We are officially into my favorite season…fall!  I just love this time of year so much!  It’s a season that hangs onto summer during the day but gives us touch of that crisp, cool air at night.  It offers bountiful harvests of apples and pumpkins and splashes the countryside with vivid color bursting from the trees!  We indulge on baked goods and hot apple cider, participate in tailgates, and bundle up on stadium seats!  Then there’s also that fun little thing called HALLOWEEN!  But unfortunately, all these wonderful opportunities of the season also make it seem to go way too fast!  And since I love this season so much, I just want to enjoy each and every second of it!  With so many school activities and autumn events making life hectic, I decided a couple of years ago to start my holiday decorating at the end of September.  I know this may not sit well with some…even I really would prefer to wait until October 1 to haul the holiday boxes from the attic!  But, to keep my sanity AND fully enjoy the decorations of the season I’ve begun to add some hints of Halloween to our home.  And as the boys get older, I don’t feel the need to decorate with EVERY holiday item we own…I’ve learned over the years that just because we’ve got it doesn’t mean I HAVE to use it!  Each year I can pare it down a bit, pick some current favorites from the storage bins, and on occasion add something new…but keep it simple and fresh!  Today I’d like to share with you how I used old and new items on my mantle to start the holiday season off with a colorful bang!

October is just around the corner…