October Family Fun!

        This is our first fall season here in Cali and we were able to squeeze in some festive family events.  We went into the wine country of Temecula to Peltzer Farm and had a blast! There is pumpkin picking, petting area, pig races, train rides, pony rides, food and plenty of memories to be made. Its only open the month of October, but there is a winery located at the farm as well and they host weddings and much more throughout the year. 

    This past Saturday we drove down to Fallbrook and enjoyed the Myrtle Creeks Fall Festival . It is a two day event where there is local craft vendors, food, a hayride, goats to pet, and pumpkins to enjoy. It is much smaller than Peltzer Farm, but it makes for a nice easy morning outing and being able to enjoy the season. 

       Our church hosted a fabulous Trunk or Treat and Payton had a blast! We thought she might be hesitant with all the costumes and such, but once she caught on that going to each car she would get a treat we were more or less following her lead. Awesome family time and great way to reach out to the community. 

All cowgirls need some shades!

    Hope ya'll are having a blessed and wonderful fall season full of memories, and family time. 

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Autumn: The Magic Hour

              Fall has yet to show itself here in Cali. We have had cool mornings and breezy days, but nothing that sends that chill down your spine and has you running for your coziest sweater. I am not expecting a New England fall by any means, but highs in the mid nineties is down right discouraging. So for now I can only dream, and be inspired by images of fall and hope the weather takes a change soon. 

     Hope these images inspire you to dream... 

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3 Little Projects

         Right now we are not tackling any BIG home projects, but that does not mean I have not been a busy bee. I left SC with a to do list and have been trying to complete it here in Cali. A dear friend gifted us a kids table and chairs that were well loved and used by her little boy. I had plans to revamp it and make it a bit more feminine for Payton, but still a bit neutral for future use. 

     It is a simple table with two yellow chairs and two red chairs and a royal blue table with matching frame. It took me a while to narrow down material and colors. I knew I wanted an oil cloth in a relatively simple classic pattern. I found this on Amazon and it is sold by the yard with free shipping so it was a perfect fit. I decided to paint the chairs Krylon's Catalina Mist in satin. The four chairs took four cans of paint to cover up the bold primary colors.

     I chose to work with the royal blue frame and not to paint it a different color. I found the matching color to spruce it up and cover some of the dings and nicks. 

       Second project was one of contention with my hubby. We have this decorative framed wall addition in our dinning room that he is not a fan of. I personally am not "in love" with it, but can live with it and wanted a stab at trying to make it work for us. I figured if it was an epic fail we can just rip it out, but that would include new dry wall, paint, and a lot of hassle. 

          I used basic chalk paint and needed two coats to completely cover everything. The items on the wall I collected from several different places and I really enjoy the ability change things up at any time. 

Gather 

Poster Hanger

Print  

(Other items:  the three pots I found at Joann's, the basket they are sitting in I got in Japan, 

but have seen many like it at Michael's, Hobby Lobby, Target) 

         Finally, I have these side stools I found at Home Goods four years ago and I used them pretty much in every room in our South Carolina home. They are versatile can be used as extra seating, foot stools, table, and can be easily moved out of the way for those impromptu dance parties. What was not working for me was the material it was hard to keep clean and over the years had a dinginess to it. Not to mention once we had a toddler game over! 
        So recovering them seemed a good option. I knew I wanted a warm, buttery, cognac faux leather, but I really did have a hard time trying to find what I was envisioning. I went to Joann's, Hobby Lobby, Michael's, online shopping at Amazon, fabric.com, and finally found what I was looking for on Etsy. Love the color, it is very easy to work with supple, its eco friendly faux upholstery leather so can really be used in so many ways. 

I only needed one yard for both stools and had a good amount left over.
These were my tools, and despite it being a bit tedious at times, and project itself is very basic and easy. 

Corners were the hardest part, not super happy at the way mine came out,
 but you got to throw in your towel at some point. 

This room is still a work in progress, pics on the back wall, and needing some lamps, but getting there. 

