I have two large pots of flowering kale.

I don't think I will do much else this year for fall. I'm thinking of not having Halloween this year because the beds on the side of the house where the front door is are ripped up. I can't have the little tricksters falling down in my yard.

I decorate the diningroom table with a "centerpiece" I make up myself. I do this because I have Thanksgiving for a large group every year. This time, I am putting down a round table-topper with a scarecrow I bought at a craft store(about a foot tall), a mini hay bale, about 8" long, a few ears of indian corn, and I picked up assorted mini gourds and pumpkins to put around it. Pretty simple, but cute. The younger kids will get a kick out of it.

Teresa we wouldn't want the tricksters falling, but how are you going to give them treats??

Rox, I hope you'll post a pic of that centerpiece, I love other's creativity!

A piece of trivia...I heard that pumpkins were scarce here (NJ) this year...a bad season, too much rain, not enough bee action. Who knows, if I don't find a pumpkin, I'll buy one of those carvable ones from the craft store. Frost is almost on the pumpkin here (if I can find one). LOL!

I decorate for almost everything, Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day, because it's Friday, Saturday......LOL

My DH would like me to do more cooking (not fond of that) and less decorating!!!

Here's one of last years pumpkins, I had a whole bunch of them......sounds like they might be a little scarce this year.
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It's a little fuzzy......had to imbibe a few drinks to stay warm outside while handing out treats to the little ones. :~)

June

Very nice June! Love that mum and the carving of that pumpkin is adorable! Yes, I heard they were going to be scarce this year too, I hope to buy a few this weekend. We'll see.

Used to decorate when my boys were young. Now that they are on their own I just like to put a few ceramic pumpkins around till Thanksgiving and a centerpiece up. I also change the wreath on the door for fall and change it at Christmas. The only Halloween item is a cute banner that I put on the door so the kids know I have treats.

The only Holiday I decorate for is Christmas. I start the day after Thanksgiving and its all down by Jan. 1st. That's just next month! WoW

Just change wreaths on the door the rest of the year.

I'm doing some, mostly inside, this year.

I made up a Fall arrangement to give a friend, whose mother died Monday. I prefer to take the money, I would spend on a "funeral" arrangement, and invest it in silk flowers and foliage for an arrangement that fits their home, and tastes to have and keep as a memorial to their loved one!!

I also, made an "arrangement" using one of the craft-store scare crows, and a small faux pumpkin. I punched holes (with an ice-pick) in the top of the pumpkin and inserted silk florals and foliage to make a small Fall arrangement, sprouting from the pumpkin! I then anchored one arm of the scare crow around the back of the pumpkin as though he is sitting beside it! She loved it and it cheered her as she sits in the hospital, her foot having gone from bad to worse since her operation.

She was sent home, following her surgery a week ago yesterday (Wednesday) and by Sunday the Podiatrist, on his second home visit realized he needed to refer her to a vascular specialist on Monday. That one, sent her straight to the hospital, with no side stops home or elsewhere! She is receiving anti-biotics intraveneously and having hyper-baric treatments daily to promote healing and to prevent the infection from progressing any further up her foot and into her leg and worse yet, into her blood stream.

Monday, the prognosis was grim--today there is great hope! Our prayers are being answered on her behalf!! "Thank you....!"

All that to say, I've been pretty busy doing "other things" this season! But I do love to decorate with a "Fall/harvest/Thanksgiving" theme more than a "Halloween theme", when I have time!

I used to love doing the Halloween-fun stuff but now it seems more appropriate to my life-style and perspective to do the other! I have so much to be "thankful" for, that this time of the year just smacks of the flavor of "thanksgiving" and "praise"!!!

