As if we were enjoying a cup of coffee together this morning...

There is a low rumble descending from the clouds. It stirs my heart. The cloudy sky fooled me into waking later than normal. That will probably continue to happen as the days get shorter. Note to self: start to set an alarm clock.

It is Autumn here. There is snow in the mountains.

Slippers, sweats, open windows, and freshly brewed coffee make for a perfect morning.

No pictures for you. I left my camera in the back of my mother's SUV.

I woke with "Glee" music in my head.....again. And I like it.

My legs are aching. Badly. I went for a 3 mile run yesterday and spent bout 2 minutes doing lunges in the park. 2 minutes. And the lunges have me aching this morning. I just wanted to get my legs ready for ski season.

This week I am making winter meals because it is cold enough to open the house while I cook. I am excited for some of my favorite meals that we had to forgo during the summer that involve the crock pot and the oven. Tonight I'm cooking this recipe from my sister-in-law. Thanks, Merritt!

I am reading Toni Morrison again, one of my favorite authors. She is such a talented writer but her books are always so sad. Toni teaches literature at Princeton and has won both the Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize for Literature. If you haven't read one of her books, I recommend that you do.

I really thought I would have a job by now.

I am so moved when the weather comes in, be it wind, rain, lightning, or snow. It is such a peaceful reminder that I am not my own and that my current struggles are actually small and temporary. I love a great God who has moved the wind through this valley for hundreds of years, and he also moves me.

Mr. McBrayer makes me very happy. It is such a pleasure to spend each day with him.
And Duvick.

All tissue is NOT created equal

Okay, it's been awhile since I've harped on paper.

(photo by Blisstree)

I had a talk with my girlfriend last week about foregoing toilet paper. This was something that Mr. McBrayer and I discussed. With a wrinkled nose, Doons adamantly explained to me that he was drawing a line here with our Paperless in 2010 family campaign. I get it. It's very gross (maybe he'll be more interested when we enter a cloth diaper/baby wipe phase of our life?)

So we buy toilet paper. And if we're going to use the paper stuff, I just use my favorite roll: Charmin Ultra soft - is there any other toilet paper in the world that is so wonderful? I don't think so. It's like silk.

Today I happened upon this VERY HELPFUL recycled tissue and toilet paper guide from Greenpeace called "All Tissue is Not Created Equal" (click on the link to see the online PDF version). Greenpeace states:

Did you know? Americans could save more than 400,000 trees if each family bought a roll of recycled toilet paper - just once.

Amazing.

The pamphlet lets you know which paper products you should choose in four categories : Facial Tissue, Toilet Paper, Napkins, and Paper Towels.

When it comes to paper products, Hubs and I only use toilet paper, but I have discovered that my favorite brand of toilet paper uses ZERO post-consumer paper, and a chlorine bleaching process that is toxic and harmful to the environment. bummer. However, the Greenpeace pamphlet (that is small enough to fit in your wallet) recommends TEN alternatives that are greener. You will be surprised to hear that all 10 of those are 100% overall recycled papers and are Processed Chlorine -Free. Amazing.

Things I'm Loving Lately:

Sorry I've been MIA. 

I've been gone.

As I put my life back into order, I thought that a great post today would be a "Things I am Loving Lately" post, as I haven't done one since July. I really should do these monthly because they are so fun.

This is my backdrop on my computer screen right now (except I cropped out the floor and the"Ruche", so it's just the pretty white paper on the walls. I love it).

Click here for yours

Getting to meet this little pumpkin, Clara. (photo courtesy of her momma, sweet Callie)

I love Method hand soap. But something that I REALLY love is Method hand soap's refills in this bag instead of a huge plastic container like all the rest.

"Glee"

just in case you need a little taste of "Glee's" best:

Utah Peaches are in season at our Farmer's Market. Soooo yummy

My favorite beer of all time is finally in stores: Harvest Moon!

Aspens in the Fall

(photo by Kenneth Wyatt)

Roller Derby

Saturday night Doons and I went to see our first Roller Derby game. I found two tickets for super cheap on Groupon (check for local coupons in your town!). 


We had a blast!!! It was a really intense and active sport to watch - unlike a lot of games that are long and sometimes boring. I loved it. Most cities have Roller Derby leagues. You should see if your town how one - it's a blast!

