"Welcome fall" party!

Saturday was the first day of fall...didn't feel like it here in our part of Texas however. There was recently a bit of fall-ish weather and it was perfectly delightful. Loved it. I am a summer girl at heart (love the heat!) but I do so love the changing of the seasons and it was enjoyable for sure. But alas, it's gone! Twas only a tease of what is yet to come...soon hopefully.

Regardless, we decided to "welcome fall" on Friday with our natural parenting playgroup with a little party at the park. Everyone brought their own picnic lunch and we brought the sweets and the decor (of course). I mean, what's a party without those, right? As is usual in the fall around our nest, we recently bought some little pumpkins and gourds so we brought those, along with burlap runners I quickly cut from a roll I have lying around. The leaves, acorns, and pinecones we gathered on a walk the day before. So really incredibly simple, but it added a nice special something to the party.

We made a gallon of apple cider that morning...yes, a gallon. We are still drinking it! Although it was warm out, the warm-ish cider still was nice. The kiddos thought it was funny to be drinking a warm drink on a warm day though. The compostable cups and plates we had lying around from a past outdoor party...both are from here I do believe.

The treats were vegan gluten-free pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and raw apple cinnamon cookies (recipes here and here)...both of which were delicious if I do say so myself. I recommend both of the recipes and the only thing I did differently was add dark chocolate chunks to the pumpkin cookie one.

A friend brought delicious fresh figs to share with everyone - YUM! We all played, chatted, and had a jolly time. Despite the non-fall weather it really was the perfect welcome to fall!

P.S.
Here is my little sweet/silly assistant that helped put it all together!

The rest of our weekend was wonderful too...it included a movie date with my bestie who was in town from Cali, a homecoming football game, gardening, home projects, family leisure time, and soccer, soccer, and more soccer (we all play). It was awesome but I'm ready for the week...bring it on Monday! Have a blessed one.

Weather & Watermelon

Well hello. So this is what Lovebug and I have been eating lately around our nest...yummy watermelon from our garden! I know, it's strange eating watermelon in November, especially with days like today. We woke up to dark and cloudy, then it was sunny, then rainy, then back to sunny, then cool, then cold! It was a weird weird day and a ton of leaves fell today which always mesmerizes me. Earlier, Lovebug and I were sitting down watching the rain and eating watermelon when I looked up and it was like all of a sudden I could really see a difference in the leaves. The colors are finally changing and it's such a beautiful thing. But yeah, watermelon in November feels very weird. :)

We're gearing up for a busy weekend of parties, get togethers, and my soccer team's final game of the season where we play for 1st place - I'm pumped! Have a good one.

Fall-ifying

We've been doing lots of fall-ifying around our nest lately with fun seasonal decor and treats!

First up were some delicious soaked pumpkin pancakes! I was so excited when a store near us started to carry organic pumpkins so I could make homemade puree - so easy! I used this recipe but soaked the flour and water overnight with a bit more ACV than called for, and used coconut milk instead of soy. They were really good and cooked better than any other pancakes I've ever done. I topped mine off with some raw coconut butter, banana, and a bit of drizzled raw coconut nectar. YUM!


This beautiful leaf branch Lovebug and I took from a friend's backyard was our first piece of nature to bring in for the season and it inspired much of our fall decor. I love the heart shape and pretty brown color of the leaves.


Next up with our homemade pumpkin puree we made soaked pumpkin cupcakes for a family get together, which we topped with a delicious cashew and hazelnut frosting.


Inspired by the above leaf branch I made some leaves out of brown packaging paper I had saved and hung them on thread. Lovebug loved doing this alongside me and made some darling little leaves herself:). I really enjoy lighting candles this time of year and have lots of soy ones leftover from my sister's wedding everywhere along with some pillar ones I recently made.


I think pinecones are so unique and beautiful. These ones we collected during a recent family photo shoot and the large acorns were given to me by a dear friend.


I adore soups, especially this time of the year. There is nothing better than warm soup on a cool day! This sweet potato, squash, and apple soup which my Love adapted a bit by adding carrot too was delicious and such a lovely fall color.


This is sitting in our dining room and is just a little vignette of dead branches from our backyard, a few leaves, and pinecones. Simple. I like it.


I really love our fall decor this year! It very much looks like fall around our parts as we don't see a ton of reds, oranges, and your typical "fall colors" but I still appreciate the colors we do see :). I think it's beautiful.

