Fall is in full-swing here and we're enjoying perfect jacket weather. We finished our outdoor kitchen just before our shoot a couple weeks ago, but can't show you the full thing until the magazine comes out next summer! However, enjoy the sneak peek. :) Last night, Chris made turkey burgers with apple butter, arugula, whole grain mustard and aged white cheddar and it was the perfect bite of autumn. He absolutely loves the new grill that SABER Grills sent us, and no amount of cold weather is going to stop him. Seriously, if you're looking to build an outdoor kitchen, these are the grills to get.
• We so appreciate all the condolences on behalf of Charly this week. It's been so difficult for our whole family. We spent one whole night looking at puppies thinking getting another dog right away was the only way we were going to feel better, but then we realized, we need to grieve. It's okay to be sad right now. We're supposed to be sad after losing Charly. She was so special to us. So right now we're grieving. So many things are helping us get through this difficult time, but a friend dropped off this book, Dog Heaven, and it has really helped our girls and it's heart-warming for us too.
• I love to be cozy and warm, but still look put together when the weather gets chillier and H&M has the best sweatshirts that check all the boxes for me right now! I bought this knotted one, this ruffle-sleeve one, and this khaki green one (only $10!).
• Jenny consistently pulls out some of the best DIYs on the internet, and her tutorial for that little black fridge (that was a basic stainless apartment fridge to start with!) did not disappoint. Check out the easy tutorial here.
• A $56 Faux Fiddle Leaf with good reviews?! I'm intrigued!!
• The most intricate, tiny art studios. Amazing!
• Our halloween party is right around the corner, and while I'm not a seasonal decorator, I pull it out for the big night. These budget-friendly Black Iron Candelabras are classic and beautiful and my kind of Halloween decor. Can't wait to use them year after year.
Hope you all have the best weekend! It's Chris's birthday today and we're going up to the mountains and to a pumpkin patch with the girls and he always wants a Reese's ice cream cake...so they'll be that, too.
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I got my fiddle leaf fig today and it's the best fake that I have seen! Yeah qvc!! I did prop it up to the top of my planter to make it look taller. The sculpting of the branches like they have in the picture doesn't seem possible but I got it to look pretty good! Thanks for posting the link Julia!
Wahoo I purchased the fiddle fig from your awesome link :) I am so excited to find one at this price- will try to follow up at the end of the month when it arrives!
After our 100-pound black lab passed away, we read Dog Heaven and had to laugh: the description of dog heaven is, in fact, a perfect match for our backyard, a vast expanse of lawn on an enormous pond, full of easily ruffled, loudly quacking ducks and geese. We imagined Jack there easily, and it helped us grieve and heal. We will imagine your Charly frolicking on the pond too, and we will remember to give her a scratch behind the ear and tell her, "Good girl, Charly! Best girl!" She will be waiting for you, angel dog.
Love the sweatshirt choices. What size did you go for? I'm petite but like my sweatshirts a little bigger fitting to cozy up in them.
I usually wear small tops, but I went for a medium, except in the ruffle one which is oversized, I went with small. :)
Is your outdoor table IKEA? If so, would love to hear how it holds up - we have got the same one last summer, tarped it last winter and it definitely isn't the same this year. We had to sand and restain the top, and the individual boards are warping so it's no longer a flat surface. I'm so disappointed because I love it and how adjustable it is.
Ours is holding up really well, but we have a storage unit we put it in for winter.
I shed tears when I read your Charley post - because it was so like our experience of losing our 9 year old shepherd, Bob, to an aggressive cancer. Like you we decided we needed time to grieve but after 3 months we knew that not only did we mis Bob but we also missed just having a dog in the family. So we went to the pound and adopted a dog that was about to be euthanised because no one wanted her - the reasons being that she was six years old, arthritic, had no training and was black ( people don’t want black dogs apparently). So she came home with us and six years later is still with us - lighter, in less pain, well trained ( which was far less effort than training a puppy) and loved to bits by the whole family. In the long run Bobs death made some sense - we wouldn’t have adopted Emily if we hadn’t lost Bob. We couldn’t save him but we could save another dog. Whenever you decide the time is right to welcome another dog into your family, please consider giving an unwanted dog a home instead of buying a puppy.
What a beautiful story. We rescued Charly and loved the experience. When the time is right, I hope we are guided to the right dog for us.
Happy birthday to Chris! Where do you get a Reese's ice cream cake!?!? Also, so, SO sorry about Charly! I dread the day we have to say good bye to our boxer... They hold such a special place in our hearts! So sweet how you spent your last days with her!
DQ!
I used to think that too-about needing to grieve. But my mother pointed out to me (wise woman she is) that it’s really about getting stuck. Take it from someone who has been around dogs for over 40 years-the sooner you get a new dog, the sooner you will feel better. “A new dog never replaces an old dog, it merely expands the heart”.
Love that
Julia, if you are still wanting more soft and cozy sweatshirts I can't recommend this one highly enough: https://www.target.com/p/women-s-crop-hoodie-mossimo-supply-co-153/-/A-52451732#lnk=sametab&preselect=52434927
I have the grey stripe one and I would gladly wear it just about every day! It looks stylish but it's still a hoodie!
Oooo!
I love that faux fiddle leaf fig! I've been looking for an affordable one for a while, and I think I'll pull the trigger on this one. Do you have recommendations for a planter to use with it?
I love to put them in a basket
Happy Birthday to Chris!
I just ordered that fiddle leaf fig this week! It's supposed to be delivered tomorrow and I'm crossing my fingers that it looks GOOD.
Kristin F. what are your thoughts on the fig? I'm thinking about ordering one!!
When our dog died, a friend gave us the book, Dog Heaven. It's such a sweet book. Someone had given it to her when her dog died, and she asked us to pass it along someday to someone else who needed it. I remember the book and her gesture fondly. We had an opportunity give the book to a friend a few years later, and we encouraged her to follow the same instructions. I love the idea of that book moving from house to house, offering comfort, just like all of our dogs once did.