Friday was quite an adventure.  We woke up at 4:30 to drive my parents to the airport for their own trip and had decided the night before to just keep on driving, either to the Berkshires or to New Hampshire.  I checked the weather and it was suppose to be slushy (snow and rain mix) in the Berkshires and just cloudy in the White Mountains, so we choose the later.  After the airport, we continued north and saw something I’m definitely not ready to see yet… snow.  We drove in a snowstorm for about an hour or two, until dawn broke and we crossed the border into New Hampshire.  We actually had ice across our front bumper when we parked.  But once we arrived in North Conway, all was well.

We first had breakfast at one of my favorite breakfast spots on the planet, Peaches.  The restaurant is located inside a small cottage, and the interior is quaint and homey, like you’re eating at a friend’s grandmother’s house.  Every table is covered in napkins set underneath a glass tabletop, with the napkins detailing past patron’s glowing reviews (and some illustrations) of their experience to Peaches.  They’re fun to read and to see how far away some people have visited from.  I got the pumpkin pancakes (yum yum) and Jeff got his usual two eggs, toast, sausage and homefries.  Some things just never change.

After breakfast we did a little bit of shopping and browsing, stopping in little stores along downtown North Conway including a favorite of ours, Zeb’s General Store.  After browsing the many aisles of maple syrup, jams & jellies, kitschy moose items and other New Hampshire gifts, we decided on some handmade soap and of course, penny candy.  I even made a furry friend outside the store.  We stopped by another favorite (just to look, not to ride) across the street, the Conway Scenic Railway.  The train station is antique, along with the trains that are still running and operational.  We took a train ride last year during the foliage season and it’s really the nicest way to relax and enjoy colors of a New England autumn.

After spending plenty of time in North Conway, we ventured out into the mountains and into Crawford Notch State Park.  The scenery was amazing: twists and turns through forests peppered with reds, oranges, yellows, and browns, rocky cliffs and mountain peaks in the distances as well as to our sides, and all the while the perfect driving soundtrack (here and here) for such a gorgeous autumn day.  We passed many trail heads and finally choose the trail towards Ripley Falls.  After hiking through a canopy of golden birches, colorful maples and tall pines we came upon Ripley Falls, a 100 foot waterfall.  It was breathtaking and certainly worth the hike (which really wasn’t a difficult one at that).

Our day trip to New Hampshire had the right amount of relaxing in a New England village, as well as being surrounded by expansive and colorful forests and mountains.  All in all it was perfect, except for one thing: it was definitely too short.  Next time we need to go for a week!

{for more of my day trip to the White Mountains photos, check out my Flickr}

I am bursting with excitement over the invitation we received in the mail.  We have been invited to a wedding on Halloween (which in itself is exciting), but it’s going to be held at an art museum and the attire says to, “Wear something you can dance all night in!  Formal attire from any era is encouraged but not required.  Medieval, Renaissance, Victorian, Elizabethan, Gothic, Steampunk and basic black are options.”  If you happen to know me (in a blog sort of way or in person), you’ll know that secretly I’m an old lady that loves everything (especially clothing) from the 19th Century.  This is one of my biggest dreams come true!  Finally, a reason to actually dress up in a period outfit!  My husband is also very excited and has already determined to pick an outfit that’s inspired by Johnny Depp from Sleepy Hollow.  My head is racing… do I choose something more Edwardian, or something more Victorian?  It says there will be dancing, so perhaps I shouldn’t come with a big, fussy outfit.  But when else do you get to wear a corset and perhaps, an elegant hat?  My only question is how will I find clothing that could fit into this time period?  Most thrift stores carry clothing from the 1950s-1970s… so it will be hard to find items from pre 1900.  I don’t have a lot of sewing skills, but I think I’ll have to put them to the test and buy items that can be altered and changed to fit more of the style I’m looking for.  I’ve been lusting over these items as inspiration ever since.  How cool would it be to wear a mini top hat?  Any advice from loyal readers is much appreciated!

(dress by redthreaded)

(hat by the very talented Topsy Turvy Designs)

(a gorgeous vintage Regency dress from the collection of the Bath Museum of Costume in Bath, UK – an amazing museum for period clothing!)

