Leona Lane

A FALL QUOTE

We were laughing today because I'm about two seasons late on updating my window. I found this window in the garage of our last house, it's perfectly chippy! I hung it up and have been writing on it with whiteboard markers ever since.

I've had a spring quote up all summer long! But now that it's officially fall, I figured it was long past due to get that changed up. I was searching Pinterest for a good fall quote and this one really stuck a chord with me.

"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall."
     - F. Scott Fitzgerald

What is it with the change of seasons that is so magical? I love that we get a new start at the beginning of each year, each season and really every day. I'm becoming more greatful for new starts...

I'm working the first half of this week but I can't wait to jump into some other fall activities after that! Today, I picked up stuff to make apple pie and spiced wine. I really want to go on a fall picnic too. Next weekend, we're going to Spokane and I'm hoping to squeeze in a trip to Greenbluff to get some fresh apple cider too!  

I also rearranged all my Pinterest boards for fall the other day. Sometimes a girl needs a little downtime :) You can also check out other iterations of my window here and here.

What is your favorite thing about fall?

WRITE A LIST OF GOOD THINGS

I was thinking the other day about how some of the best things can't be captured with a photograph. And I also had the perfect blank notebook I'd been waiting to start filling. (Does anyone have the problem of not wanting to "mess up" a notebook? or is that just me...) And I was thinking about how much I love writing lists, and how I typically suck at traditional journaling. Maybe I like lists because they are quick, maybe because you don't have to think as much about making your thoughts cohesive. Because my pen can keep up with my brain that way? Who knows. But I decided to fill it with bunches and bunches of lists. And maybe some random thoughts, musings or the perfect quote. But mostly lists.

And I decided the very best place to start would be with a list of good things. At first I thought I would add to it slowly, one good thing a day. But when I started writing, I kept thinking of other good things that I didn't want to try and remember later. So I decided to fill the whole page. And by the time I was done, I was actually pretty happy. A nice surprise. So if you're a little down, I would encourage you to try it. Grab a sheet of paper, and just start writing down all the good things you can think of. Here's mine.

Warm clothes from the dryer
Hot coffee
The way cold air makes you feel alive
A piece of good bread with butter
Cute leggings
The way the inside of a brand new sweatshirt feels
Pancakes made on a cast iron griddle
Getting a hug
A cat that wants to see you
Candles, always candles
The smell of a wood burning stove
The sound of vinyl playing
A good long walk
Real apple cider
Stepping on leaves
Mulled wine
The sound of rain on the roof
A good book that you just can't put down
Looking through old photographs
Hearing your song on the radio
Getting a letter in the mail
A perfectly warm evening
Crossing things off lists
A clean kitchen
Finding something awesome at the thrift store
Seeing an old friend

Happy Monday friends. Think of something happy today!

TRAVELOGUE | PARIS PART 1

After going to Paris two years ago, I'd been dreaming of going back. So when the opportunity presented itself, this fall, we just had to jump on it and just make it happen. And I'm so glad we did! Despite planning everything short notice, we still had a wonderful time. I don't know... there is just something magical about that city. And that's coming from a not-a-big-city-fan-kinda-girl.

There are so many sights to see and things to do there. But I swear, my favorite thing to do is just wander the streets, just soak it all in. It's fascinating to see the way people live in other parts of the world. 

I love riding the metro. I love the architecture. I love the little markets and stalls on the side of the streets. I love walking around a corner and seeing the Eiffle tower staring back at you. I know it's cliche but I just love the Eiffle tower. Period. I love walking everywhere. I love the muted colors puncturated by the colorful doors and red geraniums. I love sitting at a cafe and watching the city go by. I love the miniture coffee. And the food - man oh man do I love the food. I love the people watching. And the little kids, I'm seriously not sure what could be cuter than a little French kid - unless it's a little kid speaking French. 