Have you been fall-ifying too?

Lovely

This last weekend didn't go as we had planned at all as we were supposed to be antiquing here, but we still managed to have a lovely weekend! I got to spend some ridiculously fun time catching up with old friends from high school. It was our 10 year reunion and it was so enjoyable seeing where everyone is in their lives. I'm so glad we stayed in town and I was able to be there!


We were also treated to some lovely weather with an incredibly yummy taste of fall around here. I sure do LOVE summer and have had a blast the last couple of months, but I'm extremely ready and excited for fall and all of its fun activities and enjoyments. Aren't you??? Fall has me planning this and that in my head and I seriously cannot wait much longer!


In celebration of the coolness outside we headed to the park yesterday for some soccer and playground playing. It was great seeing SO many families outside soaking in the delicious weather and involved in various physical activities. I love to see active families. :) Well, I hope you've had an incredible summer as well and here's to the MANY lovely fall weekends ahead of us!

P.S. I seriously love all of these little pieces of summer around our nest that we've collected over the years...especially the white coral we found on a Mexico beach. But it's time to change the look around here to fall now!

Fall-ish

We had absolutely amazing weather the last couple of days! It almost felt a bit fall-ish out compared to our 100+ degee days as of late. It made me feel like baking some bread and making some cider, but we've probably still got plenty of hot weather to come so I'll tap the breaks on that :). Much of our day was spent outside yesterday even when it was raining. It was incredible. I didn't want to leave my soccer practice the other night either because it felt so heavenly out. Of course we opened our windows to bring all the lovely fresh air inside and I can't tell you how much I missed our open window living. Oh my word, I LOVE it! Lovebug and I were just squealing in delight as we vacuumed out the window things (gross!) and opened them all up yesterday. We ended up closing them tonight (bummer!) because we kept seeing LOTS of bugs and a red wasp and knew they were getting in through our old windows and screens (aarrggh!). We might not be able to leave them open for long periods of time until we get some new windows :(. Gosh darn it!

Anyway, I know it isn't too far away and although we're actually leaving for the beach next week, I'm ready for some fall! OH and that pic was taken on a walk at a local park a few weeks ago. It looked so interesting and fall-ish to me! :)

UPDATE: Our windows are open again...I can't stand to have them closed when it's this decent out. They'll be closed later if it gets hotter than 84 in here (which it will:). We really need to replace those darn windows though.

Coloring Al Fresco

Lately the weather has been completely lovely so we have tried to be outside as much as possible. I've mentioned before how much Lovebug LOVES to color and draw...well, she really does. In fact we get crayons and/or colored pencils out pretty much first thing in the morning and we color off and on ALL day long.


She recently started to tell me what she is drawing all on her own which I think is pretty darn cute. She typically sticks with "baby", "bowl", "mommy", "daddy", "dog", or "tree" right now, but she throws out random things sometimes which amaze me. She is very into drawing "lines" and "circles" right now too. Anyway, I just adore her abstract masterpieces!


With the weather being so delightful we decided to color al fresco a couple mornings and early afternoons. The leaves have been falling like crazy around here which has been really fun to watch. There is such a simple beauty to it that I just love. So we set our quilt on a blanket of leaves and colored as more continued to fall all around us. It was quite enjoyable!


When we color, we do so often on paper scraps like the back of packing slips and junk mail but this is our favorite coloring book from Green Field Paper Company that we all love to color in. I particularly love its size and of course that it's hemp. It's fun to get out Lovebug's older versions and see how her art has changed in just a short period of time. As far as crayons, we love these soy rocks and soy Prangs. Lovebug doesn't like the paper on the Prangs though so we end up taking that off right away for whatever reason :). I have been saving all of the wrapper scraps for an upcoming project though that I'll share at a later date! We also have some vintage crayolas I got off Etsy that we pull out occasionally as well.


Anyway, while outside one day we decided to gather up some things from around us and work on the names of colors. Lovebug generally says everything is "blue" right now which is just adorable. She's getting some other colors down though too.


We also separated the crayons by color which my little organizer really liked helping with! By this time the sun was incredibly bright though so none of my shots turned out wonderfully but you get the idea. I like seeing a rainbow of colors - so pretty!


Well, are the leaves still falling where you are? Isn't it beautiful? There is a bit of a cold front that has come through, but I bet there is still more al fresco coloring and falling leaf watching that will occur this week as well...

