Fall - A New Season - A New Decorating Scheme
by Bonnie P Carrier
What exactly is fall? Being my favorite season, I decided to look it up and see how Mr. Webster defines it. Flipping to “fall” I found “autumn”, ok turning to that here is what it says, “autumn, the season that comes between summer and winter”. Well, that’s pretty cut and dry and I think most of us already know that, so here is my interpretation.
“Autumn; cool days leading into brisk nights. Fresh picked apples, leaves ablaze with color, pumpkins, gourds, Halloween, Thanksgiving and a brand new opportunity to decorate your home”.
I’m not sure about you, but one of the reasons I love the fall is that with the cooler temperatures, I seem to have a renewed energy level. Daily activities are suddenly not such an effort. Think about the things you can do with this newfound energy. Giving your home a good cleaning - after all who wants to do that when it’s 90° and the humidity level is so high it feels like it could rain inside your home - sorting through and discarding unwanted items in closets, drawers and cupboards. Admiring mother natures magnificent color show while taking walks with the family or a favorite four-legged fur baby.
As mentioned above, this is also an opportunity for change in your homes décor. Now I’m not talking about a complete redo, just adding accessories that are fall related is all that’s needed.
Changing your window treatments from light summery fabrics and colors to something with a heavier texture and darker color is one quick way to warm up a room for fall.
Add some warm throws over the back or arms of the furniture, change out the accent pillows to something with a fall print or warmer colors, even just one or two pillows can make a difference.
Swap out summer flower arrangements for new ones that have a fall theme. Take a walk around your yard or in a neighborhood park or state forest and look for things to use, like unusual shaped twigs, pinecones, acorns and seedpods. Mixing these with store bought silk mums, preserved leaves or cat -o-nine tails in any type of container you may have will give a fall look to any surface.
Hang a grapevine wreath adorned with colorful mums on your door, or how about using the wreath as a centerpiece. Lay it in the middle of any table and place a ceramic or even real pumpkin in the middle.
Speaking of pumpkins, purchase a few - real or not - and spread them around your home both inside and out. Combine them with colorful gourds, apples, silk mums, leaves or berry vines in bowls or baskets for a festive look.
Take a look around local discount and craft stores for artificial fruit. The advantage to these is once this season has passed they can be packed away until needed again next year, so this makes for a very economical and savvy investment.
Scent is another indication of the fall season. Candles and potpourri in fall fragrances like pumpkin; spiced apple or cider will make walking into your home a wonderful experience. Below are a couple of favorites of mine.
Potpourri - “Natures Own Potpourri”, located in Tennessee, I have used many different brands and this is by far the best. Some of my favorite scents are: Apple Tree, American Harvest & Country Retreat.
Candles – Village Candle Factory Store, located in Topsham Maine. I’ve been burning candles for many years and these are my absolute favorite. As for the smell, well all I can say is yummmmm. Favorite scents consist of: Crisp Apple, Spiced Pumpkin, Mulled Cider & Gingerbread.
How ever you decide to celebrate and decorate for fall, stay warm, get comfortable and settle in while you wait for the next season to visit.
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About The Author
Bonnie P. Carrier is the creator of Savvy Home Decorating. She is the mother to two grown daughters and a very spoiled 4yr old Blue Merle Sheltie named Toby. Having been a homemaker for over 23yrs has provided years of experience in budget decorating and organization. Stop by Savvy Home Decorating - www.savvy-home-decorating.com - for ideas and tips on budget decorating:
bonnie@savvy-home-decorating.com
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A Dash of Cinnamon, A Pinch of the Past, A Smidgen of the Future
by Kristin Johnson
Close your eyes and remember December, the smell of cinnamon in your mother's or grandmother's kitchen and the warm scent of dough baking in the oven. Imagine opening the oven door and, with assistance, taking out the heated cookie sheet. Devour the cookies, small works of art, with your eyes: Fudge Brownies, Gingerbread, Nut Rolls, Painted Cookies, Sugar Cookies... With each bite, taste your childhood and family history. You can trace your blood and traditions not by DNA, genealogies and family heirlooms, but by recipes given from one generation to the next, like oral histories handed down in clans before recorded fact caught on.
Scholars once sniffed at "women's lore," but the notations of "1 dash nutmeg" and "1 cup chopped nuts," when han 
A Dash of Cinnamon, A Pinch of the Past, A Smidgen of the Future
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Growing Pains
by David Leonhardt
Growing up is never easy. Just ask Little Lady, almost three-and-a-half, how hard it is. She’ll tell you. “It’s really, really hard. Half way through the day, my parents are a complete wreck.”
She’s right. Sometimes the tension in here gets so thick you could almost slice it with a turbo-jet, 9,000 horsepower chainsaw. Almost.
Like the other day when we were leading Little Lady upstairs to go to bed. She decided that the stairs were the perfect place to spring a surprise “balance” exam. So she pushed me to see if I would fall down the stairs, and maybe even knock my wife down along the way.
“Hey! Don’t push me down the stairs.”
Obviously, I was missing the point of the surprise exam. She pushed again.
“Don’t do that Growing Pains
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Developing Community Activities
by Debbie Long
The basic goal to promoting and maintaining a healthy, safe community is co-operation. People that you already know are likely to co-operate with you. You need to develop positive, respectful relations among members of your community by organizing social, recreational or outreach events that will provide opportunities for people to get to know each other and build respectful relationships.
Each of these types of events can be a one time event celebrating an occasion or to raise money for a specific purpose, or on-going events such as weekly family at the movie nights, teen drop-in, company anniversaries, etc…
With each event you develop you will find that it is impossible to gear your activities to meet the needs of all the members of the co Developing Community Activities
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Creating a Kids Theme Party
by Patricia B. Jensen
The easiest way to plan a great kids party is to start with a theme into which all the different party elements fit perfectly. Your most important input in deciding on the party theme should come from the party child.
Consider his or her interests and favorite things, such as sports, hobbies, cartoon characters, TV shows, books, animals, and so on. Kids love to be involved in the party planning - the anticipation is part of the fun!
Next, consider each of the party elements in relation to your chosen theme. These elements include invitations, decorations, cake, costumes, games, food, and favors. You don't have to use all of the elements, but once you get brainstorming you'll probably want to!
INVITATIONS:
Invitations can Creating a Kids Theme Party
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