♥ It's That Time of Year! ♥

It must not take much to get this country girl excited!  Strolling down one of the main aisles at our Walmart today, I saw a big beautiful display of Glade fall room sprays!  I tell you I think my heart skipped a beat!  I LOVE this stuff!  Last year someone (a blogger) got me hooked on it.  Last fall I was crazy about Maple Pumpkin.  I also liked the Nutcracker Crunch for a cozy winter scent.

This year there were four fall scents......and I picked up two of the four......Toasted Marshmallow & Orchard Apple Cinnamon.  I hate making decisions so I must have looked funny standing there in Walmart, "air testing" them trying to make up my mind which ones I would take home today.  :)  Luke helped me out a little!  His favorite was the Roasted Marshmallow.  :)

But you can bet the next time around in Walmart, I'll be bringing home the next two.....Fall Hayride and Pumpkin Spice!

Fall is my very favorite time of year anyway and there's something so cozy about filling up my home with these aromas!  Isn't it funny how a smell can be cozy?

So now go on and get you one, or two, or three, or four.....but be sure and leave me some!  :)

♥ Catch-Up ♥

Have you ever visited an Amish community? If you haven’t and you get the chance, you should go! We were able to visit an Amish community in Tennessee when we went to my brother’s house for an extended weekend vacation last week. It was a very cool crisp day for the buggy ride through the Amish community. The driver was very informative and stopped at several of the Amish homes for us to visit their shops and purchase wares if we desired.

We watched them make sorghum molasses. We bought delicious peanut brittle that never made it out of the buggy. It was gone before we ever returned to our car! I saw the most adorable little Amish boy in his straw hat that I would have loved to scoop up and hug. I saw a little Amish girl cracking walnuts with her bare feet on her front porch, and eat them. And I had to buy this basket. I have a weakness for baskets in the first place, but this one was made by Amelia, a 12 year Amish girl.

On the bottom of the basket:  Can you see the handwriting -  Made by Amelia age 12

Monday night, we celebrated Jason’s 52nd birthday.

 

And we’re still enjoying the ice cream bar cake. It needs to be gone because it calls to me from the freezer.

 

You don’t get to see Colt (our oldest) very often. I was so glad to have him home for awhile last night, along with Amber. He told Amber he couldn’t believe I only took ONE picture of them. He knows me all too well. :)

***********************************************

For Sandra’s 31 Days of Fall Challenge, here’s another photo by Joy. She’s keeping me stocked, isn’t she? Mums definitely say fall.

*************************************************

And last of all, but definitely not least, I hope you’ll join me tomorrow on the sunporch for a chat with Lois of Walking on Sunshine. I’m pretty sure that Lois and I began blogging the same year. She’s a long time blogging friend and I know you’ll enjoy getting to know her a little more! Come join us!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day! :)

{Sometimes Willing} Little Model

As I mentioned in the last couple of posts, Joy has been very interested in photography and has taken my camera out on mini photo shoots.

Well Luke has been drawn into her little photo shoots. Most of the time, he’s fairly willing, although not always cooperative. I like that she captured all those things in Luke’s personality though through her little photo shoots.

Joy has already posted these on her blog and she gave me permission to share them here on my blog.

Luke, the monkey:

He never fails to pick flowers for me when he goes outside.  :)

Well you can't wear a monkey suit without acting like one, can you?

Luke, the farmer boy:

Luke, the baseball player:

He obviously dressed himself....his shirt is on backwards!  :)

Luke, the annoyed:

And last of all, here’s yet another photo by Joy I'm including for Sandra's 31 days of fall challenge.  Maybe I’ll take my own photo soon…..but she’s doing such a great job and letting me borrow them…….. :)  And this one has fall written all over it…..it's that time when we get to break out the boots…..and these are Joy’s new ones!

To everyone that stopped by today, thank you very much! Have a great day!  I hope you’ll join me tomorrow for Faithful Friday. And soon I’ll take you on a little field trip to my mom’s house to see all the good stuff my carpenter has made for her home!  :)

♥ Tammy ♥

♥ Is She Chinese? ♥

“Is she Chinese?” That’s the question one of the girls in Joy’s Chinese dance class asked their teacher the first night Joy walked into class.  Joy got tickled at the question and asked her with a grin, “Do I look Chinese?” They all got a chuckle out of it and the teacher assured them that it didn’t matter if you were Chinese or not…..anyone could take the class.

We laugh about the fact that 2/3 of my children are Asian and the one that’s not is very interested in the Asian culture. This is Joy’s second year of taking Chinese as a second language class. In addition to that class, this year she is also taking the Chinese dance class. She just loves it. This class will perform at the Chinese New Year festival.

Her fan came from China and it just so happens that in this dance, they are dancing with fans…….just the kind she brought back from China.  It really is a beautiful fan that pops out with the neatest sound and just flows with the dance.



