Weekending.

We love weekends. Especially when Fall completely encompasses all of nature with it's wonderful beauty, transforming hot humid days into brisk, orange and yellow colored dreams. That's how this weekend felt.

The first of October brought temperatures of low 70's and cloudless skies. The only reason to be inside was to bake - and bake I did. My husband's mouth has been watering for some delicious pumpkin pie for months now, and lately, so has mine. It was time to bring out the good ol' pumpkin pie dish and get to work. The recipe called for a little more pie filling than my pie dish could hold, so I used the left overs to make our own individual pies.

This recipe was wonderfully delicious, but tasted a little more like pumpkin cheesecake than pumpkin pie. The recipe did not call for cloves, ginger, or nutmeg - which I'm sure if added would give you a little more of that Autumn feeling we've all been longing for. Find the recipe here. 

As I baked, Justin worked in the shop constructing a bench for us to enjoy when we sit out back by the grill. We found the Georgia V. Mississippi State game on the radio, turned it up loud, and cheered as the Dawgs brought in another victory! We were also able to find the disappointing USC V. Auburn game online and even with cringed teeth and pounding hearts we were unable to pull the Gamecocks through for a win. 

To get my mind off of the fact that we had just spent several hours in front of a small computer screen watching a football game that had such a frustrating ending, we went for a walk around the neighborhood and to the nearest park. Acting like kids again, we headed for the swing set, where I (almost 8 months pregnant) simply rocked myself gently, back and forth as I held my breath and closed my eyes hard in a disapproving manner every time Justin did this:  
 

 Soon the shoes came off and he held a contest with himself to see how far he could jump. What a nut. :)

Sunday started off slow as we slept in, waking up to pull ourselves out of bed just in time to get ready for church. Since the weather was still gorgeous, we opted to go on a picnic afterwards; picking up chicken and sides from the deli and loading Paisley in the back of the Prius, we headed to another park.

Later we drove around looking for walking trails or something to do outside, away from the neighborhood, but failed and came home. A few chores around the house were necessary, so we took a break from all of the weather-loving to accomplish them.

Since the kitchen was clean and we now had a new bench to enjoy, we decided grilling was the perfect way to end the perfect weekend. Pork chops with steamed potatoes, onions and peppers were on the menu as Justin fired up the grill.

Paisley watched admiringly as she lifted her nose slightly in an approving fashion every time Justin opened the top to check on our dinner's progress.

When dinner was ready to serve and our plates were fully loaded, this is all Paisley had to say when we told her she couldn't have any:

:)

Ending the evening with a campfire was just the way to conclude the weekend. The only things missing were marshmallows and a guitar.

How was your weekend? Did you make time to enjoy the beautiful weather? Happy Monday!