Bringing In A Touch Of Fall!

Fall is in the air or at least it feels like Fall first thing in the mornings with the crisp air. As the day goes along and we get temps in the 80’s it actually feels more like Spring.

I am starting to see a little evidence of the Fall season in some of the surrounding trees. Their leaves are starting to change and fall to the ground.

In spite of the weather I am trying to get in the mood for Fall by adding a few touches here and there around my home.

I added a jade colored pumpkin in my living room.

A special vase with a Fall bouquet is added to the entry table. Next to it I have a crystal bowl filled with amber by Cote Bastide. It has a wonderful warm fragrance that is a soft fragrance, just enough for guest to ask,”What smells so good in your house?”

Here is a  close-up of the vase. It has a wonderful relief of shadows of trees that look very Fallish to me.

I always plant ornamental Kale in my front yard right by the porch. I use touches of darker pinks and purples to bring out the color in the Kale. Kale just says, “Fall!” to me.

A few white pumpkins are added next to the sweet potato vine that has taken over the black pot it is planted in.

This year I added a sparkly letter,”P” to my white pumpkin. A friend of mine did this to her white pumpkin and I loved the idea so much I did one also. It is really more sparkly in person than it shows in this image. You know me I must have a letter,”P” in just about every room in my home!!

Right by the door I added different colors and sizes of pumpkins. As you will notice there is no orange pumpkins at Kathysue’s home!! I just find that these colors seem to work best for me with the colors in my home.

Another touch of Fall with the addition of ornamental Kale.

As you can see I have started adding a touch of Fall here and there. Next it will be time to make a few more changes inside.

I like to bring in warmth by adding elements such as

• Cutting boards
• Baskets
• Black lampshades
• More votive candles
• Pictures with a touch of black
• Warm throws

What are some of the Fall touches you add to your home?

What ever you do to bring in touches of Fall, remember to:

“Enjoy the Process!”

Kathysue

What I Was Doing This Time Last Year

Another year has come and gone! My how time flies when you are having fun, or in this case when you are getting older.

This time last year I was in Egypt!! I am so thankful that we had the experience of visiting this amazing destination, because now, a visit there would be impossible due to what is going on in our world at this time.

Here is the post that I wrote a year ago today............

As some of you know I have been on a three week vacation to Rome and on a Mediterranean cruise.

 Hubby and I went with two other couples that are long time family friends. While we were on this trip I celebrated my 60th Birthday. Here are just a few pictures of what I did on my 60th.

It all started the night before where Hubby surprised me with a Birthday dinner in the beautiful Murano restaurant on board ship. The dinner was amazing and the company was the best!

I am the Birthday girl sitting at the table with the love of my life.

A special Birthday cake. Yum chocolate, my favorite!!

The waiters singing Happy Birthday with all kinds of accents and notes!!!

The next day off to Egypt to see the pyramids!! My son wrote this Happy Birthday note to me……..

I wanted to wish Mom a Happy Birthday! Not sure I'm comfortable with the symmetry of being born on Friday the 13th and visiting the Pyramids, a place renowned for ancient curses and all other manner of spooky stuff on the same day, but to each his...her own. ;) Hope you enjoyed your day and I'll see you guys when you get back. Love you!

That is right I was born on Friday the 13th 60 years ago!!! Love his sense of humor.

It was a bit windy but warm and lots of dust in the air. The little numbers on our shirt are our bus numbers. Trust me there were a LOT of buses there!!!

This picture not only shows the line-up of buses but the two largest pyramids and the Sphinx. It was truly amazing to be there in person.

A close-up of the largest pyramid. Our tour guide told us the pyramid weighs over 11,000 tons. Amazing!

This is a great shot of the individual stones and how they stair step upward.

Full length of the Sphinx.

I had to take a picture of this image.  Yes, even in Egypt they have one of these……….

Then we sailed off into the sunset……….

………Tired and full of awe. This is a Birthday that this girl will never forget!!

Kathysue

My Backyard Blues

When it comes to the combination of blue and white you can count me,”IN!” I find it to be a classic look that will stand the test of time.

I chose this combination for my backyard to give it a cool feeling for the hot summer days we can experience here in California.

I also painted the back of my home a different color than the front!! Yes!! you heard right. The front of my home is yellow which is a warm and welcoming color, but I needed a cool look for the back so I chose a soft sage green for the back. You can not see the back of the house from any angle other than when you are back there so that is how I can get away with a two-toned house.

I took these pictures just when the sun was going down. The candles were lit and ready for dinner on the patio……….

The two black lanterns hold candles. You can’t see the light until it is totally dark. I purchased these years ago specifically to hang on my cobalt blue shutters.

The white monogrammed pillow is from Ballard designs. You know me, I have to have a touch of black and white and a letter,”P.” in just about every room in my home.

This is where we eat breakfast and also have dinner on the nights that are still warm.

This is the very first table that hubby and I ever purchased in 1970. It use to be white and it was our kitchen dinette table for years.

Even as a nineteen year old I knew it would be a good investment piece. Once it was no longer our kitchen table we could use it on our patio.

One thing I did not realize back then was…… Out of site out of mind. It set in my garage for 30 some-odd years, and just this year got it’s new coat of paint.

It was so fun sitting together at this table for the first time in years. I told hubby,”This is where it all began!! 41 years ago.

You can see our chimnea in this picture. We put a log in it when it is completely dark. My kiddos love to sit out here and make smores in the summer months.

Sometimes even when it is a bit cold we will snuggle up in blankets here. The small wrought iron piece at the bottom is an antique fire screen. I bought it years ago and it just snuggled in perfectly with the chimnea.

In our area of California the summer months can get quite hot so a pool almost becomes a necessity. We had this pool installed over thirty years ago and I have never regretted it.

My boys and their friends spent a lot of fun times out here. Now our grand kids enjoy slipping down the slide when they visit in the summer months.

The white piece in the center is a fountain. I love to look at it, it reminds me of Disney land when it is turned up on high! I am a big kid at heart!

I have to mention the great wall , that is what we call our fence, because it is pretty big.

My middle son built this for us two summer’s ago. We did not have the last two panels finished until this year. He helped me with the design and built all of it but the last two panels. He helped make a dream come true for me.

He also installed the large black lanterns which he said reminded him of, “The Pirates of the Caribbean!” at Disneyland. He is right, when it is dark it is just a lantern glow. He and hubby rewired them for low voltage lights in order to get a candle glow effect. I love ambient lighting.

The sun is starting to go down and the candle light begins to show up more. This is looking at my yard from the very back side.

As you walk back you turn the corner and we have another small patio where hubby barbecues/grills and we can sit back there and visit. The men usually go back there and talk about , you guessed it, SPORTS!

It is getting a bit dark now so I had to use a No-No, Flash!!! This is another favorite area of mine. That is little Jimmy holding a rock over looking a water feature. It is a small bubbler sitting among the ferns. It is a sweet little surprise making a wonderful bubbling sound, very peaceful. Above this area is my window box……..

It is getting dark so it is time to sit down and enjoy the candle light!!

So now you know where Kathysue’s family and friends sit and visit!! I hope you have enjoyed your stroll through out my backyard……

“Enjoy the Process!” Of:

Making special areas in your home to sit and relax!

Kathysue