To Everything. Turn, Turn, Turn.

The last weekend in October really kicked fall up a notch. It brought brisk air, homemade hot chocolate and the prettiest leaves on trees. I grew up in central Florida...other wise known as the land of one season. I don't think I had any idea what joy I was missing out on during the fall months.  It is so refreshing to see things change, grow and come to fruition at exactly the time they are suppose to. It is a wonderful reminder that things in life are often like that. We go through seasons of stillness, seasons of rare growth seasons of waiting and seasons of beautiful change. Hope abounds in the reassurance that we have a creator who planned the seasons, who knows our seasons and will see us through each one. What a wonderful time of year.

Currently: there is Pumpkin EVERYWHERE.

1.My pumpkin carving product this year. A wise owl.

2.Fresh Market has Pumpkin Salsa. Solid purchase.

3.World Market's 'Pie Contest Kit' would be fun for a pumpkin pie party!

4.Pumpkin seeds + olive oil + salt = delightful snack.

5. & 6.Melt in Your Mouth Pumpkin Cookies. Recipe [here].

Warning: you will want to eat three and then three more.

In case it wasn't obvious, I love pumpkin. We have a wonderful relationship. Sure, it's only for two months out of the year but it's a great two months. The best, actually.

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laughing out loud.

I'm making a ploy for Parks and Recreation. It is one of the funniest shows on television right now. Aziz Ansari plays Tom Haverford in this 30 minute comedic sitcom and makes me laugh so hard. When the fall shows started this season, I wondered if Tom was going to be able to continue making me laugh out loud every week. At first it seemed like a lot to ask but I knew he was up to the challenge. He's totally living up to it. Way to go Tom, way to go.

Here is a clip from last week's show that I had to re-wind multiple times. Donna is an excellent compliment to Tom and this week made me laugh just as hard.

Enjoy.

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spying the little things.

Why eye spy? Read about it [here].

Today eye spy one of the most simplistic, honest, and encouraging blogs on the world wide web. The Little Things  is able to capture the simple beauties in life, translate them into a few words and consequently make you feel as if you've had some sort of little epiphany.

Or at the very least they will make you smile.

Here are a few of my favorites:

a trip down memory lane...

My favorite show when I was a little girl was Mary Tyler Moore. Yes, I know this probably wasn't typical of kids my age but I couldn't help it. I'm not sure where my family's collection of all seven seasons came from. Most likely, it was a lucky item we found at a church yard sale or a family hand-me-down. I can remember pulling out the VHS from its worn teal sleeve, putting it in the VCR and singing along with Sonny Curtis during the opening credits. I'm sure I belted "you're gonna make it after all" while twirling in the living room a time or two.

I was convinced Mary Richards was the coolest person in the world. I was sure that all I needed out of life was a best friend named Rhoda, an antique piece of furniture to beat on, an apartment with a raised carpeted platform and a cheese sandwich. I grew to realize there were other things in life worth aspiring towards but it turns out I did have a pretty good taste in television as a young kid. Mary Tyler Moore was named among the 'shows that changed television'. It's no wonder that this hard working, independent producer of the Six O'clock News was one of my childhood heroes.

If you've never seen an episode, I strongly recommend you find yourself an afternoon to watch a few. It will make you smile, laugh and want to start calling your best friend Rhoda. Guarantee it.



Pumpkin Pickin'

A few pictures from an afternoon trip to Tate Farms.

There was a hay ride, a petting zoo and pumpkins.

Lots and lots of pumpkins. I was in love.

Take me back to Nashville Tennessee.

Round one: Winnie, Karen and I go to Chattanooga.

Round two: Winnie, Karen and I go to Franklin and Nashville.

We've started calling ourselves KEW (Kids Exploring the World). Ok, we're not really calling ourselves that but it would be kind of fun wouldn't it?

Our afternoon started out with lunch at  the Franklin Mercantile. We sat outside and enjoyed a sourdough sandwich, tomato basil soup and lemon water in a mason jar. The town of Franklin was a small and quaint. Main street was lined with little shops like Lulu and The Iron Gate. The creaky wood floors exposed the history of this little all American town. After a few hours we headed towards Nashville. The eclectic shop Pangea may have been my favorite of the trip.

Somehow our attempted route to our next destination, the Parthenon, led us in multiple circles around Nashville. Thank goodness for the iPhone. Side note: Later in the day we found out that the 'i' in iPhone stands for intelligence or Internet or something other than 'i' as in me, like mypod or myphone. I know, preposterous. But that is a different story for a different day. Regardless, the iPhone and its map capabilities helped us successfully locate the Parthenon in Centenial Park. The sun was just about to set when we arrived at the park. When got closer, we stumbled upon two men with lengthy dreadlocks jamming out on their guitars, some punk wanna be jersey shore kids, and a bridal portrait photography session. It was crazy and yet seemed very normal. The Parthanon building and the Athena statue in Centernial park are both full-scale replicas of the Athenian originals. Learning about the Parthenon made me feel a lot like Leslie Knope. Maybe Nashville is my Pawnee. Maybe.

