Ruche Outfit Contest

I love the Ruche store and blog, and I read today that they're doing a give away contest.  Readers were asked to put together an outfit with their favorite pieces from Ruche's shop, then list the pieces and how they would wear them together.

So here's the outfit I put together.

I just love all the fall colors of their new arrivals!  This outfit would be perfect for a nice Saturday out...brunch, visiting the art museum, window shopping, a walk along the canal, and coffee and desert.  Don't you just love those shoes?

These are the pieces in the outfit:

Pumpkin Spice Sweater Dress
Teacher's Pet Oxford Heels
"He loves me, he loves me not" earrings
Chenin grape scarf in navy
Silhouette flower purse in walnut 

I sure had fun looking through their stuff....fall clothes are so beautiful with all the rich colors.

Have a splendid day my friends,

Leah

crickets and cutting boards

*I love the sound of crickets, but I don't like seeing them.  One time, I was on the phone and I looked down and a cricket was sitting on my foot...I may have kicked that poor little guy down a stairwell.  Sorry cricket, but don't startle me.

*I love baking and cooking 3 things at once and find it a satisfactory challenge to try to keep up with all the dishes and have them finished when my food is done.  (this does not always pan out the way I envision.)


*When I see a pregnant woman, I just want to go up to her and tell her how absolutely beautiful she is...I think expecting mothers are amazing! But I'm usually too shy to say anything. (is this stalker-ish?)

*I can't bear to let the foam off the top of a caramel macchiato go to waste, so if I can't find a spoon, I may lick out the cup using my finger.....mmm, all that foamy carmel-y goodness.

*I have never made a recipe using artichoke. I bought one at Kroger yesterday in hopes that I would be motivated to make something.  Now I need to find the perfect recipe.  Any suggestions?

*My most favorite kitchen item is our wooden cutting board.  Dear cutting board, thank you for staying with me through thick and thin, for always taking the most messy situations, and for cleaning up so nicely. Love, Leah


*Bill Murray is my most favorite actor and I wish we could be on a bowling team together.

*I hope you enjoy reading my blog.  I hope I make you smile some days. :)

Love,
Leah

etsy love

I absolutely love the work from artist Kyla Leslie of Kove.  She was recently interviewed as a featured seller on Etsy.  I can't stop looking at her work...so beautiful, neutral, and inviting.  My neck would be right at home in one of those cozy pieces.
I need to make a yarn trip...this is so inspiring.
Love,
Leah

the most perfect story

So we got engaged two years ago today!  And it is the most perfect story.

I was living in Portland with a family while I did an internship at the Oregon Zoo in the fall of 2008.  Landon was finishing up his senior year of college.  Of course we missed each other, but we had been doing the long distance thing for awhile, and were both concentrating on where we were at.

Well, one Friday night September 26 2008, I was at a little party with the friends I was living with and I was told we were picking up a friend of theirs from the airport that night.  This wasn't new to me since they lived close to the airport and did it all the time.  So we packed into the car and drove the airport.  I like to watch people, so I was watching all the waiting people at the gates as we pulled up to the arrivals.  And I let out a gasp as I saw Landon, my boy standing there!  I couldn't believe it! It was like a scene out of a movie...I opened the door and went straight into his arms.  Now, he thought maybe of proposing right there, but didn't want to shock me too badly, so we went back to where I was staying and said goodnight.

The next day, Saturday September 27 was amazing...we explored downtown Portland, ate at an amazing greek restaurant, went to Portland Saturday Market, had coffee at my favorite little place in Gresham.  Landon said later that he was carrying my ring around loose in his pocket all day, and he was so worried that he would lose it!

Later that night, Landon asked if we could drive to a place where we could sit on a blanket and watch the sunset.  We drove to the airport and found a field that overlooked the airstrip and main buildings.  By the way, airports are so pretty at night!  They have so many lights and it's just amazing to see.  Also, the landing planes came right over our heads....it was so cool to hear and see.

We were sitting on a blanket together, and Landon started talking about how I always wore my puzzle ring on my right hand and how he always played with it.  Then, he said that maybe he could swap me that one for one that he had...and he slipped the engagement ring on my right hand as he took off my puzzle ring.  He asked if I would marry him, and I just hugged him and cried a little bit.  Of course I said yes then!  It was dark by then, so we had to go to the car to look at the ring under the dome light so I could see it.

