still didn't like it.

Enter my friend, Krylon Blue Ocean Breeze spray paint. I figured I'd give it a shot and see how I liked it after a couple of coats of this beauty.

I kind of like it. Alot. I should have done this years ago! I stuck the red and white candle on top because the colors work but I am not wild about it. I'll look around for something that I like better but for now it's so much better than before. I think it looks like a new candle holder.

It's amazing what a little bit of paint can do!

What things have you transformed with a bit of paint?

I am linking up to Open House Thursday @ No Minimalist Here, Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm, Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage & Show and Share Day @ Just a Girl.

A three day weekend...

2011-09-01T14:03:00.000-07:00

There's no guarantee when I'll have time to post a really fun, relevant, exciting post. Right now we're getting ready for Labor Day weekend. The unofficial end of summer, right?
So I am washing and cleaning and shopping so we'll be ready on Friday afternoon for swimming and playing and eating.

Hope you all have a safe, happy Labor Day weekend.

See you after all that fun is had...

When It's Too Hot to Cook...

2011-08-24T06:30:00.000-07:00

Or what we had for dinner last night. It seems like the whole country is in the grips of a heatwave. The last thing I feel like doing when the weather is like that is cooking. It's even too hot to grill out which is my go to method of cooking in the summer. My first thought is : 'let's go out'. Well, most of our budgets can only handle that so long and going out to eat just isn't a good thing every night. My husband is not big on salads for dinner since he eats them for lunch a lot so that idea was out for me. When I was doing my meal planning I knew it would be hot this week so when I saw 'Manwich' on sale I came up with the idea for sloppy joes one night. I bet we haven't had sloppy joes in 5 years, maybe longer. Since they just cook up on the stove top it really keeps the kitchen cool.

And when you cook your corn on the cob in the microwave it still stays cool. I just cook the corn in the husks for about 6-8 minutes for 3 pieces. Adjust time if needed. I take most of the silks off before cooking but they will cook fine if you don't take the silks off until after. No boiling water to steam up the house!

Round out the meal with some fresh fruit and you have a yummy meal. The house stays cool and so do you.

What are your favorite meals for the dog days of summer?

The Sewing Basket...

2011-08-22T21:54:00.000-07:00

LM's class was doing a little sewing project the first week of school and the teacher asked for donations of fabric, needles and thread. I knew my mom would have some things so I called her and asked her if I could go over and pick up some things (she was out of town). She told me where to find some fabric and that my Grandmother's old sewing box would have some thread and needles. I remembered this box from her house; you can tell she had it for many years. Very groovy,don't you think?

Inside I found these neat needle sets. I guess when a new store opened 'back in the day' they gave the ladies these sets. I thought it was so neat. I am sure most women sewed, or at least mended back then.

And I guess these were giveaways at Lucky some time ago. I am thinking back in the 70's, maybe. Both of these (below) have needles in them, too. So neat!

I didn't want to part with these needle sets but luckily there were many more to choose from that weren't so fun. It was fun to come across these little gems. I even found some thread with wooden spools instead of plastic ones. It's amazing what you can find in an old sewing box...

Busy Days....

2011-08-21T21:42:00.000-07:00

We never travel this light!

August has been a crazy month so far. LM started school on the 8th. On the 9th my mom got a call that my Grandma was in the hospital in No. Ca. On the 10th hubby went out of town for 10 days. On the 12th LM and I headed up to Ca after school to see my Grandma. Nine hour drive just the 2 of us. A first. We stopped half way to spend the night which ended up being a story all its own. We came home on the 14th and I swear we stopped at every rest area in Ca! Some are quite nice. On the 16th my mom called to say that my Grandma was moving to AZ and I needed to go pick out her room at the assisted living facility so she could move in on the 17th. She arrived and we spent the rest of the week getting her settled in her new room. I can't believe that all of this happened in only a week.

We were able to stay at my cousin's house while we were in No. Ca. so that was really nice. They have a fabulous yard with grass (which we don't have here) so after a day of driving and hospital visiting LM was happy to check out all the fruit trees and run around in the grass.

We have had a relaxing weekend. Hubby and I had a date night while LM stayed at a friend's on Saturday night. We went to see 'The Rise of the Planet of the Apes' AND 'The Help'. We had some movie gift certificates so we decided to use them up since we had the time. And it is still blazin' hot here so the movie theatre is a great place to be. Both movies were good. 'The Help' was REALLY good. I am still reading the book but when the hubby said he wanted to see the movie I jumped on it.

I have had no time to work on anything DIY or craft related although I have a list a mile long of things I want to do. I am almost finished with LM's room. Hopefully that won't be much longer.

I am hoping this week is a little less hectic. I am trying to get into my new schedule now that school has started. Let's hope it happens this week. Tuesday is my scrap booking day and I am working on getting everything together for my retreat in September. I want to get a lot done when we're there but it all depends on the planning and organization. And the time is tickin'. September will be here in the blink of an eye.

The meteorologist on the news said things will be heating up this week. Honestly, how much hotter can it get? Maybe I don't want to know...

Those really old paperbacks...

2011-08-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

can be turned into really neat accessories. I was at Restoration Hardware not too long ago and stumbled upon a really neat idea for old paperbacks. I could have purchased the books for $29 but decided, like I often do, that "I can do that for alot less." So I headed to a thrift store in town for some old books. Jackpot!

I tore the covers off (I actually had a hard time doing that, it seemed so wrong) and was left with just the insides. I used kitchen twine (the same stuff I tie turkey's legs together with) to tie the book together - three in a stack.

After I tied them together with the twine I 'dirtied' them up with some brown ink.

And that's what I ended up with. Remember they were $29 for a set of three at the store. The twine was heavier but I had the kitchen twine so I decided to go with that. And it was a really quick project.

So, instead of $29 I spent $3! Not too bad. And I like the look alot. Right now I put the books on my coffee table but I am sure they'll travel through the house over time.

Linking up to Wow Us Wednesday's @ Savvy Southern Style, Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm,Metaporhisis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch, Open House Thursday @ No Minimalist Here.

Thrift Shop Envy...

