My Sweet Anna

I found this book and note on my nightstand last week.



"Dear Mommy,

I think you will enjoy this book as much as I did. It really is a beautiful story.

Love, Anna"

And she was right. I picked it up and could hardly put it down; the story of a ten year old girl who escaped war torn Vietnam with her mother and brothers to America; a refugee story. It was profound really, and explains why Anna is always a deep thinker, lost in a book, lost sometimes in thought. Although Anna's circumstances were very different I could see how she could relate to this story in her own way. She didn't loose and grieve for a country, but she certainly knows the pain of loosing a mother and having to start all over again.

I wrote back to her and told her I hope she spends her life loving books as much as she does now. Real books that make her think and realize that there is a whole world and so many other people in it. I told her that I hope to find many, many books (and sweet notes) on my nightstand throughout the years.

I can almost see the emails or the texts twenty years from now, "mom, you've got to read this book. You'll love it."

September House

Well here we are at the end of September. I'm kinda crazy about the fall decorating but I do the apple & back to school theme in September. And then promptly on October first the pumpkins and Halloween decorations come out. Then November first comes turkeys and all of those 'give thanks' decorations.



So before Tuesday when we're filled to brim with pumpkins all over the place, here is a  bit of apple and back to school I do around the house.  Is it totally boring to walk around my apple house with me?  Seems to me it would be boring but my favorite posts are always home posts.  Not pinterest of course but real live kitchens and family rooms where real people live.  I get so inspired when Billie Jo opens up her door and lets us peek in.  One of these days I'm getting a holiday tree with seasonal ornaments!  :) 



My word "home" and next to it a little painting Abigail did on a mini canvas of our home.  Love! 





Autumn cookbooks, can you really ever have enough? 







Tiny bathroom shelf but yummy Cortland apple candle. 







In our entrance way.  One of my favorite places to change seasonally. 



There were apple sugar cookies here yesterday! 



And we went apple picking this weekend... so for dessert tonight.  And to celebrate Anna's first Art Quest (more on that later) 









I have a small collection of pins from my teaching days (and even from when I was little). I like to take the pins that would match the month and keep them here on this silver tray for the girls to wear to school.



And there you have it.  It all gets changed tomorrow.  It's one day away from pumpkin time! 

Video

Over here we are so into making these little videos.  Okay, well I'm really the only one that LOVES them but Scott's pretty good at making them.  This one was quick and easy.  I know that I already shared my Maine weekend pictures but if I don't put this video here I'll be "lost" forever in the computer of mine.

Love Is The Maine Ingredient 2014 (part two)

My first batch of our weekend in Maine is here.  I think I'll finish it up today. 

Maine is just all good stuff.  Simple really. 



Like a breakfast restaurant in your rainbow jammies. Oh if you could hear the giggles and silliness. I wish I could bottle this up and give it to them when they're my age.







Testing out the pool water still in your jammies.



Walks into the cute little town.  Holding hands with Grandpa.



Help from big sister





New little stuffed lobsters



Old Fashioned candy shops



Afternoon swims at the pool





Walks on Marginal Way along the ocean





Climbing the rocks down to the little beaches



While the sun is setting





Perkins Cove, the other cute little town







With a darling toy store





It's leggings at night and lit up Christmas stores



Reading in bed



Popcorn and Disneys Robin Hood

It's an old one but if you haven't seen it, it's one where you'll say, "they don't make em like they used to." 


It's only two and a half days but we love it!

Dating You One ~ Movie and Appetizers

Do you remember this song?

Well that song inspired this gift for his 40th.





Do you remember the rules? On the first of every month he gets of open up one of these



to find out his date!

Well, he was dying to open that first envelope, couldn't wait I tell you!



I was crossing my fingers that he wouldn't think my first date that would be at home wouldn't be a dud.



And guess what he was happy. So we looked at the calendar, picked a date, and made it happen! (all though this one wasn't that hard) I cooked, chilled the wine, got the (boring) movie he's been wanting to see and even put on lip gloss after 8!



It was fun!



Here's the scrapbook page I made after.









And here's the video he made me and gave to me the week after that first date... be still my beating heart.

(okay, so I soooo thought this was going to be a "he's telling me he wants to adopt from China again" video... I mean he pulled me over to him, sat me down on his lap and asked me to watch this... my palms were sweating... hey a girl can dream!) Oh yeah, and this movie was a total and complete surprise... so I had no say over the pictures he chose. 



Oh I love being still in love with you Scott and I can hardly wait until our October date... and I promise we're actually leaving the house for this one. xoxoxoxoxo