Mr. McBrayer and I left discussing which of the jammers were the best and tossing around names for ourselves if we ever played Derby.

Sour Cream + Raisins =

Yummiest pie ever!

Easy Fall Craft

While Mom was in town, we made this craft while watching a movie. It was very easy and fun. I think the kids could even do it - or at least you could do the cutting and connecting and they could open them up to form the pumpkins.

Here is Kat's easy tutorial

The only thing i would add to her tutorial is that on a few of my pumpkins I had to use some dental floss to connect the two brads so that i would achieve more of pumpkin shape instead of just a ball. I had fun using different papers and different scissors - very cute and fun and easy craft to try!!

on a "Glee" kick

 this clip of from the season one final episode of "Glee" and gives you a good taste of the fun of this show!

When Mom was in town, she found season one of "Glee" for sale during our shopping trip at Costco. She told me that both she and Janelle liked it and that i would love it. so she left it behind when she flew home to Denver. and it probably comes of no surprise to any of you that I LOVE IT!

It puts me under a little nostalgia as one of my most treasured things about high school is my years in show choir. Yep, even I sang and danced around in taffeta dresses to show tunes and oldies - and it was so much fun. Although I don't think that we were nearly as good as the McKinley High kids, we loved each other a lot and had a lot of fun! I miss those days with those friends.

You can find episodes of "Glee" on hulu if you want to see one for yourself!

Papasan

8 years ago I inherited a piece of furniture from my mom's dad. It was perfect timing because that Fall I was moving into my first apartment. I transferred from APU to UCCS with only two weeks before classes started. UCCS is predominantly a commuter campus anyway, so by the time I enrolled, there were no openings for me in the dorms. So...I lived in an apartment that year by myself. My mother helped me find it, and since she was paying the bills, she was also pretty insistent the I lived somewhere "nice" (i have never lived anywhere as nice since!). It was great to live somewhere big and clean and modern but this also made it so that no one would move into the second bedroom/bathroom because half of the rent was still more than they wanted to pay.

So I lived alone that entire year, which sometimes was great. And that extra bedroom housed by keyboard, desk, and papasan.

I like the papasan. It's a comfy piece of furniture. I don't really like it in the living room with the rest of my furniture, but that's where it lives right now. Our third year of marriage, Landon and I lived in a place too small for all of our furniture so we actually put it out on our back porch. This poor couch is very old, and obviously weathered. And because it came from my mom's dad, it lived in Florida. So the wood is covered in a white-wash stain, and the cushion was sea green with huge orange flowers! you know, just my style.

These last 3 years, I've noticed that every time i vacuum, there are little flakes of the white-wash stain on the ground below the papasan, so I've had it in the back of my mind to refinish it.

So several hours and $7 of paint later, I have a much nicer looking piece of furniture that so far hasn't been a flaky mess and is much more my style.

Delicious cup of Autumn

Today is the Fall Equinox. Wow. I am so grateful to live in a place where seasons change so drastically. I LOVE experiencing each unique season, although Autumn is by far my favorite.

Today, in honor of Autumn, I made myself my first ever home-made pumpkin spice latte. Starbucks has NOTHING on this delicious drink!

Here, indulge yourself:
1 cup milk
1 tbs. pumpkin puree
1 tbs. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
heat and stir together, not to boil (i just use my steamer on my espresso machine)

Layer your cup like this:
2 oz espresso (or brewed rich coffee)
milk/pumpkin mixture
foam/whipped cream
spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, etc...)

If you're not into coffee, you can definitely leave it out (and then check yourself into a mental institution!!!), in which case this would simply be a "steamer" instead of a "latte". Or you could double the recipe and use it like a creamer in your morning coffee instead. Enjoy.

By the way, my momma has been visiting so that is why I neglected you for so long. I have a lot to share with you, so stay posted!

My Boys

Mr. McBrayer has found a new sport that he and Duvick enjoy most evenings.

Doons enjoys getting the good 'ol long board out of the back of the garage and Duvick loves taking him for a stroll. It's not technically "walking the dog" if the dog is pulling you, professor. But Duvick gets a great work out - look at how much fun they're having together! And they go FAST.