what a hoot

I've turned into a bit of a night owl in the sense that every night this week I've headed off to bed at 1am and woken up at 5:30am (all thanks to a gazillion presentations and tests and lesson plans due). Being able to sleep in (until 9!) and knowing it's a long weekend made waking up today so much better. And knowing that, for one last weekend, it's going to feel a bit like summer makes me want to pull out my camera and really capture the moment. Today I'm planning on doing a little exploration hike with The Boy (and catch up on The Vampire Diaries) and tomorrow's Thanksgiving dinner! What do you have planned this weekend?

Since I'm a bit of an owl right now, I thought I'd make the next giveaway a little owl-related! My fab sister, our mama, and myself are starting up an online shop with knits and blog designs come November, so hopefully you can enjoy some knitted warmth while sitting at your laptop enjoying a design. As a little teaser of what's to come, one part of the giveaway is an item from our future shop. The other is something I know I'd love to keep on my wall but that I would love to share with one of you, so here goes: the what a hoot! giveaway.

You'll get to have:

1) A lovely dictionary print from collageOrama (frame not included); and

2) An owl cup cozy from a future shop! (more details to come!)

How to enter?

Be a follower of this blog & enter with a comment that says "What a hoot!"

For extra entries?

1) Tweet about it and leave another comment with a link to your tweet!
2) Mention it on your blog and comment with a link to it.

3) Let me know what kind of items you'd like to see in a knit/blog design shop.

Open to both local and international readers :)

Winner will be announced October 23rd!

And to continue the 10 day 'you' challenge that I started last post, here's two songs that I've been constantly replaying over the past couple of weeks.

Florence + The Machine: "Shake It Out"
Anytime I'm in a rut, I play this song and "shake out" the stress.


Coldplay: "Paradise"
If only for it's epic minute-long instrumental intro. 
I'm actually kind of excited for their new CD.


Hmms, I smell a new mix a-brewin'... but for now:
Hope you have a great weekend!

the autumn lull

There's amazing things about this season - the leaves changing colours, the pumpkin spice lattes and hot chocolate, season premieres every week, putting on cozy clothes, not having to worry about breaking into a sweat three minutes after leaving your door, the smells of cinnamon and apple pie. 

But I find that every time September rolls around, I hit a lull ... that lull where I barely take any photos (compared to the spring and summer), feel tired at 6P.M. because the sun goes down earlier, and any plans to enjoy the fall weather - be it a fair or a hike - either gets ruined by rain or the to-do list that is slowly taking over my life. 

September is ending, though, and I've resolved to make October a month to enjoy by making New Season/Month's Resolutions. Take my camera out more; bake lots when it's miserable outside; take time to spend outdoors or indoors, solo or with friends; and, blog more. About the everyday things, not just recaps. And to restart that, I'm adopting a little blog challenge I first saw from Leesh from After 'I Do' - it's a ten day you challenge (though it'll probably span over twenty days hehe).

one picture of yourself

This photo was taken a little over a month ago in The Boy's hometown in Hungary. It might just seem like a silly photo of a girl riding a bike through a village, but it means so much more to me (that whole picture is worth a thousand words thing definitely applies here). Earlier that day, I was hospitalized from dehydration due to food poisoning. It was a scary thing for me, since (thankfully) I'm not too used to being in a hospital. The Boy was right there with me translating everything to the doctors and staying there as I got examined time and time again, had an ultrasound done to make sure my stomach and kidneys were OK, and sat next to me as I had water put into my body via a tube.

When we got back to his grandparents' house, his grandmother came by with mashed potatoes and bread while I watched Chasing Liberty on my laptop (cheesy movies, and Matthew Goode, definitely cheer me up) while The Boy went off again to the main part of town to get me medicine. 

That evening, I was up for going outside to get fresh air, and we decided to head off to his uncle's house (that had Internet connection) with a bike ride. I was honestly so thankful that I was feeling better, that the food poisoning didn't lead to something incredibly horrible, and was just stoked to be able to go on a bike. When The Boy took this photo, I was euphoric. And it reminds me that I need to find joy in the simple things all the time.

So, now I have to ask:

What do you do to spruce up your autumn months?

What are you looking forward to most in October?

Hope you have a great weekend!