Hello! How is your week going? We’ve been having a really great one. More on that later!
One of my goals last week was to get my front porch up to snuff for fall.
It all started with two mums that I purchased from the kids’ school PTSA a couple of weeks ago. I put those in the planters that sit out front year round.
A trip to Trader Joe’s was about all I needed to gather my pumpkin collection. From stackable fantasy pumpkins to mini pumpkins and squash, they have it all.
Then, I went to my favorite flower shop to pick up the cornstalks. They have the really tall ones for about $12/each. It’s kind of a mess to get them in my car, but it’s worth it. While I was there, I picked up a couple of white pumpkins as well.
Lastly, I’ve shared about the “Mum Man” who stops by Trav’s work, and has the best deal on mums. Travis picked me up one more smaller one, and I added that to the porch too.
Once we get to the orchard in October, the kids will each pick out a pumpkin to carve that will sit on the porch until we carve a few days before Halloween.
Every year, I put out the pumpkin garden flag, change out my door hanger and door mat and pillows. This year, instead of putting a few pumpkins on the little table outside, I put out a jack-o-lantern lantern that my friend gave me a couple of years ago.
I just move things around on the porch and steps until I’m pleased the final product.
Anyway, this just brings a smile to my face every time I arrive home. It’s the little things…or the $100 dollars worth of pumpkins and mums…that make the porch festive this time of the year.
Since it’s the first Tuesday of the month, Tanya is hosting her monthly Prime Purchases link up, and I always love joining in on the fun.
Y’all you may need to check my pulse…I had a pretty light shopping month.
Here are my purchases this month:
I ordered a few new photos after our family pics this summer. I wanted to put a couple of them in similar frames, and our family room bookshelves are pretty small. These gold ones came in a 4 pack, and have worked out for me!
When I shared my Fall Home Tour post, I talked about the string of lights I put behind the garland on the mantle for a little extra glow. It’s actually a two pack of lights with two remotes, but I only used one for the mantle. These have been easy and perfect to use.
I have the plug in version at school with remote that I put around my white board. I love a cozy vibe even at school.
I had saved this belt bag on one of my Amazon lists quite a while ago. I used my Lululemon one quite a bit in the summer and for things like UK games and cross country meets.
This summer, my friend mentioned that she wanted a belt bag, and I told her about this quilted one that I’d saved. She ended up getting it, and it is so cute…and it’s is a little “nicer” option. I bought it this month and have already used it quite a bit.
Ready for some Saturday errands:
With some Fall Break vacation plans with warmer but not super hot summer temps, I thought this cover up would be cute to try…and could double as a dress for going out to lunch or running errands on vacation.
The length and lightweight material are perfect.
I shared this sweatshirt in last week’s Friday Favorites post, and it’s so good. It’s light weight, and I love the split hem. To me, it’s the type of sweatshirt that I can wear with leggings or with pants (or joggers) to school.
Sorry for the dirty mirror! Wanted to show you a close up the side slit.
What have you been Priming lately? Soon enough, I will be buying birthday and Christmas gifts, I’m sure!
{This post contains Amazon affiliate links…Thank you for supporting my blog!}
Well, well, well…it’s officially my favorite month of the year.
This is now my screensaver on my phone….it makes me so happy.
Ashton creates on Instagram
In honor my favorite month, which always makes me think of pumpkins, I’m sharing some of my favorite pumpkin recipes.
Pumpkin Faves:
When I think of Thanksgiving, I think of pumpkin pie. That being said, I try to at least make a pumpkin pie two or three times in October and November.
I’m team cold pumpkin pie (with a dollop of Cool Whip)…what about you?
Hadley loves to bake as much as I do, and we make thesePumpkin Sugar cookies.
I just buy a tub of icing and then sprinkle some pumpkin spice on the cookies.
If a kid hands me a fundraising sheet, and I see a Pumpkin Roll, I’m done. Sign me up.
Kroger also has them which is dangerous!
I made Shay’s pumpkin cake the past couple of years. Unfortunately, I can’t find the recipe to link up, but I’m pretty sure I used spice cake mix as the base…and a tub of frosting with a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.
Pumpkin Sausage Penne Pasta is a family favorite in the fall for sure.
Trader Joe’s:
Of course, Trader Joe’s as all kinds of fall goodness, but my two “must haves” in the fall are:
Trader Joe’s muffin mix. It comes in so handy for pumpkin bread…
…or muffins.
The kids and I devour these for breakfast this time of the year. I love a pumpkin muffins with a cup of coffee on the weekends.
For as long as Trader Joe’s has them in stock, you’ll find Hadley having a pumpkin bagel and pumpkin cream cheese for breakfast. I usually have half a bagel a couple times a week for a snack!
