It's Fall Y'all!

Please visit Rhoda for It's Fall Y'all!, Susan for Tablescape Thursday, and Michael for Foodie Friday, and be sure to check out the other participants while you're there.

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The Autumn by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Go, sit upon the lofty hill,

And turn your eyes around,
Where waving woods and waters wild

Do hymn an autumn sound.

The summer sun is faint on them --

The summer flowers depart --

Sit still -- as all transform'd to stone,

Except your musing heart.

How there you sat in summer-time,

May yet be in your mind;

And how you heard the green woods sing
Beneath the freshening wind.

Though the same wind now blows around,

You would its blast recall;

For every breath that stirs the trees,

Doth cause a leaf to fall.

Oh! like that wind, is all the mirth

That flesh and dust impart:

We cannot bear its visitings,

When change is on the heart.

Gay words and jests may make us smile,

When Sorrow is asleep;

But other things must make us smile,

When Sorrow bids us weep!

The dearest hands that clasp our hands, --

Their presence may be o'er;

The dearest voice that meets our ear,

That tone may come no more!

Youth fades; and then, the joys of youth,

Which once refresh'd our mind,

Shall come -- as, on those sighing woods,

The chilling autumn wind.

Hear not the wind -- view not the woods;

Look out o'er vale and hill--

In spring, the sky encircled them --

The sky is round them still.

Come autumn's scathe -- come winter's cold --

Come change -- and human fate!

Whatever prospect Heaven doth bound,

Can ne'er be desolate.

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I love fall! In fact, it's my favorite time of the year...

Pansies...

"Autumn Joy" sedum...

Won't you come in and visit?


A mug of steaming veggie soup to warm you up...

Let's check out the dining room, all decked out for fall...

Cornucopia candle holder with pumpkin-colored candle...

Let's have apple cider tea by the fireplace, along with a mulling spice spoon...

....or, perhaps, hot chocolate with a big, fluffy marshamallow...

A marshmallow roast around a bonfire...

Some easy comfort food to warm you...

A cozy glass of wine on a chilly night...

New fall-colored pillows...

Thanks for stopping by. Come back and visit again soon!

Sources:

Bird and pine cone candle holders, candle snuffer, tapers and pillars are from Colonial Candle
Pumpkin-shaped candle holders are from Target
Cornucopia candle holders are by Heisey
Small glass pumpkins are from Dollar Tree
***Don't forget that Colonial Candle is offering my readers a $15 discount off an order of $60 or more through 10/31/09. Use promo code MAMAISON15 at checkout.

Between Naps on the Porch Giveaway

Susan at Between Naps on the Porch is having a fall giveaway of a beautiful tassel from The Tassel House. Click HERE to get all the 411!

Metamorphosis Monday: Fireplace

Welcome to Metamorphosis Monday! Please visit our hostess Susan's blog Between Naps on the Porch to see what transformations she and the other participants have to show us.

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I've never been happy with our fireplace, and we've not burned a fire in it in the whole seven and a half years we've lived here. I'd like to eventually have the whole thing refaced with granite tiles and wood for a more modern look, but for now we've made some small changes with paint and decor.

I still like most of the pieces I had decorated the fireplace with, but I wanted to try a cleaner, less cluttered look for a change. Here's the before picture...

The firebox before painting...


And here's the finished product...

We're really enjoying the flicker of candlelight in the fireplace in the evenings...

The candle holder in the fireplace is from Colonial Candle, and I just draped a fall garland through it.

This pillar holder is also from Colonial Candle. It's part of the same line as the one inside the fireplace.

It's not a big change, but it's one that we're happy with for now.

***Colonial Candle is offering my readers a discount of $15 off a $60 or more order now through 10/31/09. Use promotional code MAMAISON15 at checkout.

Pink Saturday: Pink Princess

Welcome to Pink Saturday! Please be sure to stop by and visit Beverly at How Sweet The Sound, and to see the list of other participants.

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My cousin, her hubby, and baby Gracie came to visit us last week, and she wore a dress with lots of pink when we went out to dinner, and down to see the ocean.

Gracie got to see some ducks at the restaurant...

Here she is with her daddy, with the ocean as a backdrop...