End Table Fall Decor

Last week, I shared a dining room vignette that I created a few years ago. Today, I am sharing how I am currently using one of the decor from that vignette in our living room. 

The wooden "M" is an item that I bought at a local dollar store.  Four years later, it is part of my fall decor collection.

I purchased the plastic pumpkin a few years ago at a craft store's decor department. I spent a few dollars on it. 

The lamp, on the other hand, is a family heirloom. I recall seeing this lamp in various location in my grandmother's home. She gifted it to me when she downsized and moved into assisted living. 

The plant began as a clipping. It is a bit bare but I anticipate that in a few months, it will fill in and releax. So, I am having patience with it. 

I know I have broken the rules with this vignette because it doesn't consist of a group of three or five. However, I find it aesthetically pleasing.

This vignette cost me nothing!

It is fantastic for this space, and the full table prevents the tabletop surface from becoming a landing zone for water bottles and paperwork that would typically accumlate beside this chair. Yes, I am being a bit sneaky!

So there you have it-- a no-cost fall table vignette. I will swap out the fall decor items in a few weeks for Christmas decor. It is a quick and easy changeover. 

Everyday Elegance: Introductions and Shaking Hands

I’ve always been fascinated by social graces. My grandmother and I would pretend we were at church or a party, and she would teach me how to be graceful and polite.

As a painfully shy child, I would have preferred to hide behind my parents or grandparents, but my grandmother wanted me to be able to hold my own in social situations. 

Role playing with her helped immensely. It was fun, as well. I’ve always been captivated by social graces. My grandmother and I would pretend we were at church or a party, and she would impart her wisdom on how to be graceful and polite.

As a painfully shy child, I would have preferred to hide behind my parents or grandparents, but my grandmother was determined to help me navigate social situations with confidence. 



Introducing oneself

When you approach someone who isn’t engaged in a conversation, you can say something like, “Excuse me,” and then introduce yourself. Here are a few examples:

- “Hello, I’m Carrie. It’s wonderful to finally meet you.”

- “Hello, I’m Carrie Merth. I believe we have a mutual friend.”

- “Hello, I’m Carrie Merth. I wanted to come over and introduce myself and express my gratitude for inviting me.”

- “Hello. I’m Carrie Merth. I don’t think we’ve met before.”

The first time I did it, I was trembling with nerves.

My grandfather taught me a trick to calm my nerves. He said that in God’s eyes, we’re all equal, and everyone puts their pants on one leg at a time. It was both a comforting reminder and a humbling experience. 

My grandfather taught me a trick to ease my nerves. He

Shaking hands is a crucial social gesture. I used to practice with my parents and grandparents to perfect my handshake. It should be firm yet gentle, avoiding any awkward motions. However, there are exceptions. For instance, I’ve had to be cautious with elderly individuals who may have brittle bones or those with large rings on their fingers.

One memorable incident occurred at church when a man gave me an extremely aggressive handshake. I had my new engagement ring on, and unfortunately, it cut my finger open in a small spot. Fortunately, I had a bandage in my purse to cover the wound. Another time, I had a man shake my hand that felt like shaking a fish. His grip was so tight that he seemed to be trying to break my hand, as if he didn’t want to touch me at all.

When shaking someone’s hand, do it firmly enough to make contact but not hard enough to break or crush their fingers or cause their rings to dig into a nearby finger.

Even as a petite woman, I prefer a firm handshake. I have been known to remove larger rings before greeting someone.

If someone offers you their hand in an introduction, you should offer your hand as well. The rare exceptions are if you just sneezed or coughed into your hand, your hand is broken or healing, and if your hands are full. Offer them an elbow or the opposite hand. It might seem awkward, but it completes the social obligation.

I learned one exception: during COVID and during cold and flu season is a good time to keep ones hand to themselves.  Keep your hands behind your back on to your side and bow, slightly, or nodding ones head slighly with direct eye contact. The final thing you can do beside shaking hands is to give a little side  wave. 

Introducing youself and a spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend. 

The woman is introduced first. She holds a higher social status than a man. 

    "Sam, let me introduce to my wife, Carrie". The man should shake the women's hand first.

If you are both meeting new people for the first time,

    "Hello. This is my wife, Carrie. I am Jay". And again the woman should shake hands first.