My mom told me she’s tried this butter, and it’s so good.
I’d like to try:
I “pin” recipes on Pinterest pretty often, and have a “fall recipe” board. A few recipes I’d like to try over the next couple of months are:
How was your week? We had a really good one. It was busy of course, and I kind of hit a wall on Wednesday with life just catching up with me, but it was a really great week.
Bonus: it felt like fall all week!
As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.
I have so many favorites to share this week.
Last Friday night was raging with a late evening trip to Trader Joe’s. My cart was full of fall goodness though…pumpkins, mums, bagels, donuts, and more.
Saturday morning’s breakfast was my favorite kind: an apple cider donut and coffee.
Travis and the kids went to the football game. The kids were early tailgaters with Travis joining them later. Hadley really does love football Saturdays in the bluegrass state.
The Major came to visit which means we had to take the traditional porch pic.
On Sunday, we went and watched Wyatt play flag football. I remember when Hayden used to play. So fun.
Hadley and I tried a new recipe: Pumpkin Crinkle cookies. We made them for Sunday night dessert, and they were so good.
Layla (and Wyatt) came over after school on Tuesday. They played outside, and Layla made an impromptu masterpiece.
It’s been spirit week in middle school this week. I joke that no one loves a theme more than a middle school girl!
Tuesday night was a big cross country meet. It was the end of the season county meet. My nephew who is becoming an amazing photographer, snapped some awesome action shots of Hayden.
…and this one of Travis and Hayden. I love it so much.
Hayden pushed himself to the max, had another PR (personal record) and placed 4th. The team placed 2nd in a very tight race. It was an exciting evening of racing. (And we were all thankful that the weather finally cooled off for a race.)
He was pretty wiped out after the race. I know he gave 110% in the race, but the next day he complained of a sore throat. Yep…Hayden’s turn for strep! (obviously not a fave…)
Wednesday I was so tired. I decided to dress really comfy to make myself feel better. Outfit courtesy of Amazon. I’ve worn these joggers a few times already, and added this light weight sweatshirt to my wardrobe. {affiliate links}
(Also, in an attempt to keep my closet tidy, I put a similar black top that’s too big in my donate pile. One in, one out!)
Favorite Mom Meme:
Daughter and Son Day sure snuck up on me! I hope the kids know I love them even if I didn’t post about them on the social medias. 😉
Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday
Going to Wyatt’s game was timely because this memory of Hayden popped up in my Facebook memories this week. He did flag football for two years. We loved going to his games.
Well, this is the best kind of Friday. It’s our last day of school before a week long Fall Break next week. Our district has never given us a week in the past. My previous district gave us a week, and I never really felt like I needed a whole week off at this point in the school year. That being said, I’m not mad about it! We’re looking forward to be a bit of R&R.
I should be posting pretty regularly next week, but I will just see how the week goes.
Thanks so much for reading.
{This post contains Amazon affiliate links…Thank you for supporting my blog!}
With only a couple days left in the month, it’s time for one of my favorite posts.
I’m linking up with Holly and Patty for Monthly Musings.
This month’s topic is:
If there was ever a blog post made for me…this one is it!
1. How do you decorate for fall/Halloween?
Yes! I always decorate for fall. It’s my most favorite time of the year. Last week, I shared this post with a little fall home tour.
I used to put out a few Halloween touches that I would only have out in October, but I don’t really do that anymore.
2. Do you decorate inside? Outside? Both?
Both!
These outside porch photos are from last year. My current porch is almost complete 🙂
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3. When do you do your fall decorating?
I usually wait until mid-September for the inside, and then a week later for the outside. I like to wait for the temps to cool off before putting pumpkins on the porch.
4. How do you pumpkin- decorate with pumpkins?
I’m the Oprah of pumpkins. Every space inside and out…”YOU get a pumpkin and YOU get a pumpkin!”
5. Do you add lights to your decorating?
Funny you should ask… 😉
I’ve shared about my favorite light up pumpkins from Michael’s, and they provide the perfect glow.
This year, I did add a string of lights to the mantle. They are battery operated with a remote. I just put them behind the fall garland for an extra glow.
6. Do you do anything special for Halloween dinner?
When the kids were little and we did more trick-or-treating, we’d always have friends over and have chili for dinner.
A couple of years ago when Andrea shared her “Spooky” Halloween dinner, I started making that one night for dinner close to Halloween.
It’s always fun, and I hope it’s a tradition we’ll continue even as the kids get older. It’s an easy dinner to make! I’ve also made “mummy” dogs as another option as well.
7. Favorite Halloween candy?
I’m pretty boring…I love a mini Snickers bar or a little pack of Nerds.
8. Full size or fun size candy bars?
We always buy fun size and a variety of chocolate and other candy. The kids love getting a full size bar when out trick-or-treating, of course.
