Thoughts and Things this week - A September Mourn

Oh "September," we'll be seeing you next year!  So long and good-bye 'til we spend another Summer's end with you!

The old saying "Time flies when you're having fun," came to mind while I was thinking about how fast this year is passing.  It feels as if September was here for only a moment!  Summer faded away far to quickly.

Now it's time to make way for Fall and accept the Fall-ing leaves, and that there will be Fall-ing temperatures.  Time for all that is Fall.  The last of the vibrant greens of summer will fade to glorious hues of autumn.  It will be time to cuddle up and snuggle in warmth.  Time for shorter days and longer nights.  So on this September morn, it's time to remember September as I mourn it's passing all too soon.  September, Summer's last "hurrah!"  My summer lovin' heart will be missing you!  

Hello Fall! ...time for fall decor

OK, it's official today ...{ per the calendar, anyway! ;) }   So, I've been busy digging out pumpkins and such.

These sweet little pumpkins got a make-over last year using chalk paint.  My love for neutrals had me loving them all the more once I'd painted them.  They're so cute!  I think they look perfect just sitting on these glass candle holders and displayed on a tray.  This little vignette will do for now, as I plan some Fall season decor changes to come.    

It's time to say "Farewell to Summer," and time to fall for Fall!

End of Summer - Home tour

As summer quickly comes to a close, I am reflecting on the past few months.  And, the current decor in our home.  I love Spring, and even more so I love Summer, so it's difficult for me to let go when the calendar is telling me it's over.  By week's end, both will be officially gone 'til next year!  I'll be longing for them as I come to terms with the current change of seasons, and will eventually, embrace it full on.

The warm and sunny bright days of Summer will be missed.  It was light, and bright, and sunny yesterday when I took this photo of the view of our foyer and dining room beyond, from our living room.

I always enjoy the view out our two-story foyer window, I love when it is lush and green.  But, I do have to admit that fall is a beautiful time of year!  This view will soon be showing the beauty of fall.  

And, soon there will be many signs of Fall upon us, along with the need for cozy spots of warmth.  I may need to add a nice warm blanket here in our living room.

Of course the days will become shorter and the nights longer.  The cooler temperatures will be welcomed by many, as I may be preferring my crystal bowl, be instead a crystal ball, to view next summer's early return.  {My husband gave me the beautiful bowl as a gift on our first Christmas in this house.}

At the moment I'm kind of like this statue, known as "The Thinker," as I think about the upcoming fall season, and adding fall touches to our decor.  This corner of our foyer is the first view you see when entering through the front door.  {The statue is a lovely gift from my husbands parents years ago shortly after we moved into our new home here.} 

Yes, I'll be longing for my warm seasons as I get a grasp on the fall-ness that will be ever so present in a matter of weeks.  However, there will be delight on those chilly nights as we enjoy football and delicious comfort foods at this spot in our family room, and then later cozying by a fire.

When you love to decorate...and you really love your dog!  Yeah, our dog is very much part of the decor ...We do LOVE him that much!  This table sits at the entry to our family room, and in front of our other staircase.  The little sign up top reads "live, love, bark, and the sign below reads "A spoiled rotten Golden lives here!"  He really is a spoiled rotten Golden!  (Had to share before I do changes here for fall)  Just keepin' it real folks, just keepin' it real!

A view of a section of the Family room.  This is our cozy room for watching TV and relaxing on the soft sofa with lots of pillows.

You know, when you find an unexpected item that matches so perfectly well ...you just have to have it!  The decorative ball/sphere caught my eye, and getting it made me smile! :)  Yeah, it's the little things.  Maybe just a few pumpkins over here in the corner of our family room, will be all that's needed for a simple seasonal change, we'll see!

Well, only for a few more days can I say ..."It's not fall yet!" 

I hope you enjoyed my little tour, my end of summer view around our place, this place we call home!

I'll be back soon!

Cucumber, Tomato, Onion and Dill Salad

I am hanging on to Summer here, and that is easy to do with the temps still being around the high 80s and low 90s most days.  I'm fine with it for now, and I would honesty be fine with it year round!  With that being said, I am still enjoying cool and refreshing salads, along with foods prepared out on the grill.  We are fortunate to be able to continue to grill out most of the year here in Georgia, too.  Our Big Green Egg works for us all year long!

When it comes to sides, or salads, I enjoy changing it up.  There are favorites though that get a repeat 'cause they're so good and they're so easy.  This cucumber salad is definitely one of those.  I'm sure there are numerous cucumber salad recipes out there, this is my take on one.

