::Fun:: Adele---Can we Seriously Be Friends?!

Adele----can we please be friends? I really think it would be great. You and Angelo can come over and hang out. The girls would love him, I’m sure of it!

I came to the realization this week that not only is Adele the most amazing singer EVER but also such a down to earth person. A few friends and I attended her concert in Miami and it was everything I imagined and more. She opened with Hello of course and the show just got better and better. It ended with our whole row in tears while she said “Someone Like You”.

This was also my first night away from the girls alone. Daddy did amazing and the girls were well behaved and everything!

I'm wearing a black lace top from Old Navy and necklace from Francesca's

The weekend ahead is insanely busy but busy with very exciting, festive things. Can’t wait to fill you all in later!

::Weekend Recap:: Fall Festival and Family Fun

It's Sunday evening and I am so looking forward to bedtime! This day has flown by and I feel like I've been playing defense all day.

Our morning started with homemade pumpkin waffles from the hubs (which we amazing). Pancakes led to Macie eating fistfuls (literally) of syrup which then led to an unplanned morning bath. While in the bath I was catching up on social media. I happened to look over to see Macie had pooped in the tub. Queue panic, pulling a soapy kid out of the bath, calling for hubs to come get said child, fishing the poop out, and running to find the bleach. No bleach so to Target I went. I should have know it was going to be one of those days with that kind of start. In summary today was a collection of cleaning up after Macie.

Yesterday was much more calm. We started the day with Henley's gymnastic class and the local fall festival. We went with our friends that have two girls, similar ages to Henley and Macie. It was a blast. The girls played on the playground, did the bounce house and giant slide and we rode the little Halloween train. The wait for the train was longer than expected so we didn't end up getting our pumpkin. We need to pickup a pumpkin to carve one night this week.

The weather this weekend has been perfect so I finished my Saturday with my Halloween Lularoe leggings and a nice glass of wine on the patio. 

This afternoon we went to my Uncle's for my Dad's Surprise 60th Birthday Party. It was great to see him and the rest of the gang. My sister drove down for the party too so it was great to see her.

There were old pictures of my Dad all around, it was great looking back over all of the memories throughout the years. Happy Birthday Dad!! Love you!


It's almost 7pm, approaching Macie's bedtime. One more push for the day---bedtime, folding laundry, and packing bags for the week. Here I go. Hope you are enjoying the rest of your weekend.

Mere

::Me:: What I've Learned...About Myself

I’m 34. It’s so weird to see that number because I don’t feel how I thought 34 would feel, in reality I don’t know what 34 should feel like. So much about life is different from what we expect it to be.

Time flies by. I know that is such a common saying but everyone says it because it’s so true!

I recently found myself referring to someone that is 26 as “about my age”. That’s not true obviously. Someone that is 26 is eight years younger than me but that’s honestly what it feels like. However looking back it does make sense that I’m 34. I’ve been out of college and in the working world for over ten years. I have been a mom for four years. I have been with my husband for nineteen years and we’ve been married for ten of those years. Not to mention the countless life lessons I’ve learned about the world and also about myself.

I am a procrastinator. I never really gave myself that label before but over time I realize that I push everything down to the wire. If there is no deadline, I accomplish most of my goals eventually but if there is a deadline, I’m usually working right up to that moment, maybe a few hours before. My work day usually begins with catching up on Facebook and the news rather than knocking out my list and using any free time at the end of the day to catch-up.

I am introverted. I’m friendly, chatty even at times but for the most part I want to keep to my world (my friends, my family, my turf). I make plans with good intentions but usually have thoughts to cancel. If I don’t cancel, I usually do have fun but sometimes in the moments leading up to it, I have second thoughts and regret committing.

I love Pinot Noir and I love knowing which wines I love. I also love that I know which wines I like best with which foods.

I value friends but I’ve learned I can break-up with a friend if it’s in the best interest of both of us and that’s ok. Friendships are needed in those moments you just need a reprieve; whether it be a break from work, kids, or real life, friends are there. Friendships are easy and natural and for the friendships that are not these things, it’s ok if they are no more. Life is too short; time and energy too limited to be expended on friendships that aren’t enjoyable.

I love Target, like LOVE. I love that I can redecorate my patio while picking up wipes and yogurt. I love that I live three miles from one. I love that I can peruse the aisles with a Starbucks tea and a cake pop. I love that my girls love Target as much as I do. ::keep up the good work Target::

I find peace in a good book and I’ve learned that a bath can heal almost anything.