Yes…but I haven’t had a Pumpkin Spice latte in a few years. Instead I get some version of a less caloric one if I go to Starbucks. Now, as far as the spice, yes…I do love it! I put a dash of Nutmeg or Pumpkin Spice in my coffee (with a splash of creamer) every morning in the fall.
Well, I wondered if I’d still have some time to read once we got back to school, and I was still able to carve out some time to get three books read. That tends to be my monthly average during the school year, so I’m glad to still have some time read.
This month I read…
{As always, book summaries are from Goodreads…}
The Younger Wife:
Summary:
THE HUSBAND A heart surgeon at the top of his field, Stephen Aston is getting married again. But first he must divorce his current wife, even though she can no longer speak for herself.
THE FORMER WIFE With their mother in a precarious position, Tully and Rachel are determined to get to the truth about their family’s secrets, the new wife closing in, and who their father really is.
THE YOUNGER WIFE Heather has secrets of her own. Will getting to the truth unleash the most dangerous impulses in all of them?
Quick Thoughts:
I’ve read a few books by Sally Hepworth, and I’d waited quite a while to read this one. I really enjoyed it. I loved the structure of the book with the viewpoints of the younger wife, former wife, and daughters. This was a good suspenseful read. I don’t have any experience with dementia and struggled a bit with idea of Stephen marrying while still being married to his first wife. That idea just felt a bit rushed. That being said, there was quite a bit going on in the story with family tension, shoplifting, health issues, and more. It was a quick read for me!
Rating:
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo:
Summary:
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.
Quick Thoughts:
Again, I’ve ready quite a few books by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and have loved them all. This book was recommended to me by a colleague, and I was one the waitlist for the Kindle copy. I was intrigued by the idea of a glimpse into Evelyn’s life and her many marriages. That being said, I wasn’t expecting to each marriage to be so different and serve a different purpose. The underlying plot learning about Monique’s life and some parallels to Evelyn also made this book very interesting. There was heartache, happy, and lots of of husbands! Definitely put this one on your reading list.
Rating:
Twenty Years Later:
Summary:
Hiding her own dark past in plain sight, a TV reporter is determined to uncover the truth behind a gruesome murder decades after the investigation was abandoned. But TWENTY YEARS LATER, to understand the present, you need to listen to the past…
Avery Mason, host of American Events, knows the subjects that grab a TV audience’s attention. Her latest story—a murder mystery laced with kinky sex, tragedy, and betrayal—is guaranteed to be ratings gold. New DNA technology has allowed the New York medical examiner’s office to make its first successful identification of a 9/11 victim in years. The twist: the victim, Victoria Ford, had been accused of the gruesome murder of her married lover. In a chilling last phone call to her sister, Victoria begged her to prove her innocence.
Emma Kind has waited twenty years to put her sister to rest, but closure won’t be complete until she can clear Victoria’s name. Alone she’s had no luck, but she’s convinced that Avery’s connections and fame will help. Avery, hoping to negotiate a more lucrative network contract, goes into investigative overdrive. Victoria had been having an affair with a successful novelist, found hanging from the balcony of his Catskills mansion. The rope, the bedroom, and the entire crime scene was covered in Victoria’s DNA.
But the twisted puzzle of Victoria’s private life just the beginning. And what Avery doesn’t realize is that there are other players in the game who are interested in Avery’s own secret past—one she has kept hidden from both the network executives and her television audience. A secret she thought was dead and buried . . .
Quick Thoughts:
This book was one that Bev shared on Insta stories and blog, and I immediately added it to my list. It’s still so chilling for me to read books that reference 9/11, but this book was definitely a page turner. There were quite a few characters to keep up with, so it took a few chapters to keep things straight. That being said, the chapters were so short and I think that helped moved the plot along. This book had many twists and turns and I enjoyed seeing it all come together in the end.
Rating:
Overall, it was a great month of reading! I’m hoping with Fall Break next week that I can read a bit more…I have the goal of four books this month.
Today’s Tuesday Talk is about a new app my family has been using…
…called the Cozi app.
I often send my kids (and Travis) texts with reminders for things like practices and upcoming tests. This year, I thought we’d try the Cozi app. I honestly didn’t know much about it, but I knew it was a way for stay organized and keep the family informed. I created an account, and had everyone download the app. I invited Travis to use the app via email, and the kids just used my log in info for access.
Here’s a sample week on Cozi (not my family!)…
A few things about Cozi:
I assigned each family member a color. There’s also a color for “everyone” in case the whole family needs to know. When you create an event, it’s basically like entering an event on your phone calendar. You can enter the event, location, time, and add notes if needed. Then, I click who is going, and it’s color coded.
