Holiday Instagrams.

1. & 2.  Flannel, chunky knits + festive novelties
3. & 4. My first official Office Christmas Party! Vikings are very Christmas-y
5. Some of my favorite people - uptown Charlotte
6. & 7. Late night at Amelies + Christmas crafting
8. & 9. "Forget-me-nots" + Boys at the skating rink
10. One of my bests
11. & 12. Sugar cookies  + Christmas kitty
13. & 14. Footie pjs + Advent
15. Happy couple :)
16. & 17. Holiday on Ice + A place I frequent often
18. & 19. A spoiled cat + A somewhat cruel game involving gloves, a timer, and layered gift boxes



I figured that I should probably add my Christmas photos, considering the next big holiday is tonight at midnight. Happy New Year!

Hot Air Balloons.

 Forget flowers. A bouquet of colorful hot air balloons is the way to go. I don't care how rough of a day you've had -  the scene at balloonfest is sure to bring a smile to your face. This I know, because my day started off with a flat tire. One flat tire quickly turned into two flat tires - little did I know, my spare was flat as well. Talk about reliable...

 

This unfortunate incident led to a series of them. Luckily, I can't remember what all happened because that afternoon, we went to Balloonfest and quickly forgot about all of the day's troubles. I haven't looked back since. So, if you're ever in a grumpy mood - I suggest chasing down a balloon festival. Instant spirit lifter.

Song for Autumn

 

 

My favorite season is upon us!! We aren't very far into it, but so far: I've worn my loafers almost every day. I've gone to an apple festival. I've ordered hot tea along with my dinner. I've added a few new chunky knits to my sweater collection. I've turned the oven on to bake. I've embraced the rainy days, because they are no longer as sticky as they are during the summer time. I've spent every weekend yard saling - rain or shine - and don't plan on stopping any time soon. My heart is full. I think Mary Oliver says it best -

 

 

 

SONG FOR AUTUMN

 

In the deep fall

don't you imagine the leaves think how

comfortable it will be to touch

the earth instead of the

 nothingness of air and the endless

freshets of wind? And don't you think

the trees themselves, especially those with mossy,

warm caves, begin to think

of the birds that will come - six, a dozen - to sleep

inside their bodies? And don't you hear

the goldenrod whispering goodbye,

the everlasting being crowned with the first

tuffets of snow? The pond

vanishes, and the white field over which

the fox runs so quickly brings out

its blue shadows. And the wind pumps its

bellows. And at evening especially,

the piled firewood shifts a little,

longing to be on its way.

 

- Mary Oliver

 

 

Somer&Ted

It was a fun time, can't you tell? I call them my sisters for a reason. The weekend kind of felt like being in college again, except we're all grown up and getting married and stuff. These photos were taken a month and a half ago, and I'm trying to re-live them in my head. This pretty August wedding was themed in watermelon pink and sunflower yellow - the colors of summer. Fast forward only a month and a half later, and there is a pumpkin on my doorstep! Time goes by so fast.




*For the most part, these are Somer's professional photos filtered via instagram.

Ambitious.

We felt rather ambitious waking up at 5:30am on a Saturday to go estate/yard saling, but the sleep deprivation was worth it. Saturdays are normally my sleep-in days.

I mapped it out the night before, because I'm a planner - and good thing! Sale number one was a huge success. Meredith found an old trunk for fifteen dollars. Fifteen dollars!! That, and a garden rake to display necklaces, a wooden picture frame to distress, and some cute antique china. I found two old enamel milk pails that will make perfect vases for wild flowers, and a floral mug. Sales number two and number three were quickly bypassed for number four - a community sale in South Charlotte that was another success. Let's just say my (non-existent) kitchen is happily stocked.

After a morning filled with coffee, yard sales and a trip around Festival in the Park, we went back home and crafted til the day's end. It was 9pm and we were still wood-staining the trunk outside. Seriously, longest day ever - but best day ever.

 

The cake stand (or, jewelry stand) - one of my favorite gifts to make and give. Ever since I discovered this simple craft, I've been hard pressed not to attach a candle stick to every antique plate that I come across. Not good for my collection of mismatched china, which is slowing transitioning into a collection of cake stands - but I think I'm okay with that.

Start each day with a grateful heart.

 

Tomato, peach, mint, hunter green and gold - what a great color pallet. I keep a stash of canvases on hand, just in case im in for a wild night of crafting (every night). Sometimes I get on a painting kick and end up covering 3 or 4 canvases in a week. Take last week for example..

 

One of my best friends from App and I decided to be pen pals since we can't talk in class everyday - except, we've actually become more like package pals that email eachother on a daily basis. I sent her something to hang in her new office!

