Fall Tidings

It may still be humid and we may have just had temperatures in the 90s, but when my calendar flips to September, my heart always turns to autumn. Perhaps my mother, a lover of all things fall and a terrific decorator, instilled it in my blood. I must decorate! Here's  a small taste of what is making my house feel a little more "homey" these days! I won't overwhelm you with every trinket or bob---I'll save that for Christmas. You ain't seen nothin' yet! 

First Fall crafting project: This pumpkin wreath made from decorator wire mesh! I was going to hang it on my front door, but it was too pretty not to enjoy inside. 

 I found the instructions for this project at Fleur de lis and Football

All the materials came from Hobby Lobby and it probably took me around 2 hours to complete. However, it would have gone faster if my orange mesh had been in the 4 inch rolls instead of a giant roll that had to be cut into sections!

 Tea rose from our flower garden 

 What better place for a rose, than a Spring Blossoms tea cup! 

 My mama took me shopping and bought me one of these cool lanterns! I decided to fill it up with fall leaves and pine cones. For Christmas, I'll empty it and do some ornaments or sparkly stuff (I'm a big fan of sparkle!). 

 Fall Pyrex on display--some Early American, Golden Butterfly, and Autumn Wheat. I also have a couple of milk glass vases that I love to fill with seasonal flowers. 

 Other Fall Pyrex shelf (plus lots of Pre-school projects stuffed on the right!)-- Compass promotional and a Butterfly Gold oval casserole. 

 Cute, tiny kitchen ready for Autumn! And, yes, we do have children--note the magnetic filled door and the stuffed organizer! 

 My mom, who is a sewing whiz, whipped up a new table runner for me! 

 Mama also got crafty and made me a new purse for the season! Yes, I am trying to learn how to sew from her. No, I am not nearly as good! I did help by picking out the pattern and materials! Ha ha! 

 Some lemon basil camping out in a blue fridgie--just waiting for dinner time! 

 Yes, I have mums out already! 

 Season's greeting on the front porch

 Mama's helper breaking beans

Harvest time for some heirloom Missouri Pole beans and Old Gentleman cucumbers

Happy Harvest, everyone! 

Mini Garden/Plant Stand Finished!

Finished painting my plant stand! It took two cans of spray paint. I was very thankful the metal didn't require any sanding or prepping! Hopefully, next summer this will be a mini herb garden on our deck. Until then, I may have to fill the pots with some mums this Fall. I love the aqua color! It's so cheerful and bright! 

Heirloom Gardening...

We have two large raised gardening beds in our backyard this year (four if you count the strawberry bed and the other waiting for fall crops) planted in entirely heirloom seeds from the lovely Baker Seed Company here in Missouri (www.rareseeds.com). If you haven't heard of Baker Seeds, definitely go check them out and order one of their catalogs for the Spring. The photography is gorgeous and will certainly cheer you on those dreary winter days! Be sure to order in the Fall, as the limit of free catalogs quickly gets taken.

 Lovely heirloom Sunflower

 This is a purple heirloom tomato that is on the brink of being ripe. The flesh is actually a deep red/purple color with lots of flavor! 

 I believe this corn is called Country Gentleman. 

 Yellow Squash 

 Okra anyone? 

These are some Missouri Pole Beans growing on our green bean teepee. Kurt fashioned this fun structure using some PVC piping, string, and some nuts and blots (and a drill, of course!).  I absolutely love this idea, as our girls can go inside and play. We may have to do a larger one in the future! 

This summer Kurt perfected our raised gardening beds--creating them out of cedar with removable sides so we can get in to weed and harvest while keeping the critters out. I'll post some photos of his design soon. He's received lots of compliments, so I think they are worthy of being emulated! 

I'll also keep you up-to-date on our harvest and post photos of our seeds and names incase you want to try them for yourself! It's been a very hot and dry summer here in Missouri, so we are watering with soaker hoses and trying harder than we ever have to keep our garden alive! Hopefully, we still get a pretty nice harvest this year. The squash and tomatoes have already been pretty tasty!