What I'm Loving Wednesday - Comedy

Hello Friends! I know it has been a few days, but I am back in blogging action and today is going to be a doozy! Well maybe not for everyone, but for a husband and I who are sometimes very childish and can be quickly amused, these kept us giggling for a while (not Joe though, of course. He was chuckling, manly) On Monday night, it became clear that husband and I really needed some down time when we found ourselves on the couch after dinner scouring Pinterest for funny memes. I have no idea how it happened, but it did and we were delirious with laughter. SO, if you are in need of spirit lifting this Wednesday, check out some of our/MY favorite funnies below. I apologize in advance if you are at work and must stifle laughter with coughs. If you are not a pet owner and hate children, then you should be okay...

 

 Happy Humpday!
DD

Sandy, Sandy Go Away

Nothing like a kitchen chalkboard to set the mood for the Davis apartment, and I think this message says it all.  Joe and I have been cooped up all day just biding our time before the power goes out. Based on the last year and a half in this apartment, it seems pretty inevitable. So, I've tried to prepare us as much as possible.  Made a quick grocery store run this morning for non-perishables and batteries then filled the water bottles and cleaned the house while I still had a chance.  As Mississippians by birth seeing more than enough hurricane damage and with family living on the coast weathering through the likes of Camille, Katrina and Ike we've learned a thing or two about hurricane preparedness. Thankfully, it seems we won't be seeing too much of Sandy (or the crazy blizzard happening just west of us!), but our thoughts and deep prayers go out to those on the east coast and in West Virginia.

So for now, we wait (as I currently watch the wind pick up outside) -- snacks, books, and board games at the ready.

I hope everyone is staying safe, dry, and warm! 

Love,

DD

Seasonal Decorating

 

Well despite the fact that the forecasted high for today is 79 degrees, fall really is in full swing here in Virginia. We're having a strange dose of Indian summer this week, but the weather channel is promising that next week our temperatures will match the yellow, orange, and red that has taken over this area of the country. The Davis household, too, has taken on all the great autumnal hues of the season with mums, pumpkins, wreaths, and some pretty framed paper telling us exactly what time of year it is adorning our faux-mantel (faux, because it is actually the shelf that houses our speakers, but those aren't very pretty so I cover them up despite my husband's contention).



The letters were really easy and minimally time consuming to make. I started out with a few sheets of pretty paper measuring 12x12. Some came from my craft closet and the rest I bought from the single sheet bins at Michaels. (Be sure to use a coupon if you go; they ALWAYS have them available online!)

 

 

I cut the sheets down to 8x10 and 5x7 squares to fit my frames. This takes a little planning to make sure you get your paper in the order you want.

I also picked up some stencils from Michaels while I was there. I loved the font for these, but there are so many possibilities of how you could do this! If only I was artsy and could free hand... *sigh*

Use high gloss craft paint in a dark color to get the letters to stand out from the background. Mine is of course Martha Stewart.

 

The next step is pretty self-explanatory. Paint in the stencils and don't worry if your lines aren't exact. I think the homemade look adds charm to these little guys.

 

Annnd... VOILA! Frame them up and display!

I don't know about the rest of you, but I cannot get enough of this time of year. I think decorating our little apartment is just my way of trying to bring some of the beauty out there, in here. Have you ever stopped to think about how strange and magnificent it is that the earth is at its most colorful right before it becomes the most bleak? God crafted the seasons to take us from the radiant heat of summer into a bold and crisp fall that transforms the earth into fiery color just before everything dies and becomes dismal and barren; and then from the nothingness He brings new life in spring with some of the sweetest shades imaginable. Who else could have thought to order life this way? Who else could have known how to precisely purpose the world like this? Only one; and to Him I am in awe.

I hope you're getting a chance to take in this beauty in like I am! With any luck Joe and I will be out and about in it again soon.. I think there may be some apple picking in our future!

Love,
DD

Linking up this project here:

 

Friday's Letters

 

My Dearest Darling Momsy and Popsicle, (perhaps I'm in a bit of a musical mood) I am so so very happy that we've worked out travel plans to come see you after all! This time next month you, me and the whole Majors clan will be happily reuniting and feasting on turkey (and hopefully grandmother's caramel cake) and I could not be more excited! Thank you for everything!

Dear Thursday, You were not as kind to me as I hoped and we did not end up being nearly as productive as we should have. Now yesterday's to-dos will become the weekend's. I hope you are happy.

Dear Les Mis Cast, (clearly Broadway is on my mind) I'm pretty stinkin excited about the film, but I really hope that you have the chops to live up to the reputation of this musical. Anne Hathaway, I'm keeping a very open mind (you did make me tear up in the preview) but I'm looking at you.

Dear Husband,You are way too good to me. You've got a lot on your plate, but you still carry it all with grace. Thanks for being you.

Dear Husband, Despite how good you are to me, remember that time when you woke me up whistling and singing Rebecca Black? Let's not do that anymore. It's not very nice. Even if it's Friday.

