baked parmesan sweet potatoes.

for the first time in the history of the tiny white house, I have a recipe I'd like to share with you! it's one of my all-time favorites. it's easy. it's delicious. and it's healthy, if you're into that sorta thing.

I discovered it on Pinterest. like so many others, I am constantly pinning recipes that I'd like to try. what kinds of recipes? all kinds of recipes! I have a board for every food group, just about. I once mentioned on Twitter that the neat thing about my Pinterest boards is the versatility... one minute I'm pinning sweet potato recipes, the next hushpuppies. it's just the truth.

speaking of yams, that's just what I'm sharing with you today. I pinned this recipe awhile ago but just got around to preparing it for the first time this summer. you see, I didn't know I liked sweet potatoes until this year. but don't worry, I'm making up for lost time, and it's all because of these baked parmesan sweet potatoes by Kristyn of Lil' Luna!

they're sweet, savory, and a huge hit in my kitchen. to see the full recipe, click here.

one summer night, my cousins were in town visiting, and our plans for dinner included cooking every vegetable in the garden + house. we all pitched in, preparing different dishes. my contribution? these delicious sweet potatoes. the entire meal was scrumptious. the only thing better than the presentation was the taste!

two things my mother always says: 

1. make good choices. 
2. make colorful choices. 

I think this counts as both. if this isn't a picture of a southern summer supper, I don't know what is!

one day a few weeks ago, lunchtime rolled around and nothing in the house sounded good, except this recipe. I was home with the baby, so I knew if I went to the trouble of making this, I would be the only one to enjoy it. normally, I wouldn't have bothered with it. but once I got to thinking about those sweet potatoes, I couldn't stop. I had all the ingredients on hand, so I was out of excuses. once the baby went down for his nap, I set to work in the kitchen.

preparing this meal gave me a chance to be still and reflect. and later, when I sat at the table to scarf it down enjoy it, I had the realization that sometimes it's nice to slow down and create something, even if you will be the only one to take delight in it. it's good for the soul.

I am so glad I slowed down that day, because I learned this simple but important lesson. I also realized this might be a recipe, and lesson, worth sharing.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I have! thanks to Kristyn for sharing!

a {mini} fall tour.

decorating for holidays, and decorating just because, looks a little different than it used to, as we have been living with family since the flooding of our home. I really and truly have loved almost every minute of it, but it has certainly been challenging, at times, for all my "roommates."

one of the wonderful things about being back at home is that my sweet mother has given me complete "creative control." in other words, I am free to style, decorate, rearrange, etc. the way I would in my own home. this woman is so gracious to do this because, you know, it's not even my house! but to be completely candid, I think she has probably enjoyed it a little, because who doesn't want a live-in decorator?

that said, it is interesting to decorate a different house in these new seasons. I never dreamed that last fall and Christmas would be my last time to decorate for the holidays at the tiny white house. however, at my parents', I have a great canvas to work with. for instance, they have a mantle! I know, I know--what a luxury, right? but this is something we didn't have in our first home, so it's fun to create something centered around this.

but enough with all the words! without further ado, I'd like to share the 2016 {mini} fall tour with you!

when I began to envision my fall decor, I knew I wanted to incorporate this oversized frame. I actually acquired this sometime earlier in the year. one afternoon, I was driving the little girl I nanny to her voice lesson. the church where her lessons took place was located near Good Will; so some days, if time allowed, we would stop by to see if they had any treasures for us. but, that's actually not where this came from. it was on the way to Good Will that I spotted a dumpster behind a store and what looked like a dresser sitting near it. so we took a detour and that's where I happened upon this piece! the dresser was beyond repair, but this frame was on the ground behind it. it used to frame a mirror, but I suppose the dresser + mirror fell and cracked so the store threw it out. obviously, they didn't realize they could paint it, staple some toile fabric in it, and place it on their mantle for fall decor, but that's neither here nor there.

