One of my favorite ways to decorate for fall is by placing pumpkins up our steps outside. I also use some mums to make our home look festive and inviting. The first year I got pumpkins, we had issues with squirrels and other critters eating them. I thought I would share the solution!

There’s no fancy tutorial. I just cover the pumpkins in vaseline. The animals may try to bite into the pumpkins, but they’ll stop because they hate the vaseline. As the vaseline dries you can barely see it- if anything it just makes the pumpkins shine a bit. It’s a quick and easy way to preserve the pumpkins so they last from September through Thanksgiving.

I love getting less traditional looking pumpkins. I try to get various colors, shapes, and textures. How cute are they?!

How do you like to decorate for fall?

So you love hosting but you need to keep costs down? This is the post for you. I also love entertaining, but going out of control on the budget is not good for our family, plus we won’t be able to entertain again! Here are some of my go-to staples I always have on hand for hosting.

1. Candles

You want your house to smell good when people walk in. Candles also warm up a space and make it feel cozy. I love Yankee Candles because their smell really fills the room. I know they can be expensive, but I’m on their email list and get coupons for buy 1 get 2 free candles regularly. That’s a great deal! It makes them much more affordable. If they still seem too pricey after that discount there are other good brands out there. I also love Bath and Body Works Candles, and their email coupons can have some good discounts. I suggest buying a few candles in your price range and testing them out at different times. A lower price tag may mean low quality, and there’s no point in burning a candle that you can’t smell. Keep the smells pleasant and neutral. Safe scents could be vanilla, fresh linen, and lemon. I love pumpkin, coffee, lavender, and anything named latte or cookie. Floral candles can be nice too but sometimes they are strong so be careful! Our out of town visitors also love local anything, so I also get some candles from a local small business. Obviously, the possibilities are endless so pick something you like that isn’t too intense.

2. Coffee and Tea

I think most of us have coffee and tea in our house for personal use. If for some reason you have no dependency on caffeine, I suggest you buy some coffee and tea just to keep in the cabinet or fridge for when guests come. If you don’t want to buy a coffee pot or don’t have the room you can buy a French press. They are cute, affordable, small, and easy to store. You use hot water from the tea kettle to make coffee. It’s ideal to have options for regular and decaf. Most people would agree hot beverages enhance their interactions and make them comfortable. So settle in with a mug!

3. Cookie Dough

I enjoy making cookies from scratch as much as the next girl, but some days I don’t have the time. I like to keep ready-made cookie dough handy in case I get last-minute guests so I have something to serve them without going crazy. You can buy cookie dough to keep in the fridge, or if you’re a stickler for homemade, just make a big batch of dough and freeze it into small sections. I’ve done this many times and you can take cookie dough from freezer to oven, just keep an eye on them. The baking time may vary by a few minutes.

4. Alcohol

We always keep a few beers in the fridge, a bottle or two of wine, some gin, and tonic water in the house.This way if friends decide to come over for a nightcap after dinner we are ready to accommodate them without having to stop at the store on the way home. You don’t need a fully stocked bar all the time. Just have some favorites ready to serve. Buy what you like so it doesn’t go to waste, and if you have regular guests that love a particular drink, keep that handy too. They’ll feel so loved if you have their preferred beer or specialty cocktail on hand.

5. Cheese & Meat Tray

I usually keep a few blocks of various cheeses and some Spanish or Italian meats in my meat drawer. They usually keep for awhile unopened. I also try to have crackers or a loaf of French bread in the house as well. These trays are always a hit and if they get near the expiration date, just have a tapas-style dinner so nothing goes to waste. We love meat and cheese so it almost never goes uneaten. Other things to elevate your charcuterie board are olives, grapes, hummus, cucumbers, and carrots. The possibilities are endless.

I hope I’ve given you a few ideas to help you confidently accept last-minute guests. Happy hosting!

