autumn enchantment

I'm incredibly honored 

to be part of a group of so many talented ladies…  

{the female photographers of etsy}

and today I wanted to honor a handful of them 

by showcasing some of their gorgeous imagery.  

Their artwork embodies the rich colors & true feeling of autumn. 

Has it cast its spell on you yet?

intricate...

Hello all!  This week has been significantly better than last week, thank goodness… 

We have family visiting, which means I've been lucky to have my hubby at home along with some great company.  Gracie is doing much better… and although she still has some swelling, it seems to be slowly subsiding.  I can't tell you how much I've truly appreciated all your well wishes.  And if that wasn't enough… this morning I discovered that I just made my esty front page debut!!  My bier garten print was featured in an Oktoberfest tribute… awesome timing & talk about a great way to start my day!  The weather here has been beautiful, and I'll be rounding out my week with a trip to the annual Hitscherhof Farm Festival, here in Germany.  I visited it for the first time last year, and I can't wait to go again!!  It's where I'll be buying all my pumpkins for my front walk, not to mention gobbling down on the best pumpkin soup I've EVER tasted… 

now on to our photo of the week, and look at us!! posting early for a change…

week nine :: intricate

Laura :: me

see you back here next week, where our theme will be "balance"
enjoy the rest of your weekend!

the afternoon hours...

during week eight I traveled by train to Bad Dürkheim's Wine Festival,

where I spent the afternoon hours watching men in lederhosen play their instruments in front of our table, where couples danced right there in the aisles… where we tasted the local wine, and the food did not disappoint… where my hubby ate the hottest currywurst he's ever tasted (and that's saying something my friends) they even made him sign a release!!  where the carnival rides were all around us, beckoning with the delight of children's laughter… and where all in all the day was beautiful, even with the tiny sprinkling of predictable German weather.

As the week progressed, I spent my afternoon hours taking my sweet Grace in for a checkup and her shots… you see she is my lumpy bumpy girl, and has had a long history of lipomas (or fatty lumps) throughout her eleven years.  The vet decided it would be best to remove this one, and we scheduled the surgery for the next day.  All went well, and I took a very sedated "Beans" home that afternoon (don't ask me why, but that's the latest term of endearment we have for her in a long line of nicknames).  The next day my hubby left for a scheduled work trip, and it seemed Grace was getting back to her normal self already… another day passed uneventfully, but the following morning I woke up to find a very swollen girl.  So starts my weekend… I took her back to the vet, and when I had to walk away and leave her there again, her cry broke my heart.  I had a mini melt down that day.  Thankfully skype let me call my hubby during that moment.  And I would have been even more of a mess if it wasn't for a few wonderful friends who understand that my Gracie isn't just a dog… she's my baby.  She now has a temporary "drain."  She's had one before, and they look pretty awful… but it's worked in the past.  The plan is to have it removed today, and then healing can work its magic.  The days and nights have been long, and I'm currently on "stitches watch"… but at the moment, she's sleeping comfortably right here next to me, which makes for a very happy Nelou.

so I'm posting a bit late, but with an image that reminds me of joy & laughter, which is exactly what I need right now… 

the afternoon hours

me :: Laura

As for next week, I'm hoping all goes well with her recovery.  

There may be a slight delay in posting week nine,
not to mention Laura & I being in two different time zones… 

but I'm looking forward to being back on schedule real soon!    

Thanks so much for stopping by.

I hope you're all enjoying a bit of Fall and some cooler weather.  

til next time… 

   

no place like home...

as the saying goes… well you get it.

my house is my cozy space, an extension of who I am… 

and now fall is here… and it's only my FAVORITE time of year.

and you see for me, the challenge is always not to go overboard… 

so welcome, to a small piece of our personal spaces.

week seven :: there's no place like home

laura on the left :: me on the right

next week's theme :: the afternoon hours

lest we forget...

although they have fallen… we will forever stand united. 

above photo credits :: John Botte

photo credit :: Guinara Samoilova

photo credit :: Henri Sillberman

photo credit :: Joel Zimmer

same view, different eye...

so… since week six happened to be the week of our awesome little vacation adventure to the south of france, we thought why not do a series from our time there?  the idea being that even though we are both enjoying the same views, our eyes may not be seeing the exact same things in the exact same ways…   we had such a great time wandering about, and although some of our pics may have similarities, we also have a tendency to see things quite differently.

monday :: meze

tuesday :: la couvertoirade

wednesday :: clermont l'hérault

thursday :: saint-guilhem-le-désert

friday :: saint-sean-de-fos

laura

me

as the days go by, I'll be adding more photos to my album, but for now, you can see my first round of edits from my time there here.  it was absolutely beautiful… 

I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed being there!

this week's theme… "there's no place like home"
would love for you to join in by posting your photos taken this week
feel free to post to either my facebook or laura's facebook wall.

up close & personal...

week five's post got pushed a little due to ohhhhh just a week long vacation in a sweet little spot in the south of france… and it was gorgeous and much needed!  

so without further waiting here are our up close & personals…

{me :: laura}

and you are going to love our week five, as they took place in that beautiful sunny place we visited.  It will be a series of images from our time there, with the idea being "same view, different eye"

we'll be posting those tomorrow!!

happy… labor day, falling leaves, pumpkin patches, football season, chili eating, sweater wearing, and my all around favorite time of year!!