Happy Thanksgiving

It's hard to believe it is already Thanksgiving week. And yet the weather has been so winter-like, in some ways it feels more like Christmas around here. We got hit hard with a November snowstorm this past Thursday that paralyzed our area like I have never seen. We are normally used to dealing with storms here in the Northeast, but I think the early storm mixed with lots of ice and also the timing led to a nightmare commute for many of our family and friends. It took Billy over 4 hours to get to work and he was one of the lucky ones. It took some of his co-workers close to 7 hours to drive what normally takes less than an hour. I prefer November to look more like this shot of our kitchen.

I took this picture in the late afternoon light the evening before some photographers came to take pictures of our home for a fall decorating magazine that will be out next year. It felt like fall came and went in such a blur this year. I tried to soak in the foliage as best I could but the leaves changed and fell so quickly this year.

I actually just packed away the pot rack and copper pots to make room for Christmas decor this week and I miss them already. They will definitely be returning in the new year, along with a simple pot rack tutorial that I still haven't managed to put together. A huge apology to those of you who have asked. I haven't forgotten - it's still on the list.

The window seat is always a favorite spot of mine. The "blessed" pillow is a great reminder of the season and what truly matters.

I added some fall touches to our mudroom and it was a fun addition to this space.

And Dax took a moment to pose by the pumpkins out front.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. We will be headed to my brother and sister-in-law's for turkey day. Then it will be time to share some of my Christmas decor that I have been working hard on. Can't wait! See you soon.

Target Dollar Spot Advent Calendar

Hello friends! I have been busy decking our halls for the holidays. In fact, as I write this, we are awaiting our very first snowstorm of the season. So it's been quite easy to get into the Christmas spirit early this year. Before I begin sharing our decor this year, I wanted to share a super easy project I recently completed with items purchased at the Dollar Spot in Target.

I spotted these little hat and mitten ornaments in the Dollar Spot and immediately knew I wanted to try to re-create a similar Advent calendar to one I've had my eye on at Garnet Hill for a few years. As luck would have it, I actually purchased the $$ Garnet Hill version on sale a few weeks back. Even though it was pricey, it had that heirloom quality to it that I look for in Christmas items. But when I saw the items available in the Dollar Spot, I just had to create my own version too. Since I have 3 kids, we need multiple Advent calendars each year anyway.

I was able to purchase all materials needed right at the Dollar Spot. The mittens were 2/$1 and the hats were $1 each. I grabbed a package of numbered stickers and enough wooden clips (they had plenty to choose from) to create 24 pockets for small holiday treats. I already had the red and white gingham ribbon on hand, but they had plenty of ribbon for $1 in this area as well.

I decided to cut out the number stickers and leave them their paper back for durability. Then I simply cut off all the loops to hang the ornaments and clipped both the mitten and # to each hat and mitten. I considered glueing the #'s to the wooden clips but I kept it simple and less sticky and used just the clips.

This would be a simple craft for kids to create too!  I was so excited when I saw how cute it was coming together.

My boys are older so I will be filling these mittens with a mix of some candy and small items like chap stick. If they were younger, I would probably add some small toys, stickers, etc. It's fun to have a little surprise each day no matter your age!

I love this little charming addition to our Christmas decor. I think the Christmas season is a magical time of creating lifelong memories so I am always happy to create something that adds to that spirit.

As you can see, I am decorating this part of my home with lots of red and white - a very colorful and classic cottage-y Christmas.  I'm excited to share more of my decor soon. Have a wonderful weekend!

Our Fall Bedroom

Hello and Happy Weekend! We are expecting lots of rain and wind from a nor'easter here in NJ this weekend which meant huge lines at the grocery store today. Billy's new job has him working alternate weekends and this is his weekend to work. Last weekend, we got to see the last of the foliage in the Adirondacks and Vermont for this year and I will share more of that in my next post. This weekend, my big plans include a bit lot of deep cleaning in our house (ugh!) - in preparation both for the upcoming holidays and also a couple of photo shoots with professional photographers that will be happening soon (yikes!).

I am excited to share some pictures of our fall bedroom today. In the past, I feel like I rushed to put away the fall decor seemingly right as the leaves were turning their prettiest right outside the windows. So this year I am deliberately slowing down and enjoying the seasons as they naturally occur. I have never decorated our bedroom for fall before but I was inspired to do so by the new bedskirt I purchased from Ballard Designs. The small orange accent in the print seemed to beg for some more Autumn accents. I love the combo of mint green with orange for fall.

I recently picked up the "Pumpkins - Farm Fresh" sign that is hanging over the mantel shelf over our bed at our new local Home Sense store. Just what I needed - another TJX store! And this one is located right next to my favorite Trader Joe's so I find myself perusing through HomeSense waaaaayyyy more than I need.

Oh, and I should mention that I made that birch bark pumpkin on the bench when I was at the cabin last weekend. It's simply peeled birch bark that I gathered in the woods and then hot glued to paper mache pumpkins from the craft store. It was a fun little project and I wished I had more than two pumpkins to cover. That will definitely be on the agenda for next fall.

The chandelier over our bed is a new addition to this space. It previously hung in our dining room, then got relegated to storage in our basement when we replaced it with a new one- and now found a new home in our bedroom. My husband sacrificed his beloved ceiling fan for this change so I'm not quite certain if it will be permanent yet.

The window seat in our bedroom is truly one of my favorite spots in our home. I added a few fall pillows here too. I also replaced the caged light that is usually over the window seat with the mason jar "chandelier" full of collected fall items that I made for over our kitchen island a couple of years back.

So tell me, are you still enjoying your fall decor or looking forward to switching over to Christmas? I am definitely planning Christmas in my head, but I am also planning on enjoying these last few weeks leading into Thanksgiving. Because once winter gets here, I know it will seemingly last forever so I am trying not to rush this beautiful time of year.

Fall This & That - A Season of Change

Happy Weekend, friends! There have been lots of changes happening around here and today I thought I would pop on share some updates to our home - and beyond. I have been on the hunt for the perfect farmhouse table for our family for a while now. I think the table that we eat at - do homework at - play at -  is such an import element to any home. I am thrilled to finally have a table that seems to suit our taste for the long haul. Nothing trendy, just classic design.

A Comfy Bedroom Refresh with a New Mattress

For most of us, this time of year is all about getting cozy and spending more time at home. I recently decided that our master bedroom was in need of a bit of a makeover before the true nesting season of fall and winter begins.

We kept things simple and classic and focused on creating the most comfortable bed that we possibly could. Our old mattress was over 10 years old and we were both dealing with some aches and pains in the morning. We had been testing out mattresses everywhere we went and began looking into online options. I think more and more of us turn to online shopping these days for both the convenience and the affordable quality. Still, it can be a bit daunting to make such a large and important purchase online.