Growing up, my family hosted a “scarecrow party” at our home every year. A dozen or so families joined us for a night of scarecrow assembling, chili eating, and ghost-in-the-graveyard playing (home base was always the bed of my Dad’s pick-up truck!). To me, this night was even better than Halloween.

When John and I moved into our house three years ago, I was excited to kick-off some new traditions around entertaining and hosting. Likely due to my scarecrow-making past, our first (and most successful) tradition is also fall themed: a soup and pumpkin carving night! Since we just celebrated our third annual event, I thought I’d share a few tips.

— Since ours is an indoor event, we’ve found that keeping the guest list to three couples works out well. That way, we can still fit everyone around the table (with extra leaves in place) for carving and eating.
— We provide two soups and guests help with the extras. This year, one brought a salad, one brought some drinks and dessert, and we added cheesy bread and more drinks.
— Since our event is on a weeknight, prep work the night before is key. John made one pot of soup and prepped ingredients for the second the night before, then heated the already-made soup in the crockpot and assembled the second on party day as soon as he got home from work.
— A few crowd-favorite soup recipes we’ve used in the past: Black Bean Soup with Cumin and Jalapeno, Award-Winning Chili, Potato Leek Soup, Tortilla Soup, and Hunter’s Minestrone.

— We try to be mindful of everyone’s time (especially since many have little ones now!) and have dinner ready to go when guests arrive (usually around 6:30). The first hour is taken up with chatting and eating, and the second with chatting and carving.
— Some couples carve one family pumpkin, and some carve two individual ones.
— I protect our table with a length of kraft paper. Pumpkin guts go in a big bucket in the middle after dinner. The only other tools required are a selection of kitchen knives for carving and writing utensils for sketching (bonus: the kraft runner doubles as a sketch pad!).
— May I suggest my Cozy Fall playlist for background music?
— Before folks leave, we take group portraits with each family’s masterpiece!

Do y’all have any hosting traditions to share? I’ve been thinking about adding a Christmas card addressing afternoon this year :)

Ooh boy. I’m a little nervous about November, as it will be an unusually full month for us. We have a commitment Monday-Thursday evening for the first three weeks (instead of our usual rate of maybe one commitment per week!), we’re traveling one weekend, and we’re hosting guests another. And on top of that, I have some major work events, and, oh yes, a major holiday to celebrate! For some reason, all of that hasn’t stopped me from setting a large number of goals for November, but maybe that will work in my favor — did y’all ever experience the phenomenon, maybe in high school, when you got much more done in-season than out-of-season? Necessity is the mother of efficiency, perhaps? Either way, with the clock ticking on our girl, I’ll take it!

Biscuit supplies at my church’s booth!

Revisiting my goals for October:
Paint baby girl’s room (Thank you, Dad and John!)
Switch out baby girl’s light fixture
Assemble crib
Order crib skirt
Make first draft of labor and delivery preferences
Organize linen/party closet (Yes!! I am so pumped about this one! Sadly, I didn’t take a before, so it probably wouldn’t be that impressive to y’all.)
Successfully lead discussion in our family group for the next three weeks
Introduce John’s parents and aunts to Asheville on our annual trip
Host the third annual pumpkin carving and soup night
Catch the goat showmanship competition at the NC State Fair
Make biscuits at our church’s Fair booth
Create my own version of this glitter star garland (the lone goal that didn’t get checked off!)

November goals:
— Take rings in to be cleaned (I usually do this in September around our anniversary, but it’s still lingering.)
— Take knives in to be sharpened
— Frame and hang our NC BBQ print (have to figure out how to do it first… maybe something like this?)
— Make a pelmet for little lady’s room (already bought the fabric and will use Jenny’s tutorial!)
— Choose and order twin bed bedding
— Choose and order Minted Christmas cards (voting post coming soon!!)
— Design and print Christmas card newsletter
— Vote!
— Host the first Articles Club
— Purchase half of our Christmas gifts for friends and family
— Start filling out our girl’s baby book

Whew!! That is WAY more goals than I usually tackle, for two months back to back. If you’ve posted yours somewhere, I’d love to see – or just drop them in the comments!

I’m sure I can’t be the only one who’s constantly looking for tried-and-true recipes. So here, for your weekend-menu-making pleasure, are twelve of our favorites for fall — perfect dishes for when fresh vegetables aren’t as abundant, and you’re in the mood for something comforting and delicious.

