My Most Favorite Season

Crisp air resulting in warm sweaters.

Brilliant colors resulting in awe sent heavenward.

Apples resulting in apple crisp. Mmm. 

Foggy mornings.

Brand new slippers.

Amazing blue skies.

Or drizzly rain.

I love autumn! Especially October. Thus the quote on our chalkboard:

And so the only logical conclusion would be that when autumn rolls around, I enjoy surrounding us with it inside as well. Here are some scenes from our home this fall:

Dead/dying mums and all! 

My chevron wreath made its way out of the attic first. Then an after school stop at a local road-side stand and we came home with pumpkins, ghords and mums, which were then scattered around our home. And in the final stage, my Silhouette and I had fun printing out a quote on vinyl to embellish our above-the-mantel canvas print. It took a couple of weeks to get up there in its entirety and in the meantime, that made for a great conversation piece!

Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature has been saving up all year for the grand finale. 

Lauren DeStefano

Yesterday was just beautiful, and I asked my husband if he would like to enjoy a fall walk with me and Emma. And Gus. That dog thoroughly enjoyed himself! A layer of leaves everywhere adds a whole new level of smells. Me? I loved it too!

 

According to my weather app, this is supposed to be one lovely weekend. Can't wait to thoroughly enjoy my most favorite season!! Hope you do too!!

Bringing in Spring

The snow has yet to melt, although the sun is really working on it out there. And I decided that just because it's not spring-like outside quite yet, that doesn't mean I can't bring it inside! Time for one of my favorite things - seasonal decor switch up. 

My attic proved to house some spring decor, so a quick trip up that extra set of stairs was a great start to bringing in the spring. But I also squeezed in some retail therapy this week and headed to the Glasshouse in search of some bunnies. I didn't have anything specific in mind, but figured that when I saw them, I'd know. 

And I did! 

They were green (just the right green...) and adorable and I'm quite sure I heard them asking to come home with me. I obliged.

Let me introduce you to Peter...

..and Benjamin:

Despite what it looks like, I am fully aware that rabbits do not lay eggs. But there was a pack of 6 robin's eggs at the Glasshouse too and I just couldn't resist. Love the color! Love the reminder of new life at springtime!

The moss is from Michael's (40% off coupon...of course!) (if you don't have their phone app, you should - you'll never again find yourself distressed about forgetting the flyer!) and what a mess that stuff makes when you pull it out its bag and fluff it up! But it's fresh and lovely and I forgave it.

This sweet little orchid was a birthday present from a friend of mine and I had to include it. (ha! clearly I didn't dust before taking pictures...! oops!)

You know, I do so love my lanterns. Love their readiness to house whatever I feel like. Love their size. Love their wood grain and grey color wash...

I'm classifying them as an investment. A must have. A multi purpose decor item.

And how about one more glance at Peter? Because he's such a handsome fellow!

Between the combination of sunshine streaming through the windows and the spring touches on my mantel, plus the smell of spring in the air and the promise of spring on the calendar, I'm fully ready. Spring, c'mon! We have much to do together...

No Matter...

It was so nice outside we were sure we could smell spring on its way. And it felt so good to take a great deep breath of it! Then...snow. 

Thankfully, despite the crazy amounts of snow and cold we've had this winter, I still enjoyed the fresh beauty of the crisp whiteness that fell outside our windows Wednesday. Plus, there was the knowledge that spring really truly is right around the corner now. Still, it was more snow. And I needed a bit of...hope! Out came the chalk and a quick scroll through google for a spring quote. 

When you wander into our little hallway at the back of our house, you'll be greeted with this quote full of hope and expectation:

Hope for warm sun, rain boots and dirt under your fingernails. Expectation for the change of seasons God commands in His good and perfect time. Can't wait to see where I planted those daffodil bulbs last fall - I completely forget!

How a Bird that's not a Crow got me Excited

Snow. 

Cold. 

Boots & coat a bare minimum when crossing the threshold into the great outdoors.

Drafts via old doors in old houses.

Groundhogs who see shadows.

Did I mention snow?

And bitter cold? 

Brrrrrrr. 

Oh, and add to this list that makes up this rather long winter in Chatham, the crows. Bagged garbage should be banned from this city, in my humble opinion. Because a garage bag is a crow's dinner and let me tell you, they have nothing close to manners when it comes to eating dinner. 

