My theory is that good ingredients make cooking easy and so when I spotted these gorgeous mushrooms at the farmer's market this weekend I knew I would have a meal in the bag. Mushroom soup is one of my favorite soups to make, mainly because it's just so easy! So here is my easy as pie mushroom soup recipe:

one leek, halved and chopped

half a stick of butter

two tablespoons of oil

two cups of mushrooms, stems removed and chopped

three garlic cloves, minced

four cups of chicken or vegetable stock

one cup of water

one and a half cups of heavy cream

salt to taste

fresh dill to garnish

Melt the butter and add leeks. Saute on medium high heat for ten minutes. Add garlic and saute on medium for two to three minutes, don't let the garlic burn. Add mushrooms and oil and salt (add a little at a time and taste). Saute on medium for another ten minutes. Once the mushrooms soften up add the chicken stock and water. Bring to a boil. Cover with lid and put on low heat. Allow to simmer for 30 minutes. Check for salt, add more if necessary. Add heavy cream and turn the heat up to medium high and stir the cream until combined and the soup looks silky. Take off heat and serve. Garnish with some chopped dill. 

I tell you there is nothing better than a bowl of this on a cold blustery autumn day!

*I said easy a lot here. What can I say? I'm lazy when it comes to cooking so easy is my favorite word :).

top - boden, glasses - warby parker, pants - j.crew, shoes - steve madden, bag - anthro

We're on our third day of true autumn weather and I have to admit I am enjoying it to the fullest! We went to Costco for some Olli sausage and when we walked back out to our car it was unmistakable - summer is gone and autumn is settling in. The mornings have been overcast and chilly and tiny piles of freshly fallen leaves are starting to collect at the edges of the sidewalk. 

As I was making our bed this morning I suddenly found myself thinking about all the things I'm looking forward to in the coming months and so I thought why not write them down?!

This autumn I'm looking forward to:

making pumpkin cookies, donuts and just about everything

wrapping myself up in an oversize cozy scarf

unpacking boots, sweaters and coats (it's like shopping, except it's my own stuff!)

thanksgiving with it's celebration of gluttony

piping hot cherry and apple pies out of the oven

cold and ruddy noses and cheeks

leaf piles that smell like autumn and are crunchy and fluffy all at the same time

hot apple cider from the apple orchard that burns your mouth

giving Birdie a ride in a radio flyer while we pick apples

the sound of wood crackling in the fireplace

Birdie's first Halloween!

the smell of butternut squash soup cookie on the stove (I make a mean one)

cuddling on the sofa with a million blankets during a rainstorm

fall scented candles

pumpkins gracing every surface of our home

cranberry sauce (I just got into this last year & where has it been all my life???)

roasting things - squashes, pumpkin seeds and poultry

chili simmering in the slow cooker

What about you?! What are your favorite things about autumn?

All summer long we've been passing the "Ryan's Fruit Market" sign on our way home. Every week I would tell myself - "that's it we're going!" And another week would pass and, boo, no trip to Ryan's. Well last Saturday I decided that was it we were going! So we grabbed a basket and a baby and headed out. We spent a good hour looking for it until we finally gave up and called. Turns out we had been essentially circling it the whole time. Also, they had just closed. Just our luck. We were disappointed but unwilling to let the afternoon go by without some fun so we drowned our "no peach" sorrows in some ice cream.

But I wasn't about to give up! So on Monday we tried again. We knew where to go, we knew the hours and we were sure it was going to be a success. And it was! Sort of... We found it, we were told we were catching the last of the peaches but that they also happened to be the best and that they... only accept cash. Which of course we had none of. But in the meantime we had bonded over the Redskins, our street (everyone knows every street in this town) kids; you always bond over your kids. And so as we stood there with our bushel of peaches under the hot sun and regretfully informed the kind gentleman that we had no cash and no checks he surprised us by telling us to come back with the money. Slapping papa bear on the back he laughed "I trust you guys!" He also gave us his phone number and invited us to a barbecue. 

We drove home in our peach scented chariot and naively dreamt of all the things we would do with all those peaches. Of course they were all devoured within days. On Tuesday we dropped off the check and lamented the Redskins terrible, terrible game. And thanked him for the peaches. And we thanked God for the fact that we live in a town where we can be trusted to "pay later." That in fact was the second time this month we had been trusted to do just that when the credit card machine at the farm stand broke. It changes the relationships you have with people. They are no longer just a "cashier," they are someone who invested their trust in you and someone you certainly don't want to be disappointed in your character. It's not just about money, a transaction, it's about building a relationship. Your name, your family, for goodness sake these people know where we live. I'm grateful for people like this that know that in the longer run it's much more important that we go home with that bushel of peaches we dreamed about or the basket of the week's groceries and feel cared for than them getting their money right then and there. I will never forget the kindness of the people in this town. The way they hold open doors when I'm hauling a baby and bags of groceries, the many times I hear the words "don't worry about it honey," the sweet souls that make my baby smile when they know she's about to fuss and everyone that has cut me or our family a break on many a "bad" day. God bless you all. 

shirt - anthro, purse - kate spade, jeans - ae, shoes - h&m

It's pretty much impossible to hide those dark circles under my eyes. I have not slept well in a week. See babies like to do this thing where they start sleeping real good, you're getting like ten, maybe twelve hours and you're thinking - life is GOOD!! And then just when you get used to sleeping like a normal person they start cutting teeth... Birdie has been cutting her two top teeth since this weekend and night time has been real rough for her. Then on top of it she got sick on Tuesday. My poor sweet babe, got sick for the first time on the eve of her nine month birthday. But she's such a trooper, still smiling, even laughing occasionally and I guess my mama's right - she had to get sick sooner or later and she's building her immune system. It's a necessary evil.

...

Also, a quick note about my outfits. As you may have noticed I will feature the same bag, shoes, jeans, etc., more than once, more than twice occasionally! My outfits are what I actually wore it's basically "we were out, I liked my outfit, so we snapped some photos." I'll be honest with you I used to be a culprit of the "dress up for outfit photo" post and it was the worst. It always felt so forced and I was never sure after it was all done if I would even wear anything like that. I get inspiration, I get creativity and perhaps some people find that fun but I always gravitate more towards people with real, every day style. Because let's be honest I am not wearing four inch heels and a $1,200 bag every day. What you see above is my idea of "dressy" because my shoes of choice are my hunter boots and the bag I use most often is my big old diaper bag that I put everything but the kitchen sink in. And you know what? This feels so much better, so much more true to myself. It's not fancy, it's not "on trend," but you better believe that it's me, it's real and sometimes it's even cute :).

Here's to not boring y'all to death!