I'M FALLING ALL OVER YA...

HAPPY FALL TO Y'ALL!!

How's it goin?  Did you think I forgot that fall has arrived?  After all I haven't shared any of my fall decorations yet.  Truly, I did get a late start at my fall decorating this year because of all the painting going on around here, but I have finally managed to get my fall buffet put together along with a few other things.

First let's take a look at last year's buffet....

Very simple and I loved it but there were no treats.  What's that, a buffet should have treats, right?  Well, this year WE.HAVE.TREATS!!!...

Yummy.....CANDY CORN with PEANUTS, CHOCOLATE COVERED PRETZELS and...

Reeses PEANUT BUTTER CUPS...of course everything is tastier when it's served up in glass apothecary jars!!

What do you think of my new homemade table runner?  Perfect fall colors don't you think?

Fall has happened over on my vintage china closet too...

HAY RIDES, PUMPKIN PATCH, CORN MAZE...I love this cute sign I found a few years back at a consignment shop.  I normally hang it out on one of my trees in the yard along with some other outdoor decorations, but she's starting to show signs of wear so I decided to keep her indoors for the season.

I plunked down a few metal pumpkins and tucked in some fall leaves by her for a super cute fall display.

Now onto the mantle....which is not exactly finished yet...It needs some pumpkins.  I am still looking for just the right ones.

This year's mantle sports my new DIY Sunburst Mirror.  This mirror was made from plain white cardstock and was very simple and inexpensive to make.  You can find out how I did it HERE...

The leaf  garland is real.  Some of the leafy branches came from my next door neighbors maple tree and the others came from the trees in my yard.  The cost...FREE!!  Sadly though, they will not last long so I will be replacing them with faux garland soon.

The tall branches flanking either side of the mantel are from the shrubs and bushes in my yard.  Once again those were FREE.  A very simple yet elegant mantle.  I love it!!!

Well there you have it...Fall 2012 at Beyond the Portico.  You can check out last year's fall decor HERE and HERE.

~HAPPY FALL Y'ALL~

Sharing at:

Savvy Southern Style
2805
Imparting Grace
From My Front Porch To Yours
No Minimalist Here
At the Picket Fence
A Stroll Thru Life
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Coastal Charm

MY NEW FAVORITE FALL TREAT...

I'm a little (okay A LOT) behind this year.  I haven't done any fall decorating this year nor have I done any fall posts this year.  You all are WAY ahead of me but here goes, my first fall post of the year albeit short and sweet...literally....

Okay, I have to admit that I am a real foodie...especially a junk food foodie....hahaha.  Give me some junk food (well just about any food EXCEPT liver) and I'll be your best friend.  I love food and it shows...in all this extra weight I carry around.  Okay, okay.  I admit I am NOT a health nut.  My bad!!

Anyway, let me get to the purpose of this post.  I love to try neat foods especially around the holidays.  Last year my favorite fall treat was hallowing out apples and using them as cider mugs...see

Aren't they adorable?  Yes, yes they are!

This year I just spotted my new favorite fall treat in the Country Living Magazine.

S'mores candied apples. YUMMMMMM!  Ingenious!!  I will being making some of these soon.  Perhaps for bubs' birthday coming up here in a few short weeks.

If you would like to make some of these too (think fall festivals and get togethers) go HERE to get all the details.  HAPPY FALL Y'ALL!!!

Sharing at:
Imparting Grace
2805
Coastal Charm
From My Front Porch To Yours

HAPPY THANKSGIVING...

T’was the night of Thanksgiving,
But I just couldn’t sleep.
I tried counting backwards,
I tried counting sheep.

The leftovers beckoned,
The dark meat and white.
But I fought the temptation,
With all of my might.

Tossing and turning,
with anticipation.
The thought of a snack
became infatuation.

So I raced to the kitchen,
Flung open the door,
And gazed at the fridge,
Full of goodies galore.

I gobbled up turkey,
And buttered potatoes,
Pickles and carrots,
Beans and tomatoes.
I felt myself swelling,
So plump and so round.
‘til all of a sudden,
I rose off the ground.

I crashed through the ceiling,
Floating into the sky,
With a mouthful of pudding,
And a handful of pie.

