It may have felt like 90 degrees at the Navy vs Air Force football game, but I wore boots to church today. I mean it is not only officially Fall but it is almost midway through October.  It is time for boots..and more pumpkins…and sweaters (almost) and the leaves can start changing anytime now.  We have pumpkin spice everything in our cabinets, we spent a weekend picking apples and the Halloween candy is in full display at the store…it is time to step up the Fall decor.  Enjoy my home’s reflection of my favorite season!

An antique French basket filled with bittersweet is so quintessential Autumn to me. 

You can’t miss these colorful pumpkins as you walk upstairs.  

These sweet fabric pumpkins really pop in a German dough bowl.  

One of my favorite afternoon spots.  

Look at our serious little violinist…Fall is a time for new adventures.    

Show and share. Inspire me Monday. Tuesday at our house. The scoop. Inspire me Tuesday. Make it pretty. Made by you. Metamorphosis. You’re the star. Tuesday with a twist. Wonderful Wednesday wow us. Talk of the town. Tuesday talk. Share your cup. Share your style. Home and garden welcome home. Thursday Favorites waste not. Dagmar’s house. Vintage charm. Friday features. Home sweet home feather nest. Friendship Friday  Funtastic Friday. Grace at home. Morning cup of joe. Home matters. Sweet inspiration. Best of the weekend. Create bake grow. Sunday at home. Share it one more time snickerdoodle. Simple Saturday. Silver pennies. Inspiration Monday. Create with joy. DI&DI. Amaze me. 

What a pleasure to have my new old stuff featured on Morning Cup of Joe

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October 

BY ROBERT FROST

O hushed October morning mild,

Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;

Tomorrow’s wind, if it be wild,

Should waste them all.

The crows above the forest call;

Tomorrow they may form and go.

O hushed October morning mild,

Begin the hours of this day slow.

Make the day seem to us less brief.

Hearts not averse to being beguiled,

Beguile us in the way you know.

Release one leaf at break of day;

At noon release another leaf;

One from our trees, one far away.

Retard the sun with gentle mist;

Enchant the land with amethyst

Slow, slow!

For the grapes’ sake, if they were all,

Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,

Whose clustered fruit must else be lost—

For the grapes’ sake along the wall.

Welcome to my favorite month. Let Fall begin…with a little apple picking!

Show and share. Inspire me Monday. Tuesday at our house. The scoop  inspire me Tuesday. Make it pretty. Made by you. Metamorphosis you’re the star. Tuesday with a twist. Let’s talk vintage. Wonderful Wednesday. Wow us. Talk of the town. Share your cup. Share your style. Home and garden. Welcome home. Thursday favorites. Waste not. Dagmar’s house. Vintage charm. Friday features. Home sweet home. Feather nest. Friendship Friday. Funtastic Friday. Grace at home morning cup of joe.       Home matters. Sweet inspiration. Best of the weekend. Create bake grow. Sunday at home. Share it one more time. Snickerdoodle Simple Saturday. Silver pennies. Create with joy. Inspiration  Monday. DI&DI.  Amaze me   Tuesday talk 

Big News! We are homemakers!  This 1920 classic Foursquare is all ours..front porch and all!

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Discover your family’s place in God’s incredible story and together put your faith into action with the new The Action Storybook Bible from David C Cook! Explore God’s redemptive story together with your children ages 8 and under in the 15 episodes highlighting key milestones in God’s story. Master-artist Sergio Cariello created more than 350 brand-new illustrations to captivate your family and help you recognize how God is moving through each story.

Join the adventure to begin to figure out where you fit into God’s beautiful and exciting plan for the world by entering to win the Kindle Fire giveaway!

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of The Action Storybook Bible
• A Kindle Fire

Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on September 29. The winner will be announced October 2 on the Litfuse blog.

 

About the Book

The Action Storybook Bible invites families with children ages 8 and under explore God’s redemptive story together.

From the sleek and amazing creatures God created at the beginning of the world to the powerful kings who reigned over ancient Israel to Jesus’s gift of eternal life for you and your family-God has a beautiful and exciting plan for the world. Where do you fit into that plan? How are the truths found in God’s Word reflected in your life?

This Bible storybook features 15 episodes highlighting key milestones in God’s story, packed with dozens of scenes-combining stories from God’s Word with brand-new captivating illustrations from Brazilian master-artist Sergio Cariello, illustrator of the bestselling The Action Bible. Discover your family’s place in God’s redemptive story and together put your faith into action!

Interactive features include:

-Fifteen episodes loaded with over 350 brand-new illustrations from master-artist Sergio Cariello.

-Short and easy reading for all ages. Take turns telling God’s redemptive story!

-The Life, Faith, Action! feature wraps up each episode and helps your family recognize how God is moving through each story, discover how that relates to your daily lives, and feel inspired to put your faith into action.

-Heroes Hall of Fame index, where you can look up your favorite Bible characters and discover their stories!

Learn more and purchase a copy.

