Lakeside Thanksgiving Table

Wes's family is getting together this weekend at my family's lake cabin to celebrate Thanksgiving. Which makes me kind of the hostess? Everyone's pitching in on the food, and though it will be very low-key, I'd still like to make it special. (Photo via Southern Exposure)


I haven't quite worked out the table yet, but it will be very rustic and simple. I'm taking my fairytale pumpkin, a couple of baby boos, and am going to gather pine cones, leaves, and acorns when we get there.


I originally hoped to carve the pumpkin and use it as a vase as Eddie did at an event in Philadelphia (photos via High Street Market), but that just isn't happening.


To add to the natural elements, I've got burlap, copper, pewter and linen. Now here's to hoping that the dishwasher will be working and we won't have to ruin the whole thing with paper plates!

And by the way, this holiday hostess business is no joke. Remind me to thank my aunts and grandmothers next time I see them ...

Fall Color Inspiration

Fall color in our neck of the woods has been a bit lacking, probably thanks to our end-of-summer drought. But I still love the muted grays, greens, and browns of the leaf litter constantly falling onto our deck (and everywhere else in our yard).




There are plenty of ways to use the colors when decorating for fall, which is great for our house, where an orange pumpkin stands out like a sore thumb.




Photos: top three are mine, Colin Cooke, bottom three from Saipua.

The Plan for Baby's Room

When we found out Baby Bonds was on his or her way in May I thought that surely by November the nursery would be nearly complete. Ahahahahahahaha. We are, unfortunately, not even close with t-minus ten weeks to go, give or take (take being more likely as Wes and I were born 5 and 3 weeks early, respectively). I could offer a host of excuses, but why bother? The good news is that we're getting there (that halleluiah chorus you hear is our mothers).

Here's the plan (by the way, we won't know the baby's gender until D-Day):

The walls will stay the same color (see it here), Blue Shamrock by Olympic. A vintage chest and new Jenny Lind crib (which should arrive by this weekend!) will get a fresh coat of Pumpkin Seed by Martha Stewart for Home Depot. The chest's old hardware will get a good scrub. The white Ikea curtains will be trimmed with green ball fringe from JoAnn's and will be hung from the brass-look rod above (from Home Depot). The pink chair will be covered in flax linen from Lewis & Sheron. The crib bedding is simple, with white linen bumpers from Pom Pom at Home and a flax linen skirt (made my yours truly following this method). The green and white striped fabric is from my stash, and might become a pillow or perhaps a cover for the changing pad that will sit on the chest. The light fixture is similar to this one, and I bought it for $7 at a prop sale two years ago. I have some ideas for "art" that I need to price, and we still need a rug, at least a lamp or two, and a small side table to go with the chair (though the garden stool I already have will do just fine).

So, it's kind of a hodge-podge, but I like it, and let's be honest, the baby will not care! And don't worry, if she's a she, I'm sure I'll find a way to add some pink here or there.

Inspiring Ranch Re-do

I think the nesting urges are starting to kick in because I've been cleaning out even the most random corners of the house. Last week I went through my old magazines. I only managed to get rid of four or five and a couple of duplicates, but they are now all organized nicely. In the process, I re-fell in love with a few old favorites, including this Atlanta house published in Cottage Living.


His-and-hers desks in the living room are hidden behind louvered doors on tracks. And I'm kind of obsessed with the buffalo-checked slipcovers on the chairs.






The front entrance, before.


The much more charming entrance, after.

Photos by Megan Thompson.