October Love List

I can't believe that October is almost over! It seriously seems like it just started. Not to mention, Harper turned 9 months old last week! Wasn't she just born, like, yesterday? Anyway, here is a list of things I'm loving this month:

1. Halloween clothes for Harper: Everyone knows by now that I love holidays, and dressing Harper accordingly. It is just so fun being festive! Ive been planning her October wardrobe for a while and Im so excited she finally gets to show it all off! Here's a few of the things she will be rocking all month.

Cat mask pjs, Boo onesie, Orange pants, Cat hat, Boo dress, Carter's outfit

2. Pumpkin Spice: Yes, I'm one of those people. I'm totally obsessed with anything and everything pumpkin spiced! Lattes, M&Ms, coffee creamer, cookies...the list goes on. Since it only comes around once a year, I definitely take advantage and go a little pumpkin crazy in October. 

3. Mom Mail Exchange: Ok, so this isn't exactly exclusive to October, but it was my first month to participate and it was so much fun! It started on Instagram as a way for mom's to meet other mom's (follow @mommailexchange for more info). You get paired with a different mom each month and get to know each other through IG and email and then exchange themed boxes of goodies worth around $30. Here's what my awesome new mom friend sent me this month!

4. The Pumpkin Patch: Harper and I tagged along with my mom's pre-k class on their field trip last week to our local pumpkin patch and had a great time! Harper loves pumpkins so I knew it would be a hit with her from the start. We rode a hayride out to the patch, picked our own pumpkin and then painted it. We also bought some mums and had a delicious chicken and dumpling lunch along with a piece of pumpkin pie! (Made with their own pumpkins of course). I can't wait to take Harper back year after year as she gets older.

5. Baby Halloween Costumes: There are so many cute costume options for babies! I have been looking on Pinterest for weeks trying to decide and finally went with the good old fashioned pumpkin. :) Its such a traditional "my first Halloween" costume in my opinion. I snapped a few pics of her in it already to use for Halloween cards to send to friends and family and I must say, she looks pretty adorable!

I cant wait to take this little one trick-or-treating next week! Even though she cant enjoy all the candy yet, Mama and Daddy still can ;) 

Goodbye September

Happy October! I'm so excited for this month full of football, pumpkin patches, chilly air, pumpkin spice lattes and of course, Harper's first Halloween! But first lets say goodbye to September and all the wonderful memories it brought :)

We took Harper to her first fair! We ate philly cheese steaks, homemade fries, funnel cakes and caramel apples. She loved seeing all the lights and hearing all the music! I can't wait to take her back next year and take her on the Ferris wheel! 

My baby turned eight months old! I seriously can't believe she's so old. Seems like she was just born and now she's only 4 months away from her first birthday! So crazy. 

We took a family trip to Chicago, which was so much fun! Tyler had to work and didn't get to go but we FaceTimed him every night :) Harper was so good throughout the whole trip! She went on her first airplane and train and did great on both. Here are a few pics from the trip

September was my birthday month! I had  to get a cupcake from Magnolia bakery while we were in Chicago. 

It was my first birthday as a mom and I couldn't have been happier to have my little Harper by my side as I blew out my candles :) 

Lastly, my sister-in-law got married this past weekend and Harper was the flower girl! I pulled her down the aisle in a wagon and she was so adorable. She danced and smiled and waved and loved all the attention! I think she's going to be a serious ham, that kid. We had so much fun at the wedding and reception and are so happy for Toni and Mitchem! 

September was a great month! I know October will be full of fun memories too. I especially can't wait to see a certain little baby in a tiny pumpkin costume :) 

Nail Colors for Fall

I have a serious nail polish obsession. Specifically Essie. I probably own at least 80 just from that brand, not to mention my ones from other brands. What can I say? It's my thing :)

I change my nail color all the time. At least once a week. My friends and I even used to have weekly "nail night" where we would, you guessed it, paint our nails. With fall fast approaching, I thought I'd pick some of my favorites for the season. Some colors are new and some are pretty old, but I still wear them year after year. They never go out of style! And of course, they're all my beloved Essie.

              The cast of characters.

 Little Brown Dress. A perfect chocolate brown. 

Vested Interest. A Fall 2013 color that I love! A dark slate teal. 

Wicked. And oldie but a goodie. A perfect oxblood color.

Very Structured. A burnt orange. Love it!

And clearly Harper's choice...

Smokin' Hot. Grayish purple. So pretty.

Head Mistress. A beautiful dark cherry red that's perfect for fall!

These are the colors I'm loving for fall this year. What are some of your favorite fall colors?

