Happy Halloween!  Can you even believe it?!  Halloween.  Oct 31st.  November tomorrow!  But first!  Let's eat a slew of chocolate, kay?! Mmmmmm.

We carved our pumpkins last night, the kids' trick or treat bags are neatly lined up at the front door and I was able to resist eating too much of the Halloween candy that we bought for the trick or treaters (I usually have to run out to the store to buy more, so bad!).

Earlier this week I managed to pop in to a few stores to check to see what's new.

I was SO happy to see that Chapters brought back these amazing mini lights for the holidays.  They will be perfect for the rolled edged hurricane we have in the family room.

Did you hear that the brilliant Camille Styles has written a book?  It's all about entertaining (a skill that I hope to improve upon).  So excited for her!  It's also available at Chapters.

This scarf from Gap is seriously the coziest thing ever.  Perfect for a walk along the water's edge.

This cable-knit sweater from Old Navy may never come off (also wearing it in the first photo, I wasn't lying, I've been wearing it every day!).

So, my Christmas cactus has started to bloom.  Does that mean I can start to decorate for the holidays?!  I kid....well, no...I will begin to decorate any day now ;)

Happy weekend friends!  Any big plans?  I will be prepping for an upcoming blog post that I can't wait to share with you!  You won't want to miss it, promise!

Cheers,

Weekend Recap, What's Coming to the Blog & Coats for Fall

Can you even believe that it's the last week of October?!  Part of me wants time to stand still while I try to catch up and another part of me can't wait for the holiday decorating to begin!

With the weekend behind us, here's a little recap.  I linked to two tops on Friday and thought I would share pics of them.  The first one is from Gap, love the floral print so much and as I mentioned on Friday, the fit is perfect, I love their fitted boyfriend tops!  This is the one I'm wearing and you can also nab the white one.

Then there is this flannel plaid top from Old Navy.  It's light flannel, and again, the fit is fantastic!  I missed out on the turquoise one, but this one is still available so is the black and white one:

Do you ever break out your vintage tea set if you have one?  We were given so many lovely pieces from hubs' Grandmother, a few of which that I keep on the kitchen counter.  Every so often I use them for my afternoon tea.  I find I sip the tea slower and enjoy the quiet moment a little longer.

No, I didn't bake them from scratch, but they were mighty tasty!  Though the black icing (not pictured) will never make another appearance in our house! ha!

Onto other things!

The last two years my focus has been on decorating our home.  It's been quite the journey.  I'm at the point now that I'm no longer looking at unfinished/empty spaces all throughout our home, which is so nice.  There are still a few corners and rooms that need to be finished, but I've reached the point that it's not a nagging feeling of getting things done.

There is a corner in the living room, behind the couch (where the lamp is) that needs to be filled.  I just can't find something that I love or the perfect piece.  Search continues.

I know the answer will come and have contemplated putting a bookshelf there, but I don't know.  I also want to replace the side tables that are currently beside the bench.  We need something bigger, so I've been keeping an eye out for those.

Then in the family room, I think we need to add a tall mirror behind this chair and a beautiful piece of art behind the other.

I am planning on working on the kids' bedrooms this winter and then there is the basement.  Our basement is finished, but not decorated, we use it quite often, so it's time to do something about that space.  All perfect winter projects.

I have a few super exciting blog posts coming up in the next couple of weeks.  Decorating, fashion, entertaining and more!  Eep, can't wait!

With the change of season comes a change in wardrobe.  As I mentioned, you will be seeing more fashion posts here from now on, which I'm excited about (I hope you are too!).

I love the layering that happens during the fall months.  I love seeing plaid, flats that boast beautiful prints, cozy knits and puffy vests.
I currently have a black peacoat for this time of year, but would love other options to switch things up a bit.  These three are from Old Navy and I love that they are affordable.

via Old Navy

What are your fall fashion staples?  I'm pining my favourite looks!  Be sure to follow!

I also wanted to mention that I'm thrilled to be over at Amanda's inspiring and beautiful blog today!  You can find the post here.  Thanks so much,  Amanda!