      ... Now on to more projects! 

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Etsy Finds

         To those who know me it is not a surprise I love to shop! After living overseas, and becoming a mom my online shopping skills are honed in. Even though I enjoy getting out, kid free, and shopping solo for a few hours that really only happens once and a while. So my main perusal method is online when I can carve out some time usually my kids nap or bed time. 
       So I thought I would share a quick post on my most recent and loved purchases from Etsy. 

      * CascadeIronCo - I did a good amount of online shopping to find these iron brackets for open shelving. Great quality, sturdy, shipped on time, I would absolutely use this product again and am actually thinking of using this in our kitchen redo. 

      * BittyandBoho - I am currently in the "baby" season of life where at some point someone I know and love is welcoming a little bundle of joy into their lives. Thus, I'm always on the look out for cute items to gift to the expectant parents. Love the unique saying and graphics! Shipping was speedy and packaging super cute! 

     * floralandfern - So this is a more personal referral my dear friend has a very precious shop with to die for little girl head bands.  

             These head bands are soft and because they have the nylon band it grows with the little ones head and does not leave marks on their precious noggins. She just released her fall colors, LOVE!!! and about to order some more for friends, family, and myself. Also, for all my Texas A&M friends this maroon & white is for us! since football season is coming up. WHOOP! 

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Summer Get Away

      The Williams have pitched our "short term" tent in Fallbrook, Ca since the beginning of June.  Despite the situation not being ideal the location really is a huge blessing. We were able to find a lovely tucked away airbnb in the hills of Fallbrook. The owners are an "more mature" couple who have graciously opened their one bedroom detached mother-in-law cottage to us. 
   We have use of our own living space, kitchen, laundry facilities, outdoor dining, and pool area. What made this place attractive to us is they had several weeks in a row open for renting so we would not have to move around a lot. Also, they are working with our flex closing date so we won't have to move to another place before we move in to our Temecula home. Sweet peeps! 

      Fallbrook is a smaller community, but can boast of some really lovely hidden treasures that Payton and I visit on a weekly basis. We love going to Myrtle Creek Botanical Gardens and Nursery.  It is literally 5 minutes down the road from us and is truly such a tucked away treasure. It is a gardeners inspiration and Payton loves walking around the grounds and feeding the goats! Even though it will be a 20 minute from where we will be living I'm still planning on coming to buy some of my plants, and just to hang out and enjoy the gardens.  
     According to one of the employees they decorate for the fall with pumpkins and go all out for Christmas with real trees, and fake snow... defiantly will be checking that out

Out the back of the store, which is super cute!,
they have an area where you can build and buy your own fairy gardens.
This would make a super cute date for Payton she loves going back there
and arranging the fairy homes and furniture. 

         The nursery is also right next to a local park that we visit regularly, Live Oak Park . We usually go there for the play area, but there is plenty of shaded pavilions, and eating areas as well as across the road a designated enclosed dog park. 
        You know when you have those mornings when the sooner you can get out of the house the better for all involved, well on those days Payton and I go to Fallbrook Coffee Company. They use fair trade coffee and their net proceeds to back to supporting the Fallbrook community. Its a relaxing, local shop with great coffee and food. Payton loves watching the fish that they have in their out door fountain area. 

`

Other places we loved to eat  ... Oink and Moo 

                                                   Fire House Que and Brew 

                                                                             Vince's Pizza 

I have no doubt there are plenty more hidden gems in Fallbrook we spent a lot of our day in Temecula with house hunting and general errands that we were not able to do more in-depth  searching of Fallbrook. 

     

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Kitchen Dreams

       Lately my mind has been spinning and twirling with DIY ideas. Most of the homes we have looked at and considered all need some form of upgrade and several projects would be required.
    Kitchens are one of the bigger endeavors you can tackle in a home upgrade. So many connecting elements that need to flow and compliment as well as being practical and usable. For most families the kitchen is the heart of their living, laughing, and memory making.  
    First order would be to figure out the layout you want/ or have to work with, and then what elements can you keep, reuse, or need to replace. 
     For now I am left to dream about all the possibilities and wait till I have an actual kitchen to work with. When we get into a home I'll post all our improvements we tackle in hopes some of my leg work, mistakes, and ideas will make it easier on someone else trying to do the same. 

