Is It Even Fall If You Don't........

Hello, fall.

There are unraked, crunchy leaves on the sidewalk because Lord knows your neighbors can't keep up with all the dead, falling foliage, and your current body heat is 50% from your mustard-colored, chunky-knit sweater and 50% from the pumpkin-flavored coffee that you overpaid for at a big chain coffee shop.

We welcome you with open, sweater-clad arms and hearts that are full (and/or clogged from eating too many pumpkin spice donuts).

This is not a fall bucket list.

This is a list of things that are obligatory once September hits.

Is it even fall if you don't...

• 1. Document your pumpkin-spice beverage on Instagram.

• 2. Overpay for apples that you picked yourself.

• 3. Spend a significant amount of time sniffing candles labeled "sweater weather" and "give thanks."

• 4. Question how candles ended up with such names since neither of those titles describe particular scents.

• 5. Shamelessly pose holding a pumpkin while strangers pick out their own large, brightly colored gourds.

• 6. Add soup to this week's meal plan anywhere between 1 and 5 times OR order soup from Panera.

• 7. Have a bonfire the minute the weather permits (and here in Philly it's been 80 degrees up til this past week soooooo.......).

• 8. Describe the air as "cool" and "crisp."

• 9. Take a toddler (your own or a borrowed one from a friend) on a hayride.

• 10. Post the stereotypical fall foliage photos in a blog post. 😉   What you're looking at here is Pennsylvania's lame attempt at fall foliage in October (we have all those 80-degree days to thank for everything being green instead of bright red and orange...). 

Make sure to read these sarcasm-free fall-related posts, like the best DIY fire pit and this curry squash soup recipe. 

Actually, I can't promise there isn't sarcasm in those, too. I didn't re-read them before adding the links. 😉

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Simple Fall Party Menu

I listed some reasons why I love September, but I forgot to mention a big one: it begins the season for fall parties. #LetsHangOutOutsideWithoutSweatingToDeath 

Just this past weekend, we had our church friends over for a bonfire, and we made s'mores with candy bars, drank cider (of course), backed up every time Devin added another huge log to the already SUPER HOT fire, and kept the little ones away from the aforementioned blaze. (P.S. Seeing our group grow to include babies & kids has made things even more fun. Aiden, 2 toddlers, and 1 kindergartener got to have like 10 adults play with them, make them s'mores, and shout "wait no don't eat that it fell on the fl--oh well"....[or was that just me?])

If I had been on my hosting A-game last weekend, I would have made sure we had more of these options on our table, but thankfully our gracious friends brought things and seemed to have fun anyway ;) 

Fall Party Menu Ideas:

1. Taco Bar: This is an easy, self-serve meal and doesn't have to be kept warm if it's served outside on a patio or in your yard. 

2. Pizza: Easy to make and even easier to order ;)

3. S'mores with candy bars (like the medium-sized Reese's cups) instead of plain chocolate: your welcome.

4. Home-made popcorn: this was one of my favorite snacks when I was pregnant, and it's easy and healthy to make a TON of it on the stove. 

5. Apples & Peanut Butter/Caramel: this snack doesn't require any baking, so it's easy to set out!

6. Pumpkin muffins: save yourself clean-up time and use cupcake paper cups when you bake them. Another bonus: they bake faster than pumpkin bread!

7. Bean-cheese-salsa dip: another snack options that doesn't have to be kept warm or cold. Stir up 1 thing of cream cheese, 1 can of refried beans, and a small jar of salsa all together in a bowl....and start praying for your cholesterol while enjoying the best dip ever. 

8. Cider: or apple cider sangria, if you're feeling fahhncy. 

What are your favorite foods for a party, fall-related or otherwise? What would you add to this list? 

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Bonfire Jams

Here's a soundtrack for your bonfire, which is actually its own sound track for fall. Crackling and popping logs, roasting marshmallows, and laughing with friends. Sounds perfect, right?

This past weekend our Bible study group from church got together for yard games + a bonfire, and you may have seen me post this cider picture by the fire. It was so nice to get to sit and talk around the fire after getting competitive with some kan jam, horse shoes, and corn hole. If you're thinking of hosting a bonfire this fall season, make sure to add this music mix!

These songs might seem random, but the playlist starts with faster songs and gets more mellow. Boy bands, acoustic, the theme song for my favorite DIY show, some songs you may know, and some that might be new to you (they were new to me until recently! But it's entirely possible you're way more up on your music game than I am. I'm talking to you, little sister.) Now you don't have to look through old Pandora stations that you're tired of hearing.

I should have been a DJ. I really missed my calling in life. But could I have DJ-ed parties that went from like 9am to noon? Staying up late/all night.....ok, ok, really I mean staying up past 10....isn't my thing.



