Little bit of Fall- 2013

My favorite thing about Fall is the decorating.
And the baking. And the eating.
And the fall candles from BBW.
And the cool {rainy} days that call for a good book and comfy blanket.
And the cuddling that comes with that.
And the natural inclination to make family time, both at home and extended.

But mostly... it's the decorating.
Creating a welcoming and cozy environment, and then savoring in all its pumpkin-y splendor.

Come on in for a quick, fall home tour.

Starting yesterday- new built-in book cases going in around the fireplace. Woohoo!!! Happy, happy.

Thanks for stopping by.
Happy Fall!

Our Simple Thanksgiving Table

While most have moved on to Christmas, we are still pretty stuck on Thanksgiving here.
We hosted a family dinner a few nights ago, and so it felt appropriate to get the table ready.

Here is our simple Thanksgiving table.

Yes, we use mason jars for drinking glasses and we're hooked. No refills needed; those babies will carry you through to dessert! And we're quite fond of the quaint, cozy look.

We enjoy the vibrant, inconsistent colors of real pumpkins and squash. 

Beautiful farmhouse table and bench built by my husband and father-in-love.

We haven't yet bought chairs so we just steal the ones from the kitchen table.

For place setting cards I used these printable tags from Jones Design Company.

I like the message they send. 

Ready for feast and fellowship.

How are you preparing your home this year?

today I'm linking up with :

Our Autumn Getaway: Part One

Warning: Picture heavy post.

Last week we took a break from civilization. Packing up our winter warms; ingredients for a simmering pot of baked potato soup; a few books and a camera- we headed up to a cozy mountain cabin.

It was just the chilly breath of fresh air that we needed.

And the drive was breath-taking. 

Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile.

- William Cullen

Yep. Breath taken.

Catching Up: Moving In & Holiday

Forgive me, Reader, I have sinned. Its been a month and a half since my last post. {Whoops}


What's been going on? Well one crazy appraisal story, a few hotels, and my parents' guest-room later... we are finally. home. 


And though we've been home for about four weeks now, we are just getting somewhat settled. 


The day we moved in my husband and sister-in-love were both sick. Nick recovered quickly; Rachel was sick all weekend. Then the baby and I got it. Hadley was sick on and off for about a week. Just about when we felt she was "all better" we would take her out and she'd start throwing up again; like a load of pancakes all over the carpet of my father's office. {Sorry Dad} Needless to say... we did a lot of lying around.

Once we were feeling healthy again it was the holiday week! I unpacked about half my kitchen for the 4th of July and we baked, diced, and grilled. 


Like these yummy Honey-Lime Chicken Skewers 

Rachel's Tomato-Basil Salad

 And some Corn-Avocado Salsa {I tripled the batch to make it a salad}

Watermelon of course

Here's what my plate looked like {oh yes, and my honey grilled some brisket}

IS YOUR MOUTH WATERING YET? Yum!


I had been waiting for just the right occasion to try these Watermelon Cake Pops. I let me tell you, they do not disappoint!

And it wouldn't be a celebration in this house without some red velvet. Rachel's Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Butter-cream Frosting. OH. YAH.

 

 Okay, okay.... I'll stop with the food pictures now.




After prancing around the house for days showing every one her new Independence Day dress, Hadley was thrilled to finally be able to wear it.

Hadley with her favorite girls

And after the fourth, well.... 


I'll tell you the rest tomorrow. :) 


And soon to come are my "Room by Room" posts. Follow me as I make our new house a home one room {or project} at a time.

Happy Wednesday!
Kaylee

Memories for Mother's Day

"The best gifts are not ones you buy, but the memories that you make."

This year we wanted to do something special for Mother's Day.

Gifts for Grandma and Grammy made by Hadley. 

Finger- paintings and a photo capturing her joy in those moments of creativity.

 Hadley loved the paint. 

She loved squishing it between her fingers and then patting it on her legs.

She would spread it around, and then wipe some more on herself.

This was probably her favorite thing we've ever done. 

It was all giggles, squeals, and paint... everywhere.

Ready to see the winner???

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Our sweet girl and those big blue eyes.

One finger-painting and photo framed for Grammy complete.

And for Grandma, one canvas finger-painting and framed photo.

Momma may have helped with this one. 

Just with some peel & stick letters.

This is without a doubt our favorite gift given. 

I will cherish the wonderful memories of this day.

And to all my Mom friends...

Happy Mother's Day!