2011-08-10T14:19:00.000-07:00

I hear of so many people finding fabulous things at thrift stores. All over blogland you will see these finds made over brilliantly. I love the idea of taking something old and making it new and fresh. Last week LM & I had to run some errands and she asked if we could go to the Hospice Re-sale store in town to find an outfit for under $10 (an idea she saw in her American Girl book "Just Mom and Me"). We stopped by to see what we could find. I figured I might find some fun furniture or accessory to play with. Well....

The clothing selection was really sparse, especially for kids. The furniture/accessory selection wasn't much better and I felt like everything was really overpriced. I know the funds go to a good cause so that may be why there weren't too many bargains to be found. I did find some books for a project I am doing for $1 each. All books, even hardbacks, were $1. I think that might be a bit high for paperbacks but I'm not sure. But it was an amount I was comfortable with spending. I picked up 3 of these books for my project and 2 to read.

I was so excited to find Kristin Hannah's 'Angel Falls' for $1 as it's a fairly new release and was in pristine condition. I have read a few of her books and am a fan.

The three older, smaller books are for a project I will show you tomorrow. Here's a little preview.

I guess I need to hit some thrift stores or flea markets when we go out of town to see if I can find some really great items. In the meantime I'll keep my eyes open here. Just in case...

Back to School...

2011-08-09T21:07:00.000-07:00

Monday was the first day of school here. The summer just flew by. It always does.

LM started 4th grade. For some reason 4th grade seems so old. 9 doesn't sound as old as 4th grade does to me. She has had a good couple of days, likes the teacher and her classmates. Homework? Not so much. I think we hit the jackpot with her class. Good, hard-working, nice kids. The cream of the crop, really. It doesn't happen every year so I know she will enjoy it. Tomorrow night is 'Parent Information Night' at the school. I know I should go but I am considering not. This is our 5th year at the school so even with changes how much more information do I need? But I also feel like it is the right thing to support the school so we'll probably go.

Now that school has started I'll get back into a routine and have time for fun projects like painting and blogging. Promise. September Acres is now on Facebook, too so I'd love it if you 'liked' me (button at top of this page). I am not a huge Facebook user but thought it would be nice to have a presence there.

Stop back by real soon to see what I have up my sleeve...

T minus 2 weeks....

2011-07-24T16:35:00.000-07:00

until LM starts school. Fourth grade. Seems like yesterday she was starting pre-school. Guess we all say that, don't we? The summer has flown by just like it always does. So we'll be spending the next 2 weeks just enjoying the days, trying to stay cool & finishing up back to school shopping. I also need to try to fit in a visit to the eye doctor.So I will take a blogging break for the next few weeks to enjoy everything and try to be productive. But I am sure I will take some time to read my favorite blogs at some point.

See you in a few weeks!!

The pictures were taken last year at the Fourth Ward School in Virginia City, Nevada.

Summery Mantle

2011-07-20T07:41:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I switched up my mantle so I thought I needed to do it today. It's a quick way to make a big change. I do wish I could do something in place of the tv but that's the one thing that needs to stay. I wanted to add in some summery touches with shells and blues & whites. This is what I came up with: I placed white votives in some jars I had to make DIY candle holders. I put sugar in the bottom but I really think salt or sand would be preferable. But as with much of my decorating I like to use what I have. You may remember the silver vase from my DIY Mercury Glass post. Although it doesn't really look like mercury glass I still love it and use the heck out of it.

This shell print was printed from the Graphics Fairy. If you haven't been there you need to check it out. Karen has a wonderful array of graphics available for download. The tiny blue vase is a new purchase from our vacation. I couldn't resist it!

I love the apothecary jars I got for Christmas. They have hundreds of uses and I really enjoy changing them out every so often. The cute tag is some scrapbook card stock I trimmed up and added ribbon and buttons too. I am quite smitten with it! :)

Another close up of the faux mercury glass vase. You know, this vase is one I kept after I had flowers delivered one time. I loved the shape and knew I would reuse it. I am lucky enough to have it's bigger sister which I haven't painted yet. But you know I am tempted!

So, for very little money (I got the light blue vase for $20 with my vacation money) I once again transformed my mantle. I think we all have so much laying around our house that isn't always used (am I a the only one with a cabinet dedicated to candles, frames and other decor?) It's a project I really enjoy so I usually do it quite often. And you know we look at it constantly since the TV is right there!

Do you have an area in your home that gets lots of attention in the form of redecorating?

I am linking up to Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays @ Coastal Charm,Feathered Nest Friday @ The French Country Cottage, Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest, Transformations and Treasures at the Pink Postcard & Open House Party@ No Minimalist Here (and check out Sherri's beautiful beach house).

Support...

2011-07-19T19:54:00.000-07:00

I am sure a lot you have read Rhonda's blog, Blue Creek Home and enjoyed it. She lost her domain name over the weekend. She has posted a letter on her blog and I am re-posting it for her to spread the word to others that she has a new address. Here's her letter:

Some of you may have heard that I lost my blog over the weekend. Thankfully, I had started it at blogspot.com before I purchased the domain and changed it to .com. This allowed me to continue to access the blog at the blogspot address with all of the contents intact. The problem is that any links you guys have do not come to me now and most of my internal links are broken. The man who bought my domain (fair and square, I might add) has set up house at my old blog address (bluecreekhome.com) For the first few days when you visited, you were redirected to GoDadddy. Today, he suddenly has six or seven posts - a new header - some talk about interior design and decorating, and google adds. Please if you go over, don't click on anything. I don't want this guy to make a cent on my traffic to this address.

Find me at bluecreekhome.blogspot.com for now and please change your link address to the new blogspot address if you have my button, follow me, or have me saved to favorites/bookmark.

This has taken the wind out of my sails. I am trying to decide if it's time for a break so that I can focus 100% on little Mason and family. I will keep y'all updated.A few of my best blog friends have offered to post this on their blog for me and I appreciate you guys. Anyone else, please feel free to copy this and post it for me -I want to keep this man from getting my traffic!

