7 Quick Takes Friday: Things Are Happening!

The theme for today's quick takes is thus: I have been doing a bunch of random things lately, and I want to share them with you!  Ha!

1.

I've started knitting!  Never one to start with an easy project (what fun would that be?), I've decided to knit a sweater as my first project!  I was nervous at first, but with the help of this beginner knitalong which I heard about from Meg, I'm feeling more and more confident!  Kristen is doing a fantastic job of explaining each baby step in great detail, and making me feel empowered to continue!  Want to knit along too?  Sarah explains all the details in this post. 

2.

This is not our bedroom.  But the walls are a similar color.  Isn't it pretty?

The Coppertop Guy was traveling all this week for work, and so I decided to surprise him with a newly-decorated bedroom upon his return!  Up until... about 6:30 this morning, our room could only have been described as a disorderly and stress-inducing pile of my clothes.  A bedroom should be a haven of calm, right?  Well, now ours is.  I painted the walls grey, installed some wall-mounted shelves and put up pictures and candles.  After hours and hours of searching, I finally found some suitable navy blue curtains (at Sears!), and I unearthed a couple of lamps so that we have an alternative to the overhead light.  I'm really excited to see his reaction, and relieved to be done with my giant self-inflicted project.  I'm also excited to go home and just sit down and have a glass of wine in my lovely, calm, clean apartment after work today.  

3.

No more crappy phone camera for me!  I finally bit the bullet and replaced the camera that took a flying leap out of my pocket while I was at Cedar Point this summer.  Get pumped, readers.  The photography is about to get better on this little blog o' mine.  Not just because of the camera!  I also got this book I've been drooling over for months: Plate to Pixel: Digital Food Photography and Styling, by Helene Dujardin of the blog Tartelette.  Can't wait to learn and get better!  

4. 

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been working to perfect my apple pie skills.  While this would be a worthy goal in itself, I have another one in mind: I have entered the Bucktown Apple Pie Contest!  What a great excuse to bake a pie or two a week!  I'll share the pie recipe that I end up with after the contest is over.  Gotta protect the trade secrets!

5.

Thank you, new camera, for making this photo possible.

What is is about fall that makes the sky explode into constant beauty?  I mean it!  Maybe it's the changing weather patterns... something about cold and warm fronts... or maybe it's just God hitting us over the head with his love.  That's what it feels like to me.  This beauty takes my breath away.  Stop texting and look up when you're walking down the street - there is lush, expansive beauty all around.

6.

Did I show you this before?  I feel like there is an infinite variety of apples.  Yesterday I walked through, reading the descriptions, and picked out one or two of a bunch of different kinds.  The only problem now is that I don't know which was which!  Best for eating, great for sauces, perfect dessert apple, great storage apple (will last until spring!).  I'm in heaven over here.  I don't even mind that it's raining on me!

7.

I just really like this song and can't stop listening to it.  Have a great weekend!

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