in the spring, we hung a boxwood wreath in the frame. but when our baby arrived, that wreath moved to the nursery. so the frame sat empty for some months, and then September rolled around. I got the idea to frame some fabric and then remembered I had a couple yards of toile fabric I'd bought from Hobby Lobby to recover some pillows. it had been sitting under our bed, folded up, in the very plastic bag it left the store in last fall, waiting for its time to shine. with some assistance from my mother, we stretched + stapled this fabric in the frame. it's a little simple, maybe even understated; but, to me, it definitely shines. this is one of my favorite projects to date. and the best part is it cost less than $10 to make!

as I've mentioned before, silver is one of my favorite things to feature in my decor. this antique silver ice bucket was a gift from my husband last Christmas. clearly, he knows the way to my heart. in the spring + summer, it was filled with hydrangeas. for the fall season, it holds stems of cotton.

the ice bucket sits upon my great grandfather's Bible. my mother has several Bibles that have been in our family for generations, and I'm jealous and I want them. isn't that ironic? to covet someone else's vintage Bible. she says I can't have them [yet, anyway]; but since we're roommates, I am free to use them in my our decor.

of course, pumpkins are a staple when it comes to fall decor, and there's just something about white ones. the oversized blue pitcher is a favorite of mine and adds a little color to this mostly neutral scene.

a wire basket filled with cozy blankets is a simple, yet decorative way to create storage and warmth--quite literally.

in the 2015 {mini} fall tour, I mention that simply placing pumpkins thoughout your home adds a little touch of fall without much effort. this lovely vignette is on the shelves of the hutch in the kitchen. you already know I love blue + white dishes and greenery, throw in a pumpkin and I'm sold.  and would you look at that? another old Bible I covet.

as pleased as I was with the way the mantle turned out, I couldn't help but feel as if the fall decor wasn't complete. so, I decided to set the little drop-leaf table in the kitchen. I used my favorite blue + white dishes, fresh apples + berries, and a few nuts I found in the backyard. 

I was excited to use these chargers I scored at Home Goods when we were visiting family in Texas last Christmas. I found them hidden under some bowls on a bottom shelf and just had to have them. I did feel a little bad, though, because I'm pretty sure someone hid them there with the intention of coming back for them. but you know, finders keepers, or whatever.

the mismatched flatware is part of my collection that I've gathered along the way, from antique stores to garage sales and junk shops. the antique linen napkins were another Christmas gift from my husband. cloth napkins are another one of my favorite things to collect.

it's not much; but it's warm and inviting, and that's enough for me.

thanks for looking! what do you think? how do you decorate for fall?

life begins all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.

-F. Scott Fitzgerald

I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.

-Anne of Green Gables

gracie | senior session

there are so many things I love about creating and working with my hands. photography is one of those things. I must admit, though, I am a rookie. and I am okay with this. and while I'm being completely candid, I prefer to photograph still life. I enjoy capturing photos of my family and friends and pets and the children I nanny; but I prefer to shoot things that are still, that I don't have to coach, that I can arrange just so and step back and not worry about them moving. I have much respect for photographers that photograph actual human beings. I think it's honorable and challenging, and I am so glad there are people who choose this aspect of photography. I just can't handle that pressure. that, and I don't feel as if it is my calling.

but sometimes, there are exceptions to this "rule" of mine. usually these exceptions are family members or people I've birthed. sometimes it's close friends or even acquaintances.

one of my favorite exceptions to the rule and human beings in general is my younger sister. she is incredible. she's an artist. she can sing. she's athletic. she is kind and tender-hearted. she can dance. she's hilarious. she is genuine. she is brilliant. she's weird. she is beautiful. she's brave. she's so many things. so many good things. 

Gracie graduated from high school in May and I had the honor of taking her senior portraits. we had so much fun capturing these photos. some were taken in my parents' yard, some on the football field of her high school. a few were taken in front of a blue brick wall that caught her eye. some were taken in our favorite antique + thrift store, some in her favorite diner + place to get ice cream. the best part about our "shoot" is how much fun we had doing it. the other best part is that this is so her. if you know my sister, you know this is right up her alley.

but enough with the commentary, meet Gracie, my sweet baby sister who is full of life and just so much fun.