If you are introducing your husband to a friend: 

    "Barb, this is my husband, Jay. It is so nice to see you again."

Having everyday social grace is easy and tells the other person that you value them and their time, no matter how brief. 

Have kids or grandkids at home? Role play with them so that the next time they interact with someone at church, at the store or at a party---they will know what to do. I did this with my son as part of his homeschool lessons. As a twenty-five year old now, I have been told over and over that people love him and that he is so polite. Five minutes of day is all it was required.  

Everyday graces can lessen stress and social anxiety for all of us. A firm hand shake, a polite introduction and respect for others is not old fashioned or difficult to learn. 

Thank you for your visit here at Real Life Home Ec. If you have a question or a thought on todays topic, please leave me a comment below. I hope to see you here tomorrow. 

**My husband name above has been changed to protect his innocence

Zucchini Bread

This recipe is a family favorite. Normally, I make this when the garden has me screaming "uncle" or friends drop off zucchini from their gardens. 

This week, I had a few extras in my fridge (the grocery store had them on special). It was time to make bread. 

I made the bread with two wide bread pans. I find that when I do one large loaf, it can be hard to cut, and it crumbles. 

You need:

• 2 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup white granulated sugar
• 1 cup butter or margarine (I used unsalted butter
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 3 cups white all-purpose flour
•  1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 cups grated zucchini 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Grate the zucchini and squeeze out the excess water/moisture.

Combine the remaining ingredients. Mix well. 

Put the wet mixture into a well-greased bread pan (or two). 

Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 1 hour. 

Check the center to make sure it is completely done. A toothpick or knife tip should come out clean. 

Let the bread almost completely cool in the baking pan. Slide a butter knife along the edges of the pan. Slightly tip the pan, and the bread should slide right out. 

Allow the bread to completely cool before cutting into slices. 

Watch it disappear. 

   

Mid-week Fridge Check

It is Wednesday, and my fridge is a combination of fresh ingredients and leftovers. At this point, I like to see if anything needs to be tossed, moved to the front so we remember to eat it, and what we have left for meals for the rest of the week. 

I am gonna be real honest with you about the condition of my fridge early this morning. Will I find science projects or leftovers that I am tired of? 

After less than five minutes, I had searched all the shelves and drawers and found these items. 

I had made corn on the cob, but I realized I was the only one eating it. I was feeling food fatigue, so I decided to let the last two cobs go to waste. The potatoes were dried out and didn’t have a lid, so I doubt even the dog would have eaten them. The celery was downright disgusting. I think I bought too large a package for just three people. 

I discovered zucchini hidden beneath a bag of broccoli. Instead of putting it in the pasta sauce, I’ve decided to make zucchini bread later today. 

I discovered that there are ingredients for more salads, plenty of sandwich fixings, and vegetables for drunken noodles, a salmon dinner, and enough ground turkey to make a large pot of chili. 

I was successful!  I tossed out a few items before they made the fridge smell and turn into a science project.  I have quick bread ingredients and enough food for the rest of the week. 

I’m delighted that the food waste was minimal and I’ve prevented my family from consuming anything questionable. If you’re like me, the sight of something unappetizing on Saturday morning can be quite frustrating. Fortunately, I’ve discovered a few items that I can eat for lunch or incorporate into our pasta. As a result, there’s no need to send Hubby or my son to the grocery store on their way home from work. 

My task on my fridge is complete.  ✅

What is lurking in the back corner of your fridge that needs to be tossed? 

Low Cost Fall Tabletop Decor

 Decorating for fall or any occasion on a budget can seem difficult. 

These days, many decor items are both expensive and temporary. Today, I’m going to show you a tabletop arrangement that I made on a budget. 

Most of the things you see here were items I already had around the house, or I bought for only a few dollars. 

Let's start at the upper left corner.  The artificial flowers were from the local dollar store.  It is a bit hard to see, but the flowers are being held by two glass cappuccino bottles. The wooden crate that holds the arrangement was from a gift basket. 

Next, I found this tray at a local thrift store for a few dollars. It was tarnished, but with some silver polish and elbow grease, I restored it to its former glory. 

A white linen napkin from my dining room hutch added softness to the arrangement. Next, I “shopped” my dining room hutch and found the leaf salt and pepper shakers. While picking up artificial flowers at the dollar store, I noticed the gingham “M.” It cost me $5.

