October might seem like a strange time to discuss vegetable gardening, but here we are! John and I tried a few new things this year, and I wanted to get through (or almost through!) a growing season before we discussed.

To back up a bit, I’m convinced that 80% of the reason my husband wanted to buy a home was so that we would have space for a vegetable garden. Thus, our raised bed was in the ground less than a month after we moved in. We opted for a pre-fab kit from Home Depot; it was about $100 including tax and shipping. Based on the reviews, we expected to be pleased, and we definitely have been so far. It required no tools to put together, and since we literally assembled it in the dark (we were leaving for vacation the next day!), I have no doubt you could do so, too. Soil to fill it was about $100 more, but like the bed, that’s pretty much a one-time expense.

Here’s what it looked like in July:

The cayenne, jalapeno, basil, chives, and rosemary (left to right) were transplanted from pots we started at our apartment, so they had a bit of a head start. The remaining plants (Brandywine tomato, super sweet 100 cherry tomato, yellow pear tomato, and bell pepper) we actually got for FREE from our local garden store because we were so late in the season and they were looking sad and spindly. We definitely did not have high hopes for them, but we figured we had nothing to lose!

Fast forward a few weeks, and things were looking much better!

Our transplanted pepper plants continued to be total champs — we could count more than 50 peppers on the cayenne plant at one time, and the jalapeno wasn’t far behind! The tomatoes rapidly improved, as well, as you can see.

We actually just harvested and ate our first Brandywine tomato last night (YUM!) and have been enjoying cherry tomatoes for a week or two now. Better late than never, right?

John definitely deserves the lion’s share of credit for (literally) seeing this thing through to fruition — he was the chief water-er — but we both enjoyed plucking and pruning and puttering. If you have the space and the sun, I would DEFINITELY encourage you to consider a backyard vegetable garden! It’s amazing how much you can produce in such a small amount of space, and we loved eating things we watched grow. We were also able to give away extras to friends and family, and to our local food pantry, which was awesome! We can’t wait to see what we’ll grow next year, when we actually have a full season to work with.

I would love to hear: Do you have a vegetable garden? Pots of herbs? Tell me!

I love the blog Design Mom despite the fact that I don’t have kids because I find Gabrielle Blair to be an extremely compelling person. My favorite column on her site is “Living with Kids,” where thoughtful interviews with moms are paired with home tours. The most recent feature was so good I had to share a snippet here. This home is by far more minimalist and modern than the ones I’m usually drawn to, and the color palette is much more muted, but for some reason it really struck me — I stared at several images for minutes each, just taking in every detail. It’s clean and cozy — a tough combination — and it’s curated in the best way, where everything seems meaningful and treasured, not styled. Of course, the beautiful architecture and copious fireplaces don’t hurt. All in all, it seems just right as we transition into fall.

You can see the whole feature here, and I highly recommend you do! I had way too many favorites to post here.

September was SO good! As many of you know, it’s my very favorite month of the year, and here in NC we had picture perfect weather — warm, with the perfect note of crispness in the air. Our windows were open almost every day, and all that fresh air definitely confirmed for me the start of a new season.

We capped off a wonderful month with a visit from my parents this past weekend! My bluegrass-loving father was collecting on a birthday present: tickets to a massive festival in Raleigh! A highlight was seeing George Banks play banjo.

But on to goals! I did well on my list for September — we hung our curtains (made such a difference!), painted a chalkboard wall (love it already!), planned Kate’s shower (so excited for this weekend!), and celebrated our anniversary (love that man). I STILL have not checked off refinishing our table, which to tell you the truth kind of makes me annoyed at myself. I think this goal intimidates me because I’m not sure how I’m going to get our (very heavy, solid mahogany) table outside, and I’m not sure what I need to do to it once I get it outside. But, it badly needs to get done. So, it’s going on my list of goals… for the third month in a row.

— Refinish dining room table
— Volunteer at our church’s ham biscuit booth at the State Fair
— Deck out our mantel and front steps with fall goodness
— Photograph and post about how + why I use my planner
— Finalize and print our household maintenance tracker

With three trips, two sets of weekend visitors, and a fall to do list, I think that’s quite enough for October.

In other goal-related news, after almost three years, my second 101 in 1001 project has come to an end! I am formulating my thoughts and a post will be forthcoming, but you can check out my final results here.

Friends, what do you have planned for October? I would love to hear!

Friends! So many exciting things happening these days. Have I mentioned that my sister-in-law Natalie is getting married? She and Joe were engaged over the Fourth of July, and we couldn’t be more thrilled! These two are perfect for each other; they complement one other in the most wonderful ways. However, their differences have made for an interesting planning process so far, as we try to balance what’s most important to each of them.

A July wedding in a historic ballroom on the Connecticut coast have been agreed upon, and we’re working on save the dates, a photographer, and a wedding gown as we speak! In terms of design, we’ve gotten far enough to mock up some initial inspiration boards after collecting images with Marget on a joint Pinterest board. Hints of lavender (my in-laws are growing some for the occasion!) and gold are a shoo-in, but as I look at the images, we seem to be going in two different directions for the main colors: emerald and deep teal…

Green and gold bouquet, emerald Lela Rose gown, bouquet from Martha Stewart Weddings, stair garland photo by Thuss + Farrell via Snippet & Ink, striped envelope photo by Jeff Loves Jessica, gold cake, emerald place setting photo by Ali Harper via Snippet & Ink, lavender centerpiece via Style Me Pretty, French blue flats from BHLDN

…or peacock and shale.

Peacock and shale bridesmaid photo by When He Found Her, lavender centerpiece via Style Me Pretty, Connecticut couple, stair garland photo by Thuss + Farrell via Snippet & Ink, green and gold bouquet, hellebore centerpiece photo by Ciara Richardson, Percy gown from J. Crew, gold cake, garden rose bouquet photo by Rylee Hitchner

A subtle difference, to be sure, but one which we should probably reconcile at some point. Your thoughts or opinions are welcome!

Can’t wait to see how things develop!!