I can almost smell those special pies "Choco" makes every year, even-though we are so many miles apart! :O) Make one just for me Choco--okay? I'm waiting to cut one in celebration of you finding a job, "just right" for you! Let me know when we can "dive in" to one of them--okay? Meanwhile, enjoy your well-earned "vacation"! :o)

janice

Don't do much decorating for Halloween here. There is only one kid in the neighborhood,and he is a teenager,so he can't be bothered to "trick or treat"! Donna,come down to north Georgia,or here in western NC. We have gazillions of pumpkins.No shortage here,everyone's got em'! Phil

I forgot you asked for a pic! Here's the extent of my creativity as far as decorating for Fall goes.....

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Too cute hostarox, really is a pretty display, do you grow your own gourds and corn? In past years, when I was able to garden, I grew gourds and Indian corn, both very easy to grow. But it seemed by the time the kids got done taking what they wanted I never had much left for myself, but that was ok, I had so much fun with the kids when we went out picking them. Remember, I never had kids of my own but had more kids than I care to remember grow up in my gardens, I am the crazy neighbor lady who is so much fun, lol.

Never did the little pumpkins, I grew pumpkins the kids could take to carve and what ever was left over became pies, I make a mean pumpkin pie. It is a lot lighter in color and has more texture than what most people are use to since canned pumpkin pie mix is actually more squash than pumpkin, but once you taste a real pumpkin pie done right, it sticks with you, I'm requested for them at all fall and winter holidays between friends and family. Such a shame I'm going to have to disapoint them this year, wasn't able to plant my pumpkins.

But to get back to the topic of this post, I just can't seem to come up with anything as beautiful to decorate with as what nature gives me. I may not have grown my gourds, Indian corn or pumpkins, but I still have tons of trees, hostas changing colors, kittens rustling in the fallen leaves and my favorite, clear nights with the crickets chirping and the fallen leaves swirling when I have one of my all too common sleepless nights.

Choc, I grow a few tomatoes here, LOL!! Lots of Hostas. All that stuff I bought at farmer's mkt. The bales were 1.50, gourds 3/1.00. I'm not a big seasonal decorator.
I believe you about your pie making skills, and I am jealous! I just never "got it down" However, my Dad always brings 2 pies for Thanksgiving here from the Machine Shed, and those are better than I could ever make in my wildest dreams! So, I don't worry about pies.

This Flowering Kale is amazing stuff. We've had two nights in the mid 20's and it still looks great.

hi all...

we put up orange icicle lights on the house....put up a few scarecrows...and scatter pumpkins around....that's about it...

someday i want to get a bunch of those cemetery slabs and put them in my front yard...(we clip the lawn at our church's cemetery)...

choc...i Love pumpkin pies made from scratch....that is...NOT canned pumpkin....

we grew up cooking our own pumpkins and i won't eat anything else...

teresa...my hubby just loves the kale....and most years i plant it for him...but this year i never saw it sold in flats...so he missed out....maybe next year...

hostarox....great centerpiece....i LOVE those mine bales and corn...they are SOOOO cute...

jill

OOOPPPSSS.....should be "mini" bales....

i "HATE" when i do that....jill

Decorate, heck, I'm lucky to get the tree up for Christmas and then I'm still taking things down and putting them away well into March...

Diann

I used to decorate more than I do now. The past couple of years I've just been too busy to do much decorating. Since my Mom had a stroke and between going to her house to help her and getting things done around here, decorating just isn't a priority anymore. I do like fall decorations, as much, if not more than Christmas decorations. I think it's the bright colors of orange, golds and reds.

I have mums planted in several places in my yard, so I let nature decorate for me.
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For some reason my mums always get HUGE and then they fall apart in the middle. I've dug them up, divided them and the next year they're huge again. I should feel lucky, because I know some people can't seem to grow them from year to year. I've had all mine for at least 8-10 years now. I don't even buy them anymore, no place to put them and I can just make more with the ones I have.

I did buy this little painted pumpkin this year. He's sitting on the wooden bench by my back door.
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Happy Fall everyone!!

Janet

Janet, do you pinch your mums back earlier in the year? They are very nice. :)

Diann

Thank you Diann, yes I do trim off the buds in the summer and try to shape them into some sort of a mound. We've had alot of wind lately and last night rain, so that also has knocked them down.

Janet