"We're on parade! We're on parade!...

...We are marching, marching through your living room!" The Uninvited Parade by Sandra Boynton.

Hello, lovelies! During this last absence, I've been traveling with family, seeing my brand-new niece, and planning a birthday party for our very own little man! If you are on Facebook you no doubt saw the pictures, but I'm thought I'd post them here as well. Baby-face turned one amidst friends, food, and heaps of lovely presents in our autumn woodland themed party!. :)

Outside decorations and firepit.

Streamers! 

See that lucky little boy's pile of presents on the left?

Smores for the fire pit! Also, bug spray.

My amazing mother-in-law did all the cooking, creating every last crazy idea I had!

Party bags!

Party bags had hats, noisemakers, glowstick bracelets, candy, and party poppers.

Dirt pudding! Grandpa gathered all the pinecones and acorns for table decor from our woods! 

I made of list of all the autumny and woodland foods I could think of...and my amazing mother-in-law made all of them, right down to the miniature apple pies!

Hand-dipped caramel apples! (I had to search EVERYWHERE for little apples!)

I was so mad at myself when I saw this in ALL the pictures?!? Also, I forgot to uncover the cupcakes forever! :/

Special cake for baby to smash! Grandmama made loooooovely homemade buttercream frosting.

Birthday boy and Grandpa ("Pop-pop")

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And the party begins!

Gift-opening chaos of happiness!

Me and the kidlet. Amazingly, he LOVED his party hat.

Mummy, Baby, Daddy! 

Ready to blow out his first candle!

First taste of cake!

Sharing with Gem's little girl!

He liked feeding it to her more than eating it himself!

He even got a little birthday kiss from her later!

So, all in all, I think it was a success! The kiddos got put down around 8 (waaaaay past bedtime!) and we grownups enjoyed the firepit and smores. (Babies enjoyed it too, earlier on. My son threw one of his new presents, a light-up ball, into the fire where it promptly exploded. He thought it was pretty cool, so I hope there won't be any psychological damage from that one...)

Love!

"Fall is here...

...hear the yell." I Can Tell That We Are Gonna Be Friends by The White Stripes.

Baby got all dressed up for Halloween before he realized we aren't going to let him trick or treat. :P

Football cocoon and hat from Granma T with her mad crochet skills!

Happy Reformation Day!

"One flight down there's a song on low...

...and it's been there, playing all along." One Flight Down by Norah Jones.

Hello lovelies! Happy weekend!

First things first - My Top 10 Cravings of The Last Week:

1. Coconut Cream Pie (Thanks to Coe's for a complimentary slice as a "baby present"!)
2. Home-grilled burgers.
3. Apple Crisp a la mode with Carmel Sauce
4. Sweet Tea
5. Iceberg salad with ranch. And yes, it HAD to be iceberg.
6. Bananas and Nutella
7. Apples, apples, apples.
8. Pistachio dessert (still haven't got this one yet - none of the grocery stores have had pistachio pudding, can you believe it!?!? How mean.)
9. Oreos and milk
10. Those really terrible Little Debbie's fall cakes. Um, YUM.

So now you know.

Photo by my AMAZING and talented friend Amanda.

We're less than a week before d-day and I am literally about to POP. This baby could come at any time, and I appreciate all the prayers and well-wishes from everyone! I'm so excited!!! My parents arrive tonight so I'm happy for him to come anytime now.

Keep an eye on Facebook for the big arrival!

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"And I'm dreaming of a place...

...where I could see your face." If I Were A Painter by Norah Jones.

Hello, lovelies! Sorry for the prolonged absence (and prepare for more...) but it's been crazy the last month or two. Baby James is just about ready to arrive (37 weeks!) and we had an incredible opportunity come up in the last week or two to move to a great new house - so we did!

Our pretty new house! 

Irony sniffing the fall air.

We're just loving being out amongst the trees and fields as the season changes! It smells so fresh and yummy right now - I love fall! Irony and Izzy and I are spending this afternoon with the windows open so we can watch squirrels frolic and hear acorns fall in our front yard. :)

Anyhow, I'll let everybody know when the baby arrives, but till then, I'm going to be eating, sleeping, and keeping my poor swollen ankles up!

Much love!

"We praise you Lord for the love that you give...

...and the time that you spent on this world for our sins." Praise Song by Third Day

25 Things I'm Thankful For This Thanksgiving:

1. Salvation in Jesus Christ
2. My wonderful husband
3. My wonderful family
4. Meggles (new favorite phrase: "No Way!")
5. Coffee and a coffeeshop close by
6. A house big enough for family to stay in.
7. A good job
8. My husband's good job
9. Awesome neighbors
10. Candlelight
11. Good friends
12. God providing for friends
13. Good ministry opportunities
14. God providing for ministry opportunities
15. A good pastor and church
16. Christmas coming!
17. The fun adventure Ryan and I just had
18. Twinkly Christmas lights
19. Pretty things
20. Yummy Thanksgiving leftovers
21. A working dishwasher, washer, and dryer.
22. Wonderful grandparents
23. My amazing new camera
24. Living in the USA
25. Irony

"With your smile so warm...