.... I'll leave you with some images that inspire me.... 

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The Golden State

           We have been in Cali going on seven weeks now and living in our second airbnb. Our first 10 days my parents come out with us, my Dad driving with Greg, and the ladies flew. Driving from Sc to Tx with a two year old was enough for me flying the second leg of the trip was a life saver! We were able to snag a quaint cottage in Oceanside, Ca about a block over from the beach. 
    Despite having our house hunting hats on and being laser focused we were still able to relaxing to the sound of the waves and enjoy the ocean breezes. It was such a blessing to have my parents for the time that we did. As a mom I define luxury so differently now, while my mom was with us she made me coffee in the morning and breakfast! WHAT!!! it was like a warm blanket and on par with an uninterrupted great nights sleep. 

   Our time in Oceanside seems like a life time ago, but it was sweet and filled with wonderful memories. When we were not house hunting we ate at several great restaurants and the farmers market on Thursday morning is worth a stroll through. 

We were also able to go to Birch aquarium and La Jolla beach to see the seals


   
   





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The journey is half the fun!

South Carolina > Texas 

      I tend to just want to rush through the journey and hurry up and get to the destination. Even though that is my default setting I have learned, multiple times, that some of the sweetest experiences, best memories, and ah-ha moments happen during the journey. 

     This particular PCS began in early May going from Beaufort to Texas where we spent most of the month of May with family. 

    We were blessed to spend some time in Dallas with the Whites!! dear military friends who were stationed with us in Japan... and fellow Texans. It was such a sweet time and good for the soul. 

Mr. Jack being a gentleman and driving the lady around 

.... AND who am I kidding of course we went from Dallas to San Antonio via Waco... 

  

 Our little gal turned 2 when we were in TX so we got a rare opportunity to celebrate with both sides of the family and Paytons' birthday got extended over 2 weeks .... she did not mind especially if she got double the cup cakes. 

      Also, its soooo nice to be around family especially when you get to go out on a real date! like not an anniversary, birthday date like a real, just cuz, date. We went to Whiskey Cake in San Antonio, recommended by the sis-in-law, it was amazing! totally recommend. 

     Get the whiskey cake! it was life changing... or maybe just eating a wonderful dessert with out a toddler was amazing. Either way it was divine.

Also, found this recipe on Pinterest for a copy whiskey cake recipe so once we settle down
I will attempt to make it and let ya'll know how it is. 

        Sadly I did not take nearly as many pictures of all the time we spend with grandparents,Uncles & Aunts, and cousins. But we loved every moment! and miss being with everyone and seeing them daily. Come visit!!!  

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Zoo-tastic!

     We ventured out today to the San Diego Zoo and had a blast. Payton's first trip to the zoo and she was on a sensory high. It was a lovely cool morning and we got there right when it opened which is not hard when your kiddo is up at 6:30 ready to play! 
    It is an easy zoo to navigate with plenty food, shade, and rest areas. User friendly maps to help you figure out what animals are where and despite some hearty hills it really is not a bad walk. 

Guys I really need to work on my selfie skills!

    {FYI: Since Greg is active duty he and Payton are free and then we purchased my ticket on base so were able to get it at a more reasonable rate. Just for future references for other military} ... We are really considering doing a year pass. 

        We got tons of compliments on Payton's dress and how "appropriate" it was for the occasion. I purchased it months ago, sadly not available anymore, because I just could not handle how cute it was. So thought I would do some online shopping to find some other stellar threads that would  set your little one up for zoo-tastic success

        *Most of the above items are currently available at Gap, Old Navy, H&M, and Etsy. 


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