But I managed to yell
As I soared past the trees
Happy eating to all,
Pass the cranberries, please!!

May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey be plump.
May your potatoes and gravy
Have nary a lump.

May your yams be delicious,
May your pies take the prize
And May your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off of your thighs!

Happy Thanksgiving y'all

have a wonderful holiday weekend!!!

AUTUMN SPLENDOR TABLESCAPE...

AUTUMN SPLENDOR

by:  Lynne Adams

Autumn Leaves

Bright and vibrant

Warm sun and bright blue sky

Chilly Breezes blow

Golden Leaves from Heaven fall

to ride the wind and swirl around

Red, Orange, Yellow, Green and Brown

Colors of Beauty slowly come down

A symphony of Autumns Gifts sing

From God with Love to You and Me

Hi everyone,  I have missed you all so very much.  It's been a little while since I have had a chance to do any posting here at Beyond the Portico, but I haven't forgotten about you all...while I've been busy planning my little ones birthday party, attending a ladies retreat and seminar in Branson, Missouri and enjoying festivities at my church's annual fall festival...I did manage to put together a little tablescape for your enjoyment. 

I found these beautiful dinner and salad plates a few months back at GW for $5.00...I absolutely love them and I just knew they would work perfectly for this AUTUMN SPLENDOR table...

Don't you just love the colors and design...

...for the centerpiece I used a large basket of faux fall leaves and a few mini pumpkins, flanked by red and orange mosiac candle sticks....

...to carry the leaf theme throughout the table, I topped each plate with a hand inscribed paper leaf doily place card...

I also used a paper leaf doily as a coaster under each "leafy" goblet...these doilies were very inexpensive and I think give the table a finished look.  I took a ton of pictures so I will stop talking and let you enjoy.

I am really loving how this table turned out...how about you?...

and now a little golden glow...

AUTUMN SPLENDOR

I'm joining some fabulous parties this week...stop by and have a look, I promise you won't be disappointed.

Tabletop Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Open House Thursday @ No Minimalist Here

Tablescape Thursday @ BNOTP

Thrifty Things Friday @ The Thrifty Groove

"FALL AT IT'S FINEST" TABLESCAPE

The leaves have finally turned, changing the countryside into a colorful tapestry of reds, golds, oranges, greens and browns...the fragrance of fallen leaves fills the air as if to say, come lay down and enjoy nature's blanket...excitement abounds as children anxiously await a trip to the pumpkin patch and to snuggle in for a hayride...cider is brewing on an open fire and s'mores are in the making.  WELCOME FALL!!!

Hello all you bloggers out there.  Have you been enjoying fall so far?  I have! My only complaint is that I have a day job and don't get as much time as I would like outdoors to enjoy this beautiful time of year...nonetheless, life is good and I am EATING it up...

In early spring I found a table scarf at one of the thrift stores here in town and I just knew it would be GREAT on a fall table.  I have been waiting PATIENTLY all year for autumn to arrive so I could use it in a tablescape...

The tag on the scarf says "Made in Italy"...it is simply beautiful and I was blessed enough to have gotten it for a dollar...the center of this scarf boasts a beautiful fall bounty of corn, nuts, apples, pears, grapes, leaves and other harvested items...

I paired this beautiful black and creamy white scarf with PB--Emma dinnerware...the leafy stemware is from Dollar Tree...and the bubble rimmed water glasses were from the antique mall here in town...those are my FAVORITE and they coordinate well with the dotted rim on the dinnerware...

The centerpiece boasts a bowl of walnuts freshly harvested and gives guests a hint as to what's on the menu...Crisp, white battenburg lace trimmed napkins, tucked gently into the stemware, steal the show...inviting guests to come and dine at this black tie affair...

Candlelight and music set the mood...

Tonight's fare includes a crisp garden salad followed by Walnut Crusted Pork Loin with Apple Maple Reduction and mashed sweet potatoes topped with cinnamon and brown sugar...a holiday worthy meal...but easy enough for any night of the week.

 

BON APPETIT!

Joining Susan and a whole bunch of other talented ladies for Tablescape Thursday over at BNOTP.  Pop on over and feast on everyone's lovely tablescapes. 

Also partying over at The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday. Stop on by and see everyone's thrifty finds.