5 favorites of fall: small gatherings

hosting small parties, purposeful ones and for no good reason parties, is something i cherish. 

and it's definitely something i look forward to this time of year as the holidays roll around.

tonight matt and max and i are having a small gathering of friends and family over for soup and pumpkin carving...caramel apples and kettle corn and bluegrass records.

there is nothing better than making a fuss over the people you love the most!

happy happy weekend, friends!

tomorrow, matt and i are heading over to my sister amy's house for her and nate's annual halloween party. our costumes are pretty ridiculous this year! 

i'll have lots to share come sunday.

5 favorites of fall: tricks and treats

 dressing my buddy up in funny costumes and toting him around town for candy on halloween night is definitely something i look forward to this time of year! he's been some doosy of some characters...a bumble bee (ssqqquueee! baby max!), a jester, a knight, batman, a skele, a cowboy, and this year....a ninja? boys! i try to make his costumes for tricks and treats but he's bucking the system this year. he found a ninja costume at the store that made his heart skip a beat...dragons and ying yangs and all...and mama couldn't refuse. 

(but between you and me...i'm making him a back up homemade costume anyways..haha)

 

growing up, we didn't celebrate halloween. and i never particularity felt deprived...my mom would usually take us out for a movie or have a "harvest party" on trick or treat night. but it's always been something i've been fascinated by, always seeming just a little bit forbidden. and something i knew for sure i would want to experience through my little ones when i was an adult!

although a harvest party sounds pretty good too!

so let me live vicariously through all of your childhoods! what was your favorite halloween costume when you were little?

5 favorites of fall: cold morning coffee dates

newly chilly fall mornings are my favorite time to sneak away for a quick date before work.

a handsome guy, no makeup with a side of bedhead, warm coffee cup hand-holding, scarves, and pumpkin chai. 

don't mind if i do!

sweet and salty

 my guy loves pretzels...well, pretzels and mallard ducks...but that's a whole other story.

i've never seen him meet a pretzel he didn't like!

we just recently discovered the wonder of ice cream on a pretzel cone and haven't looked back.

it's the best mix of sweet and salty and we're completely in love.

a new summer favorite!

you can buy little packs from our local ice cream shop if you're in the dayton area. 

and i did a little digging online and found this site that sells them.

delicious! 

what are your new favorites this summer?