Burlap and Ribbon

Hello friends! When I opened the door this morning at the edge of daylight I could just sense fall in the air! It was foggy and a bit cooler than usual and the spiders were spinning webs in the hedge.

I am still adding touches of fall throughout my house. Yesterday afternoon and up into the evening I spent time working on some new wreaths. These wreaths are not for me or my house, but for the doors of our church. You can go HERE to view the wreaths that I made for the Spring.

I am loving burlap these days, so I knew I wanted burlap. I made a note that I wanted feathers and a large pumpkin as well.

I found the little vine pumpkin at Hobby Lobby. The feathers, pumpkin and burlap came from my favorite dollar mart (of course they cost more than a dollar, but this little shop has great deals!) I had the plaid ribbon left over from last year.

I spent quite a bit of time looking it over tweaking a bit then I added the finishing touches.I love the finished product! Simple yet beautiful I think!

The feathers added to the look I was going for.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope you are enjoying these end of Summer days.

I am joining Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays and Pamela at From My Front Porch To Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursday and Debra at CommonGround for Be Inspired


 Sarah

Sunflowers Pumpkins and Gourds Oh My

I just couldn't resist the title =)

We have been having cooler mornings and evenings here, the boys are back to school and I am in the mood for fall! I enjoy all seasons, yes even the cold winds of winter! Fall is probably one of my favorites tho.

We spent all day Saturday here at home just piddling and so I went to the garage and took all of my fall boxes down with some help from Isaac =)

I sat down and created a few things. First I took my new cloche (you can read about HERE) and dressed it up a bit for my mantel. I just added some ribbon, leaves and a few fall flower picks on the top then some pumpkins, sunflowers etc on the inside.

Next, I cleared off all of my pictures etc from the sofa table in the family room. I hung my fall wreath (you can read about it HERE) on the mirror and added some ceramic pumpkins to the table. I am just getting started and will post as I go.

Now on to sunflowers. My mother bought a variety sunflower seed packet for me this year. Aren't the colors beautiful? Love sunflowers!

 We also have pumpkins, they are starting to ripen.

I walked around the yard heavy with morning dew to get these pictures. I have grown pumpkins before, but this is the first year I have ever grown gourds

 I am so excited about the gourds. There are several different kinds. So far they are thriving and beautiful!

While I was admiring the gourds I noticed dozens of bees pollinating the new flowers on the vines. The picture above was my favorite of the day!

The vines are still blooming with more baby gourds appearing everyday!

 My knockout rose is simply beautiful!

The crepe myrtles are slowly losing their beautiful flowers.

And last the blackeyed susans are some of my most favorite flowers! They are nice color at the end of Summer and make gorgeous bouquets. I always miss color in my yard when fall and winter arrive. For now I am enjoying all of the wonderful things that late Summer brings!

I am joining Marty today for Inspire Me Tuesday
Stop by and say hi to Marty she's a sweetheart!
I am also joining Pamela at From My Front Porch to Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursday make sure you stop by and say hi to Pamela as well :)



Would love to have new followers!

Sarah

Tastefully Simple

Hello friends! I am sending a Tastefully Simple order out on Friday. If you would like to order please let me know:) You can view the catalog at tastefullysimple.com Looking forward to hearing from you.
Have a great day!

Back To School

It's that time again! Back to school! We started on the 12th. Yes. I know I'm a bit behind, but I've been busy and my internet is sooo slow.

Isaiah is in high school! I just can't believe it. Isaac is in 5th and Micah in 2nd! They were ready to go back. There just comes a time when you gotta get back to a routine and in the swing of things!

You like the little chalkboard they are holding?
We posed for some pictures and headed out the door. I walked them in and took some pictures.

 Micah was eager to check out his new desk!

 He has Miss Bowman again this year! She is so sweet!

 I told Isaiah that I only get to be his mommy once and that even if he is a freshman I want his picture =) He don't care he's used to me by now lol! I don't get all loud and ooey gooey about it =)

Isaac has Bro. Schooley for the first time this year along with his very own "office" and a new classroom! How cool is that!