Fall Wish List

Next week starts the beginning of September, which to me equals the beginning of fall. I know here in Alabama it will probably still feel like the middle of summer but I won't let it crush my fall-loving dreams. Of course Im starting to plan my wish list for the season which is even more fun now that I get to also make a list for Harper! I hope she loves fall and holidays as much as her mama. Nothing thrills my soul more than a pumpkin spice latte in my hand, fringe boots on my feet and dark polish on my nails.

Here's a few of the things that  are making our list this year:

Moccasins for mama and baby | Happy Camper pullover | B&BW candles | Green tunic | Essie fall collection | Alabama jersey | Baby Gap clothes

A Summer Favorite: Fried Okra

Has anyone else been super excited about the weather the past couple days? Been feeling very fall-ish around here! But before I start pulling out my boots and hoodies, there is still technically another month of summer left to go. So tonight I made one of my favorite summer dishes for supper. Fried okra.

 My granny and mama have been making this for me all my life and now I make it for my family. It's really easy and sooooo good. I even make a few variations including my husband's favorite, what he calls "okra jubilee" which has okra, squash, and green tomatoes. Mmmmm. 

But tonight it's just plain ole okra. 

The first thing you need is okra. Duh. Wash them in a strainer and then cut the tops off with a knife and then just cut them up into small pieces and drop em in a bowl as you go. 

Then get a big gallon size Baggie and dump all the pieces in. I guess you could just skip the bowl altogether if you wanted to, and just cut your pieces right into the Baggie. But sometimes you spill some and make a mess so a bowl will catch any runaways. (My mama and granny don't use a Baggie, I just think its easier. But either way is fine).

Then dump in a couple scoops of corn meal. Some people use flour. We use corn meal. I also add some salt and pepper. Then just shake up the bag to evenly coat all the okra. 

Now heat up a skillet (preferably cast iron) and add about a half inch of oil. I use Wesson Oil and White Lily corn meal because that's what Granny uses. 

Once the oil is hot, add in the okra. I use a slotted spoon to scoop it out of the Baggie so I don't add too much extra corn meal. Don't mess with it too much at first or it will get mushy. Just let it be for a couple minutes until you see it start to brown and then give it a toss. After its golden brown and smells like heaven, you need to have plate with a few paper towels and your slotted spoon ready because it will burn quick. 

Scoop it out onto the paper towels to let it drain. At this point, while its still really hot, I like to sprinkle on a little more salt.

 While it drains I usually take my pan outside, dump out the grease, rinse it with a little cool water and then put it back in the stove on low. Once it's dry and warm, I'll put the okra back in to keep it warm until the rest of supper is ready. Plus it kind of crisps it up a little extra. Then it's ready to eat! 

This is one of my family's favorite summer dishes and its especially good if the okra is right out of the garden. I can remember being at my grandparents house when I was a kid and seeing Granddaddy bring in a huge basket of okra, tomatoes, squash, corn and peas from his garden and then Granny would cook it all up supper. Sometimes the simplest meals are the most delicious!

Harper's 6 month pics

I haven't gotten any professional pictures of Harper yet (I want to soon though) so this week I took a few myself for her 6 months. My mom helped me and took a few herself. We went to my parents house because they have a lot of land that would make the perfect backdrop for my summer themed ideas. Harper did such a good job and didn't fuss at all! These are a few of my favorite shots:

I love them all so much! I have to order a canvas of at least one I think. I was pretty happy with how they turned out for just taking them myself. I definitely want to get some professional ones made for fall and Christmas but I jjust had to share these sweet summer pics of my babe! 

Our week

This week is "Handy Week" here in Florence which is definitely one of the best weeks of the year to us locals. This year has been a little different for us though since Harper is here. We've just had to do more day things and not go out as late. Which these days is fine with us since we go to bed a lot earlier than we used to. It's been so much fun taking Harper to her first Handy events! 

We started the week by walking in the Handy 5k. We only did the 1 mile fun run though because it was miserably hot, even at 8:30 in the morning. Harper sat in her stroller and ate some mangos while we sweated it out in the blazing sun. She even wore her sunglasses for the occasion! 

We also went to dinner, and heard some great bands and are planning on taking her to the parade on Saturday that closes out the events. Also this week I have started sorting through all of Harper's clothes for fall and winter. I wanted to see what we have and what we still need, but mostly I'm just beyond excited for fall and was wanting a little preview of her adorable wardrobe! Last year when i was still pregnant, I got her the cutest poncho on sale at JC Penny's so I had to try it on her to see if it was going to fit for fall. 

I can't wait to see this sweet little nugget in her poncho, leggings and moccasin booties playing in the leaves in a few months! Fall is most definitely my favorite season and I'm sure I will blog about it probably a million times. Until then I'm trying to stay in the summer spirit and not get too far ahead of myself! Maybe a trip to the drive-in or the splash pad is in order :)