We experienced a charming culture filled with so much history and tradition. We saw some of those most gorgeous architecture and ate some seriously delectable food. Usually when we return from a trip we reflect on our time there, discussing the cultural differences we really enjoyed. One of our favorite things was the pace of meals at dinnertime. Whenever we went out to eat people seemed to dine for hours. They would order wine and appetizers, then more wine and soup, then more wine and dinner, then dessert with coffee or a cognac. People just sit back, relax, and keep dinner casual. They seemed so focused on the friends around them, never rushing to get somewhere. When you have dinner, you are giving your whole night to your friends. It is lovely. There’s something so peaceful about slowing down and enjoying the company of others uninterrupted. No one is checking their watches and calling for the check. 

We wanted to incorporate some of this casual dining into our routine at home. We knew we couldn’t swing regular all night 4-course dinners, but we could incorporate a happy hour! We started when we got home. Now we have happy hour every Friday night when Tom gets home from work. I put on my ‘French Cooking Music’ pandora station, fix us some snacks, and make cocktails in our fancy glasses. We sit back and talk about our weeks. This is an hour with no screens or distractions, just the two of us (and any guests who may come over) spending time together and winding down with a fun beverage. It’s a great way to connect, slow down, and love each other. When the weather is good we enjoy our drinks out back on the patio. There’s really no wrong way to have a happy hour. I’ve started experimenting with unique drinks (link). It’s fun to try new things and you don’t need a ton of ingredients.

We had a small, empty corner in our dining room that housed a chair that turned into a catch-all for our junk. It was a bit of an eyesore and a poor use of space. So, with a bit of Joanna Gaines inspiration, I made plans to make a coffee bar! What would be more hospitable than a special corner stocked with everything coffee and tea related? I started with an old sewing table that belonged to my grandmother. It was pretty beat up so I cleaned it off and gave it a fresh coat of paint. My darling husband gave me this Magnolia mug rack for my birthday. We got a small piece of granite that looks like carrera marble for the table top. We hung the mug rack and set up the table with my espresso maker, Chemex, and a mug full of spoons. We were in business! I loved the progress we made, but I knew we could do better. The blank wall above the table had potential. I went browsing around a local antique shop and found some amazing brackets. They were perfect for some shelves. They were black, but a bit beat up so they looked vintage. They matched the sewing table base perfectly. I just bought some wood, cut it, stained it, and attached the wood to the brackets. Then we hung our shelves. It looked great! Then I got to style them. Over the summer I found some lovely glass canisters at an antique shop down the shore (East Coast speak for a town by the ocean, usually in NJ). I filled them with coffee beans and put them on my top shelf. I used the bottom shelf to house my charming Downton Abbey teapot from World Market, as well as a sugar bowl and my precious little cow creamer. I love it!

The coffee bar is always a statement. People love the design and complement our antiques and various mugs. The coffee bar really gets to shine for brunch. We love hosting brunch with friends and family. It’s the best time of day for people with young kids- it doesn’t require a sitter and it’s usually before afternoon naps happen. Everyone lines up to use our coffee bar and takes time picking out the perfect mug. It also makes the daily ritual special. I love seeing the cute layout as I pass it during the day.

There’s also flexibility. For example, we hosted a Quizzo night at our house a few months ago. My husband hired our area’s quizzo queen to come and we invited friends to come and form teams. It was so fun! For this night, I switched out the coffee bar for a wet bar. I brought down all the liquor, mixers, and pretty cocktail glasses and displayed them on the shelves and table. I put all the coffee supplies away. I also had an ice bucket out so people could make themselves a cocktail in between rounds. Everything they needed was in one place, and it looked pretty. I don’t want to seem overly focused on people’s reactions.

It’s not about making your house look perfect or magazine-worthy. It’s about hospitality. I believe having everything our guests need in a clean, attractive setup makes them comfortable. It’s just my way of loving them. I go to the trouble of making the little details nice because I want anyone who comes through our door to feel valued and loved. It’s my way of saying, “You’re always welcome here, and we’re so glad you came.”