Friday, October 11, 2013

Fall Beauty {2012 Getaway}



One year ago this weekend, we loaded the kiddies in the car and headed out for our first vacation as a family of five. We spent 3 days in beautiful Door County. The foliage and lake were simply stunning.  Here is a shot of our navigation system to see just how far north we were.


Here is a shot of the cottage we rented. On our first day we checked out a local artisan pizza place and then wondered around one of the quaint downtowns. We even stumbled upon an authentic fish boil.







The next day we visited one of the county's many orchards. The kids enjoyed hours on fun in the hay maze & then we listened to a local bluegrass band play in the back barn while creating our own candy apple delicacies. 








Later that evening we headed to the county park to take in the sites before embarking on a Halloween walk through the woods. We ended the evening by roasting "spooky smokes" over the bonfire.

















We began every morning with the most amazing pastries from a small coffee shop down the street. The bear claws became a family favorite. On our third day, we headed to the pumpkin festival.









The views were simply breathtaking. Peanut was in heaven with all the boats and the angry bird pumpkin display.






Later that day we drove to the tip of the county and marveled at the majestic scenes; the lake and variegated foliage blending seamlessly together.





On our way back down we stopped for a little go kart action before enjoying dinner at the local train restaurant.






Revisiting these pictures make me miss not going this year. With the hectic schedule our family has this school year, Hubby & I felt our family needed some R & R at home this fall break. I'm hoping though that our next trip back to Door county isn't too far off. 

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Picmonkey + Potted Mums = Present Perfection

I can hardly believe Fall conferences are upon us. Last year I whipped up a basket full of banana muffins & scarecrow crunch (pretzels, melted kiss & candy corn) for Belle's first grade teacher. 

Those were the good ol' days. I had a lot more time on my hands. The Baby Bear still took both a morning and afternoon nap plus he wasn't quite crawling. Fast forward one year, Peanut is done napping while BB is down to just one in the afternoon. This means a full day from sun up to sun down. Even with a much busier schedule, I still wanted to have something to gift Belle's teacher at our conference.

While at the grocery store, I picked up a sweet little potted mum from the floral department. It came pre-wrapped in a matte, burnt orange paper.



To take it up a notch, I designed a simple tag on picmonkey bearing the greeting "Happy Fall" and three jovial jack-o'-lanterns. I then printed my image on a piece of 8.5 x 11 card stock, cut it down to size & attached to the pot with kitchen twine. Instant personalization and pizzaz.




And since I love you all so much, here is the printable to make your own. Just right click the image and save to your computer. Then print selecting "print to scale". I set my printer to 17% FYI.


These would be a great gift for a helpful neighbor/coworker, special coach or just about anyone who deserves a little reminder that you appreciate all they do.


Belle's teacher was surprised and thrilled, just as Hubby & I were to learn that Belle 2nd grade is off to a stellar start. Here's to a "MUMerable"year.

Monday, October 7, 2013

Copy Cat Find {Juliska vs. Threshold}

When Hubby & I got married we registered for a set of basic white everyday plates and fine china. Over time we collected a full service of blue & white dishes (blue willow & blue denmark) and slowly phased out our original white set.

For special occasions and Holidays though I love to set the table with our china. Unfortunately the maintenance of using it is becoming more and more inconvenient with three little diners at the table.
So after last year's holidays, I started to hunt for an intermediary set of plates…something with a bit of bling, but easier to use. Enter Juliska…my favorites the Bamboo pattern and Berry & Thread  pattern. 


In fact Hubby, surprised me with a places setting for 5 of the Bamboo pattern last week for my birthday. But at $42 a dinner plate, I am hesitant and certain that our two littlest patrons aren't quite responsible enough to eat off of these. 


Then low and behold, this past weekend Belle & I were passing the time before ballet class at Target when I spotted two 16 piece dinnerware sets marked down to $20.00 a piece!


Despite being square, the plates reminded me of the Juliska berry pattern except I could get a place setting for 8 for the same price as one Juliska dinner plate. I quickly quarantined an eager Target employee to guard my find while Belle & I ran to get a cart.


