Savanah & Payton

What a wonderful weekend! Savanah and Payton made the first of hopefully many visits to their Aunt Laura and Uncle John's house! We SO enjoyed spending much needed time with these super fun girls and of course Aly and Pat!

We didn't have a thing planned, so we...

dressed up like fairies


watched out the window and waited for trick or treaters


played in the Halloween candy



took Barley for a "walk" on his leash


looked at the babies in the mirror


played on our bed


...a lot!!


played in the boxes


shared a bottle of water with Uncle John


"loved" on Barley



wore funny "ball hats"



and completely wore ourselves out!



It was by far the best weekend of Barley's life! ...and we had a blast too! We are so thankful they made the trip to see us and hope they all come back again soon!

Mission accomplished

Cooking does not come naturally to me. AT ALL. I think of myself as a fairly creative person, but for some reason I lose all creative ability when it comes to the art of food. This presents quite a problem. I LOVE to entertain. I LOVE to eat. I LOVE food. But I have such a hard time even thinking of what to make. I don't have the ability to improvise, and I honestly have little confidence even following a recipe.

I am envious of my dear friends who when given a random list of pantry findings can come up with a delicious feast fit for a king. Those who cook with little to no effort, who find cooking a stress reliever, hardly glancing at a cookbook.

One of the many reasons I love blogs is to not only see what people are up to, but also what people are eating! I love the ideas, the recipes and especially the pictures! After recently reading my friend Dorothy's blog, one of the most gifted "kitchen naturals" I know, I knew I at least had to give this yummy fall dish a try.

Chicken Corn Soup



I was craving something warm and yummy with all the comforts of fall... mission accomplished! Thank you Dorothy for the great recipes and for making it all look so easy! What a gift you have!

it's back....

Treat!

...no tricks about it! Such a treat these two fairies (and of course their super mom and dad) are coming to spend the weekend with us!

fruit and flowers

Four years ago today it all began....here's to hoping it never ends


When you give each other everything, it becomes an even trade.
Each wins all.
Lois McMaster Bujold, A Civil Campaign

Happy Anniversary...the best trade I've ever made.

T.G.I.S

Here's to sleeping until your eyes open and coffee with too much creamer.
Happy Weekend!

September?

Somehow when I wasn't looking September shaped up to be a crazy busy month!

I kicked off the month with some much needed time with the rents. Labor Day weekend I crashed their little get a way to Loxley, Alabama for a little R&R and LOTS of Labor Day outlet shopping. Mom and I also took a little trek to go check out "Duh" an interiors store I was hoping to see...and it did not disappoint.




The next week I headed off to Charlotte, North Carolina and then road tripped it to Fredericksburg, Virginia for a work trip...

Got home just in time to hop in the car and head north because these precious girls turned one!


Kept the suitcase out and headed to Nashville for another work seminar last week.


which meant I had to miss this guy's 28th birthday. AND managed to put his cell phone in the washing machine before I left town for the week...


but SO thankful the trip didn't cause me to miss this guy in Birmingham this weekend!


I looked at my calendar this morning and realized I have spent NINE days at home during the entire month of September...so looking forward to settling in for a while!