Dear Anyone Reading, If you have not seen this video of the making of Tom Hooper's Les Misérables, watch it. You're welcome.



Happy Friday!
DD

Pumpkin Dilemma

Well things have been a bit busy lately - or I guess they haven't stopped being busy - but even with evyerhing else going on I just haven't been able to shake my itch to bake.  I knew wahtever I made it had to involve pumpkin. Afterall, you can never go wrong with pumpkin desserts in October, right?? Wrong.  I settled on a recipe for "healthy pumpkin cupcakes" and I guess I got was I was asking for.  I gathered my ingredients and gave the recipe a whirl.  Instead of moist, fluffy pumpkin goodness I ended up with what was basically a bran muffin with a pumpkin aftertaste. I left those guys un-iced and gave them to Joe for his daily snacks. Was that wrong?

Anyhoo, I'm still on the hunt and have a few recipe prospects in mind.  I'm craving something like this guy from The Cupcake Blog - though of course mine will never look this good..

 

 

Or these delicious looking super pumkpin-y cupcakes from The Baker Chick.

 



 

 

I guess there really is no substitute to butter and white flour... or is there? Anyone? I willing to try again, but I really would rather not end up with bran muffins.

 

Love,

DD

A Little Recap

I never remember to take pictures.. I'm getting better (as you will soon see) but usually I'm terrible.  Soooo I thought maybe in lieu of Friday's Letters today I would post pictures of our last two terrific weekends full of excitement and adventure!!... but really it's because I took pictures and now I need to do something with them.

It all started out with a sick husband, sick wife, and cuddly cat who is always doing cute things...

We quickly got over our sickness, however, with the help of some very legitimate Oktoberfest provisions.

And after being completely cured of our ailments, we headed out to the Foxfield Horse Races for some fun in the sun...



Annnd... that's where we saw this guy. And, for a little while I was not having so much fun anymore.

But then sweet friends came along and saved the day (for me at least... I'm pretty sure my dear husband partook in that pig)

And along the way our cat continued to do cute things... yoga is her favorite.

The next week we took off on a road trip through West Virginia and into Kentucky. We could not have asked for a more beautiful drive.

We made it to Lexington, KY where my husband promptly found the largest burbon bar around and declared he was in heaven.... I'm not the only one not getting this, right?

Hubby tried his first HotBrown... and based on the reaction, I think perhaps his last...

And my MIL got artsy with her picture taking....

And a man brought his cowbell and Mississippi State became 5-0 and all was well.

Finally, we finished off the weekend with a freezing cold, but completely-worth-it hike in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

 I cannot advocate this place enough.  If you are ever this way, you MUST MUST MUST experience these mountains. I know there are much bigger and better, but there's nothing like driving through rolling farmland and into tree canopied mountain roads then hiking up to views of those blue ridges and valleys as far as the eye can see to make a girl think she could have been a farmer's wife. : )  I guess its too bad I get home to the greatest husband ever and remember how much I love walking across the street to the grocery store.

I hope everyone has a wonderful wonderful weeekend!

Love,
DD

Friday's Letters

Dear Eliza, I don't care if I sound like a crazy cat lady. You are precious and your daddy and I love you wayy too much. You are the best cuddler in the world and it's always  adorable when I pull out the yoga mat and you aren't 2 seconds behind me ready to stretch.  It's been a great 5 years Liza Cat, you better plan to stick around for lots and lots more!
Dear Co-Workers Who Do Not Know How to Read Your E-mails, If you read it the first time I sent it to you, you would not have all these questions and you wouldn't have to get impatient with me for taking 9 million years to answer YOUR e-mail because I am still trying to re-answer everyone else's.  It would be a lot easier for EVERYONE if you just read the first time. Just a thought.
Dear Sweaters, Tights, and Boots, Prepare to get worn! This weekend promises cool temps and lots of outdoor time, but we will be snuggled tight together and I couldn't be more excited!
Dearest Husband, I want to give you a heads-up--Since we will be in the car for approximately 14-16 hours this weekend I plan to do a lot of napping, reading, and while taking my driving shifts I will be belting out Beyonce's latest that I still can't get enough of. However, I promsie I'll throw in some of my Regina Spektor (I know she's your over favorite) and maybe some Florence + the Machine or Priscilla Ann. Maybe if you get lucky I'll start singing music with male lead singers that you actually enjoy... maybe. Consider yourself fair-warned.
Dear Friends Who Took Me To Sushi, Thank you for breaking my healthy-ish eating streak.  Sushi CAN be healthy.. but not what we ate last night.  It was pretty fabulous and I have no regrets, but next time maybe less fried stuff and "aioli" i.e. fancy mayonnaise.
Dear Jesus My Savior, Thank You. I think that about covers things.
Dear Eliza, (yes again) I forgot to mention how sorry I am that we are leaving you alone this weekend.  Steve will take good care of you, I promise. Please don't go crazy and knock everything off the counters.

