Fall Decorating | On A Budget

 

Fall is rapidly approaching -- beautiful, cool evenings are closing warm, harvest-filled days, chestnuts are covering my favorite sitting spot, and leaves are changing into their very best. 

 

Happily, the fun doesn't stop outside the door! I love bringing Autumn's beauty into our home: creating a place full of comfort, peace, and refreshment simply by decorating. However, no matter how much I love browsing Hobby Lobby's aisles, we , as newly weds endeavoring to stay faithful to our budget, couldn't convince ourselves to spend $40 on one wreath (no matter how cute it was!).

 

What's a girl to do?

 

Hop over to Pinterest, browse DIY books, and put her creative genius glasses on, of course!

 

Join me as I share my joys of decorating on a newly wed's budget ... if anything, you'll have fun chuckling at my attempts!

 



My momma always decorated her front porch with the seasons ... a tradition I cannot break! Utilizing an old pair of mud-boots, pinecones collected on a neighborhood walk, a sprig of fabric leaves, and your own chalkboard greeting is a fun way to welcome guests in.

 

Oh, and then there is our very important friend, Owl. He was very delighted to be given the seat of honor (protecting the basil, of course). To add some spice and texture I used a few of the tree rings I asked Dalton to cut for me last year. :)  

 

Collected chestnuts are scattered gingerly along the living room windows and splashes of orange and red leaves (and the occasional flash of golden rod) help tie the room together. Of course the coffee table has a few books begging to be read but this time they are accompanied by the ever-available (and free!) chestnuts, leaves, and Dalton's beautiful black bean candle. We had collected wax from previous candles planning on reusing it for some craft. Earlier this week, my beloved had a blast drizzling wax over the dried beans --the way the wax melts round the beans creates a very beautiful and unusual candle. :) 

 

The hope chest in the dining room is covered with our beautiful table runner given as a wedding gift along with various jars tied with twine and filled with chestnuts and tealight candles. Beside the candles is the adorable harvest blessings pumpkin we found in our local Walmart. We also bought a white pumpkin from Aldis --this is Dalton's favorite purchase! He absolutely loves it!

 

(Pssst ... want to know how to drive your husband nuts? Buy into the idea that using tree branches as a floral arrangement is cute, ask him to gather said branches, then place the arrangement in a prominent place of the house. Say, the dining room table. (See above.) I promise you, if he is anything like my man, he will never run short of  hate-speech against your super cute, totally DIY, free, fall find! And, if you're anything like me, you'll be sure to get a good chuckle ... because you know its not going anywhere! ;)

 

Remember the fabric balls my mom and I made for Fourth of July? I recovered the balls with a different fabric and gave them a home on the bakers rack. It's a super easy, fun, and affordable way to bring splashes of color into your home.

 

I am so thankful for the many blessings Autumn brings and I cannot wait to see what the coming months surprise us with. In the mean time, I hope that our home and all my little, sometimes silly, touches create an atmosphere that speaks of love, peace, and most importantly,  a God who loves.

 

What are/were some ways you made your house a home when you were a newly wed? (Or a poor college student, or a single mom, or a stay-at-home daughter ... ;)

 

I'd love to hear about it!

 

Frannie

 

|| This week I linked up with A Blossoming's Life's Monday blog hop ... Wow! Big things are going on! ;) Head on over and see what other amazing, crafty things are happening around the world. I know I will be! ||

Why I Never Get Bored

Growing up we were never allowed to be bored. If ever my siblings and I happened to utter that terrible word our mother was quick to offer her usual phrase of inspiration:

Don't tell me you're bored or I'll let you wash the dishes!

You can now see why we always found some way to entertain ourselves.

Thankfully,  now that I'm a grown adult and no longer live with my mom and her inspiring threats, I still have an anti-bored weapon. His name is Dalton Duncan.

Yes, married life often provides me with great (sometimes embarrassing) entertainment. Here are a few of my knight-in-shining-armor's shining moments:

1) Once, upon finding several adorable mushrooms my husband insisted I take pictures of him pretending to be using an umbrella.

2) Date days often involve some kind of fun, creative plan of his (he really is the more creative one in the bunch). Like the time he sent me on a huge scavenger hunt or that awesome day when we secretly drove to our parent's homes and gave them a good surprise.

3) Dalton hates getting his picture taken; actually, he hates cameras in general. He thinks they are over-used and take away from the moment ... two legitimate reasons. Nevertheless, I insist that we must gather some sort of proof that we are in fact married and having the time of our lives for the Facebook world. So, to accommodate both of our desperate pleas we've found a satisfying middle ground. I get to take pictures if  A) I tell him first B) he is doing some sort of pose.

Here's the proof:

Here he felt it appropriate to mock the "Men Working" sign

Interpretive dance with hot-mits

He thought getting a whole loaf from Panera was an amazing feat

4) Scene: Sitting on the couch enjoying a good conversation, Dalton leans over as if to kiss his bride ...

Me: *Yelling!* "Dalton, stop sucking on my nose!"
Dalton: "Hehehehehe ..."

5) I think Dalton is convinced that whenever a male applies shaving cream to his face his wife also should be covered in like manner.

6) Scene: My mom, Dalton, and I are finishing a nice, meaningful conversation in the dining room. Dalton rises, plays around with his Ipad, and then sits on the floor looking as if he is meaning to do some leg stretches. We look. He stretches out his legs like a grasshopper and rubs them together while his Ipad plays cricket sounds in the background.

XD

7) Upon finding stray turtles on the street Dalton likes to offer bits of lettuce to the newcomer:

8) Scene: Enjoying a conversation with guests in the living room. A momentary silence.

