5 Fall Favorites

Hi folks,

This week it's finally feeling like fall, and I'm thrilled for it!  Bring on all that cooler weather, cause for cocoa, and copious amounts of cinnamon.  Mmmmm, and so many other magnificent munchies.  Ok, I'll stop it with the alliteration, but all you fall lovers know just how I feel!

I just got involved with a fantastic Google+ group called Geeks & Beauties, which happens to be running a fall "Sweater Weather" swap.  The idea is you create a box of some of your favorite autumn inspired items and someone else does the same for you.  I'm already thinking up fun things I can add in, but it got me thinking I should share a list of some of my favorite fall things.  In no order whatsoever:

5 Fall Favorites

1. Bonfires

Whether they're in home firepits, out camping, or at fall events with friends they are some of my favorite times spent in the chill air with friends.  Summer ones are just too hot, unless you're in Maine or someplace with equally cool summer nights.

2. Hoodies

Sometimes a fire alone isn't enough to keep you warm, so you put on your sweatshirt and it fills up with the smell of woodsmoke that lingers till the next time you wash it.  They're the coziest piece of casual clothes you can own.

Picture taken by Corey Ann Carlton 2008

3. Pumpkin/Cinnamon spice things

I'm not sure I even need to explain this one because it's so common.  My favorites are not the Starbucks beverages (I prefer Dunkin's), but all the fantastic baked goods and my favorite cinnamon apple chamomile tea◊.

4. Less humidity

Unless you've been to the south I am not sure you can fully appreciate this one.  Put simply, I like being able to breathe, not sweat when I walk outside, and be able to see the stars on a clear night.  Feeling stuffy and humid makes me angry, kind of how some people get "hangry".  I love crisp air that allows me to wear those hoodies from #2.  This is probably why so many of my pictures have been taken indoors lately.  This is where I'm tempted to live all summer:

5. Fall Leaves

You know my list couldn't be complete without this one.  The best place to see leaves is the Blue Ridge Parkway, and I always want to visit most in the fall.  I may have moved away from the mountains, but they always feel like home in a way.  And I still can't resist crunching leaves underfoot.  My favorite chore?  Raking leaves!

Honorable mention goes to knitting, because while I always feel like it in the fall, I often knit year round.

So what are your top 5?  Tell me in the comments!

Love,
Lydia

First Fall Outfits

Hi again friends!

This week I'm highlighting some of my first outfits from fall as I start getting used to my new capsule wardrobe.  Ready?  Let's go!

Shirt - Target, Shorts Levis/Amazon, Flip Flips - Old Navy

Day one of my fall wardrobe had me dealing with temperatures over 90F.  Most of the past two weeks have been like that with a couple days in the 80s.  I'm looking forward to next week when it'll be in the 70s and I can wear jeans a bit more.  I miss the cool weather here in North Carolina, I think the climate in Columbus, Ohio where I attended college was just right.  But I'm here and I'm learning to love summer clothes and light layers most of the year.  It's no Florida, but I'm pretty sure I'd be dead fast in Florida between the heat and all the sunburn I'd end up with after 15 minutes outside.

Oh look it's that Thred Up bag!  Stuffed full as I could get it, I'll soon know what they took and what they didn't.

Top - Forever 21, Shorts - Levis/Amazon, Boots - Trendsetter/Hushpuppies

I'm officially in love with these boots!  I'm pretty sure they can be worn with almost everything I own and dressed up or down accordingly.  Plus Bryan likes them too, so that makes me happy.

Top - Target, Necklace - Pick Your Plum, Skirt Target, Boots - Trendsetter/Hushpuppies

This is my outfit from this past Sunday when we went to hear Michael speak about his time in Jerusalem.

Top - T. La/Anthropologie, Necklace - Fossil/Macy's, Shorts - Levis/Amazon, Sandals - HG Bass/Modcloth

My hair had finally faded enough that it was time to give it some new color, so I did!  I bleached the roots and used Manic Panic After Midnight Blue (my favorite shade!), Arctic Fox Purple Dream, and some Manic Panic Purple Haze (not around the face, so it's less visible in these shots).  I was trying out the Arctic Fox for the first time and really liked the color, it's a nice grape shade of purple and the dye even smelled like grapes.  If it lasts well enough I may keep using it for purple, since I'm not as big a fan if the Manic Panic shades I've tried (Purple Haze, and Mystic Heather).

  

Shirt - Switchfoot, Scarf - a Keffiyeh from Palestine, Jeans - Torrid, Flip flops - Old Navy

So Michael brought us back some fantastic gifts from his time abroad and I'm very excited to share this Palestinian Keffiyeh with you readers.  The Keffiyeh (pronounced kuh-fee-yuh, and spelled many other ways) is a symbol of the Palestinian Nationalism movement.  (You can go here to learn more about the keffiyeh or here if you want to buy one from Hirbawi, the only manufacturer left in Palestine!)  It's been associated with the long history of the Middle East in general as what farmers and everyday people would wear to cover their heads as they worked and went about their day.  It's also linked to the Palestinian Liberation Organizer Yasser Arafat, and more recently has been appropriated in western culture as something that just looks cool or is linked with terrorism.  It's kind of funny since the patterns on the scarf are thought to have come from fishing nets or heads of grain.  So I wear the Keffiyeh as a statement of solidarity for the many Palestinians who have lived peaceful lives in refugee camps for over 50 years, just hoping to have a place they can see their children grow up freely, and one day have a country of their own.  I also think the Israelis have it tough too, with terrorist bombers on their doorstep, but neither side is necessarily good or bad.  Peace and renewed hope are my prayer for them all.

Top - Old Navy, Bracelet - Cornerstone Festival 2004, Shorts - Levis/Amazon, Shoes - Toms

 And finally I'm playing around with the camera a bit for today's look.  I work from home most days, so I've been trying to change up where I take my photos if I can remember to/aren't too busy.

So those are my outfits, otherwise I've been busy this week adding to the features of my blog:

1. New contact page
2. More listings for Ethical Plus Size Retailers (Now the BIGGEST online!)
3. A new banner
4. Better right sidebar tools
5. I'm now a member of The Rising Tide Society!

The Rising Tide Society is a great group of small business owners (bloggers, photographers, shop owners, and more) whose core principles are:

- Community Building over Self-Promotion
- Compassion for your fellow Creatives
- Purpose over Popularity, Quality over Quantity
- Camaraderie over Divisiveness

I'm loving getting to know them all and be a part of the community there.  They even have a monthly event called Tuesdays Together to meet and discuss different subjects.  Hopefully I'll make it out to next months!  That's all for this week, I'll see you all again soon.

Love,
Lydia