The Return of Autumn

Happy First Day of Autumn!

Summer is struggling to hang on, reaching into 80 degrees today, but for the most part it feels like Fall is here to stay. The trees are turning, the light is becoming softer and more golden, and I could smell burning leaves this afternoon. The true mark of Autumn is that feeling I get, as though my heart becomes a little more tender. I think it corresponds to said golden light and the chill in the air. Is it just me, or is that perhaps what truly calls us to Fall?

And of course, a couple photos:
Nathan's mama sent a box of goodies, and we didn't wait long to whip up some peanut clusters. It hasn't taken long for them to disappear from the freezer, either. Thanks, Melinda. :)

Nathan has expert skills in peanut clustering.

I was excited to hang out in the bleachers and be the albeit silent cheering section at Nathan's kickball game this week. It was darn cold, but I was glad to watch The Wet Bandits kick the opposition to the curb.

There are some great things happening in the sky tonight...the Autumnal Equinox occurs overnight, which means it is the Harvest Moon. Sure enough, the moon is bright and clear, and you can even see Jupiter.

Welcome, welcome Fall.

Antiquery

I'm sitting here at the end of this rainy Monday with a bowl of hot, homemade soup...that's right, we've made it back to soup season, sooner than I had even imagined. I anticipate a few more hot days, and hopefully some crisp yet sunny Fall days, but for now it's back to socks, sweaters, jackets, hot coffee and pots of soup. Not that I'm complaining. :)

While I get cozy, my geek is getting in touch with his rugged side at his first kickball game! Work has kept him busy the last several weeks, so I'm hoping a little athletic time in the fresh air will be a nice change of pace. I can't wait to go out and cheer him on....next time, when it's sunny. Hang tough, Nate.

This weekend was pretty low-key; I worked Saturday while Nathan relaxed at home after a long week. After work Nathan met up with our friend Erin and me for dinner out at our favorite Chinese restaurant. Sunday, we picked up a zipcar and with our friend/birthday-girl Ashley in tow drove out to Brimfield, Massachusetts. Three times a year, Brimfield hosts the largest outdoor antique market in the country, and we made it for the last day. The fair sprawls out for a mile, tent after tent full of the weird and wonderful. We mostly enjoyed perusing and eating, but I did bring home one thing. It's a wooden printing block from Pakistan. Of course I forgot to take photos there, but here is a picture of my block.

Did you have a good weekend?

Home Updates

Now that we have lived here for a month and settled in a little more, I thought I ought to share some newer photos of our home. It's still exciting to be living here, and with the fresh coat of paint it looks even better. A few rooms got quite a face lift--just compare the old orange kitchen and bathroom to the new pics below!

The counters and flooring have a definite yellow tone, but that orange paint made them unbearably so. I wasn't sure about this ivory at first, but it really neutralizes the yellow. The color also looks deeper in the photo than in person.

There is space for a small table or island in front of the windows, so I'll keep my eyes open. We also would like to rig up or buy some kind of pot rack next to the stove.

The bedroom (well, the whole apartment) is still a work in progress, but we did get a bed! It's the Malm from Ikea. We got awesome new sheets from Garnet Hill, but we have yet to replace the comforter. The walls were repainted the same color.

The bath went from rouge to gray-blue. The light quality feels much better.

The living room, with furniture (thanks to Nomes and Howard). This rug is really beautiful and colorful. We spend most of our home time in here now. It makes me excited to get furniture into the other rooms to begin using the whole house. :)

That's all for now...my gears are going, imagining what else I will do with the space. I finally got some graph paper to do some layouts. We're excited to visit Brimfield this weekend and hopefully bring home a few special finds. More on that next week.

Happy September, all.