fall.

I've had a few pictures to share with you all lately, but without sitting down to hook up the camera to the computer, I have found it impossible to follow through. Here they are -- a few looks at what we've been up to lately, enjoying the fall for all it is.

Two weekends ago we had some friends over, a wonderful couple who got married the day after Mr. Allen and I, so you could say they are at the same stage of life as us (minus one little growing infantino that we have going on.) We wanted to make them something special for dinner, so we planned to make crockpot chicken taco chili (a pinterest find, of course,) but our plans changed last minute and Mr. Allen and I enjoyed the taco chili, just the two of us. The couple came over the next night, and we scrambled around the house looking for something to serve them and found a pretty random variety of foods; but dessert had already been decided upon.

I had pinned a recipe for raspberry buttermilk cake a few weeks (months?) back, waiting for the right opportunity to try it out. My aunt had bought me a Crate&Barrel giftcard for graduation in June, and I hadn't used the whole balance up yet, so I ventured out to the store to buy ramekins (those little individual serving dishes that are too cute for words.) They are the perfect accessory for having friends over - a little showy, a little wonderful, and everyone wants to eat that full "small" portion. :] The cakes turned out beautifully and so tasty!

Of course we added chocolate chips. These Allens don't do recipes without chocolate chips if there is an option. (I just finished baking a loaf of banana bread + chocolate chips to push the point that much further. Also so yummy; I'm enjoying a thick slice while I write this.)

Last weekend we celebrated Mr. Allen's birthday (and I mean we celebrated all weekend/week.) We headed back to Michigan to spend a few days with his side of the family and were able to have lunch with my side on the way back to Chicago. My sister-in-law, Kelsey, called a few weeks ago and asked if, while we were home, we would want to enjoy the fall-er things in life: corn maze, pumpkin carvings, etc. I was definitely on board, and although we didn't make it to the corn maze, we did enjoy some doughnuts and cider from the orchard and spent an evening carving pumpkins.

Our creations...

[Mr. Allen's "Grim Creeper" creation. He always picks the creepiest pumpkin designs. Yuck.]

[My creation: the Chicago Blackhawks' logo. This baby took me a few good hours and more work than imaginable. Even though it is currently rotting on our back stoop only a week later, the final turn-out of this creation was so worth it.]

[My sister, Kelsey's, creation of what was supposed to be the Stanley Cup, but because our knives both were destroyed mid-carving ended up much more of a bowling pin look-alike.]

[All of our pumpkins out on the front porch, bringing joy to the neighbors (hopefully.)]

Man, fall is great. I know I've said it before, but it really is the best. I might even trade a day on the beach for an afternoon with those beautifully changing trees and falling leaves and all the fall-festivities. I can't wait to show Cubbie all of those next year and in the years to come. :]

with joy.

I'm linking up to these parties...