Instantly, Joy made friends with several of the girls…….Kaia, Annie, and Ying Jie. Kaia was adopted as an infant. Annie has Chinese parents but was raised here in the states, and Ying Jie has Chinese parents as well.  Ying Jie is a little shy, but Joy has won her over.  :)

From left  to right.....Ying Jie, Annie, Joy & Kaia

I hope I can video the dance when they perform it so you can see it. It is different from American dance, but it is pretty. You may remember Joy dancing with the ladies in the park in Hohhot, China. If you missed that post, you can see it here.  So taking this Chinese dance class is a very exciting thing for her!

So is she Chinese? Yes, a part of her is and always will be now. After traveling to China, it just becomes a part of you.  :)

*************************************************

 

For Sandra's 31 days of fall challenge, I have another of Joy's pics to share.  She loves photography and got some wonderful photos that shout fall and she gave me permission to share with you.  The many leaves that collect on our sidewalk going up to The Cedar Loft:

 



Thanks for stopping by today!  Have a wonderful day!  :)

♥ Tammy ♥

♥ A Cozy Autumn Day ♥

What a cozy fall autumn morning it was yesterday and on the first day of October too!

I love Luke's reflection in the window.  He's eating his muffin for breakfast.  :)

I love having lamplight in the mornings, especially on days like this. It’s one of the first things I do in the morning….go around turning on the lamps.

We enjoyed left-over pumpkin muffins for breakfast too. Another wonderful thing for a cozy fall morning!

And to top it off, I had these wonderful fall goodies from Holly (of Holly's Hobbies and Darbee's Days) to decorate with. I was the lucky winner of her fall giveaway and these goodies arrived the end of last week. Aren’t they great?  I just love everything, especially those pumpkins!!  Thank you so much, Holly!  :)

My mama kept admiring the angel and she collects them, so I ended up giving it to her!

Yesterday was just the perfect day to do a little more fall decorating with these wonderful goodies! They added more touches of fall throughout my home……

The wax tarts were added here. 

I love those pumpkins here.

I added the wax bowl fillers from Carol in the little bowl with some of the primitive hay from Holly.

I added some of the hay from Holly in this bowl that is usually the centerpiece on the dining room table.  At this particular time the dining room table has computer equipment on it.  :)

Can you see the rusty star garland?  I added it to the leaf garland on the mantle.

I even used the grassy stuff included with the wax tarts under the pumpkin on the scales. 

In addition to that, I won yet another giveaway....Carol (of Firecracker Kid).  I entered it with the intention of passing along those candle sconces to my mom if I won because I knew she would love them. And I won! So as soon as I took this picture, I took them over to mama. :)  Thank you, Carol!  Since she added a couple extra things, I added those to my fall decor!

The little mouse from Carol landed here. And the fall bowl fillers were added to the little bowl (in one of the pictures above) along with some of the “primitive hay” from Holly.

The little mouse snuck up here on Mr. Scarecrow's lap:

Can you see him?

If it keeps up like this, it will soon be sweater and boot weather!

 Oh, and I forgot…..not sure if I’ll keep up with it every day, but Sandra is doing a 31 days of fall challenge. It’s all about posting a picture that says “fall” every day. Actually everything on my post today says fall, but I’m leaving you with one that Joy actually took yesterday. I loved it and asked her if I could share and she graciously agreed. She is really into photography.

Happy Autumn!  :)

♥ Tammy ♥

♥ A Little More Fall ♥

Good morning! It really IS a good morning here. It’s quite cool. Our temperatures have dipped into the 40’s at nights hinting that fall really is almost here! And we had such a beautiful day yesterday with the highs reaching only in the 70’s! Just the kind of weather I love!

Speaking of fall, I wanted to pop in here today to share a few last fall décor pictures. I was waiting on the pumpkins to finally arrive at the market. Well, they did, and now I like my mantle much better!

It’s still simple (and blended with my everyday Americana décor in there), but simple works for me, because I like simple and it fits my budget.

And remember the mason jar fall arrangement I made for Pinned it, Made it Monday? I put it in the hallway bathroom which is the main bathroom in our home (the one used by guests too). It sure brightened up that necessary room and gave it a touch of fall.

Today is promising to be a beautiful day too! I hope you enjoy your day as well! Since it feels like fall here, and fall is only officially a couple of days away, Happy Fall Ya’ll!

♥ Tammy ♥

Pinned it, Made it! Monday ~ Week 9 ~

Hi!  Welcome to the party!  :)  My Pinned it, Made it! Monday project was done while we were in Alabama this weekend.


My inspiration came from my Mason Jar Charm Pinterest board. This was the original pin:

This pin originally came from catchmyparty.com

What's not to love about a mason jar?  I think they're so country and so charming. Everything looks better in a mason jar, right?  :)  Using the above pin for my inspiration,  I wanted mine to have a fall twist and I really did want mine to have  burlap wrapped around it just like shown in this pin but I couldn’t find any this weekend. So, I ended up using a homespun fabric instead with a jute/twine bow wrapped around it.

