Pictures of Harvest Table Setting

Here are some pictures of our new dining table centerpiece I described in my post earlier today. I set it (partially) with some of our everyday china for the photos. Not quite Pottery Barn store display worthy, but it definitely has some autumn spice now.

Harvest Table Setting

This weekend I made a special trip to the Pottery Barn to cash in on my "Family and Friends 20% off your Entire Purchase" coupon. I'm not quite sure why the Pottery Barn thinks it is my friend... hmm, maybe because we moved six months ago and gave them way too many of our $$ for furniture? Likely. In any event, I have been wanting to change up our dining room table centerpiece for a while but haven't had any brilliant ideas. So I went to good old PB for inspiration and ended up finding a very inexpensive way to put our table together with some fall flair. I will post pictures of the whole set up later because very few of the items I used are available on the PB website (so check back!), but basically, I purchased an orange table runner, some ivory linen hemstitch napkins, cute green napkin rings and several different vase fillers - pears, acorns, pinecones, etc. and went to work. Luckily I was able to use three small square vases and one large square vase I already owned and all of the different vase fillers were 30% off in the PB store right now, even before the additional 20% off coupon! All of the colorful filled vases placed together on the table looked great against the orange runner. This idea could be dressed up with a few votives or tealights and used for Thanksgiving dinner.

Fall Work Wear

Lately I've had a hard time figuring out how to dress on these days when it is in the 50s when I head to work but is in the high 70s if I'm out at all during the day. If I had an unlimited budget and an unlimited closet (hello, Polyvore!), here is what I'd love to be wearing today. What is your go-to Fall look for the office?

Preppy Fall Home Accessories

I like to redecorate our house every so often with season-specific accessories like pillows, glass vases, hurricanes, candles, etc. It's fun to get in touch with your creative side by finding new ways to arrange what you have and sometimes one or two new items is all you need to feel like you have an updated room without having to break the budget for a whole new look.

Want to spice up your home for the Fall season? Visit Pottery Barn today for some easy, inexpensive ideas to give your place a cozy feel for the upcoming cold weather months. PotteryBarn.com is offering free shipping on decorative pillows and throws right now. The colors they are showing are so vivid and really "pop" in a room of neutral colors. I'm not sure how long this offer lasts, so cash in while you can. And while you're there, pick up some cool decorative accents. You can get anything on this page for under $50. I especially like the Panna Cream Vases.

Big Weekend

We've had a jam-packed but fun-filled past couple of days, hence my neglect of this blog. Our weekend was kicked off with delicious restaurant week dinner on Friday night. For you non-Prepadelphians, restaurant week is an agreement among many of the nice dining spots in the city to offer a 3 course tasting menu for only $35! It is a great way to try new places you might not choose to splurge on otherwise.

Saturday was our annual fall adventure to Linvilla for the farmer's market, apple picking and a picnic. Picnics may just be one of my all time favorite romantic activities. Sadly, Mr. Prepster is less keen on sharing his lunch with nature, but he was a good sport. That was followed by dinner with friends and homemade apple crisp:

5 medium tart baking apples (I used Jonagold this time)

2 T lemon juice

1/2 stick cold butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 t cinnamon

1/2 t nutmeg

1/3 cup flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup oats

1/2 cup crushed walnuts

Peel, core and slice the apples and place them in a mixing bowl with lemon juice. Combine the cinnamon and nutmeg with brown sugar and pour it over apples. Stir to coat the apples and set them aside. Combine flour, sugar and oats in another mixing bowl. Slice butter into 8-12 small chunks and stir it into the dry ingredients. Mix until the butter is coated then add walnuts. Grease a square baking dish and spread the apples on the bottom. Pour dry ingredients over the top and bake at 375 for 30-45 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is golden brown. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Try not to eat it all...

Despite the urge to camp out on the sofa, today was another high energy one as we tailgated and cheered our Eagles on to victory over the terrible towel-waving Steelers at Lincoln Financial Field. Whew, I'm exhausted and feel like I need another weekend to recover from this one! Hope everyone has had an enjoyable couple of days.

Ahhh, Fall

It is perfectly Fall outside today, clear and sunny with a little crispness in the air, and I am loving it. Here are my favorite things about my favorite season:

Apples. I love apple picking, apple crisp, apple cider, caramel apples, honeycrisp apples... you get the idea. Mr. Prepster and I are going on our annual apple adventure this Saturday. Can't wait.

