It's Fall Y'all: Door Décor

Fall is definitely my favorite season, and I enjoy decorating this time of year. I've been busy as a bee feathering our nest for the season. 


I began my decorating at the front door, so I would be ready to join Rhoda at Southern Hospitality blog for her fall door décor linky party.

I hung this pretty Melrose International twig and berry wreath on the front door.  I ordered it on amazon.com, and you can find it in our Amazon Store here.   Did you know you can save a bundle when you order seasonal wreaths off-season?  I ordered this one over the summer and saved 50% off the current price!  

Adorning the coat closet in the entryway is an oval grapevine wreath made out of recycled items from around the house. It  originally had silk  flowers on it that had seen better days.  

I removed the old flowers from the wreath and wrapped a maple leaf garland around it.  This garland is one of my favorites because the leaves are so realistic.  I finished the wreath with a bow I  recycled from a mantel arrangement I made a couple of years ago.

Here's another option for autumn door décor--a wall basket of bittersweet.  This one came from my mother-in-law's home.  It brings a smile to my face when I look at it and remember how much she enjoyed fall.

I still have a few more things to do in the yard and will be posting some photos the rest of my fall decorations, so come back and visit next week.

Thanks for stopping by!

You're Being Watched

If you're starting to feel like you're constantly being watched while surfing the web, you're not alone. While browsing online lately, I've noticed more and more ads for websites I have visited on other sites.    For instance, one evening, I was shopping on Old Navy's website. The next day, when I visited some unrelated websites, I spotted ads for Old Navy on many of them.  This was no coincidence.  It is obvious my web browsing was being tracked, and those targeted ads are designed to entice me back to the sites I visit while shopping online.

I also notice when I use a search engine, it isn't long before spam for products and services  related to my search start cluttering my e-mail inbox.  For example, well over a year ago, I had searched online for area assisted living facilities for my mother-in-law, who has since passed away. As of today, I am still receiving information about assisted living facilities, as well as other products and services for the elderly. At first, I wondered how these people were able get my e-mail address, name and other personal information.  I know I didn't sign up for anything related to my online search. After doing a bit of research, it appears to have been done using third party tracking cookies.

All the unwanted spam and targeted ads have made me determined to protect my privacy online.  I already use a program that removes tracking cookies, which I run once a week, but that doesn't seem to be enough. Today, I was excited to stumble upon a browser extension available for Chrome, Firefox and Safari that blocks online tracking by major third parties and search engines.  It's called Disconnect, and it's free.  You can download it at http://disconnect.me. I just  installed it on my computer in both Google Chrome and Firefox.  I'm more than ready to say goodbye to targeted ads and search engine generated spam.


Thanks for stopping by!

Coping with Facebook's Recent Changes

If you're a Facebook user, I am sure you've noticed all the recent changes they've made.   I don't know about you, but I'm not a big fan of several major changes all at once. Personally, I find the changes make the Facebook interface too busy, and you can't find things where they used to be.


Anyway, there are some things you can do to bring back the Facebook you know. If you want your feed to go back to normal, go to your Account Settings,  then Notifications on the left side. At the top right, uncheck the E-mail Frequency box. After that, your  feed will show all the posts again. Then, go to your home page and anything in the Top Stories, click on the down arrow in the upper right and unmark as top story; now your newsfeed will be set up by timestamp rather than randomly picking "top stories".  Continue to click on the down arrow in the upper right any other top stories you see on your feed.  Keep doing this to all the top story posts and eventually, your feed will be back to normal.

Also,  you want to get rid of that annoying live feed in the upper right-hand corner, there's a  free browser extension that can do that .    You can download it at http://betterfacebook.net/. It also has a lot of other cool features to customize your Facebook.  

Oh, and by the way, Frugal Fine Living is on Facebook; if you're not a fan already, go and check out our page.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Fall!

Today is officially the first day of fall, but I couldn't wait to start my fall decorating.  So, one Saturday, a couple of weeks ago,  I dragged out my big, plastic tote of fall decorations, lit an apple cinnamon candle in the kitchen, turned on some music and had a blast feathering our nest with autumn splendor.   


Tomorrow, I plan to decorate outdoors to welcome fall.  I've already hung this pretty fall twig wreath on the front door. I ordered it on amazon.com, and you can find it in our Amazon Store here.  Here's a frugal tip--order seasonal items off-season and save a bundle!  I ordered my fall wreath over the summer and saved 50% off the current price!  


