Sugar Baby

Halloween means cute little people in costumes.  We totally dig that kind of thing around here.  Emme kicked things off this morning with a little Panda-mania for mother's day out...

Where's Emerson?

Later it was time for the sugar haul to begin.  Heidi and her little garden gnome sidekick were ready to get this show on the road...

Carter is well aware of the way this whole trick or treat thing works and was looking forward to showing Emme the ropes...

Emme and Claire were too little to remember much about last Halloween...

  
What a difference a year makes...

Now they're just a part of the gang...

It took them a few houses to get the hang of it...

But before long Emme was following as fast as her little legs could carry her asking for, "More! More!"...

They made out well and Nate and I are currently enjoying the results of all their hard work... 

Happy Halloween!

I'm a 30 year old Taylor Swift fan.

She plays multiple instruments, sings with just enough twang to call herself country, is the cutest darn thing I've ever seen and last Tuesday night we headed out to see her in person...

I have to admit Carter is kind of the reason I got turned on to her music...

There is something catchy about her songs and they are just sweet enough for little girls to sing along to without their Mama's having to cringe over any of the lyrics...  

But somewhere along the way I started to really listen to the lyrics and you know what I liked them.  She tends to write about things like growing up, Tim McGraw and young love...  

Carter loved the anticipation of the night but by the time Taylor hit the stage she was beginning to fade.  She wound up quietly taking it all in.  Just being honest Nate and I felt like she was the perfect excuse for us to attend because we had the best time.  I have to admit I had a little tear in my eye when she started in on....


You take a deep breath and you walk through the doors
It's the morning of your very first day
you say hi to your friends you aint seen in a while
Try and stay out of everybodys way
its your freshman year and youre gonna be here
for the next four years in this town
hoping one of those senior boys will wink at you and say
you know I havent seen you around, before...


Because there is something about the way that she sings those words that takes me right back to that moment 15 years ago.  I'd be lying if I said there weren't a few things I wish I'd done differently (I'm sure we all have a high school regret or two).  I also find myself thinking about my own little girls and how I hope maybe they'll be spared the same bad decisions their Mama made.  Which about sums up what I think I find so fascinating about the talented Taylor Swift.  She somehow manages to capture so perfectly what being a teenage girl is like.  She blurs the lines of adulthood and effortlessly takes you back in time.  She also seems to be branching out a bit as she herself is growing up.  I find songs like "Ours" going right along with something I've been thinking a lot about lately and that is how each and every person/couples love story is so unique.  Taylor says it more eloquently than I ever could...


So don't you worry your pretty little mind
People throw rocks at things that shine
And life makes love look hard
The stakes are high, the water's rough
But this love is ours...


I would honestly have loved to just sit and listen to her sing.  But her concert goes above and beyond.  With a vintage vibe and bit of cirque de soleil-esque acrobatics and pyrotechnics thrown in the whole thing was...

well....

highly entertaining...

So in short...I'm a 30 year old Taylor Swift fan (and proud of it).

Thanks Carter for taking your Mom and Dad along for the show, we loved every minute of it!

Whirlwind

This week is keeping me on my toes!  We've been busy...

Last Saturday, with babies buckled in, we made the familiar drive North to Temple...

Nate had his fifteen year high school reunion.  The girls were sad to see us go and wouldn't allow a photo to be taken without the two of them in it (funny how that works...want a picture can't get it...want them out of the picture, not gonna happen!)...

Not to worry spending time with Roxi is nothing to be sad about.  While we were away they were busy making caramel apples.  And these weren't your everyday caramel apples.  In fact my mother laughs in the face of store bought caramel.  These puppies are made from scratch with love...

Who needs Popsicle sticks?  Not my mom!  Her caramel apples prefer to be dressed with charming branches that are still sporting there leaves (she is Martha Stewart's long lost sister)...

We've been crafting around our house too this week.  Carter needed a literary pumpkin for school (sounds important right)?  She took on the painting process in her skivvies because she's a bit of a neat freak like her mom...

Wait...did that make it sound like I paint in my underwear??  Let's clear that up, I do not.  Her pumpkins were transformed into Lily and Julius from one of her favorite books Julius The Baby of the World...

You would think funny face glasses would be easy to find this time of year right?  Wrong.  We searched everywhere and wound up having to go in one of those creepy Halloween stores with zombie babies and skeletons hanging everywhere.   Carter (who tends to have aversions to things like creepy zombie babies) closed her eyes and buried her head in my rear as she held onto my waste and followed me through the store.  Special.  But alas the pumpkins looked fabulous so our efforts were rewarded...

Oh, and did I mention that we managed to squeeze in a trip to see Miss Swift??

