Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn

It's been a busy week, getting back into a Fall schedule. I don't have kids in school anymore, but my Ladies Bible class started back up and I'm thrilled to meet with my sisters in Christ each week. It's such a blessing.

But with that and art and trying to workout at the gym, I haven't gotten much done. So yesterday, I stopped at Hobby Lobby and bought some canvases and other supplies to start my Holiday crafting (Fall - Halloween and Thanksgiving - and Christmas). And yeah, it's a mess right now.

I've made lists of the things I want to make this year and I've been pinning inspiration on Pinterest like crazy.

This weekend, I'm planning on switching out the Summer decor for Autumn (I can dream of cooler temperatures)!

To start me off, it's time to change out the chalkboard in my city house kitchen - from my Summer fun:

To Autumn saying:

ahhh, I can just picture the leaves swirling in the wind and feel the crisp, cool days and chilly nights! Now if only that was real! So hurry cooler weather! And bring your friend Rain.

Have you started on your Fall decor or am I the  one who is behind?

Summer Party

Now that the porch has been refreshed,

And the hard work on the bathroom remodel is all done,

It's time for a party!

I would love to host an end of Summer party and celebrate being done with the bathroom. Where do I  begin? Hm, first I need to choose a date and plan a menu - how about a Mexicali salad, a choice of chicken or shrimp tacos, and a frosty lemonade pie? And of course, plenty of icy, cold drinks!

Then I need to send out invitations! I found some adorable ones over at Paperless Post. They have so many to choose from and are a good source for unique designs. I found several that were perfect for my party - really cute designs!!

When I've got my invitations done, I'll set about creating the perfect party.

Here are my ideas:

#3source, #4source, #6source, #7source, #8source

We'll hang out on my newly refreshed back porch. You can read about it here (#1). I have comfy, colorful pillows, a drink dispenser (#2) to hold a cold, summery drink, and mason jar glasses on my drying rack from Canton.

I want to serve tacos so I'd love to get a tortilla warmer  (#3) and a taco rack (#4) or two. The galvanized bucket (#5) will be used to hold bottled drinks on ice.

What's a party without colorful string lights (#6)? I found these and would love to have them. The colors tie in perfectly with my pretty pillows!

I love this seagrass rug (#7) - I think it would be fun to paint it to go with my pillows, plus it folds up for easy storage!

A mason jar caddy with jars (#8) would be perfect to hold silverware and napkins.

Of course, since it's hot, we'll need a mister to help keep us cool. Bruce, can we get one?

We'll visit and catch up, show you our hard work on the awesome new bathroom, and get to enjoy our  friends in our favorite spot to hang out - the back porch! Hope to see you there!

Cheers,
Cecilia