Fluffing the nest.

It's the first day of autumn!

Do you know what that means? Mmm. Nothing, really. But since the weather has been very autumn-like, I have begun that fall "nesting" thing. This time of year is when I start doing more cooking and baking and I look for ways to make our home a little cozier ... the afghans all get fluffed up in the dryer and draped over living room chairs ... I stock up on teas and hot cocoa mix and yummy coffee (bonus! because Sam is selling coffee packets for a school fund-raiser this year) ... the candles smelling of pumpkin pie and apple cider and fall leaves come out.

It's also the time of year I look around the house and think to myself, "Whoa. I really let this place go over the summer, didn't I?"

Some weeks ago I was bemoaning to my mother the fact that I hadn't found taken the time to mop my kitchen floor all summer. Ya' know what she told me? She hadn't either! "I can do that when it's too cold to go outside," she said. "It's summer and I've got things to do."

I felt marginally better.

But now that the air is a little more crisp most days I'm spending more time indoors and definitely seeing all those little things that need doing. Like the pile of dog hair that has gathered under the breakfast table and might grow legs if I don't vac it up pretty soon. And the rug by the front door that is so awesome at capturing sand from our shoes? Yeah. I think somebody somewhere is missing the sand in their sandbox.

Beyond some of the basic cleaning tasks, I would love to bring out some fall-ish decor. I'm not into holiday-specific decorations (except for Christmas) so whatever I use has to be ... well ... useful. Or at least have some staying power because whatever I bring out now will be around until Thanksgiving.

While I surf the Web for inspiration I can't help thinking don't these people have dust in their houses?

Or pets?

Take a suggestion from Martha Stewart, for instance:

 Beautiful mantel decor with a wreath of feathers and leaves.

This would last about 42 seconds in my house.

Well. I don't have a mantel, but that's beside the point. CATS! I do have cats. And they would have this arrangement scattered hither and yon in no time. 

Here's an idea from Better Homes and Gardens:

It's a cute way to add some color to an entryway, or wherever.

Again with the animals. Is my dog the only dog that would be gnawing on those gourds?

Or do I just have the most ill-mannered pets on the planet?

I do love the mums, though. Mums are always good.

One more, from Country Living:

Gorgeous centerpiece.

Two thoughts:

1. Dust

2. Kids

I'm envisioning flying pine cones. Dusty, flying pine cones.

I know, I'm such a buzzkill. I'm generally not the type of person to look for reasons not to do something, but I do look for ways to streamline our days. Dusting gourds and rounding up errant feathers is not on my list.

So I'm still on the lookout for easy, inexpensive fall decorating ideas. I'm going to "shop" my own house a little today and swing by the dollar store and thrift stores while I'm out running errands. And then I'm gonna' come home and finally mop that kitchen floor and do some decorating.