One of the things I am so thankful for in our house is a pantry... not exactly something that was on our list of things we wanted when we were house shopping, but now I think I'd be lost without it! I can buy things in bulk, so that means fewer trips to the store for those things you hate buying (like paper towels, flour, canned tomatoes). So, I found these sticky labels that are sticky on most of the piece to label my bins with! I know its kind of a silly thing to get excited about, but what can I say?
Then we went camping a few weekends ago. Nearly got rained out the first night, but luckily our tent stayed dry and it cleared up the next day. We went up near Mt. Baker in the North Cascade mountains. It was right on Baker Lake and really pretty.
Look at that breakfast! Pancakes, bear sausage, eggs, grapes, and coffee. Thanks honey!
Then as soon as we got back home from camping, since it was such a beautiful day, we went out sailing with a guy from Noah's gym. Out on the water on a gorgeous day, is pretty breathtaking around here.
Then for fall decorating... yay! I made cushions for the entryway bench that Noah built for me. Not being much of a sewer, I had to improvise. Noah had some leftovers from the wood he used, so I took some of the backing wood and had him cut it to size in two pieces. Then I bought some foam and material. Then just used a stapler to secure the fabric around the foam and wood. On a side note, I couldn't believe the cost of foam at the fabric store! Like $30 for a 3ft by 3ft piece! I was thinking about putting a foam topper on a spare bed, but never mind! I'll just buy a real mattress topper for that price....
I also made a door hanger thing... not sure if I'd exactly call it a wreath, but here it is. I just took a frame from goodwill that I liked, got some fake leaves from Fred Meyer and and found some fake tiny fall produce. All it took was a hot glue gun and some fishing wire to hang the little pumpkin and gourd, and voila!
I potted some pretty mums, picked up a bunch of pumpkins from the CSA farm that we've been members of this summer, and had some fun with our porch. Looking at the picture, I really wish I had a big porch rocking chair... I'll have to keep an eye on craigslist for one :-) On another side note, I planted my mums from last year in the garden in the back, and this year they are like 4 times bigger than last year... crazy! I love the plants that just do their thing and I don't have to worry!
I preparation for the winter, we pressure washed and sealed our driveway as well. Poor Noah was a trooper and pressure washed all day out in the cold and rain. We caulked the cracks as well so that they don't get worse with all of the forecasted freezing that is expected this winter. You can see the before and after from the pressure washing. The sealant then made the whole thing kinda shiny.
I had some funny little squashes from the CSA farm, and didn't know exactly what to do with them. So, I tried stuffing them with a rice and bean concoction. How cute are they?!
And finally... my pesto. I freeze it in ice cube trays, then transfer the little cubes to a ziplock bag so that they are just ready to grab for pasta anytime. Yummmmy!
Phew, that was a lot! Sorry for being sooo inconsistent...