When I am finished with the outdoor decorating, I'll grab my camera and take pictures of everything, both inside and out, and will post them soon.  I plan to participate in these autumn linky parties:  

I can hardly wait to see everyone else's autumn goodies! If you have yours up already, please leave me the link. I'd love to see them.


Happy Fall, and thanks for stopping by!

Tablescape Thursday: It's Almost Fall Y'all!

 

We enjoyed lovely, crisp fall weather here in New England last weekend.   It really put me in a fall mood, so I decided to create a fall tablescape for Sunday's dinner.

At each place setting, I layered some round rattan placemats and red leaf placemats.  I then topped my everyday stoneware plates with some colorful leaf plates.  All were from The Christmas Tree Shop.  The plaid napkins are from Kohl's..

A couple of years ago, I found this rustic lantern on a clearance shelf at HomeGoods.  The light was broken, so I removed it and added a battery-operated LED candle.  I placed a grapevine and berry wreath around the lantern. Underneath it, a crocheted doily is layered over a  gold matelassé placemat.  

I love this cute trio of resin pumpkins I found at The Christmas Tree Shop last year.  The bottle was one of my father's yard sale finds from a few years ago.

Thanks for stopping by!

Black Beans & Rice Chili

The weather was crisp this weekend, so I made this on Sunday.  It's perfect for serving on a cool, fall day with some skillet corn bread.


Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 pound ground turkey (or ground beef)
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1 package Zatarain's Black Beans and Rice
• 2 cups water
• 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes with chilies, undrained
• 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• assorted toppings, such as shredded cheese, sour cream and chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Heat oil in large pot or cast iron skillet on medium-high heat. Add ground turkey (or beef) onion and bell pepper; cook and stir until meat is no longer pink. Drain fat. 
2. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon oil, Rice Mix, water, tomatoes, corn, chili powder,  and garlic powder. 
3. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 25 minute or until most of the water is absorbed and rice is tender. Stir occasionally to prevent rice and beans from sticking.  Garnish with assorted toppings, if desired.

Enjoy!

Linking up with

 

Frugal Mom Cave Updates

If you're a follower of my blog, you may have read the post about my mom cave last fall.   This past weekend, I made a few changes in the room.

drapes before

I replaced the thin, velour drapes (pictured above) with some silk taffeta drapes.    I had a yard sale with a friend over the weekend and spotted them in with her items.  They were brand new and still in the package.  I traded her for one of my yard sale items I had for sale, so they didn't cost me a dime.

drapes after

Although the color of the drapes is the same, I think the fabric's embroidery and sheen add a touch more glam to the window.  Also, unlike the others, they're lined, so they'll help to keep out any drafts this winter. 

chandelier before

The chandelier in the room was originally installed when the room was used as our daughter's bedroom.  Instead of replacing it, I decide to give it an updated look with a new shade.  I found this tufted, taffeta drum shade at The Christmas Tree shop for only $14.99.  

chandelier after

The wall-to-wall carpeting in the room is original to the house, and there were several paint  stains on it.  We had planned on replacing all of the upstairs carpeting last year; unfortunately, some unexpected expenses related to extended family members caused us to postpone this.  As a temporary fix, I had placed an area rug on top of the carpeting.  However, it slid around on top of the carpeting.  As a result, it eventually became permanently creased in several places and would no longer lie flat.

As a temporary solution until we replace the carpeting in the spring, I found this area rug at The Christmas Tree Shop for only $39.99.   We removed the carpeting underneath it using a utility knife.  We then added double-sided carpet tape to the back side of the area rug and pressed it in place on top of the original carpet padding.  I am pleased with how it looks, and it doesn't slip around like the old area rug did.

The room also needed some additional artwork.  When we were cleaning out my MIL's condo after she passed away, I found this pretty, framed fall scene.  It's perfect in the room, as the colors are exactly the same as those in the fabric I used to make the Roman shade. Cost: free 

I think these few thrifty treasures have really helped to freshen up my mom cave.  Total cost for updating the curtains, rug, light fixture and adding some artwork:   $58.42 including sales tax.

I have also ordered an architect's lamp to provide some task lighting for the desk area; it should arrive sometime next week.  