Our trip ended with a drive-by of 2nd street or was it 3rd? I'm not really sure but it had a lot of blinking neon signs and live music. We didn't get out and walk around because we all forgot our cowboy boots. I know, I know. what were we thinking? Hello, Nashville. Not to worry though, I made a mental note for next time. On the way home we made one last stop to enjoy breakfast for dinner at the best travel restaurant on the interstate - Cracker Barrel.

So there you have it. It was successful day of exploring two new towns. If you are into idioms, you could say our trip "killed two birds with one stone". Towns aren't birds though and even if they were, I still wouldn't want to kill a bird. Personal preference though. The kettle though, I will totally call him black.

Did you have a good weekend friends? Did you see or experience anything new?

Loofah Love.

Today I bought a pumpkin loofah.

Tomorrow has a lot to live up to.

DIY Reusable Fabric Flower Tote Bag

Today we are visiting the land of DIY. Hip, hip, hooray!

"Do it yourself" (!!!) is a multifaceted phrase. It could be a phrase used to describe frustration with another. For instance, it may have been the very thing that ran through my mind when my grandmother persistently asked me to take a picture of her Christmas cactus one year. I didn't say that though and if you are ever faced with a similar circumstance, neither should you. Take the picture of the Christmas cactus. It will make her happy. Lesson learned.

Today's use of  "do it yourself" is much more uplifting and encouraging to you out there. So tomorrow, when asked "where did you get that cute tote?" You can reply with joy "I made it! And you can totally do it yourself!" See, that is hopeful. 

That is goal but today we are here: fabric flowers and tote bags. This bag  is totally achievable with just a few dollars and a few minutes. Please make this tote and then take it to a cute farmer's market and fill it with home grown goodies. That would be swell.

Supplies:

• 1/2 yard of assorted fabrics
• 1/2 inch glue dots (Hobby Lobby)
• Blank canvas tote bag (Hobby Lobby)
• Hot glue gun
• Scissors
• Twine (optional)

Easy as pie, right? Oh speaking of pie, I think pumpkin pie might have made it on my 'to do' list today. Get excited folks.

p.s. I love my grandma.

wednesday whistle.

This song came on my Pandora station the other day and I thought to myself, this is a catchy little tune; it should be your Wednesday Whistle. The funny thing is usually the Wednesday Whistle is a song that I have liked for a while but am just now sharing with you lovely people, all six of you. (The six of you totally rock though. I am so glad you are here; bring your friends if you want. No pressure though. Seriously.) Ok, back to the song. I was literally singing this song all day. I didn't hate it. So without further ado, the truest Wednesday Whistle around...

Home Is Wherever I'm With You - Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros

Let's be honest, any band with an accordion is alright with me.

When in Rome!

Hi friends! I hope your weekend was full of fabulous fall finds and fantastic friends. Or at the very least you enjoyed the beautiful weather that seemed to be radiating throughout most of the south this weekend. I want you to know this was a great weekend for me. Two of my dear friends attend(ed) school at Berry College in Rome, Georgia and have told me a lot about the beautiful campus. This weekend I got a chance to visit. I met two of my very best friends there for Mountain Day and Marthapalooza. Yes, it was as fun as it sounds. Their description of the campus was not exaggerated one single bit. There was so much to love about this place. There were outdoor fireplaces, beautiful barns, a multitude of chapels and a place called Normandy. The classroom buildings resembled something from the national mall and there was a waterfall next to the food court. Amidst all these things though, there was something special about this pristine 26,000 acre campus that made you forget about all the activity and excitement. There was a certain peace that made you want to draw near to stillness and breathe a little deeper. It was quite lovely.

On Saturday afternoon while our tour guide was taking a nap, we decided to explore a bit. We stumbled upon cows. Lots of cows. Grazing cows. Pooping cows. Cows that pooped while they grazed. It was really something. Ok, ok, moo-ving on from the cows. We also came across some leaves changing color, a hot cup of apple cider, and two small children resembling Dora and Diego playing in the fountain against their father's wishes. He said to us as he walked by "never have children." I laughed but didn't take it too literally. They were cute kids and kids are even cuter in the fall. Fact.

We had dinner at the delicious Italian restaurant, Bella Roma. We spent most of the time talking about future kid names. Girls do weird things like that. None of us are having children for a long time. (A long time). We also spent a few minutes wondering when the Clemson football team got so good and wishing they would cut it out.  Weird.

Later that evening, we bundled up and headed to Marthapalooza. There were rides and fair food. One of the rides, Starship 2000 made some friends want to ralph. The silver lining: we learned an interesting home remedy for a nauseated friend is sprite and pop-corn. Boom, take that Web MD. We decided, post starship, that it was all fun and games until our toes were numb and the apple cider volunteer told us the urns were broken. Then we wanted to cry. So we left.

When it was time to leave the next morning, my heart was overwhelmed with thankfulness. I had speant the whole weekend smiling and realized once again that my friends are pretty awesome. Have you ever had that bittersweet heart feeling when you realize you haven't had that much fun in a long time? That's where I was. There are great challenges of moving to a new place but realizing you have friends that make you feel at home is a comfort that aides any process. This weekend was a wonderful source of happy.

A few pictures from the weekend:

How was your weekend? Did you have that happy heart feeling at all? I sure hope so.