Try to remember the kind of September

 Where did the month go? To me, this is the most lovely month of the year, yet it flies by in the blink of an eye. How has your September been? Filled with apples and cinnamon, the precious reds, yellows and oranges of foliage and cool evenings tucked under blankets?

This month has been insanely busy, though wonderful, nonetheless. We've been living in a home that's being renovated, so it's a bit chaotic at times, but only a few more weeks left... I promise to post photos once our house is put back together. Right now it looks like it's been hit by a tornado.



 We spent some time at the Cape early this month, our babymoon, as we called it, and it was the most relaxing vacation we've ever had. We read, slept, grilled, had fires on the beach and enjoyed the end of summer/ 'welcome autumn' weather.

Mattie windsurfing.... Luna looking longingly at her love;)

Renovation in progress....

We've had some very special visitors this month, despite the house being in shambles, including one of my very dear friends, Amber, and her brood. We went to a local farm, where her babes got to admire the farm animals and, along with the joy of seeing the farm through the eyes of the happy little sweet one, we also treated ourselves to some homemade cider donuts. They were completely and deliciously fall.

adorable family:)

This past weekend I turned 30. Matt brought home some peanut butter-chocolate ice-cream cake (he knows me too well) and we spent a relaxing time with our families in Connecticut. A much mellower version of the big three-oh than I've always imagined, but just perfect.

I've been growing daily, or rather I should say that the little guy has been growing daily. We've taken to calling him Benji. And I have to say, I think this Benji's a dancer.

I hope that you are all enjoying every moment of this beautiful month and I look forward to sharing the sweetness of the fall here in blogland with you.

xoxo

Today's Sweet Pleasures

Cucumber and tomato salad, with vegetables pulled fresh from our garden

The smell of apple crisp wafting from the oven

A cool breeze coming in through open windows

An afternoon nap with hubby & Luna

A pumpkin-scented candle
Laundry hanging out to dry on the clothes line

Peanut butter and pumpkin spice spread on whole grain toast

The name Benjamin- soon to belong to the little guy inside of me

Baby kicks tickling my belly

The anticipation of what September, my favorite month, will bring

Knowing that today is the first of a three-day weekend

Dinner and an outdoor fire with friends this evening

I hope your Saturday is full of sweet things:)

xoxo

Anthropologie Lovin'

Happy Monday:)

I was just scoping out the Anthropologie website... one of my favorite stores.

The stores are full of fun & fabulous household items, clothing, soft linens and good-smelling perfumes and soaps. Their clothing is always feminine with a touch of funky.... here are some of my finds:)

Have a wonderful week!

xoxo

** all images from anthropologie.com

Home Renovation- Week 1

Happy Weekend:)

This past week was the first of our home renovation, which will consist of splitting the large upstairs guestroom into two smaller rooms (nursery & guest), the addition of a large dormer, two smaller dormers, the conversion of a laundry room into a mini office and finally, we're adding on a master bedroom closet. Phew.

We've had these renovation plans for a long time now, but with the baby on the way, we've decided to jump in full speed. So, hopefully, all of these renovations will be done just in plenty of time for us to settle in with the new little man (fingers crossed).

We live in a custom-built cape (b. 1996). It's quite charming, but it's bothered us that we were never able to see out the front of the house from the second floor. Plus, the original second floor plan consisted of two very large bedrooms, and was a bit dreary. The first floor has a beautiful open floor plan, with a lot of light, while the second floor was just kind of drab with two cavernous rooms on either end of the dark hallway. By splitting them up, we should be able to add some character (and more space for guests to stay, which we love). The dormers will add more light, though we still hope to maintain the cottage-y & cozy feel that we fell in love with when we purchased the home. More photos to come as the changes progress....

On another note, we've had a very special visitor recently. He's been spotted on three separate occasions (only evenings), literally hanging around outside our family room. He's either drawn to the light or the conversation;). Funny little guy, eh?

I hope you all had a lovely weekend.

xoxo

nursery ideas from etsy

We're renovating our second floor starting next week to make room for the little one on the way (a yet-to-be-named baby boy:)). For the nursery, I'd like to keep the style simple & clean (something he can grow with), with some vintage accents. I couldn't think of a better place to hunt for this style than etsy. So, perusing I did, and here are some of the items I adore (clockwise from upper left):

** farm animal baby blanket from BubblesandSqueaks; * french market basket from sadieolive; * vintage wooden blocks from sadieolive; * bird clay tag from marleyandlockyer; * grain sack pillow from jillbent; * vintage floral banner from jillbent **

Aren't they adorable?? :)

My plan is for an all white/ beige nursery with the occasional red accent. My mom found a sweet little rocking chair on the side of the road, which we snatched up and I will be painting a fresh coat of red. Once the renovations (on room and furniture) begin, I'll post some photos.

Happy Wednesday:).

xoxo

Carrot Cake Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting

Today, Mother Nature doesn't know if she wants rain or shine in Massachusetts, so we've seen a little of both. I wrote this post last night, but didn't upload the photos until today. Since I wrote this, I've eaten 3 cupcakes. Yikes:).

There's been a lot of talk of Autumn floating around this blogworld lately. While I really love the summer, I can't help but get excited for fall, as it's been my favorite season since I was a little girl jumping in gigantic piles of leaves and carving pumpkins. Maybe it's because Autumn always brings my birthday, or maybe it's because of the smell of pumpkin pie, freshly plucked apples, anything-spice. Perhaps it's because the clothes are oh-so-cute-and-snuggly. I don't know, but whatever it is, it's on my mind right now:).

And when I think of fall, I get a hankering to bake.

 

Tonight I baked one of Matt's favorites- carrot cake. But instead of a cake, I found a sweet (and delicious) carrot cake muffin recipe online here.

 

Absolutely scrumptious:)

 

With the pumpkin spice candle lit and a tall glass of milk, we're going to sit and enjoy the taste of fall on this rainy summer evening.

Happy weekend!!

xoxo

baby and chipmunk

Yes, something is most definitely growing in there. Something that has a sweet tooth, I may add. Or maybe that's just my excuse:).

On the garden front, this evening I spied a little chipmunk in the garden. I'm not 100% sure if he is THE tomato thief, as I didn't catch him in the act. But I'm a little suspicious....

I hope you're all gearing up for a lovely weekend;). It's almost here!

xoxo