September 18, 2012

• {fall in}

  it usually takes me awhile to get into fall.
  as if denying it’s here is going to make it go away!

  but. then.. at some point, it’s like it just creeps up on me and suddenly, i’m in!!

  i think maybe it happened sunday evening. while sitting in the living room, indian style on the couch.
  my grandma’s crocheted afghan thrown over my legs. windows open. and curtains blowing high from the crisp night air.

  but it was really the smell of the candle. the harvest yankee candle my mom had brought me.
  i knew once i lit it that’d be it. no more resisting.

  
  some little pinecones emma painted with nail polish

  
  
  an acorn nest! emma’s idea

  
  
  so. the last few days i’ve been hauling out some fall ish decor.
  bringing home a “family of pumpkins” from the grocery store…
  as reese has so ably named them, “dis mommy. dis daddy. and dis da babies.”

  have you seen the new country living magazine? i’m sure you have.
  you can’t miss it in the checkout line – there’s chevron pumpkins on the cover. hello!!
  and i love chevron. not that i own absolutely anything at all with a chevron pattern, but this was going to be my first!

  once reese was in bed yesterday i cleared the table. and set out for my grand creation.
  well, rule number one, if you decide to make chevron pumpkins.. don’t spray paint them.
  apparently spray paint doesn’t adhere well to pumpkins. and.. the painters tape will peel the spray paint right off!!
  second. it doesn’t work to just rip the painters tape into whatever length size strip you happen to get.
  no. when they say the strips should be 2 in. i guess they really mean. 2 in.
  kinda like following a box brownie mix. there’s just no other way to do it.

  but. if you’re like me and have no patience for cutting little pieces of painters tape to the exact size it needs to be.
  well. maybe making chevron pumpkins isn’t for you either.

  i finally took them both back outside. doused them with another coat of spray paint and was going to just leave them plain white.
  but, later on, while digging in the laundry room closet for a pair of ben’s shoes..
  of course, i get distracted at all the other stuff in there.
  anyone else do that?
  just a simple trip to the laundry room to see if his black converse are in there,
  and two hours later i emerge with all kinds of things i didn’t even know i had! or forgot i did?
  or have searched for for months. like my hot glue gun, that had fallen behind the coats in there.

  and down in the back corner, with some other cans of paint, a small can of chalkboard paint from ben’s old room like, 4 years ago!
  and a bunch of old acrylic paints and stencils {remember when stencils were all the rage!}..
  and a little half empty bottle of gold glitter paint with the acrylics.

  so. as i found this stuff, the wheels started turning in my head, and i headed back out to work on my plain white pumpkin family. ~
  which sounds kinda creepy actually!
  like the crazy plastic surgeon guy in that old movie, arsenic and old lace!

  anyway. my pumpkins are a far cry from the chevron ones i set out to do. 
  but it’s alright.  i can always just buy a chevron pillow!

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ya know. i have to say, there was a point, when i was standing there yesterday afternoon…
  painters tape in hand, with more paint on the tape then was left on the pumpkin!
  suddenly, feeling this wave of discouragement wash over me,
  “you’re not good at anything,” i heard echo round my head.
  and i stood there for all of 2 seconds, contemplating going over and throwing those messed up pumpkins right out the window.

  but you know what. it’s not true i’m not good at anything, but it is true i’m not good at everything!
  and that’s okay.. so some people can make beautiful chevron pumpkins. way to go for them.
  and others can do some killer spray painting! way to go me.

  the thing is that we can all do something! our something.
  and whether that’s an original idea or inspiration from somewhere else, it’ll still be unique to us.
  because no two people are alike. and we all see things in different ways, and create from what we see. how we feel.

  so celebrate what you CAN do!! the abilities, talents, gifts that God has given.
  and leave making chevron pumpkins to the next person!

  ****

  and about our dress up contest. this is your first hounding reminder!!
  get your entries in soon. maybe we need to put a deadline on it, like, this coming monday.
  of course, you know i’m very flexible though, so don’t sweat it.

  we’re headed to cincinnati tomorrow.
  i’m going to be going to a conference in indianapolis with some girlfriends~
  which i’ve been looking so forward to.
  i’m not, however, looking forward to the 10 hour trip in shayne’s truck..
  which we have to take so that he can have some warranty work done on it while in the states.
  it’s going to be one tight and cozy ride!!
  i’m going to make sure everyone’s showered and well deodorized and has on clean socks {BEN!}

  happy rainy tuesday from southern ontario.
  i think i’m going to go light that harvest candle again while i finish laundry and packing!

  xo.

  
  
  
  
  amber.

  • 1:44 pm
  • 46 Comments