Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Annual Pumpkin Painting Party

Last week we hosted our 3rd annual pumpkin painting party. It went so well and so smoothly. All of the kids (10 total) played so well together and we (the mommies) never had to intervene. It was great to catch up with my friends. I made a festive table with Halloween themed snacks. We had the clementine pumpkins as we do every year and this year I made spider bites, pumpkin shaped sandwiches, and my favorite- a veggie skeleton. I bought mini cupcakes at Trader Joe's, which came with a bat or pumpkin chocolate decoration. That was the only sweet. I decided against the marshmallow pops this year so we didn't have too much sugar. I also made a big pot of veggie chili for the moms. The party started at 12:30 so I told everyone to come hungry. It's crazy to think next year Ellie will be in Kindergarten at this time!

Here are some party photos:
 Isn't this guy so cute?!
 I love these coffee to-go cups I found at Michael's
 Pumpkin Supplies




Sunday, October 25, 2015

Fall Adentures: Checklist

 On Friday we went apple picking as mentioned in my last post. It was the perfect day and we basically had the farm to ourselves. The drive to New Hope was beautiful with all the colors of the trees. We got our bag and walked to the field. We got both Fuji and Braeburn apples (so juicy and good for baking). The girls were pros and they both picked all the apples from the trees. I lifted them high to get the really good ones. Ellie took one of me lifting Summer and a woman passing by was nice enough to offer to take a picture of the three of us. Afterwards, we paid at the market and bought a bag of their apple cider donuts and the popular apple slices. So good! The girls sat under a tree and shared an apple, then played on the wooden tractor for a while.

 Me: shirt / jeans / boots (old)
Summer: dress (Matilda Jane, old) / shirt / boots
Ellie: dress / pants / shoes

Saturday evening we went trick or treating at our neighborhood town center. All of the businesses in the circle hand out candy. Some even turned them into haunted houses. We met my parents and brother and his family and walked around together. The kids were so cute together. Summer hung out with me, but got the hang of it after a few minutes and held out her bucket to get a piece of candy. I overheard Ellie saying "trick or treat!" and "thank you" at each table. It was a fun night! The girls Halloween costumes weren't quite ready so they were Rapunzel and a mermaid.

(A few weekends ago):
Friday, September 25
Every year (since kids, let's be honest) we've gone to see the scarecrows in Peddlers Village. I've been going since Ellie was a baby. We usually go with friends, but I decided I wanted it to be just the three of us. It's about a half hour drive so the girls napped on the way there (and a little extra as I enjoyed a few quiet minutes to myself before waking them). New Hope is such a pretty, quaint town. The scarecrows are all created by adults and kids. This year our favorites were Twilight Sparkle (My Little Pony), Cinderella and the Minions. We were lucky it was such a gorgeous day! I promised the girls a carousel ride at Gigglebary Fair before we left. 


Sunday, September 27th
Hayride to the Pumpkin Farm (birthday party)
There was a beautiful field of these sunflowers
 This might be one of my favorite pictures!
 Ellie drew her and her friend, Nathan. I love that she gave herself long hair and short hair on him.

Ellie joined her friends at the front of the hayride and Summer wanted to stay back with me. She just looks so cute here in her skinny jeans (Ellie hand me down), top and Converse high tops!

We are almost done our fall checklist (view it here)!




Friday, October 23, 2015

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday! Ellie has school this morning and Summer and I will be doing errands. After we pick up Ellie the three of us are going apple picking. We finally have an open afternoon and the weather will be perfect- in the 70s. This outing is on our fall checklist and I'll be bringing home a few apple cider donuts. Yum! I haven't blogged in a while (so much going on lately), but wanted to post what I am loving at the moment. 

I love this gold striped one. I recently just sent my sister this one in her (belated) birthday package. 


I went to Barre Tuesday night and wore this tank in the color "brilliant magenta." Love it!
Mesh Energize Tank

I received this fabric in the mail this week and plan on reupholstering our dining chairs this weekend. Our cream colored chairs have playdoh and red tomato sauce stains. I still want to buy non-upholstered chairs for the girls.

Perfect for this recipe I want to make next week!

I have this one in the yellow and love the fall colors (and I'm wearing it today).

I got these for Ellie last week for Christmas. They are the softest and warmest sheets. She has a set from two Christmases ago and they are still in good condition.

Last weekend I wanted the girls to nap (and I thought they would) so I told them I would meet them upstairs in a few minutes to read books. When I went into Ellie's room they had beat me to it and I saw this:
Ellie "reading" to Summer (and Snowy and Anna). So sweet!

We are supposed to have a photo session Sunday morning, but the weather is calling for showers. I'm hoping the weather changes or it rains later in the day. Tomorrow we will probably go see my nephews soccer games as we did last weekend, then Ellie has her soccer at noon. Afterwards, I'm planning on taking the girls to a pumpkin farm one last time. Since Summer doesn't nap anymore we have more time to do things. Sadly, Summer stopped taking naps a month ago or so. I wasn't strict with it this summer since I didn't want to be constricted to the house on a beautiful day, and instead, she went to bed early. I think she became used to that and she will have quiet time reading books or coloring, but it's still a long day for me! At least they go to bed fairly early (7pm). Have a great weekend!

** Affiliate links are included in this post. These are items I own or would purchase for myself.

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Saturday Shopping

My husband took our girls to dinner and ice cream last night so I was able to get to the mall all by myself! I had planned to do a few other errands, but ended up spending 2 hours at the mall. It was so nice to have time to shop and browse. 

I bought this and I love the loose fit. I know I will get a ton of use out of it this fall:
I've been looking for a new concealer. I don't have any dark circles, just some redness that I like to cover. So, I don't need a lot of coverage. I bought this one a couple weeks ago, but not sure I love it so I got this one to try:
Concealer

I was also looking at red lip gloss. This one was the last one I tried. It's one you need to apply with a mirror so I didn't think I could do it (since I'm always applying on the go), but when I got home I saw the color was still on. I love that it's long lasting so I'm going to order it:
Lip Parfait
I have this bag in navy on hold right now. I need something for out with the girls and I like that I could easily keep it clean. It's on sale for under $50.
Nylon Tote

All sweaters at Banana Republic are up to 40% off and I'm loving these:
Pullover
Faux-Leather Cardigan

 Camo Cardigan

We are headed to Michael's Craft store for a pumpkin activity this afternoon. It's been a couple of rainy days so no outdoor activities today. I'm hoping it's nicer tomorrow so we can go to a fall festival in the afternoon. We also have a birthday party tomorrow morning at Bounce-U for one of Ellie's friends. Have a great weekend!

** This post includes affiliated links. These are items I have purchased or would like to purchase.