It doesn't get much easier than simply chopping up some cucumbers, slicing some onion and adding grape tomatoes, then tossing them around with some balsamic vinegar, and fresh dill!

I like the simplicity of this salad and most of all I love the taste!  A tasty and delicious, low calorie salad that I often think I could eat the whole bowl of at one sitting!  I enjoy having it on hand for a quick side for lunch, or dinner.  And, it doesn't have to be summer to enjoy this salad, you can find the ingredients year round and make this when ever you like.

Cucumber Tomato Onion and Dill Salad

4-Servings

Ingredients:

2 Cucumbers, sliced into quarter inch slices

1/2 cup red onion, sliced thinly

1 cup grape tomatoes

2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped finely or 1 tablespoon dried(fresh is better!)

1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Partially peel cucumbers, I use a peeler and peel down the cucumber four times around the outside, or remove peel completely if preferred.  Slice cucumbers in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds, then slice crosswise into quarter inch slices.  Slice onion thinly, cut and separate into strips.  Add cucumber and onion to a large bowl, add grape tomatoes, fresh dill, and white balsamic vinegar, then toss lightly to combine all ingredients.  Chill in refrigerator at least an hour and until ready to serve.

Enjoy!...

Easy Wall Decor - Find the perfect framed art for your space.

When we did some redecorating in our home a while back, i.e. newly tiled floor, new furniture and accessories, I was having a difficult time finding what I wanted to go on my family room wall to add to the decor.  I couldn't find the "perfect" or just-right framed art piece.  Then an idea struck me!

I did some looking through the poster prints at the craft store [Hobby Lobby] and found an abstract print that I just loved, with the right amount of neutral and color.  I purchased the print and quickly brought it home to see if I really was as confident that this was so perfect, and it was!

I went back to the store with the print in tow, and I then headed to the frame section where I found the perfect frame for my print.  And, lucky for me that day the frames were half-off!  How perfect is that?  Right there near the frames they have custom framing.  For a reasonable fee they turned my print and frame into the perfect piece of art for my family room wall.  I love it! 

If you are having a difficult time finding just the right piece of artwork, I recommend you look through the poster prints and frames at the craft stores.  Then let the professionals put it together for you! 

I picked out a beautiful complementary frame with non-glare glass for the print, and left both the print and frame in their capable care to put together.  They had my new custom artwork ready in just a couple of days.

I really liked the abstract print, and the color tones.  They really were...perfect!

The beautiful frame was so perfect, I almost screamed out loud...OK, I honesty did!  "Yay!"  I couldn't believe it, I was so delighted to have found that frame that day.  All bronze-y and it worked so well with the colors of the print, and my decor!  I felt like a master with my new masterpiece!

Sometimes, everything does turn out just perfectly!...

Hanging on to Summer - "It's not Fall yet!" ~Summer themed display shelf~

Good-bye to August!  Where does the time go?  I am finding it hard to let go of August. :(  My Summer lovin' heart is not ready for it to end.  I have a couple of weeks yet and then, as the calendar tells me to, I'll give a full nod to Fall.  But, not 'til then!

I know Fall is coming, and the cooler temperatures that come with it.  If you've been out shopping at late, it's quite apparent with all that is available for Fall decor, lots of beautiful items and ideas!  I've even noticed a lot of (dare I say the word this early in the year)-Christmas decor already available too.*gasp*  It sure seems to get earlier and earlier each year.  I know there are many people who love the fall season and/or prefer it to other seasons.  I am just one who is slow to embrace it, as I cling to summer for as loooonnnng as I can!

   

My Summer themed display shelf lives on for now.  My daily reminder that it is in fact, still Summer.

You may have seen or perhaps remember how I decorated my Display shelf for Spring, it looks very similar since I made only a few changes once Summer arrived.  I enjoyed the Spring themed decor so much that I chose to simply change just a few items for my Summer display.  And, I do love easy decorating, so, it was super easy to make the simple changes for summer.

I will be doing some fall planning in my mind, for now, as I remind myself... 

It's not Fall yet!...

A Fix for the Fixtures

I'm always singing the praises of paint and what it can do, how it can change things.  I love the magic of paint!  I've learned that when I see something, and perhaps if I'm not totally liking or loving the way it looks, I find I can change it by using paint.

I wanted to share another example of that.  I loved these light fixtures and they were a huge improvement from the original fixtures we had in our master bathroom.  They were perfect ...well, almost.  The silver color on them wasn't going to go so well with all the gold hardware and faucets in our master bath.

Gold paint to the rescue!

