Our Fall 2014 Family Pictures

I'm pretty surprised that we got any nice photos out of this shoot. On a whim, one evening when Reuben got off work early, I decided that we should take some family photos. I quickly did my hair and makeup and picked out clothes for us all. 

We drove out onto Reuben's family's land and found a pretty spot. Just as the light was beginning to fade we managed to set up the tripod and grab some shots. 

I'd like to do a bigger photo shoot with just Reuben and I someday, but I'll probably have to be satisfied with these until next year. Unless I can convince him to do another shoot (which doesn't sound too likely). :)

Do you like to take a family photo each year?

Snow in October + New Boots!

Can you believe that we've had our first snow already? Last Friday was pretty gloomy and rainy. Imagine our surprise when the rain turned to snow. 

It was beautiful but short lived. The next morning it was completely gone. It's nice to have a taste of winter without the commitment. :)

Aren't Helen's new boots just adorable? They're Janie and Jack. I found them on thredUP (of course). It's so nice to be able to get more expensive brands for an affordable price.

Here's her outfit details:

Sweater: Old Navy (thrifted) Similar

Pants: Circo (thrifted) Similar

Boots: Janie and Jack (thredUP) Similar

What's the weather like where you live?



Note: Some links are affiliate. All opinions are my own.

Fall is Here

I am so happy that the cooler weather is here. Sadly it's still not quite cold enough to need to wear all of my awesome jackets. First world problems.

Warm drinks are one of my favorite parts of fall. Mocha, hot cocoa, breves, pumpkin breves...it's all good. What's your favorite hot drink?

The first and second to last photo were taken with my iPhone 5S. They're kind of my favorite of the bunch...

Wet Autumn Day

I do love a good wet, gloomy day, especially when the weather begins to turn chilly. It’s just so cozy to be “trapped” indoors.

I took Helen outside in the rain, wrapped in my hoodie, to get the mail. She seemed perplexed by the wetness hitting her face. Seeing how lovely everything was in the misty rain, I set Helen back inside for Reuben to watch while I captured the beauty of the trees just beginning to change color.

Back inside, I fixed myself a cup of black tea and a Chai Gingerbread Bar with whipped cream while Helen took her second nap.

What did you do this Saturday? Are you excited for chilly weather?

8 Responses to Wet Autumn Day

1. Liz 
   September 28th, 2013 at 6:00 pm
   I can’t wait for the chilly weather to arrive. Cozy fires, hot tea, spicy soups… I love it all. Here in the bluegrass, it’s still hitting upper 70s in the afternoons, though the mornings are getting chillier. Despite this, I have been super excited for fall and doing “fall” things regardless of the weather. Made a lavender Earl Grey latte and helped my brother make a paella, though I am hoping to fit in time for some pumpkin muffins.. :) Looks like autumn is in full force for you guys, though!
   In retrospect, I have no idea how fall-ish making paella is, but it’s yummy.:P
2. (Auntie) Jean Plate 
   September 29th, 2013 at 2:41 am
   Thanks, Erica, for the beautiful pictures and letting us “peek into the window of your life” now and then!
   I enjoy seeing Helen grow! Thanks, too, for the pictures of the horse (is that old Cody?) and the maple leaves! (The only maple I’ve gotten to survive here in Alaska is about 18 inches high and is about 10 years old!) I loved seeing the colors in the rain.
   Today we moved a small mountain of top soil…well, at least part of it…to cover the excavation that happen at our well and around the new house for Grandma. Oh, we also winterized the bus and motorhome, so yes, we are mostly ready for winter. (One more garden to till.) There’s fresh snow on the mountains but no snow here yet. The sky tonight looked very much like it will be here soon.
   This evening we took the kids out for a progressive supper! First stop, our favorite Mexican restaurant for chips and salsa. Then on to our favorite burger place for wings and 1 hamburger with fries (shared between the 4 of us) and desert was at McDonalds…shakes, McFlury and a smoothy! It was a fun evening.
3. Nat @ Made in Home 
   September 29th, 2013 at 11:33 am
   Beautiful pictures! I love the Autumn!
4. Sarah 
   September 30th, 2013 at 10:40 am
   So pretty! I love rainy autumn days.
5. Erica Lea 
   October 2nd, 2013 at 10:00 am
   Liz: Yes, as soon as the weather isn’t blazing hot, I’m in a fall mood. :) Oh, all of your food sounds amazing! Now I really want paella – it’s been YEARS since we’ve had it. Maybe I can convince Mom to make some. :D
6. Erica Lea 
   October 2nd, 2013 at 10:04 am
   Auntie Jean: Yes, that’s old Cody (from Auntie Barb). I loved the little droplets of rain on his “whiskers.” :)
   Sounds like you guys had a busy Saturday! I think it’s awesome what you’re doing for Ric’s mom.
   That sounds like a fun supper. I like to sample lots of different kinds of foods.
   Thank you for sharing about your day – it transports me to Alaska. :)
7. Erica Lea 
   October 2nd, 2013 at 10:06 am
   Nat: Thank you! Yes, Autumn is my favorite season. :)
8. Erica Lea 
   October 2nd, 2013 at 10:06 am
   Sarah: Thank you! Me too. So cozy. :)

Frosty Morning

The other day I awoke to a world frosted in white. Still clothed in my PJ’s, I grabbed my camera bag and shoved it into our car so it’d be acclimated to the cold when I was ready to shoot.

After breakfast I rushed outside to capture the frozen crystals before the sun melted them all away.

