End of September Faves

Autumn is here and I love it!!

I love the cooler nights with the windows open and the crisp feeling in the morning as we stumble down the stairs to grab that first mug of steaming hot coffee while reaching for our vitamins and a splash of ice cold juice.  I love the scents while sitting on my deck....of the fading morning glories and the colorful mums and my apple cinnamon candle.......

It's Friday and time to reflect back on the week, linking up with Susanne and other bloggers as we share FIVE of our FAVES.  Mine are focused on these early autumn days and some of my fave things.

image courtesy of amazon

• FLANNEL SHEETS!  This past weekend, I put on the autumn themed flannel sheets we have.  Since we don't tend to turn on our heat (gas) until we see frost in the morning or the temp dips below freezing at night, we add flannel sheets to our bed (my youngest daughter does NOT do this) and we continue to sleep with the bedroom windows open.  It's so nice to have the fresh air while snuggled up under the  warmth of the sheets and heavier quilt.  Once the winter season begins, I will add our fleece blanket and go back to cotton sheets as by then we will have the heat set to come on at night if the house gets below 64 degrees. (f)

image courtesy of llbean

• FLEECE SLIPPERS:  I bought these on sale, and used 3 coupons from LLBean.  They are so soft and warm and perfect for early mornings and late at night when lounging around the house.  Now that we no longer have carpet anywhere but the bedrooms and upstairs hallway/stairs, we are finding that the bamboo floors are cold!  And of course the stone in the kitchen is very cold on these mornings when the temp is below 50.  These slippers are suede with a fleece lining and have a bottom that can be walked out outdoors....so I slip these on when I go get the morning paper.  Cozy!  

Part of the University of New Hampshire/Durham
24 September

Claire next to the UNH Mascot (the Wildcats)

the Atlantic as seen from Jenness Beach
Rye, NH
24 September

Claire, age 17, is happy to be at the beach!

• OVERNIGHT TRIP/COLLEGE TOUR:  Last Friday after Claire got home from school, Dave and I packed her into the car and we drove out to New Hampshire, stopping for a quick dinner in MA, to spend the night in Dover and then attend an Open House and Tour at the University of NH in Durham, which is basically just a couple of miles from Dover and the ocean!  After we learned all we needed to learn, we took her to the beach in Rye for a much needed respite.  We ended up staying an hour, enjoying our books in the sunshine while Claire snapped a ton of surf pictures.  So much fun!!  We then took the long way home via the road across NH into Vermont and then down into eastern NY where we live.  It took about an hour longer than the Mass Pike would have, but the scenery was amazing as some of the trees have started to change in the mountain area of NH/VT and there was way less traffic.  We loved every moment of this college visit!

Courtney hard at work!

entranceway from garage

one of the 2 coffee corners

fresh, new look!

• FRESH COLOR!  My oldest daughter and I took Sunday to prep the kitchen for re-painting with fresh, new colors and decor.  Sadly, I lost the "before" pics...not sure how they got deleted from my phone....but the color was all the same all the way around the kitchen in Eggshell Creme which was just slightly off white and the original color the builders used in 1994!  I had touched it up in 2001 but since then NOTHING had been done to our kitchen, other than the new appliances and the stone floor.  We chose Cut Ruby and Honeymilk (which is the same cream color as in the dining room).  The cut ruby is like a barn red only not as bright.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE it and I'm so thankful for Courtney for helping me with everything, even after her early morning shift at her job!  It only took us 3 days to prep, paint, and redecorate.  I got rid of all my old Shaker baskets (but one) and got rid of some very outdated "country kitsch" accessories and old cutting boards, etc.  I did this room on a major budget...only spent $200 in total including paint, new brushes, dropcloth, and the wall hangings.  Many of the wall hangings came from either the Dollar General or Hobby Lobby. A few things came from Target and the rugs from Bed, Bath and Beyond.  

touches of autumn

sunny study area

• AUTUMN  TOUCHES:  I added a few more autumn touches to the house this past week.  Bought a large pumpkin for the front step, added a couple pots of mums to the front flower bed, and some fake pumpkins in each room of the house on the main level.  I love the little one near the Keurig corner in the kitchen and the glass vase in the dining room is filled with gorgeous silk leaves.  I love sitting there in the early morning, with the sun coming in through the window, to do my Bible study classwork and sip coffee.  It's been chilly on the deck in the mornings so I savor this sunny spot in my dining room. 

That wraps up my week......

How about you? What made you smile this week??