Fall Interior Decor

WELCOME FALL!!!

Today is October 2nd  and I am so ready for the fall weather to arrive. It's been the hottest Summer on record in at least 30 years and living in our older home without A/C has been a challenge to say the least. Yesterday it was 90 outside and over 100 degrees in my house. The weather report calls for another day in the 90's today and then it will start to quickly cool off and it is supposed to be in the 60's next week which will definitely feel more like fall!

I decided it was time to bring out the fall decorations in hopes that the cooler weather would soon follow! Above is our fall wreath hanging on the gate that leads into our front court yard.

 
Here is the front porch. I hung a basket arrangement on the front screen door. 

 

 

We have a step down galley kitchen off to the left as soon as you come in the front door. There is the perfect little nook just inside the kitchen where I keep our corner iron shelf unit. It is the perfect place to display my whimsical Halloween decorations.

 

Here is close ups of the shelves. Above is my "pumpkin people"

Here is my "friendly witch" collection. The painting was done by my Mom.

Here is my ghost and black cat collections. Both paintings and the cross stitch were done by my Mom.

I try to add something new to my collection every year. This year I bought this vintage black cat at Tuesday Morning. Don't you love his little trick or treat pail shaped like a bat? 

Above and below are shots of our kitchen.

 

I love this Halloween tree that I bought at Home Goods several years back. The ornaments are vintage Halloween stickers that I put on card stock and hung with a black ribbon.

 

Here is a framed picture that my Mom gave me years and years ago. It's a vintage Good Housekeeping magazine cover with a little boy in front of a fall scene.

Here is another framed picture (the flash erased the little boy's head who is sitting on the pumpkin.!)

Here is our dining room. I'm especially excited to show the new light fixture that Kevin hung up over the table. As a reminder, when we moved in to the house...the dining room light fixture was a very contemporary style that did not go with our decor.

BEFORE

AFTER

Kevin had to re-route the electrical about a foot to the right so that we could center the new light fixture over the center of the table. He also took down the ultra contemporary light sconces that hung on each side of the window.  The new fixture was given to us FREE by a friend of mine who had it stored in her attic. It was brand new. I priced light fixtures like this at anywhere from $300-$500!

 Here is an iron pumpkin candle holder I found last year at Home Goods.

 I added the gold ceramic pumpkin to my display in the china hutch.

 I added some fall touches to the wine rack

Here is a big bouquet of fall leaves...which are sitting on a book case in our entry.

A few fall decorations grace the shelves.

I used acorns in the vase.

 Remember this plain wall and fireplace below?

BEFORE

 

AFTER

Thanks to Kevin, it is now painted and has a hand-made mantle! Kevin was so sweet to build this mantle for me after I said how much I would miss decorating the mantle with the fall decor this year.

I think he did a great job! I love it!

 Here is the living room.

 I bought these new pillows for the couch at Target.

 ...more fall decor on the end table and coffee table

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I also bought these tab top drape panels at Target for the french doors so we could have some privacy at night.

I hope you all have a wonderful fall season and may your days be crisp and cool :-)

Baked Chicken and Veggies (gluten free)

Here is a quick, easy and DELICIOUS meal your entire family will love. With a little help from Knorr ROASTERS Classic Herb flavor seasoning you can make this meal in a snap. I'm very careful not to buy anything with too much sodium or MSG, which is why it's rare that I'll purchase a seasoning packet like this. However this one only has 320 mg of sodium, no MSG and just basic seasonings. I found this seasoning packet at Vons grocery store. Along with the seasoning packet you'll need:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2-2 cups of baby carrots
1 1/2-2 cups of baby golden or red potatoes
2 T olive oil

Rinse and pat dry the veggies and chicken breasts. Cut the potatoes in quarters.

In the Knorr package you will find an oven bag. Remove, open up and lay in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish. I love using the 9 x 13 Pampered Chef Stone Baker.

Assemble the chicken breasts in a single layer in the bottom of the bag and then arrange the carrots and potatoes on top of the chicken.

Next, sprinkle the entire bag of seasoning evenly over the top of the chicken and veggies.

 

Drizzle 2 T. of olive oil over the top of the chicken and veggies.The recipe on the side of the packet does not call for the oil...but I thought it would help to make the chicken moist and it did!

 

Using your hands, massage the outside of the bag, ensuring that the seasoning is well incorporated into the chicken and veggies. Secure the end of the bag with the blue tie provided. You can flip the bag upside down while massaging the seasoning/oil mixture into the chicken and veggies, just be sure when you lay it back down into your casserole dish that the chicken in a single layer under the veggies to ensure even baking.

 

 

 

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

The bag will expand while cooking and this is what it looks like after 30 mins in the oven.

When done, carefully remove blue tie OR cut down the center of the bag with scissors. BE CAREFUL as HOT STEAM will pour out of the bag.

Pour out the cooked chicken and veggies onto a platter

 ..and dig in! The chicken is fork tender and the veggies are perfect too.
 This is super yummy!