Have a great Monday!

Pumpkin Patch Weekend

Our weekend was so lovely! How was yours? We did the pumpkin patch thing with some grandparents on Saturday. It was so much fun and Lovebug thoroughly enjoyed herself! Although she liked the pumpkins, I would have to say the highlights for her were ALL the children, a "train" ride, and definitely a little area where she gathered dirt and rocks :). I got up early and baked some pumpkin donuts which turned out really yummy, but not very pretty. I'll give the recipe another go and try to make them more visually appealing and then share it with you all. That evening we did a little family photo shoot at a beautiful nearby park area and had a blast running around afterwards. I'll share some of my favorite shots later on. Well, it certainly is feeling and looking like fall around here and we're doing our best to enjoy it!




Today, we're off to take my sweet Grandma a birthday lunch...carrot soup and pumpkin bread - YUM! Have a wonderful day!

A fall weekend

Last weekend (yes, LAST weekend...I'm catching up) truly felt like a fall one. It was pretty cool out and we had to bundle up, leaves were falling, and it was just lovely. I had a 10K race on Saturday and actually thought it felt "cold" that morning but it went really well once I got warmed up. After a quick trip on the way home to a new-to-us natural cafe/bakery, the rest of the day was spent hanging out all cozy in our nest which was truly delightful.


The weekend also included our first batch of hot apple cider which certainly makes fall feel here! I love me a cup of warm cider on a cool day.


We made the cider and the below yummy carrot spice cake for my family's final gathering at our longtime house (the "Compound" as we call it). Not everyone made it unfortunately (there's alot of us:), but those of us that did, had a wonderful time.


Being the photographers that my sisters and I are (BTW, I'm so happy the 3 of us are reunited in the same country/area for now!), there were LOTS of pictures taken, but the most persistent photographer was by far this little gal...




She was moving all over the place in different positions and spots. It was hilarious! Hmmmmm, wonder where she's seen that?! She has become quite the photographer and makes all kinds of things her "camera", including this old kitchen timer of my mom's :). She now has a couple vintage Fisher Price ones I won on Ebay last week, which makes her seem more official when she's snapping away!


I'm so pleased fall is here...I really love summer but it's certainly a nice change. I'm incredibly excited by ALL that is going on in my head for the upcoming holidays, Lovebug's 2nd birthday, and for our nest! I'm so looking forward to the things we have planned! I feel like I need to give an official goodbye to my beloved summer though...more on that to come.

SO does it look and feel like fall yet where you are?

Summer in Texas

It's been just ridiculously hot as of late here...and yes, we live in Texas and yes, we should expect that, but still. I am a summer gal and love the season, even with the scorching sun and often uncomfortably hot temperatures. But still...it's SO hot...even in the shade!

Our goal was to make it to July without turning on the A/C. Well, we didn't quite make it and turned it on 2 weeks ago for my birthday. So we missed our goal by 3 weeks unfortunately! I was diappointed, but our dinners were becoming a bit unpleasant since our dining room is the hottest room in the house for whatever reason :(. My Love and I can handle it, but seeing Lovebug with a little sweat mustache at dinner was too much and my birthday served as a good excuse too :).

It hasn't been that bad though with what we typically do, which is open the windows at night to let the "cool" fresh air in and close them once we wake up to keep it in. Of course, minimal clothing is helpful too, as is little to no oven and stove use. I didn't feel bad the first week because the A/C didn't flip on until around 5 PM (we have it set at 84 during the day and 83 during the really hot late afternoon/evening time). Then the second week it started to come on around 4ish, which was OK. But yesterday it flipped on at NOON, because it was our first official 100-degree day! Wow...so it's definitely summer in Texas now!

I have so many things on my list for this season and cannot wait to get more of them started and done with. The thing I am MOST excited about though is our upcoming trip to the beach. It will be our first vacation with just the three of us and it could not come soon enough! Do you have any summer trips or projects planned?

Well, have a great Wednesday! I guess we'll see what time our A/C flips on today...

Our own little "Australia"

This past weekend was a marathon of cooking, baking, and cleaning, but as usual, we were able to keep it fun despite all the busyness. We had a group of old friends from college over and it was so delightful seeing each and every one of them and catching up on what is going on in their lives. Lovebug absolutely adored meeting and playing with each of them, which was so fun to see. Hooray for lovely spring weather in Texas where you can actually eat outdoors BEFORE it's incredibly too hot and the mean mosquitos take over! Seriously. That cannot be overstated. It was incredibly enjoyable and I look forward to many more meals outside this spring under our trees and lanterns!