What about you? What is your favroite thing about traveling? As I muddle my way through all of our pictures, I'll share more. My computer is a bit fritzy right now, but I'm trying to get back into the swing of things here on the blog. This summer was such a blast, maybe the best one ever, but truth be told, I'm glad fall is here. I'm ready to cozy up a bit and get back into a routine. I hope you didn't miss me too much the last couple months! Hopefully you guys were out living up the summer as well!! 

LUCY'S 1ST BIRTHDAY PARTY

 

As I write this the next day, I want to reflect on some of my favorite things about my girl and her party. I just loved seeing her with all the people that love her so much! She is so, so lucky to have wonderful grandparents, cousins and friends. I was so happy that everyone there was so glad to hold her and feed her and entertain her. It did give her Dad a chance to BBQ and her mom a chance to run around like crazy, but it also gave me such hope for this little girl's future. With all those awesome friends, how can she not have an awesome life? 

I had such high hopes for the cake eating event. I thought she would dive in, cover herself in frosting and eat the cake with glee. Instead, she initially got freaked out by all the attention. Then, she got excited to attack the cake, but when the frosting stuck to her hands, she got a bit nervous. I made a surprising discovery--Lucy is not a fan of cake! She wasn't really interested in eating it, even though she will eat anything in sight. She inhaled the watermelon and the burger earlier in the evening, but the cake was not intriguing her. Oh well! I'm sure she will be a sugar addict eventually (just like her Mama!) but for right now we can avoid sweets for a bit longer. Yay!

After the party and the excitement died down, we came home to our house. We let Lucy stay up late to open her gifts, and WOW she really loved them. She was thrilled with each new toy or book that we unwrapped. She even got a singing birthday card from her nanny that she carried around all night. Oh, my girl, I love her so much.

And now since this is a crafty blog, I thought I would just share a few crafty ideas, even though I didn't get a ton of photos. 

Chalkboard sign: Write a few notes about your baby, such as first words, likes and dislikes and how many teeth they have.

Ombre Cake: I made a three layer cake with lemon on the bottom, yellow in the middle and white on the top. It was delicious and cute! I topped the cake with some messy frosting and a handmade banner made with skewer sticks, paper triangles and baker's twine.

Personalized Cake: Since I used three cake boxes (yikes!) to make the three layer cake and cupcakes, I had an extra to make a cake just for Lucy. I used a heart shaped cookie cutter to add a little detail with pink sprinkes right in the middle. I made the #1 myself, with some corrugated cardboard and TONS of glitter.

Even thought I am EXHAUSTED, this party was a lot of fun! Thanks for reading and enjoying these photos!

ONE YEAR OF LUCY

Month One: Sleepy and Sweet Month Two: Easy and Smiley Month Three: Awesome and Difficult Month Four: Stationary and Giggly Month Five: Cute and Wakeful Month Six: Fussy and Hungry Month Seven: Independent and Challenging. Month Eight: Curious and Active Month Nine: Perfect and Content Month Ten: Chatty and Playful Month Eleven: Silly and Fast 

Month Twelve: I love this baby girl to pieces. She is in fact, no longer a baby, since she's a year old! But she's not a toddler yet, because she's still not walking. She stands up really well, and all by herself! To her Dad's excitement, she is a great little squatter; up and down she goes without holding onto a thing. She's even taken a couple of first steps, but seems content to crawl everywhere since she's such an expert.

I feel that in the last month, Lucy has grown up so much. She is so aware of her surroundings, and starting to understand our words. When I read a book to her, she can point to the dog and the cat, and she LOVES to hear me say animal sounds. She has started to clap and wave good-bye and give hugs on demand. That's just the best. She's has grown into such a happy and sweet girl and we are so in love! On another note, she has started to exhibit a little attitude. She deliberately throws her eggs when she is finished with breakfast. At her birthday yesterday, she did a lot of fake crying when she couldn't hold a balloon.

I am a little nervous for this next year, but I'm excited too! There will probably be lots more food throwing and fake crying, but there will also be lots more hugs and kisses too. I am thrilled that Lucy will be walking and talking soon. Year Two will be an adventure!