And, a word of warning to those who may own their domains - don't let it expire!!! Domain squatters are waiting like vultures in the wings to buy it. One thing I WILL NOT DO is try to buy it back from him.I sincerely appreciate each one of you,

Rhonda

Quite amazing isn't it? There are bad people out there and what for? We work hard and put our hearts and souls into our blogs and bad people (I'd use other terminology but this is a family blog) take advantage. This is a good reminder to us that it's a big bad world out there, unfortunately. As the good guys (or gals) we need to support each other.

So head on over to Blue Creek Home and give Rhonda some love! :)

Small Dresser Makeover

2011-07-13T09:16:00.001-07:00

When we got our new bed we no longer had space for this chest in our bedroom so I moved it into LM's room. Almost a year later (I work fast, don't I?) I have made it over to match her room. You can see the before here. In the 'true confessions' department I will admit that I don't love it and it's a little sloppy. My original plan was to paint the stripe pink but I ran out of paint and didn't want to stop working and move everything back into the garage (hubby was out of town) so we could run to Ace and buy another can. So I went to plan B - the brown paint I already had. I redid the wooden knobs I had on another dresser using this idea from the Vintage Pinecone.

I LOVE the way the knobs turned out. The resin finish was the perfect finishing touch although I didn't enjoy using it very much. Even so it was worth the end result. They look almost like ceramic close up. Really neat.

For now this dresser looks so cute in LM's room and is perfect with her pink and brown theme.

My hope is that in time the sloppiness will look more Shabby Chic than just Shabby. I am (very) slowly finishing up this pink and brown room. Since I have gotten an inspiration for the room things seem to be coming along more quickly than they were so I hope to be able to show the whole room in the not too distant future. For now, it's the dresser...

I'm linking up to Show and Tell at Blue Cricket Design,Show and Share Day @ Just a Girl, Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest, Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed, Open House Party Thursday @ No Minimalist Here & Tuesday's Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia.

We're decluttering...

2011-07-12T10:44:00.000-07:00

Image from marthastewart.com

LM informed last night that she will be decluttering this week. Sounds good to me. I have been thinking about my closet since I read this post and saw pictures of Sarah's closet. I am amazed how streamlined her closet is. Like most of us, I have lots of clothes that don't fit me in my closet. Things I will wear as soon as I lose 10, 15, 20 pounds or (heaven forbid) I gain a few pounds. I cleaned out the closet in the spring, kind of. While I purged a bit and straightened things up I didn't really get rid of everything that doesn't fit. I think I might like the results better if I did. We have heard over and over again that most of us only wear a small percentage of our clothes. So do we really need everything we have anyway?

If you're looking for me I'll be in the closet....

Beach Day...

2011-07-11T22:19:00.001-07:00

We spent a day at Donner Lake (as in the Donner party) in California last week. The weather was perfect. Warm and sunny. At the west end beach there is a little area marked off for swimming and lifeguards for the area. There are a couple of playgrounds, picnic tables and volleyball. The perfect way to spend a day. We came prepared with some beach toys for LM. She spent hours building a moat and a little pool area for the ducks.

The water was a bit chilly but quite refreshing when it got too hot on the sand. I loved the fact that we were standing in the water, in our bathing suits looking up at a mountain that still had snow on it. Some of the ski resorts in the area were actually open on July 4th. I think I prefer the beach to the slopes this time of year.

They had paddle boards and kayaks and pedal boats for rent. LM insisted on renting a pedal boat. I gave in. She cried because she was afraid and she didn't want to go out too far. I was horrible at driving it. I found it really hard. It was a good time, I tell you! I had planned to take it around the lake but didn't think I'd be able to get the back before our rent time was over so we stayed close to the dock.

We spent most of the day there and it was heavenly. I did get a bit sunburned on my shoulders. LM was slathered down pretty good with sunscreen and I thought I was but I guess I missed a few spots. Every time this happens to me I wonder how old I have to be to finally get this sunscreen thing down perfectly!

Small Town Parade....

2011-07-06T07:53:00.000-07:00

We went to the July 4th parade in my sister's town on Monday. A small town parade that draws big crowds. Crazy big crowds from near and far. There were some great floats. The traditional horse drawn carriage. The not so traditional snowboarder on a trampoline. My favorite by far.

The local Michael's had a float. Unfortunately they were not throwing out any 40% off coupons!

The ski patrol had their own fun float. We decided that this guy definitely had the best seat in the house!

I have no earthly idea what this float was or who sponsored it but it was neat looking and the float riders were having a ball. See the house on the right hand side of the above photo, #1203? It's for sale! Wouldn't that be a great house to have on July 4th every year?

We got to the parade a bit early and staked out a spot for us so we could have a good view. I think we did a good job.

After the parade the city put on a big party with food and beer and bouncy houses and cotton candy. But it was super crowded and we here at September Acres aren't big on crowds so after a few minutes at the park we decided to head somewhere quieter for lunch. Even LM was on board with it...

How did you spend your July 4th?

Let's eat cake...

2011-07-05T08:13:00.000-07:00

My sister got this cake plate as a birthday gift. Cute, isn't it? A lady in town makes them from vintage dinner plates and glassware. She sells them at the farmer's market. Of course, when I saw this lovely I thought "I can do that!" I love the idea of using found items to make something useful. I am headed out to the thrift store tomorrow to find some plates and glasses.

I am sure many of us also have some stray dinnerware and glassware in our cabinets. You know, that one piece of great grandma's china that hasn't broken yet. I think this cake plate idea is a great way to honor that lone piece.

I think a smaller glass and a salad plate would make a fun way to serve cookies at a tea. You could use casual dinnerware and an everyday glass. So many options. I have often seen one plate for sale somewhere but wonder 'what can I do with just one plate?'. I think this is one great way to use it.

I really love the glass that is used on this particular plate. Would love to find a set of them one day!

I am on the hunt for some plates and glasses to use in this project. I can't wait to share what I find. I think these will make great gifts for anyone who loves to entertain. I always love great inspiration for a new DIY project...

I am linking up to Coastal Charm's Nifty Thrifty Tuesday & Not Just a Housewife's Show Me What Ya Got.

Red, White & Blue Potato Salad...

2011-07-03T21:47:00.000-07:00

We cooked out tonight and my sister made a yummy potato salad.