Cheers,

Pink Carnations and Clothing Sales

via my instagram feed

These pretty carnations are tough ones!  I've had them for nearly two weeks now and though some of the edges are starting to brown, they are still hanging on.  I plan on keeping them in the kitchen for as long as I can.

I've been stocking up on a few staples for my closet.  Old Navy and Gap are two of my favourite stores and they are having fabulous sales this week!  I bought this plaid top from Old Navy and am tempted to order a few more because I love it so much!  And how can you say no to a pretty floral fitted boyfriend shirt from Gap?  I mean, really.

I hope you all enjoy a lovely weekend.

Cheers,

Monday Musings - Fall Baking & Weekend Casual Wear

Sooooo, you  may notice that things look a little different around here (jumping and screaming...take a look around, take a look around!).  I'm so excited to have a new look here on the blog.   This is the work of the beautiful Brittany from Gallery No Eight.  We reunited at BlogPodium in September and got to chatting about blog design.  One thing led to another and voila!  We are still working on a few little details, so please sit tight.

In the meantime, a quick little recap of the last few days.

Hubs knows me well, pink Birkenstocks for the win!  Also, I'm loving the look of an un-ironed shirt.  It just feels more casual that way, perfect for the weekend.

shirt - Old Navy / Jeans - Gap / Birkenstocks

We love drinking tea during the fall and winter months.  So I set up this small little tea station in the kitchen.  Looking for a gorgeous silver tray to play everything on.
mug & spoon (c/o) - Chapters / white dish - HomeSense

Cooler fall temps call for slow cooked roasts and lots of baking!  #comfortfood

coffee print - KardzKouture (c/o) / cutting board & candle - HomeSense 

I love quiet Sunday mornings.  Have you checked out the lifestyle site The TIG?  I highly 

recommend it.

mug - Chapters Indigo / Gold stool, coffee table - HomeSense, urchin - Target

Have a lovely Monday!

Cheers,

I'm a Sweater & Scarf Girl. Let's Talk About the Scarves Today.

I love them, I totally do.  Especially knit scarves, I could easily hoard them.

They can be the perfect finishing piece to an outfit and they add that much needed touch of warmth of crisp fall days.  Plus, they look amazing with pretty much any top.  Sleeveless, short sleeve, long sleeve or a jacket, you're good to go.

Here are a few of my favourites, all from Aldo (last season) except for the dark grey scarf in the first photo,  it's from Eddie Bauer.

the weather last weekend was perfect for a walk through the forest.  Not many warm days like this left!

I usually wear a scarf on those mornings that it's chilly enough for an extra layer, but not cool enough for a jacket

I adore my jean jacket, but don't always love wearing it buttoned up.  quick fix is to throw on a scarf to keep warm

What I don't have is a plaid scarf and I feel as though owning one is essential.  I have my eye on a few....

You can see more looks on my instagram feed.

Are you a fan of scarves?

Cheers,

Touches of Fall in the Family Room

Let me tell you a little secret.  I don't really decorate all that much for fall.  Yes, true.  Now, I do style the table for Thanksgiving dinner of course and we do have pumpkins and decorations on the front porch, but otherwise you won't find too much fall decor.  It's more about adding cozy layers and swapping out the more "summery" accessories & flowers for some that are better suited for the fall months.  The real decorating happens in November for, yes....Christmas.

As you know, my plan is to go with touches of purple, navy and grey, pretty much the same as last year's Christmas tablescape.  I just love this combo so much, especially for the fall & winter months.

This past weekend, I got to switching things over in the family room and finished things up yesterday.  And here's the result!

grey & purple pillow - Chapters Indigo c/o, polka dot pillow - Tonic Living

The linen pillows and grey throw are perfect for the fall months.  A little texture and a little softness, and well, the colours are bang on!  I love that they are feather filled...nothing like feather pillows that you can easily shape for added comfort.  I found the plaid fabric at our local Fabricland sometime last year and sewed together some pillow covers.

those gold pinecones are so perfect, I've got some in nearly every room of the house! Found at HomeSense

grey throw - Chapters Indigo c/o

votive holder (that I'm using as a vase) from HomeSense

You may recognize the cloche on the coffee table, plus the rolled edged hurricane and florals on the side table from the Thanksgiving tablescape post.  I love that these pieces can be used in any room, well after the holiday dinner.  Once dinner is over, spread the love to the rest of the house!  I'm all about multipurpose items (like using a votive holder as a vase), a great way to save money!

