Apple Orchard

I went to our local apple orchard and pumpkin patch yesterday afternoon.

I was looking forward to bringing home my favorite fresh apples and cider, but the owners said that for the first time in 25 years, crops were not not good enough for selling. I did get this photo of the few apples on the trees. However, I did load up a trolley of cute pumpkins - I'll be back on Monday with some Autumn decorating! :)

My kids have both come down with the croup and I have been trying to get everyone in this house healthy again. My son had a cold last week. Then my daughter got croup, and then now she has a cold and my son is home from school today with croup. Crazy! They really want to go see "Hotel Transylvania" this weekend, so I hope they'll be feeling better soon.

 Then there is plans for our autumn woods walking - the trees are starting to really come into color here, as if overnight! I can't wait to get out there with my camera! 

Happy Friday! I am off to grab a cup of English Breakfast tea to perk up!

♥ ♥ ♥

Lara 

Coastal Michigan

Saturday we drove up to Michigan. My sister-in-law's wedding was held there - a beach wedding in New Buffalo City. The weather unfortunately did not hold good promise for sunshine and it got really cold and windy. So, the alternative ceremony plans in the reception hall were what became. It was a really lovely wedding and she was still able to head out to the beach for wedding portraits.

We spent some time at the beach playing and checking out the views of Lake Michigan from the top of the dunes observatory area. As you can see, lots of wind and the waves were crashing!

We now have a little boy with two front teeth out. :)

And a small glimpse of our table we sat at for the reception... my sister-in-law's wedding bouquet right here! The wedding and reception was held at the waterside

Marina Grand Resort - a beautiful, modern Scandinavian-design resort.

Before we left, we went back to the beach again and I gathered some beach pebbles.

I love the smoothness and the neutral grays. :)

Now we all have colds and are taking it easy and happy to be back in the comfort of home.

♥ ♥ ♥

Lara

Early Fall Changes

The sun was out this morning and it was just a gorgeous early autumn day. I cherish days like this where the light is beautiful and warm with soft breezes, so I went for an early morning walk. I was looking for leaves that were just starting to change colors. I love moments like that where it's just me, my camera, nature, and my eye for capturing the simple things; it uplifts me. :)

I love the way the leaves filter the early morning sunlight.

 So that's what I did - take photos of leaves, although there weren't many that were changing yet.

I collected some "autumn berries" for the wooden bowl. ;)

And I had to bribe my daughter to be a hand model again for me.

I think she is getting really irritated by it. ;)

I love autumn!

I hope you have a nice weekend!

♥ ♥ ♥

Lara

New Ballerinas for Autumn

Hi! Just a quick post from me because I have to continue tidying up the house. We have company coming over later this afternoon. We have family in town and a wedding this weekend. All the siblings on my husbands side will all be married now. :)

I got my daughter these red felt ballerinas for only $14.99 at Marshalls last night. They are by Cynthia Rowley. I think they look so cute on her paired with some cozy, ribbed tights.

The weather has definitely turned cooler now and I have already broken out my comfortable fleece yoga pants and pull overs. Chai tea is steeped daily and I am enjoying these early fall days reading lots of books. I hope to get back to more more regular posting next week. :)

Autumn Love,

♥ ♥ ♥

Lara

It's a Beautiful Day

Hello! Happy Monday to you!

I just love the month of September!

We are already beginning to feel the winds of change in the air.

 Warm sunlight with cool, comfortable breezes, golden fields, and leaves just ever so slightly changing from green to yellow. Yes, indeed, this weather is beautiful.

I took some photos of my daughter. I gave her a pink watercan for something to do {you know how that goes when you take photos of young kids} while I snapped away.

Then, I had her cut me some zinnias. She truly is as sweet as she looks. :) I feel so blessed to have such a sweet and articulate little girl.

Thanks for looking!

Have a great beginning of the week!

♥ ♥ ♥

Lara

Sunset and Haze

Good morning! I went for a walk in the prairie behind my house at the beginning of sunset yesterday. I wanted to try shooting into the sunset. Merlin followed me all the way into the tall grasses. He pounced on crickets and sometimes meowed for mama when I walked away from him. :)

All I have to do is say c'mon boy and he quickly follows me.

Have a wonderful Friday!

♥ ♥ ♥

Lara

My Martha Collection

Today I thought I would share my Martha Stewart book collection. I've been collecting for a few years now and I am always on the look out for a Martha book I don't have. I am proud to say that I haven't spent more than $2 on any of these books. My library has an annual book sale they hold every September. I make sure I am in line before the doors open! Then I make a beeline to the cooking, home, and gardening books. I usually find 3 Martha books - always in excellent condition. That is one of my little secrets for getting the books I want at next to nothing. ;) Check your local libraries around where you live; they just might have an annual sale.

You know what I really miss? I miss the good old days when Martha had her "Martha Stewart Living" show that aired on PBS. You know, the one where she did all her filming at her grounds at Turkey Hill. I loved that! And I miss that show format where it felt like you were a guest at her home while she walked her property {sometimes with gorgeous Himalayan cats} and taught you something. It felt more personal. I liked that. I watch her current show on Hallmark a lot, but I am so nostalgic for those old episodes. I wish they would release a video set for all those... back in the day where Martha, clad in L.L. Bean barn jackets, turtleneck sweaters, and wellie clogs got out and dug in her own gardens. Watching those old shows way back then sort of helped pave the way for the love of gardening I have today. Have you seen Martha Bakes? It's a bit like the old format. I like it. :)

Before I go, I wanted to share a photo I took of Livvy this morning... she just woke up and came down to the couch. I thought she looked extra cute, so I grabbed my camera. She is really loving kindergarten. She puts her backpack on way too early and when I tell her to take it off, she says very sternly "no! it makes me happy!" Too cute.

Square Crop

We have had rain all weekend, but a bit of sunshine is peeking out this afternoon. I love all the pink zinnias that are in my garden this year. They are so easy to grow, keep on blooming, and add oomph to my garden. I am getting very tempted to cut a whole bunch and make a big arrangement, but at the same time, I don't want to lose all that outside pink flower color. When you see a zinnia bouquet on this blog, you will know I have given in.

I've been playing lots with layers in Photo Shop Elements lately, and with textures, too. My favorite texture is a linen-like texture done on overlay faded out so it is very subtle. I have been really inspired by square format photos lately. They seem very challenging, {to me anyway} because I am so used to doing vertical format where I never crop; I have always just visualized the photo framing from the viewfinder and never cropped. With square format, I will definitely get some cropping practice. Plus, I think the square formats are so cute. I think I'm going to do more square photos to challenge myself.