Fall is here

Just like most of you, Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the chill in the air, the colors of the leaves, the seasonal treats, and of course-decorating my house to really reflect the season! Although Fall officially started on September 23rd, Idaho is still as hot as the middle of summer and I am ready for the heat to go away! My mirror looks especially festive with colorful swags of fall leaves aroun it. I love pumpkins in every shape and size!

This little scarecrow keeps me company in the kitchen.

This boquet of fall leaves looks beautiful against my red kitchen walls!

Some colorful leaves and a leaf plate add the right touch on my pie stand. It will look even better when I put a homemade pumpkin roll on it!

This candleholder is just begging for a romantic fall dinner to be enjoyed around it.

A very festive fall wreath lets everyone know that we love fall in this house!

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P.S. Thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday last week...you made my day!

Thanks mom & dad!

I once heard of someone who, on every one of their birthdays, sent their parents flowers to say thanks for giving life to them. Since my birthday is on Monday, I would like to tell my parents thank you for giving me life and for everything they have done for me and continue to do for me. My mom is definitely my best friend. I can pretty much tell her anything. We talk just about everyday. People usually think that we are sisters instead of mother and daughter-she loves that!
My dad and I are so much alike that we butt heads a lot. It was really bad when I was a sassy teenager. Since I have grown up a lot, it has gotten better. Of course, we are still so much alike that we still have the occasional tift, but he is my daddy and I will always be his little girl!

The older I get, the more I appreciate everything that my parents have done for me. They could have given us kids whatever we wanted, but they chose to teach us how to work for what we wanted. They gave us a wonderful life and were always there to cheer us on. They still are. If I could choose a mom and a dad, I would definitely choose them again. They really are the best parents ever.
Happy Birthday to me and thank you mom and dad for giving me life!

Lonely little Teacup

This little teacup set used to belong to my Great Grandma. She came over from Ireland as an indentured servant when she was 16. After her contract was up, her and my Great Grandpa settled down in Seattle and had a large Irish-Catholic family. Great Grandma always had homemade Irish Soda Bread and tea. That is what I remember the most about her-her Irish accent, her dresses, and she always drank tea with soda bread. I loved having tea and soda bread with her. This particular teacup was part of a whole set. When she passed away just 6 years ago, the tea set was split up between her granddaughters. Being one of her oldest great granddaughters, I received one too.
I absolutely love the roses on this set. It's what I think of when I think of a teaset.

There is a plate, a saucer and of course the teacup itself.

There is a gold band on all 3 pieces.

The roses are different on each piece.

The teacup has a rose on the outside as well as the inside.

This is the only teacup that I have. It sits all by itself on the breadbox in the kitchen. I think that I need to find it some friends so that it isn't so lonely anymore. But for now, I think I am going to go make myself a cup of tea!

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I am linking up with Teacup Tuesday & Tea Pot & Tea Things Tuesday.

New old purse

I have a lot of purses, I used to buy new ones all the time. Now a days I don't really have the money to waste on such un-needed things (I want more, I don't need more!) So I thought I should try to revamp my old ones to make them new again. My husband recently reupholstered his motorcycle seat with black vinyl. There were scraps left over and I knew I could use them for something. I cut strips, painted the back red and then rolled them into roses. There isn't really any rhyme or reason to my roses, I just rolled and hot glued as I went, doing my best to make them look like roses. Here is the little black purse that I revamped. The inside lining is red, didn't realize that when I picked it out of my collection, but it is perfect!
Here is the finished procdut. I tied some red ribbon around the roses to finish upo the edges. I just hot glued the roses on to the purse.

Just do your best to make the vinyl look like a rose!

Really loving my revamped purse. Now I am going to have to find a lot more ideas to redo all my other purses!!

Cookbooks

When Fall starts to creep back into my life, I really get the urge to cook and bake. I come by it naturally. All the women in my family are wonderful cooks. I like to think that I am too. Someday, after lot's of years of practice, I might even be just as good as my grandma! I am always on the lookout for something new and exciting, but there is nothing better than the tried and true classics. My sister just happens to have this Betty Crocker Guide to Easy Entertaining. I love it. It is so fun to read it and see how life was back then. Even the words they used are so amusing. If I can't find a copy of this for myself soon, my sister's copy might just disappear!
We had this cookbook when I was little. I love to look at it now because it appears that when I was younger, I was more interested in coloring in the pictures than cooking. When my mom moved a few years ago, she gave this one to me. I really treasure it.

And how can you not mention the best one of all. My mom had this cookbook, she still does. It seems like you can find anything you are looking for in this one. I wish I had my own copy, not the modern version, but this classic, vintage one. Maybe someday mom will give it to me, in the meantime, she gives me Taste of Home's Holiday's & Celebrations cookbook. I know that every year, I will get a cookbook for Christmas and I love that! Someday I will have quite the collection of cookbooks-both new and old. Just like I am starting to get quite the collection of recipe cards too. My favorite thing about cookbooks and recipe cards is when you see that they have been used. They will have smudges and crumbs from when they were used to make something. They get discolored over the years and get dirty from being handled so much. That is the sure sign that you have a good recipe on your hands! One for sure that you better perfect yourself and pass on for future generations to come!

{Images courtesy of Google Images}

Pink ruffles are heavenly

New ruffly pink sheets plus the yummiest smelling Victoria's Secret laundry detergent and dryer sheets

equals sweet dreams tonight!

Is it bedtime yet??

I won!!!

I won a giveaway! I NEVER win ANYTHING! So when I saw that I was randomly chosen to be the winner, I was so excited! Thanks so much to Aleesha at Ready, Set, Create! for the awesome giveaway-I get $40 to spend at CSN Stores! Oh, what will I spend my $40 on...the possibilities are endless!

I love this throw. It would go perfectly with my new pink ruffle sheets I just picked up today!
These soap holders are absolutely adorable too!
This pitcher would come in handy next summer for some delicious lemonade or iced tea!
My husband would really like it if I bought these Cleveland Indians tumblers...we'll have to see about that!
What I would really like is this chandelier. I have the perfect spot for it, right above my kitchen sink!

Whatever I do end up getting, I will be sure to show you!

Thanks again Aleesha-I really am super excited!