jeremiah went with a redskins logo for his pumpkin.
i went the more traditional route.
happy halloween!!

slowly getting our belongings tucked away.

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cold air came upon us in the night.

leaves are falling. 

crows are sitting in the treetops talking.

winter is starting to call.

time to settle in. to build warmth in our homes for the season ahead. 

doily gift wrap.

starched doily bowls. idea via.

furoshiki gift wrap using a vintage scarf.

vintage pillowcase tote bag. idea via.

gift tags using stamps, vintage buttons & paper doilies.

doily table runner. idea via.

this past weekend i had the privilege of teaching a class at a local church's women's crafting event.
my class was called "a vitnage christmas" and focused on how to reuse doilies, hankies, buttons and other vintage-y items to make gifts and decorations for the holidays.
these are a few of my favorite ideas from the class.

we live in a small "village" as the locals call it.

our house and land is located on a very large block in the village.

this is the house we share the block with. obviously vacant.

its crammed full of so many antiques. 

a few beautiful iron beds and one iron baby crib. lovely moulding and fixtures. glass door knobs. cast iron sinks. and much more, i am sure.

it's sad to see a house wasted. abandoned. vandalized.

it makes you wonder what happened. what went wrong. especially when so many possessions are left behind.  

morning light.

yesterday, i blanched and froze about 20lbs. of tomatoes. needless to say, i will be happy not to touch a tomato for a while.
i also made a batch of granola bars using ina garten's (the barefoot contessa) recipe. these bars are really hard to resist! next time i may scale down the amount of honey and sub maple syrup for brown sugar.
today has been a fruitfully good day!
i went to the green bay open air market. i was hoping to find a lot of local food and it did not disappoint!!
the woman who heads up the entire market works day and night to supply locals with fresh, pesticide-free produce from around the area (including the Amish community nearby).
today i got: zucchini & squash, eggplant, sweet potatoes, a turnip, green & yellow beans, butternut squash (yum!), gala apples, another type of apple for baking, onions, spinach, red peppers, free range eggs, sourdough bread and molasses. all for about $30!
she also sells different cheeses, butter and milk. all local.
i cannot even begin to tell how elated i am to have such a resource nearby! what a huge blessing and an answer to prayer!
the last picture is a tasty look at my snack today: a fresh (local!) gala apple with organic, crunchy peanut butter.

the leaves are turning some amazing colors here!
yesterday i visited jeremiah at his new job in farmville.
the ride was so beautiful...rolling hills, pastureland and trees full with fall foliage.
last night i made of batch of granola using this recipe.
i didn't have any dried fruit so all my granola has is oats, sunflowers seeds and coconut but it's still very tasty!
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at the moment, i am reading animal, vegetable, miracle by barbara kingsolver.
it's really making me think twice about how far a lot of my food has traveled and about going without certain foods simply because it took 1500+ miles for them to end up in my pantry/fridge.
whatever happened to eating seasonally and locally?
none of this is new to me but i am finally ready to step up and take responsibility for the food i purchase and the people and practices i support by my purchases.
our current mode of food shopping and eating is not sustainable and i want to do my part to help change that.
luckily, i am surrounded by an abundance of farms, produce stands and farmer's market to aid me in my new quest!

lots of baking going on around here.
pumpkin bread. "twix" bars. toasted pumpkin seeds.
oddly enough, i am working on overhauling a lot of our diet.
less grains. more nuts & seeds. more fresh veggies & fruits. still vegetarian. more raw food.
today i made ghee (pretty much clarified butter).
i will be using this in place of EVO when i am sauteeing veggies.
learn more at my new roots blog (p.s. this is my new favorite blog).

our family lost our dear kitty, chico, today.
my heart hurts.
he was one of the sweetest cats around.

settling in.
loving the arrival of autumn.

jeremiah wanted me to share this one from our move. 

this is a good example of the resourceful man i call "husband".

around here.
potting coleus i rooted back in charlotte.
wake has fully adjusted to life in amelia.
breakfast. kashi blueberry waffles. hot chocolate.

things are a bit out of sorts here in amelia.

jeremiah and i are taking our time unpacking boxes, setting up rooms and getting things in order.

it still hasn't sunk in that this is our new home. 

my last few minutes in this home.
i look at blank walls.
a bare bedroom.
empty cabinets.
lonely corners.

i cried a lot in this house.
i smiled a lot in this house.
this home was a fulfillment of an old desire.
my first real home with my husband.

charlotte was not an old desire.
but i did grow to call her home.
i warmed to her skyline and familiar streets and neighborhoods.

my life has changed significantly since i called any other place home.
jeremiah and i have only known charlotte.
now we are ready to let her go and explore another place for our family.

goodbye, alexander street.
goodbye, charlotte.

another bend in the road awaits.