Red, White & Blue Potato Salad

Bag of small red, white and blue (purple) potatoes (about 2 lbs)

4 slices of crisp bacon, crumbled

1/2 red onion, sliced

2-3 Green onions, sliced

Red Pepper, sliced

1/2 bottle of ranch dressing (add more or less depending on your taste)

salt & pepper to taste

Boil potatoes until soft, drain & cut potatoes into quarters. Leave peel on -so you can see the colors!

In mixing bowl add potatoes, bacon, red onion, green onion & red pepper. Add ranch dressing and salt & pepper. Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate 2-3 hours.

Linking up to Rook No. 17 4th of July Craft & Recipe Roundup, Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch & the Red, White & Blue Linky party @ ItsyBitsyPaperBlog.

Enjoy!

A Shovel and A Trash Bag...

2011-06-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

Or how I made a dent in my office mess in an afternoon. This was my hallway at the end of the day (one of the bags also had some of the clothes that LM had outgrown). My husband joked that I only got about 6 feet into the room but I pitched a lot in that 6 feet! Below is my craft cabinet. Please don't call the producers of Hoarders, I know it's bad.
Desk that houses my Cricut and fax machine. Along with a bunch of other JUNK! I am thinking about painting that desk after it's cleaned off. It belonged to my great grandmother & I have had it for a long time. I think it could stand a little makeover.
The craft cabinet all straightened up. What a change.
I still have a long way to go but what a difference a few hours makes. I am sure I'll go through quite a few more trash bags before it's all said and done.

I sure hope this makes someone out there feel a little better about their space that may not be perfect.

Please excuse the horrible quality photos. I really need to take a class. :)

Pool Party...

2011-06-24T19:19:00.000-07:00

When we moved to Arizona I told my husband that if we were going to live here we needed a pool. He said that I had better find a house with a pool because he didn't want to have to put one in later. No problem, pools here are a dime a dozen. Boy am I glad we have one. It's not uncommon to have a week or two of temps that are 120+ each summer and the majority of the summer days are 110+ so a pool is a must have. Worth every penny and then some. It's nothing fancy here at September Acres though. We are in the pool just about everyday and while there is plenty of seating it's pretty basic. One reason is that it's super windy here. Alot. Plastic chairs are easy to move out of the wind's path and stack in corners for safe keeping. While I would love to have one of the beautiful spreads you see in Pottery Barn or Coastal Living it's not really feasible for a busy family with lots of little children visitors and wind.

These Adirondack chairs (Lowes)are the best. Easy to move around and stack when needed.

You'll know we've been in the pool if you come over and see this on the fence. A bit tacky maybe but with the dry heat they dry quickly and can be put away in no time.

I love our loungers (also from Lowes) too. Perfect for a little nap. But be careful or you'll burn to a crisp. This chiminea gives a little ambiance but won't be used again until after Christmas. Even at night it's still hot. It's not uncommon for it to still be over 100 on any given night at midnight.

When it's time to cool off this is the place to be. Yes, that's an inviting sight in the middle of the afternoon.

After a few hours you'll likely find me pulling the chair over to the covered patio. Out of the sun and into the shade. Yes, that's were I'll be.

September Acres is the place to be in the summer. Nothing fancy - lots of towels, plenty of chairs, popsicles, some watermelon and lots of water - in and out of the pool. Sometimes I even serve lunch!

Jump on in!

Extreme Couponer...

2011-06-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

I have to share this story...

Today I took LM with me to the grocery store. She made sure she brought along HER coupon book. It's a binder she made with 'her' coupons, which are ones I don't cut out. Ones for things I rarely buy like chips and candy. And dog food - lots of dog food. I cut out a few dog food coupons but we only have one dog who eats dry dog food and the occasional biscuit.

So we cruise through the store getting what's on our list. We get to the register and she helps me unload everything on to the belt. I pay. The receipt comes out and the cashier hands it to me and then says 'oh, here's a coupon'. I take it and don't' think anything of it. LM asks to see it and says 'yea, my first catalina'. ????

Now I am not sure if the coupons that come out of the register are technically catalinas but clearly we have been watching too much 'Extreme Couponing' here at September Acres...

The Happiest Place on Earth...

2011-06-20T12:15:00.000-07:00

My parents treated LM to a trip to Disneyland for her 9th birthday. My husband and I went as well as LM's friend S. It was a really fun time and the weather couldn't have been better. The last time we went to Disneyland LM was only 4 so there were a lot of rides should couldn't ride. This time was very different. She is pretty adventurous so she is usually game for anything. Thankfully, so is her dad. Me? Not so much, although I would go on a ride with her if she really wanted. I would just close my eyes! We stayed on property at the Paradise Pier hotel. I liked it. It's clean and close to the park. They have a great pool. And is anything cuter than these beach ball pillows? Yes, I took pictures of the decor!

I got to see the parade twice. Such a fun time. Loved this Donald Duck float.

Across from Soarin' over California - which is a must see - there was a little aviation related gift shop. The nicest 'cast member' insisted we all try on the hats and he snapped a pic for us. Notice the girls in their 'Shake it up' shirts? Each day they had on matching Disney t's (all purchased @ JCPenney).

Cinderella's castle. One of my favorite sights there. LM is pretty much outgrown the princesses but thankfully there is so much more to do and see.

LM has requested that we go back to Disneyland for Christmas. I am not totally against the idea but I wonder how busy it would be. Anyone ever do Disney during the holidays?

Ballet Shoes....

2011-06-12T15:22:00.001-07:00

A while back I came across LM's very first ballet shoes. She took her first class when she was 4 1/2; she turned 5 during the 'season' (which runs from August through June). It was a struggle to get through the year. She was just too young. The next few years she didn't want to dance so I didn't push it. This past August she decided to pick it up again and this time she loves it. When I found the old shoes I thought it would be neat to do something with them. Here's what I came up with: I picked up a shadow box at Michaels a few weeks ago on clearance. I went through my scrapbook paper and found one I liked for the background and a coordinating one for inside the shoes.

I cut the background paper to 8X10 (the size of the frame) and pulled out the lining in the shoes and traced it for the striped paper. All the paper was adhered with glue dots. I pinned the shoes to the backing with the straight pins that came with the frame. And voila! I debated painting the frame (of course) but decided to stick with the brown wood.

