bon a petit

happy halloween! i must say it was a success at the graham household. all i wanted was a picture of matilda wearing her full outfit (let's just say i didn't think it would happen). my friend jen found the patterns here for the hat and apron and thought it would be fun if all of the girls went as chefs.




matilda has mastered "trick or treat" and now we all feel a little like this. i let myself have whatever candy i wanted tonight and now i'm feeling a wee bit sick. good night!

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my mom surprised me with this cookbook. i just love it and i want to be/be friends with sophie dahl.



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baby shower

i've been waiting for jessica to post her pictures of keely's shower because i knew her photos would be fantastic. keely was simply glowing and kathleen's home looked beautiful. it was a perfect fall day (unlike today, it's 80 degrees out) and the food was all divine. i was ecstatic just for us all to get together, on top of the fact that we're celebrating another little life coming in to the world. my people are multiplying and i love it.





i made keely this "snuggler" using a pattern from this book. i love how it turned out. it wasn't as hard as i thought it would be and it makes a soft, cozy place for a tiny baby. i can't wait to see that little one nestled inside.



ps. please make this for breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner.

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love yous

over the past week or so matilda has started saying "love you mama" "love you daddy" "love you gu (guinness for all who don't know)" and these words are like honey to my ears. matilda also says "bless you," which is so darling i can barely stand it. i love this girl. here she is wearing her "new" vintage dress from my friend's sweet sister. isn't it awesome?




yesterday i got to see jason bateman in the flesh. he is filming a movie in atlanta right now and was shooting a scene at a restaurant by where i work. he's so handsome. i loved seeing all of the behind the scenes and the crew. it would be a dream to work on a movie set. the kraft table was sort of appalling. junk food city, the biggest bags of m&ms and rice krispie treats, etc. speaking of movies and food. we watching this incredible movie in my food class last night. i highly recommend that everyone see it. i want everyone in my life to feel as good as i do. eating whole foods has changed my life.




speaking of new life-i got me a hit of baby earlier this week. look at these sweet cheeks! this is my cousin's baby, tanner. isn't he a dream? just want to look at those tiny toes all day long...

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no-bake thumbprint cookies

last wednesday i had the pleasure of attending my first cooking class! as part of my nutrition class, we met at harry's for an hour of watching delicious and healthy recipes being cooked right in front of our eyes. i don't eat sweets anymore (except for once a week and i look so forward to it) so when i discovered these gems at the class i knew i had to make them! luckily i had the great excuse for making them for keely's baby shower this past sunday- more on that later. these cookies are easy to make, super delicious, and totally healthy. i used marmalade and fig preserves for mine.

ok, back to catching up on email while watching this... again.

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fall plant sale

remember when we went to the fabulous le jardin joli plant sale last spring? we were lucky enough to attend the fall sale this past thursday. the fall is actually the best time to plant, because the roots are allowed to establish before the winter. i love going to the oakton house. it is so stunningly beautiful and the addition of the chicken coup just pushes it right over the edge. have you ever seen a more darling chicken coup? matilda was obsessed with the chickens leading to quite a melt down, which in turn made me melt down. my mom gave me a few hours to run out to look for a dress. have you been to a mall lately. bleak my friends, bleak. luckily i was able to borrow a dress to wear to one of the sweetest weddings i've been to. let's just say the groom surprised his new bride with a heartbreakingly sweet rendition of foo fighter's everlong. the night ended with sparklers doing the tomahawk chop. i love our friends.








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lavish!

i announced yesterday that i'll be speaking here in december. what a way to check "do more things that scare me" off this list!



the "unconference" is going to be for lifestyle bloggers, people who blog about food, art, fashion, etc. shameeka aka the broke socialite is the events founder and she felt like most blog conferences were tailored for the mommy blogger. heavens, i love my baby girl but don't let me fall in to that category! so lavish! will be for the rest of the blogging world. there are so many amazing speakers and the advisory panel will blow your mind. there are only a few seats left, so make sure you sign up!


the mansion in buckhead

i am going to be talking about using my blog and other social media to sell my dresses. i want to know what kind of questions you would have. the more the better!

ps the girls from rue magazine are sponsoring the event. if you can't do the whole conference you should at least have some cocktails the night before!

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fall inspiration

in an effort to beat the blues i've cleaned my house, lit my favorite fall candles, and we hit the playground to soak up some vitamin d. i wrote an entire post that i felt was whiny and tmi so i've opted for inspiration instead. so, grab a cup of this (the fragrance alone gives my candles a run for their money and it's so sweet i checked to make sure it wasn't sweetened!) and hopefully be inspired too.

loving this sweet blog. could they be any cuter? jade really inspires me as a mother and her words are always so uplifting.


my talented friend liz took this photo. isn't it so lovely?

after seeing posts like this and this i was in need of apples, of the pie variety. i got half a pie here and it was everything i've been dreaming of and more.


hannah takes such gorgeous food shots.

speaking of apples. have you tried the honeycrisp variety? it's insanely good. i like mine chilled.

i put this on my wishlist today. i need to start sewing again to support my habit. i had to take a tiny break. being a working wife/mom + magazine editor + etsy shop owner has been harder than i thought. i just needed a few weeks off. luckily i have blogs like this that keep me inspired.



i also need to make matilda's halloween costume. what are you dressing your munchkins as this year?

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whole living

i went here for the second time this year. shudder. however, their magazines and books are cheaper than elsewhere so i picked up a copy of whole living and this.



i really love the whole living magazine so much that i'm ordering a subscription. it's so beautifully done with wonderful articles. would you expect anything less? this issue talks about wabi sabi and i felt like it was calling me out to incorporate more of this beautiful japanese aesthetic in to my life.

here are some pictures of us getting the house ready for fall. i cut back all of my plants (finally!) and sam sowed some seeds, mostly greens, for the winter. i am so excited to get back in to the swing of things. i confess that i am a spring/fall gardener. the heat and cold tend to keep me inside.









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fall farmer's market

this weekend was downright blustery. i am loving all of the fall colors and smells! bring on the pumpkins and gourds. i spent some of the weekend decorating, but i'm not quite finished. we went to 2 stores to find a copy of martha stewart's halloween magazine to replace the one i had to throw away because it killed a spider. still no dice. we were able to stop by the farmer's market this weekend and i'm kicking myself for not stocking up on more fall goodies...







can't get enough of this milk. the blackberries and cream is the bomb. looking forward to this. xo


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