More Apples and Happy Fall

It's official. Today is the first day of autumn. I must admit I'm a little sad to see summer go but also excited for a little more crispness in the air and color in the trees. How about you?

Dinner Party

I have been wanting to have a dinner party on our screened porch since we moved in and it finally happened over the weekend. I've decided September is a nice month for this type of get-together because it is still warm enough to dine comfortably outside but without the horrible humidity that looms mid-summer. We had a great evening chatting with friends and getting to know some new friends. I decorated with white lanterns above the table and the centerpiece was a store bought bouquet, scattered among Mason jars and bud vases I picked up awhile back at the thrift store. I think it came together nicely. Hooray for outdoor dinner parties!

New Pictures

I have some new pictures up on my photo blog. A wedding from the summer and a beautiful family I shot here in Marietta. Go check 'em out!

Apple Picking

I went apple picking with the boys at a local orchard today. I think Spencer ate an apple that was roughly half the size of his head. No joke. But I can't blame him. Fresh picked apples are absolutely delicious and, as I discovered today, very pretty to look at as well.

Thank You Postcards

These are the thank you cards Mitch sent out after his birthday. Although I don't do it nearly often enough, thank you note writing is important to me so I've tried to encourage it since Mitchell was just a little guy. Before he could talk, I would write the note and then let him scribble on it. Although he still can't write, he is now old enough to formulate a really cute and sincere sentiment of gratitude which I simply write down for him. Also, I still let him decorate the notes which makes it all the more charming.

Birthday Boy

Yep. Mitchell had a birthday and there were four candles on his cake!

Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner

Patrick Swayze died yesterday. I'm thinking I should rent Ghost in his memory (can you believe I've never seen that movie?) But for now, here's a little Dirty Dancing for your viewing enjoyment.

Virginia is for Lovers...

or in our case: Virginia is for a car full of cranky people who, for the sake of family unity, decided to cut their vacation short. Seriously. I think my exact words to Jared were: "Let's just go home and forget any of this ever happened." (Lesson learned: small children + long hours in the car + boring sight seeing and shopping upon arriving at desired destination = unhappy children. Unhappy children = unhappy parents.) However, before we pulled the plug on our little getaway, we did manage to see some cool stuff including a very quaint outdoor pedestrian mall, Monticello (the home of Thomas Jefferson), gorgeous views of the Blue Ridge mountains from Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park and Luray Caverns:

Long Time, No See

Two weeks without a post. I think that's definitely a record for me. The past month has been hectic with a funeral, family reunions, a mini vacation, photographing weddings and families, sick kids, birthdays and my mom visiting from out of town. This week is the first week I don't have something on the calendar so I'm hoping to take a few breaths and catch up a little. Phew!

Family Reunion

What happens when two grandparents, six of their children plus their six spouses and 20+ grandchildren descend on a small farm in Marietta, Ohio? Craziness ensues. Recently, Jared and I had the pleasure of attending a three-day family reunion with his parents, siblings, spouses and many of our nieces and nephews. The weekend's non-stop events included friendly competitions of skill and wit, four wheeling, scavenger hunting, popsicle eating, swimming, earth-oven-pizza-cooking, water-balloon throwing, barrel rolling (with people inside), homemade icecream making and of course lots of laughing. It's a wonder someone wasn't injured throughout the course of events but surprisingly everyone left in one piece- healthy, happy and looking forward to the next reunion.

(Jared showing off on his new toy.)

(My brave sister-in-law getting ready to roll down the hill.)

(Another brave soul, my 10 year old neice, getting ready to roll.)

(Grandpa

(My niece dodging a water balloon.)






(Prepping the Earth oven.)


(Mitchell's first sparkler.)




THE END.

500 Days of Summer

I want to see this movie. So. Stinking. Bad. Unfortunately the closest movie theater showing it is 2 hours away. To add to my pain, I just discovered that it has a musical-esque scene choreographed to a classic Hall and Oates hit. (I love musicals and I love Hall and Oates) No fair.

Mirror Turned Chalkboard

I've had a vintage-y chalk board project in the back of my mind ever since I saw this post on design*sponge. Lucky for me, I found an old mirror that I thought would be perfect for said project at the flea market last weekend. I didn't take a before picture, but here are some photos of the finished product. It was such quick and easy task! (Seriously, I think it took longer to upload these pictures into blogger than it did to do everything else from start to finish.) To do it, I removed the mirror and spray painted the frame white. Then, I covered the smooth side of the fiber board that was behind the mirror with chalkboard paint and reassembled it. That's all! I'm thinking I'll use it for to do lists in my kitchen. :)

Flea Market Weekend

Last weekend my friend Nicole introduced me to some new Marietta favorites: The River City Farmer's Market which was full of fresh flowers, crafts, baked goods and lots of fresh, local produce and Rinks, an old dept store turned flea market. I snagged these cute owl salt and pepper shakers at Rinks and since I was in the thrifting mood, I decided to take the boys up the highway to an outdoor flea market called Valley View Trade Days. The Trade Days had a little bit of everything from antique furniture and farm stuff to toy cars, guns and even puppies for sale. The boys loved the dealer with the metal Tonka trucks and the booth with a dune buggy and a mini four wheeler. In fact, they loved it so much that Spencer had a total melt down when it was time to take him off. Needless to say, we left shortly after but not before I snagged an old mirror that will be perfect for a chalkboard project I've had in mind for awhile. Score! I do love me some good flea market shopping.

New Photos

Lots of new images are up on my photography blog: a wedding, a couple of families and an engagement session. Also, I still need to post the pictures from four different weddings so check back over the next few weeks!

Stuck in the Middle

Right now I'm between...

houses (we're renting)
hairstyles (trying to grow my hair out-argh!)
seasons (is it fall yet?)
kids (taking a little break from the baby having)
careers (Jared says he's in his new career.
I say, until he's making money at it, we're between.)

Too many betweens. Wishing I were on one side or the other, especially in the hairstyle dept. Seriously, of all the betweens, I think growing my hair out is currently the most grueling.

Mailing List

Several people have expressed interest in my photography so I have decided to make a few trips to Columbus in the upcoming months for baby/child/family portraits. If you would like to stay apprised of the dates I will be in town, leave me a comment with your e-mail address (or you send it to me directly at hellokphoto@gmail.com) and I will put you on my mailing list!

Bedroom Update

I'm in the midst of updating the look of our bedroom. Slowly but surely it is coming along. I just ordered these white lanterns, mostly because I like them but also because I'm planning to use them for party decoration. However, when they came in the mail today, I just couldn't not hang them up immediately so they have found a new home above my bed. For now anway. Also, remember the throw quilt I started awhile back? Well, it still isn't finished but I'm beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel! Once the quilt is finished, the next thing on my list is to paint our sad Craigslist dressers a fun, bold hue and add some new hardware. Decorating a rental is a little tricky so I'm trying to contain myself and not let myself get into anything too crazy. (Remember my ceiling scraping project? Nuff said.) Although, right now I have a dining room that is begging me to strip it's wallpaper. Seriously. Begging me. I'll see if I can hold out. I'll keep you updated on my progress. For now, here are a few images from my bedroom:

(Sorry, couldn't resist a couple of Polaroids as well!)