I added some fresh water to the vases in the cloche, and divided the floral centerpiece into a few different bunches but otherwise, everything stayed the same.

can we talk about how ah-mazing the November issue of House and Home is?!  I can't put it down!

even Hootie may his way back to the family room

We have a couple of baskets in the family room that are specifically for the throws when they aren't on the couch.  I love the look of throws casually draped over the couch (as seen in the photos above) just as much as I love the look of them in the baskets.  I just really don't want them on the floor and they aren't always needed/wanted on the couch, so the baskets were a quick and easy solution.

We also keep our extra pillows or pillows that aren't wanted by the person sitting on the couch (I'm the lone fan of the pillows in our house) under the coffee table.  They don't always end up under the coffee table though! ha! #truth

I removed the vase from the pumpkin centerpiece and moved it onto the kitchen table, along with a little owl from HomeSense and a small decorative pumpkin.  Aren't mini pumpkins the best?!

Can I just tell you how happy I am with these flowers?  I bought them at a local grocery store!  You can pick three bunches for $20, then the florist takes the bunches that you've selected apart and puts them back together into one arrangement.  So affordable and I love that it's a custom look!

Some of the pieces in the family room will be moved around once I start decorating for the holidays.  I'm reaaalllly looking forward to getting some great string lights a la Restoration Hardware for the hurricane vase and styling the dressers beside the fireplace, which I didn't really change for fall, which is why they aren't pictured!  Another #truth.

Do you go all out and decorate for fall?  I have to admit that I'm getting excited to start decorating for Christmas....I know, I know, but really, I am.

Cheers,

This is What Fall Means to Me.....

The long weekend is now behind us and we are ready for a short week, which always seems to feel super long, no?

Yesterday was a tad bit gloomy weather wise, but the temps were quite lovely.  The kids played soccer in the backyard and for the first time ever, I did this:

from my instagram feed

This was a total "why haven't I ever done this before" situtation.  I haven't sat in our adirondack chairs in a while because I don't like the chipped paint.  But this moment was just calling my name.

I think it's time to tackle repainting our adirondack chairs (red again) because they are probably the most comfortable seats evaaaaaa.

Also, my Hunter boots are officially past their prime.  As if the "blooming" wasn't bad enough (which by the way I could not get rid of, not matter how hard I tried and I tried every trick), they are now cracked.  Time to shop for another pair....the great debate, which colour?!  Leaning towards black again, but the traditional green is quite tempting as well.

Happy Tuesday!

Cheers,

Life as of Late - Cozy for Fall and I Like White Wine

Hello lovelies!

I hope my fellow Canadians are enjoying/enjoyed a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend.  We had a wonderful time relaxing and putting our feet up.  I simply adore Thanksgiving weekend and fall.

The last couple of weeks have been a little insane.  So much going on, so little time.  It's been a slight whirlwind, but I truly can't complain because we are so fortunate for everything and though it can be a lot to manage, it's all fabulous, so we chug along.

Here's a little recap of the last little while:

I took the time to re-organize my little corner.  Things have been busy, which I'm so thankful for, but I really needed to clean it up to help me stay sane!

 Some days call for multiple cups of coffee and wrinkled shirts....

well, more than some days....wrinkled shirts seem to be my thing ;)

adore my #ParisPocketbook and Kate Spade planner.  And chocolate.  And tea.

Kiddo 1 ran his cross country race here, pretty amazing.

The cooler temps are here and require days under cozy blankets....

and über cozy cardigans

I prefer white wine,  you?

and starting my mornings off here when the sun is shining

Have a fabulous Monday.

Cheers,