I added the mini pumpkins from my garden, and the final piece is the rolling pin on the corner. Although the small rolling pin is hard to see, it’s a family heirloom that usually resides on my kitchen shelf. The arrangement would have been complete without it, but I thought it added a sense of family history.

This arrangement cost me less than $20.

Use things in unexpected ways... the cappuccino bottles. Reuse items already in your home... the salt shaker set, the small crate, and the linen napkin. Shop thrift and dollar stores... the "M", the tray, and the flowers. Use things from your garden... pumpkins. 

After the fall season ended, I returned the items to my dining room storage and reused them the next year in new and different ways.  

How do you decorate seasonally on a budget?

You might be wondering what those red things on the tray are. They’re peppers from my garden. I thought they added a pop of color, and I needed a place to dry them. 

Easy Halloween Wafer Cookies

 I saw this idea on Pinterest a few years ago and decided to try it. 

Ingredients:

• Vanilla wafer cookies
• white frosting (for cakes)
• Halloween candy sprinkles

This is a fun treat for kids to make. 

Start by adding frosting to the end of the vanilla cookie. You can make it thin or thick. Your choice.

While the frosting is still wet, add Halloween candy sprinkles. 

I used store-bought cake frosting. Since I never use all of it on a cake, I freeze the rest in a small plastic storage container. Before making this recipe, I left the frosting out on my kitchen counter to thaw completely. 

The frosting on the wafer cookies will harden. 

A few days later, I discovered that they weren’t the best. The frosting moisture seeped into the cookie, causing the layers of the wafer cookie to separate. In some spots, the cookie becomes a bit spongy. How can I fix this? Eat them within 24 hours of making them. They’re great for parties where the cookies will all be eaten, or for family gatherings where they’ll all be devoured in one sitting. 

Do I recommend them? Oh, yes!  

If you bake the cookies, please return and share your thoughts with us. 

Daily Resets- Dining Room Table

A dining room table can easily become a catch-all for mail, shopping packages, and what I affectionately call “pocket vomit.” People see a flat surface and assume, “I’ll just put this here for a moment and come back to get it.” Unfortunately, these items often remain on the table for hours, sometimes even days.

To combat this, I make it a habit to quickly check the dining room table a couple of times a day.  I ensure that packages and mail are either delivered to the office or the recipient’s room. Food items are returned to the kitchen, and pocket items are placed in a tray in the laundry room.

Once everything is in its place, I return the centerpiece to the table and inspect the placemats for any food stains. The room is back to its pleasant and tidy state.

With this routine in place, we can now enjoy a snack or relax at the table without any obstacles.

I prefer my dining room table to be a designated space for activities such as designing flower arrangements and sorting the mail.  My husband enjoys working on his laptop at the dining room table, while my son likes to prop up his phone and watch reels.

Clutter on the table would hinder our ability to perform these tasks.

It takes me approximately 5-7 minutes to relocate any left-behind items and return the table to its pleasant and tidy state.

However, there’s one exception to this rule. Half of our dining room table is currently covered with a thousand-piece puzzle. While we still have a place to eat, we also have a designated space for relaxation, conversation, and puzzle-solving.

How do you handle dining room clutter? 

Daily Living Room Reset

 If your family is like mine, you spend a significant amount of time in your living room, which naturally becomes a lived-in space.

In the mornings, I dedicate a quick 5-minute or less reset to my living room.

First, I embark on a mission to find any misplaced drinking glasses or food dishes. Then, I gather all the items that need to be returned to their respective bedrooms or offices.

Finally, I tidy up the throw pillows and refold the blankets, ensuring that the living room is in a tidy and inviting state. 

That is all it takes!!

Before bed, kids can be taught to gather up their dishes and either put them in the dishwasher or at least the sink. Afterward, they can grab their phones, tablets, or laptops and return them to their backpacks or rooms. 

Even with two other adults in my household, evenings can be quite sleepy, and things tend to get left in the living room overnight. However, I don’t worry about it. The daily reset routine will restore the room to its tidy and calm state. 

Instead of a daily marathon cleaning session, I prefer a quick swipe-and-gather approach. 

Bedroom Bookcase

We quickly discovered our very full bookcase was going to need a new home... We bought an antique buffet for behind the couch. 

We live in a rental house, and we had to make some quick decisions that wouldn’t result in further clutter and chaos in our rooms. 

