Mackinaw Road: The Quarterly 03
What a beautiful autumn we had here in Michigan! We spent a lot of time outside jogging, fishing, walking to get coffee, etc, etc. The leaves (and the sky) really showed off their colors and the warmer weather was amazing. With the sunrises arriving at a more considerate hour of the morning, I caught some of those as well. We didn’t have any big projects, but it was nice to settle in, organize and spruce up a bit, enjoy some good books and shows, and start some holiday shopping.
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The Quarterly: Projects
Let’s start with the house projects. We hastily purchased a stairs runner due to a fall on the wooden stairs shortly after moving into our house about 11 years ago. It has definitely seen better days and is one of the first things that guests see when walking through our front door. I went to a local carpet shop and they were incredibly helpful. After getting a quote for what turned our to be an out-of-our-price-range runner, I was shown several more reasonable options. I landed on one from a Pendleton line and can’t help but love it for the name alone. We are hoping to have it installed next week if it makes it over from L.A. in time. Fingers crossed.
We also updated our dining room chairs. This is how it all went down. R casually commented on the fact that our current chairs (also around the 11 year old mark) are not very comfortable. Naturally I took this as immediate consent to shop for new chairs. I was planning to do a round up of several dining chair options, but my first click found the perfect, most reasonably priced chairs. They are made with performance fabric and are oh so comfortable.
Books & Shows
Two books that I have been loving lately can double as home decor- they have beautiful covers! I have been enjoying trying dinners out of this book. It has a good variety of recipes and some Indian-inspired dishes as well. I bought this book for R for his birthday but have also had the benefit of leafing through it, looking at the inspiring photos, and reading what could be considered a bit of a memoir.
In the realm of fiction, I really enjoyed this book. It can be categorized as a mystery (it had me guessing until the last minute) but is also truly heartfelt and you feel invested in the characters.
Joining the crowd, I have become a fan of Nobody Wants This on Netflix. It.is.so.good. The show is about a half hour long, funny, and … heartfelt … apparently my theme of the Books & Shows section.
The Quarterly: Holiday Decorations
We are hosting Thanksgiving again this year and I finally decided to start a Thanksgiving plate collection. I have been eyeing this collection for awhile now and started with 8 appetizer plates, that I will likely use as bread plates on the table. I really like that I could use the pumpkin-themed plates throughout the fall season. Here is a Thanksgiving board with some possible decor options.
As much as I love a good plan when it comes to color schemes and decorations, sometimes I just need to see it, move things around, move some more things around, stare a while, adjust, and settle on something. That said, when I see something I really like, especially holiday things, sometimes purchasing and trusting that it will fit is the way to go. McGee & Co.’s Heritage Gift Wrap was one such thing. As were these flocked baubles– I love how they tie traditional Christmas colors with our living room rug. And of course, these glass ornaments with the name Claude felt too beautiful to pass up.
Holiday Gift Guides
I have been slowly chipping away at Holiday Gift Guides. You can find links below to those that have been published so far. Hopefully, there are some good sales next week on them as well.
Gift Guide: Gift Ideas for Him
Gift Guide: Gift Ideas for Her
Gift Guide: Gift Ideas for 11 Year Old Boys
Gift Guide: 5-7 Year Old Edition
The Quarterly: Things that Caught my Eye
As the weather turned, much of the focus went toward updating wardrobes and getting ready to stay warm. I’m not sure who I exactly influenced, other than myself haha. I bought these tailored pants and they are perfect for dressier/business/birthday occasions in chillier weather if you want to avoid nylons (permanent hand raise). I also bought these wedge boots (this is my second pair of this style) and I think that I will love them forever. Anyway, enough about me. Below are the Top 2 Things that Caught my Eye boards from this quarter.
Happy Holidays!
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