Notes from A Cottage Industry

Weekly Words To Live By...

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Beginning October first....

I am joining the Annual Event that this gal puts on, and I have to tell you that I am pretty excited about it! The concept is that, for the entire month of October, we share a post a day with a theme.

As you can see from my photo button above, I am going to (hopefully) inspire you all to create a charmed life for yourself (and your loved ones) in a mere 31 days!

Oh, yes-I-will.

To give a you quick snapshot of what I have in mind, here are a couple of things I will be sharing with you:stocking your "entertaining" drawer or cupboard with unexpected items for serving pieces, tips for making any meal extraordinary, and an oh-so-easy way to start someone's morning off with a huge smile even if you're not there when they wake up. Sound inspiring so far? I hope so.

Want to join in the 31 Days fun? You'll find all the instructions here.
Stayed tuned for Monday, when the inspiration begins!

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They were calling my name.

Seriously.

Who could have resisted these babies?

(Not me.)

*sigh*

I need a much bigger closet with a lot of shelves for footware.

(just sayin'.)

Bargain tabletop accesories for a buck.

I am a cloth napkin girl. I also have always been a bandana fan for uses beyond what they are made for...and my favorite use for bandanas is (surprise) as napkins on the table. (Do you do this?)

I found these at WalMart yesterday for a dollar each.....
There were lots of other cute Halloween themed patterns with purple and black and pastels, but, as I shared last week, I am not as big a Halloween fan as a harvest fan, and  I was only after halloween napkins in orange and black. (...and, on a completely different side-note, for anyone interested, this partiular pattern also could double as a truly awesome Harley Davidson clothing accessory, as my Rock n' Roll Buddy pointed out. I will remember that!)

Anyway.

I realize that I am taking a lot of words to get to the point, which is, when looking for cloth napkins, think about bandanas...from Target, WalMart, and the Dollar Store. They're easy on your budget, and look fabulous on your table.

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Weekly Words To Live By...

Autumn love, twenty twelve.

Oh yeah, we're feeling the beginnings of Autumn at my house now.

Bring on the rain, 'coz I'm officially ready for a blazing fire, a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of chowder.

Harvest or Halloween, that is the question.

On a lunchtime run to Target with a coworker pal yesterday, we ended up in the Halloween section (oh yes, people, candy and costumes, and all things Autumn-decor themed are out in the stores now.) with for my friend to look at eensy weensy costumes for her nearly two year old daughter. (She was on a mission for a fairy princess costume, but we both agreed that the adorable teeny tiny Little Red Riding Hood costume trumped that idea.)

Now that I am in the midst of grand baby heaven, I am looking forward to seeing the cutie patooties all dressed up in their costumes. Beyond a few black fuzzy, glittery spiders and a black crow or two, I still am not much of a fan for the scary things like skulls and bloody limbs. (Never say never, as that may come a few years down the road, when all of the little grandsons are a bit older.)
What I do love about the season is the harvest-y decorations. The crisp weather, and the smells of baked apples and cinamon coupled with a roaring fire (and a good football game) are what I find irristable about this time of year. I am going to be stopping by the market tonight for pumpkins and I will be decorating the porch and front yard tonight, and then I will start on the inside of the house......so fun!

I know I asked this a question a few years back, but I want to pose it again...which one are you? Harvest or Halloween? Hmmmm?

 

Home inspiration from Monticello Antiques....

I managed to squeeze out a little excursion to Monticello last weekend with the Sewing Queen.
Oh, so much eye candy...

...and inspiration...

...I always want to hurry home and nest after a trip out there...
do you have any shops near you that ignite that kind of fire in you?

Brain-spill.

I know, it feels like it's been like for-evah since I posted a nice, inspiring, project-y kind of post. I've been busy, busy, busy.

With life.

Some good stuff, some challenging stuff. Some happy, some sad, and a couple of brain freeze days where I sat down to write and came up with nothin'.

So, here I am, checking in on my sad little neglected blog, hoping you're checking back in too.

Lots of stuff going through my head today. I woke up yesterday to rain, which was a much welcomed surprise. (Oh, the weather guy on TV said it was coming, but he's wrong so often that we pay him no mind.)Today, no rain, but still, that yummy, crisp autumn feeling wafting through the air.

(I'm so ready for fall.)

Last week I got a nice promotion at work, and I am going to be one ca-razy busy girl during the work week now. (I love that!) Of course, this promotion called for new shoes.
(You saw that one coming, right?)

Also, as you know, I have another new fat and healthy grand babe.
(My favorite quote to date from sweet lil' Keaton's oldest brother as he came barreling into the hospital room with his two year old bother in tow, was "Can I pet him, Mom?") Needless to say, Mr. Keaton is not experiencing a lack of attention from any of us!

Grand babe numero six is due in just a few more weeks here, and so the baby lovin' is running wild up here.

Along with the overwhelming joy that new babies bring, we've had some sad, and all-too-soon goodbyes take place. Losing someone you love is hard on the heart, and causes us all to take a pause as we realize that life is far too short, and far, far too fragile to be taken for granted.

Ever.

Make sure people know you care, and tell 'em you love them, while they're here.

Often.

And, make sure you laugh some, everyday.

I'll be sharing a much less rambling, much more cohesive-get-your-decorating-mojo-on post tomorrow.

I pinky-swear.

 

 

Weekly Words To Live By...

There is a certain happiness is being silly and ridiculous.

My two cents worth on Dove conditioner and a chance to win a $1,000 Spafinder gift certificate!

I don't usually write actual reviews, but in this case, I was happy to. Happy to because we're friends here, and friends always pass great finds on to each other, right?

I've noticed that the older I get, the more "maintenence products" I seem to require simply to look average. Sometimes I think I almost need a part time job on the side just to pay for these supplies.

That's where Dove Conditioner comes in. It makes my hair bounce and behave and look great, and it doesn't break the bank. Finally, a beauty product line that does what it says, and does it for a great price.

You've gotta love that, at any age, and any budget. Check it out yourself, and let me know your thoughts. I'm betting you'll agree with me.

Now, for the sweepstakes part of my post (and a coupon, to save us all even more!)you will need to answer this question: What is your favorite secret weapon in your let's-try-to-keep-things-affordable-while-making-me-look-cute arsenal?

Enter to win a $1,000 Spafinder gift certificate!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY

COMMENTS TO THIS POST ARE NOT SWEEPSTAKES ENTRIES. PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR ENTRY METHODS FOR THIS SWEEPSTAKES.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

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c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that post.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. Winners will have 72 hours to claim the prize, or an alternative winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 9/4/2012 - 9/30/2012

Be sure to visit Dove Hair.com to get a coupon for $1.50 off Dove Hair Therapy products.

Introducing Mr. Keaton Hayes Roberts.

Eight pounds six ounces of perfection. sweet, sweet Keaton arrived yesterday a bit after noon.
Such a delicious little piece of heaven.