Kale and brussels sprouts salad with bacon and pecorino
Vegetable pot pies
Crockpot turkey meatballs
Slow simmered beef ragu (Makes your house smell amazing! Perfect for a Sunday afternoon.)
Sweet pork lettuce hand rolls
Sweet and sour pork (we will sometimes add extra veggies to this and omit the pork)
Thai peanut chicken and pumpkin curry
Award-winning chili
Crispy smashed potatoes with avocado garlic aioli (we don’t make these vegan)
Potato leek soup
Vegetarian tortilla soup
Hunter’s minestrone soup

If you have a favorite fall recipe, I’d love for you to leave a link in the comments! We’re always looking to add to our collection!!

Hey, friends! It’s been a busy week around these parts, what with a trip to Asheville, volunteering at our church’s biscuit booth, and visiting with family! Today marks 28 weeks of pregnancy (7 months!), which means I’m officially in the third trimester. I figured it was time for a little big update. In no particular order…

27 weeks! And yay for my fall scarf – I ended up buying it!

Things I have been loving:
— Neighborhood walks. John and I try to go on a brisk walk for at least half an hour every day after work, usually 1.5-2 miles. I think this is one of the main reasons that I have experienced almost no pregnancy-related aches and pains — our walks help keep me loose, and they probably help with sleep, too!
— On that note… sleep! I am still enjoying full nights of sleep sans elaborate pillow constructions or pee breaks, which, as a lover of sleep, I am super grateful for. In addition to exercise, I also credit our mattress — we traded in the bare bones model we bought when we first moved in together for a luxuriously soft one last year, and it. is. the. best.
— Belly bands. Thanks to these handy accessories, I am still wearing my regular jeans and pants. I bought a white one from Target and have a black one on loan from a friend.
— Movement. So much movement! Our girl bops and bounces most of the day. It’s not uncomfortable, just fun.
— Kids consignment sales. I’ve had great luck at local consignment sales and have loved collecting some practical and adorable pieces for next to nothing. I think I’m going to write a whole post about sales like this, because they are amazing!
— Clothing on loan. John’s mom brought down a huge bag of newborn clothing from his two sisters this weekend, and I’m pretty sure we are now set for everything we could ever need in the newborn size. It’s great to have stylish and generous sisters and sisters-in-law :)

Challenges:
— Prenatal vitamins. I have never been good at swallowing pills, and my prenatal vitamins are a beast. But I’ve figured out a system! I cut them into four pieces and swallow them with food, which helps mask the taste. Works like a charm. I did consider gummies, but they seemed a little lighter on the nutrients.
— Drinking water. This has always been a challenge for me, since I almost never FEEL thirsty, but I know it’s even more important for pregnant people, so I’m soldiering on with my mini challenges.
— Meal timing and size. It’s becoming more necessary to eat smaller, more frequent meals (I often split dinner or lunch up into two sessions), as I get full much more easily. I also have been waking up with a growling stomach, making a speedy breakfast important!

Updates:
— My glucose test is this morning! Hoping it’s not as terrible as everyone says it is and that I pass.
— I think we finally figured out a layout for the nursery, but it’s not any of the options I outlined here. Putting one bed on each wall seems to be the best fit.
— Our registry is pretty much complete! Thank you all again for your input. As you can see, our first gift has arrived and has been thoroughly cat tested and approved.
— I made a first draft of my labor and delivery preferences. In addition to our OB, we are seriously considering hiring a doula, which is not something I ever expected to say!
— I have been doing lots of reading and learning. I was planning to write a book review post in the next few weeks, but I think it might make more sense to wait on that until after we’ve had a chance to put some of the advice into action! However, if you’re curious, here is what I’ve read over the last year: All Joy and No Fun, Simplicity Parenting, Taking Charge of Your Fertility, Expecting Better, What to Expect When You’re Expecting, Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, Jo Frost’s Confident Baby Care, On Becoming Babywise, and The Nursing Mother’s Companion. So far, my favorites are Expecting Better, All Joy and No Fun, and Confident Baby Care.

Upcoming:
— Our birth class begins in November! It runs for five weeks and is taught by our hospital. I’m so interested to see what they’re going to present and how it will dovetail with the books I’ve read. We will also be taking a breastfeeding class, which, though I’m looking forward to it, I’m sure will also make me feel super awkward :)
— Most of all, I’m excited about my two baby showers! My sisters and Nancy are throwing one here in NC, and my sisters-in-law are hosting one in Connecticut. Since we live far away from family and lots of friends, it will be so good to celebrate in person before the lady arrives. Very thankful for my generous hostesses!!

I think that’s it for now! I don’t want to inundate y’all with baby posts, but I’m also happy to share things that might be of interest. If there’s something here that sparked a question, feel free to leave it below and I’ll try to answer it in the comments, or perhaps in its own post!