by Cathy Baker | Home & Family |
It’s no coincidence that my hubster and I refer to the month of October as the month o’ love. We love everything about it! We were even married on the side of a mountain during the month of October (Pretty Place, Greenville SC).
Every open weekend during the month we plan a getaway. Sometimes it’s an overnight stay but often it’s day trips. One of my favorite day-trip destinations is Carl Sandburg’s home, perched atop a hill in Flat Rock, NC.
This past weekend we took a hike around the front lake, the one that sits at the bottom of the hill, below his home. The crimson-threaded leaves embraced the lake as if they were saying a final farewell, at least for now.
Could Carl Sandburg have been sitting on his front stoop, observing the same breathtaking views, as he penned Autumn Movement?
(It was a foggy morning but if you look carefully you can see Connemara at the top of the hill.)
Autumn Movement,
by Carl Sandburg
I cried over beautiful things knowing no beautiful thing lasts.
The field of cornflower yellow is a scarf at the neck of the copper sunburned woman, the mother of the year, the taker of seeds.
The northwest wind comes and the yellow is torn full of holes, new beautiful things come in the first spit of snow on the northwest wind, and the old things go, not one lasts.
What will you miss the most with the passing of Fall?
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…
Ecclesiastes 3:1
by Cathy Baker | Home & Family |
by Cathy Baker
Last week, we made our way up to the highlands of NC to Blowing Rock. Its downtown area is much like a village with charming boutiques and dangerously delicious ice cream shoppes lining the streets.
One of the loveliest perks in venturing out to new towns is meeting people you would never meet otherwise, like Sheri Furman, owner of Take Heart.
Sheri, along with her staff, go out of their way to make you feel right at home in their cozy cottage-like setting. Purple-planked walls, Scripture quotes on pillows, wooden canvases, etc. As the young ladies lovingly wrapped my purchases in lilac colored tissue paper, one of them smiled and shared how they’d also tucked in a bag of fresh lilac for my birthday. Yes, this is my kind of place.
Not just because of the boutique itself, which is lovely…
or the white-planked floors and funky chandeliers…
but because of Sheri and the two young assistants who turned a simple walk-through of a store into a delightful experience. As we were leaving, one of the girls asked if we wanted her to take our picture on the bench outside their door. Although the exposure to sun worked against us, it’s still a picture we’ll treasure as it caught a moment in time that will always remind me the beauty of venturing to unfamiliar places.
Thank you, Sheri and staff! {Instagram: takeheart_nc}
Take a moment to consider an unfamiliar place, town, store, setting that you could visit this Fall. Stay alert to the blessings you discover along the way. I’d love to hear about your adventure!
Take Heart
1009 Main Street
Blowing Rock, NC 28605
by Cathy Baker | Ideas |
I am Cathy Baker and I love all things owls.
Let’s see, my purse is covered in owls, they’re displayed throughout my house, I have more notebooks with owl covers than I care to admit, and oh yes, my two softest blankets are smothered in owls.
You get the idea.
So when I thought of a love for this Fall, how could I not feature owls on one of these #write31days?
Felt and Pinecone Owl Ornaments
These are actually ornaments but as you can see, they make
adorable book props for this season. Easy enough to
craft with the kids!
Owl Candy Jars DIY
Check out this “Hoot-tastic” homemade gift in a jar,
courtesy of Club Chica-Circle {one uber cool site!}
Pom-Pom Owl
Are these adorable or what?
Be still my heart.
Do you consider yourself crafty? I don’t, but nowadays the tutorials make it possible.
by Cathy Baker | Ideas, Seasonal |
When I jotted down these fall ideas for this month’s challenge awhile back, this idea made the cut.
My plans included a walk through my yard, a pair of clippers, and lots of photos. But the weather has a way of changing things up, much like the seasons.
So I took to the internet to find ideas much more creative than I could ever dream up — and while there were many, none quite compared to this recent post on Houzz.
In Laura Gaskill’s article, Decorating With Nature in Fall and Winter, she shares sixteen unique and creative ideas, like this one with the clipped branches from a sugar maple tree. It serves to celebrate the season in all its glory like none other. Even the fallen leaves on the floor add to the celebration!
Other natural items used in the article above are feathers, branches (with lights — love!), leaves for natural fall garlands, etc.
Stop by and take a look! All the ideas are on one page so there’s no irritating pauses between clicks.
Enjoy!
by Cathy Baker | Gatherings, Ideas |
Top Three Trail Mixes
{Enjoy with family or scoop some into bags for gifts!}
Whether prepping for a hike during this Fall season or switching up your snack options, I’ve scoured the internet in search of the yummiest trail mix options. I found them courtesy of a newfound Pinterest {awesome} find,
Craftionary.Click on the links below for the recipe. The final recipe is listed, as the Web site where this recipe originated from is no longer available. (I like to give credit where credit is due whenever possible.)
Halloween Trash Mix
Combine party Chex mix and/or trail mix with candy corn, popcorn, and gummy worms. Serve in paper bag. Perfect for gifts!
Do any of the above mixes catch your fancy? Let me know which one you’re most likely to try first in the comment section. I’m going for the Halloween Trash Mix if for no other reason than I get to scoop them in paper bags. Shallow, I know.
