So considering it is a lovely cool temperature of 103 degrees currently in Phoenix, I thought it was high time I discuss that lovely season of fall. In Phoenix we don’t have fall. Well not really… but I can’t wait for 80 degree days come October, it sounds perfect. I love to decorate and fall and Halloween have always been some of my favorites seasons. In Washington I loved the crispness in the air, going to the pumpkin patch with Ryan’s family, apple cider, my favorite ceramic decorations at my house, wearing jeans, puffy vest, leggings and skirts. What I hated was the continual rain that the month of November brings. Anyways, as I sit here in the heat I can’t help thinking about all the wonderful fall things.

So this weekend I decided to bust out some fall decorations. So what if it is hotter right now than most people’s midsummer days across the country. I want fall! So I went to the dollar store bought some silk flowers, autumn leaves, ribbon and plastic gourds. Honestly the outcome is less tacky than those ingredients make it sound. And I made a basket for Ryan and I’s front door. I have this beautiful basket from Southern Living I use year around so all I had to do was change out the contents.

I think for my $10 investment the fall outcome looks pretty good. I like how it is a balance between the green colors and the orangy fall colors. It make me think of that transition time right before all the leaves fall to the ground and rot from the rain in Washington.

Well so that is all for my actual fall decorations at the house. But, there are so many things I wish I had to decorate the house with. The hardest thing is that the house is not how we want it renovation-wise so it is hard to want to decorate, especially spend money on decorations, when we could use the money to help pay for the renovations. I am sure I’ll break down and get some things to decorate with in the near future.

Mercury Pumpkins from Pottery Barn

I love these glass mercury pumpkins. I think they would look so pretty clustered with fall colored leaves or maybe some pine cones that were painted white.

Numbered Gourds from Martha Stewart

I think that it would be really pretty to do one for each number in our address and then put them on the front step.

Family Tree from Better Homes and Gardens

I would like to make it in a tall vase so it would be more 3-D then put old photographs of Ryan and I’s families in it. I think the pictures would be especially stunning if we printed them in black and white.

Pine Cone Trees from Better Homes and Gardens

From this photo I am inspired to do a coffee table arrangement with pine cones. I can’t decide if  I would want to do trees like this picture or maybe glue them to syrofoam balls for a bowl of circular shapes, and pair them with moss balls, or something similar.

Pumpkin Hearth from Martha Stewart

I would like to have this fireplace, this mantlepice, and this decor almost exactly. How pretty are the muted colors of the pumpkins and gourds, mixed with the taller foliage? Lovely.

Alright well I’ll post if I do any more decorating for fall.

~Cheers

Well here we are in September… Unfortunately Ryan and I have no changes made to the house yet, but issues keep piling up. I am feeling overwhelmed because it seems like nothing is changing but the to do list keeps getting longer and longer. More below about the list of to do’s on the house. In the meantime I have been spending too much time looking at fabulous blogs about home renovation and decorating, my list of favorites:

1. Young House Love – about a couple who has transformed their Virginia 1950′s brick ranch into a beatiful airy home.

2. Making It Lovely – written by a woman obsessed with pink and brown, all about her cute home, baby, and life in general.

3. My Happy House – a cleaning blog, if you can believe it. I’m following her weekly challenge, because unfortunately cleaning is not my forte.

4. The Nest: Decorating and Renovating Board – the best place to find gazillions of ideas, lots of cool blogs, and general inspiration.

Those are my everyday internet sites I go to. I just dream of when my house looks how it does in my head. I really want to write all about the process, but right now the phase we are in is waiting it feels like. My list of home work right now is still focusing on the kitchen, here is the list so far:

• go to banks to discuss financing for the remodel.
• get more quotes for the demolition of the dreaded wall and for new drywall.
• measure cabinetry and countertops to go to Ikea, Lowe’s, and Home Depot for estimates.
• make a realistic timeline.

So for now that is my goal list for the kitchen. As far as the rest of the house goes I have been cleaning like mad and it is looking better. I don’t know if I mentioned that our sunroom leaks, but that is another issue we have to deal with soon. I can’t wait to share my plans for each of the rooms. One thing I’d like to do for the blog is mood boards. They make them at Young House Love and I want to try them too. I think Ryan can teach me on photoshop.

Okay I think that is all for the house. Otherwise Ryan, Ginny, and I have been enjoying our 3-day weekend. I hung out with Shela and the girls on Saturday and yesterday we went to church where I proceeded to cough the entire service. We rounded out Saturday with a trip to Oreganos. Yummy! Today we are off to Shela’s to pick up my car and maybe do a Scottsdale browse. Life is good, it busy but lots of fun. One more thing: my Daddy is coming for a visit in 2 weeks. Which means it is just 2 weeks until we have a dining table and the best home advisor here with us in Phoenix. I can’t wait for that! For now enjoy some wonderful pictures of our weekend and the adorableness that is our Ginny!

~Cheers

Having some wine fun at Oregano’s last night!

Sleeping in our bed…

How cute is she… smile Ginny!