Weekend Agenda

Despite the weather-man's alerts, when a chilly-edged wind began to blow today, I found myself shivering and wishing for my boots and scarves. And, with this thought, was born my weekend agenda.

• closet makeover. Its time to pack the sheer summer dresses and to unfold the chunky-knit sweaters. Recently and most likely on Pinterest, I read a hilarious quote: "Thank goodness that its finally fall, and I can forget about my bikini body and start working on my chunky sweater body." Truer words were never spoken. 
• the Farmers Market Festival. Bring on the pumpkins, hayrides, and cider, city of mine! This girl is ready--do your pumpkin-spiced worst! Trust me, I can handle it.
• baking. I don't know about you, but fall weather puts me in a baking mood. I'm thinking pumpkin bread or monkey bread. What say you?
• yarn shopping. Time to stock up on some colorful yarns to make a baby blanket for a good friend. I have my eye on this pattern. The key phrase in this pattern's description is "super easy." 
• a mug of coffee, a good book, and some kick-my-feet-up time. And this, my friends, is my personal favorite part of an autumn Saturday. I love setting aside about thirty minutes in teh morning to just sit, enjoy my coffee, and snuggle on the couch. Usually, Solo slinks out of his puppy-bed to come join me. Nothing is better than his warm, solid weight on my feet and a story in my hands. 

What's on your weekend agenda? 

Hello Fall

Back in May, when that horrible thing the weather men dubbed a "polar vortex" finally released its grip on Maryland and my half-frozen limbs began to thaw, I vowed that I would not...would not...would not complain this summer when the mercury crept above 90. While there were one or two times I had to bite my cheek to keep from whining, I kept my word.

But now-- now it's October. In my opinion, October is the best month out of the twelve. The time when the breeze picks up, the sky turns sapphire blue, and the leaves start flinging their colors all over the sidewalks. Stepping outside and inhaling that crisp, spicy scent of autumn warms my heart more than any sweater or steamy mug of cider. There's not one thing about October that compels me to complain.

For me, fall means crimson, gold, and burnt sienna. It means crunchy leaves and crackling campfires. It means pumpkins and squash and gourds and honeycrisp, It means snuggling in blankets and snuggling in hugs. It means scarves and boots and finally a use for all my knitting. Most importantly, fall means that the holidays are just around the corner: which translates to days filled with family, food, and more smiles and laughs than one person can hold.

Now that I've "waxed eloquent" about it all, what's your favorite thing about this autumn season?

Bedroom Inspirations

Every so often, a fire lights beneath me, a fire that says "change something, do something, see if you can make it better." Mark usually dreads these moments, recognizing them for what they are--more work--but I personally love the opportunity to be creative and change things around in our little home. In fact, this is my favorite thing about being a home-owner: the unchecked ability to make our home look however we want. If we want chocolate brown walls, we paint them chocolate brown. If we want green interiors on our kitchen cabinets, we paint them green. If we want different cabinet hardware, we change them--gold to oil rubbed bronze.

Seeing our house transform, bit by bit, little by little, into a home that showcases our personalities and loves is a pretty cool feeling. It makes me straighten my shoulder, grin, and say "Yea. This is ours."

While our kitchen and patio renovations are still in the planning stages, there is one quick reno that is burning in my mind. I want to repaint and re-imagine our bedroom.

In Abi-world, this renovation would mean a new wall color, a lighter bedspread, one or two new accent pillows, a new rug at the foot of the bed, some creamy, sheer curtain panels, and a new bedside lamp. In reality, this may mean the wall color change and a lamp...maaaaybe the rug, if I'm lucky. But we shall see. Having a strict renovation budget does one thing: it forces you to scout for deals and steals and teaches you to get a good luck on a small dollar. I'm hoping--fingers crossed--to get the paint this weekend and start on the project. I'll keep you all posted on the progress!

Here are a few photos to give you a peek into the project's inspiration. All image sources can be found here. I love how these rooms combine color and texture to create a cozy, dreamy feel.

Solo, 12 months

Things Solo likes:

• Staring at passerby from the bedroom window
• Peeing on the lawn that belongs to the neighbor's lab puppy, who barks with extreme indignation
• Going for long hikes with dad
• Pulling dad off the trail and into the brush on said long hikes
• Dragging his blanket downstairs and then leaving it at the bottom
• Being chased around and around and around the bed
• Eating mom's jalapeno plants. 

I can't believe our little waggy-butt mutt is already a year old. It seems like just a few weeks ago that Mark walked in the front door with a trembling bundle of blanket and fluff roll in his arms. Despite the many torn up garden plants, chewed up blankets, and half-eaten headbands, I wouldn't trade his whole-butt-wiggle, two-paw bounce, happy kiss greeting, every day, for any other pup!

Etsy Update

This week, I've been working overtime to get some new fall items finished and uploaded to Etsy. So, I'm excited to announce that three pairs of these adorable wrist warmers are now available at Patina & Purl. Each pair is knitted by yours truly from hand-dyed yarn. The colors and patterns of each glove are unique, with unexpected twists of color: from spring green to heather grey to light purple. Snatch up a pair before they're gone! Or, if you don't like the colors, you can always request a custom order.

Knitting these up made me so ready and excited for the upcoming fall. September is nearly here, ya'll, can you believe? Crunchy leaves and cool weather are a matter of weeks away! While I'm loathe to see summer go, fall is my favorite season, and fall in Frederick is bewitching. I pretty much float on a pumpkin-spice high from mid-September to the first snow fall.

What's your favorite thing about fall?

Tunes, vol. 5

So, I realize that this video presents a complete deviation from the typical genre of the Tunes series. However, sometimes its good to branch from the norm. To be honest, I have probably the most eclectic musical taste of anyone on this earth--you'll find me listening to anything from Mumford & Sons to Mozart to Ella Fitzgerald to George Strait to Five Finger Death Punch. You just never know what the day will bring.

Your Side, My Side

My grandfather, a chiropractor in rural Georgia, kept a small plaque on his desk. It quipped "A messy desk is the sign of genius." This quotation is often attributed to Albert Einstein, who more than anyone else can surely claim to understand genius.

As I lay in bed last night, reading to calm my mind, I caught myself wondering what a messy nightstand may signify. What would Mr. Einstein have to say about that? "A messy beside table is a sign of...?" I wondered what my night stand says about me, as opposed to what Mark's night stand says about him.

Despite my constant attempts to simplify and edit our lifestyle, it is amazing what manages to accumulate on our nightstands, the things we feel we "need" in order to get a good night's sleep. Here is a list of the essentials each of us keep on hand, every night.

Hers

• glasses
• homemade lotion
• books
• journal
• water
• faux sheep rug

His

• glasses
• Tiger balm (for post workout soreness, apparently) 
• Outside magazine
• workout guide
• phone charger
• fan controller

Clearly, Mark and I have already reached that little-old-couple stage of reading before bed. What can I say? We're both book worms. Reading and spending quiet time together has always been one of our favorite ways to pass time together. As you can probably tell about our book genres, mine tend toward the literary while his tend toward the practical... which is actually a pretty clear insight into our personalities. 

What's on your bedside? Any good reads?