Grateful Challenge 2019

The other day, Mr. Heid and I were talking about a few things that we're grateful for and it made me want to put them down in a list (who saw that coming, right?!). So from November 1st through Thanksgiving, I honored those persons, places, or things for which I'm grateful by listing them within my Instagram posts.

Here’s what I came up with all compiled in this post:

• Nov. 1 | Weekends!

• Nov. 2 | A visit from two good friends with whom we never fail to have a good time and around whom we never feel judged.

• Nov. 3 | Our families — we are so very blessed to have amazing families! When we get together there are jokes, games, and good times! And when life gives us lemons, we're still by each other's sides helping one another get through!

• Nov. 4 | Wayback Burgers’ Oreo Mud Slide milkshake. My throat was killing me! Turns out it was just sinus drainage, but their milkshake gave me sweet, sweet, icy, relief!

• Nov. 5 | My right to vote for leaders and policies that will shape our future!

Nov. 6 | A handy hubby who can fix our heat and HEAT (we were without for two weeks, waiting on a part)

Nov. 7 | Puppy snuggles

Nov. 8 | Fantastic co-workers who make work fun, hardworking volunteers who make our work possible, and an amazing cast of kids who put on a phenomenal first night of production and make everything we do so worth it.

Nov. 9 | My hubby’s gouda cheese grits on a Saturday morning!

Nov. 10 | My sore throat subsiding!

Nov. 11 | A day off to organize after the wedding AND our veterans who've fought for our freedom and security.

Nov. 12 | My pilates classes! They’re always filled with jokes, discussions of dinner plans, life updates from all, tons of encouragement, modifications, and instruction on what you should and shouldn’t feel during each move.

Nov. 13 | Disney+ haha I spent a solid hour scrolling through each and every thing and already built my watch list.

Nov. 14 | A chance to share a drink and shop with a few friends during this busy season of life!

Nov. 15 | Cozy socks and blanket scarves (it’s dipped down into the 30s here)

Nov. 16 | A fantastic group of volunteers and a new team member to relieve my workload! In my day job, we plan so many events throughout the year, but Mr. Heid and I want to take more time for us so I’ve been working toward program and team changes to accommodate that.

Nov. 17 | Friendsgiving with my besties was filled with good food, so many laughs and stories, and most importantly togetherness. So so grateful for the chance to get away from work and spend time with them.

Nov. 18 | The barista at Cohesive Coffee who gently dared me to try oat milk in my iced Chai tea and promised to make me a free one with almond milk (my usual order) if I hated it. Guys. It did not disappoint and I’ve got a new order! I will always be thankful to this barista for opening up a new flavor for me!

Nov. 19 | All of the autumn colors! I can’t get enough of them, and I love living in a place where my favorite season and the prettiest season actually exists.

Nov. 20 | The best boss, honestly. He believes in and encourages our team even when things don’t go as planned. We can joke and still be professional. He actually officiated my wedding!

Nov. 21 | A sold out weekend of shows at my day job! It’s so great to see that the things we line up are what’s the community actually wants!

Nov. 22 | For maintaining friendships with my girls from high school! When we get together it’s like we never missed a beat. I love them so so much and enjoyed celebrating one of them as she starts her chapter of motherhood!

Nov. 23 | Friends who recently moved to the Upstate, making it possible for us to grab a quick breakfast and catch up this morning.

Nov. 24 | The olive green Sk8-Hi Vans that I wore at my wedding and the fact that I can wear them anytime I want now.

Nov. 25 | Coming home to the smell of my husband making vanilla bean condensed milk, turkey gravy, and pie crusts (and the results - pumpkin left, sweet potato right in the picture below).

Nov. 26 | That my parents and in-laws live in the same city, making the holidays that much easier.

Nov. 27 | All of my family and friends!

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving full of laughter, love, good eats, stories, and togetherness!

xoxo,

Keira

Makers Guide | Fall 2019

I love autumn so much, I can’t handle it! The crisp air, the beautiful colors, the crunch falling leaves… top it off with Mr. Heid’s birthday, our wedding (and soon to be anniversary season), Halloween, and Thanksgiving — UGH! There’s so much to celebrate!

