What a Difference a Year Makes

After just reading back through old posts from last year at this time, I cannot believe how much change takes place over the course of 365 days.  Worlds. 
This week last year we had the chance to see Bug perform in her first dance 'show' to us parents at her weekly dance class.  As you would have guessed, I was a crying mess and could hardly take pictures because I couldn't see clearly. Watching 3-year olds dance is beyond cute-it's their first time-and it's tearful. 
This year...totally not the case.  This time, the only tears I had were from laughing so hard.  Four year olds dancing are hysterical.  They are all trying their best to concentrate and do all the steps (which, by the way, are not so easy) and they are awkward, all over the place, and simply hilarious.  Hoping I recorded it, right? 

Enjoy! 

(In case you're wondering,

Bug is the middle one right in the front)

Watch it a few times, and you'll laugh even harder.

What It's All About

You come across a good person every so often in your life.  Yesterday I came across a good one...a really, really good one.  Miss Linda.  I had met her once before and she seemed like a very nice woman.  She works with TOH, she is a grandmother, and she is sweet...what I had considered to be 'grandmother sweet.'  Until yesterday.
On that first day that we met (back in September), she invited the girls and me to a Christmas gift exchange.  She described it as a fun day for the girls to get dressed up and exchange gifts with other little girls their age.  So, off we went in our fancy dresses with our gifts in hand to our gift exchange luncheon.  Oh, how I was in for the surprise of my life.
We met at a local restaurant.  A very nice restaurant.  She had an entire room reserved.  The staff was ready and eager for us to arrive.  It was Christmas morning and I had no idea. 
There were a mix of children from ages two through ten.  They came from all backgrounds...all walks of life...all types of lifestyles.  They got along like they had been friends since they were born.  They laughed, they played, they shared.  There was no 'mine' or 'yours', no whining or crying, no fighting or pouting. 
Miss Linda started the girls off with lunch (which they ordered themselves and sat at their very own table--for 17!)...then they played games, had homemade desserts and then the gift-giving extravaganza began.  Not only did the girls exchange the gifts they had brought for each other, but Miss Linda had a 4-foot stocking full of individual gifts for each girl, toys for each girl, and a family gift for each girl...by the end of everything, there were tears from many...restaurant staff included.
It was unlike anything that I have ever seen before in my life.  Miss Linda is someone that I will forever strive to be.  She works hard.  Three jobs hard, to be exact.  She works for months to prepare for this every year.  She does this out of the pure goodness in her heart and would not accept anything in return.  When I think of those shows on television like Extreme Home Makeover and You Deserve It, I immediately think of her.  She deserves every bit of goodness in the world.  The amount of joy and happiness in the eyes of those little girls was something that I will never ever forget and it is something that I hope to be able to provide someday. 
As much as we all love receiving gifts around the holidays, nothing is as great as what Miss Linda did for these girls.

Weekly Goodies

I know I go on and on about it and many are probably tired of hearing about it, but I cannot explain how much I love Pinterest.  I use it almost daily for recipes, craft ideas, fashion fun, photography inspirations...I could go on and on.  If you want to join the fun, just send me an email and you're in!  Here's some great finds from this week...

Source: Pinterest

These would be fabulous in gray too!


Source: Pinterest

Flowerbomb.  Beautiful.


Source: Pinterest

Such a creative gift for a teacher. I would love this!



Source:  Pinterest

A fabulous holiday outfit!


Source:  Pinterest

Activities to do together for your advent calendar rather than the traditional gifts. 
Brilliant!


Source: Pinterest

Love the amount of love in this.

A Promise.

A slacker, yes.  I have been a major blog slacker.  But I do promise you that a good...really good...post will appear soon, and in the meantime, I'll leave you with some fun finds from my favorite pastime...

Source:  Pinterest

I could not love this anymore.

Source: Pinterest

How cute would your little one look in these??

Source:  Pinterest

Simple and beautiful.
Running out to get my pine cones now.

 

Source:  Pinterest

The necklace and shoes are my favorite.

Source:  Pinterest

Two words:  One day.

Happy Weekend and like I said...a good post soon...promise!

This Week & Every Day

I have seen a lot of fabulous things that could be my favorites from Pinterest for the week,

but none as great as these...

