Thanksgiving Greetings and a Mantel I Almost Forgot

Friends, wow, I almost forgot to share pics of my Thanksgiving mantel. I like to keep a visual diary of what I do each year but I've been in a bit of chaos with packing away "fall" and transitioning to more Christmas décor. 

Patriotic Color on the Summer Front Porch

I start thinking about Patriotic decorating in early June in anticipation of July 4th. For Memorial Day we usually put out a flag at the front of the house, but I start bringing out the red/white/blue in early June, which I keep out usually until the end of July.

Autumn Greetings from the Front Porch

Decorating the front porch for Fall has been a work in progress this last month since we were gone for a week. It started in early September with a change up for the pillows on the metal depot bench. By the end of summer the porch and flowers start looking a bit tired and in need of a pick-me-up. I like keeping a lighter look in September because the temps are still really warm, but I'll add a few darker colors as it gets further into October.