Random thoughts on a falling leaf Saturday morning:
1. If you drive by the front of our house? Please avert your eyes. Our yard is officially gone.
Finished.
Kaput.
Apparently, St. Augustine grass doesn’t like 105-degree temperatures at all so it’s all gone and the Sahara desert showed up in our front yard. We are pivoting to a sprinkler system and Bermuda grass.
2. Remember that skincare brand I love so much—Colleen Rothchild? You know. The one that changed my skin and made me feel like I could rule the world? They are having a giant sale right now with 26% off the entire site (use the code CELEBRATE).
You can see my skincare routine and the products I’ve been using for over a year here.
3. My sister is currently representing the US Team at the International Puzzle Competition in Barcelona, Spain. She made it through the quarterfinals and the semifinals and today she is in the FINALS.
I’m so so so proud of her.
4. It was an amazing week on the blog. We talked about:
- how my fall decorating is just like a mullet
- 21 budget wreaths for fall
- this fall bedroom makeover
- how to flatten a rug corner
5. Thank you so much for all the emails about my brother and his Malaria recovery journey. He just got off dialysis this week and we are over the moon!!!! It’s been such a journey with ICU and two hospital stays but he is almost back to being 100%.
And now?
Here are all my favorite finds for the week.
LET’S GO.
Autumn decorating is here.
The easier the better.
Here are tons of front porch decorating tips.
Look at this beautiful pumpkin.
Pumpkins and flowers make the perfect combination.
You can see the DIY here.
This fall decorating made my heart so happy.
And it’s full of vintage finds, too.
See the rest of the porch here.
Aren’t these pumpkins beautiful?
Don’t they look real?
They are painted with chalk paint. See the entire DIY here.
And in random news:
These free fall printables
These embellished pumpkins
How to adjust kitchen cabinet doors
My blue and white striped chairs are finally back in stock
This is the pavers in this garden
The cutest space-saving solution
This tour of the 2023 Southern Living Idea House
25 colors that go with navy blue
How to harvest sunflower seeds yourself
And this
These slow-living ideas for fall
My favorite outfit this week
This set is SO COZY. It has slits in the hem and slits on the side and it’s so soft and comes in tons of colors. Please note that I’ve rolled up the pants at the waistband to make them fit because I’m five feet and short. 🙂
It also runs large so size down and there’s a 10% off coupon, too.
You can see the matching set here.
And one more for the road
Here’s how to take a wool sweater and felt it and make this wreath.
Happy Random Saturday To You
disclosure: affiliate links are used in this post.
KariAnne I’m so glad to hear the good news about your brother and best of luck to your sister. You are just so sweet to share my front porch fall decor ideas. Have the best weekend.
Oh Karianne! What a great mix of wonderful ideas. I love the chalk paint pumpkins, it's on my to do list for this week. You look great in that outfit.
KariAnne I just wanted to thank you. Thank you for being so unselfish. You have so much going on in your mind and your heart, but yet here you are. Entertaining all of us and keeping it all together. I am so happy to read of all your good news and to let you know you are admired and appreciated. I hope this Saturday and everyday bring ypu happiness inside and out. And as someone said you look great in the sunny upbeat outfit. 😊
So glad to hear this good news about your brother and your sister, too. And the link to the article about the colors that go with navy blue was a revelation to me. I don't have a navy blue room but I have several pieces of navy blue clothing because I like it and because navy looks better on me than black. But I have been so stumped about what goes with navy other than white. So I'm saving that article in my "fashion" folder! Ha! Thanks! PS I don't love orange, but I love the oranges in your blue and white living room. Wow--it looks so striking and vibrant against the navy!
I am so happy for your brother and your sister---you have the most talented family!!!
Please explain more about the International Puzzle Competition. What kind of puzzle(s)?
Yes! I'm very curious what this is all about.
Thanks for keeping us updated about your brother. 💕 I loved the cozy boxed beds--my daughter's bedroom is very small, and that's a fun solution. The problem we run into is keeping open space for ventilation. Also, I like the touches of red in the Cassandra Crain home--I don't want the red rooms of the past to come back into vogue, necessarily, but pops of red are vibrant and homey at the same time.
Looking at your outfit on Amazon I would never have guessed it would look so cute on someone. You surely had a good eye for how it could look! Curious as to how your brother got malaria.
Great inspiration in your Thistles this week, KA! And I am so excited about your sister in that puzzle competition! WOW is that cool, I never ever knew there was such a thing! And praises be to the Lord your brother is on his road to recovery - that is just so scary I can barely even imagine how you've all been worried. You look great in that color. You have my same coloring (blond blue, pale) and I'd never have even imagined myself in that color. But you look great. May have to rethink some wardrobe things. Hope your temps are cooling down a bit there. Have a great weekend.
Love your outfit, I think even old ladies would look good in it. I am so ready for Fall and am having fun looking at this Thistlekeeping.
When it’s consistently over 100 degrees - Bermuda grass is your best friend. I’m so happy to hear your brother is doing better. Congratulations to your sister- we are all cheering for her. Love CoCo’s floral pumpkin. Have a great week.
I'm so pleased about your brother and congrats to your sister. I wish her all the luck in the world. I found so many good ideas chalk painted pumpkins and Courtney's post is full of ideas. Thank you so much, you are very special.
That's interesting about your St. Augustine not doing well. I'm about 5 miles northwest of you and my Bermuda in the front has some slightly sad areas but my St. Augustine in my back yard (full sunlight) is doing very well. I'm crediting 2 things: watermyyard.org (A&M Ag division which recommends watering amounts weekly for your area) and getsunday.com which is a yard nutrition system sans bad stuff like glyphosates. I hope that helps you.
Hallelujah on your brothers recovery. Keep us posted on him and your sisters puzzle tournament. I’m going to look up
So glad to learn that your brother is on the mend. What a struggle and long haul. All the best to him and to your clever sister! I loved those embellished pumpkins and intend to try that with some of what I have just discovered to be an over-abundance of the faux type that seem to have proliferated in my storage units since last season!
Such great news about your brother continued 🙏 for him! I am so very sorry about your grass, it's so expensive and looks so bad, hope the Bermuda does better.
Oh sorry forgot, the best of luck to your sister, let us know how she does 🤞
I continually baby the St. Augustine grass in our yard. That grass is the grass from Hell. Great news from your brother. I could never be a puzzle team member. It is 83 and 80% humidity in S. FL. Have a great week!!!
I'm so happy to hear your brother is doing better! And who knew there was a US Puzzle Team?! Go sis!!! xoxo
Wonderful news about your brother's recovery. Healing takes time and us humans can be an impatient lot! Zoysia sod doesn't care much for extreme heat, either. I was able to save some of it in our back yard where it gets more shade, but our front yard is toast...and that is what it looks like! The sod and grass seed companies will have a banner year next spring!