Life at a "Swell's" pace

So it came that time of year when the pumpkins of fall and Halloween just don't fit in with the theme of Christmas decor. Unfortunately, most of them were about gone anyway due to the rain. The trusty house number pumpkin served us well this year and I can't wait to try the technique again next year with a larger pumpkin, perhaps. In the meantime, after sorting out the rotting and the good, we ended up with three lone pumpkins that just didn't want to say die quite yet. I racked my brain on what to do with them and I came up with a solution.

I decided to dress up the old radio at our entry way with a festive, yet fall-feel decor with the pumpkins.

I used pretty much anything I could find around our house to give it that fall feel.

From the pine-cones to the corn, the American Flag under it all, and even the leaf garland I made following THESE instructions from Running with Scissors. I did mine by hand though, because I like to hand-stitch.....I know, rare to find people like me anymore, it seems.

And if you are wondering about the "broom" believe it or not that is a sprig of Dill that was growing in our garden this year that I cut and dried. Maybe a project I will carry later on the blog.

My front entryway looks so barren now though. :-( It is in need of some serious Christmas decor soon!

The old radio never looked so good!

I think some pom poms and twinkle lights would look amazing with the decor as well.

What the radio and entryway looked like before. Meia seemed to be the only one that didn't think it was boring.

And now.......I love it!

Eco-Tip: Be sure and help control the mosquito population in your area by emptying standing water. Be sure to check drains, gutters, bird feeders, and flower pot tray. And to go green never use repellent and always check for larvae around your home, especially during the summer months For this and other tips on going green visit, The Earth and Me Go Green.

We celebrated Thanksgiving just like every year before, with a grand turkey, cranberry sauce, and the works. This year we added a great center piece to our table in the form of a Thankful Tree. We wrote down, throughout the day, everything we were grateful for and added it to the tree. By the end of the day our tree looked amazing and we were so thankful.

Our Thankful Tree and our bowl of "thankful" notes.

Skylar adding another note of thanks to the Thankful Tree.

Our turkey was amazing and Jeff always does such a grand job it it every year.

Our table spread.

Cranberry sauce, stuffing, and my infamous rosemary mashed potatoes.

The skyline the night of Thanksgiving. "Pink sky at night, sailor's delight." Such a wonderful way to end the evening of thanks.

Hope your Thanksgiving celebration was just as great as ours. We have so much to be thankful for this year alone.

Eco-Tip: Conserve water this fall and into winter by using a broom or push broom to clear away leaves and debris from your sidewalks and driveway. For this and other tips on going green visit, The Earth and Me Go Green.