elephants and polka dots | a quilt for Avery

Yesterday I said goodbye to this pretty quilt and sent it off in the arms of a mama awaiting the arrival of her second daughter. I think this quilt is my favorite one yet (I always seem to think that), but I know it's going to be well loved.

Thanks to my brother for helping me get a few shots of the quilt while we were out shopping last week :)

It was inspired by little Avery's nursery - soft yellow and pale gray with an elephant motif. I loved picking out the fabrics for this beauty. They're all from Pink Chalk Fabrics and fabricworm.

 Simple gray binding ties it all together.

And if any of you are wondering, I used this pattern from Fresh Lemons. Now on to the next baby quilt! This season has me busy busy busy...

on Block Island

We just got back from Block Island last night and I'm still getting organized. Even after just a two day trip it seems like I have so much to do. The fridge was empty and needed filling, Ezra was running low on clean underwear, and it looks like a small toy store exploded in our living room. I've tackled a few tasks today, but I wanted to share a few photos from our trip before I forgot.

We visited this guy at Abrams Animal Farm as well as alpacas, goats, a half zebra/half pony, and lots of other exotic animals. Ezra loved feeding them from his hand, and seemed oblivious to the ducks trying to eat his fingers along with the feed.

Of course we had to visit Mohegan Bluffs and the Southeast Lighthouse. We biked there from the house we were staying with my parents, and once we arrived we trekked down over a hundred steps to walk along the ocean.

Although we had a nice couple of days there, it's definitely better to visit during the summer if you want a good selection of restaurants and to be able to shop. We ate at Mabel's and the Mohegan. I look forward to visiting again. Have you ever been to Block Island?

hello weekend

Anyone else wondering where fall went? It's almost 80° here! We're not complaining though... we're soaking up the sun by playing tee ball in the yard. I hope the weather stays nice this weekend because we have a few outdoor activities planned... apple and pumpkin picking (finally) and a trip to the Scituate Art Festival. I'm also helping to lead a girls retreat tonight, so I'm sure I'm in for a late night! Tomorrow I'm hoping to do a deep clean of the house and then we're celebrating Matt's mom's birthday (check out last year's celebration right here). And if I can squeeze it in, I hope to finish this quilt. What are you up to this weekend?

- can you spare a minute or two? go here and vote for my mom's quilt... scroll down and check the box next to "Jodi's Sampler"
- did you know you can make an omelet in a Zip-loc bag?
- cool illustrations of J.Crew's Spring 2013 line
- one of the best things about fall: layering
- and how to relish autumn. on it.
- really cute care packages: one and two
- gah! an elephant on a bicycle! I want it.
- some thoughts on style. I concur.
- and some brilliant thoughts on getting ready for baby

If you have one, enjoy the long weekend, and I'll see you back here on Tuesday!

image via The Yard

what to do with Brussels sprouts | fall cooking

Hey! Happy Monday! Sorry, but that seems to be the way I always start my posts at the beginning of the week. I don't use the computer a lot of the weekends, if at all, so I feel like I'm reentering the world of the internet and a cheery greeting seems necessary. Please forgive me if I repeat myself!

Anyway, this post is reminiscent of my past menu of the week posts which almost always went live on Mondays. With fall upon us there are tons of new recipes to try - everything hearty and cozy and always delicious. Brussels sprouts are not a vegetable I would usually eat, but they're in season so when my mom gave me two pounds from the garden I decided to experiment. Here are three stellar sprout recipes you should have in your repetoire... 

whole grain spaghetti with Brussels sprouts and mushrooms - Giada never lets me down, and this recipe is no exception. How can you go wrong with crème fraîche? However, I highly recommend skipping the salt and pepper at the end of the recipe and seasoning to taste instead, or else you run the risk of your dinner being severely oversalted. (I originally found the recipe in Weeknights with Giada which had lots of other yummy recipes... definitely worth checking out!)

Brussels sprout lemon pizza - We love pizza around here, but we tend to stick to the same old toppings - usually pineapple or peppers and onions - so when I saw this recipe in Whole Living a few months back I dogeared the page for future use. I couldn't believe how amazing the lemon slices were, so don't skip them!

salmon and Brussels sprouts with ginger scallion sauce - I tried this recipe from Dinner A Love Story a while back and wanted to bring it back into the rotation. We have salmon a lot but I never do much with it, so this is an easy way to spice things up.

Do you have any fall recipes that I should try?

image via Martha Stewart

hello weekend

Looks like we're in for another rainy fall weekend here, but I'm not complaining. Rain makes things kind of cozy, and it's the perfect weather for curling up with a book and cup of tea. Might have to do just that tonight. If you're local, check out the schedule for the First Works Festival in Providence tomorrow night. It looks like a super cool event - I want to check out Bandaloop, the Papermoon Puppet Theatre, and Squonk Opera. Now you're intrigued, right?

Also, so many good finds this week! Check 'em out...
- bunk beds are my favorite
- score! loads of free script fonts
- the two best photo shoot props are a heart-shaped kite and a yellow scooter
- one of my many dreams: live in a converted schoolhouse
- this vintage trunk restyle turned out way better than mine
- aren't these ideas for a housewarming party great?
- must make my own wheat thins
- love the name of this local letterpress shop
- check out the fab new children's lifestyle blog, Small Fry
- need an excuse to make a three layer peanut butter pie
- this subdued shared space for a boy and a baby is my kind of room
- the sweetest little dress up busy book I've ever seen

Have a wonderful weekend!

image via Emerson Fry