10 reasons...

...To throw a fall party! 

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Goooooood September morning! How is it already September; can someone please explain? Not that I am complaining. Fall is my absolute favorite season of the year. I simply love it. The crisp air, the colors of the leaves, football season, boots & jeans... the list goes on; what's not to love? I am currently itching to throw a fall party (you know, because planning a fall wedding is obviously not enough). Here are a few reasons why: 

1. 

Let's start from the outside and work our way in. How adorable is this front entryway? I heart the monogrammed pumpkins and will have a pile at least one in our entryway this fall. 

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2. 

I'm still hung up on the front door. How cute is this? 

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3. And this? We do have a backdoor, too. Plenty of wreath space to go around!

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4. 

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5. How cute (and functional) is this?

 

6. This looks delicious! 

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7. repurposed pumpkin. 

7. Really want to try this, too. 

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8. 

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9. cute invitations? yep!

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10. and of course, a reason to break out cute fall clothes! 

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Happy Friday! And (almost) fall!

October, don't go!

I can't believe October is almost over. It's (as I'm quite sure I've mentioned before) my favorite month of the year. Pumpkin spice lattes, my birthday, festivals, leaves changing colors, crisp mornings... I could go on and on! October, stay for a bit longer! My month has been filled with traveling, lots of football, family time, and of course, my new pup. The past weekend was a perfect October weekend. My brother, his dog, and several of his friends ventured to Nashville and we enjoyed a night out on the town and tailgating on Saturday. On Sunday the beau and I enjoyed free Titans tickets (on the 50 yard line!). It was great. The weather was perfect- warm and breezy during the day and cool at night. Perfect.

 The usual game day cookies... 

And some some mini chocolate chip cookies with bourbon cream cheese icing. 

The beau and his toy.

Go 'Dores! 

My brother and our "babies". 

The beau and I at the Titans game

Fall decor, part 2

As promised, here are more pictures of outdoor fall decor. I'm still working on the inside at this point! I posted a sneak peak of the kitchen table. It very well may change, however. It was thrown together after the beau was every so thoughtful and brought me flowers last week. Fall colored flowers, at that! He's good.

We've recently revamped the back patio. The beau put in several long days digging up the existing rock/weeks and replacing them with pavers. The beau also painted the back patio a nice chocolate brown. I was hesitant at first but love the final result! We still need a rug but haven't been able to find a reasonable one that coordinates with the colors we're already using.

Remember this?  Here's the completed project. Not sure what I will do with it post football season!

Taste of fall

I love to bake, especially during the fall and winter. There's nothing like the scent of cinnamon and nutmeg mixed with pumpkin or apple... And, of course, the end result with a little bit of vanilla ice cream. I think my mouth is watering! I've tried multiple "fall" recipes over the last couple of years. Some have been tossed after one try and others have become fall classics. I like to try a new recipe every couple of weeks- Southern Living online is my go to! Now... For the recipes!

I have made this pumpkin bread recipe for the last several years, multiple times a year! It's a classic. If you like pumpkin you should definitely try it. Don't let the long list of ingredients fool you- it's really simple. You put everything in a bowl and mix! It makes 2 loaves, too, which is nice. I usually make one to give and one to keep.

(Image retrieved from southernliving.com) 

This apple bread recipe immediately made it's way to my "favorites" list. I changed it up a little bit- instead of letting the bread completely cool I poured the topping on while the bread was still warm and in the pan. I also used pecans only in the batter and omitted those on top.

(Image retrieved from southernliving.com)

Enjoy!

football season isn't complete without good tailgating!

College football season is officially underway (yes, I realize I am a few weeks behind on this proclamation). Football season=fall and fall=my ABSOLUTE favorite season! The beau has hosted tailgates for Vanderbilt football for several years now- you know, the typical- a tent, table of food, and plenty of coolers filled with ice cold beer. And then I came into his life. The beau and I started dating during football season last year and I certainly contributed each week I attended- a queso dip here and there, cookies every now and then, nothing major. This year, however, is a different story. Between the beau and I we have created quite the tailgate scene! It's a little Martha Stewart meets all-that-is-manly. (Not sure if the beau knew what he was getting himself into)

First, the beau has recently designed and had built a HUGE smoker on a trailer (can we say redneck??). I was quite skeptical initially... Until I tasted the end result. Incredible! Smoked brisket, ribs, and sausage. Seriously some of the better ribs and brisket I've had- and it was his first shot at it! Though we got some funny looks driving with a smoking trailer hooked up to the Yukon...

Second, we've recently added a new set of cornhole boards to our tailgate collection. We bought them from a vendor in Nashville and I undertook painting them. It took several days but we were both pleased with the end results! Without further ado, I present pictures from our first (of many!) co-hosted tailgates.

I didn't get many pictures of the actual tailgate due to the rainstorm that almost blew our tent away! I'll take more pictures next time.