Whether you’re looking for some decor this season, or a gift for someone special, or a treat for yourself, check out this roundup of fall-inspired handmade or small-batch goods!

ONE | I recently purchased CFL’s Fall My Favorite Things Travel Mug, but I’m also eyeing this Give Thanks camper mug. Use it year-round as a reminder that there’s always something to be thankful for.

TWO | I NEED THIS SWEATER! I LOVE HOCUS POCUS!

THREE | Speaking of Hocus Pocus — yup, I need this candle set.

FOUR | I’ve recently become more and more drawn to yellows lately, so naturally this yellow velvet cushion is calling my name.

FIVE | We ordered this cake topper for our wedding and I’m thinking I may use it to make a wreath like this one after the wedding. It’ll be a nice way to reuse it instead of tossing it!

SIX | As I said before, I love autumn (especially October), and I’d gladly have this print on my wall all season long!

SEVEN | I’ve been wanting a pair of slippers for years, so I finally ordered these ones! Don’t they look cozy? I’ll let you know if I love them once they come in! *Update — they’re SO cozy! Highly recommend!*

EIGHT | These petite wood bar earrings are simple yet beautiful! I like the wood look and tried some studs years ago, but since I'm tan it just looked like my ear loves we're shaped funnily 🙈

However and whatever you’re celebrating this season (even if it’s just the season), I hope you take a breath to pause and savor every moment!

xoxo,

K

Reflection | Autumn Snapshots

Guys. I had every intention of posting throughout November. I even took some styled pumpkin photos to share with you. But alas, I couldn’t find the time!

Fall is the busiest season for me — both at work and at home. It’s filled with moments that require you to live in them, which we could all stand to practice a little more anyway.

It’s the season where the youth theatre at work hosted six performances their latest production. At first I thought, I am going to get so tired of this show. Then I was completely blown away with the casts’ talent the first night and caught as many pics and videos as a I could for social media. Then three shows in, I really started to live in the moment and watch, remain impressed, feel proud, learn the songs, and catch the jokes and tiny details that I missed before. When I look back and reflect on that, I wonder how many details we miss when we’re rushing through life or trying to capture everything on our phones.

After two full weekends of events, I was able to embrace autumn in our house. For us, that means the smell of roasting pumpkins, Mr. Heid’s curses as he works to make the perfect pie crusts, gravy thickening on the stove, and Alice’s Restaurant on repeat. By the end of it, we’ve hit every grocery store in the area, Mr. Heid’s thrown at least one whole crust away, Keiko and I have had our fill of scrap pie crusts, we’ve made beautiful pies and delicious gravy to share with our families for Thanksgiving, and we’re hunkering down to watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.

Despite our busy schedule, we managed to find the time to take two little road trips to Windy Hill Orchard & Cider Mill. I was introduced to the orchard back when I was in living in Rock Hill and immediately loved it! Chickens clucking around, you-pick apple trees, fresh baked cider donuts, pigs eating fallen apples - ugh! the list goes on.

On our first trip, we caught up with friends we hadn’t seen in awhile and went back to one of their places for a home-cooked dinner. On our second trip, we played games with our usual crew and purchased two carboys of cider for home brewing! They are currently fermenting in our extra bathroom tub (easy cleanup in case something goes wrong). It’ll be awhile before they’re ready, but I can’t wait to taste our hard cider!

We went to our hometown for Thanksgiving to celebrate with our families. This year, my brother surprised the family with a visit home. He’s been studying in CA, they haven’t seen him since July and weren’t expecting to a visit until Christmas! He trusted my sister and I with keeping the secret and sneaking him into the house late Thanksgiving Eve. It was a beautiful moment to watch our parents’ faces when they saw him on Thanksgiving morning. After our Thanksgiving meal with Mr. Heid’s family, we went to a local Christmas tree farm and picked out the perfect tree to bring home.

These are the moments we living for — the love, the surprises, the togetherness, the traditions, the family, the friendship. What did you enjoy most this fall?

I know fall’s technically not over until Dec. 21, buuuut it’s pretty much Christmas now, which screams winter to me (not to mention that it’s literally freezing here). So happy winter everyone!

xoxo

K