A few weeks ago we met up with Yvonne, a local photographer and sweet friend, to take some family photos. It was a gorgeous autumn day that started out rather chilly but warmed up by mid-morning. The sun was shining, Birdie was smiling and the arboretum provided the perfect backdrop. 

We've always dreamed of having a big family and one day soon we'll get to back to work on that but I don't underestimate how special this time is. Just the three of us. Our first baby, the center of our world. One day our house will be overrun with kids; shoes everywhere and noise, noise, noise!! But for now there is only one pair of feet that timidly circle the dining room table while clutching onto chairs. Only one baby babbling to herself in her crib. One head of hair to shampoo. One little heart and soul to love. 

And some days I can't imagine anything other than this. Because right now, to me, this is perfect.

*Yvonne is offering mini holiday sessions just in time for christmas card season! And you'll receive 10% off if you book within the next 48 hours and mention Flora & Fauna. Indoor & outdoor options are available. Yvonne is fantastic at putting you at ease and capturing your family in a natural relaxed way so book right away! You won't regret it!

UPDATE: Since is Yvonne is currently out of the country (so jealous!!) she is graciously extending the 10% off until the 8th of this month! 

Every year around October (right before Halloween) I keep up a tradition I've had for a while - to make a new pumpkin cookie. It's been a fun journey and a delicious one I might add! I've made soft ones, hard ones, crunchy ones and yucky ones. And this year I made pumpkin cookies that tasted more like a cake (score!!). And the batter???? Oh my goodness the batter.... I could have just eaten it all. 

cookies

2 3/4 c flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 tsp coarse salt

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/4 tsp ground ginger

3/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

2 1/4 c packed light-brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 c canned solid-pack pumpkin (14 ounces)

3/4 c evaporated milk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a medium bowl; set aside.

Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to low. Add pumpkin, evaporated milk, and vanilla; mix until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add flour mixture; mix until combined.

Transfer 1 1/2 cups batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip. Pipe 1 1/2-inch rounds onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until tops spring back, about 12 minutes. Cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely.

^ brown butter icing where have you been all my life??? ^

frosting

4 c confectioners' sugar, sifted

10 tbsp (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter

1/4 c plus 1 tbsp evaporated milk

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Put confectioners' sugar in a large bowl; set aside. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling pan occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes (mine took much longer to brown, more like 8 minutes). Immediately add butter to confectioners' sugar, scraping any browned bits from sides and bottom of pan. Add evaporated milk and vanilla; stir until smooth. Spread about 1 teaspoon icing onto each cookie. If icing stiffens, stir in more evaporated milk, a little at a time.

recipe from Martha Stewart

Usually we have some sort of plans for the weekend. We'll dream them up on monday afternoon when we're exhausted and longing for the weekend that we enjoyed a mere day ago. But this weekend we left our plan book blank. I think it was all the running around of the past week and missing just being home. We lounged around in bed saturday morning and eventually dragged ourselves out of the house just in time to pick up some necessities from the farmer's market. We decided to take a walk around town after and were surprised to discover a delicious new Cuban burger joint! It's definitely a keeper and Birdie was a fan of the lettuce and the rice and beans. 

Then on Sunday I woke up and decided that I was done lounging around and was up for something fun. I thought and thought and finally decided that we should head up to Skyline Drive, to catch the foliage and have a little picnic. This wouldn't be first time I've made such proclamations so I've made sure that our picnic basket is always stocked with plates, cups, napkins, silverware and a tablecloth, this way we only need to grab snacks and we're ready to go in a matter of minutes. On the way there I remembered these lovely outdoor fireplaces they had at the park and thought - hot dogs!! So we made a quick stop at the grocery store and continued on our merry way. 

Skyline Drive was absolutely packed! It wasn't surprising since the foliage is at it's peak and it was such a gorgeous day. We picked up some wood at the main picnic area where people were picnicking side by side like sardines - not really my idea of fun. I've never understood that really. What is the point of going to a "national park" looking for nature only to end up in a giant parking lot eating side by side the same way you would at an outdoor bbq restaurant?? So we kept driving. I knew I would find my little "spot" sooner or later. And lo and behold we did! It's such a lucky find really, it's the only spot of it's kind in the entire park. It's this covered patio with four fireplaces flanked by picnic tables. Considering how windy it was it was a much better place to attempt to start a fire. I walked over there with Birdie and the family using one of the other fireplaces immediately invited me to warm up by their fire. They turned out to be the sweetest people ever as when they saw our pathetic attempts at making a fire they brought us a log from their own and helped us scoop up leaves and dry pine needles to create one of the best fires I've ever seen! Thank goodness for the kindness of strangers!

With our fire roaring we wrapped ourselves in blankets and watched our hot dogs roast. It was perfectly cozy and the scent of burning wood enveloped us and the coals were toasting our frigid feet. Birdie gnawed on a hot dog bun happily and papa bear and I just soaked it all in and sunk deeper and deeper into our chairs. 

It started to near sunset and Birdie was fussing so it was finally time to pack up. We had become so relaxed by that point we could barely move and the heat from the fire had left us feeling fuzzy and drowsy. The drive back down was spectacular as the entire forest was lit up in red by the setting sun. We weren't even all the way down before Birdie fell asleep and so the whole drive home papa bear and I just talked and talked and talked. As we drove up our dirt road papa bear turned to me and said "thanks for being spontaneous, I had the best day." 

Here's to having no plans and a ready picnic basket!