A Few Fall Favorites

I've spent most of my Sunday on the sofa trying to recover from a wretched cough/cold thing that's been hanging on for several days. 
I don't know about you, but I always feel guilty when I'm not doing something. After all, there's so much to be done! 
Even as I lay here feeling week and sick, I'm mentally beating myself up because the house is messy, or I didn't get to the grocery store, etc.

Why can't I ever give myself the peace of having permission to just...rest?
Maybe a holdover from being married to someone who always told me I wasn't doing or being "enough".... ever?

I don't know, but whatever the source, I truly need to work on this! Back me up friends-it really is okay to rest when you know you need to, right?

Thank you.

That said.....I've shared some of the beautiful images of Colorado Fall outdoors {and there's more to come} but today I'm going to share a few of the images I've snapped recently of some of my favorite indoor Autumn lovelies. 

* * * * *

{A piece of my daughter's sweater from when she was a toddler (she's now 16), velvet and silk flowers and leaves, and vintage pearl beads have become a one-of-a-kind necklace for her. From mom, with love}





{Red pears-juicy, sweet and beautiful. A favorite Fall treat}

 

{An acorn-type seed, brought home from our trip to California. A tiny work of art}

{Another Fall treat-especially when you're not feeling well!}

{Currier & Ives Autumn tray}

{My dream house-smile}

{A favorite Fall plate-a gift from a friend}

This year, maybe more than other years, I feel compelled to capture and hold onto, the beauty of my favorite season before it is trampled by the world's stampede toward Christmas! 

I am thankful for this season and this day (sick or not) and thankful for you being here, friends.

Sharing this week over at:

The Scoop 
Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life
Make It Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House 
Share Your Cup Thursday at Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson
Tutorials Tips and Tidbits at StoneGable 
Be Inspired at Common Ground 
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage 

Simple Fall Front Porch

We've had a lot of rainy and windy weather over here, so sharing our Fall front porch has been a bit of a challenge. I did manage a few photos on a beautiful (though very breezy) afternoon this past week.
I've kept it simple, just adding a little cozy charm with things I already had around here, including some rust, rocks and a little whimsy : )
 



{My nearly 3-year-old door mat is looking pretty worn, but I'm not spending money on a new one just now. I thought I'd try just turning it over to the natural colored reverse side. New look without spending any money-you know I like that!}

The old chair stays on the front porch year round. I added the rusted out galvanized tub. This old tub has served a lot of purposes over many years, and several homes. I think I originally had flowers planted in it 'way back when'. More recently it has served as a place to coil up the garden hose. 

The large rustic wood piece (what is that thing, anyway?) was a roadside find several months ago. 

The chunky candle in the old pickle jar is a regular around here, no matter the season. An upturned galvanized farm bucket serves as a perfectly simple candle stand.

If you've ever had any email correspondence with me, you know that Nuthouse is my email address. It's an old family joke that just "stuck". My sister bought us this sign many years ago, and I put it out every Fall.

Another chunky candle in an old jar, some pine cones and leaves  sit inside a rustic old farm basket on the porch steps. 

My simple Fall wreath started with the basic grapevine wreath that I use for every season. 
I attached the wooden initial with a few spots of hot glue and added a pretty green and brown ribbon (repurposed many times over) and a tiny garland made from Fall oak leaves we used for decor at my daughter's Autumn wedding two years ago.

Simple and rustic seems to be the Fall theme over here this year. I guess I'm just in the mood to keep things easy and low-key and not spend any money {smile}.

I'm sure glad you stopped by for a little visit to our Fall front porch, friends!


Jeanette


Sharing this week over at:

Be Inspired at Common Ground 
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage 
Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch
The Scoop  
Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life 
Make it Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House 
Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House 
Share Your Cup Thursday at Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson 
Fall Junkers United Party at Chipping With Charm 
Tutorials Tips and Tidbits at StoneGable 

The Big Four Nine!

Last Monday was my birthday. 

Am I the only one who thinks the last birthday before a "milestone birthday" is kind of a big deal? 

After all, I just ushered in the very last year of my 40's-eek! While I've been looking forward to the Big 50 for a long time, I really want the year leading up to it to be memorable in it's own right.

{Vintage date nail from Knick of Time}

Celebrating my 49th actually stretched out over a few days, beginning the day before my actual birthday.

My son-in-law had heard that the Aspen Mountain gondola was running for free (normally $28.00 per person) that weekend and suggested we go up. Aspen is about an hour from our town, and I've been there several times, but never ridden the gondola. 

I loved the idea of celebrating the day together doing something none of us had done before!

The weather was perfect, the trees were dressed in their Autumn finest, I had all four of my kids together and the son-in-law. I was more than ready for a little adventure.

Come along with us as we head up the mountain!

The line to the gondola. Apparently we weren't the only ones who liked the word "free" {smile}

I don't know what I was expecting, but I definitely had not anticipated how high the gondola was! (compared to the ski lifts) Or how long the ride would be-almost 20 minutes each way.

 

I'm not going to lie, it was a little scary at first!

We had plenty of time to really take in the incredible beauty of this ride up the mountain. I do wish the gondola windows had been cleaner.

Photo Mikayla

There were times when the cars would come to a complete stop, and all you could hear was the rush of wind as you swayed high above the ground in your little "bubble". Such an amazing feeling!



The Aspen Sundeck is the destination at the top. Unbelievable views, food, live music- it has it all!

As you can imagine, this is a very popular site for weddings and receptions. Look at this cool ceiling!

Photo Mikayla

Photos Mikayla

Inside, we listened to some good music, had a bite to eat and gawked at the incredible mountain view through the floor to ceiling windows. 

And did a little people {and dog!} watching : )

Afternoon at the top. Gorgeous!

My girls

Me and Mikayla

We headed back down the gondola late afternoon and spent some time walking through the beautiful and charming downtown area of Aspen.

Even though it was snowy up on the mountain, in town there were still lots of flowers blooming.

One of the fun things about Aspen is the diversity of homes. From this..

..to this. 

If you're on a budget, don't get your hopes up for a home in Aspen. I doubt there's a single family home in this town, no matter how humble, for under a million. 

Good thing I'm easily satisfied to be within driving distance, eh? ;)

Recipe source

Oh, I can't forget to mention these delicious cookies my oldest daughter made for us to enjoy on our Aspen outing. Pumpkin cookies with brown sugar glaze-yum! (I wish I had taken a better photo) They were thick and moist, almost more like cake. 

See the crumbs on top of the plastic? I'm totally busted for sneaking one on the drive up. The plate was in my lap! I just couldn't help it. Simply no control.

On my actual birthday my 16 year old made a yummy apple streusel cake with maple cinnamon icing! We enjoyed our cake and coffee at an outdoor table at Starbucks with our family. Perfect!

I can't tell you how much I love having a Fall birthday!

When my kids ask what I want, it's always the same thing: I want to go somewhere beautiful, eat something yummy and be with people I love. Hey, I'm a simple girl and all my birthday wishes came true!

I'll share a little photo tour of the last phase of my Fall birthday outing with a friend, in another post soon!

 Aspen Wedding on a Shoestring Budget

It's hard to believe my daughter and her husband are about to celebrate their 2nd wedding anniversary! I'd love for you to come see how we pulled off a simple, heartfelt Aspen wedding on a very small budget.


What are some of the Fall things that you and your family are enjoying this month where you live? 

Thanks so much for coming up the mountain with me!

Jeanette 


Sharing this week over at:

Be Inspired at Common Ground 
The Scoop