I wish it were Fall (in California)...

I've been dreaming about it. Beautiful trees covered in orange, crimson and gold. A brisk wind moving over my face. Pumpkins on porches and leaves on streets. Alas, I was born in the wrong place. In California, Fall is just an extension of summer. In fact, while we may not hit the 100s all summer long, it's much more likely to do so in September and October! Sure we get the added benefit of no snow in the winter months (but yes, it does get cold and it does get overcast!), but I am at the point where I would gladly trade snow for fall.

So, I'm going to be decorating for "fall" soon, just to convince my cave dwelling self that it is going to happen at some point at time. Pinterest has been a huge huge tease for me. I freaking love Pinterest, it combines my love of lists and my love of pictures...it's the perfect planning website. Here are a few of the best fall decorations I found.

1. Cute Pumpkins
I really love these cute pumpkins I found on Pinterest. I really do try to stay away from a Halloween theme (mostly for religious reasons), and I like that these are simple and pretty without being a "Jack O' Lantern".

Darling Pumpkins!

2. Beautiful DIY Vines from Martha Stewart
These vines are so dainty and pretty it's hard to believe you can make them yourself!

I can think of a dozen uses for these.

3. Candles, candles, and more candles

I absolutely LOVE candles. I think they spruce even the barest space up. Candles are warm and inviting, calling to mind the most basic needs of men: fire. There are plenty of fall scented candles out there, I really love Slatkin and Co. and Yankee Candle Co.  While they are a bit pricier, they make up for that in scent. They will really last quite a while too. 

 

4. Beautiful Paper Wreath

Another craft from Martha Stewart (the woman is the craft goddess for a reason!). I just love the detail on this wreath, and something about the paper is so charming. If I were to do it (and I may, if I do I will show and tell!), I would definitely use an older book that shows it's age, it would look marvelous!

 

This will look awesome using an old book as paper!

5. More Pumpkins...wrapped up!

Beauty is in little things, and in this case it's these super cute, mini pumpkins. I think I may go haywire choosing ribbons to make these!

Too cute to eat!

Eventually, A and I may move to Idaho. A grew up there and it has been sounding nicer and nicer as the years go by. While dealing with the snow is certainly a little nerve-wracking for this native Californian, I feel that perhaps it may be the right choice for us in a few years. That's then and this is now. I may have to make a little trip up to Big Bear just to feel the seasons change!

Mail Slot

I shone it up! Sorry for being behind on posts, I have managed to get two colds back to back. It sucks. Here are the before and after pictures!
















Looks easier than it was! Noxon workled really great though, I would use it again on any other project! I almost ruined my counter though, as I didn't realize the product was ammonia based, and I had already started to polish the mail slot on them. The smell quickly let me (and my husband) know that I needed to move the project outside, Noxon has quite the odor, but enough umphh to remove about 40 years of tarnish.

Word to the wise: If it ain't broke don't fix it! I wish I could have been there 40 years ago when my grandparents decided to paint over it. Anything can look beautiful again after putting a little elbow grease into it!

Paint!

So we (I really should say Austine, as I did barely any work) managed to get most of the painting done this last weekend. Although the garage and some touch ups still remain to be done, we both feel really accomplished right now. Fortunately for us, we had help! Austine's brother and cousins are awesome, we definitely couldn't have done it without them.

The "man" hard at work.

I soaked the old mail slot in paint thinner.

The old paint bubbled off, and then I set to work with a scraper.

The mail slot paint-less. It looks red because I need to get some brass polish, it's tarnished!

Our mail hole, haha. Slotless for now.

You can see the trim color we picked out on the bottom lip of the sill. Needless to say we aren't going with that color anymore .

The side of the house.

Our bay windows.

Sunset at the Duggan's!

We still have a lot of work to do. Fortunately, all the windows need to be painted white, and a lot of the sills need to be repaired before we can paint the trim color (which we haven't decided on). The we have the grass to redo, the retaining wall to replace, borders to build, bark to place, backyards to fence, trees to remove, more grass to plant. It just doesn't end. Since we haven't been paying my parents rent we are paying for it through labor!

I do feel sad though, because I feel like I've really poured a lot of emotion and labor into this house, and it will never be "ours". I hope someday we will have a house that we can make our own even more than this house, but I don't really think it will be in California. Both Austine and I are facing the realization that if we stay here, we will never own our own house. It's a sad truth. For the moment, however, I refuse to let that weigh me down. Instead I'm celebrating this house looking the best it's looked in 30 years!