Decorating for Fall in Tennessee

I have been decorating for fall and boy, so has everyone else in the blogosphere. Lovely homes decorated with the most beautiful pumpkins, leaves and feathers.

Well, my front door is all decked out in her glory.




A fall wreath for the front door to welcome guests.




A tabletop of pumpkins and lots of mums.




Stacked pumpkins



And little pumpkins with long handled vines.




Even the potting shed has gotten the fall treatment.



Closer look at the wreaths.




And the gates to the garden have a pretty fall wreath.



Tomorrow, as every October 1st, I am packing up all the accessories in the home and decorating for Halloween.. The accessories will be cleaned and carefully nestled into their boxes to come out again on January 1... Christmas is coming!!!

Getting Organized: Lay out your clothes

As most women, we lead very hectic lives. On any give day, we clean, garden, pick up the kids, etc. Most of my days require me to dress for the public, i.e. teach, errands or lunch with a friend. In addition, I need to be able to work in the yard, brush a dog, vacuum or sew.

So how do you dress for that kind of a day?

Well, having a plan of your day helps you to choose what you will wear. Days that I am working in the garden or painting, I wear overalls... But most days, I wear outfits that are able to go from teaching to picking up around the house.



The most important thing I do is lay out my clothes the night before once, I know what I will have to accomplish during the day. I have two hangers in my closet to hold the chosen outfit.



I even pick out the accessories. By picking out the full outfit, I look polished and ready for anything that may be thrown my way.




Do you have a plan for the day? And have you picked out your outfit?

Menu Planning

First of all, I want to say... I took a week off. A week doing mundane, uninteresting things like painting a ceiling, cleaning, date night with hubby, and brunch with my peeps. Unblog worthy stuff!!!!

But now after a refreshing break, I want to talk about menus. Menu planning is the most important thing I do every week. Why would I say that?

1. Each week is filled with balanced, nutritious, and interesting meals. Planning meals allows me try new recipes.

2. Trips to the grocery store are less expensive.

3. I have everything on hand to make the interesting dishes I want to tackle during the week.


4. Good food always makes me eat less. If I don't plan good meals, we graze and eat junk.

5. You know I love left-overs and I have the most amazing leftovers.... In my fridge as I write.... lobster mac and cheese, homemade ham and bean soup, chicken salad and ingredients to make three different meals in 15 minutes.... now that is peace of mind. No fast food for us. And if friends drop by... I have wonderful choices.

6. I have the prettiest refrigerator on the block.


7. If it looks like I won't be able to finish any of those dishes... I will be taking meals to some of my older lady friends.


8. I always know what is for dinner.

9. Planning meals allows me to bake and plan to give friends food gifts, if they had surgery, birthdays or don't feel too well.


Take the time to plan a menu... the time you spends pays back ten fold. If you don't want to use my menu... Plenty of bloggers have wonderful menus.


The rest of my week:

Tuesday

Spinach Frittata
Corn Muffins

Wednesday

Church

Thursday

Dinner out with my sister and daughter

Friday

Club Sandwiches
Potato Salad

Saturday


Mushroom Risotto
Green Salad with Buttermilk Ranch

Sunday

Cedar Plank Salmon
Oven Roasted Potatoes
Broccoli Almondine

Goal Setting and the Plan of the day

Many of you have noticed that most days I post what I plan on doing every day. The plan of the day is important because everyday when I wake up, I know exactly what needs to be done that day. Now, that does not mean that I accomplish all those items in that day but it does mean that I have a plan. A plan of the day!!!

People always ask me how do I get so much done every day. Planning your day, week, month and year helps me to accomplish goals I have set out for myself.

We all have daily items that have to be done. Laundry needs be washed, floors need to be swept but how do we get the house thoroughly cleaned, how do we paint rooms, decorate, plan gardens, accomplish bigger projects.

An important aspect to goal setting is inspiration.

Inspiration for the bedrooms:




Inspiration for decorating the living room:



Inspiration for the garden:



Inspiration for the front door.




As most of you know, I have published my fall goals and have been working my list. These pictures keep me motivated to work my goals.

1. Wallpapering and painting three bedrooms
   
2. The entire house needs a thorough fall cleaning.
3. All the windows will be cleaned
4. Holiday closet is going to be cleaned out and organized.
5. Perennials and bulbs planted
6. Garden cleaned and put to bed
7. Yard aerated and seeded
   

So here is where we are...

1. One bedroom is done waiting on wallpaper. Second bedroom is primed and will finish being painted this weekend. The third bedroom will get a thorough cleaning and wallpaper will be striped next weekend.
   
2. Three rooms have been deep cleaned for fall and each week I am adding another one.
   
3. Window washer has been called... I also called the carpet cleaning people too.
   
4. I am waiting to pull out Halloween to clean out the holiday closet.
   
5. Perennials and bulbs are waiting on cooler weather but they have been ordered.
6. Three garden beds are clean and will be covered with compost on Friday.
   