I think it turned out soooo cute. And it only took about 20 minutes - my kind of project. I spent about $6 on the frame and the rest of the things I already had.

Linking up to Nifty Thrifty Tuesday's @ Coastal Charm, Tuesday's Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Metamorphisis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch, Just a Girl's Show and Share Day.

Coffee or cocktail....

2011-06-10T17:12:00.001-07:00

By the name you may have thought this post was about drinks but it's about tables. Coffee or cocktail tables. I always thought a coffee table was rectangular and a cocktail table was square but apparently the name is used interchangeably. Any low, long table can be considered a coffee, or cocktail table.

Our new'ish coffee/cocktail table is a huge square one. I thought it was a cocktail table but I guess I can call it what I want. It is very large, a bit more than twice the size of our old one. When my husband brought it in the house I almost fell over. We got it from my friend J and it didn't look nearly as big in her house. I was really unsure if we would be able to make it work in our room. After much moving and rearranging of the furniture we found just the right space for it and it looks great.

Before LM was born my coffee table was always 'staged'. When she was born I cleared it off in order to make room for all the baby books I needed to reference every minute of the day. Then she started crawling and walking and otherwise moving around and touching things. Fast forward 9 years later and I still have a clear coffee table most of the time (clear of decor, not necessarily clear of junk!)

Looking at all the blogs and decorating websites I do, I always see these beautifully decorated coffee tables. What am I waiting for? Today I decided to fancy mine up. I have to say I am happy with the outcome - after much moving and tweaking. And, as was my goal, I did it all with things I have already and it cost me nothing! That's right, once again I shopped at home.

My sister in law got us this tray a few years ago for Christmas (from Pier One) and I had it in a cabinet. Much better to have it out for all to see. The apothecary jar was on the mantel and I moved it to the table (put another jar in it's place on the mantel). Books are always a great addition - they can add height and color as well as interest. I just picked ones with covers in colors that were part of the scheme. I printed out the pear at The Graphics Fairy. I put it in a frame I already had. The bird was an Easter gift from my parents. And you've seen the numbered pots before.

This gives our living room a totally new look. A more finished one.

My husband did ask me when I was going to put everything away. Clearly he likes the empty look!

Linking up to Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest & Feature Yourself Friday @ Fingerprints on the fridge.

Get Framed...

2011-06-06T21:13:00.000-07:00

After we painted our hallway light blue I decided to change all the frames out to one color. The big decision was what color I wanted. My first idea was white because I love white. But white seemed too, well, white. It made the blue look kind of juvenile (think a baby's nursery) - not quite the feeling I wanted for a hallway. Then I thought about black - and thought and thought. I didn't want it to feel too 'heavy'. I had a few pieces already framed in black so I started there. Then I spray painted some wood frames I already had using a black gloss spray paint by Valspar. The frames were all different but I don't mind that as long as the color is uniform.

I like the way the black almost 'toughens up' this pale blue. After I spent many nights painting the hallway I wasn't really too sure about the blue paint. But once I got the black frames on the wall it all kind of came together.

As with most things I do, I tried to use what I have already. All of these photos were in these frames before they were black. I did buy the print that says 'I prayed for this child and the Lord has granted what I asked of him' from Dayspring. It is a dark chocolate brown not black but is dark enough that it looks fine.

This artwork is by LM which I bought from the school art show 2 years in a row. (Kind of a big rip-off but it was a fundraiser for the school and I am happy now I got them since the frames are nice - and black!)

I feel like we have kind of a 'gallery' look with the uniformity in the color of the frames. It looks clean and sleek - just the way I like it. So get out the spray paint and make your own 'matching' frames...

Linking up to Swing into Spring @ DIY by Design, Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays @ Coastal Charm & Tuesday's Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia.

What's Up?

2011-06-02T22:11:00.003-07:00

Summer is in full swing here. We are finishing up our 2nd week of summer vacation - it's already blowing by. I have done very little (read:nothing) in the way of decorating projects. I have almost caught up on all my Tivo'd Nate Berkus Shows and started 'tweeting'. Productive, right?

I always thought that Twitter was kind of weird - the whole 140 characters or less thing and all - but I signed up a while back and figured if I didn't like it I'd just stop. It's actually kind of fun and I often have short thoughts that aren't worthy of a blog post but perfect for a 'tweet'. I have all but abandoned Facebook but like Twitter for now. You can find me there -@SeptemberAcres -pretty easy to remember. :)

LM has her ballet recital this weekend. I am looking forward to seeing the routine - it's been super secret until now. The recital is a Disney theme which is a great way to get us in the mood for a trip to Disneyland later this summer.

I have a list a mile long of decorating projects I want to work on this summer. I am thinking that once we get past this recital I will be ready to start on them. I have enjoyed being kind of lazy the last couple of weeks but that can't last forever!

Please check back at the beginning of the week for some fun design projects. I am even pondering my first upholstery project - a very small one.

In the meantime check me out on Twitter...

Inspiration...

2011-05-24T21:45:00.000-07:00

I have been working on LM's room for a good while now. She has a new bed, new paint on the wall and a new closet system. She originally said she wanted a pink and brown room so I brought home 32,ooo different pink paint swatches - none of which met her approval ( some design clients can be soooo difficult!) Then her friend S had her room painted tan- I later found out that the reason it was tan was because she couldn't make a decision and her mom had the painter paint the room the same color as the rest of the house. I guess all 8 year olds are difficult clients. So LM wanted a tan room. I painted the room tan (Pony Express by Olympic @ Lowes). I actually love the color.

Still trying to work in the brown (tan) and pink color scheme, I put together her bed with hot pink knit sheets ($9.99 @ JCPenney) and a pink duvet cover she has had for a while. White furniture, brown curtains and lots of pink accessories completed the look. Or not.

I just couldn't put my finger on why I wasn't happy with the room (and why I haven't shown photos of it yet). Then the dog tinkled on the pink duvet and I had to wash the cover and the comforter. I hadn't put the pink duvet cover back on when my mom changed the sheets for me (thanks!)- changed them back to the hot pink sheets and just pulled the white comforter over the pink sheets. Then it hit me..... The GO rooms at the Flamingo. They pop. They are brown and pink and white and so crisp. They are my new inspiration for the room (sans the flat screen). I'll be working on tweaking the room so it also pops like I want it to.

