Some down-home country decor ...

Welcome! So glad you could stop by for a little tour of our place. This is where we raised our three children, where we made lots of happy memories and where hubby and I are now in our empty-nest years. We look forward to having our grandchildren come with their parents for visits! Hopefully, Ethan and Jason Cody will learn to love the place where their parents grew up.

This little pilgrim couple greets you when you enter our front screened porch. Hubby built the porch, which runs almost the length of our place, and put a basement storm shelter room under it. That's a very important thing here in the south where tornadoes are common.

I've had these little pilgrims for over 10 years, and they come out every autumn to keep us company from mid-October and on into the Thanksgiving holiday. They're still smiling right now, because the weather is lovely. When it turns colder and the winds start whipping, I may have to bring them indoors to warm their toes by the fire!

When you enter the front door, our fireplace is the first thing you notice. It brightens up our small living room and welcomes you on into the rest of the house. I love making the mantle a display of seasonal things. Here, you'll notice my autumn angel, a favorite pumpkin and a clock my parents had when I was a teen. It has a lovely tick-tock sound that soothes the heart and soul.

The floral in the middle was done by yours truly when I visited my sister in her home-decor store. She taught me how to make something pretty with leftover silk flowers and stems. I just kept piddling with it until -- voila! it came out like this.

On the other end is a photo of dogwood leaves I need to frame. It was entered in the county fair this year and is a colorful piece. In front of it is a cute little squirrel I've had about 12 years now. He comes out of hiding each fall, too, and is still nibbling on the same acorn!

Beside him is a favorite fabric frame that holds a picture of our three children when they were very young. In it, they are running across a grassy field toward a huge Indian mound. It speaks to me of youthful energy and happy memories.

The candle behind that is a cherry wood spool shape I found at a thrift store (it's one of a pair). I brought it home and polished them up, then adorned them with scraps of fabric ribbon. The little "welcome" blocks have been around for 20 years now! And the tall candle sticks behind the floral are a gift from our daughter-in-law.

Here's a quick peek at the kitchen and dining room wall above a long buffet. The decor for this area was settled when I found a cute little ceramic rooster 7 years ago and brought it home. I now have roosters everywhere -- on rugs, walls, counters, serving trays, dishes, etc.

If you could have seen this room before we redecorated in 2003! It was so dark and dreary looking and my former cabinets were hanging by their hinges (almost). What an improvement and blessing to have a pretty kitchen. It's not fancy, (and neither are we) but it's a place people can feel welcome to relax and pull up to the table. That's what matters.

Our kerosene lamp goes back 35 years -- a gift from a wedding shower. I like the globe with it's "Home Sweet Home motto. About 10 years into our marriage I broke one just like it and later found a supplier who made the exact globe. What a thrill to have it back to the original style.


This photo frame features my cute husband as a child with his parents. I treasure this photo and love the perky frame that makes it stand out as a special addition to the dining room. My mother-in-law was a very precious lady who died in 1991. We still miss her! At Thanksgiving I always make her sweet potato casserole and angel-flake biscuits. They are yummy and help us remember a very special Mom.

Before we go, I'll take you out back to show you two items I found at thrift stores. Hooter was lovingly made by hand with a patchwork overlap design. The chair is old -- very old -- and someone painted it green, then accidentally spilled some purple paint on it? Anyhow, I love old chairs with character and brought it home. (My hubby doesn't understand my need to rescue old chairs with a history...)

Hooter has been sitting in this chair the past eight years, faithfully guarding our sun porch. So why is he in the yard among the leaves? I thought he might like to get out for a bit of fresh air.

Okay, you're not buying that story, so I'll be honest -- the sun porch is a mess with dear hubby's "stuff" that will go in our future shop. Poor Hooter has been guarding the power saw, golf clubs, plumbing supplies and everything else you can imagine!

We're anxious to get started on that shop. Over the past several weeks, some concrete guys gave us the run-around and then the heavy rains came, delaying any hopes of pouring a pad. Finally -- we've found someone who is planning to start soon. I think when I look out and see that pad, I'll feel like there really will be a shop in our future!

Well, that's about it for now -- I had my camera out today and took photos of the autumn decor to share. Maybe others will come later, who knows? I hope this little peek in my window helps you know me a bit better. I'm just a country gal at heart!