Five on Friday: Long Naps And Fall Weather

Happy happy weekend, y’all! I don’t know about where you live, but our weather seems to have finally gotten the hint that it’s fall and this week was BEAUUUUTIFUL.  Beautiful days in the 60s and 70s that were perfect for walks! I love this time of the year so much and can’t wait for all the fall goodness in these next few months!

Here are some pictures and updates from our first week of fall!

 1) Long Naps (FINALLY!)

I shared Caleb’s 7 month update on Monday, and since I wrote that he has been doing SO great with naps.  I don’t even know what to do with my stretches of alone time longer than 30 minutes, y’all.  I’ve loved being able to have longer quiet times, to work on writing/blogging stuff, to catch up with friends and do other adulting things.  And Caleb is so much happier and sleeping better at night now that he’s napping (which means Mama is sleeping better at night too).  So basically this transition into better napping is amazing, even though I’m sure something else will happen to disrupt it soon enough.  I’ll just soak in the goodness while I can!

2) Good Reads

We’ve been going through Chip Dodd’s Voice Of The Heart in our church small group and it has been SO good.  I’m learning a lot about how I process emotions, and this week’s chapter on Hurt had me realizing all sorts of crazy things about my heart and the places it goes when I’m hurt or feel vulnerable.  I am so grateful to get to share life with these women (and their hubbies!) and I learn so much from processing things like this with them!

3) Fall Mornings

The temperatures are dropping and I love the crisp feeling in the morning air.  I’ve started taking Caleb outside on to the back porch to sit and drink coffee and enjoy the morning sun through the trees behind our house.  There’s something so peaceful about starting my day outside with a warm cup of coffee, a big blanket, and a snuggly (and wiggly) baby.  It reminds me of mornings at camp and I feel so ready to start the day after those few quiet minutes!

4) Yummy Recipes

Having kiddos means the way that I cook is constantly changing.  As Caleb’s days get a little more predictable, I’ve been able to put him in the high chair or exersaucer and actually do some cooking and I love that.  One of my favorite cookbooks is a super random, cheap one my mom got me when I got my first apartment in college and a lot of my favorite recipes come from there.  The recipes are pretty simple, don’t call for a million fancy ingredients, and are organized by season.  I made a yummy chicken with sautéed apples dish this week and it tasted like fall.  So yummy!

5) Fall Decor

I’ve had some fun playing around with fall decor and making our house feel a little cozier.  I’m not doing anything crazy, but I’ve been playing around with lots of little white pumpkins, some wreaths and garlands, and a handful of strange looking green gourds that make me laugh.  I’m hoping to share some pictures soon! Maybe my favorite fall decoration I’ve made is this burlap wreath – and fun blogging victory, it’s gone pretty viral on Pinterest these last few weeks! It went from about a thousand repins to over 30k repins in two weeks, which is a pretty big deal for me and it’s been a fun thing to celebrate this week.  Long story short, if you’re looking for a fun craft to do this week, this could be a good one!

I hope you have wonderful weekends, my sweet friends! Thanks for reading!