HALLOWEEN 2015

HALLOWEEN 2015

November 2, 2015

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Don't you love when Halloween is on a Saturday? There's time to make themed dinners and babes can take naps and there's no crazy rushing out the door while still putting on costumes.

Lia wanted to be a painter this year with Nico as her masterpiece. Then, she wanted them both to be mice. She couldn't choose which costume she liked better so we tweaked both ideas together. We got about one street in before she decided to just be a mouse. Nico, of course, wanted nothing to do with his mouse ears. Go figure! My tail fell off a few times during the night but all in all, it was a success. Six years of handmade costumes and still going. All hail the glue gun and a very patient husband!

Now here's hoping I can resist the load of candy this kid got!

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IT'S GETTING SPOOKY AROUND HERE

IT'S GETTING SPOOKY AROUND HERE

October 22, 2015

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I have to get it to our little town. It doesn't typically scream Fall around here. And that usually puts me in a funk right about now that makes me take cover in bed all day with a Meg Ryan marathon.

Actually, that sounds pretty good now anyways.

But! It's been feeling suspiciously like Fall lately. I do all of my homework at the kitchen table and from this little spot I've carved out for myself I have the perfect view of our dining room window. I've tried hundreds of times to photograph it but the lighting is never right and I can't really capture how perfect it is so I've stopped trying and settled for a mental picture instead. But, if I tried with words it would go a little something like this. I can see a black mouse cut-out that looks like it's quickly scrambling across the wall right underneath a window surrounded by black and white stripes. And through that window I can see our ghosts fluttering in the wind and the most perfect tree in the entire neighborhood.

I don't know how we got it but we did and it's the best tree in our little 'hood. It's big and full of large green leaves that have taken pity on our lack of Fall vibes and has turned golden brown leaving leaves scattered across our entire yard. And our neighbors yard. They are all welcome for that! When I'm sitting here and ignore the homework aspect, it's pretty dang awesome.

And now I'm rambling about a tree. To my point - it's feeling like Fall and I'm a fan. We decorated the porch more than we ever have for Halloween. I've got big plans for some cookie decorating with my girl this weekend and putting the finishing touches on costumes. October, you aren't half bad.

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A HALLOWEEN PARTY

A HALLOWEEN PARTY

November 4, 2014

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We hosted our very first Halloween party over the weekend! I've wanted to host one for as long as I can remember and our new (can we still call it new after two years?) house is the perfect size to hold all of our friends. We kept this one low-key for the kids so L could have a fun day with all of her friends.

There was about 11 kids running around in the cold, drizzly weather having a blast. I set up a fun outdoor photobooth in the morning but by party time the weather had taken a strange turn and we had to move it indoors. Sadly, I think it got overlooked and the only people who got any use of it was us! Still, it made for a cute family snapshot.

I set up a few games which were ignored but L's toys and swing set were a big hit. Lesson learned, just let kids be kids. But, we had a table full of treats and a fun eyeball cake that went over well with all the little ones that randomly stole pieces of it throughout the party! The skeleton fruit skewers were awesome too and so easy to make (a little time-consuming though...) Pinterest was the main inspiration-source for the party and my best party tip is always cover your tables with brown Kraft paper!

The party was a ton of fun and I'm already dreaming of ideas to make it an annual thing.

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HALLOWEEN 2014

HALLOWEEN 2014

November 3, 2014

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I took more of a "sit back and enjoy it" approach Halloween night. I snapped a few pictures before we headed out Trick-or-Treating but my camera stayed home and my phone was out of my hands most of the night. I guess that's what happens when you're seven months pregnant with a sinus infection!

But, we had so much fun! L was pretty shy and didn't say Trick-or-Treat or "thank you" or anything really until the very last house. But we were proud of her for trying and it turns out that four year olds walk a lot faster than three year olds. We made it through most of the neighborhood in an hour and then headed back home so L could pass out candy. Most of the kids had passed our street already but we did get a few and every time someone stopped, she'd get really excited and yell out "mom, we got lucky!"

And since then, it's been all about the treats and candy. And Christmas tunes...

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HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

October 31, 2014

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It's Halloween! I'm trying to forget about how sick I feel and focus on the fact that it's a holiday today!

My girl is more excited for her Halloween party tomorrow than trick-or-treating it seems, but I'm sure that will change tonight when she's loaded up with candy that may or may not get eaten by her parents! Currently, she's happy as a clam watching Pippi Longstocking (exactly how we spent last Halloween morning) and waiting on her cinnamon rolls. The weather outside is finally cooling off again and I can't wait for the chance to wrap a scarf around my neck and bundle my girl up.

I think we'll keep today simple and bake some cookies between cleaning up and decorating for our party before heading out tonight for the main event. Lia will be rocking her cheerleader costume again and M and I have some pennants to carry around to "cheer her on"!

