It’s been awhile and a lot has happened in my life.

For those of you who want to catch up with me please feel free to follow me on Facebook to catch up. You can do that at the end of this post by clicking on the green “f” 

I don’t want  my blog to become a place for my grieving. I need a safe place to come and enjoy my passion which is inspiring others in making their homes, lives and themselves the best they can be at this time in their lives 

Hopefully this is okay with all of you faithful readers, if your still out there.  

With that being said are you ready for some Fall inspiration?
 Today I’ll  show you my Fall look in my great room .......

I actually used some neutrals which is unusual for me. The impetus for going neutral was the leopard pillow. That pillow was my jumping off point. From that point I knew my color scheme would be black and whit blue and white and a tan or linen color. 
With that in mind I needed a combiner element which turned out to be the beautiful, heavily embroidered pillow which I found at Homegoods. 

 

 

 

Decisions

 

First I have to thank all of you wonderful readers and friends that have emailed me, messaged, or left comments here on my blog and on Facebook.  You all have reached out with so much love, compassion and heartfelt words, and most of all prayers for my beautiful blue eyed boy Dougie.

We have gone through a lot of hard times since I wrote last on my blog. The most recent was a hospitalization on an emergency basis for an infection. Two days in ICU and 4 more days in the hospital.

This left Dougie in a very weakened condition.So much so that we had to come to terms with how we want to move forward. We have had lots of heartfelt conversations over the last 8 months about life and death. 

We have tried very hard to stay open and honest with each other. We have laughed and we have cried together. Some difficult decisions have had to be decided along the way and recently the inevitable decision had to be made.

As difficult as it sounds it was the only decision that could be made at this point in time. Dougie and me,along with our boys decided that it is time for Hospice.

He is done, he is tired of fighting, and weary. We gave it all we could, and now it is time for us along with our family to have some peace and comfort.

This is a very intimate time for our family and we are praying for peace and love to surround this precious man that so deserves to feel nothing but comfort, peace and love.

He spent his life giving so much to his family and even at this time we are what he thinks of first. He is a selfless, precious child of God.

What has happened and been happening the last 8 months is heartbreaking, but what has BEEN for our whole life together, is beyond wonderful. We have had a life together that is beyond blessed and we are both so grateful for every single second.

So now we get to have some more precious moments and only God knows the appointed time of Dougies departure from my arms and into the arms of Jesus.

 

 

The Most Difficult Post I've Ever Written

Do you have a hard time sharing deeply personal things about yourself, or for asking for help when you really and truly need it? ME TOO!

The other day a Facebook friend from high school asked for prayer for her sick baby granddaughter. I told her I would pray and I followed closely on her progress. When that little one got to go home I was so happy and relieved for her family. 

I remember thinking what a privilege it was to share in their lives at such an intimate time, and to be able to pray for them, actually an honor, a privilege to pray for one of Gods children. I didn't need to know details because my God knew the story from beginning to end. All I needed to know is someone I cared about was asking for prayer.

I'm realizing I need to ask for prayer, even if it feels uncomfortable for me. How can God be glorified if I don't allow people, praying people, to pray for me. 

Now, first you must know that I truly believe in prayer, however that does not mean that I believe whatever I pray for I will get because God's plan goes beyond my wants. He is sovereign, omnipotent and I am required to trust and believe in him no matter what the outcome is. He does promise he will get me THROUGH whatever I am experiencing and will be with me.

I'm becoming more and more aware that sometimes  my privacy issues are not a good thing. This is something I struggle with. How do I share certain things or ask for prayer without letting it all out. 

Right now Dougie and I are going through the most horrific experience in our lives and I am asking for your prayers.

In July of this year my beautiful Dougie was diagnosed with Liver cancer. It is terminal and he will die from this. When?, only God knows.

 I will say this, this horrible, heinous disease is taking my Dougie away from me. My heart is broken beyond belief. I have never felt such pain, a pain in a part of my body that I never knew was there. A part of me that is so deep within it cuts to my core.

Our story has many layers and details, none of which are necessary to share at this time, because God knows our needs, and if you are believer in prayer then you know the fact that we are asking for your sacred, heartfelt prayers is all that needs to be said at this time.

This was such a difficult thing for me to post and I have prayed about the timing of when I would share what has been going on over the last 7 months. I truly feel that today was the day I needed to share and to ask you all for prayers for my beautiful blue eyed boy, Dougie.

                      Isaiah 41:13

For I the LORD your God will hold your right hand, saying to you, Fear not; I will help you.

 

 

CHECKING IN!!

