I guess laundry and beautiful, organized laundry rooms have been on my brain lately.  Probably because I've been doing a lot of laundry lately (who am I kidding...I'm always doing a lot of laundry!) and my laundry room is a mess.

The other day I posted about fabulous laundry rooms that had me swooning and today I ran across this 14-week organizational challenge over at A Bowl Full of Lemons.


This week she's talking about laundry rooms. 

Have you seen the new HGTV show "Flea Market Flip?" 

(I'd love to show you a picture of the show's logo or something right here but HGTV doesn't seem to be promoting this show much on their site.  Weird!)

I saw it for the very first time last night.  But, when I went to HGTV.com to learn more about it, I read that it's been airing since April?  But, then I looked at Lara Spencer's Twitter page and it looks like last night was the premier?  Don't know!  But, I'm telling you I love this show!

Lara Spencer is the creator and executive producer of the show.  She is also the host. 

If you've been browsing my blog this week you'll probably notice that my look keeps changing.   I'm trying to "primp" my space on the web. 



It feels very much like re-decorating.  I move stuff around, adjust, start over, live with it for a day or two, change some more.  At some point I'll settle on a look.  Until then, I hope I don't confuse everyone too much. :) 

If I could do this on a test site I would but I'm just not that technical.  I'm learning as I go.

I think I'm getting there, but don't be surprised if I change it again.  I tend to be like that when it comes to decorating.  Love it one minute, ready to change the next!

No wonder I drive my husband crazy at times!  The man is a saint.

You don't have to spend a fortune or a lot of time decorating your house for fall.  You can add just a few touches for little or next to nothing. 

Today, I'm going to talk about easy, simple, cost-effective ways I like to get my home feeling like  fall.


We've all pinned images like the one above.  Gorgeous, isn't it?

I'm finally finished with all of my fall decorating and I can't wait to show it to you! 




Today I'm showing you my fall mantle.  I used a lot of what I already had but made a few new things too.  Later in the week I'll show you how I made my new stuff and I'll have a giveaway!  Please come back and check in later this week!

Since becoming a stay-at-home mom over 10 years ago Mondays never seemed so bad.  They were a day like any other, really.  An occassional grumble, perhaps, when school started but nothing too bad. 

Until now.


Trying to wake a certain someone (who shall remain nameless), who is now in Intermediate school and has to wake up almost an hour earlier than last year has become -- shall we say -- painful.

Today, while I'm doing laundry I'm dreaming about beautiful laundry rooms. 

I may or may not ever live in a house with a laundry room like these, but it doesn't hurt to dream, does it?

All I can say is, "wow!"

(all photos from Houzz.com)

Ever since I read about Miss Mustard Seed's new Milk Paint I have been dying to try it.  I have never used milk paint before - until this week!

I bought a box of MMS Milk Paint in Tricycle Red and gave it a test drive by painting a piece of furniture that I've had for awhile.

I love decorating for fall because 1) it signals the beginning of a new season 2) it means cooler weather is coming 3) you can use so many natural elements (which are often times free!) and 4) I love the color that it adds to my home. 


Today, I'm talking about decorating around my front door. 

I love to decorate for Fall.  I especially love creating a welcoming setting on my front porch and in my dining room.  Today, I decided to combine the two so I set up a little fall tablescape on my front porch.  Wouldn't it be fun to cozy up here and have a little ladies lunch with a friend?


I love all these colors...a little traditional fall orange and brown with my favorite...blue.

I love Pottery Barn.  I don't always love their prices, though.   That's why I'm always looking to make super easy, super simple DIY Pottery Barn knock-offs.

Here's the picture that caught my eye in their latest catalog featuring Halloween decorating:


Isn't it fun?!  I love the whole vignette.  Several things caught my eye but particularly the large chalkboard.  I also love the cute Halloween font on the board and figured I could make my board look just the same -- the perfect background for my Halloween decorating.

With cooler weather approaching I not only start thinking about Fall decorating, but also my favorite Fall foods!  Seriously.  Is there anything better than the yummy goodness that we get to taste in the Fall?



Here's some food for thought (dorky, I know):

Earlier I showed you the long, drawn-out transformation of my living room.  Now, I'm going to show you what I changed and what is still planned for the space.  I painted built-ins, refinished furniture, bought new chairs and more...I hope you'll stay with me through this mega-long post!

The Changes

The couch:

Before e-mailing Holly Mathis - the decorating guru -- my husband and I decided to keep the couch based on our budget for new furniture. 

It's hard to gain a true appreciation of this makeover without knowing where I started.

Since moving to Texas I have come to love good barbecue.  Ribs, beef brisket, pulled pork...you name it -- I like it all!



Until recently, I couldn't find a recipe I liked to make it at home.

Have you ever noticed those charming little chalkboard easels in front of  cute shops and boutiques?

To date, I have painted two things with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  My china hutch:


And my coffee table:

I've pinned a lot of cool tips, projects and ideas on Pinterest but quite honestly I haven't actually tried many of them.  So I recently decided that it's time I put some of these bright ideas to the test and then share the results with you. 

A week or so ago I tried organizing my pot lids in my kitchen with a tension rod and although I couldn't do this with every single lid I own, I do like the results.  

So with that success, I browsed through my "Ideas I Like" Pinterest board and found another cool tip I've been wanting to try.


It involves this handy little kitchen dish wand.