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It’s Been Such a Fun Week!
Birthday week for me!
Maybe we can stretch it to birthday month?
The Hubs started with dinner at a favorite restaurant when
14 of our close friends came streaming in to join us.
We closed the place down with lots of chatter and laughter!!!
Then our youngest son turned a layover in KC into a great 3-day visit.
The gals who know me so well,
organized an evening at one home making candles.
We finished out the week last night with our oldest son taking
five of us out to dinner in the City Market
a short walk from their new apartment
full of chatter and laughter with three of our kids!!!
The only sad part will be this afternoon when we have to put the
youngest son on a plane heading home to LA.
But I’ll be out to see him in LA in October
and I’m already looking forward to us all being together
over the holidays in DC.
On the Blog
Homemade Marshmallows
Warning: These will ruin Jet Puff’s for you!
Who knew you can make marshmallows? And who you could add any flavor you can dream up.
Because they have no preservatives, they roast in seconds!
FREE FALL TABLESCAPE
A great fall table doesn’t have to be expensive, or crazy time consuming.
With a bit of prep, I set this table in minutes for a sunrise brunch.
I share all the details in this post.
The links in this post may include affiliate links, which means if you purchase anything using these links, you pay no extra, but I may receive a small commission that helps keep this blog running. I truly appreciate you using affiliate links whenever possible. Please know that I will never recommend a product I do not believe in!
Are you too trying to break the automatic default-to-Amazon habit?
I choose to shop local or small business first. using Amazon as a last resort.
So let me share my TIPS for Lowe’s:
- Join Lowes.com (FREE) membership for free delivery options and reward $
- Specify pickup or same day delivery (free for “reg” supplies)
- Order online from home (just like Amazon)
- Large item delivery — we had 4×8 plywood and long 2×4’s delivered in DC for $35.
This is how I put this shopping strategy to work:
We are hosting a backyard, Around the Fire Pit gathering. A Meet & Greet for a friend who is running for office.
Yes, in the height of mosquito weather we are inviting a large number of people to our yard and patio. I really don’t want them to be the buffet.
So here are some of the measures I’m taking.
Pest Control Purchased From Lowes
From Lowe’s, I ordered mosquito dunks (exact same price as Amazon).
I wanted black buckets so they would recede into the plantings, but 5 gallon black buckets were ridiculously expensive everywhere!
But these 3 gallon buckets are even better and a whole lot cheaper! Still enough water surface to do the trick!
And I added these stealth fly trap bags.
All delivered same day for free, even quicker than Amazon!
Love that my purchases help pay local salaries and keep our neighborhood businesses alive.
Next I Ordered From Amazon
I gave in and ordered these fly fans from Amazon. I discovered these at outdoor restaurants in the south. They work great.
I’m using them on our s’mores bar.
Also from Amazon, I ordered Ben’s “bug wipes” for those guests who need a bit more.
I use these for any occasion when I’m going to be in grass or a park setting. Yep, I’m one of those that bugs seek out.
And these work for me!
For the S’Mores Bar
To have a s’mores bar you have to have fire pits.
For me, Solo Stoves are the only way to go! No more constantly dodging the blowing smoke.
Now I can sit and truly enjoy the fire with Solo Stoves (from Amazon for the best price, or from Lowe’s for local purchasing). If your budget allows, go bigger and even add a new ring table.
And for marshmallows themselves, these are great roasting sticks (all from Etsy): telescoping with bright handles to help locate them when cleaning up in the dark (hmmm, yes, experience talking here). And light weight for the kiddos.
Or for the avid golfer, these are brilliantly clever. Again telescoping 2-prong forks.
Now Let’s See What the Other Gals Found For Us
Anna – Sky Lark House
Switching up your home decor to reflect autumn is one of the simplest and most enjoyable ways to usher in the change of seasons. There are a wide variety of simple and affordable changes you can incorporate in your home. One of my favorite ways to welcome fall is to change the white ironstone dishes in the step-back cupboard for brown transferware dishes. While I collect brown transferware year-round, it’s always fun to display it en masse in the fall.
With that in mind, I scoured Etsy to find some affordable and charming pieces of brown transferware you can incorporate into your own home.
Below are some of my favorite brown transferware pieces I found on Etsy.
- This set of brown transferware napkin rings is stunning and a rare find.
- This platter or this platter would look amazing on a wall.
- I love that the pattern covers the interior and exterior of this bowl.
- Finally, these plates, and these plates along with this platter would look beautiful mixed and matched together for a table setting.
Lora – Lora Bloomquist
- I’m slowly bringing out the Fall decor and styling different places in our home. The last couple of years I’ve been collecting old cleaning brushes as in interesting filler. I love filling vessels with them in the Fall; the texture is so rustic, and they can be a subtle nod to Halloween. Find vintage brushes HERE.
- Fall means the start of regularly scheduled programming and looking a little more “put together”. I enjoy pulling out these dangly wood cut leaf earrings. I have them in classic brown and black, but would love to add some fall colors to my collection. Find similar styles HERE.
- Last weekend I spent hours cleaning this vintage industrial organizer to get in my booth this week. I ran out of my usual cleaner (HERE), so Mr. Fix-it handed me THIS. Wow, it cut the grease so quickly & easily. Definitely adding this to my must have cleaners for the greasy garage junk.
- I recently revived an old wood curved glass curio for Happy Girl. THIS product had it looking fresh and beautiful with a simple wiping down. It comes in different wood colors. I just used a darker version (Mahogany), even though it wasn’t the same kind of wood. The neutral color can be used on any type of wood to revitalize it instantly.
- The warmer temps usually hang around a while longer and I can’t stand being hot. THESE linen overalls transition to a Fall look without being heavy. I’ve got them in black and green; so easy with a simple short sleeve or 3/4 inch T shirt. They run generous.
- Growing up, every Fall my mom would say, “plaid is in this year”. It just feels so back-to-school to me;) I’ve loved bringing out THESE orange plaid ruffly pillow covers to kick off the summer to fall season. I also seem to bring home some type of new pumpkins each year. This year, I scooped up several small terra cotta versions HERE. They are so cute; I may need to get a couple of the jack o lantern versions, too. Think I have a pumpkin weakness that starts in September;)
We missed having Cindy and Lynn with us this month, but they’ll be back next month!
That’s it for my week! Hope yours was wonderful and you enjoy this beautiful but hot weekend.