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Well this will be short and sweet and a little fashion-tastic, because, folks, its getting kinda of busy around here and trying to get over a cold (thanks sweet husband) while not getting enough sleep isn't making life easier. BUT somehow or another I have found some time to do a little bit of internet window shopping and pinning and I'm bringing it all to the blog today.

1. Don't know if I've mentioned this yet or not, oh wait, I have.. more than once, but I'm pretty excited about football season and going to see our Bulldogs play this weekend in Kentucky!

 

2. Using the out-of-state football game as an excuse, my husband and I have decided I need to take the day off on Monday and enjoy a long weekend of outdoor adventures in and around Virginia. We will definitely be driving along the Blue Ridges to explore, eat, and relax. I cannooottt wait!

 

3. Now onto the fashion part of what I'm loving this Wednesday... first of all, how about a little maroon love? Oxblood, burgandy, wine, maroon... call it what you will. I am LOVING that this sultry hue is everywhere right now. I want to own more of it! (I figure MSU t-shirts don't exactly count...)

4. I am obsessed with ankle boots. Especially the oh-so-chill, but still very adorable suede, casual boots like these. She looks like she may be hiking here, but I don't know if that's such a great idea...

 

5. Have you heard about the new online J.Crew factory?? I'm pretty excited! On October 11, they will launch a new site devoted soley to their factory sales... as if I don't justify all my purchases enough.

 

6. And finally, today I am sending a little extra love to my hubby. (As if I could possible love hime more). Yesterday he not only went to get a few forgotten groceries while I was at work, but he also picked up me up a magazine (which is kind of a luxury over here) and took my favorite broken necklace to a jewler to repair... it's been riding around in my backseat for ages. Pretty nice guy, huh?

 

 

Hope everyone is having a happy hump day!

 

Love,

DD



Friday's Letters

Dear Theatre Movie Line-Up, I am so ready for you! We have already started enjoying your post-summer blockbuster movies and are so ready to spend Friday nights and/or Sunday afternoons seeing movies like Argo, Looper, Django Unchained, The Hobbit, and Les Miserable! (to name a few...)
Dear Nails, I apologize for your great neglect. I'm finding less and less time to make you pretty, but I think about you lots.  Perhaps we can set aside 30 minutes for a nice salon to make them look feminine again.
Dear Pinterest and Polyvore, Please stop taunting me with all your beautiful fall wear! I have already done my shopping for the season and husband says I have to stick to my budget. You are not making this easy.
Dear Friends Who Gave Me a JAR of Hershey's Kisses for My Birthday, I guess it isn't your fault that they are on my desk at work, but you are terrible to me. Don't you know mindless chocolate muching is a bad habit I cannot shake?!
Dear Mother Nature, Please do not rain this weekend. I have big plans of running, eating outdoors, and attending Foxfield Horse Races.  You sent rain last year; I think it is the sun's turn to come out.
Dear Apple, Keeping up with your latest and greatest is like keeping up with the Joneses. How do people do it? iPhone 5, you look fantastic and everything but the 4S and I have barely gotten to know each other... we will probably meet one day when the iPhone 10T comes out.. you know, in like a year.
Dear Blog, Sorry I have no pictures today, but I put up lots yesterday so maybe you can share.




Have a wonderful weeked!!
Love,
DD

Fall To-Dos

Being in Virginia has been pretty wonderful so far.  Yes, at times being away from our family and all of our old friends is very difficult, but we have been so very blessed to meet some wonderful folks here that help to fill the void. There is something that Virginia offers though that, I'm sorry Mississippi, just does not compare to home. I know you all know what I'm talking about. It's all ANYONE is talking about these days... FALL! AUTUMN! HARVEST SEASON! L'AUTOMNE!

 

Really though, what is there not to like? Sweaters, boots, football, beautiful scenery, bonfires.. should I go on? Well I'm going to, because this season the husband and I are trying to absorb everything fall has to offer, especially around Charlottesville. I've created a little bucket list for us, and I plan on checking off every.single.thing.

What to do this Autumn:

 

 

1. Apple Picking
2. At LEAST two winery tours

3. Foxfield Horce Races - if you're not from Cville, just picture a racetrack surrounding a large field of great local food vendors, puppy racing stalls, and carnival-like attractions for kids and families next to tents of obnoxious graduate students in full-on Kentucky Derby wear. It's a can't miss. (Please note the appropriate attire won by husband and me)

4. Pumkpin Picking (or maybe just visiting a pumkpin patch after they've picked the pumpkins...)

5. Hiking Old Rag Mountain. Or really just any hiking that allows us to see views like this one from last fall.
6. Attend multiple Octoberfest events (starting with our first one tomorrow night here!)
7. And last, only because it technically has nothing to do with Virginia, but ALL to do with fall... travel over to Lexington, KY to see our very own Missisippi State Bulldogs!

What are your plans for the fall? My bucket list could always use more inspiration!

Love,
DD