Anyway. Enough grumbling. Onto the good stuff.

source

The cardinal.

Perhaps they've been here all winter long. Perhaps they've sang their song all winter long. But twice this week, I've heard one outside our bedroom window in the morning, letting the world (or rather, us and our neighbor) know that it was just that - morning - and time to get up. 

I'm not sure I can fully explain in words the happiness I felt when that bird sang. Have I truly missed it this winter, or is my recent longing for spring bringing the song to my attention? Because how wonderful it sounded! It gave me a glimpse of warmer days when I love nothing better than to fling open all our windows and let the birds sing me through my morning and the breezes freshen up our house. When I can have coffee with my husband on the front porch in the morning, or lunch with my daughter on our little back deck. When I can make attempts to turn black thumbs into green. When I can slip on a pair of flip flops instead of struggling into boots and bundling into coat and gloves and such. Maybe it's because I've recently read "The Secret Garden" to Hadassah, or have seen a zillion beautiful gardens on Pinterest, but I am getting pretty excited about spring! 

You?

A long winter gives us many opportunities to be reminded of God's grace - that He washes us whiter than snow. Sparkling, beautiful snow. Yet there's so much of me that's ready to be reminded of new life in Christ as we see spring develop around us. To hear more than the caw of of those pesky crows! His timing is perfect, I know. But we can anticipate with eagerness, right?

So...thank you, Mr. Cardinal outside my window. Excited for spring and more of your songs...

Twenty Fourteen

Hello readers, aka friends. I hope that your holiday season has been a blessing. Ours has been! This is a very busy time for Tim, but he's been working from home a lot and that's rather cozy. Hadassah and I have been relaxing and enjoying a lot of little things together - library books, games, time with grandparents, time with friends. 

And now a new year is ready to be welcomed. What will it bring? Joy? Sorrow? Hope? That's the wonder of believing in a faithful God. He knows what will happen. We know that we can trust Him. 

I read this blog post at Tim Challies blog where he quotes a prayer by John MacArthur. I encourage you to read it! It's an excellent prayer to read and pray for yourself as we head into this New Year. A new year to trust in God and resolve to live for Him, through Him and in Him. 

O come, let us adore Him!

It's my hope that your Christmas Day is a celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior. Whether alone or surrounded by family, praise God and sing "Glory to God in the Highest"!

Merry Christmas from us to you!

Blame Me

Tim just pointed out to me that it's been snowing ever since I drew this:

He's also blaming me for it, since he's not a snow loving guy. But from my office window, it sure looks pretty! Especially since my trips outside on the roads are officially done for the day. 

     And since we've no place to go...

          Let it snow

               Let it snow

                    Let it snow!

 

Around here this Christmas

I do so love this time of year. 

Outside, it's cold and bare. Often beautiful, but less inviting. And the fact that we can turn our homes into inviting, cozy places to be while the sun sets early and the cold winds blow, is great! 

Over the past 8 years of having my own place to decorate just the way I want it, I think I've established that when it comes to Christmas decorating, cozy tends to be my goal. I've gradually steered toward making it natural, with a smidge of color and only a little sparkle. I've loved visiting the gorgeous houses on Jennifer Rizzo's Holiday Housewalk last week - they're all so lovely! - and I even had a twinge of a desire to decorate more after seeing some of the great displays. But in the end, natural and simple wins. Would you like to take a look?

Warning: No windows or floors were washed in the making of this house tour! Or, apparently, outdoor pots...please ignore the dirt!

It was a lovely afternoon spent making our porch wintry and inviting. I love pulling out the flea marketed sled and the gifted skates. This year I added a yard saled crate and an extra pot - adorned with the scarf Tim never wears anyway. 

C'mon in, out of the cold...

Perhaps you've already seen this Christmas view in my Gallery Wall post...? If not, here's a glance at our banister and hutch, the top of which is never this empty! Nothing like company and virtual holiday tours to get your house tidy. Maybe not clean. But tidy!

Once you've taken in the banister view, you'll turn around to have a mantel view. I found the deer at Home Sense and a little tradegy took place on its car ride home. His belly snapped off around the stick base. Can I just say that super glue really is super? I also must say, pom pom's are the perfect craft for a relaxing night while watching Jane Eyre or Pride & Prejudice. 