I had some acrylic paint in the color metallic pure gold on hand in my paint stash, which I had picked up at the craft store for another project.  I figured it was the fix to my problem.

I dabbed a very small amount of paint onto a thin dry paint brush and gently wiped gold paint over the silver.  I tested a small spot, and then another, and another, and kept going from there.  I repeated that until I got the desired look I wanted.  Now I do have the perfect light fixtures!

I am truly loving the look of the light fixtures, now.  There are actually two of them, they look the same except the other fixture only has three lights on it.  I am so pleased with the results, that I took a chance and I did it!  Now I can even say I have a unique pair of light fixtures, too!

I really love the magic of paint!...

Caprese Salad

Ever since the first time I had a Caprese Salad while dining out at a restaurant, I have loved them and find it hard to pass up ordering one if it's on the menu.  Delicious fresh ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil, lightly dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Once I discovered that I could find the fresh mozzarella cheese in the local grocery, I knew I could make this at home, too!

My favorite way to prepare this salad is using slices of fresh Roma tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, and the star of the caprese, the fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into slices.   I like to prepare a Caprese Salad using similar sized slices of the tomato and mozzarella cheese, and layer them slightly overlapping on a plate with a fresh basil leaf tucked in between the tomato and cheese.  A drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkle of white balsamic vinegar gives it a little tang, and adding a bit of salt & pepper, these all give a nice finish to complete this beautiful and tasty salad, mmm mmm!  I garnished this one with some Calamata olives in the center.   

If you love tomatoes you're gonna love this Caprese Salad!  Grab up some of those fresh tomatoes that are perfect and plentiful right now and a few other ingredients to make this salad, it's a refreshing treat!  The mild flavor of the mozzarella cheese is perfect with the flavorful basil and tomatoes.  And, it's such an appealing and appetizing looking salad.  Lookin' good, and delicious!

*Caprese salad (Italian: Insalata Caprese [insaˈlaːta kaˈpreːze], meaning "Salad of Capri") is a simple Italian salad, made of sliced fresh mozzarella (ideally Buffalo mozzarella), tomatoes, and green basil, seasoned with salt and olive oil. [source]

  

Caprese Salad

Two serving-

Ingredients:

2 or 3 medium fresh ripe roma tomatoes, sliced-8 to 10 slices

1 ball or log of fresh mozzarella cheese- cut into slices

1 bunch of fresh basil leaves, washed, dried, leaves separated 

olive oil - amount desired

white balsamic vinegar - amount desired

salt & pepper 

Directions:
Slice up tomatoes and mozzarella cheese.  Layer alternating slices of tomato and cheese on a plate with fresh basil leaves between slices of tomato and cheese.  Drizzle on olive oil and a sprinkle of white balsamic vinegar. Salt & pepper to taste.

   Enjoy!...

Tray Chic - Thifted Tray Transformation

I love a good makeover.  This one happens to be one that I am especially fond and quite proud of.  This is my latest project, and what a beauty it is!  It is one of my favorite transformations.

This beautiful tray was a discarded item.  I took one glance at it and had to grab it up quickly to bring home and give it a new look.

  ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

I'm sure it was once a beautiful silver tray, but, when I found it it had rust and damage that had it looking disgusting, ugly, and ruined.  It was easy to see why someone might have considered it trash and had given it away.  A major score for me at a mere six dollars!

Some of the finish had rusted away, leaving it in such a state that simply polishing it wouldn't even have brought it back to looking great again.  But, I had a vision for it, and couldn't wait to make it happen.  

A before and after close-up, what a difference a little time and effort made for this.

I cleaned the tray as best I could by giving it a wipe down with damp paper towels, and then a little scrubbing using a small piece of steel wool to remove some of the rust.  

I applied two thin coats of Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan in White, allowing dry time between coats.  This photo is after one coat that had dried.

After the second coat of paint was completely dry I applied Annie Sloan Clear Wax, buffing it in as I went along in small areas at a time.  Next I applied Annie Sloan Dark Wax in the same manner, applying first with a paint brush and then wiping some of it away with a soft cloth, leaving what I wanted in the areas that had more detail and to add depth to them.  

To finish, a final buffing with a soft clean cloth all over the entire tray to set and bring up the sheen of the wax.

So pleased with the results!  A beautiful trash-to-treasure makeover.  It truly is a beautiful piece now, and is one that I'll treasure.

I have it in the center of our breakfast table for now to show it off.  I smile every time I look at it.  It's a beautiful addition to my home decor.  I'm so glad I found it and was able to give it a makeover, and some much needed love!