No worries if you don't have a firepit!

Check out this post for our inexpensive, favorite firepit.

When was the last time you had a bonfire? What would you add to the playlist?

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Things I Love About September

Posts in the form of lists are some of my favorites--they help me stay organized, they force me to be concise (have we ever emailed/texted? I'm never concise!), and they're light reading for the Friday of a 3-day weekend! IS ANYONE ELSE SO EXCITED?! So, in honor of it being Friday and the 2nd of September, here's a little set of lists on why September is my favorite (and why it should be your favorite, too. Especially #3. 😉 )

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thankful list // 2015

happy thanksgiving!

this year, i'm thankful for...

--feeling the baby's kicks during every spanish 2 lesson and before bed and when i wake up. i love the reminder that this little person is growing!

--devin's hard work. i'm always thankful for how hard he works, but especially recently. he's been working almost every saturday for the past 6 months, as we save up for the new addition to the family. not only has he worked saturdays, but he discovered the hazard of our steps to the upstairs, trouble-shooted the craziness of an old house with not-to-code stairs, and rebuilt the whole flight of steps in one day.

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easy pumpkin cinnamon rolls

these pictures will prove i'm no food blogger, but i have to share these amazing cinnamon rolls we enjoyed on sunday morning. so excuse the sloppy rolls and the pumpkin butter everywhere. ;)

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the start of school // teacher style

what better way to reflect on my second year of teaching than with an outfit pic?

the start of school has been a wonderful jump back into the subject i love and the students i love to teach. and by that, i mean i got a little behind on grading for a second and my feet are tired and i can't drink enough water to talk 8 hours a day. actually, though, this second year is just as exciting at my first year, except that i have wayyyy more confidence about all my plans. i realize i still have lots to learn and i will never stop trying to be a better teacher, but it's nice to be working through material and scheduling projects after getting a baseline for what to expect.

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a thankful heart // vol. 2

as i was making the 15-minute walk from the train to school, i was tempted to get all whiny and start inwardly complaining. it was raining and 40 degrees, which is not the best way to start off a monday morning. instead of being grumpy (my natural reaction to having to walk in the cold rain), i decided to tell God all the things i was thankful for in that moment.

here's some of what i came up with:

my raincoat
warm sweatshirts to layer with a raincoat
my umbrella
a warm bed
warm blankets at home
a place to live
shoes that can get wet
a job at a good school
a school that has heat
food
warm food
money to buy warm food
devin
snuggling with devin
birth control
God's love for me
the spanish language
spanish dictionaries for when i forget the word "shelf" and "to keep"

and so on.

what are you thankful for on rainy days?

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a thankful heart // vol. 1

amidst all the excitement for christmas holiday season, which stores have already prepared for and are already advertising, i got the feeling that something was missing. i love gift guides and christmas carols as much as the next person, but it was really refreshing to read leah's post on thankfulness. up there with the 4th of july, thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. it's a time for family, and a time to thank God for what he's done for us. inspired by leah's list of things she's thankful for, i, too, made a list:

//1//

i'm thankful for my job--for the chance to teach one of my favorite subjects to a great group of (only-sometimes-feisty) high schoolers. 

//2//

i'm thankful for a loving husband who is always up for an adventure--whether it's kayaking, camping, or just taking a walk through the crunchy leaves.

sidenote: i sneakily took this picture on one of our walks, 

just before devin climbed that tree 

and almost gave me a heart-attack as he swung from reallllllly high branches!

//3//
i'm thankful for best friends and diners on a saturday morning, where we get to catch up on each others' jobs, plans for the future, and crazy things that happened during the week.

//4//
i'm thankful for the chance to meet extended family! i finally (after 5 years) got to meet devin's aunt and uncle who live in ireland, since they're back in the states on a furlough.

//5//
i'm really, really thankful to be making so much progress on our house. i'm thankful that devin's so hardworking and willing to spend precious weekend-relaxation time fixing things and making this house a finished space. looking through my chronologically-ordered, carefully organized folder of "house pictures" really makes me thankful for the things we've gotten done. when we first moved in, you could see the plumbing running up to our bathroom because the bathroom didn't have 4 walls yet! now, walls are up, things are painted, the kitchen is remodeled, the floors are refurbished, and little details are getting done!

these are some bigger-ticket things i'm grateful for, but stick around for vol. 2 of a thankful heart to hear some day-to-day things i'm thankful for!

what are you thankful for?

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fall in philly

thank the good lawwwwd for online grading systems, spicy doritos, and messy buns at the end of the day.

oh, and also for fall. 

although i'm lacking pictures of everything, might i recommend for my Philly-area friends...

