Merry Christmas to All!

Sorry I have not posted new Christmas pictures. I hope to have some up within a few days, so please check back. In the meantime, I hope you all are enjoying the month so far.

Happy November!

So Halloween is officially over...I took down my decorations last night. I always get sad when I have to take down decorations for any holiday. The great thing about taking down Halloween decorations though is that it means Christmas decorations go up soon! I leave Fall decorations up until the weekend before Thanksgiving, then I decorate for Christmas.

Here are a few great tips for putting away your Halloween and Fall decorations:

• Group boxes or storage bins by room. For example, put all your decorations for your living room in the same box, so you don't have to search in three boxes for one room.
• Make an inventory list for each box and place it on the lid. That way, you know exactly what is in the box without opening it.
• My sister in law had a great idea. Last year she put a pumpkin spice candle in with her Fall garlands. When she got the garland out this year, it had a wonderful pumpkin spice scent. Make sure you wrap the candle in paper or plastic so it does not melt on anything.
• Dust/clean everything before you put it away.

Follow these very simple tips, and it will take you no time at all to put everything up next year! Countdown to Halloween 2010 has begun!

Fall Tour of Homes

Here's a a second round tour of my home with my Fall and Halloween decor. Please enjoy!


Starting in the entrance...


















A little closer look... This is actually a chalkboard with little pumpkin magnets. I got it for $5 at Homegoods. I love that store!



The kitchen...

Its a little hard to see, but I have pumpkins and gourds in the colander beside the rooster and a fall towel under the bakery sign.



I put my pumpkin cookbook in my cookbook holder. I haven't made anything out of it, but I love to look at it!







Dining Area...










These little boxes are some of my favorite decorations. I put orange lights in the glass bowl under the pumpkin and gourds.





Living Room...





Jaxie (my little dog) wanted to get in on the fun!



For Fall...



For Halloween...



Patio arrangement

Happy Fall!

Go Gators!

I had to share this. My dog Jaxie watching a Gator game with her new collar and scarf. They won by the way, 56 to 6!

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Cookie Bars

Long title but but easy to make.

2 packages of chocolate chip cookie dough
8 oz soften cream cheese
3 eggs (I use Egg Beaters)
1 teaspoon vanilla


Preheat oven to 350.Grease a 13 x 9 baking pan. Spread 1 package of cookie dough evenly in bottom of pan.



Mix cream cheese, eggs and vanilla.



Spread over cookie dough.




Crumble second package of cookie dough over cream cheese mixture.



Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.



Cool and cut into squares before serving.
Note: I used a glass baking dish and the bottom layer of cookie dough did not cook through. I put mine back in for another 15 minutes. I consulted with my Mom (a wonderful baker) and she recommended using a non-stick metal pan.

-Recipe adapted from Goose Berry Patch- Christmas Throughout the House

2009 Fall Decorations- Finally Done!

So I'm finally getting to sit back with my Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino and enjoy my Fall decorations. My wonderful husband and I put up everything in between watching the first day of college football! Go Gators!
I made a few changes from last year. I wanted to keep everything simple. The only things remaining are the front porch and patio. They will probably get done on Monday or Tuesday. Well, I hope you like them. Please leave your comments and suggestions.

Starting in the entrance...









A little closer look... This is actually a chalkboard with little pumpkin magnets. I got it for $5 at Homegoods. I love that store!



The kitchen...

Its a little hard to see, but I have pumpkins and gourds in the colander beside the rooster and a fall towel under the bakery sign.



I put my pumpkin cookbook in my cookbook holder. I haven't made anything out of it, but I love to look at it!





Dining Area...








These little boxes are some of my favorite decorations. I put orange lights in the glass bowl under the pumpkin and gourds.





Living Room...





Jaxie (my little dog) wanted to get in on the fun!



I added pumpkins and gourds to this area. Something new this year.



Come back soon for outdoor decorations.

September 1st- Here we go...

So... September is finally here! I was so excited to get up this morning and change to a new month on the calendar. It probably helps that I have the Susan Branch, Heart of the Home, calendar. Her drawings are absolutely beautiful. All the months are beautiful, but September is my favorite.





Although I live in Florida, and the weather has been almost unbearable the last few weeks, we had a cloudy, rainy day today. It stayed in the low 80's. It was still very humid, but it did feel better. We are lucky if we get cooler weather in October! Although it may be hot, I plan to decorate for Fall this weekend. I put a lot into my Fall decorations and I want to enjoy them as long as possible. I will post some pictures when everything is up and complete.

I am in the process of making my wonderful sister-in-law a Fall wreath. Here's what I'm starting with.





Here's Jaxie checking everything out. She loves Fall too! Her birthday is September 16th. My little Fall baby!


Here's what I have so far...I need to finish this weekend. Although I like the simplicity of what I have, I think it needs a little more. I'll post the final pictures soon.



Well, September IS finally here. Before you know, Christmas will be here too. I hope you are making preparations now to ensure your Holiday season is stress free. If you are decorating for Fall soon, ENJOY! If you not, Why not??? I challenge everyone to celebrate the Fall season by decorating your home with a few seasonal touches. Just a few fall leaves or pumpkins here and there, can make a difference. Check back soon for pictures of my decorations.