It's a good day for to turn on the fireplace in my mom cave.  I think I'll watch some HGTV for inspiration while blogging. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Remembering 911: 10 Years Later

It's hard to believe tomorrow marks the 10th anniversary of the 911 attacks.  I don't think I will ever forget that morning, when 19 terrorists hijacked four airplanes and attacked our country. We were living in Plymouth, Massachusetts at that time, and my husband was at work in Boston.  Our children were attending a small, private school, which was located about 4 miles from our home.

After driving the kids to school, I came home, grabbed a cup of coffee and headed downstairs to my office to work.  At one point, I checked my e-mail, which is how I initially learned of the attacks. The announcement came in the form of a work-related list server post.  I couldn't believe what I had read and turned on the television to find out some more information.




After watching the news on television, I became concerned about the safety of my family.  I called my husband, who worked in a federal building at that time.  I was relieved to hear his voice and know he was okay.  (Later that day, all employees who worked in federal building were released early as a precaution.)  I also briefly considered driving to my children's school to pick them up early.  However, I decided against doing this, as I didn't want to cause them to worry. I remember that day seemed like it would never end, and I just wanted my family home, so I could hug them.

Like me, I am sure you remember exactly what you were doing on the morning of September 11, 2011, when you learned about the attacks.  It was a day that forever changed our nation.

As I watch the 911 memorial coverage on television this morning, I am reminded of this image.  Its message will endure forever.

Bargain E-Reader Books

I have always been a voracious reader. I have more books than "you can shake a stick at" (in Eastern Kentucky speak!), and I have at least one stashed any place I might want to read for couple of minutes. I have books beside my bed, books in my car, books in the living room, books in the kitchen, and, of course, books in the bathroom. :-) Knowing this, my son and daughter-in-law gave me a Kindle as a gift this past Christmas. Even though I love real books and cannot imagine life without them, I adore my Kindle. Some of you may remember the blog I wrote about it not long after I got it.

One of my coworkers, Karen, also has a Kindle, and she is as crazy about hers as I am mine. She found a great website with tons of free and bargain priced books for e-readers like the Kindle and Nook. You can sign up for a daily email from this site with suggestions for downloads through Amazon's Whispernet for the Kindle and through Barns and Noble for the Nook. It's super simple, and the variety is great. I've downloaded everything from how to teach Algebra to romance novels to Christian stories to fantasy. Out of curiosity, I've even downloaded a couple of books written in the late 1800's on etiquette for ladies. It's really quite amazing how much things have changed for women since then!

If you would like to explore this website and perhaps sign up for the daily email list, click here. The site is called Pixel of Ink. I think you'll be pleased with what you find.


Enjoy!
Sherry


Note: You can also read Kindle e-books on your PC. Just download Amazon's free Kindle for PC app.

Home for the Long Weekend

Rob & Sarah at the Public Garden in Boston

We were blessed to have our son, Rob, and his lovely girlfriend, Sarah, home for Labor Day weekend.  It was such a treat to have them home!  In addition to living 1200 miles away, their lives are super busy.  Rob is currently in army training and is working on a second master's degree.  Sarah is in her last year of nursing school in Nashville.  

We had a wonderful visit with them The last night they were here, they decided to cook us dinner.  They went shopping for the ingredients, then came home and got to work.  The house smelled terrific!

What a feast we had--lobster bisque, bang bang shrimp, stuffed mushrooms...

After supper, we played several rounds of Catch Phrase, then had a yummy dessert Rob & Sarah whipped up. I believe it was called chocolate chip cookie dough smash.  It was baked in a cast iron skillet in the oven.  While it was still warm, they added scoops of vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup on top.   Everyone sat around the table eating it with spoons.  It tasted heavenly!

This morning, I looked around for the recipe for the bang bang shrimp online, as I didn't want to bother them for it on their first day back at school.  This recipe I found looks about right:

Bang Bang Shrimp

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (You can substitute plain yogurt.)
• 1/4 cup Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
• 3 drops Tabasco or Red Hot sauce
• 1 pound shelled and de-veined shrimp
• white corn meal
• olive oil for frying
• romaine lettuce

Directions:

Mix mayonnaise (or plain yogurt) with Thai Sweet Chili Sauce. Add hot sauce to taste. Dredge the shrimp in corn meal. In a large skillet, fry the shrimp in olive oil until lightly brown. Drain on paper towel, put in a bowl and coat with the sauce. Serve on top of a bed of romaine lettuce.  

Nutrition Facts:  288 calories, 24 grams fat, 1 grams carbohydrates, 19 grams protein per serving.


Enjoy!

Linking up with