I'm Falling for this Fall Front Porch

Can you feel that chill in the air? Ahhh, that crisp, cool autumn air is here. Fall officially starts the countdown to my favorite seasons in ascending order: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas. All my friends and family know how seriously I take holidays. Sweater weather and pumpkin-spice everything are only perks.

Another of my favorite perks is all the Fall home decor goodies. My collection is still growing, so our home interior needs some (pumpkin) spicing up.

Despite that, the outside of our home is officially all Falled up.

Right now, we're relying on hay bales and mums to carry our front porch, but as we get later in the season, we'll add a lot of pumpkins. And yes, I had just watered the mums when I snapped this pic.

I also added some acorns and pinecones to our topiaries and some faux mums to the R wreath.

This is our first go-round with big Fall decorating outside. When we moved in last October, we were too exhausted to decorate, so we added some mums and called it a day. Of course, never having cared for mums (or any non-succulent plants for that matter) I killed them really, really quickly. Like cats-running-for-the-kitchen-when-you-open-the-can-opener's-drawer quickly.

This year, I'm feeling more confident in keeping my little mums alive. It's been a week and they're still kicking.

It's crazy that our house is the most decorated for Fall in our neighborhood. It's like I'm winning a contest I didn't even know existed. Part of me says calm down, and reminds me that some people went all out for Christmas last year. Then again, I'm kinda crazy (definitely crazy when it comes to holidays) so it's only fitting that I raise the psycho-bar for us all.

Chalk It Up To...

Have I told y'all about my chalkboards?

Like most girls, I have a serious thing for chalkboards and chalkboard art. Like, we're not-seeing-other-people serious.

We have two chalkboards in the house: one in the foyer and one in the kitchen.

You may have seen them floating about in some wide shots, but I don't think I've ever shared them. Seeing as I have a serious disability when it comes to staying up-to-date with holiday decor, I love that this little thing only takes a few minutes to change out. Count on this: when all my other knick-knacks are two months out-of-context, my chalkboards are up-to-the-minute accurate.

I've only recently started cataloging my drawings, but here's a brief history to bring you up to date:

 

Pat has even tried his hand at designing chalkboards. I don't know what A September to Remember means (is it a sports or movie reference I don't get?), but I appreciate the input. He also gets writing cred for July Not So Dry.

Now I'm not delusional: I know I'm not Little Baby Garvin awesome with my designs, and you won't see a Woodward Place Etsy shop popping up anytime soon. What I can say with complete confidence is they make me happy and I feel like a little (very amateur) artist.

So that's that.

PB&J 2.0 Revisited

You may have noticed I took a blog break. I spent August working a lot and chilling with friends. I managed to squeeze in a mini vacay and watched more Netflix than any human should be okay with. August was oodles of fun for me, but I missed my little blog. After a month and a half away, I felt like I needed to make a some grand re-entrance. Like, we tore down a wall or we've gutted a bathroom.

As it turns out, on my break I did absolutely zero home-related projects (does buying fake pumpkins at HomeGoods count?), so you won't get some surprise reveal.  But this is as good as it gets in Woodward news:

I'm in a magazine y'all!

I bet John and Sherry don't even notice little blurbs like this anymore, but this is huge stuff for me. I've been eagerly awaiting my copy in the mail to the point I had even convinced myself it was never coming. #musthavebeenadream #pinchme

The fine folks over at Taste of Home uncovered some value in my ramblings and decided to feature (take that with a grain of salt) my beautiful mug and some choice words in their August/September issue. That *might* even be a mention on the front page...errr, to the article, not me.

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What fine bit of journalism did they choose to feature? Bits and bobs about terrariums or moving tips? Nope. The lucky winner is perhaps my most-ridiculed writing, PB&J 2.0. You thought I was crazy. You said the sugar had gone straight to my head. You secretly tried it and knew the genius.

Maybe the PB&J 2.0 isn't my most pinned post. But an awesome afternoon snack? Yes. In an article about moms sharing their favorite school-ready meals, I'm the childless adult naming a personal, first-grade-appropriate favorite. I don't even pack my own lunches yet.

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Shot out to the hottie in No. 9. PS, I immediately regret the headshot I chose. Red lipstick is a stretch for me in person. Why did I think I could pull it off in a magazine. Next time, I'll use No. 2's approach.

This is such a fun, happy article and I'm giddy to be a part of it. It's the little things like this that makes blogging so rewarding and this really motivates me to tackle my next big project. If only I could decide what to do...

I'll be back soon. I promise!

If you like what you see and are interested in subscribing to Taste of Home, here's the link.