While cooking and baking, we were able to watch Australia which we just loved. Have you seen it? We haven't seen a movie at the theater in forever so I'm sure you all have seen it already, but if you haven't, go check it out. It's so epic and beautiful, and man oh man am I such a sensitive gal since becoming a mama. Anything that revolves little kids, I just tear up and that precious Nullah made me tear up quite a bit! Anyway, I highly recommend it even though it is quite long.

I found the dinner party and charity ball scenes in the film very inspiring. Each of them were full of beautifully hanging things - lanterns, light strings, and so forth. I tend to be a big fan of anything hanging really :), but these particular scenes were gorgeous. Last week before seeing the film, I had bought the above lanterns at Crate and Barrel for the party. I originally found them quite awhile ago here but was pleased when I could get the same ones at my local C&B (especially with the gift card I had:). They are solar powered with a white LED light inside and provide just the right amount of glow. We have left them up in the backyard and it's lovely that they just come on once it gets dark after absorbing the sun's rays during the day. Anyway, after seeing Australia I have big plans for a future event involving many more lanterns and other pretty hanging things. :) I can't wait! Of course, now it's raining cats and dogs here so we'll see how the lanterns actually hold up outside, but so far so good.

Well, spring is definitely in the air with leaves blooming and green popping up everywhere you look. Isn't it lovely? I hope wherever you are, you are enjoying all the first signs of spring as well and are soaking it all in outdoors as much as possible!

Hello there March!

Hi. How are you? I took a little break from blogging last week and it was nice to just be away for awhile. Sometimes I feel pressure to post (from myself) and last week I didn't feel it for whatever reason. It was nice and we had some lovely weather, so much time was spent outside enjoying it! Well, March arrived whilst I was away and I can hardly believe it. My beloved February is over with all of its red, hearts, chocolate, and whatnot. I guess I'll have to put away my little red collection of books I gathered that sat on our coffee table for the month. See Romeo & Juliet on the top? We got that little gem in Verona whilst living in Italy...it's one of my treasured little trinkets.


Well anyway, it's just about time to welcome all of the gorgeous spring colors that I love just as much and I cannot wait to start seeing everything turn! It's supposed to be just perfect today and the rest of the week, so I'm sure we'll be outside soaking it in as much as possible. Hopefully though I can pop in and share some of the going-ons of our green nest because I have surely missed doing so and hearing from each of you! Be back soon...

So long fall...

Oh I hope everyone's Thanksgiving weekends were wonderful! Ours was delightful! Thanksgiving day was long, but was such an enjoyable time with our families. However, we REALLY missed the beloved ones that couldn't join us (you know who you are!)!!! Friday and Saturday were spent working on things for Lovebug's 1st birthday party next weekend, which I am so excited for! Lots of Christmas music was listened to all weekend :)...speaking of which, Pandora has some great x-mas stations in case you're interested! We also took down all of our fall decorations, but I was able to get some shots of them before doing so...






The lentils/split peas got containered for cooking, my Love used the squash in a delicious penne dish, the soy candles got put away for later use, the acorns got saved for future crafts, and then everything else got composted!!!

It's hard to believe...but, so long fall! HELLO December!

Thanksgiving Stew

So alot of people probably wonder what vegetarians/vegans eat for Thanksgiving...NO, we don't eat Tofurkey! In fact, we have never once cooked tofu, but that seems to be what alot of people think :). Actually we usually take a yummy quinoa squash pie as the vegetarian entree, but this year we're changing things up and taking a stew. Not any old stew mind you - it's called "Three Sisters" stew and it's delicious! We love this dish as it contains some of our faves- beans, corn, and squash, which makes it very hearty and nutritious. Plus, in Native American mythology, squash, beans, and corn are known as the "three sisters", which makes it perfect for Thanksgiving. Click on the above link because they have other great recipes too!

Hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend - ours was mainly spent cleaning out our garage :). However, here are some pics from a walk (see, we DO have some red and orangish leaves here in Texas:) and Lovebug having a good laugh and blowing you all kisses! Have a fabulous week getting ready for your Thanksgiving festivities!