This morning my husband and I went out for a walk at a local Audubon Sanctuary.  It was glorious.  I wish sometimes that I could capture these moments with you all and post a “scratch-and-sniff” link, because the smell of the woods was heavenly.  Leaves are just beginning to fade and fall, and the mingling of them with mounds of pine needles while baking in the sun was incredible.  The forest was quiet, except for a constant little “pop” and small “thud,” about every minute or so, as the animals start to pluck the acorns from the trees.  The paths were literally covered in acorns as apparently they’ve been at this for some time now.  The only other noise besides their acorn gathering, were our footsteps and the quiet hum of crickets.  Next time I’ve got to bring my other camera to capture this sound and share it with you all.

{for more of my morning walk images, check out my Flickr}

Last year my husband and I went to Shelburne Farm in Stow, MA for apple picking.  We went a little later in the apple season, during mid October, but there was still plenty left on the trees.  I remember coming home with about 25-30 lbs of apples and making apple crisp, apple pies, applesauce and all-things-apple for about 2 full months.  We actually went apple picking a few weeks ago to try another farm, but let’s just say the mix of rain and an “entrance fee” (on top of a price per lbs in apples, instead of the flat rate we paid for our large bag last year) made for a very stressful and unhappy day for my husband.  The start of fall is making me think it’s about time to go picking again (since we only picked about 8 lbs of apples and they’re already long gone), but this time back to Shelburne Farm.  Looks like I need to make some room in the freezer for sliced apples that should hopefully last into the winter!

{images shown are from our trip to Shelburne Farm in 2008}

Yesterday I had the pleasure of accompanying my sister, Mom, Nana, and new nephew (on his first real “outing”) to Phantom Farms in Cumberland, RI.  Although we didn’t do any real “farm” things (like pick-your-own apples), we were able to sit and have tea and relax in one of their eating areas.  They had wonderful pies and other baked goods (we did manage to sneak out with a peach pie – which was delicious!) as well as plenty of jams, jellies, and fresh produce.  Definitely a nice spot worth checking out, and perfect for those with a newborn who just need to get out of the house for a little bit.

{for more of my outings & experiences photos, check out my Flickr}

This past weekend was very special.  My dear friend hosted my husband and I as guests with her membership to a lovely nature reservation on a hot, humid, afternoon.  I finally got to do something I’ve been dying to do all summer: go for a swim.  Summer just isn’t summer without swimming to me.  The lapping of the gentle waves, the splashing and laughing of children jumping in the water, the sunshine dappling as a lone hawk flew overhead.  Who knew a simple 10 minute swim could be so refreshing, physically and emotionally?  Then afterwards, to be able to see my friend’s baby girl get to splash in her parents arms and experience the same joy of the water made it even sweeter.  To spend an afternoon on the lake with close friends was perfect indeed.

So how was it possible to top of such a great afternoon?  To go to the hospital where my sister had her first child and meet my third nephew.  Such tiny hands, such little eyes, but so much excitement and love for this new life.  Regardless of all the everyday to-do’s and worries, having a weekend with close friends, a simple swim, and the experience to be present for my new family member’s entry to the world makes me realize how perfect, rich, and full my life truly is.

Congrats to my sister and brother-in-law!  Good thing the baby shower was LAST weekend, and not this past one!

{for more of my outings & experiences photos, check out my Flickr}

Today is my last post on the details on my sister’s baby shower.  With the color scheme, theme, invitation, and menu already shared, all that’s left is showing you the decorations, table settings, and favors.  When I was searching for inspiration on decorating, I turned to the very talented Chelsea Fuss and fell in love with her Orchard Wedding Table.  We decided to have the “picnic” tables on the back porch that would allow the red, white, and green colors to pop as well as add to the summery outdoorsy feeling.  I hung cherry red and green apple paper lanterns from red and white striped bakery string near the ceiling and covered the tables with white tablecloths.  I found a perfect red and white pin-striped fabric and made the table runners for each table.

I loved Chelsea’s use of bottles, so I found vintage milk bottles on Etsy and eBay to act as vases and filled each with white, red, and light green flowers.  I wanted the flowers to emphasize the picnic setting, looking simple and relaxed, like I had the milk bottles on hand and cut the flowers fresh from the garden.

On every table I scattered several Richard Scarry characters driving in cars and vehicles, as well as baby and childhood photos of the parents-to-be.  I also was inspired by Chelsea’s use of fruit as centerpieces and places several bowls of Bing and Rainier cherries on each table to add to the late summer atmosphere (as well as adding more red to the color scheme).

