Holiday Photoshoot

Autumn's Orchard

To Our Friends,

I am so in love with barns. Barns of all colors, shapes, and functions. Barns with corn silos or stacked full of hay. Eddie and I took a Sunday drive through Hickory Pennsylvania just to swoon over all the pretty farms. I'd like to have a farm one day - minus the cows and horses. I'd like to be a beekeeper with a vegetable garden and an orchard. I'd keep little chickens in my garden; I might even incubate chicks in my classroom as a science project. And deep in the forest, I'd have a stone cottage with smoke billowing from the chimney and a pot of tea on the stove. Maybe I'd live close enough to school to ride my bike -- can't a girl have the best of both worlds? I might even have llamas if I got brave enough to have such a large animal (that's a large animal to me). 

For now, we still live happily above a restaurant with a utility closet that always smells of delicious BBQ pulled pork. Eddie walks to work, and I drive Buzz (our car) up and over the hill to the college campus. We grow some herbs and plants on our back porch and have a batch of pumpkin beer brewing in our closet (not the utility closet). 

I was going to make an apple pie this weekend, but I had a huge pumpkin pie bagel with cheesecake cream cheese icing. And last night my mom made gooey peanut butter brownies. I should probably take it easy on the sugar. 

Oh, thrifting was a success! Another 30 books were added to my children's literature collection.

Love, 

Peppercorn

Flannel Season

Dear Friends,

I may be a little too excited for flannel season. I even turned on the heat for a full thirty minutes before guilt set in. Why would I even want to anticipate cold weather when we'll be bonded to it for six months at least?? Because. Because we won't be sweltering in humid air. We won't be in combat {Humans vs. Gnats}. We won't suffocate when we walk out the door. Make up won't drip off of my face. Oh yes, I'm excited for flannel season. Please remind me of this come winter when I have gained weight from hot chocolate, pumpkin spice lattes, and warm baked goods. And I take my dog out for a full five minutes in the frigid cold because long walks with her feel impossible. 

I promise not to complain (too much) about the weather. 

Cabbage rolls are on the stove, and I'm thrifting on Saturday. I'll keep you in the loop. 

Love, 

Peppercorn

Tweed + Lace

To Our Friends,

This blazer is my latest thrift find. It's a gorgeous tweed made from %100 wool. To be clear about my hair, I have not gotten an incredibly ridiculous haircut. I did, however, wake up with a mullet-esque style that needed to be hidden with the use of a hair clip. Some hair days are easier than others. Today is not one of those days. For lunch today, I had a heaping plate of chocolate covered strawberries. Seems like a good enough start to the week (minus the hair). 

Last night, I had this crazy idea. I think it would be really nice to ditch our cell phones. Unfortunately, being on the sub' list, I can't, but I really can't escape the feeling of freeing myself electronically. Maybe when we move we could just have one landline. What do I really use my phone for? To check Facebook, Bloglovin' and Pinterest incessantly. What if I spent more of my time creating? What if I spent more time taking photos? Am I crazy? Maybe once I get a teaching job I'll kiss my phone goodbye. 

Love, 

Peppercorn

Woodland Creatures

Dearest Friends,

Some of the best things in life are free. And when they're not free, I try to re-create them, like these woodland creature masks. Does that make me super talented? Or super cheap? I'll take talented. Lately, after watching the Fantastic Mr. Fox and thinking about the Startford Shakespeare Festival, I have become woodland-creature obsessed. Maybe reading "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" will derail my obsession. We shall see. 

Love,

Peppercorn

"A Fortnight and Odd Days"

Dearest Friends,

We spent our Friday night building a fort in our living room. We did all the things our twelve year old selves would have approved (i.e.: We ate large fistfuls of cookie dough, used a hammer and nails to build the fort, and stayed up past our normal bed time.) After plenty of television on our thirteen inch TV screen (aka our laptop), we passed out, declaring adulthood overrated. However, we realized in the morning that although we may have acted twelve, our bodies still felt mid-twenty. The usual egg and sausage breakfast was denounced for a lighter faire in hopes to cure our childhood hangover. We have erased much of the fort evidence, even pictures, in case our future children find out that we may be "cool."

Love,

Peppercorn

Friday Mornings

Dear Friends and Co., 

I'm no longer pinning my bangs to the side like a small school girl. I am, on the other hand, sporting very nerdy bangs, the kind I probably had in third grade. I hope your morning is filled with coffee, snickerdoodles, cardigans, and children's literature. 

Love, 

Peppercorn