Decorating for Fall

It’s almost October, and that means fall is now in full swing! If you haven’t done any fall decorating yet, now is the time to put away those summer decorations and bring out the autumn colors. Here are a few ways of decorating your home for this cooler season.

Change up your throw pillows, blankets, and sheets. Many people like to use light fabrics in the spring and summer, but you can do with darker tones for fall and winter. Browns and reds are especially popular. Many summer throw blankets are lightweight and just for decorative purposes, but ones for the fall are usually heavier and may actually be used.

Put out candles with fall scents to them, such as pumpkin and apple.

Put a wreath on your door that makes use of fall flowers (orange, yellow, and red ones).

Create a great table centerpiece using fall fruits and vegetables (pumpkins, squash, etc.), leaves, branches, dried corn, pine cones, and fall flowers.

Don’t forget to do a little fall decorating outdoors, too. One easy change besides the fall wreath on your front door is a fall welcome mat.

Back Up your Apology with Actions

You’ve done something wrong, but you understand you’ve hurt someone and you’re ready to apologize. Great! However, sometimes a simple “I’m sorry” just isn’t enough. While you might be completely sincere and truly want to make amends, words don’t always do it. If you feel like this is one of those times, back up your apology with actions. This will help stress your contriteness and convince the hurt party that you truly do feel sorry.

What type of actions should you take? There are several. The first action is obviously showing up in person to give your apology. While this might not always be possible (a long-distance phone fight with a sibling, for example, may have to be settled over the phone), the best way of saying your sorry is to do it in person. Don’t send email, a text, or call unless it’s the only way you can get the person to listen to you. Otherwise, it may seem insincere. This is especially true with email and texting since it’s very hard to convey emotion through these media.

Showing up with a gift or two is another good way of backing up your apology. Chocolates, flowers, a stuffed animal or two…all of these are good, smart ways of saying you’re sorry. If it was a serious fight between spouses or long-term partners, jewelry may even be appropriate. The more personal the gift, the better. Just don’t buy something cheap looking.

Finally, you can say you’re sorry with dinner. A fancy restaurant is a good plan, but you can also cook dinner as an apology. Tickets to an event you both enjoy might also be a good option for an apology date. Again, make it personal and make it sincere. Otherwise, you might find yourself in more trouble than you started in!

The Perfect Gift for All Occasions

Need a great gift for any occasion? Well, there are a few. If you don’t mind looking impersonal, you can go with a gift card. But what does a small piece of plastic really say about you? Not a lot. However, there is a great all-occasion gift that speaks volumes: flowers!

Why are flowers such a great gift? They’re very personal, for one thing. You can select the colors that the recipient loves, send them their favorite flowers, and pick out a vase that fits their personality. While there are many pre-designed arrangements that are absolutely stunning, you can work with a florist to customize these, or even have them create an arrangement from scratch. How much more personal can you get?

One concern why buying gifts is worrying if the person already has it. That’s not an issue with flowers. Even if the recipient gets two or three bouquets as birthday gifts, chances are they will be different. Even if they use the same flowers, it still doesn’t matter too much. You just can’t have too many flowers!

Flowers are great for any age. Girls like flowers just as much as grandmothers. There’s no birthday that can’t be celebrated with a bouquet of flowers. In fact, some girls and teens really love getting flowers as a gift.

Flowers can be a good gift for men and women. While it’s true that flowers aren’t the first thing that comes to mind for a man’s gift, some are quite appropriate. Flowering green plants, for example, are good gifts for men with offices that could use a little bit of color.

Next time you’re having difficulty picking out the perfect gift for a birthday, a holiday, or any occasion, go with flowers. They’re simply perfect for any and all events.

Grandparents Always Love You

We’ve all been down on our luck, made mistakes, or done something that we later realized was just really, really dumb. During thick and thin, however, our families have always been there. While it’s our parent’s job to something chastise us and lecture us on where we’ve done the wrong thing, our grandparents are almost always there to give us unconditional support and help. Yes, parents do this, too, but grandparents seem to always be there to spoil us a bit.

Why do grandparents always love us so much? Perhaps because they know they can spoil us and give us all the unconditional love we want, and then they send us home! That’s not the only reason, though. Our grandparents grew up in a different time, a time that was, in many ways, much harder than ours. They understand what it’s like to be in trouble, to really need help, and now that they’ve made it through their tough times, they’re in a position to help. Maybe they had someone (their own grandparents, perhaps) help them out when they needed it, and now they want to pass it on. Maybe they just hate to see us struggling so. Whatever the reason, they’re always there with a hug, a kind word, and more if it’s needed.

This Sunday (Sept. 11) is National Grandparents Day. Don’t miss this opportunity to tell your grandparents how thankful you are for all they’ve done for you. For those who have lost their grandparents, take the time to remember them or take flowers to the cemetery. Let them know just how much you love them.