A quick snapshot of the high schoolers standing aroundf before the bell.

We didn't make it to Open House because we were out of town camping.

So, we went on Saturday. James pressure washed the outside of the building. The teacers were all there working , so we got to take our things and find their desk etc.

All of the classrooms look so nice! We are grateful for such a wonderful school! Bro. Schooley's class is especially neat this year. The suitcase above with the Bible etc in it is on his desk.

These old suitcases and cameras are on top of a shelf. Kind of a "Explore Into Learning" theme!

Each bulletin board and corner is filled with interesting and fun decorations!

So far all of the boys are enjoying school! They are good students and good boys! So thankful!!

Sarah

Thrifting

This post is dedicated to all of you yard sale, thrift store and goodwill fans =) I just have to tell you that in the past I just couldn't get in to it! I tried and like the thoughts of a good deal. I just couldn't get past that famous musty smell and the dread of germs and bed bugs! Well, I am here to announce that I am warming up to the idea =)

For those of you who know me you know that I love to shop and decorate and craft etc. So, thrifting is just the place for a person like me! If you follow my blog you know that we recently spent some time in Kansas and while we were there much to my boys dismay we did some thrifting!

There was a D.A.V. Thrift Store right down from the hospital where James was working. They had some really great stuff. Some stuff that I liked, but really didn't need and then there was a few things that I couldn't pass up. I am collecting the Federal Glass 1950's tea sets. Do you see the price on the plate? .29 cents Um yes I think I will get that! The lantern with the star holes and the red, white and blue tea light holder were 1.99 and 1.49 and then 1/2 off of that! The leaf dish has a nice pattern not visible in this picture, but it is Lilian Vernon China. It was a grand total of .49 cents!

I found this wonderful metal cage cloche at a downtown shop! Isn't it a beauty? It has been painted and is presently on my mantel.

I have a thing with sheep I just love them. This little guy was a whole dollar at the Thrift Store in Lindsborg, Kansas. The little card, picture holder was like a quarter...can't remember.

Did you happen to notice that the items are displayed on my barnwood table?  You can read about it HERE.

Last but definitely not least the boys, my mom and I went to the "park yard sale" as I call it. The campground at our local park has a yard sale 3 times a year and we just love to go. While there I found this chippy vintage mirror for 2.00! Yay! I haven't decided what to do with it. Any ideas?

Thanks for checking out my  thrifty finds!

Back to school post next!

Sarah

Back To School Camping Trip

This past Monday we drove a couple of hours to a campground that we had never been to and camped all week. We had the very last spot at the end. There was a culdesac there with a basketball goal and plenty of room to ride bikes. To the right was a place for fishing! It was peaceful and nice. For those of you who have camped at our local park you know that no traffic is a huge blessing.

So we fished...

And got our line stuck in every tree around =)

And caught some fish!!

And ate some good food!
There is just something about camping and cooking outdoors! The family that camped with us had a smoker, so we all bought ribs and they smoked them. Mmmm!

See Isaiah's thumbs up?

Fresh green beans, squash, zucchini, baked beans, deluxe mashed potatoes etc. Oh, and sweet tea =)

 James caught COOKING!

 And so it rained, but it didn't damper the fun!!

Can you say MUD?
The children had the best time playing in the rain!

So, after they played in the rain we got cleaned up a bit and went to a local town. There they have a huge recreation center.

Inside was everything you can imagine. There was a walking track, fitness center, ping pong tables, arcade, bowling alley etc.

We all bowled and it was a blast! This was the first time our boys had ever been bowling. It was a private little room for just us to enjoy! Our local bowling alley is not family friendly.

The indoor playground was huge!

Oh, and a full size gymnasium! James and Isaiah played basketball for a while!

 Our camp site =)

Camping is so much fun! It is a wonderful way to spend family time! We always hate to leave to go home. Although home is a happy place to be camping is GREAT!

Back home and back to school....

Sarah