I have so much...

to be thankful for...

each and every day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pick Me Ups

Although I find myself feeling a little under the weather this week, these fun ideas have found a way to make me feel shall I say, 'better!'  Enjoy what I love this week!



Source: Pinterest

I mean, seriously...could not be any cuter.

Source:  Pinterest

I will have this one day.  Soon.

Source:  Pinterest

You would not find one piece of orange clothing in my closet,

but would buy this in a second.

Source:  Pinterest

Yes, I do realize I post a lot of ideas with these guys.

Source:  Pinterest

And the best for last...chocolate chip cookie pie.  Oh my.

Happy Wednesday, friends!

Nothing Deep

But instead, things off the top of my head...

Saw at least a dozen homes with Christmas decorations going up today.  Some even have them lit tonight.  What happened to Thanksgiving?

No one warned me that having a 4 year old and a 2 year old would be way harder than 2 under 2. 

Movies you need to see:  Crazy, Stupid, Love...The Kids Are Alright...and Love & Other Drugs.  The first one being my absolute new favorite movie.  And if you happen to be a fan of PBS (don't ask)...find Downton Abbey and watch the whole first season before the new one starts in January.  It's fantastic.

Saw a woman carrying a small dog in a Baby Bjorn this week.  I'm all for a man and his best friend, but come on, really?

Had our 3rd Annual 'Thanksgiving Before Thanksgiving' at a good friend's this weekend.  We are always with our families for the actual holiday, so we started having a 'friends Thanksgiving' beforehand...a fabulous idea because it's not fair to only have all of that deliciousness on one day. 

Any chance anyone out there watches Sarah's House on HGTV?  I've been searching everywhere for when the new season starts, but can't seem to come up with anything...

Is it just me, or do higher powers have a plan for each family to have two extremely opposite children...I really cannot even comprehend how drastically different they are-it's scary-and it may quite possibly make me lose my sanity.

Bug has the day off from preschool on Tuesday due to Election Day.  I know it sounds silly, but I am so excited to have her home for an extra day this week (even despite my comment about the 4 & 2 year olds above!)...and although Kater-tot has settled in nicely to Bug being away, I still miss her so much when she's gone.

Going on a mini 'detox' until Thanksgiving Eve. I'm 2 days in.  18 more to go. This should be good. Stop laughing-haha. It's in writing, so I am now being held accountable...

Fun happenings today...two long-time friends, both named Jennifer, both became moms to baby boys this morning...best wishes to them and their new additions!

I can't get enough of this weather...fall is definitely my favorite season...70 degree days full of sunshine, cool nights that are perfect for a fire in the backyard, beautiful leaves covering everything...it's the best. 

Takin' It Back

Tangled. Cars. Even Toy Story.  Fabulous, well-written, and hilarious...but just not the same. 

On this cold and rainy fall day, Bug and I 'snuggled up' (her new favorite phrase) on the couch together and we took it back to the old school.  No princesses, no evil queens, no princes to live happily ever after with. 

A Classic. 101 Dalmations. She loved it. Her exact words, 'This is the funniest movie I ever seen!'

Peter Pan, Bambi, The Jungle Book, Lady and the Tramp, The Rescuers, Fox and the Hound, Pinocchio, Winnie the Pooh, Dumbo, Robin Hood.  They're all awesome, but tend to be forgotten...why is that?  They appeal to both boys and girls, teach great life lessons, what's not to love?

And it just so happens that the Disney Channel is showing The Aristocats tomorrow, another one of my favorites from back in the day...so you now know where we (or at least I!) will be at 12:30...

Happy Weekend, friends!

What I Love This Week

I have found myself staying off the computer lately because this website is like an addiction.  I can't get enough of it...  Pinterest has by far taken over as my new favorite pastime.  It's a giant billboard of anything and everything you could ever imagine.  You type the first thought that comes to mind and bam...3 seconds later you have an endless page of pictures and ideas to scroll through.
I am actually proud to say that I have put to use many of the great recipes and ideas I've come across so far.  The pumpkin cream cheese spread from a couple weeks back was amazing.  I put together the car bags that I posted below and used them for a road trip over the weekend and they were perfect for the girls.  We made the caramel apple cider cookies last week...all I can say is wow.  And as you know, the pumpkin puree helped to make the best-ever pumpkin spice latte!  Take a look at what I found this week...

Source:  Pinterest

I knew these would come in handy someday!