We totally did.  That deserves its own post though because it was ah-MA-zing!  Too-da-loo off to the bike rodeo...wish me luck!

Party Time at OhDeeDoh

I love OhDeeDoh!  If you haven't checked it out you totally should.  They are always sharing the latest when it comes to kids be it fashion, decor, or some great DIY project.  It just so happens that they have a really cute party that popped up today...


CHECK IT OUT!


It kind of made this stay-at-home Mama's day. Smile.  


Happy Wednesday!

Makin' Whoopie

No offense but I've decided Pinterest can be nothing but a waste of time if you're all pin and no make.  I'm half joking but my new goal is to make something "Pinteresting" at least a couple of times a month.  Meaning I will actually use one of the many ideas that I've pinned!


First up Pumpkin Whoopie Pies.  Deceiving I know...you thought maybe this post was about something else?  Well trust me these babies are kind of sexy in a gooey you can't help but devour them  pumpkin kind of way.  I found them yesterday on Pinterest which led me to the recipe HERE.  I followed her instructions exactly (although I did use Sugar instead of Splenda because it is what I had on hand).  The results...DELISH!

These would be great for a fall party.  I think you could even make "mini-whoopie pies" because these bad boys are rich...

Speaking of deliciousness Saturday night we all enjoyed celebrating Nate's birthday with my Mama's homemade Carrot Cake (Emerson singing "Happy Birthday"=Sweetest Thing EVER)...

Unfortunately we would be re-visiting the Carrot Cake in the wee hours of the morning via Emme's very first stomach bug.  Can you say Ewwwwwww??  

Between celebrating and attack of the killer invaders I managed to have just enough time to squeeze in a pumpkin painting session of my own (clearly someone should write a book about me...maybe title it I don't know how she does it? Joking.)

I love pumpkin all year but it is definitely the most fun when October and November roll around.  After Carter's pumpkin painting success Saturday I was feeling inspired to try my own. 

Something about being at my mom's house makes you want to get a little crafty.  I'm in love with Chevron (who isn't) and decided if my white pumpkin could be anything for Halloween he'd go as Missoni...

The stripes were by no means perfect as I just went for it and free handed them.  But it had a nice effect and got the point across.  I just used a small sponge brush and made each section of chevron the width of the brush.  After one row was complete I used it as a guide to create the rest.  I also did a little baby pumpkin to compliment it's stylish Mama...

Again definitely not perfect but close enough for my decorative purposes.  This one was simple.  Just a strip of masking tape around the middle and then two different paint choices on each half.  They make me smile every time I walk through the front door and see them on top of my buffet...

The fact that they are a little higher than eye level means maybe no one will notice all the little imperfections...

I like to think it gives them character.  Perfect is overrated if you ask me...

Here's to pumpkins, and whoopie, and paint, and occasionally doing something "Pinteresting".  Happy Friday!

Steal This

It's the most wonderful time of the year because Anthropologie has some of their ridiculously expensive yet fabulous clothes really on sale.  Like this dress that was $198 and is now $29.99 (shown in Peach also comes in Black)...

Go steal it now (I just did).  We are headed to the Bahamas in a couple of weeks and this dress will definitely be making the trip.  Even if you're completely over Summer just remember it will be back next year and you would look great wearing this dress in it! 

Silo Farm

Saturday my Mama and I loaded up the girls and headed to Silo Farm.  Just outside of the Temple/Belton area is a cute little farm that is all dressed up for Fall.  Appropriately named Silo after the cool one that stands prominently on their property (the girls are in front of it in this pic)...

There were plenty of activities to keep two little munchkins busy.  They loved the petting zoo and Carter really got into the pumpkin painting...

She can be quite the little perfectionist when it comes to art or school work...

Lately I am totally in love with her use of color and pattern.  It's "munchkin modern"...

Lucky for me there was also the rare opportunity to grab a few pics with all three of us.  Of course it's quite a feat to manage to get one with everyone looking at the camera...

But the real reason for our visit was to pick out a few perfect pumpkins...

It didn't take Carter long...

And Emerson found some that were just her size...

This little goofball keeps me smiling...

And don't get me started on her chubby cheeks...

She is the most cuddly kissable little thing you've ever met...

It was a day that could have only been improved by cooler temperatures.  I really do find myself missing the way fall feels.  Washington had a knack for fruit stands, winding back roads and a crisp day that could epitomize what fall is all about.  There was definitely a moment or two Saturday when I felt like I might spontaneously com bust which doesn't leave you feeling all fall and fabulous.  It's a trade off though because I love being near our family and feeling at home here in Texas.  Definitely not something I'm willing to give up for beautiful scenery and cooler temperatures! 

I'll take hot Texas fall any day of the week if it means being right smack dab where I want to be...

Happy (HOT) Fall y'all!