7. Grass seeding and aerating will wait until rain. We have not had rain in three weeks and I do not want to water grass seed... so hurry up rain.

Make a plan for today. You will get more done than you can imagine.

Cooking: Menu Weekending September 26

Fall is finally here. And I don't know anyone who doesn't love fall. Also, hubby is home this weekend and I think we need to tailgate to celebrate college football.

Painting and wallpapering all week as those guest bedrooms aren't going to get done by themselves. I am giving an exam on Tuesday and the yard is in the fall clean-up. Next week... oh boy, planting bushes, perennials, and bulbs.

My other project this week is to finish all the sugar cookie dough for my friend's daughter's wedding. 20 double batches....

Monday

Shrimp and Chicken Bow-tie Pasta
Cesar Salad
Garlic Bread Sticks

Tuesday


Red Beans and Rice
Garden Salad
Biscuits (Recipe Coming Soon)

Wednesday

Church


Thursday


Tuna Melts
Cut up Veggies

Friday

Out with Hubby

Saturday

Tailgate Dinner

Chicken Tenders
Leftover Red Beans and Rice
Cocktail Wienies
Chips and Dips
Ham and Cheese Biscuits
Cole Slaw
Cut up veggies

Sunday

Lobster Macaroni and Cheese (via Ina Garten)

Ingredients

nocoupons

• Kosher salt
• Vegetable oil
• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 1 quart milk
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 12 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (4 cups)
• 8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 1/2 pounds cooked lobster meat
• 1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the pasta and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.
Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. In a large pot, melt 6 tablespoons of butter and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. Still whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, the pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and lobster and stir well. Place the mixture in 6 to 8 individual gratin dishes.
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

Garden Salad

Getting out of our box.

Lately, the family has been having alot of discussion about getting out of our boxes. You know, your comfort zone. I am the worst at loving my comfort zone... and everyone in the family wants to point that fact out. But it is my box, I created it and I love it... why can't I stay in my box.

Okay, but lately my husband has been leading the way to get out of his box. He went white water rafting last weekend...


Look how cute he is....


Thankfully, you wore your vest....



The river looks okay...


A little rough....




And I am not sure how I feel about this river...




This weekend, daughter is going canoeing... Looks like I need to start expanding my box, or the family is going to leave me behind.

Homemade Frosty Paws

Last week, Mr. Darcy had his second birthday and I am always looking for special treats for the boys, especially for my big granddog...



The dogs love Frosty Paws but they are very expensive for my two boys and the two granddogs...

I found this recipe for the boys.

1 32 oz container of vanilla yogurt
2 T. peanut butter
2 T. honey
1 banana




Place in food processor and pulse until smooth.





Put cupcake liners in muffin pan.




Now I filled to the rim but in retrospect, I would have made 24 smaller frosty paws.




And freeze.




For the birthday party, I unwrapped four frosty paws...




And served to the boys....



But my boys wanted me to hold it for them....




I would have added a stick if I had known that.



They loved it...




Seriously loved it...


And what did the other two do... well there are no pictures because they scarfed down the ice cream in five seconds flat.

A Sneak Peak: Guest Bedroom

The wainscoting is installed and stained white.... and two coats of polyurethane!




I am waiting on the wallpaper and can't wait to show you the whole room.

Cooking: Pecan Apricot Chicken Salad

I love chicken salad... and always looking for new variations.This recipe is very interesting and delicious; fancy enough for company and also a fresh tasting dish for the middle of winter, especially if you roast the chicken.


Pecan Apricot Chicken Salad

3 c. roast chicken, cubed
1/2 c. dried apricots, chopped
3/4 c. pecans, roasted and roughly chopped
1/4 c. mayo
1/4 c. sour cream
2 T. dijon mustard
2 T. honey
Salt and pepper

Put chicken, apricots and pecan into a large bowl. Mix next four ingredients into a smaller bowl and season to taste. Gently fold the dressing into the chicken mixture. Chill at least two hours before serving.

Housekeeping: My new cleaning carrier

One of the biggest benefits of my new knees is the ability to clean and organize my home.




I let my cleaning lady go last month. She was very nice but no one cleans my home as well as I do and I love to clean.

So the first thing I did was find a cute carrier at a yard sale for 25 cents - not bad.



Next, I purchased new cleaning supplies - these Martha Stewart cleaning products looked good.



Third, I found new cleaning rags. $4.99 for a dozen and they are cute.



A cleaning apron that makes me feel very cute. And hopefully if any Clorox spills will be on the apron and not on my clothes. In addition, my iphone is loaded with a cleaning play list. Fast 80's music with a little Michael Buble in for fun.


I pick up the house on Sunday night and for two hours every Monday, I am all business. And having everything in one place makes me more efficient.