2017 Fall

dave and busters

We made a deal with the girls for the camping weekend. Please be inclusive. Please be kind. If they could be sweet for an entire weekend (that’s a lot to ask….) then we’d head to Dave and Busters Sunday night. Yes, that’s bribery but we just wanted a nice camping trip with friends. 
The bribery was completely unnecessary. The kids got along fabulously this weekend. Everyone played together so well. They took hikes, went to the park, played at the arcade. It was great! 
We held up our end of the bargain though and off we went to Dave and Busters….even though we were all exhausted and probably could have spent the entire night in pj’s, laying on the couch, watching movies. 
The girls had a blast and won plenty of tickets and bought some blow up chairs. We’ll see how long those suckers last….

fall festival

We hosted a booth at the girls’ school Fall Festival again this year. Painters could make little pumpkin magnets at our station. I had a staff member join us so we wouldn’t be tied to the booth all night and explore with the girls. It turned out pretty well, but there is always room for improvements. The magnets were not as big of a hit as the pumpkin dishes were last year so I have to come up with a new, better idea next year. Luckily we already have several ideas for these suckers…because we have quite a few leftover. 
B and I also got signed up to work a few of the other booths over the course of the night.
Annabelle worked this booth with a friend too. 
And the girls played! They had a great time with their friends. We gave them a lot of freedom to explore and have fun on their own. It’s always great to see them with their pals. 
Annabelle soaked her teacher! Ha!

mckay

I do not fancy myself an outdoorsy kind of gal. 
I like to read, write, and take pictures  and most of that I do from the comfort of indoors. I live in a stunningly gorgeous state and when I do venture outside I’m always mesmerized by the beauty of where I call home. I often ask myself why I don’t get out and explore more often and then I remember quickly that I’m afraid of critters, ax murderers, and my own shadow and go back to reading my book safely on my couch. 
This morning I woke up feeling a bit cranky from staying out too late last night celebrating, receiving news that the toilet at my studio overflowed and flooded my party room, customer complaints, and a bottomless hamper of laundry. 
I decided to throw on my kicks and go for a walk. What the what??? I know! 
It was a chilly fall day but the sun was shining and I was determined to get out of my own funk. The crisp air was phenomenal and just what I needed. I adore this time of year! I went to my favorite hiking spot close to home and enjoyed a little bit of fresh air and peace and quiet. I tell ya, it was just what the doctor ordered…and now back to overflowing toilets, oh boy! 

19 years

We celebrated 19 years of marriage today. It was wonderful and I loved every single minute that I got to spend with my husband today. 
B brought me roses, which are my absolute favorite, and we had a delicious dinner at Oceanaire. We talked and talked and that’s one of the best things about being married to this guy. Even after 19 years of marriage I still love to talk and laugh with him. He’s the one I want to spend all of my days with.
He asked me at dinner “what advise would you give our girls about getting married?”. It didn’t take me long to answer: 
1. Marry someone you love and most importantly really, really like. 
2. Marry someone who makes you feel like you are always enough. 
B is that perfect person for me. Even at my worst he makes me feel like I’m enough. He is encouraging, supportive, and kind and I’m lucky to have him. 
We ended our night at the theater. The first time we saw Chicago it was in New York and we were eager to compare. It was a great show, but there is just something to be said for Broadway. The music was phenomenal and we both enjoyed it. Not our favorite but a solid 4 stars. 

zoo and annie

B and I were both working overtime today and the girls’ friend graciously offered to take them to the zoo. The weather was gorgeous and they were there ALL day. Sweet pictures of their fun kept popping up on my phone all day. 
I met these ladies at home with just enough time to get cleaned up and then off to the theater. B was catering that evening and let’s be honest, he didn’t want to see Annie so we made it a special girls night. 
We had front row seats and the girls were thrilled to be so close to the stage. We loved the entire production especially the songs. I really do love these adventures with my girls. 

swimming and pizza party

These little ladies love to swim and didn’t miss an opportunity to hit the pool today. We had a babysitter come to the house to help us out since B and I both had to work. They asked her to take them to the pool and she graciously did so! I met her there after work and she definitely wore them out for me. 
That evening the girls had some friends join them for a pizza party. They made their own mini pizzas and played hard all night. The giggling echoed through the house!

fish and mortons

The girls are officially on Thanksgiving break — and it’s a long one. They get 10 days off school and that’s a challenge for a workin’ momma. I try to find them fun activities to do, but I have realized they just want to hang out at home and play and stay in their pajamas all day long if at all possible.
Today my dad and Melissa flew in to town and we had dinner with them at Mortons. It was delicious dinner and great to catch up…even if the girls had to get out of pjs and actually get dressed for the day. 
our leftovers — enough to feed a small army
the girls got fish today. Gwyneth named hers Bob Smith
Annabelle named hers Napoleon Dynamite. (spoiler alert | he didn’t survive the night. she has some bad luck with fish)

its beginning to look a lot like christmas

I woke up Sunday morning with a the crazy urge to decorate for Christmas! What??? I’m typically the bah hum bug one about decorating, but I was really in the Christmas spirit today. B was a good sport, especially since it was still a few days shy of Thanksgiving. 
Our old tree had seen better days and our girls were not the least bit interested in getting a live tree. In fact, they threw a big ol’ fit about how they hated live trees and wanted a fake one again. Really? Who hates live trees? Weirdos! 
We ran over and purchased a new tree and some fun new ornaments. It’s just the most lovely tree and I love, love, love it. The girls decorated their doors with snowflakes and even set up our nativity. My mom gets me a new piece each year and it’s turning into quite the collection. Our house is as festive as can be! 

My favorite of the new ornaments:

movie night | daddy’s home

B had a catering event and Gwyneth went off to a sleepover at a friend’s house so I had Miss Annabelle all to myself. I asked if she wanted to invite a friend over and to my surprise she said, “No, I want to just hang out with you tonight.” Wait, what??? I’m just going to love every stinkin’ minute of that!
It gets dark so early these days and it’s getting so chilly. I love this time of year! I was up for anything and Annabelle wanted to go to a movie. She picked Daddy’s Home 2 which had a pretty funny cast and was pretty silly. We laughed our way through and then met up with B for a late night snack after his catering event. It was a pretty great night. 
My sassy tween. Love her.