And yes, we spend way too much time in Vegas...

Enjoying the outdoors...

2011-05-20T19:37:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year when we can enjoy some meals outside. Not too cold or too hot (as will soon be the case here in Arizona). I set a pretty table for breakfast tomorrow so we can enjoy our breakfast on the patio. And I did it all using things I already had. :) My mom made the quilt that I keep on this table. I love the colors in it - they're so cheerful. I cut some branches from a bush out front and put them in one of my faux mercury glass jars. I love the look - and it's a quick, frugal way to add some greenery to any table.

A basket full of muffins wrapped in a crisp white napkin. (I took all the food in for the night after I snapped these pics.)

The little bird hanging on the spoon of the jelly jar was given to me by my mom's cousin. It's actually supposed to hang on a branch but I love how it looks with the jar.

We have had this wrought iron table for 14 years. We got it right before we were married. It has been through 2 moves - one across the country - and refuses to die, or rust, or anything else that would justify me buying a new table and chairs.

I love to eat outside and breakfast is always a good time to do it at September Acres. It's very leisurely and by July it's the only time we can get out for some fresh air if we're not in the pool.

Do you like to take your meals outdoors?

I am linking up to Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest, Centsational Girl's Home May'd Spring Summer Link Party & Swing into Spring @ DIY By Design.

DIY Mercury Glass, Part One...

2011-05-17T13:40:00.000-07:00

I have tons of jars and clear glass vases. I use them for many different things. The obvious: storage (jars) and flowers (vases). And the not so obvious: gifts and pen/pencil holders (jars) & decorative containers (vases). But like I said, I have alot of them. I was watching The Nate Berkus Show last week and someone was on talking about 'looking glass spray' which she sprayed on the glass in frames to make a mirror and also in clear bowls and vases to make faux mercury glass. So I went on a 'mini' search for looking glass spray. I didn't want to trudge all the way out to Lowes or Michaels so I headed over to Ace to see what they had. The young man who helped me said that a couple of days before another lady was in looking for the same thing (we live in a small town, who is this woman? Maybe I know her!) and he guided her toward the metallic spray paint. There was one can left when I got there so I bought it and brought it home to give it a try.I painted the inside of one jar and one vase and let it dry. The painting literally took less than 5 minutes. It took about 30 minutes to dry. I am not totally wild about the jar but I am sure I'll find a use for it. I love the vase although I don't really think it resembles mercury glass. I spent about $6-7 on the paint and I had the jar & vase so it's a really frugal project. I think you could do any color paint for a different look.

This weekend I'll check Lowes & Michaels for looking glass spray and try it on something else. If it's worth a post you'll see it. UPDATE: No looking glass spray at Lowes or Michaels. I checked another ACE and no go. I hear they have it at Home Depot & hope to get out there very soon...Update #2 -still no luck on the looking glass spray. Will be on the lookout next time we're in the 'big city'. I know I will find it and will be so happy to finally use it. :)

I love the look of the paint on the inside instead of the outside. There is still that shine of the glass with just a bit of color. I am eager to try out some different colors....

I am linking up to Glitter Blasted Linky Party @ Infarrantly Creative, Thrifty Decor Chick's Spray Paint Party, How To's Day @ The Lettered Cottage, Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest, Just a Girl's SAS Day , Metamorphisis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch @ Tuesdays Treasures , My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia & DIY by Design's Swing into Spring.

Guest Bath Reveal...

2011-05-16T16:07:00.000-07:00

We finally re-did our guest bath. It's the only room in the house that hadn't been painted or otherwise changed since we moved in almost 12 years ago. The room is very small. Most people have closets bigger than this room. So no matter what we did to the room it wouldn't make a huge difference. Or so I thought... Here are a few before pics.

Kind of yuck and all over the place. The polished brass fixtures were really not my cup of tea.

We headed to our favorite home improvement warehouse. Otherwise known as Lowes. We have a Home Depot as well but I just generally like Lowes better. Plus it's a bit closer to home (less than 1/4 mile really!) I am glad we went to Lowes because we did get some great buys.

We replaced the vanity top with a carrera marble top. It's what I had in my head but figured it would cost more than I wanted to pay. But we lucked out when my husband found the top in the size we needed on clearance for $82! (Regular price $230). The only problem was that we didn't see a side splash. We planned to just buy the smaller top that was on clearance for $17 and have our friend E cut the back splash to size. As I was perusing another clearance shelf I found a towel ring for $10 AND the side splash we needed for .......$2.25!!

We splurged on the cabinet over the toilet ($98) since we saved so much on the top. We didn't get a new toilet or tub - they are both cream and will do for now. I have different shades of white in the room so it's working. You can see the bead board in the mirror. This was the biggest look changer out of everything that we did. It was one of those spur of the moment decisions. We were headed to mill work to pick out the new baseboards and the bead board was at the end of the aisle - just waiting for me! It was a great decision and we ended up spending $28 on the bead board and chair rail.

I am.in.love with this shower curtain ($20 @ Walmart!) It is a linen like fabric with a black and gray paisley type print - it kind of looks like it is embroidered. It was not at all what I was looking for but I liked it and figured I'd give it a try. I am glad I did.

I love this new faucet (about $60 by Delta). I just love the high spout. We went with polished chrome instead of the brushed nickel that I love so much and I am really happy we did.

I love the way the 'fresh towels' sign looks in there. You can see how I made the sign here. One thing we didn't do it paint the walls. The main reason was that I just wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I have seen so many people mix different whites and I thought I'd try it. I actually like it and am in no rush to pick a new color. It doesn't look quite as pink in real life.

Another look at the pretty top and faucet. Love.

We painted the vanity white (Olympic Low VOC paint from Lowes- in ultra white - right out of the can- no mixing involved. And I had some already!) We don't have any knobs/pulls yet because I haven't found anything I love and want to pay for! I know that will really finish the look but I will keep looking until I find just the right thing.

These small baskets came with the cabinet and I love them. I made the little tags with black & white card stock and stamped them with a 1,2 and 3. They just add a little something.