I still love the Juliska patterns. They offer a wide variety of serving pieces along with a number mix & match opportunities. But for now, as we hone our dining & table clearing skills, I think the Threshold knock off is perfect for our family. In fact, I'm hoping our local Target will have another set seeing as how our celebratory dinners often involve 12 or more guests. 

With the Holidays are around the corner, the aisles are overflowing with clearance items to make way for all the incoming merchandise. So hightail it over to Target asap. I was even able to grab a few Christmas gifts at 50% off.

I can't wait to hear what deals you all score! 

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Sales! Sales! Sales!

Happy Saturday Everyone. Hope your weekend is going well. We are wall enjoying the chance to it easy easy this weekend and ease back into our routine.

I just wanted to pop in and share few sales that I am super excited about.
Free monogramming on top of sale prices. 
A set of 12 hemstick napkins (pictured above) is marked down to $75.00 including monogramming!



Use Code: FRIENDS25 for 25% off all purchases
I stocked up on EM during a recent RueLaLa sale but I still might snag a piece or two.



Valid on all shoes and handbags!


Happy Shopping!!!



Thursday, October 3, 2013

A Day In The Life

Out of the many genre of blog posts, my favorite is always the "Day in the Life" post. So since today is my birthday, 29 again thanks for asking, I get to do as I wish and finally write A Day in the Life of Me.

Tomorrow I promise to be back to regularly scheduled programming (i.e.: posts YOU actually want to read). For now though, I'll consider your compliance a birthday gift. And if you've ever blogged a "Day in the Life" post please leave a link in the comments section…I definitely want to check it out. Thanks!

6:58 I am awoken by the sound of Belle in the kid's bath. Usually the alarm on my phone goes off at 5:45, but I realize last night I grabbed my phone to set the alarm, responded to a text from Besties H&J & put the phone back without setting my alarm. Nice!

7:00  Belle & I tip toe into her room to grab her school clothes and try desperately not to wake Peanut who spent the night on her trundle bed. Belle heads to the kid's bath to get ready while I go downstairs to make breakfast. Once downstairs, Belle is ready early so I take the extra time to give her a practice spelling test.

7:40 Hubby & the Boys make their way downstairs. The baby's fever has given way to a walrus barking cough and marks the 10th day I've been caring for a sick little. Hubby takes Belle & the Boys to the bus stop while I clean up the kitchen from breakfast.

8:00 Hubby & the Boys are back from seeing Belle off to school. We head upstairs to get dressed and I have to convince Peanut that wearing a soccer jersey and plaid seersucker shorts is not a good idea. Thankfully his drawers are stocked with track pants, an acceptable alternative, & a potential melt down was avoided.

8:45 Bear & I return from dropping Peanut off at school. I quickly change out of my jammies (thank God for the drop off line) into my workout clothes. Armed with a snack cup full of Snackanimals cereal & a sippie of coconut milk we were off for our morning jog-----3.45 miles in 33 minutes.

9:45 We return from our jog and cool down lap around the subdivision. I grab a quick glass of water before attempting to entice Bear upstairs. Tigger, Monkey, Mickey Mouse episode..nothing works. Finally I carry him screaming upstairs and turn on Dinosaur Train (thank you to whoever decided to combine dinos and trains).

10:00 I'm finally in the shower.

10:02 My beloved baby is at the shower door attempting to break in. He then moves to the  toilet flushing it repeatedly. I yell out, "Go see Elmo on the TV" and he takes the bait. By some miracle I think the red fur ball actually was on! 
10:06 Bear discovers the toilet bowl wand…shower over. This is a day I'm thankful for my Keratin treatment & Argon oil.

10:33 We are dressed and ready to head out to the grocery store and I noticed the lil guy doesn't have shoes on. I go to his cubby to grab them & of course they are not put away! A hunt ensues.

10:37 We're off to the grocery store with no list in hand & a plan to wonder the aisles :-) This is not the way I do grocery shopping.  Usually I go on Saturdays (while Belle is at the studio for 2 hours) with a week's worth of meals planned out and a coordinating shopping list in hand. Since last Saturday was the wedding, I'm off schedule & unprepared…bad combo. My co-shopper isn't much help either, he keeps adding items to the floor of his shopping car & then stomping them.