Now our world is covered in a protecting, soft blanket of snow. I’ll have to get photos of it for ya’ll sometime.

Has is frosted/snowed where you live?

9 Responses to Frosty Morning

1. Annie 
   November 28th, 2012 at 2:53 pm
   Those pictures are beautiful! Hasn’t snowed here in IA yet, and normally the first one falls sometime in October… so it’s unusually late this year. But I love the warmer weather. =)
2. Megan 
   November 28th, 2012 at 3:42 pm
   So beautiful! I love frost! We have snow here but I am still waiting for our first really pretty frost, that’s probably my fav. thing about winter :)
3. Kathryn Grace 
   November 28th, 2012 at 5:31 pm
   So lovely! We’ve had a few frosts, but nothing heavy yet.
4. Kristina 
   November 28th, 2012 at 9:16 pm
   What gorgeous pictures! I especially love the first one. You made me a bit nostalgic. I grew up in Indiana and looking at your pictures, I can so well remember the feel and sense and smell of so many mornings like this that it feels like I am there. Here in South, South Texas it is a rare day to see frost and we almost never see snow. :)
5. Angela 
   November 28th, 2012 at 10:58 pm
   Just looking at those pictures is cooling me down! I’m Australian and it’s summer here and it’s very hot. Right now it is 34degrees celsius aka 93 fahrenheit.
6. Elizabeth 
   November 29th, 2012 at 9:58 am
   Your photography is really stunning. And it’s not just that I’m from Los Angeles and we could not have more different weather and environment. You really know how to create a beautiful photo!
7. Moriah Mari 
   November 30th, 2012 at 10:25 am
   Oooo . . . Erica, these are lovely! I particularly like numbers one and seven.
   No, snow here in northern IL yet. We would usually have snow by now – but I imagine it will come soon enough. :)
8. Anna 
   November 30th, 2012 at 11:30 am
   Stunning images!
   We got a few snowflakes today which was early for Denmark but hoping for a few more this weekend since we’ve got a cold front covering Scandinavia at the moment, great timing for the first of Advent!
9. Abbie 
   December 15th, 2012 at 5:43 am
   I love these photos – they’re so refreshingly cool to look at while we have warm days over here! :)

DIY Fall/Autumn Leaf Garland

Time for an autumn tutorial!

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own fall leaf garland: a length of yarn, a couple of pins or nails, miniature wooden clothespins and pressed or wax-dipped leaves.

• Measure how far up the wall you’d like to place your garland (I went slightly above eye level), and place a pin or nail in that spot. I used a pin because that leaves the least damage on our sheetrock walls. If you don’t mind poking holes in your walls, you could always use nails or whatever else you’d like.
• Measure up the same distance where you’d like your garland to end and place the other pin in the wall.
• Tie one end of the yarn onto one of the pins. Stretch it across to the other pin and tie in place. Make sure to pull the string a bit more taught than you’d like the finished garland to hang since the leaves will weigh it down.
• Clip your leaves to the yarn with the mini clothespins at even intervals.
• And you’re finished!

I plan to reuse this clothesline for winter/Christmas – maybe hang pine cones and tiny pine branches interspersed with miniature Christmas tree globes.

What are you doing to decorate your house for fall?

8 Responses to DIY Fall/Autumn Leaf Garland

1. Megan 
   October 17th, 2012 at 2:33 pm Moderate
   That’s a neat idea!
2. Kathryn Grace 
   October 17th, 2012 at 9:35 pm Moderate
   Very fun and easy! Great that you can quickly change out decor by clipping new items to the line.
   By the way… I love the block font you used – could I ask the name of it and if you found it free or bought it?
3. Erica Lea 
   October 17th, 2012 at 9:51 pm Moderate
   Kathryn: Yes, I can’t wait to try something else for Christmas. :) Yeah, I really like that font. It’s called “Sketch Block” and I got it for free here: {link}

First Snow!

Minnesota weather is so fickle. Just last Sunday I was miserably hot and wearing capris and sandals.

Today, we got our first snow.

It’s amazing to see the fall colors being covered by a dusting of white.

Reuben obligingly snapped some photos of me with my red brelly.

I slipped in the wet snow.

Inside, I lit a candle and brewed some tea. As I typed this, I spotted a deer outside my window.

It’s a perfect day, in my estimation.

7 Responses to First Snow!

1. Debbie 
   October 4th, 2012 at 11:28 pm Moderate
   You have some beautiful pictures.
2. Emily O. 
   October 5th, 2012 at 9:10 am Moderate
   What! I’m so jealous. :)
3. Annie 
   October 5th, 2012 at 12:38 pm Moderate
   Beautiful pictures, Erica! I love how the first one has both colorful leaves and snow. =) Hope you’re staying warm ‘n cozy!
4. Kathryn Grace 
   October 5th, 2012 at 12:50 pm Moderate
   Wow! We are shivering because this morning it was 42 degrees. :-) The only things falling around here are leaves! I love snow but I’m hoping for at least a month until it hits! Lovely photos though! :-)
5. Michelle 
   October 6th, 2012 at 5:05 pm Moderate
   Oh how lovely! I love snow :) I can’t wait until it snows in Ohio!
6. Anna 
   October 9th, 2012 at 2:25 am Moderate
   Lovely pictures! ( Peter’s been admiring them too :) I wish we will have some snow this year in Denmark too, unfortunately it a sight not too often seen.
7. Kiran @ KiranTarun.com 
   October 9th, 2012 at 7:53 pm Moderate
   Beautiful photos, and you look so radiant! I’m so jealous of all the snow. Send some to FL, please? :D