Autumn Country Tablescape

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Autumn Country Tablescape

The focal point of my tablescape is apples. I love them in any form...real or otherwise.



The small apple soup dishes and the large apple casserole/tureen are from QVC. The chargers are from Home Goods, the dinner plate is part of the Gibson set and the smaller turkey plates are from TJ Maxx.



The flatware is from Reed and Barton.

The acorn napkin rings are part of the Valerie Parr Hill collection...I just adore them. The napkins, with the leaf cutouts, are from Home Goods.

The placemats are from Ross.



The centerpiece and squirrels are from The Stable....a local shop that I could spend hours in.

Thanks so much for stopping in to see my table....I hope you enjoyed it.
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Have a wonderful and blessed Thursday.
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~ Barb~

And The Winner Is...

Thank you, again, to all those who follow Bella Vista....you are truly appreciated and valued. I also appreciate all those who left a comment. You can look for more of these appreciation giveaways in the coming months because I am thankful for you and I love to give things away!

Now, the winner of the little bear is:

Robin from Miscellaneous Thoughts. Congratulations Robin!

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I hope everyone has a wonderful day. ♥

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~ Barb ~

Good Morning Sunshine!

Good morning...afternoon...evening....Blogging Buddies! Hope your weekend was special and you did something fun. I'm off to find a birthday gift for my hubby. He wants tools again this year and I am running out of tools. Accccckkkkkk!!!!!! That man has every tool invented already. Ha!

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Don't forget I am drawing for my Follower Appreciation Giveaway on Tuesday.

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Have a wonderful day!

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~ Barb ~

Easy Peasy Peach Cobbler

Old Fashioned and Easy Peach Cobbler

I made this dessert recently...it is my husband's favorite...and it is easy, easy and soooo delicious! Thought you might like the recipe.

6 Tablespoons butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup milk

1 (29 oz) can of sliced peaches, drained

Melt butter and spread evenly in a 9 x 9 baking dish. In a separate bowl, mix sugar, flour, baking powder, vanilla and milk together. Mix well. Pour mixture over the melted butter and do not stir. Add the drained peaches to the top of the batter with a slotted spoon. Try to not move the batter any more than possible. Do not stir. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with sugar when removed from oven. Serve warm with ice cream, if desired.

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Enjoy! ♥

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~ Barb ~

A Giveaway For My Followers

Thank you so much for following Bella Vista and inspiring me every single day! Your talent and kindness never fail to amaze and delight me. I have wanted to do something for my followers (I recently had a giveaway for my readers) for some time to show my appreciation....and today is the day!

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I will use the random number generator to choose a winner from my Follower List on Tuesday, Sept 29th. I will announce the winner sometime during that day. The gift is the little bear you see. She is completely adorable in her Fall attire...complete with hat and little pumpkin. If you are not a bear fan (what???? Ha!), she would make a darling gift.

How about this fabulous hat!

And wonderful little ceramic pumpkin.

She even has pumpkins on her dress!
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Good luck to everyone and again, thank you for following Bella Vista and being a wonderful part of my day. Hugs to all of you!
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~ Barb ~

Fall Fever

You have heard of spring fever, right? Well, I don't get spring fever....I get Fall Fever! What you see above is the little settee on our cozy, little front porch where I have spent a big part of my day. I can't seem to get my nose out of Autumn books, magazines and Fall cookbooks. What is a girl to do? Ha!

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Does Fall Fever ever claim you? Help!!!!

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~ Barb ~

Fall Party

Hello everyone and welcome to the Fall Party hosted by Rhondi at Rose Colored Glasses. Please visit her blog for a list of participants and to join in all the party fun!

These are random Fall decorations from around my home. I decorate slowly...taking my time and really enjoying the process.

I truly love sunflowers...they make me smile. This is an arrangement on my family room coffee table.

This Fall....I seem to have a 'thing' for squirrels. Ha!

This is an arrangement on my kitchen island.

I love pumpkins...they are among my all time favorites!

A wreath in my kitchen...I love the softness of it.

An arrangement on the sideboard in my family room.

This ceramic pumpkin is one of my very favorite Autumn decorations.

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Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you enjoyed looking. Happy Fall!

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~ Barb ~

Wreath Love--Can It Be?

Can you be in love with a wreath? I am! I found this wreath on Saturday and it actually called my name out to come and take it home. Ha! The wreath is standing in an urn....kind of different than anything else I have. Oh, happy Autumn........!

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Hope you are having a wonderful Sunday. ♥

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~ Barb ~

Weekend Wishes

Hello Bloggy Buddies...just taking a minute to wish all of you a happy upcoming weekend. Are you doing anything fun? I hope so. Just think, Fall is almost here...that is enough to make me do the happy dance!!

Have a happy and blessed weekend! ♥

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~ Barb ~

Apple Crisp

Apple Crisp

I made this for dinner and it is easy, easy but sooooo delicious. Your house will smell divine!

8 to 10 apples, peeled, cored and sliced

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

6 tablespoons butter

vanilla ice cream

nuts, if desired

Fill a large glass 13 x 9 x 2 baking dish full of sliced apples. Cover with sugar and cinnamon on top, adding nuts if desired. Let stand while you mix together the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Beat egg until light and work into the flour mixture until crumbly. Take this by the handfuls and crumble over apples. Melt butter and pour over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, until crust is lightly browned. Yield: 16 servings. Serve with ice cream if you wish.

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ENJOY! ♥

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~ Barb ~

Lazy Days and Sunshine

I have a million things I could be doing...should be doing...but I am on my way to the porch with a cup of cinnamon tea, shortbread cookies and my newest issue of Victoria. This is the British issue...so I am in heaven! Am I a bad girl? Sometimes being a little bad can be a little good!!

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Hope you are having a wonderful day! ♥

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~ Barb ~

A Puttering Day

Hello friends...hope your Monday is off to a great start!

This will be a 'puttering day' for me. I will add more Fall decorations to the house and I plan on spending some time in the kitchen this afternoon making a wonderful dessert. I already have my dinner planned....a pork chop and potato bake (from one of the Gooseberry books) that will surely light up my hubby's face tonight!

I may start on my Fall Village...I am a bit behind with it this year....takes me days to do this. Whew! Oh, and I have to make time to sit on the porch and read. I love these days...Autumn is coming and I can hear the black birds in the trees. Woooohoooo!

Hope your Monday is happy!

~ Barb ~

Cookbook Winner Is......

Thank you so much to everyone who entered my Gooseberry Cookbook Giveaway. It was fun meeting so many new bloggers! Don't you love giveaways?

The winner is......Joyce at Flour Power. Congratulations Joyce!!

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Below, you will find another great recipe from this book. Enjoy!

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Have a great weekend!

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~ Barb ~

Fall Cloches

I am displaying some cloches with Fall ideas. Hope you like them and find them inspiring.

A centerpiece cloche arrangement on my dining room table.



A centerpiece cloche arrangement on the family room dining table. The candle is an inexpensive one from Walmart that I spruced up with handpainted leaves.

An arrangement in the kitchen.

Thanks so much for stopping in today. I hope you enjoyed the little things I put together.
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~ Barb ~

Inspiring Pictures!

Every year, about this time, I surround myself with my collection of Autumn books and magazines. I spend many happy hours going through them to be inspired and reinspired! Did I mention this is absolutely my favorite time of the year??

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The pictures above are from the book Decorating for the Holidays by Valerie Parr Hill....one of my all time favorite decorating books. The ideas here are simple but so wonderful. I wanted to share these three with you.

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Oh, Happy Day!!

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~ Barb ~