I value people. I will not put others down to make myself look better and I will not step on someone to get higher. I put family above work at all times. I know I only get 18 or so years with my girls and no job or promotion is worth missing out on any moment with them.

I do not have a poker face. I wear my thoughts and emotions and it’s felt in my demeanor. I do not play games and I am genuine.

I am capable of more love than I could have ever fathomed 15 years ago. I love my husband more every day. I love my girls each so much. I love my family and my friends. I love this life I have built with them.

I am so blessed to have all I do. Who knows where I’ll be in another ten years but based on the last ten, I look forward to seeing it.

::Loving:: Erin Condren Life Planner

I am one of these that loves the old school way of handwriting things. I love taking notes with a pen and paper, I love doodling, I make hand written grocery lists for shopping and I also love planners. Yes my phone is sophisticated enough to keep track of appointments and yes to some this is considered "old school" but there is just something about handwritten things.

This year is my first full year (and a half) that I not only purchased a planner but stuck with it and used it. I carry it with me every day. I love the layout and I love that I can jot notes down and refer to them all year round. I keep track of appointments, party planning, to do lists, and so much more.

In 2015 I stumbled upon the Erin Condren Life Planner. I did a quick #hashtag search and was blown away. This chick had gotten the everyday planner right. I loved the images I saw and immediately was on the hunt. I purchased the 18 month calendar and haven't doubted my decision once.

Some things I really love about this planner are its ease of use, I love the stickers that are available all over Etsy (and can be found at places like Michaels as well).

I LOVE the Polaroid Zip camera. I got this camera from my husband for my birthday. It connects to your phone via Bluetooth and will wirelessly print your pictures from an app on your phone. The prints have an adhesive back and fit perfectly in the date boxes in the EC Planner. You can also make collages or smaller prints as well.

It's so therapeutic to sit down and plan out the next week or two. As a busy working mom, this has been instrumental in keeping me on track. I leave it open on my desk and seeing the week at a glance helps me understand what I have going on. I just can't say enough about these planners.

I've already ordered my 2017 planner and I cannot wait to start filling it will plans and events. For 2017 I mixed it up a bit, I bought the horizontal layout and opted for neutrals over colored monthly themes. We will see if I like it as much or more than the vertical, colorful layout.

Are any of your old school planners or note takers?  Have you found a perfect planner that suits your life? Please share!

Until next time...

::Craftie:: DIY Halloween Queen of Hearts

Halloween is right around the corner and I start looking forward to Halloween in August. I love this time of year and I feel like preparing for Halloween really kicks off our Florida “Fall” (since the weather sure isn’t going to let us know the holidays are fast approaching). This year I was extra excited to get our costumes planned since we were planning a trip to Disney for the Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.

This year after some back and forth on various costume ideas, we decided on Alice in Wonderland. Henley was quick to claim the Queen of Hearts as her costume and the rest of us fell in line---Macie as Alice, me as the Cat, and Dad as the Mad Hatter.


One evening while trying to procrastinate bedtime, she was looking over my shoulder as I scrolled through Pinterest. She immediately pointed out one of the pins for her costume, of course it was the most involved of all of the Queen costumes we saw. After some attempts at persuading her to choose a different costume and losing at said negotiations, I took her selection as a challenge.


Admittedly, I was a little annoyed she picked an elaborate costume but once I broke down the individual pieces it came together pretty quickly.


First up was her shirt. I just took a black t-shirt and added a red glitter heart. I heat pressed Heat Transfer Vinyl for hers but there are a few different ways you could accomplish this same look (paint, stencil, iron-on, etc). I then picked up some white satin ruffle from Hobby Lobby and sewed it to the neck for a collar. The picture I was going off of used tulle for the collar but I was sure she would think it was itchy all night.

For the skirt, I used lots and lots of tulle looped around an elastic. I think in the end I used almost 8 spools of tulle. I tried to convince her to have a short tutu but in typical toddler fashion, her mind was made up.

Once I had the tulle tied on in the various colors I tied some black and white diamond ribbon on the sides of the front and knotted the black tulle to look like tufts.


Hobby Lobby sells glitter canvas material (located near the felt) is tons of great colors. I have used this for glitter bows in the past and thought it would be perfect for the hearts on the front of the skirt. I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut them out and attached it to the white tulle using hot glue.