Source:  Pinterest

Two of my favorites:  grilled cheese & pesto.  Yum.

Source:  Pinterest

Now if only I could wear this to 'work' everyday...

Source:  Pinterest

What I like to call 'crap baskets'...

an attempt to keep all the kids stuff in somewhat of an organized fashion when traveling.

Source:  Pinterest

And after finding myself among one of the people caught in that crazy October snowstorm this weekend,

this makes me think of what is right around the corner!

So cute-but I'm so not ready for it!

The Weekly Favorites

Happy Wednesday!  We're busy having fun with Grandma this week but here is look at a few of the great ideas I found over at Pinterest today...if you want to check it out, just hit the red Pinterest button over on the right side of this page.



Source: Pinterest

There are no words for how adorable this is.

Source:  Pinterest

This was made for me.

Source:  Pinterest

Mason jar with a burlap shade.   Love everything about it.

Source:  Pinterest

Seriously, how cute is she? Her style is better than mine!

Source:  Pinterest

Okay...I need to find a house with this...a hidden wine cellar.

Great for hide and seek...'Where's Mommy?'

Hope you are having a great week!

Lots of Good

Our weekend was good...make that great. 

One of the best we've had in a long time.

Pumpkin picking, movie watching, crock-pot cooking...

Morning runs, afternoon soccer, evening bike rides...

Playing at the park, shopping for new dresses, picnics in the leaves...

And best of all...

sharing a bottle of wine with good friends who are way too far away...

Skype is a wonderful thing.

Hoping your weekend was awesome as well

and here's to a great week ahead,

as we are looking forward to Grandma's week-long visit..yay!!

PSL

I never drank coffee until I had kids.  I was one of those people who always loved the smell, but never the taste.  But once the hours of sleep decreased, the need for caffeine increased.  I am one of the 'foo-foo' coffee drinkers.  Lots of cream, lots of sugar, lots of deliciousness.  And once I got my hands on this little guy, I was in love. 

I'm a sucker for everything pumpkin.  Pie, bread, candles, beer...and by far, coffee.  But at over 4 bucks a pop, this stay-at-home mom's taste for PSLs were brought to a halt. 

Until I came across this..http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/.  I found a recipe for pumpkin puree from scratch and just like that, I was transformed into Martha. 

So I got myself one of these guys...

and in a few short minutes, I had this...

The most perfect PSL ever.  And at my fingertips for under a dollar.  Absolute goodness.  

Favorites of the Week

As something that I can't wait to share with you tomorrow is baking away in the oven and the girls are napping, it's the perfect time to share my loves from Pinterest this week.

Source:  Pinterest



Source:  Pinterest

Shadow box with your little girl's picture and first ballet slippers...
cannot wait to make this for the girls!

Source:  Pinterest

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Spread. 
I will be putting this on everything I can get my hands on.


Source:  Pinterest

Never would have considered black for flower girl dresses, but this is stunning.



Source:  Pinterest

Hilarious!

Stop back tomorrow to see what deliciousness is about to come together!

For the Record

Twice in 8 weeks. 

After the last experience, I wasn't sure I would ever attempt it again,
but I did. 

And it was fabulous.

Yep.  Again.

But you can bet I made sure there was no rain in the forecast this time for 3 days before and after.

And this time we had six children under the age of 4.

The 'big' girls

All the munchkins

It really can be done...and it really can be fun.

Glad I am ending my camping season on a good note after my last attempt!

The Weekly Faves

I have a gazillion things to be doing right now...but I have more fun looking at stuff I love, so here I sit.  Pinterest is quickly becoming the new craze (if you haven't checked it out yet, click the red tab over on the side of the page and I'll hook you up)...here's a look at some great ideas I came across this week...


Source:  Pinterest

Write down all of the cute/funny things your kids say and collect in jars-you can even organize them by ages-what a great gift it would be to give to them later in life!



Source:  Pinterest

Apples filled with caramel...what a great party idea.


Source: Pinterest

If only they made these in big girl sizes!


Source:  Pinterest

A perfect example of why craftsman style homes are my favorite.


Source:  Pinterest

And one of the many reasons I love the movie 'Tangled' so much...
I would love to find my very own floating lantern festival.



Okay...time to get motivated...or at least try!  Have a great rest of the week, friends!