We ended up spending about $350 and one weekend on this project. The difference is amazing. I never thought this little space would ever be able to look much difference than it did in the beginning. I am glad I was wrong this time.

Linking up to Pink Postcard's Transformations and Treasures, Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest, Feathered Nest Friday @ The French Country Cottage, Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch, Tuesday's Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia & Swing into Spring @ DIY by Design.

The middle of nowhere...

2011-05-10T20:45:00.000-07:00

LM's class had a field trip today. We were literally in the middle of nowhere. We drove through wild, wild west towns on Route 66 like Hackberry, Valentine (you may have actually sent your Valentine's here for postmarks at some point) and Peach Springs. The little towns lead you to Grand Canyon Caverns. The caverns are not actually in the Grand Canyon but about 40 miles away. The opening that brings air into the caverns is at the Grand Canyon.

The Caverns are the largest dry caverns in the United States. It is a beautiful sight once you reach the bottom. It is always 56 degrees F down there. 'Down there' is just over 200 feet. You get down there via elevator.

The three third grade classes in LM's school went to the caverns today via school bus (always fun for the adults, right?) I chaperoned along with some other parents and got to ride on the bus. When we arrived the 3 classes split up and went down to the caverns one at a time. While we waited we ate lunch and spent some time in the gift shop. At 11:30 it was our turn for the tour.
It's beautiful down there. We were guided around by a neat tour guide who was really good at explaining things so a third grader would understand. It was a hike moving around the caverns - up and down hills and stairs. The walk is a total of about a 3/4 mile. I was really interested in finding out that the caverns holds enough food and water for 2000 people to survive for 2 weeks.

So I wasn't terribly concerned when the elevator broke. At first I thought the tour guide was joking but come to find out he was dead serious. After about 20 minutes it was determined that we would need to go up the stairs to get out of the caverns. I use the term stairs loosely. These are not the stairs in the stairwell of the Marriott (I wish!) but more like the steep stairs on a Navy ship. The 'railing' was a 3" round tube that overlooked the elevator shaft.

We were able to successfully get about 23 kids and 5 adults out of the caverns rather quickly - just over an hour I think. Remember, we were 210 feet down. The kids were great - only one was a total basket case and really scared me. He was in between LM and me. She did a great job encouraging him, telling him to hold on and only look up.

The boy sitting next to me on the bus said he was really scared and wanted to cry but knew if he did he would upset the other kids so he didn't cry. I told him that I felt the same way and was really proud of him leading his group out. It really was very scary and I was so happy when LM got to the top safely.

Some of the kids have said they will not go on a field trip again. Some are never going on an elevator again (although we were not stuck in the elevator, thankfully). I am thinking that I don't want to go on ship stairs again!

I am in the middle of a few crazy weeks. No fun projects going on right now. No painting. No fun things to share. But school is out on the 19th and I plan to start working again. I have bathroom pictures to share. If I get a chance I may share before the 19th. I put the 'fresh towels' sign up and it looks great. I hope you will stop back by to see it...

Fresh Towels...

2011-05-03T18:54:00.000-07:00

Friday afternoon we decided to spruce up our guest bath. Very spur of the moment. Sprucing up meant the following:

Painting the vanity

New vanity top

New faucet for vanity

New medicine cabinet

Bead board

New base boards

New shower curtain

I still need to get the new hardware for the vanity before I unveil the project. I do want to show you a little sign I made for the room. When we took down the old medicine cabinet I noticed the shelf (wood) easily came out. So I kept it thinking that surely I could do something with it. Then I thought that it would make the perfect sign. I painted it white.

I then printed the words 'fresh towels $1' on the computer. I traced the words with a pencil on the back of the paper then placed the paper on the wood and traced the front of the letters making an outline of the words on the wood.

I colored in the words with a black sharpie - I was out of black craft paint so I decided to give the sharpies a try - they worked great!!

I sponged a little brown ink (right from the ink pad) onto the board and then stamped the flourish stamp in the two top corners. Sandpapered the edges. And that was it. I am happy with how it turned out. It's just what I had in my mind.

We are down to less than 3 weeks of school and all the craziness that goes with that. We had our last PTA meeting today but still have to meet with the new board one more time to go over some things. Along with that the next three weeks include: 1 hockey tournament for LM, 2 hockey tournaments for the hubby, 1 first communion retreat, 1 first communion, 1 field trip, 1 field day, Teacher appreciation lunch, End of year awards ceremony, out of town company for the first communion and the usual, everyday things I need to do to keep things running at September Acres. I am thrilled that school will be out soon but I am going to be exhausted getting there. So I will be away for a while getting things in order and having some fun. I look forward to revealing the new bathroom re-do when I get back. I know you'll love it as much as I do.

I am linking up to Frugal Friday @ the Shabby Nest,Show & Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home, Transformations & Treasures @ The Pink Postcard,Tuesday's Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia & Swing into Spring @ DIY by Design.

Out with the old...

2011-04-28T19:11:00.000-07:00

and in with the new. I put all the Easter decorations away today. Then came the dilemma of what to do with the mantel. I think it needs something but the TV above provides a true challenge. So I went shopping at home to see what I could come up with. After a few tries I came up with this.

(Let me apologize up front for the photo quality. I clearly did not miss my calling as a photographer!) The Easter bunny brought me these little numbered pots. I got a 1, 2 & 3. I put a bug in my hubby's ear a few weeks ago when we were shopping. Number one looks nice next to my DIY Mercury Glass.

Number 3 looks nice on top of some books. I love using books in decorating. They add height & color. I like to look at books at other peoples' homes - you can tell alot about someone by the books in their homes ( I think you can tell alot about people by looking at what they have in their shopping carts, too!)

I snagged my big wrought iron container from under a side table in the living room for one end of the mantle. I took a frame I had in a cabinet and made the little 'B' with my Cricut & some scrapbook paper. Kind of cute, I think! The fresh flowers were taken from my dining room table centerpiece. They have a few good days left in them I think.

Getting ready for summer with some shells in an apothecary jar. The tag clearly lets us know that it's still 'le printemps' or spring.