I ordered a headband from Etsy and picked up a wand at Toys r Us to finish it up, she couldn’t be more thrilled. It’s been finished for a few weeks as we were pretty busy and I wanted to allow myself enough time to complete. She has begged me off and on to let her wear it. Being the princess that she is, Queen is the next logical step in her reign.

Have you guys been DIY’ing any costumes for the littles? Please share!!

::Disney:: October Trip Recap

It's Monday night and we are back from our long weekend at Disney. Overall the trip was amazing. It was filled with characters, princesses, and lots of little girl smiles.

We started the weekend at Epcot for some Food and Wine fun. Going in I knew this was going to be more fun for the grown ups but the littles had fun too. My brother met us there with his kids so Henley was totally content with that alone.

My first stop was to get the Dole Pineapple whip with Coconut Rum. It did not disappoint.

We went halfway around the world and got to try quite a bit. I think you'd need to do a few separate visits to be able to try everything without getting drunk or stuffed.

The girls did get to meet Anna and Elsa which was super cute and exciting. Even though Macie talks about Elsa all day long, she was a little shy when we got up close to her.

That night we ate dinner in Disney Springs and got to meet up with my sister. The girls got to ride the carousel and mama got cake pops! Seriously, prob in the top 5 for reasons I go to Disney (the girls weren't complaining either)

Saturday morning was spent in Magic Kingdom. Meeting a few characters and riding some rides. Macie was so cute, signing for "more" when a ride would finish that she liked.

We left the park around noon to get naps in and rest before the Halloween Party. We were able to squeeze a little pool time in too.

And finally, last night was the Halloween Party. It was great. We got so many compliments on our costumes, especially the Queen who was fully in character most of the night. We did some Trick or Treating, watching the Sanderson Sisters show, and watched the Boo-to-You parade.

It was a great weekend and now that we have Annual Passes I look forward to being able to explore different parts of the park that we always seem to miss.

Now off to pack all of the bags for school and work tomorrow---4 day week!

::Random:: Donut You Love Friday's?!

Does anyone not love Friday’s, I mean seriously?!


Friday’s around here mean donuts with sprinkles for the girls. We are usually running behind so these are typically eaten in the car, which as you can imagine doesn’t always end well. Nothing that a few wipes can’t handle though.


Today was even better since we had time to go inside to eat. Mama even got a pumpkin muffin which made me very happy!


Here’s to Friday’s and to sweet little girls with sweet little faces, literally.

Have a great weekend guys!

::Random:: Fall is Here!

Fall in Florida isn’t exactly like the Fall the majority of the country experiences but this week, for us Floridians, it is now Fall. I went for a run on Monday and not once did I think I was dying. We’ve done nightly walks and there has actually been a nice breeze---it’s still about 85 degrees out but there has definitely been a crack in the humidity making it so much more bearable. We are all hoping this weather is here to stay and not just a tease.


I’m so excited looking forward to the next few months. The latter part of the year is definitely my favorite and now that Macie is getting bigger (nineteen months?! When did that happen?) we are starting to really get her involved in our current traditions while also creating some new ones. We have pumpkin patches, fall festivals, Halloween, Friendsgiving, and more coming up!


Last week, as most of you know, Hurricane Matthew hung out on the East Coast of Florida ruining everyone’s weekend and destroying plenty in its wake. We were supposed to go to Disney World for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party but it got cancelled. Henley handled it like a champ replying with a solemn “It’s ok mama”. We instead hung out with neighbors and just enjoyed each other’s company.


Disney has been rescheduled for this weekend and the countdown is on---Henley has been counting down since Monday. Every morning at drop off she says “Four more days, and then three more days, and then two more days, and then one more day, and then Disney World”. It’s seriously the cutest thing. Macie has been loving Ariel, Elsa, and Minnie lately so I can’t wait to see her reactions as well.


We are planning to head out Saturday morning and visit Epcot for the Food and Wine Festival. I’ve already been stalking some blogs and found this link with all of the current 2016 food offerings----I was practically drooling just reading it. Definitely looking forward to it and praying there are lots of princesses to entertain the girls while Mom, Dad, and Grandma stuff our faces.


Mickey’s Party is on Sunday and our costumes are all ready to go! I’m excited to share with you all!! Pictures to come.


I’m hoping to be more present here going forward. I’m finding that I need a creative outlet again now that life has normalized a bit and I would love this to be it. I love sharing my family and thoughts with you all. Hope to see you around more too.