the beginning.

Happy Holiday weekend.

it is now officially "the season."

I am Thankful: Day 4

can i really count/name/think of all the millions of things that im thankful for? i really cannot. and i love that. i hope that wherever you are, and whoever you are, you are thankful today. I hope you are loving your family and have a full heart and a full tummy. Happy Thanksgiving!

Halleigh Hill of Moment Prive: Thanksgiving Style!

head over to my photo blog to see more of Halleigh Hill's beautiful Thanksgiving dinner decoration!

(contact Halleigh here for more information on wedding and event planning)

I am Thankful: Days 2 & 3

...for chocolate covered strawberries.

...for warm blankets and seat heaters.

...for technology (most of the time)

...for hand sanitizer.

...for funny people to make me laugh.

...for learning to be a hard worker.

...and then learning to work even harder.

...for good health.

...for smart authors and my favorite books.

...for a time to be thankful.

I am Thankful: Day 1

Thanksgiving is on Thursday. As in...this thursday.

what?

how does time go by without me even knowing it??

moving on..i will be doing a thankful post every day until Thanksgiving. I really do have more to be thankful for though. i promise. i just dont know how to manage my time apparently.

i am thankful for nature.

for early morning drives down the I-15 back to california through icy cold temperatures and snowy mountains.

i am thankful for food. did you know i love food? especally pizza? this pizza in particular is from Pizza Port in Carlsbad. Its goood. (its also really really super busy on a saturday night!)

i am thankful for this guy. (who i happened to have been able to enjoy both the mountains and the pizza with:)

back.

and i will have a few things to share with you soon.

like how this guy is awesome. and i love him.

and how i wish i could see beautiful trees like this every day of my life.

and how i got to see my sister (who is up at school) that i miss dearly!

and how i got to see my other sister (and take her pictures!)

and even got to stop and see a friend of mine that i havent seen in years and take her family photos!

and how i got to take another family session for my friend Lauren and her family! ps..today Lauren is a birthday girl :)

yes. it was a fun few days away. and i miss it already!

greeting cards- "Fall Collection"

remember this post?

ive been putting together some photos for a "fall collection" of greeting cards.

these (7) images below are the candidates for the pack.

(i know...its a little late to be putting together a fall package.)

im thinking that each pack will come with 10 cards total. (5 images with 2 copies of each.) which means that 2 of these guys up there wont be included in the printing process...any voters??

more info coming with many more collections! :)

Oak Glen

a few years ago, Darren and I went with my family to Oak Glen in Yucaipa. I fell in love with it! The trees are beautiful. its as close as california gets to "seasonal." We decided it was time for a return visit.

you can pick your own apples here! how fun!

lunchtime.

candy time. this place had the

best.

fudge.

ive ever.

tasted.

petting zoo!?

and finally, if you asked both of us what we would say you just had to leave with, if nothing else?.....this is what we'd tell you:

him: apple donuts.

her: the cider. really. its that good!

feet day.

thats weird. i know. but i do have a large "feet" folder in my pictures file. and these two are new... enjoy?

he fell asleep practically mid sentence.

it was 6:30pm.

its November. right? the trees tell me it is. but the heat is telling me its still summer. its 90 around here these days. what is going on?!

we finally did it.

we finally finally got around to pumpkin carving this year.

darren's came out pretty cool.

and are you ready for the cheesiest of cheesey pictures?? here you go:

dont judge my "owl." thanks.

cinnamon rolls..(?)

i wanted something to taste like fall today. and darren loves cinnamon rolls. soooo i took a shot in the dark.

and this is what i got...i dont really know if theyre supposed to look like this?? in my sweet-tooth-cinnamon-craving-baking-loving mind, i was hoping for something more doughy. bready. with much thicker icing. 

but.

they tasted really really good! i promise! if you trust me even a little bit to try them, here is the recipe:

Cinnamon Rolls (adapted from this recipe)

Rolls:

2 1/2 c. flour (+ extra for the counter)

2 tbsp white sugar

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 c. buttermilk (i made a buttermilk substitute of milk and lemon juice)

6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted.

Filling:

3/4 c packed brown sugar

1/4 c white sugar

3 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Generously coat a 9 inch round cake pan and a wire cooling rack with vegetable oil spray.

2. Make the filling: combine together the brown sugar, 1/4 cup granulated white sugar, cinnamon, salt, and the 1 Tablespoon melted butter until the mixture resembles wet sand.

3. Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour; 2 Tablespoons white granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk and 2 Tablespoons of the melted butter together.

5. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until absorbed, about 30 seconds. The dough will look shaggy.

6. Turn the dough out onto a generously floured counter and knead until smooth, about 1 minute.

7. Press the dough out into a 9 by 12 inch rectangle using your hands.

8. Brush the dough with 2 Tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle the dough evenly with the filling, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Press the filling firmly into the dough.

9. Loosen the dough from the counter using a bench scraper or a metal spatula.

10. Starting at a long side, roll the dough, pressing lightly, to form a tight log.

11. Pinch the seam to seal. Slice the dough into 8 even pieces.

12. Place the slices in the greased pan.

13. Brush with the remaining 2 Tablespoons melted butter. Bake until the edges are golden brown, 20-25 minutes.

14. Use a knife to loosen the buns from the pan. Flip the buns out onto the prepared wire rack, then turn buns upright and let cool for 10 minutes before frosting withcream cheese icing. Prepare the icing while rolls are cooling.

today was a rainy day.

spooky

what makes me happy today:

its time..

..for pumpkins!
which means that its also soon time for:
-hot chocolate
-warm sweaters, scarves, gloves..[that is if it wasnt 100+ degrees outside??? what is happening?]
-pumpkin flavored/scented everything!
-peppermint in chocolate.
-cider.
-cozy.

i think that this year i will make more time for seasons. because i realize that by the time i turn around, its january! i will carve pumpkins. i will bake lots of cookies. (tough, i know) i will also eat lots of cookies. (darn:) and i will fill my home with smells of apples, cinnamon, and pumpkin spices...and i dont care what the weather has to say about it.

what the first day of fall looked like.