My Review

When you really think about it, why shouldn’t the Bible be presented as the greatest story of the ultimate hero. I loved the premise of this book but I did have some reservations about the format.  Could the Bible even compete with the flash and dash heros of our popular comics? The answer, at least from my household’s point of view, is a resounding YES! Having the beautiful illustrations and wonderful text together added a dimension to our daughter’s devotional time that was both popular and upbeat. 

    The book seems best for the eight and under crowd but does lay the groundwork as children advance to a more challenging bible version and devotion. Simple yet powerful this younger version offers beautiful illustrations along with the mighty words of God.  Great for gift giving as well. It truly is the tale of a hero…the greatest hero who ever walked this earth.  

*I was generously provided a copy of this book by the publisher to review but the opinions are all mine*

About the Book

What did the president know? And when did she know it?
For the members of SEAL Team Six, it was a rare mission ordered by the president, monitored in real time from the Situation Room. The Houthi rebels in Yemen had captured an American journalist and a member of the Saudi royal family. Their executions were scheduled for Easter Sunday. The SEAL team would break them out.

But when the mission results in spectacular failure, the finger-pointing goes all the way to the top.

Did the president play political games with the lives of U.S. service members?

Paige Chambers, a determined young lawyer, has a very personal reason for wanting to know the answer. The case she files will polarize the nation and test the resiliency of the Constitution. The stakes are huge, the alliances shaky, and she will be left to wonder if the saying on the Supreme Court building still holds true.

Equal justice under law.

It makes a nice motto. But will it work when one of the most powerful people on the planet is also a defendant?

Learn more and purchase a copy.

My Review

I have had some sleepless nights lately…and I blame this book! I am usually not a fan of the suspenseful thriller and can’t always fight the urge to sneak a peek at the last page, but this book grabbed me almost immediately and kept my interest through the twists, turns and backflips it took to the very end. 

 The plot could have been ripped right from the pages of recent history, and puts you in a position that is challenging. Based on real legal cases defended by the author, an experienced trail attorney, the authenticity of the book is flawless.  Combine this with an always heroic SEAL team mission and you have a nail-biting thriller.  I enjoy the genuineness the author lends to the military world and the main character is the very definition of tough, determined and justice seeking.  During the course of the book she is required to dig deep and face some personal fears and insecurities but the ending will leave you breathless along with her. 

If you value your sleep don’t start it on a weeknight.  Save it for a relaxing weekend because you will not be able to put it down!

* I was generously given a copy of this book to review by the publisher but the opinions are all mine*

      My fellow military wives will understand when I say that military life can seem very temporary. We experience temporary homes, jobs, churches,neighborhoods, states and even countries of residency. The opportunity to put down roots can seem rare and it can sometimes feel like you are always packing or unpacking boxes…and hoping that your treasures arrive in one piece.  This week my family took a big step away from temporary and toward permanent with a closing on a house we have grown to love…the very one we are living in now. I am happy to announce this 1920, original classic American Foursquare (the jury is still out in regards to its status as a Sears Kit House) in beautiful downtown Annapolis is officially ours…front porch and all!  Let the reno games begin…and make them as easy as an episode of “Property Brothers”.  

Let’s celebrate…with Cake…Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake!

The Usual Cast of Characters

1 stick unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

4 teaspoons espresso powder, plus more for dusting

1 1/2 teaspoons Pumpkin-Pie Spice

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

2 large eggs, room temperature

3/4 cup pure pumpkin puree

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar

2/3 cup whole milk, room temperature

The Steps to Glory

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-2-inch round cake pan. Line bottom with parchment; butter parchment. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, espresso powder, pumpkin-pie spice, and salt. In another bowl, whisk eggs into pumpkin puree, then whisk in butter, sugars, and milk. Whisk wet ingredients into dry ingredients.
Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake until top springs back when lightly touched, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Turn out onto rack and let cool completely, about 2 hours.

Dust with powdered sugar and a bit of espresso powder…whipped cream would not be a wrong choice

Enjoy on a a beautiful fall afternoon!

Show and share. Inspire me Monday. Tuesday at our house. The scoop. Inspire me Tuesday.  Make it pretty. Made by you. Metamorphosis you’re the star. Tuesday with a twist. Let’s talk vintage. Wonderful Wednesday. Share it. Brag about it. Wow us talk of the town. Tuesday talk. Share your cup. Share your style. Home and garden. Thursday Favorites. Waste not.           Dagmar’s house  Friday features. Home sweet home. Feather nest. Friendship Friday. Funtastic Friday. Grace at home.      Morning cup of joe. Home matters. Sweet inspiration. Best of the weekend. Create bake grow. Sunday at home. Simple Saturday. Share it one more time. Snickerdoodle. Silver pennies. Create with joy. Inspiration Monday.  DI&DI. Amaze me.                                 Smell good Sunday welcome home

My Back to School mantel was featured at this great Blog.  Thanks for the recognition!

Waste Not Wednesday