Mudroom

    Okay, so right now in our little rental house we don't have a mudroom. But, soon, very soon, we will have one. Here's what I just did with the boys' backbacks...

   I found the iron initial hooks on sale for $7.50 at Hobby Lobby. I also have one for my husband and myself, but there's no room for them right now. The frames were $6 at Wal-mart.  Right up the road from us are a James St. and Henry St.  There is also one nearby with my maiden name, and there's a town not far from here called my husband's last name.  I printed them out at home on card stock so they wouldn't be too shiny, which only cost me a few pennies each.

  So, that's about $14.00 each for a cute (in my opinion) place to hang things in our soon-to-be mudroom.

Cute

Really, he is just cute. 

    Tonight was Boy 2's first pack meeting as a cub scout...he's a tiger!  He was so proud of his uniform. Look at him posing!  Where did he learn that?   I told him to go stand outside so I could take his picture, and when I got there, this is what he was doing.



   When I told him I wanted a picture of his neckerchief from the back,  this is how he posed...

   Boy 1 left so fast with Mr. Perfect, that couldn't get a picture of him. Maybe next time...


   You all have a super weekend.

On My Mind

    Well, there's no getting around it:  I'm super ready for fall.  My brain has been tuned to the fall foods station for several days now.

    Back when we lived near Sam's Club, I kept a good stock of this pumpkin spice bread mix. They only sell it in the fall, so I bought several boxes and enjoyed them throughout the winter.  It's even better if you add a few extra chopped, toasted pecans to the mix.

    Hot or cold, it doesn't matter to me, I just love apple cider. One of my fav things to do in the fall is simmer apple juice on the stove with some of Williams-Sonoma's Mulling Spices. Again, when I lived near W-S, I bought a couple of these after Christmas when they were on sale, and pulled them out in the fall once cool weather hit.  I know apple juice and apple cider are not the same thing, but my boys don't like all those yummy pieces of apple that sneak into the cider.  So, I go with the juice.

    Soup is great, but I really only want it in the fall and winter when it's cold. One of my favorites is French Onion Soup, which I do know how to make from scratch. It takes a while, but it's so worth it.

   I know I already mentioned apple cider, but really, apple anything is great this time of year. Here's a batch we picked at an orchard last fall. There are no orchards around here, so we'll have to remember to plan a trip next year.

    I'm already wondering how many Thanksgiving lunches and dinners there will be before the actual Big Day. Between work, school, church and family, I'm sure it will be several. Who's complaining?

   What's your favorite fall food?

   I hope you all have a super day and a glorious weekend.

Kitchen Designing & a Giveaway

   I just finished shopping for kitchen cabinets. It was much easier this time than a few months ago. Why? Probably because I didn't have to do all the research again. But more likely, because I don't care that much anymore - I JUST WANT TO BUILD THE HOUSE!

   I'm thinking of going with either a red, white and brown theme OR a red, white and black theme. The red would just be in the accents, and the white is more of a linen.
This is the finish for the cabinets along the walls:   

This is the finish for the island cabinets:  or 


    I was leaning toward the black. Maybe it's the Dawg in me... However, the fabrics I'm drawn to would look better with the chocolate.  Here are a few that I'm thinking about for curtains, chandelier shades and cushions, etc.

  

   I was planning to go with neutral colors in the dining room so that I can do more seasonal decorating in there than was able to do before. So, keeping the kitchen a little more neutral than in the past would also be a good idea, I think. In our last house, I had a different color on every wall, so this is a new concept to me.  

How would this look over the breakfast table with some cute shades, Mom?

     On another note, there is a great giveaway at  How I Met Your Father that you should check out if you are at all interested in True Prep. The prize is an autographed copy of the book. Hurry, it ends this Thursday. 

The Real Squeal

   Well, it's bar-be-que time down here in So Georgia! This weekend is the Real Squeal. Cute name, right? I am boycotting it. Not because I don't like bar-be-que, but because I'm still trying to lose weight. However, Mr. Perfect went, and I told him to bring some home to me. I figure that's safe since it will only be a limited supply instead of the infinitely tempting one at the park.

    Today, I will be trading out my summer and fall clothes. I'm looking forward (but a little afraid) to see if the clothes I haven't worn for seven months will fit any better than they did before.

    On another note, at our little school, each Friday for the six weeks leading up to the Fall Festival is called Sweets Day. A different elementary grade is in charge of it each week. Families bring in candy, cookies, cupcakes, soda, crispy treats and any other sweet imaginable to sell as a fundraiser. The kids could also pay a dollar and have their hair painted. At the Fall Festival, the grade that raised the most money wins.  It was also Cheerleader Hush Day, so after school the ones that couldn't keep their mouths shut all day long got pied in the face. Let's just say that by game time last night, every kid there was completely crazy! At halftime they went out on the field and ran around like a bunch of possessed feral pigs (BBQ reference :-)) I wouldn't approve of such sugar consumption normally, but every once in a while won't hurt. Plus, it was SO funny.

Image via Wikipedia

Here are Boy 1 and Boy 2

   BTW, our guys won the game!  Also, I actually was a little cold by the end of the game. I'm not complaining - it was actual football weather - finally!
 
   I hope you all have a super weekend. We don't have to go back to school until next Wednesday!