We love books. We collect them from antique stores and thrift stores. Once in a while we splurge on a new book from Amazon. Our collection has grown beyond our two bookcases, and there were piles on the bedroom floor and on tabletops. Something needed to change. 

We disassembled our bookcase and decided the best place was an open space in our master bedroom. Hubby had the smart idea of double rows of books rather than continuing with our dangerous stacks. 

Here is our solution:

The least-read books are in the back, and the ones we want to read this fall and winter are in the front. I had just started a new collection of the Bobsy Twins books and bought a few new history and psychology books that I am currently reading. Now we can see what books we have and try not to buy duplicates. Wish us luck!!

We did sort through the books and said good-bye to a few books we had grown weary of reading. We moved my Christmas cactus upstairs with the bookcase and had room to display the five books I have written over the past year. Yes, I have written five books.  They are my pride and joy! 

A few plush friends were brought out of hiding from the closet to guard my written work. 

A few fall flowers from Costco add color to the bookcase and the window. 

The only money spent was on the flowers, and my hubby is happy to let me replenish them as needed.

Our books are safely in the bookcase, and the living room has room to breathe.  It is nice to sit in my chair in the morning, grab a book or two, and enjoy the sunrise or sunshine as it washes over the room. 

P.S.

This space has become one of my favorite spots in the house. So quiet and filled with sunshine... and my favorite books. 

Everyday Graces: A Thank -You Note

Each week, my Grandma would sit down and pay her bills, write letters to friends and family, and write thank-you notes. 

Thank-you notes for others' kind gestures and the gifts I received. One day, she said it was time for me to learn how to write thank-you notes after my birthday. 

We created little cards out of construction paper.  Next, she told me what each card needed to say:

1. Thank you for the gift. 
2. How I was going to use the gift in my life. 
3. To affirm their generosity and my appreciation.  

Some of my cards were simple. “Thank you for the birthday money. I plan to use the money to buy my new school supplies or save it for a dress I saw at the store (or new shoes).  Your gift is greatly appreciated, and I love that you remembered my birthday.

Sometimes, I would share my summer plans or let people know what grade I would be starting next month. For those I knew well who lived far away, I would suggest that we exchange letters throughout the year. 

She then helped me add the address and the stamp. 

Some of the letters I would personally deliver, and it was delightful to see the smiles on their faces when I handed them my card. 

When my son got old enough to write, I insisted that he write thank-you notes.  People love to be thanked. They love to be appreciated. 

Times have changed.  Very rarely, I will text someone a thank-you or email them. But I still love getting out my pretty cards and paper and handwriting a formal thank-you. 

It takes but a few minutes to say “thanks for thinking of me on my special day”.  “Thanks for making my day so much better”. “Thanks for helping me”.  Thanks for being such a great friend/family member”. “Thanks for having us over for supper. The food was wonderful.”

Grab a blank piece of paper, an envelope, and a stamp. Simple things turn into something amazing. A quick text or an email can strengthen the connection between two people. 

Thank you for reading my blog. Your time and your presence are valued here. 

Pumpkin Sugar Cookies- No Chill

 I am always on the lookout for a good cookie recipe. Cookies are my weakness. 

I found this recipe on Pinterest and keep coming back to it year after year, holiday after holiday. 

It is a no-chill recipe. It is not mine, but I am gonna share the recipe with you and leave a link to the original recipe because she is a smart lady and it is wrong to take credit for her hard work!!

• 1 cup of unsalted butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour

The original recipe calls for almond extract. I leave it out of my cookies (I am allergic to almonds). One other alteration to the recipe is: I leave out the salt. My husband and I are both on a low sodium diet.  With one cookie per meal/snack, we are able to keep enjoying this recipe. 

There is no need to put it in the fridge for an hour or more. Just roll it out, cut out your cookies, and pop them in the oven. It is a bit of a time saver.

Here is the link to the original recipe: (a new window should pop up when you click on it).

Sugar cookie Recipe 

I used this recipe for my pumpkin-shaped cookies, Valentine cookies, and Christmas cookies-- every time. 

Enjoy... and have a great month of October with your fall parties, Halloween parties, and bake sales. Oooh, and ahh them with this recipe. 

**The frosting is a thick powdered sugar recipe with orange sprinkles.