Cardigans. I look forward to adding to my "collection" each year. This year I'm lusting over these ruffled ones from J.Crew.

Football. Oh how I miss the atmosphere of college (and grad school) tailgates and game days. But the TV and couch with a nice bowl of popcorn (Blue Ridge Kettle Corn is the best) isn't so bad either.

Pumpkins and gourds. I like to decorate our house with these items and find recipes that use them, like squash soup and pumpkin bars with cream cheese icing. Last year I made a flower arrangement like this using a pumpkin as a pot and it lasted for several weeks and was a fab centerpiece.

Found a Raincoat!

I just ordered this raincoat in "bright flame" to go with my new boots. I've been admiring this lovely item for awhile (am a tad obsessed with ruffles) so it was very exciting to be able to get it on sale and with my J.Crew Fall Rewards $25 gift card! Props to this blog for giving me a free shipping code too. If you like J.Crew, check out J.Crew Aficionada regularly for some great offers as she is religious about listing all current coupon codes on the righthand column of her site.

Rain Gear for Fall

Yesterday's downpour prompted me to get these adorable houndstooth wellies. They are really going to come in handy for my walk to work this fall and winter and are an absolute steal as far as price goes.

Now I just need a raincoat and I'll be all set for fall as far as crummy weather outerwear goes. Any suggestions for a cute, reasonably-priced raincoat? I'm in search of something three-quarter length that is dressy enough for work but not totally boring.

Happy weekend everyone.

Happy Birthday Banana!

In honor of its 30th birthday celebration, Banana Republic is offering 30% your entire purchase and free shipping (the code is HAPPY30). Hurry ladies, this offer is good today only. This is a perfect excuse to pick out something cute and new for fall so I plan to take a break and cash in this afternoon. I find Banana to have classic staples for work, reasonably-priced, well-fitting sweaters, occasional fab going-out tops and great statement jewelry. Here are a couple of things I'm considering:

Button sweater dress in camel heather

This is a great work option for fall that is cute enough to wear to happy hour afterwards. It is normally $120.00 but is only $84.00 today.

Elbow-sleeve pocket cardigan in flaming ember orange (what a fantastic color name)

This sweater is adorable and memorable. I especially love the sleeve-length. It is still a bit pricey at $91.00 (from $130.00) and is one of those things that I'm not sure "real" people can pull off as well as the model shown. What do you think?

Dot bracelets in black, purple, coral and french blue

These bracelets are a steal at $27.30 (from $39.00) and come in four colors so you can have one to match every outfit.

What's on your Banana wish list for fall?

Hunkering Down for Hanna

With Hanna headed squarely for the East Coast, we've decided to hunker down and stay inside all day. With the many outdoor adventures that come with summer weekends, I think it's the first time we've really hunkered in months. So in honor of the rainy day and the coming of fall, it's chili time. I like a chili that cooks almost all day but that can be left to simmer with little supervision after the initial prep work is done. The recipe below is so incredibly easy and works well in a crock pot or a dutch oven like this pretty azure blue one from Le Creuset via Williams Sonoma.

2 lbs. ground beef (I use 90% lean)
1 large onion, diced
28 oz. can diced tomatoes

16 oz. can tomato puree

16 oz. can kidney beans, undrained

4 oz. can diced green chilis

1 cup water

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 T mild chili powder

2 t salt

1 t pepper

2 t ground cumin

cheddar cheese to sprinkle on top

Brown the beef and onion in a skillet. Drain and place in your chili pot over high heat. Stir in the remaining ingredients and cook on high for 30 minutes. Cover and simmer 4 to 6 hours over low heat, stirring occasionally. The longer you have to let it simmer, the better the flavor becomes. Top with cheddar cheese and serve. This recipe goes well with with something sweet on the side like corn muffins. You'll have enough for 8 to 10 so this chili is perfect for football game (or tropical storm) watching parties. Happy hunkering!

Fall-ing Into Place

Fall is just around the corner and it's time to switch out those linen skirts and flip flops still lingering in our closets in favor of chic scarves, belts and, of course, cashmere cardigans. Here are some objects of desire in case you want to spice up your wardrobe with warm neutrals and fall folliage-inspired brights.