11:27 Groceries in tow, I head to pick Peanut up from school. While in the preschool pick up line I realized that somehow our pick up number is missing. I grab a random flyer of the passenger seat and write down the number 21. Then I doubt myself…maybe it is 27? By the time I'm in the front of the line I just roll down my window and shout out Peanut's name. The teachers there are such angels and they take pity on poor discombobulated mothers like me. 



11:35 Peanut provides in car entertainment and review of the school day's activities. 

11:45 We are back home & I attempt to make lunch with a whining toddler and kitchen full of unpacked groceries….I can feel the stress mounting. Lunch is served. Grilled cheese, broccoli & red grapes for the Boys. Scrambled eggs with hot sauce in soft corn tortillas for myself (easy & full of protein).

12:10 Baby goes down for a nap. I haven't even stepped foot outside the nursery door & Peanut is there waiting for my to play with him. Lunch has yet to be cleaned up nor groceries put away, but I head outside to swing with Peanut anyway….they are only little once right?

12:30 My saving grace Caliou is on. I take 30 minutes to whip out a blog post for the day and
clean up a bit of the kitchen.

1:00 Peanut & I head out to the deck to practice his phonics skills in the rocker. Afterwards, he finishes up his school work and I finally get the chance to return texts messages that are piling up from the morning.

1:45 Hubby returns home from work & heads straight into his office for a conference call.

2:15  We come back inside after Peanut sprays down most of the backyard with the hose….he was suppose to be watering ONLY the garden. I finally tackle the groceries. To keep Peanut busy, I give him an amazon package and a pair of kiddie scissors along with instructions to "go nuts". It could have ended badly, thankfully it didn't.

2:30 The baby is awake. The kitchen isn't finished, but at least one can see the island counter again.

3:00 Belle is home from school & starts her homework. Peanut received the first injury of the day. After a few tears, he seeks comfort on the couch with his lovie. 

3:30 I start dinner, clean kitchen, vacuum floors & pack Belle's lunch.

3:45 Hubby emerges from his office and takes the Boys outside while Belle practices piano.

4:05 Dinner is early today because the kiddies have greek school from 5-7pm. We eat outside enjoying the summer like day. Bear spits out everything I offer & continues to attempt crawling on the table to reach the umbrella. Meanwhile Peanut is serenading us with a variety of songs from Teen Beach Movie. Finally I give up feeding Bear & focus on making sure the older two are ready for class.

4:40 YiaYia Terry & Papou Yiannis have picked up Belle & Peanut for greek school. By now Bear is spent and feeling the effects of the virus we've been battling since last week. We read books, do puzzles & watch a little TV.

5:20 I have plans to meet up with Besties H & B for an early birthday celebration this evening. Hubby takes Bear to watch a junior high football game at the fields behind our subdivision so I can get ready.



6:15 I head out the door for a lovely evening of shopping & dining while my dear of a Hubby manages bed, baths & books for the 3 littles. I finally have the chance to make uninterrupted phone call from the car to YiaYia who called nearly 24 hours earlier.

9:45 It is an early night on account of Bestie H's babysitter. I visit with Hubby for awhile & exchange texts with Besties J, H & B before logging on to work on this post.

11:45 Spent from the days activities, it is lights out. Laying in bed I realize that I either neglected to tell the waiter decaf for my cappuccino or they screwed it up…either way I was up. I finally crashed a little after 1:00am.

There you have it gals, all the gossip worthy details of my day. Thanks for seeing it through and making it till the end, you're the best!

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Pumpkin Pillow Picks

A few posts back, I mentioned incorporating some orange pillows in the family room for Fall. I haven't gotten around to sewing them just yet but here's my inspiration board.

Ikea Granat Pillow Cover
Burlap
JoJo Slub Tangelo
Ikat Dots Orange

I'll be sure to let you know when these are finally finished, even if it is mid January:)