5 Ways to Decorate with Gourds

Can you believe that we are now into November?  Crazytown, I tell ya!  I have some ideas for you today if you are interested in the gourd department...  I know I am!  For me, the more imperfect, the better!  I love me a bumpy gourd, yes I do.  What about you?

5 Ways to Decorate with Gourds

Better Homes and Gardens

Arrange the gourds in some sort of container (think: a basket, wheelbarrow, or atop a bench) in an artful way -- I love the colorful look of this display, but an ombre selection or even an all-white arrangement would look lovely!

Better Homes and Gardens

Set them on your coffee table, with books and a vase full of wheat or another neutral type of flower.

Country Living

Place the gourds in glasses or atop hurricanes on your windowsill.  A lovely sight if you have them in your kitchen!

Better Homes and Gardens

This is pretty much my go-to method for decorating with gourds from the farmers market -- sitting on top of candlesticks!  I love this look -- and there are so many types of candlesticks out there, this could either be super traditional or really funky and modern.

Better Homes and Gardens

Set the gourds up in a bowl or another type of dish -- this would look lovely as a centerpiece for your Fall table!

What other ideas do you have for decorating with gourds this time of year?  What are your go-to's?

xo,

maria

Outdoor Fall Dining

Good morning!  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  :-)  Mine was very lovely, spent with lots and lots of family -- my favorite!

In the part of Arizona my husband and I live in, October is just the beginning of Fall.  Right now, we are experiencing warmer temperatures during the day (think 80s-90s) and incredibly beautiful nights (60s-70s).  This means that I am currently dreaming about outdoor Fall dining!  :-)  My husband and I have a relatively small patio in comparison to our parents' yards; but we like to spend our mornings and evenings out there -- eating, drinking coffee, and talking.  This got me inspired to find some of my favorite outdoor Fall dining escapes to share with you today!

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Don't you just love the warm colors?  :-)  I think that's one of my favorite parts about Fall -- the transition from brighter colors to shades that I find to be much more soothing!

What are two of your outdoor Fall dining essentials?  I think mine would have to be San Pellegrino and a cozy wool throw or two!

xo,

maria

Apple Pork Chops

Good morning!  :-)  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  I am busy as a bee studying for midterms, which are this week.  I cannot believe that we are in the middle of October and that the semester is already halfway over.  We are finally experiencing some beautiful weather in Arizona, so my husband and I are loving that.  Temperatures are in the sixties in the morning and later in the night now, and we are super happy about that!  ;-)

I have a very simple dinner recipe for you all today that I found in Rachael Ray's magazine (the issue is October 2012).  This was exceptionally delicious and very filling -- we had leftovers, but I will be honest, the whole reheating-in-the-microwave thing probably wasn't the best way to go about it.  Instead, if you are reheating, I would simply preheat your oven to 250 degrees and put in the pork and apples for about a half an hour or so.  Check it, see if it's warm throughout, and then enjoy!

Apple Pork Chops

From: Rachael Ray Magazine (October 2012 Issue)

Ingredients

-3 tablespoons Mrs. Dash Original Seasoning Blend (I didn't have this particular type, so I used Mrs. Dash Onion and Garlic Blend)

-4 4-ounce pork loin chops

-2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, seeded, and cut into 8 wedges each (as you can see, I forgot to peel them!)

-2 tablespoons olive oil

Method

1. Sprinkle the apples and pork chops evenly with the seasoning blend.

2. Heat a saute pan to medium heat.  Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and cook the apples for 3 minutes.

3. Move the apples to a plate.  Add the remaining olive oil to the pan and brown the pork chops on both sides until they are cooked through.

4. Return the apples to the pan on top of the pork chops and cook for 3 minutes, turning the chops once.

I hope you enjoy this Fall recipe as much as my husband and I did!  :-)

xo,

maria

We Started Fall Early!

Good morning!  :-)  How are ya?

Well, earlier this month (like, the first of this month), I made an executive decision: Fall?  Was starting.

Never mind the fact that it was (and still is) over 100 degrees.  Never mind my husband's crazy looks he sent my way when I told him that I was hoppin' on over to HomeGoods to see what I could find for the season.  Never mind, never mind, never mind...  ;-)

Here's the funny thing.  My husband has actually gushed to me several times over the past weeks about how happy he is that we started the season on the early side in our home, because he's been able to enjoy it that much more!  Fall is a state of mind, people!  And while my air conditioning is still on full blast even in the middle of the night, I'm making pumpkin treats and Fall wreaths.  Here's what we've been up to this month!

This is just a simple Fall table centerpiece that I came up with when I wanted to fancy-up a dinner that Grey and I were going to be enjoying together.  A couple of bouquets of flowers from Trader Joe's, two leaf-y garlands from the Dollar Store, and a few jars/glasses later, our table was colorfully adorned and super happy to look at.  ;-)

I can't forget these Fall leaf doilies that Grey and I found in an antique shop last year on our honeymoon, and, of course, a Pumpkin Spice Latte!

I saw this pretty vase filler at HomeGoods and brought it home to be stored in this apothecary jar.  This was sitting on our dining room table until I put the flowers there...now it's housed in a cluster of vases and candle sticks on our entertainment center (so that my hubby can enjoy the TV, and I can enjoy the jar).  ;-)

Okay -- this wreath is proof that the Dollar Store is great for easy projects.  It's small, but I didn't want our door inundated with Fall quite yet (we'll give it another week or so), so this petite lil' thing was the perfect fix.  All you need is a small grapevine wreath, and three bunches of whatever sort of flowers or leaves you desire.  No glue gun necessary, my friends.  Simply cut off the parts of the branches that you would like, and weave them into the wreath.  Easy, and it only takes about twenty minutes!

Gouda and Granny Smith Apple Paninis -- one word: Yum.  You'll need sourdough bread, a dash of balsamic vinegar, a smooth coating of Trader Joe's Apple Butter, one layer of sliced Granny Smith apple, and one layer of sliced Gouda.  Assemble, press, and enjoy!

I can't forget about my find of the day -- an incredibly creepy pilgrim doll.  Seriously, how frightening is this?

And finally, this amazing Pumpkin Coffee Cake was delicious and kept us fed at breakfast-time for days.

So there you have it.  That's what we've been up to for the month of September.  The weather is finally starting to give us a tiny break from the heat, and I can just feel that Fall is in the air!

What have you been up to so far this season?  Any crafting, recipes, decorating ideas you would like to share?

xo

Maria