Begin at the Beginning

Another month has flown by, and it was jam packed as all months seem to be these days.

I am officially a great aunt, and oh how great it is!!!  And I swear, these gluten free cupcakes I made are not burned...they just look like it in this pic?! :)  I should share the recipe sometime, they are delish!

Just a couple of days after these pics were taken at my niece's baby shower, sweet blueberry (the name we have all called her since she was conceived), decided to make a surprise appearance...6 weeks early!

Thankfully Momma and Baby K, aka Baby Blueberry, are both doing well.  Baby K will spend some time in the NICU, but only to gain a bit more weight and to learn to regulate her body temp without the aide of an incubator, so we are thankful and overjoyed that she is with us and healthy.  And did I mention adorable?!  She looks so much like my niece did when she was born.

Along with a new baby, we have a new car.  Our faithful Jetta bit the dust shortly after our daughter's wedding, and I have to admit that I got teary when we traded her in.

I even got choked up while driving the new car, which I have named Pearl, because it's not a stick.  I've never been without a manual transmission vehicle since I started driving tractors at the age of 6 or 7!!!  I then told myself to get over myself...I mean, I am driving a brand spank'n new car for gosh sake, I should be feeling grateful!  Sometimes I need a little kick in the pants to remind myself of how lucky I am!

If March can go out like a lion, then November can surely come in like a tiger!  We had ferocious winds last night, and I was sure the bird feeder outside my bedroom window was going to come through the window at about 2 am...thankfully I have a wild imagination and that didn't happen.

We had gusts of over 55 mph, and most of the leaves are gone from the trees now, signaling that fall is officially here to stay.

Somehow, this little guy is flying around today.  I love the way his shadow shows up on this desaturated pic.

The winds are still howling, but not as badly as overnight, and even the pups don't really want to be outside.  The leaves on our maple have been blown to bits, though a few still cling to their branches in defiance.  And the field is decked out in muted shades of amber, wheat, burnt umber, and even a little amethyst.  It makes me want to wear clothing in these exact shades...it's that time of year after all.

In other news, Fifi O'Neill told me that her new wedding book, Prairie Style Weddings, will be out December 2, just in time for Christmas, and it is available for pre-order on Amazon.  For all you romantic, nature loving brides, or mother's of the bride, who are looking for great rustic, chic ideas, this is a must have!

To learn more you can watch this charming video about how she discovered her love for prairie style, and how these books came to fruition.

Fifi O'Neill Prairie Style Books from Natalie Neto on Vimeo.

Wishing you all a very happy and cozy week! xoxo