PS.
This adorable ice cream costume is what she wore to her school party this week. She was pretty bummed to find out no costume accessories were allowed which knocked out her pom-poms and apparently you can't be a cheerleader without pom-poms. So, she dug this out of her dress-up box and we were all happy!

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DIY | HALLOWEEN COSTUMES

DIY | HALLOWEEN COSTUMES

November 8, 2013

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How do you convince a three year old not to be a princess for Halloween? We compromised on two costumes this year - it's more fun that way, right? A very fancy princess and, my favorite, Pippi Longstocking.

Just like past Halloweens, I kept her costumes on a made-at-home level.

Fancy princess details:
Hat, from her dress-up box \\ Dress, flower girl dress from my brother's wedding with a pink sash tied on to cover the existing blue one \\ Shirt|Leggings|Shoes, all from her closet \\ Wand, clearance find at Target

Pippi Longstocking details:
Dress|Shirt|Tights|Boots, from her closet \\ Monkey, from her playroom \\ Pirate eye patch, Target
Along with a crazy amount of hairspray and gel, I braided pipe cleaners into her hair to attempt give the signature Pippi look. I "sewed" small pieces of fabric to the dress using this and then drew on freckles with eye liner.

You can see her past costumes here!

PS. I loved how her fancy princess costume turned out and even though a pink princess costume wouldn't be my first choice, I'm happy to stand back and watch her make the decisions that make her the happiest.

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THIS IS LONG OVERDUE

THIS IS LONG OVERDUE

November 5, 2013

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So many posts should have come between this one and the last but life got crazy so this little corner of the internet got a few cobwebs.

If you follow me on instagram, you're probably pretty caught up with us. Snapping a picture update is way easier than a post right now.

But, the short version is this:

Our dog, Toby, got pretty sick over the weekend. We had to admit him to a veterinary hospital that was two hours away part of the weekend. It turns out that something he must have eaten or ingested messed with his GI tract causing him to vomit a ton. Bloody vomit, everywhere - it wasn't a pretty picture. That caused him to have severe dehydration which then caused his kidneys to stop working right. On top of that, his body temp was way too low and he lost 2 lbs. On an 11 lb dog, that's a pretty big deal. The good news is that his kidneys are functioning again and the round of meds he is on seems to be working. He's tolerating food well and acting like himself again - we just really need him to drink water. 

Emergency dog hospitals are expensive! Ha, pets and vets are a crazy thing. Honestly, we know it's just money and our dog is part of our family. We'll always do what it takes for him - even if the sticker shock is huge. But woah. Mama needed a new set of pots and pans.

M is out of town on business. I'm kind of jealous he gets to check out Chicago without me, but my mom came in town for a girls week so we're still living it up.

Halloween was FUN! We have way to much candy leftover and L was the cutest Pippi Longstocking. And, we've watched the movie at least 5 times since Halloween. But I will NEVER ever attempt Pippi braids again.

Also, you should read this. It was a little cheesy and there's a pretty fine line between it being YA and an adult novel, but I couldn't put it down after I started it.

That pretty much covers the past few days. They've been good and bad and messy and everything in between. It's one of those seasons. 

Happy Tuesday, xo!

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TRICK OR TREAT | 2012

TRICK OR TREAT | 2012

November 1, 2012

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another halloween has passed. seriously, where the h is the time going?
 

  

so this was our 3rd homemade halloween! i didn't actually make anything for her costume this year, except draw on her freckles! but it was all handmade from a friend or pulled from her closet. 

she did SO good this year. she totally got it and walked right up to the doors, said trick or treat, took her candy like and boss and said thank you in that adorable way she does and went to the next house.

we had some whiny moments and times where she just wanted us to carry her house from house but she is 2 and those are expected pretty much every 10 minutes or so in this house.

but it was so much FUN!! seeing her face light up at decorations and treats. she was so excited about all of it!

afterwards we hit up target, just because we do that. and then we got pizza. i pretty much crave pizza every day. it's so bad... and then we all slept hard. yesterday was a BUSY day.

 
 
 

 

costumes
l - little reding riding hood
m - a yankee player
me - a nerd
toby - a lobster, for about 10 minutes

i seriously pulled together mine & m's costume in about 5 minutes before he got home from work. we weren't going to dress up but we've always dressed up with L and i didn't want to regret it. besides, it didn't cost us anything!

but it night make me a little nerdy that i had all the pieces for a nerd costume in my closet, and most of them are things i actually use...

and today is the start of my favorite month! and the month we move. and the month the last twilight movie comes out in theatres. that may have been marked on my calendar for months now. i've been cleaning up the house, doing laundry & dishes, eating halloween candy. today is the last day our house will look normal. time to start packing and get ready for our next adventure. 

november, you are going to rock.
 

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