Oh how I heart Fall!!!

There are no words to explain how giddy I become when we get that first "cool spell." That's what my Mom and grandfather always called what they also called the first "cold snap." For my entire life, I have been in love with September, for so many reasons. In fact, if I was the type to do such a thing, which I certainly am not, I should have named one of my daughters September.

I guess it all started when I was born in September. Every year, regardless of where we lived, a special package would come in the mail from my grandmother in Seguin. It was always something fabulous, and usually, a really cute outfit to wear in the fall. One year when I was about seven, the birthday package contained some dark purple bell bottoms -- in velvet. There was a lighter purple blouse, and a purple vest that went over the shirt. I'm telling you, I rocked that outfit as often as I could, until I wore the velvet off the knees. As you might imagine, I love fall and winter clothes much more than summer clothes. Plus, I'm modest, and prefer to leave something to the imagination, as in "clothed." I also was born to wear fall colors because of my brown hair and hazel eyes.

And then there was the start of school, which always meant school clothes! When I was growing up in Alpine, August and September were heavenly (still are!). Warm days fueled thunder storms and cooling rains. By September 25, my birthday, the temperatures would always cool down so I could wear whatever school clothes we bought at the mall in Odessa -- or at Joske's in San Antonio. This year, Mother Nature was a couple days late, but she remembered my birthday and sent some cooler temperatures all the way to Seguin.

So what does this have to do with my painted groove, interiors and design? Well, I've noticed it's not just me. Cooler temperatures signal something in us, beckoning us indoors, turning our attention to nesting and fixing up the interiors of our homes. Whether cooler weather gets us to thinking about the holidays, a fire in the fireplace, cozying up the place, I don't know, but it dependably happens.

At this very moment, I am scheming to revamp my girls' bathroom, searching for curtains for practically every room in the house, and still praying for that cream shag rug I have requested for my birthday and Christmas for at least two years. (hint, hint)

I loved this room designed by Wisteria. I generally am a color girls, so the red and black appealed to me. But the cream and gray grounds it and lends a restful quality. I have a dresser I could probably "faux" to look like that little gem being used bedside.

And I love these windows and this rolling shelf in this kitchen -- from Restoration Hardware. Why do I suddenly hate cabinets? A lack of cabinetry, definitely uppers, appears to be all the rage. Sure, upper cabinets close me in and offend my delicate sensibilities, but a kitchen like that is only practical if you have a huge butler's pantry, (which I don't). And in this particular photo and most kitchen photo shoots, you can see the faux family has no plastic Tinker Bell sandwich holders or Lisa Frank lunch boxes drying on the island.

My need for change extends to almost every room of the house. For example, I want to throw out all my furniture and get two of these chairs, in this exact color. Oh my God this would be fabulous in my house, with the cream-colored shag rug. The only problem is, I'd have to throw out my sofa and all my other furniture because they would not seamlessly mesh. Oh well.

This room below, from Restoration Hardware, is a little fancy for me and my life, but I loooove the linen-covered sofas and the warm tones coming from the fire. And four tall floor lamps at the corners of the living space? Brilliant. I love it.

Of course in my house, those lamps would fall to the tune of "timberrrrrrrr" probably in the first week. Unfortunately, or fortunately, whaterver ... we're pretty casual around here. And, there would be Littlest Pet Shop animals strategically placed all around the bases of the side tables. Now you can understand why I am somewhat insane.

So am I alone here? Is anyone else looking inward, with an eye toward spoofing up the nest?