I started with a quart jar. I went to Hobby Lobby and took advantage of their 40% off fall sale and purchased one small sprig of small fall leaves, one small sprig of fall berries, and a larger sprig with the big sunflower and berries. I put the small sprig of berries inside the jar in the middle and dropped the individual fall leaves that I cut off the other sprig around it inside the jar randomly. Then I placed the big sunflower sprig inside and wedged it inside the berries so it wouldn’t move around. (I also added a piece of tape at the bottom to help it stick and stay in place). Then I cut about a 3” strip of the homespun fabric long enough to wrap around the jar and glued it in place (at the back of the jar). Then I cut a piece of jute/twine and tied a bow. And that’s it! I took me all of about 15 minutes to do it, if that long.  :)

Okay....now it’s your turn! What have you been pinning and making or trying? Won’t you join me for Pinned it, Made it! Monday?

To participate in Pinned it, Made it! Monday, here are the guidelines:

1) Just do a post about what you’ve pinned and made from Pinterest, then come back over here to Country Girl at Home and link that particular post (not your blog in general) on this post below.

2) I don’t mind if you link up more than one post….multiple entries are fine.

3) You must add my Pinned it, Made it! Monday button on your post or sidebar of your blog linking back to Country Girl at Home. You may get this button code on the page at the top of my blog labeled “Buttons”. Just copy and paste the code into your post.

4) Be supportive and visit blog entries. I do ask that you visit at least one and leave a comment there. And don't forget to leave me one here! :) We all love comments, don’t we? It’s encouraging and uplifting!

5) By linking up and participating, you give me permission to use your entry photo if I decide to feature an entry. Be sure and grab the button code from the “buttons” page at the top of my blog and link up at the bottom of this post.

 I love my blogging friends and Pinterest friends!  I invite you to follow me on both!  :)  You can find me on Pinterest from the link on my sidebar.

Thank you for stopping by today!  Have a great week!   :)


♥ Tammy ♥

♥ Simply Autumn ♥

Fall is on its way! We’re beginning to feel it in the air. The evenings are cooler and the sky just looks different.  I couldn’t wait to get out my fall tub of decorations and decorate! And this year, I had a few new decorations thanks to winning Sandi’s fall/birthday giveaway!  :)

Most of my decorations are very simple small touches added here and there for a sprinkle of autumn. And as I put them out, I realized just how many things have come from blogging friends!  That makes them all the more special to me. :)

Come along and I’ll show you around. Some of the photos were taken very early in the morning before the sun came up so they’re a little dark. Others were later after the sun came up.

Are you ready? We’ll begin with the kitchen.

I used a little touch of bittersweet here and there. That’s such a small thing that really says fall. Linda of Parker’s Paradise sent me a big bunch of bittersweet a year or so ago. I saved it in a ziploc bag and it kept very well.

Those blocks in the window sill were made by Mandy.

I love decorating this piece because as you know it’s one of my very favorite pieces of furniture!

I always keep my kitchen centerpiece simple.  The wooden bowl fillers came from Colleen and Dawn. 

Next we’ll go to the dining room.

A lot of the touches in here came from Dollar Tree and Hobby Lobby.

From the dining room looking into the kitchen....

Next we’ll go to the living room. I leave my Americana up year round and just incorporate seasonal decor into it.

Another favorite spot to decorate is the crates beside the fireside chair. See those little blocks at the top? Those were part of the giveaway from Sandi. Aren’t they cute? I just love those.

Here’s a closer look.

Here’s the fireplace hearth.

Here’s the entire fireplace. I’m not particularly satisfied with the mantle. I’d like to add two real pumpkins on each end in place of those birdhouses, but I haven’t been able to get pumpkins yet here. They tell me at the market that they’ll have them in about 3 days.  So I'll be adding those.

I love the lamplight with the fall décor.  Don't you just love the rich colors of fall?  The fall flower arrangement came from Colleen and the pumpkin came from Gina!

And I really love these woolie apples from Trace! 

More pumpkins from Gina.

If only my staircase were complete, I’d show you the entire foyer. That’s where the scarecrow Sandi made is displayed.   It is hanging on the foyer closet doorknob. I’ll spare you the stripped down door frame though.

I haven't done much outside.  I usually keep it just as simple.  I'm waiting on those pumpkins!  Maybe I'll come back and share that on another day.

Fall is most definitely my favorite season because I'm not counting Christmas as a season.  But Christmas is my favorite holiday.  I think I enjoy the fall decor almost as much.  I just love the rich colors of fall!

I hope you enjoyed the tour of my simple autumn decor.  I'm looking forward to touring your homes too to enjoy more fall decor! 

I'd like to invite you to join me for Pinned it Made it Monday.  I hope to have that post ready for linking up by Sunday evening. 

Thank you so much for stopping by!  Have a great weekend!  :)


**Linking this post with Elaine for Sunny Simple Sunday.**