We spent the next day exploring all the beautiful waterfalls along the Columbia River and relaxing, and getting our engagement pictures taken by Ray Siler who was the husband of the family I lived with.

 I was in bliss.  My Landon is the most amazing man I know...he completely took me by surprise when he flew out to propose to me.  I love him more than I can say!
(I can't wait to tell this story to our kids.)

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This was our amazing view!

Landon handpicked my ring out.

update

We are having a great September....I can't believe it's coming to an end this week.  But October has some great things in store as well.

My boss talked with me a couple days ago, and basically said they don't need me for 35 hours each week (which I had kind of gathered since I was working more like 20-25 hours.) She said they were probably going to make it more like 15-20 hours, and the schedule would revolve more around her work schedule since she's an ER pediatrician.  They said they'd love to keep me on, but understood if I wanted to find something with more money and hours.  So Landon and I talked about it, and I talked with my mom, and I prayed about it.  This actually came at a perfect time since I'm wanting to get an Etsy shop and freelance work going.  I decided to stay with the family and work less so that I could be free to do more graphic stuff.  I'm super excited, and I really feel good about the situation.

It's amazing how things work out, and how timing is so crucial.  I have been thinking about finding work with less hours, but I didn't want to say anything quite yet to my boss.  So the fact that she brought it up was just perfect!  God's timing is perfect.

We are getting really excited for next weekend.  It's our 1 year anniversary!!  We're getting our pictures taken by Imagination Photography and staying in a cabin at a cute Bed and Breakfast up in Goshen.  I don't think either of us have ever stayed at a B&B, so we're kind of pumped.  We'll probably check out some orchards and a diner, and just enjoy the fall colors up in northern Indiana which is absolutely gorgeous during the fall.  There are some great fruit hills and a winery nearby too!

So nothing much is going on now, we did errands yesterday, had brunch, went to a movie, and got Steak N' Shake at 10:30pm....I know, I know.  But today we got home from church and are just relaxing now and watching the Cowboys.  I finally lit my apple butter candle and it smells divine.  Maybe I'll put on some Iron & Wine and try making bagels later...found a sweet recipe and it looks like fun!

Enjoy your day my friends!

Love,

Leah

fancy that.

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These may have tickled my fancy this fine morning. I love the cute card from Night Owl Paper Goods with the vintage colors. Any friend would be delighted to receive that in the post.

And who doesn't like to drink coffee in a lens mug?  I know I would.  Great gift idea from Photojojo....love that store.

Let me rest my tired bones in a fabulous wingback chair.  I love the bold design and colors. Anthropologie, you never cease to amaze me.

Have a delightful day my friends.

Leah

This is a great day!

The apple scones turned out great last night....and they were equally delicious this morning. Try this awesome recipe for yourself.  Also, I don't usually put in the whole amount of sugar, so put it all in if you want a really sweet taste.  I got that from my Dad growing up. "Leah, you don't need to put the whole 2 cups of sugar in. One will be just fine."

I actually did all of the dishes this morning!  This almost never happens, so I had to document it.  And since we don't really use our dishwasher, I have become and expert stacker-of-dishes.  I've got skillz.

My needlework projects are coming along.  I don't get a lot of time to work on them, but I'm liking how they're turning out.

And the besty best best part....I got a Wacom tablet!!  For those who might not know, it's a giant trackpad (like the one on laptops) where I can navigate on my desktop using my fingers or a special pen. I got it for my design work because I can have so much more freedom to make handwritten objects and organic shapes.  I made our leaf wedding invitations using a tablet I borrowed from a friend.  I can't wait to get it to good use.

So today is a great day!  These aren't the only reasons why, but they make me happy.  Days don't always go the way I want and other people may not always be nice, but I have been trying to actively choose to have a good attitude.  Otherwise, I'll just waddle in self-pity forever and not go anywhere...so thanks for letting me share the itsy bitsy things that make my day bright.

Have a great day!

Love,

Leah

welcome fall!

