Just a little bit of fall

The thought of putting out my holiday decor puts a pep in my step.  I absolutely love putting up seasonal decor.  Even though at the end of September I would be putting up all of the Halloween decor, I couldn't wait until then.  I decided to put out just a little bit of fall.  I'm considering this my pre-fall decor.  

As I walked into Hobby Lobby to pick up a few items I see this:

The picture doesn't do it justice, it's gorg!

Inspired by the burlap in their tree, I decided to make a mini banner of burlap flags.  I picked up some chipboard letters, some mini clothes pins:

I painted the letters, glued them to the flags and hung them on jute string.  Quick and easy but I think it looks really cute:

I also pulled out one of my fall wreaths from the garage:

 And I picked up a bunch of orange colored flowers for the vase on the entrance way table:

This little bit of fall should be enough to hold me over until the Halloween decor is out at the end of the month.  That's when the good stuff comes out.  First for Halloween, then Thanksgiving and then Christmas!

Lists

I make a list for everything.  Mostly because I am a control freak and have this need to be completely organized.  All the time.  I even make a list of  topics that I need to start lists for.  Wait...does that make sense?  It does to me.  I've always been a list maker.   As a matter of fact I think my list making obsession is annoying to those who do not make lists.  Case in point:  my younger sister.  Ever since we were young girls, she mocked my list making.   Not much has changed, she still rolls her eyes at me when I start a new list in her presence.

My two favorite apps for list making are the ones that come automatically loaded onto the iPhone that I access through iCloud.  There is the "Reminder" list.  The reminder list allows me to set actual reminders with alerts (which I love) and I also use it to keep basic lists.   I have a list for EVERYTHING on my Reminder app.  I have a list for:  grocery, Target, Sprouts, Costco, Ulta, Coupons, Beauty supplies, Projects, Books, etc.  The list goes on and on.  What I love most about it is that I can update my list from my desktop, iPhone or iPad.    When I'm at work I can pull my list on my desktop, when I'm at home I can use my iPad and when  I'm out and about I access my list on my iPhone.

Here's the Reminder List.  I like that I can click on the box and the item is removed from the active list and moved to a "completed" list.  So if I accidentally click the wrong box, I can find it in the "completed" area (it's sorted by date) and move it back.

 My other favorite on iCloud is Notes.  Notes looks like a yellow legal pad.  I use this list for projects and for when I need to take detailed notes.  Like when I'm out shopping and I want to do price comparisons or when I am brainstorming ideas:

Yes, I make a schedule for when I plan on putting out my holiday decor

Speaking of lists......

While I was at work today I had a panic attack because I realized I didn't have a list put together for all that was about to start.  September through December is a very busy time of the year for us.   We have Cardinals football games (including tailgating), family birthdays (seven total within a two month period), Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas decor, handcrafted Christmas cards and what ever else gets tossed at us.  On top of that, we are expecting out of town guests in early December so we have a guest bedroom that I am redecorating.   So I immediately started a list of things I needed to start lists on. 

When I got home, I took my list of lists (stay with me, it will start to make sense soon) and created a book to keep me organized.  Organization will be critical these next few months so I needed to make sure I was prepared.   I know this sounds weird, but this is how my brain works.  I've said it before, it's not easy being me.  And although I am normally all about electronic lists, sometimes I need to go old school. 

My topics are:  Guest Room, Visit To Do, Tailgate, Christmas and Weekend:

What is alarming to some is that I always keep these supplies on hand in case of an emergency.

In the Guest Room section I'll be able to keep ideas (that I usually get out of magazines), receipts (so I stay on budget), checklists so I get everything I need.  Basically, everything I'll need to have a successful outcome:

In my Visit To Do section, I can keep a checklist of items we need to take care of before our guests arrive. Tailgating warrants a section because tailgating is no joke.  There's a slew of things that need to happen to make sure the tailgate is smooth.  The Christmas section will include shopping lists, decor and card making, parties, etc.  Weekly will handle what needs to be done on a weekly basis to keep the household running smoothly through this very anticipated hectic time.  I feel that being organized during the chaos will allow us to still enjoy the moment.  Which is really what it's all about, yes?

Luckily, Sweetheart is a list maker so I don't drive him completely crazy with this.  At least not all the time.  Well, I'm off to make another list.

A Summer Wreath

I just realized I started writing this post on July 8th.  I wanted to show off the summer wreath that I had just crafted.  I had taken down all of my 4th of July decor and I was excited to put something new up.   Something that said "summer".  That was two months ago; and now summer is nearly over.  I guess time does fly when you're having fun.  And fun it was. 

July and August were filled with Arizona Diamondback baseball games, my older sister's birthday party, my Great niece being born, two pre-season Cardinal football games and a wonderfully relaxing stay-cation at a local resort.  Not to mention a very ambitious goal to meet at work that took up a lot of my time (and sanity).  Fun times.  By the way, my 2013 memory jar is really filling up. 

This weekend, I'll pull out a couple of fall decorations.  Sure, fall doesn't actually start until September 21st.  But since we don't get a cool down in Arizona until about mid October (if we are lucky) it's football season that marks the start of fall for me.  Yes, football season speaks all kinds of fall and I am SO ready for it!

So a few fall decorations for now because at the end of September I'll start getting my Halloween decor out....