I'm so excited to share my first post in a new series, The Photo Challenge Next Door. It's a collaboration that Erica, my favorite next-door-neighbor-blogger (NDNB for short?), and I have been cooking up as a way to conquer our scary DSLR cameras. We're both switching our cameras to manual mode and not looking back. (Eeek!) Every month we'll each share a photo that we took with our cameras in manual mode. There are sure to be some less than impressive photos. But we're committed to figuring things out and we can only get better from here (right?). I'll post... Read more →

This is my first Day in the Life post. I'm always curious to know what the everyday life of other people looks like so I thought it would be fun to share my own. Here's whay my day looked like on October 14, 2013: 3:07 AM // I hear Dashiell start to fuss. I wait to see if he'll put himself back to sleep but he continues to fuss. I blearily rise from bed, pad down the hall and scoop up that big, cute baby. I love holding his little pajama-ed body. I nurse him in the dark and then... Read more →

Starting a new novel and reading it obsessively. My ideal state in life is one in which I have a book that I eagerly look forward to reading and can't leave the house without. Where'd You Go, Bernadette is funny and sweet and I'm reading it in every spare moment I get. Yesterday morning I even set my Kindle on the bathroom counter while I blow dried my hair so that I could keep reading. Happy Friday! Read more →

{Team Wharton budget meeting} Last week I posted our updated budget. None of the numbers were a surprise but reviewing the dollar amounts did get me thinking about a few things: We should keep track of what we buy with the House/Baby/Fun allocations. This is a budget line item in both Chris's and my personal expenses category and covers everything from clothing to haircuts to doctor's co-pays to eating out to random trips to Home Depot and Target. Between the two of us we have $700 allocated to these expenses and I actually think we're spending more than that. It's... Read more →

Wearing my new Beco Gemini carrier and Loving that it supports my big baby and my back. Baking pumpkin swirl bread + fall vegetables to purrée for Dashiell . Enjoying sitting down as a family of three at the dinner table. Inspired to recreate a declicious walnut "meat" replacement that I had during a friend's restaurant grand opening. Reading Playtime Peekaboo, Indestructible books, and Babybug magazine (a sweet gift from my mom). Hoping to read a few books for myself soon, too. Thinking it's almost scarf weather (my favorite kind of weather). Planning Falliday! and Thanksgiving (we're hosting!). Ignoring the... Read more →

Do you also go through agony when deciding to stay home sick from work? It's an easy decision if I'm really sick but when it's allergies-turned-cold-no-voice-general-blah-ness it takes me an hour or more to finally make the call and send the necessary emails; even though I'm still going to call in to the meetings I have scheduled and even though I accrue sick time for exactly this situation. I was able to make my decision final this morning when I thought about what I think when I hear someone at work coughing and blowing their nose: "Ugh, they should have... Read more →

A long-overdue pedicure. The last time I had my toes painted I was very pregnant with Dashiell. I remember feeling (being) so big and that having my swollen feet massaged was the best thing ever. I'm so happy to have some color back on my toes; it's been making me smile every time I see them this week. Read more →

Last year, when I went to Erica's house for our fall crafting date, I noticed a simple thing that made her whole house feel festive. At each sink there was a fall-scented soap. Erica is my seasonal decor mentor so I eagerly asked her to tell me more. She told me that at the beginning of the fall and Christmas seasons she stocks up on scented soaps and candles. If a soap doesn't get used up during the season she just stores it under the sink to be used the next year. Genius. I went home and immediately banished my... Read more →

A few days ago, after Abby posted a picture on Instagram of a salad with apples, cheese, and onions, I could. not. stop. thinking about it. So when Chris stopped at the market yesterday I texted "GET SHARP CHEDDAR CHEESE" and was already thinking of the toasted walnuts I had in the freezer and the local apples in our fruit basket. As I was eating the first few bites of this salad I knew it was going straight into my recipe binder; we need to remember this salad. It's sweet and toasty, creamy and crisp. Perfect for an autumn evening... Read more →

Now that our budget accounts for the newest member of Team Wharton, I thought it would be a good time for a financial update. Chris and I revisit our budget throughout the year to make adjustments so our budget is not a static document but this will show you how we are currently allocating our paychecks. Also note that I've updated this post about our bank account breakdown and this post about our income and debts. You can always easily find links to these on the Finances page. Our paychecks have changed slightly since the last budget update. Starting January... Read more →