A Touch of Fall

I love this time of year, and thanks to a shopping excursion with my mom this past weekend - along with a couple of decoration items I brought up with me when I first moved in - I was able to add a few touches of fall to my dorm room. I thought I'd share the fall cheer with you!

The cat is a year-long, school-career-long attraction in our dorm room. ;) (It may look real, but it's not!) The little scarecrow mouse is from my decorations box, and the little pumpkin is one my mom grew in her garden!

I just love this "God's Creation" calendar! The pictures are beautiful, and the October photo is no exception! The "Bless Our Family" pumpkin is from my decorations box, and the "Cozy Autumn Vanilla" fragrance mist is from Bath & Body works.

I just love this! The pumpkin is another one from my mom's garden, the "Spider Cider" lotion is from Bath & Body works (50% off Halloween items!), and the bejeweled purple spider is one my grandparents gave me once as a teasing gift due to my strong dislike of spiders. ;) But don't they just look too cute together?? Oh, and the book-like box is an item my mom got me this summer from Michael's, and it's a constant fixture there on top of my mini fridge.

And what says fall more than some colorful stacks of books? ;) Yay for reading!

Hope you all are enjoying the season! Have any of you decorated your homes for the occasion?

Christmas in July: Day Two

A fun Christmas tradition that takes on many different forms and is completed in many different ways is . . . decorating!

Decorations lend a feeling of celebration to the season, and they can be so much fun to put up! Take, for example, my dorm room this last year at college. My roommate and I had a great time tacking a garland above the window, putting lights and little figurines around the room, and adding general merriment to our living space. (See picture above.) My parents sent decorations for practically every holiday, so our dorm room tended to be quite festive throughout the year!

And I just love how my mom decorates our home for Christmas! Inside and out, it is a beautiful sight! From our four stockings (and one for the cat, too!) hanging in the living room, to the gorgeous Christmas tree, to little scenes set up on tables and cabinets . . . our home is always decked out for the holidays.

Now, my uncle and my grandparents go all out, too. My uncle sets up the outside of the house like something right out of Christmas Vacation (well, almost!), and my grandma sets up the inside as a cozy haven for our family, with lots of miniatures, including a Dickens village over the fireplace!

Decorations help us set apart holidays and special occasions from day to day life. Just seeing any kind of decorations gives us a thrill because we know that something out of the ordinary is occurring. Decorations are so much fun!

But even though there are certain days set apart from others, when we are saved by the Lord, we have so much to celebrate every day! How blessed we are!

As we celebrate this day God has given us, let's talk about some of our favorite Christmas decorations! Would anybody like to share some Christmas decorating memories, as well?

(And if you would like to be entered in the Christmas giveaway this week, make sure to leave a comment on yesterday's post first! Thanks!)