Beneath a yellow fading tree,

As red suns light thee, Autumn-morn,

In wildest rapture let me see

    The sweets that most thy charms adorn.

- Excerpt from Autumn by John Clare (1821)

I am so very happy that Fall is here!  Even if the weather hasn't caught up nearly as fast as I would like. Tonight I shall make apple scones.

dance party

dance party from Leah Rife on Vimeo.

We like to get crazy sometimes...

This is what happens when I get off work early.

apple fest!

We enjoyed spending Sunday afternoon with Hannah and Jon, and our friends Lucy and her fiancé Kyle at the Nappanee, Indiana Apple Festival. It was the last day of the fest, so things were winding down, but we enjoyed fresh apples for 25 cents, crafty booths, apple dumplings at a smokey little diner, and bringing home some fresh apple cider and apple-ish treats for later that night. What a great little outing!

Later, we went back to Hannah's (my sister), and ate brats and potato salad while we watched the Colts game.  Ah, living in the midwest in the fall is so much fun!

Have a great day!

Love,

Leah

weekend!

Weekend highlights:

*Coffee and chocolate croissants at Paradise for Saturday brunch

*Fiesta! downtown Indy with friends

*Meat + stick = yummy supper.

*old Datsun at a car show which was like the one Landon's mom used to drive.

*SALSA DANCING!

*being with my favorite boy and trying new things

*finding great parking downtown

I'll post the second half of our weekend tomorrow.  Have a lovely Monday night everyone!

Love,

Leah

raspberries are healthy {but can i have cookies instead?}

I'm so reluctant...
Since I work in the afternoons, it is a challenge to pull myself out of bed some most mornings.  But it's so cozy and warm and snuggly in there. My mom said I've always been, well, kind of a grouch in the mornings if I'm woken up by someone else. Landon always wakes me up before he goes to work, and today I just couldn't go back to sleep. I defiantly set my alarm for 9:45 and huffed back under the covers...only to have my brain wake up and start thinking away.  Shame on you brain.
So finally I got up and it's a good thing...I went for a long walk, went to the store, and ate a healthy breakfast. Yay! The walk was so nice too...I loved the crisp air, it made people's cheeks rosy and I love rosy cheeks.
I bought some raspberries and ate a decent breakfast, even though I wanted to eat some leftover no-bake cookies.
Ah, now onto the rest of the day. Alright morning, you were pretty great I guess...I'll try to spend more waking time with you in the future.
Love,
Leah

Fritters and Fall

Don't these doughnuts look amazing?  They're from Brumbaugh Fruit Farm in Arcanum, Ohio close to where Landon and I are from.  We got these when we were driving back from our honeymoon last year.

We need to go back when we go visit our parents next.

Don't worry, we didn't eat them all...

I don't know why doughnuts go so well with fall, but they just do.  Give me something hot to drink, cool weather, and a doughnut and I'm a happy girl.  

How about a nice apple fritter?

Have a wonderful day!!

Love,

Leah

thankful...

Tonight I'm thankful for:
*finding old pictures of Landon and I from way back when
*my amazing and wonderful friend and lover who is so kind and funny and loving
*open windows at night
*toaster strudels!
*our new couch...it's so comfy
*laughing with Landon
*long walks
*my carmex lip balm
*Landon kissing me so he can have smooth lips too
*the ability to feel and love and cry
*striped shirts
*my fan so I can sleep like a baby
*seeing a beautiful mom and baby at the post office and thinking how amazing it will be to be a mother someday
*the music of imogen heap
*dill pickles
*getting to talk with my Abba Father at any moment, at any time of day, at any spot, about anything
*cuddling with Landon and whispering secrets to each other
*fresh raspberries

Have a lovely night my friends....

Love,
Leah

dear fall, please respond asap.

dear fall, i can't wait for you to really get here.  can you please stop teasing me by the occasional cool day and the change in air i catch only a bit of? you need to get here soon so we can enjoy some time together...bright blue sky day walks, lighting my apple butter candle which i refuse to do until you truly arrive, sipping on cider, and wearing my flannel pants while i watch the game on saturdays.  

ok, hope to see you soon.

love,

leah