//1//

kite and key

this center city tavern has adorable outdoor seating and unlike a lot of restaurants with confusing, novel-length menus, this place had a simple one sided menu chock full of things, and another whole menu for all their craft beers (if you're into that sorta thing). 

//2// 

merrymead farm's cornmaze!
hint: if you're doing the cornmaze at night, bundle up and bring flashlights. a sweater and longsleeve is notttt enough and then you'll look like you're freezing (because you are) and people (like my mother-in-law) will offer you their jackets but you'll have to decline (because you're trying to be tough.) also excuse this super-grainy-night-time pic!

//3//

keswick village's fall fest

//4// 

a picnic on kelly drive

but i recommend this in almost every season. it's right on the schuykill river, and the trees and bike path (with free parking, every so often along the trail) make it perfect for a sunday afternoon picnic. 

what are your favorite things to do in your area during fall? 

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the fall haps (part 1 & 2)

part 1:

my best friend and i (note correct subject usage, you're welcome, grammar assister! you know who you are!) enjoyed the glorious fall weather philadelphia's been giving us recently. no, it didn't include apple-picking or a hayride. but it did include being outside!

we ventured out to valley green, a nearby park with a beautiful name (valley + green? come one! isn't that such a simple, wonderful name? like a hippy child's name or something...) and we fed some wiiiiiiiild ducks. and geese, when we were feeling benevolent. all you need is bread and some sunshine, which is the recipe for fun, as cheaply as it comes.

moriah, trying really hard to pose with a canadian goose. 

did i mention we became friends in 5th grade? 

part 2:

devin and i also headed out for some free fun on a gorgeous, sunny sunday. we stalked some deer, devin climbed a huge/unclimbable tree (while i looked on going "please be careful! not to be annoying but like PLEASE! omg devin! DEVIN!"), and we relaxed on a rain-weathered picnic table, surrounded by brightly colored trees. 

we didn't get the best pictures, but the sun was setting. so i blame the weird light-angle. 

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a thanksgiving post

The little things that make my heart swell with gratitude…

A warm hug and gentle kiss at the end of every day:

Adventures in the summertime: 

God’s faithfulness and Summer ministry:

Family that lives nearby:

Sharing a home with my best friend…forever: 

and experiencing God’s discipline and mercy, over and over again 

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a rainy friday afternoon

 

i failed to notice the fat, persistent raindrops falling from the sky before i dashed from the house to my car, already running late to my morning poetry and fiction class, which meant i had no time to run back in for an umbrella or jacket. needless to say, i was soaked from my sweater all the way down to my flats by the time i dashed into class. so, with nothing left on my schedule for the day, i made some hot chocolate and put on sleeping beauty (since i have to analyze a disney princess movie for my communication class).

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fall walks

golden leaves on campus

short sleeves, in november?!

pretty sure we're laughing in this one :)
blog shout-out, this is megan

megan took this one, demonstrating her funky-angle camera abilities...oh yeah, and that reflection on the water?

the fiance came up this weekend, and we may or may not have worn plaid on our fall walks where we just so happened to have a camera...

can't see our re-donk-ulous matching? scroll down for a close-up. 

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top 10 things to do this fall

in a frantic search through my wardrobe this afternoon in an attempt to find the 1 t-shirt i wanted to mail to a friend, i tore through my not-so-neatly packaged winter clothes that have yet to find their way onto hangers. (and by not-so-neatly packaged, i mean that they are in partially-ripped trashbags that weathered the long trip from my house to my dorm. oh yes, classy.)

but instead of longing for the tank tops and toe rings that dominate my summer, i got mildly excited to bundle up in a sweater, or to wear the fiance's ocean city sweatshirt...and it reminded me that fall is here (and that i need to buy more hangers for those sweaters). 

10. pick apples in an orchard.

(yes, this is me and my roommate)

9. paint a pumpkin.

8. drink apple cider, or eat an apple cider donut. or do both. at the same time.

7.  go on a hayride with your college friends and the girls on your floor.

6. make fall cookies.

5. make caramel apples.

4. go on a nature walk at sunset, and remind God what a spectacular job he did in creating it all.

3. have a leaf fight (reminiscent of that time i waged war on devin by shoving leaves down his shirt...it ended badly. and i lost).

2. rake leaves with your dad, and, if you're 5 years old, make your dad into a "scarecrow" by stuffing his sweatshirt fulllllllll of leaves while he pretends to fight you and your wily siblings off.

and the #1 thing to do this fall? jump on every single crunchy leaf that is in your path, making sure to get adequate crrruuunnnchhh from each one. 

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