 

 

I need to remember to start each day with a grateful heart... and maybe a run on the treadmill?

I love you, a bushel and a peck.

Fall means festivals and festivals mean fall. The NC Applefest was this past weekend and you know me - I'll take any excuse to travel up towards Western North Carolina. Things that could have kept me away, but didn't: A stormy radar and my unfortunate cinnamon allergy. Those apple turnovers looked so wonderful...

Hendersonville, NC. I've never seen a town that was more proud of it's apples. Funny enough, our relentless quest to find Pink Ladies ended with - not a bushel and peck - but a turtle caramel apple from Kilwin's and the sad news that Pink Ladies are not quite in season.

I'm going to make it a top priority to hit all sorts of 'fests' this season. The Yiasou Greek Festival, the Lexington BBQ Festival, and of course - the Carolina Balloon Festival are all coming up! Yay! Fall!

Mountain women.

Three girls that love roadtrips, apples, old books, new books, coffee shops, gloomy days, and social media took a trip to the mountains! We spent 4 hours browsing a local antique store. It had a book loft that could easily double as a cozy little apartment, and we sincerely thought about moving in.

Amy already moved to the mountains, though - just a few weeks ago! I'm so excited for her. I think that everyone should live in the mountains at some point in their lives. Or forever.

Freedom Park picnic for four.

In elementary school, I had an hour long bus ride. I would always fall asleep and wake up just as we were coming around the bend off I-277. As we would pass this huge oak tree, I knew we only had a few more minutes before making it to school. We would also pass the Mecklenburg Aquatic Club, with a giant wave on the side of the building. I used to think that wave was a scary sea-monster.

Now I pass that same tree and sea-monster on my way to work everyday. Everything is the same and yet everything is different.

I remember taking field trips to Freedom Park. A picnic in the park seemed like the only option on such a beautiful day like today. After lunch, we went to the nature museum because that's what we do - visit all sorts of nature preserves. I think we've walked along every board walk you can find in the south. This one had a butterfly garden. Let me just tell you how difficult it is to photograph a butterfly...

Wildlife Center

The Oatland Island Wildlife Center reminded me of this place. The boardwalk was my favorite part. As we walked around, we saw a cougar, turtles, bison, wolves, owls, eagles, one alligator... and lots of mosquitos.

Highlights Reel:

The highlight of Bud's trip? Feeding the alligator - aka throwing fish food at it's head.

Georgia's peach of a beach.

The beach is always a good idea. I've grown to like the smell of pluff mud. Sun-kissed skin. Kite flying. Lots of balcony sitting, especially during the nightly thunderstorms. More than one seafood dinner. Deviled crab, oysters, hush puppies, and fried shrimp.

 
Thanks to the real world that I've been living in for the past half-year, I am slowly becoming a morning person. I actually like the thought of being a morning person. Morning light warms my soul as it bleeds through the curtains. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. Hot tea is usually my beverage of choice. The thought of a clean slate - a brand new day - is refreshing.

Each morning, I woke up by 6:20am to ensure that I would catch the sunrise coming up over the water. My vacation-brain would quickly remind me that vacations were, in fact, for sleeping in. 9am sounded better. 9am is very early for this girl, even if the sun doesn't think so.



Something ironic - our beach vacations always seem to fall during Shark Week, which does nothing but confirm my hesitation towards walking out into the water further than ankle-deep.

Tybee Island Light Station

We went to Ireland when I was in 8th grade - the land before elevators. It's also the land of old castles and winding staircases carved from slick stone. Needless to say, my sister and I do not like staircases. Especially the kind with space between each step. We do love lighthouses though, so we sucked it up, took deep breaths and climbed 178 steps to the very top. Mom and Caroline stayed inside. I braved the wind and wobbly balcony long enough to snap a photo or two. Bud practically ran laps around the thing.

Sav.

Oh, Savannah. Charleston's "sister city" - that's probably why I feel such a connection with it. It was our first stop on the way to Tybee, and our last stop before heading back home. I'm a perfectionist that like things perfectly imperfect, if that makes sense? That's how I think of Savannah. Perfectly imperfect. It oozes charm, without trying too hard. It doesn't have to.

This weekend was wonderful - especially because Friday and Monday were considered part of it. Bud and I have had unsynchronized schedules for the past few months, so I was happy to have been able to spend a full 4 days with him. I'll admit - I could have bypassed the beach altogether, and stayed in the heart of the historic district. Forevah. What is summer time without the beach though? Tybee is great, because alot of people haven't discovered it yet.