  Hello, remember me!? I'm still around and I will be checking in via the blog once in awhile. Today felt like a good day to reach out! For those that stay in touch with me via Facebook and mail, thank you for caring enough to send me emails and private messages. It sure is nice to think I am being thought of and missed.

perdue.kathy

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Kathy Perdue

Find me on Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/Kathy sue/ or at Poshmark .....https://poshmark.com/closet/fiano

goodlifeofdesign.blogspot.com/2018/08/something-new-for-fall-for-me.html

You can also find me on instagram here....https://www.instagram.com/perdue.kathy/ if you are so inclined.

It is that time of year when I start purging my closet, planting flowers for the upcoming holidays, start browsing for Christmas gifts, and ideas and making my own plans for how I want to decorate our Holiday home.

Our weather here in California is still warm during the days but cool mornings and evenings. Still warm enough for just a cardigan or light weight sweatshirt to keep warm. I love this time of year. I purged my closet and put away most of my summer clothes, but have to admit I am sitting here in flip flops and could have on shorts and be pretty comfy.

I have fun revisiting my closet and cashmere sweaters. It's like meeting up with an old friend each year.

We have out a few white pumpkins and of course Mums on our porch. I've switched out my great room pillows to their fall look and the mantel has some cute little white pumpkins lined up in a row.

Yesterday I planted the cyclamen and ornamental cabbage out back, soon I will be planting them in the front too. 

We are enjoying our walks around the neighborhood and it was fun seeing the grapes and the harvest. The grapevines are turning beautiful colors of golds to reds.

This time of year always gets my mind spinning in different directions, but trust me I don't rush. I am more of a planner, enjoy the process kind of gal. I hope you all are enjoying your fall and pre-holiday time too. 

 

 

How To NOT OVER DECORATE For Fall!!

 

    Keep It Simple, Keep it Natural

GOAL:

To add texture and warmth with the additions of a fewAutumn touches.

There are copious amounts of Fall home tours going around blog land right now and it is a great way to get ideas and inspiration that you might apply to your own home.

I have seen the:

THE GOOD 

THE NOT SO GOOD

&

WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD THEY DO THAT? 

 There is nothing worse than when a home's decor looks as if it should have price tags on everything. Also remember not everything requires a bow!!

Of course it is all subjective, and I am a self-proclaimed a less is more, big is better kind of gal when it comes to decor. 

If you are a more is more kind of gal, please don't take offense to my methods, it is just what works for me and what I'd like to share with you today.

 My perspective comes from let's keep it simple and natural as possible.

Seasonal decorating can be tricky because it is so easy to get carried away. 

We have so many offerings out there, and social media and the internet has opened up so many opportunities in the decorating world.

The very first thing you need to do is to remove all the accessories in your room so you have a clean slate. 

Then slowly move the larger additions you would like to add, and create your layers, always keeping in mind less is more, and you don't have to have everything you own out all at once. 

I have a few guidelines that I use when doing seasonal decorating.

1. Keep it simple
2. Use natural elements whenever possible
3. Choose 3 different areas in your home to decorate.
4. Just like on the stage, there should only be one star in a room 
5. Repeat elements to give continuity to your home, I like to use 2- 3 main elements in my Fall decor.

KEEPING IT SIMPLE 

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My home

USE NATURAL ELEMENTS

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CHOOSE THREE DIFFERENT AREAS TO DECORATE

ENTRY:

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MANTEL

I am going to show you a little contrast here. The first mantel is what I would call simple, natural and tasteful Fall decor. The second mantel is in the, "Let's put a price tag on this stuff and sell it!"

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The Don't Do This!!

You will notice the only thing natural in this arrangement are the candles. They could have saved themselves so much money and work by doing something simple and natural.

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 If you need a little help in doing your mantel I have a step by step blog post that can help you out. 

Read it HERE!

THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE STAR IN THE ROOM

What I mean by this is if you have a dining room attached to your kitchen decide where you will put the Fall decor, the table , island or counters. If you have Fall decor everywhere, the eye will be bouncing around the room and not be able to relax and enjoy the view.

The same for your living room or Great room. If you want the mantel to be the focal point then you should keep the coffee table and end tables very simple.

Remember to always enter your room and stand back to see if the eye flows seamlessly or if you have moments of jumping around from one area to another. Your home should have a flow and continuity.

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Of course these are all just guidelines and methods that I have found that work for me over the years.  

Nothing in design is ever in cement or an absolute.

Use your own discretion and keep in mind at all times the look and feel you want your home to have. 

Keep in mind........

You will have to put away ALL the stuff you put out in order to do your Christmas decorating. Ho-Hum sigh!! That just might be what puts a limit on the more is more look!!