On either side of the mantel, I've hung some green lovelies in place of my candle sconces:

Our desk in the corner received a touch of Christmas as well! I've taken a liking to these wee little poinsettia's and might grab a couple more my next trip to the grocery store. 

The next few shots let you take a peek into the kitchen and dining room, where little touches here and there make me smile and help 'festive' things up.

Isn't that book page tree lovely? My niece made several of those as centerpieces for our family Christmas dinner that we've already celebrated. And seeing as she works at the library, it was appropriate and beautiful. 

One element that I thoroughly enjoy decorating is our Christmas tree. When we first moved here, we discovered a small artificial tree in the attic and used that for our first two Christmas' here. But then one Boxing Day we picked up this beauty:

Sticking with our house colors, blue and green, and adding some pinecones and squirrels (in appreciation of Gus and the humor we get from seeing him bolt out the backdoor after the squirrels he never catches), we have a look I'm thoroughly enjoying this year. 

So let the wind howl! Because inside, we are all cozied up. Quiet evenings spent curled up in my chair, mug of hot chocolate and book in hand, with everyone home. Sounds lovely, doesn't it? That God gives us homes to enjoy here on earth, giving us a smidge of understanding and a lot of longing for our eternal home is such a blessing! I hope that you have many opportunities to enjoy your home this winter & holiday season!! 

Linking to: Jennifer Rizzo 

Our Gallery Wall @ Christmas

"Notification: (insert name here) pinned your pin"

It's pretty cool to notice notifications on Pinterest. And if you've pinned something of your own, it's an interesting thing to discover that other people like it too! One picture from my house that I've seen pinned a few times is our Gallery wall that makes its way up our stairs.  I thought it'd be fun to take some updated pictures (because I've made a couple of small changes!) and give our Gallery wall its very own post. (since it had such an insignificant reveal originally...tacked on at the end of an update post...)

May I start by saying how much I love gallery walls? I've pinned a gazillion myself. The combination of pictures and non-pictures (initials, numbers, gadgets, etc) arranged to take up a large amount of wall space resulting in big impact? Fantastic. Love. Yes. 

One of my goals was to take better pictures of the gallery wall - as the original ones were rather small and not the greatest. But it's dark in our living room! And so I jacked up the ISO on my camera, which helped, but now they're substantially more grainy than I'd like. At any rate, there are more of them and they're bigger. Here's hoping that the equivalent of better! 

And there she is. Updated with our recent family pictures by Red Rubber Studio, 3 additions, and a makeover. Two small pictures were added to the bottom left (which you'll be able to see in another picture), plus the number "3". And the makeover was an afternoon project involving twine, a hot glue gun and the letter "B".

When it comes to Christmas decorating, I'm finding that I like simple and natural best. I go through my tote of ornaments from over the past 8 years, I stick some in the garland or in the wreaths, or on the mantel, and I always end up taking them right back off again. 5 years ago I purchased 5 mercury glass ornaments from Hobby Lobby and they manage to stay out of the tote every year. Love them! This year two of them hang from the banister garland, two hang inside a lantern and one from a wreath, which you can see later this week as I hope to join in on Jennifer Rizzo's Home Tour link party next Monday.  Speaking of which, have you been enjoying her Holiday Housewalk too? If you haven't, I'd suggest it - start here!

One thing I love about our gallery wall is that I have the opportunity, several times a day, to glance at pictures that hold memories of us. That represent us. That show a family built on the foundation of Christ's love. It's a wonderful reminder that family is such a great blessing and our family was placed together with purpose and reason by an incredible God. We're certainly not a perfect family! But we're His. I love that God gave us families to reflect things about Him and our relationship with Him. 

Oh look! You can catch a glance at our tree in this shot!:

Loving the "B" a whole lot more. It's amazing what a little twine and time can do! Shall we do a side-by-side? For fun? 

One last look...

And there you have it. Our Gallery Wall with a Christmas touch. Do you have a gallery wall somewhere in your house too?

Linked to: A Glimpse Inside // Artsy Fartsy Mama // DIY Show-Off // Thrifty Decor Chick