I got this 'new' look just by shopping my house. Luckily I have a lot of stuff! I am liking the neutral-ish color pallette. I wasn't quite ready for a bright summer yet.

I am linking up to Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest, Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home and Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage.

At the Beach...

2011-04-25T21:17:00.000-07:00

It seems that every spring Pottery Barn has some sort of sea/water theme with lots of fun, beachy decor and decorating ideas. It's truly my favorite time of the year. Lots of ideas for summer-izing your home - many are things we can re-create because, let's face it, sometimes PB can be a little pricey. I got my latest PB catalog today full of coral, shells, and blue, lots of blue.

My dad was in the Navy so we moved around alot and spent most of our time on the coast (obvious, probably). We lived on the water at times but always near it. I thought that was how everyone lived - swimming in the river or ocean regularly. I think this is the reason I love the water. And I love decorating like I live on the water. Maybe somewhere like this: Or this:

Or this:

Even if you live in one of those places (lucky you!) you have to be careful of making your beachy decor look too cutesy, theme-y or, well, tacky. It's a fine line. Even at somewhere like Pottery Barn you can end up making a mistake - too many shell pillows and you've become the lady that collects shell pillows not the owner of that neat coastal retreat in the city.

So what's a girl to do if she dreams of lazy days at the beach but lives in the 'burbs?

Pick just one of those shell pillows (or palm tree towels, fish serve ware or seahorse prints). I know it's hard but you'll thank me.

Use color. Think about colors that mean coastal to you. Tropical may invoke pastel blues and pinks and yellows. Ocean is all about the blue of the sea and the tan of the sand. Life on a lake means blues and greens. Right after we re-did our kitchen a friend came over and said 'it looks like Rhode Island in here'. Now I am not sure that she really meant that as a compliment but I took it that way because I was looking for a certain feel and Rhode Island (think Newport but cheaper!) worked for me.

Think about life on the coast. Look at pictures in magazines and books. If you actually lived at the beach how would you keep the sand from migrating inside? Maybe a natural-fiber rug like a sisal placed under your slip covered sofa (you'll need to be able to take if off and put it in the wash). Some hooks outside the back door would be used to hang wet towels.

Consider wood or tile for flooring instead of carpet. Much easier to clean up that sand!

Bead board. It's becoming so popular and just screams coastal to me. Use it in a kitchen, bathroom, entry way or mud (sand) room.

A room with a view should be appreciated. If you lived on the water would you really want to cover your living room windows with heavy drapes? Not likely. While it may be necessary to cover your windows at night for privacy try to pick window treatments that are as light and airy as possible to give you a beachy feeling. The french doors below are a nice example of treatment-less windows. A totally blank window may not be practical for you so just keep it light.

I love the way this kitchen uses color on the cabinets and the bead board on the ceiling to give it a beachy feel.

While we all may not be able to live at the beach we can still create the feel through color (paint), flooring and window treatments as well as a few well sought out accessories.

As I have been ogling the Pottery Barn catalog I have gotten some ideas for knock-offs and re-creating some of their looks. If any of them turn out (& I am confident they will) I'll be back to show you. Just give me a little time.

In the meantime, check out these beachy blogs for inspiration: Sarah @ A Beach Cottage & Cheryl @ Beachcomber

All photos from Coastal Living

Decorative Storage....

2011-04-24T21:24:00.001-07:00

We have our fair share of framed prints and pictures but not so much space to display everything all at once without making our house look like a store. For a while the 'extras' were just leaning up in the corner of our office waiting for a new home. So I thought, wouldn't it be nice if I could display them without actually hanging them on a wall. Then somewhere, and I don't remember where, I saw that someone had put their framed prints in a basket in their living room. Kind of a decorative storage type of thing.

I can do that! So here's how I did it. I bought this basket from Michaels (with my 40% off coupon!) because I liked the size. The color wasn't quite what I needed. Black was more like it. Nothing a can of spray paint can't fix, right? I spray painted the basket black and then added a little tag I made with my Cricut. It looks nice on the hearth plus I remember what I have when I am redecorating since I see the basket everyday. It's also neat if guests look through the basket and ask about different pictures or prints. The one you can see with the grass is a print of Pebble Beach that I got for my husband one year for his birthday. And of course there are pictures of LM in there.

What kind of interesting storage ideas have you come up with?

I am linking up to DIY By Design's Swing into Spring, Centsational Girl's Paint Project Party, Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch & Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays @ Coastal Charm.

Easter Table...

2011-04-23T10:42:00.000-07:00

I wanted to set a special table for Easter with a fresh, spring-y look. For something really fresh I needed to shop. But I didn't want to spend very much money.

A little background: I needed (wanted?) some new place mats. Something spring like. I had $19 in Kmart rewards dollars so I figured that was a good place to start. Surely I could get everything I needed for about $20, right? Wrong. The selection was s.l.i.m. There was a nice pale blue place mat I liked but there were only 3, I needed 5. And it was $5! Tucked down in the corner for $4 were these black & white toile place mats. Cute, but black for Easter? Hmmm. After standing there for about 10 minutes debating and helping out an older lady who, like me, was disappointed in the poor selection but also didn't want to drive all the way out to Wal-mart, I decided to get the black toile place mats and see what I could do with them. I also picked up 4 white napkins since I knew I could use them to make the table work. Using my rewards I ended up paying $9 for 5 place mats and 4 napkins (I only got 4 napkins because my dad won't use cloth so I'll add the 5th place setting right be fore dinner.)

I like the way the place setting turned out. I didn't have any spring like napkin rings so I went to my ribbon stash and found this Tiffany box blue ribbon that I got just after Christmas @ Michaels (50% off!). Love!!!

I did a little centerpiece vignette here. The Peter Rabbit plate was given to LM when she was born. A perfect touch here.

Grocery store flowers. I just love them. $4 for this bunch.

This little guy hangs on the back of LM's chair. Hopefully the Easter Bunny will leave something in it tonight. (Pottery Barn Kids a year or two ago).

An overview. I am happy with the results especially since I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to make the black and white work. It took a little playing around but I think it works. And I did it for under $15 with a little shopping- at the store and at home.

How will you be decorating your table this weekend??

I am linking up to Wendy's Frugal Friday.