The favors were also inspired by the Orchard Wedding Table design, but instead of apple butter, assorted jams (blueberry, cherry, apricot, and plum) were topped with green apple gingham fabric, tied with red and white bakery string, and finished with a tag (with of course, a Richard Scarry character).

It was a lovely day and we were truly lucky to have absolutely perfect weather.  Sunny and warm, but cool enough to leave the glass porch doors open for a soft breeze to flow through the room.  Absolutely perfect summertime picnic weather.  I had so much fun planning this event with my Mom for my sister and wanted to make this event as special as she is.  I am so excited for her to be a Mom and can’t wait to meet baby James!

{for more of my perfect parties photos, check out my Flickr}

Yesterday I began showing you details about my sister’s Richard Scarry Summertime Picnic baby shower, and today I’m sharing with you the menu for the event.  To stick with our theme, we served everything we could think of for picnic food: an assortment of sandwiches (chicken salad, egg salad, and seafood salad), tiny chicken wings, a mixed greens salad, fruit salad, and lots of sides (potato salad, macaroni salad, coleslaw, and pickles).

For beverages we served homemade raspberry ice tea, fresh lemonade, sparkling juices and several Italian sodas.  I also found three Richard Scarry toys on eBay to keep the refreshments company.

The menu was capped off by a fresh strawberry shortcake, assorted cookies, and vanilla cupcakes.  I created a simple and inexpensive cupcake tier (or as my Dad called it, a cupcake pyramid) using gift boxes of different sizes wrapped in brown kraft paper.  To bring the shower design elements to the desserts, I bought striped cupcake paper cups and designed Richard Scarry flags for the tops.  The entire day was full of yummy and delicious food (that also left plenty of leftovers for midnight snacks!).

Tomorrow, I’ll wrap up the posts on the shower with the details on my favorite part, the decorations, table settings, and favors.

{for more of my perfect parties images, check out my Flickr}

My sister’s baby shower was this past weekend and went wonderfully.  All the months of planning and scheming were well worth it and everyone enjoyed themselves immensely, especially the parents-to-be.  And, since it’s now past I can finally share with everyone the details of the shower (which has been killing me to keep locked up).  Today I’m sharing with you the invitation and theme for the shower, and later on this week I’ll show you photos of how everything turned out.

When my Mom and I originally started thinking of a shower theme, I remembered my friend Renee’s baby shower last year.  Her dear friend Jacki threw her a Very Merry Un-Birthday (a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party) and it was such an amazingly designed event.  Since her shower was based on a book, I asked my sister what her favorite childhood book was, to which she said anything by Richard Scarry.  I started brainstorming about how to pull this off, and once I saw this inspiration board via Snippet & Ink, I knew an August Picnic would be perfect.  So the theme was a “Richard Scarry Summertime Picnic.”

I designed and letterpress printed the invitations myself, scanning Richard Scarry characters in cars, bicycles, and airplanes from several of his books for the invite.  The colors of the invite were to reflect summery fruit: strawberries and raspberries for the inks and a warm, green apple envelope.  I was worried my sister would perhaps see the invite on a family member’s fridge or someone might “spill-the-beans,” but luckily she was completely surprised when she arrived to the party.

More photos and details on the shower to come this week!

{for more of my letterpress work images, check out my Flickr}

Summer is the perfect time to see and experience a movie at a drive-in.  My husband and I had our first (and so far, only) drive-in movie experience two years ago at the Wellfleet Drive-In in Wellfleet, MA (on Cape Cod) and loved it.  The weather was perfect and many people brought lawn chairs and watched the movie outside their car, while we stuck it out inside ours to beat the bugs.  They had a great concession stand and it was such a neat experience to watch a movie in private… and yet in public.  Unfortunately, many of these places, which were so popular decades ago, have become few and far in between as ridiculously sized and way too loud movie theaters become the norm (I am NOT kidding you: I wear ear plugs to movies now.  Yes, I’m an old lady already).  Thank goodness the few drive-in theaters that are left across the country have become places of historic value and importance, and many families still make use of them for a fun night out.  If you don’t know what to do for the weekend and the weather is perfect, check to see if you have a drive-in near you.

Jeff checking to make sure we were parked “just right” in front of the screen at the Wellfleet Drive-In in Wellfleet, MA.

The view behind our car: lots of happy families ready to “camp-it-out” in front of the big screen (with the concession stand in the distance to the right).