~ October Weekending ~

Noticing 

Noticing how the messy/pretty our backyard looks right now. I love all of the crunchy brown leaves scattered all near the white picket fence. 

Soaking 

Soaking it all in on a fall country drive to an wonderful little town. (that post is back here - Capturing Autumn)

Loving 

I love how our front steps look this year - simple - colorful - happy 

Enjoying

I was in my classroom trying to tie up loose ends and get home for the weekend when my phone rang... my Dad around 4:10 asking if we wanted to meet him in this adorable town for pizza and their Halloween displays. I was tired and wanted to get home and do nothing but I said yes, oh boy am I glad I said yes! 

Most adorable pizza restaurant right on Main Street, walking through crunchy leaves and their Halloween displays. 

The bakery and ice cream shops stayed open late which made it oh so festive! 

Apple pie ice cream in a waffle cone! 

Went inside here for a hot drink - Scott got hot chocolate and they toasted the marshmallow. 

Working

I had a bunch of school things this weekend but I worked slow and made it cozy which I actually like (feels so good to get those tests corrected!) which Anna was reading behind me. 

Loving 

A home day (holiday and no school in CT - Diwali) which was rainy and C O Z Y with some extra time to get a few things done, enjoy our home all cozy for autumn, and read. 

🧡 There's No Place Like Home 🧡

Pumpkins and haybale all from this little pumpkin trip.

After our 29th autumn married I finally found a squirrel spray that actually keeps the squirrels from eating our pumpkins!!! Living in our tree filled home in CT we have an enormous amount of squirrels and this is the first time I've had pumpkins on our front steps! (link here) 

Capturing Autumn

Saturday was just so gorgeous - sunny, chilly, and peak leaf color where we live - so we just had to get out, drive those curvy country roads past farm stands filled with pumpkins, and just be in that goodness!

We've taken leaf drives every year. Here are just a few I linked: 

This one stands out the most to me because I had us all matching and wanted to get some family pictures that year. My girls were just so adorable then! (part 1) (part 2) (part 3) (part 4)

This is the same town we visited in 2016... Riverton  

Oh I was such a good photographer back then... it actually really inspires me to get out there and work my camera more! 

More fall goodness: 

2013

2017

2018

2018

2019

2019

2019

2019

2020

2020

2022

There have actually been so many other leaf fall drives since then. 

This year it was just Scott and I. Abigail is a freshman away at college and Anna was busy with grad school work and decided to stay home. 

Just the drive is music to my ears. 

But lovely little main street towns are charming too and especially wonderful to visit in the fall. 

In some of those links (above) you can see us at the Riverton General Store. It's a great place to visit! 

Scott and I bought a cranberry walnut sourdough muffin to split at this adorable bakery "Orchard Hill" 

We walked through Peoples State Forest as we have many times before sharing our treat. 

And then I filled a basket of pine cones. I plan on spraying the tips gold for the Christmas season. I think they will look lovely in a basket or a bowl. 

And then we drove home - simple, lovely, perfect afternoon 🧡

Mid October Weekending

My favorite from the weekend: 

Preparing

This was a special weekend because Abigail came home from college for the first time. It's her 'fall break' and although it's really just a long weekend, I'll take it! 

At first it's disbelief that she's really home! 

Then I just stare at her (I remember this when Anna came home from college) because she's actually in front of me and it just still surprises me and I feel giddy with delight. 

I already had banana bread sliced and in the freezer and also apple bread, but one can not have enough so I also baked pumpkin muffins with cinnamon sugar topping. I always like to have homemade baked goods ready to be a snack with tea or a side in the morning with scrambled eggs or even alongside soup at lunch. I just love to baked {especially in the fall} and I love the feeling of it all tucked away and coziness ready to go! 

Homecoming

She came home on Friday night and filled up our kitchen with love {and lots of dirty college laundry - but happy to do it!} We just had to take pictures. 

Celebrating 

Our annual It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown snack dinner was Friday night. Here is a little peek at the goodness all set up before we ate. 

It's something we all look forward to all year long. We always wait until the college break weekend and it really kicks off 'cozy season' for us. 

Pumpkin~ing

Our trip to the most sincere pumpkin patch in all of New England. I posted it back here. 

There was a lot of college laundry, packing warmer clothes for her to bring back, some correcting, Mass, cooking and eating, and just being together. I've packed my school bag, my clothes are ironed and ready for the week, lunches are made, it's shower and pjs time and then a new week begins! This week I'm taking along my camera so I can capture more of the fall beauty where I live.