...and your cheeks so soft, there is nothing for me but to love you. " Just The Way You Look Tonight by Tony Bennet

Autumn love: scented candles and turning out all the lights.

Irony by candlelight.

Love!

“Your scarf, it was apricot...

...you had one eye in the mirror as you watched yourself go by.” You're So Vain by Carly Simon

We’ve previously discussed some of my favorite things about fall, but here’s one more. 

I LOVE WEARING SCARVES. 

I discovered this oh-so-cute video of 25 ways to wear a scarf.  


Also, for our Friday Link Craziness:

Check out these luscious looking S'more cupcakes.
Speaking of, how about these CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE CUPCAKES?!!!!?
Love so much about Design*Sponge's  home decor tips on Anthropologie.
And while we're on the subject, her book is very high on my Christmas Wish List.
Totally, hilariously embodiment of catness in this Maru video.
Hilarious lolcat doppleganger of Irony...thankfully I've never found her in the toilet. 

Meanwhiles, off for more autumn adventures. Whee! I may not blog for a week or so. :) Many surprises when I return!

Mwah!

"Say it's only a paper moon...

...sailing over a cardboard sea, but it wouldn't be make-believe if you believed in me." It's Only a Paper Moon by Ella Fitzgerald.

Irony helping us set up the tree...

On my "Pre-Christmas" playlist right now:

It's Only a Paper Moon by Ella Fitzgerald
Bubbly by Colbie Callat
The Nutcracker: Russian Dance by Tchaikovsky
No Holly For Miss Quinn by Enya
Let Me Call You Sweetheart by Bing Crosby
Return to Me by Dean Martin
The Long Day Is Over by Norah Jones
If Ever I Should Leave You performed by Gene Merlino
Show Me Your Glory by Third Day
The Christmas Song performed by Nat King Cole

Love!

"Now one brave man...

...he tried to take them alone.” The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde by Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames.

Columbia had “Downtown Days” a few weekends ago, and it reignited my fervent adoration for fall and all the festivals and traditions thereof. I love the colors and food and cooler weather, and the food, and outfits (hello, scarf season!) and the food. I love harvest-y food. Also drinks. 

But back to the Downtown Days.

They had a reenactment of a bank robbery from 1872 when Jesse James and the gang came through Columbia and tried, unsuccessfully, to rob the bank, thanks to the sacrificial heroism of a bank teller named R.A. C. Martin. He hollered that the bank was being robbed, and was shot (dying soon after). Another man was also wounded. At any rate, the reenactment was quite the event, and I got photos. :) 

The "scouts"

The "robbers" at the bank (one staying out keeping watch)

Gunfight!

Escaping!

We're Jesse James and Co. Rawr!

Courageous townspeople in the aftermath. 

So it was a fun fall festival, anyhow. :) Love!

“In the leaves on the trees and the touch of the breeze...

...there’s a pleasing sense of happiness for me.” Top of the World by The Carpenters.

Me and the fam on our way to PF (my pic)

Don’t you just love seasonal traditions? Most of mine are centered around Christmas, naturally - and among my favorites is the annual pilgrimage to Pigeon Forge, TN for Christmas shopping. (Mumsie refers to PF as “the Christmas Mecca.”) 

As I write this, we’re driving through the picturesque village of Gold Bug, KY, after enjoying a quick stop at Cumberland Falls. To any other fellow leaf-peeper enthusiasts, the falls are absolutely breathtaking this time of year, though I think we did hit it a little past the peak. If you ever come out this way, also check out the natural arch or bridge about 10 miles from the falls in the Daniel Boone National Forest. It’s like one of the arches at Moab, Utah, only surrounded by a forest instead of desert. In the fall it is simply gorgeous!

So, we are on our way to Pigeon Forge. And now for the sad news...

My camera is broken. 

It doesn’t work. It turns on, focuses, takes a picture...and there is nothing. Whiteness. The memory card fills up with hundreds of pictures of blank, white, nothing. Why why why why why? And right before our cruise, too! :( I will have to take my old camera, I suppose. Which is fine. It is simply not as awesome as my formerly new camera.


So, all the following photos are by my dad.

At Cumberland Falls

Also at the Falls.

The falls, sans people.

Horsin' around. :) 

Love!

"We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of oz...

...we hear he is a whiz of a wiz, if ever a wiz there was." Off To See The Wizard performed by Judy Garland.

Hello, lovelies!

I had a special treat this weekend, besides adventures with my family - my friend Mandy came for a night and day out with me, and we had a marvelous time taking artsy photos of the gorgeous autumn scenery! We were experimenting with a few ideas I'd had lately, and I think some of them turned out rather well!

Here's a few of my favorite photos from our day out:

Much love!!