Dalton: "Do you see those two owls on the bookshelf?"
Guests: Nod with interest
Dalton" "I carved those out of the prison soap." Grins with happy jubilance.

(Dalton has a love for mixing up conversation ... he feels that the world spends too of its time talking about normal, empty things and believes that one of his missions in life is to liven and stir people up in good, fun ways. It makes me smile.)

9) On early mornings when Dalton is already up he will very gently carry me to the living room couch, gather my pillow and blanket, snuggle me in and proceeds with his activities. It's a special, fun, unique way to sleep in. :)

10) Scene: Dalton's mother's hair salon. Telephone rings. Dalton rises to answer the phone:

Dalton: "Dalton's House of Ecstasy, Dalton speaking."
Me: *Face palm and extreme blush* "Dalton!"

I am so thankful for my funny, original man. His extreme, unique personality has often astonished my shy, safe personality ... needless to say, I've blushed and sputtered more in the last year than in most of my life! But I can say I have been better for it!

What crazy/funny things do your family members do? Or maybe you're the more original one in the family? I'd love to hear! 

p.s: This post was largely inspired by Rachel from The Random Writings of Rachel. I have always found her Angelism posts to be hilarious and realized that, I too, have a few stories to tell. Why don'cha hope on over to her blog ... I know you'll love it!

Today's List

:: source ::

It's a great day to be alive.

I mean to really, really be awake and alert and in awe of this world.

In our area of Missouri a nice chill has fallen over the land along with an overcast gray sort of sky. It's time for leaves to begin changing colors, pumpkins to adorn porches, and scarves to make an appearance ... at least I think it is time.

So in honor of this day (and because I'm suffering from an acute batch of homesickness ... but wait, my home is here ... why are hearts so contradictory?) I'm purposing to be alive and awake and in awe of this time. I'll do some thorough cleaning of our small bungalow, listen to this lady's play list, sing worship songs, watch Sense and Sensibility, and give thanks;  for things like a husband's gentle love, clothes to wash, and a Redeemer.

What is your part of the world looking like? How are your spirits doing? I'd love to hear.

Seven Marriage Facts I Can't Keep Quiet About

I thought I knew everything (or almost!) about marriage. I knew all of the Scripture written on two becoming one.  I had observed and spoken with several happy couples asking for their keys to success. My parents themselves were a great picture of matrimony. But experiencing something is a whole lot different than dreaming about it. Here are seven things I've learned since saying "I do" that I just can't keep quiet about!  
 

Marriage is way better than you have ever imagined

Marrying Dalton is the best decision I ever made. Life has been so fun ... I mean, every thing is better when you're living life with your best friend. I wish I had known just how wonderful marriage really is ... I hope our marriage is a constant declaration of how great and good God is.

Change is okay

I've written a lot about this but I cannot  emphasize this point enough. Marriage changes you ... and for the better. I am so thankful to God for molding and shaping my life (some times in ways my flesh finds uncomfortable) through our marriage. But it was really hard for me to accept that it was okay for change to happen. Really hard. 

Babies don't just come after having sex

(Goodness gracious! Did she just use the s-word ... yes, my dear, she did ;-) 

This seems like a funny point but it really is important. All my life I had an idea that babies were so easy to make ... it simply isn't true! And this can be very frustrating for the young, hopeful couple. Don't fret those first (and second and third and ...)  negative pregnancy tests and late cycles steal your joy ... learn to enjoy the days fully without frustration taking over. I promise you, that is the better way of making days joyful and good! 

Your body will change and adjust

So. Incredibly. True.

This is totally important. I had no idea that marriage would effect my body as it has. Emotions, chemicals, and hormones are all working on overdrive ... and I mean it!

 If you're anything like me you like having a certain amount of control over your own body ... so when you cannot explain the weird crying spells, do not understand your body's off track cycles, and feel like a fifteen year old girl all over again ... pour yourself a cup of coffee, kiss that amazing man of yours, stop apologizing, and relax. It's normal and you're doing an awesome job as a wife. 

It takes time

I wish I had known (more fully) this simple truth: A good marriage requires time. This is really important to remember. Some days marriage can be really hard ... like bickersome, miscommunication, unmet expectations hard. But then there are those magical days when it blending our two lives into one seems as natural as can be. 

So when it gets hard just keep on loving that great man of yours. Like some of my favorite characters say, "Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it?" Time always brings new beginnings.

There will be days when you feel scared to death 

I know this may sound like a disagreeable statement but I firmly believe that everyone faces this sometime in their marriage. It's a facet of love. After all, love, at the end of the day, is a renewed, conscious choice for your beloved. Good marriages are simply two committed souls choosing to pursue one another.

And there will be days when you wonder what in the world you were thinking. It could be hormones or maybe an unresolved argument or maybe your business went bust or maybe a child is sick ... no matter what the problem is fear will always try to use it as an entryway. It's a feeling -- something you should never build on.

Don't let it. Nip that fear, that nagging worry, in the bud. And then do something great for your spouse. Bake them cookies, give them a hug, or pray for them. I promise that that conscious action of love will whip fear in the backside and tell it to crawl back into the hole it came from.

And days when you know you made the best decision ever

Marrying my husband has brought so much joy and beauty into my life. I know God better because because of it. Life have so much more meaning because we are one. I laugh more. I smile more. Life. Is. Good. There is sweet, growing, beautiful peace which permeates our entire home ... and I'm so thankful for this chance of loving my man and journeying life together always.

So, there's 7 things I simply can't keep quiet about ...  if we were to meet for bagels and coffee you'd think I couldn't talk about anything else. Which thought resonated with you the most? Or maybe there was something else you discovered? I'd love to hear from you!!