Bringing Autumn Home


Welcome!
The lovely Bonnie asked a few of us to invite you all into our homes and share a little bit about how we bring this loveliest of seasons into our homes.  I was excited to say yes! 
We've been having a beautiful fall here this year, with the exception of the last few rainy days.  Fall has always been one of my favorite seasons.  There is something glorious about eking out the last few weeks of enjoying mild weather, the smells, the sounds, the colors.   Maybe it's knowing that winter is fast approaching (and that is quite the daunting prospect for many of us here in the north!) that seems to increase our gratitude for the beautiful days of fall. 

One of the things that drew us to this house five years ago was that we saw it in October.  I think our house (and pretty much everything, amiright?) looks loveliest in autumn.  I'm not sure I would have been as sold if we had seen it in winter or in the early days of spring when the yard is flooded and everything is brown.  But in October?  God decorates our home pretty well, I think.  The other day our home looked like this:


But in just a few short weeks it will look like this:

Seriously.  Who even needs to decorate when you have all these century old trees all over the property?  Don't get me wrong, they put me through all sorts of nonsense with their never ending dropping of all the things -sticks, propellers, leaves, flowers, nuts- and the perpetual shade makes for a mossy roof (bad).  They also keep our house cooler which in my cold-bloodedness means I always have ice feet even in the thick of summer and make inside picture taking maddening.  BUT I still love them.  At least I do for a couple months of the year.  They provide hours of entertainment (and work!) for a house of boys and, I mean, LOOK at them! 

That said, I still have to do a little bit of my own decorating outside.  I so adore decorating for fall. 

Just pretend those mums are in bloom, k?


This guy wins as favorite pumpkin of the year.

So that's our outside.

I've found myself over the past few years getting much simpler in my seasonal decorating.  Partly because of desire to not have to store things and partly, I think, because as life gets more complicated and chaotic as the boys get older, I crave some visual simplicity and order.  In years past, you'd find touches of the season everywhere and in every room - fake leaves on bookshelves, gourds in all the rooms, various seasonally themed trinkets scored at garage sales (when I had time to garage sale!).  Now I'm more apt to not  put something up unless I feel it adds peace to the room and I truly feel it's beautiful.


My other switch in recent years has been to be much more drawn to decor and colors pulled from nature.  I find for me that a neutral back drop lets my eye see a space better and showcases the beauty of elements and can make even the humblest of decorations seem much more elegant and intentional.


Our surrounding-an-imaginary-fireplace mantle (do you know we garbage-picked that?) is my favorite place to decorate.  I had a whole bunch of different arrangements up here but settled on this one.  I'll probably be tweaking it until Advent :)

Once I saw a bundle of sticks being sold at a big box store for $20.  It made me sad for all the people who don't live near sticks.  It also made me think I should go into the stick business.
These ones were curated from a local harvest of dead weeds :)

Geesh.  You'd think if she was inviting people over she would have at least dusted...
I love my chinese lanterns.  They stay forever, provided they are not plucked apart by curious toddler hands.  For several years a house near us had them for sale outside their house super cheap and I would pick up a bundle.  I didn't see any there this year, though, or I probably would gotten some more for the table.

I didn't beeswax these this time.  They were just pressed in the dictionary for a few days and then threaded.  We'll see how long they last!

The shelf in our little oratory - simple but a touch of fall thrown in.
Those flowers were cut from my "autumn joy" sedum outside that the deer didn't get this year!  They are one of my faves.

Simple dining table

This little set up looked way better in my head than it actually turned out.  In November we'll exchange the real leaves for Ann Voskamp's thanksgiving leaves.

And while I do love bringing real nature into our home, I can't part with these sweet wooden pumpkins I picked up at Pier 1 on clearance probably a decade ago.

Or the sweet little touch of fall that was a memento from my brother and sister-in-law's wedding seventeen(?) years ago celebrated in the pumpkin capital of the world (right near Bonnie, actually!).

And a little centerpiece for the kitchen table.  Three of those giant trees outside are chestnut trees and the boys every year spend hours collecting them, shelling them, and turning them into weaponry. 

Bonnie said we could share some past photos as well so here are just a couple little snippets of our autumn home of previous years: 


We were all fancy-like and hosted Thanksgiving one year.



And just because I can...
Remember this cutie??  The two greatest things in life are babies and pumpkins.  I think that's in Scripture somewhere, right?

Please do visit the other stops in the blog tour!  I love seeing other people's personalities and taste in their home and am excited to see how others are relishing this season in their homes!





And thank you for stopping by and to Bonnie for the invitation!



18 comments

  1. Such a lovely home!

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  2. I always love your home Mary, it looks like Green Gable to me. And the trees are just stunning. We don't have those colours out west and I'm always a little envious. And of course, your indoor decorating is beautiful!

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  3. Oh- I can't even- Your home is simply lovely. Lovely!

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  4. My goodness, this is so very lovely, Mary! And those trees! God is the best artist. Thanks for sharing your home with us.

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  5. Every time I see your house, it makes me want to go clean mine. Always such a beautiful place to look at! (your house, not mine)

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  6. Your home is so beautiful! Love all the nature you bring into your decorating, It is true - NY has some gorgeous falls!

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  7. What a picturesque setting! We first saw our home during fall too and were completely enamored with all the leaves. We also have a mostly love - slightly hate relationship with all the trees on our lot. But it makes for some great leaf piles ;) The inside of your home is just as beautiful!

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  8. I do love the idea of a Thanksgiving tree and I feel sad too for all those people who don't live near sticks! Beautiful home.

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  9. Mary, you live in my dream home! It's beautiful! Inside and out! Beautiful home, Mary! Thanks for sharing and inspiring!

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  10. The wooden pumpkins and your little man are my favorite. Oh, and the leaves of course. Love!

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  11. No where can compete with Upstate for fall foliage. I felt just a twinge of nostalgia for our old house when I looked at those two top pictures. And your own chestnuts??? So great.

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  12. I want to move in.

    And seriously that faux mantle (my sisters and I call it a fantle. It's a thing now) was trash picked??? You're my new decor muse.

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  13. I missed this post...and when I saw the little Morton pumpkin I didn't realize you were talking about me at first! It's been 18 years, by the way. (why did I just sigh when I finished typing that?)

    I want to move into your home. It looks sooooo peaceful. I know it's probably not peaceful all the time, but you have done such a great job.

    I love that you have chestnut trees in your yard! We discovered 5 at our local park and I was more excited about it than the girls.

    Also...I laughed out loud at your stick comment. So sad for those stickless people.

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  14. Just looking at pictures of your home makes me feel like I can breathe more deeply. What a beautiful space...and you have done such a lovely job of bringing out its beauty with your simple decorating.

    And those trees! October looks amazing on your house. :-)

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  15. Morton! woop woop!

    Your home is amazing. It's so, so peaceful and beautiful.

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  16. You did an awesome job in welcoming the fall season, your house looks beautiful! You are so creative! I love the centerpiece with the chestnuts!

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  17. TY for this tour - it was lovely!

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  18. You have the perfect home! I've probably said this before but one day I hope to have a home that looks at least half as wonderful as yours. So peaceful and clean.

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