Anyone can add to the calendar, and I’ve encouraged the kids (and Trav…haha) to add to it as things pop up whether that’s a test or a Student Council meeting. You can also set a reminder to the events just like on the calendar.
Emails are sent weekly with everything on the calendar for that week. That being said, since my kids weren’t invited via email, they don’t get those emails like Travis and I do. I just encourage them to check the app every Sunday and then daily as well just for reminders.
There’s also a place for lists…
Shopping lists: grocery, wholesale, other. This has actually come in handy because the kids will add in things like “toothpaste” or “Doritos,” and I check that part of the app when placing my grocery order.
To Do- There’s a “shared to do” list and then one for myself…I guess because I have the account. We haven’t used the lists as much, but I may use it for weekly chores like putting up clothes or taking out the trash.
I haven’t used it, but there’s also a “recipes” tab with quite a few recipes. If you choose a recipe, you can also add those ingredients to your grocery list.
We use Cozi for practice and dance schedule, test dates, doctor appointments and even things like UK football games, birthday parties and more. You can mark an event as “repeating,” and it plugs it in for each week. So, for example, Hadley’s dance is always on the same nights every week, and I only had to enter them once.
We have the free version, but I think it’s $30/a year that has other features like a monthly view, reminders, and a birthday tracker.
I’ve heard other busy families talk about “shared calendars,” but we’ve never done that. I kind of like keeping my phone calendar to myself because I have so many reminders and other things I put in it. This app, being separate, has been really nice.
Between the weekly paper calendar on the fridge with activities and what we are having for dinner and the Cozi app, hopefully we won’t miss any appointments or activities!
Hello! How as your weekend? We had a great one. We took it easy on Friday night because Hadley was still sick, and then Saturday was great because we didn’t have much going on. Hayden had cross country practice, I picked up groceries, and ran some errands. Travis and the kids went to the UK game on Saturday night. Sunday, we went to my nephew’s flag football game and then had the first batch of chili of the season for dinner.
That was just a quick recap of the weekend, but today’s post is all about a few laughs. Believe it or not, this is the last Monday of September (how is that possible?!), so I’m sharing some memes that made me laugh this month.
1.
This meme is very timely. I will say though, for once the weekend didn’t feel super quick. That’s probably because we didn’t have much we “had” to do on Saturday.
2.
haha!
3.
Too relatable 😬
4.
A candle (at least!) in every room…
5.
I’ve never really thought about it, but this is so true!
6.
This one really made me chuckle!
7.
Right?! We have Fall Break soon, and after that, it will be Halloween, the kids’ (13th!!) birthday, Thanksgiving and then Christmas.
8.
I’ve always done that. It’s always so satisfying crossing things off the list.
I hope these have started your week off right! See you back here tomorrow.
I kind of feel like I’m limping into Friday. It was a good week, but filled with later days at school and hectic evenings. Then, Hadley ended up with strep (again!) to round out the week.
As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.
Favorite Moment:
The weather deciding to feel like fall! Yesterday, was bliss! The ten day looks amazing as well.
Favorite Clothing Item:
I’m loving my new dress from Shop Style You Senses. I follow Mallory and crew on Instagram, and picked out this purple dress that’s perfect for the transition from summer to fall. I wore it this week and had lots of compliments.
Favorite Accessory:
I ordered two new bracelets recently from Daily Gold Co. I got the Ashley bracelet in silver and the Randy bracelet in rose gold. They can apparently be worn 24/7, and that’s what I’ve done over the past few weeks. Additional bracelets will probably be a gift idea for anyone who asks in the future.
Favorite Show:
My mom told me about Abbott Elementary, and it’s so good. I’m watching season 1, and season 2 started this week. I will get to it soon.
Favorite Kid Quote:
On Sunday, Travis was working, so I prepped dinner before taking Hayden to basketball. I asked Hadley to bake the chicken while we were gone and heat up the Bob Evans mashed potatoes. When we got home, she had dinner ready and said, “Uh…being a mom is hard work. I had to set so many timers. Also, I hope I marry a husband who cooks.” lol 😂
Favorite Mom Meme:
While this is true of my kids, I also get sucked into watching bakers ice cookies, so I guess I can’t really get too torn up about it.
Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:
Fun fact: Hadley was a very serious baby and toddler. She mastered the RBF early. Thankfully, she lightened up a bit, and has been pretty “happy go lucky” ever since.
Here she is in 2011…and really couldn’t be bothered 😉
Weekly Recap:
I had a few posts this week! I recapped the weekend, shared some of my fall purchases at Trader Joe’s as well as my fall decorations.
What are your weekend plans? Actually, we don’t have much on tap. Hayden doesn’t have a cross country meet, so that frees up our Saturday. We’ll probably go to the UK game (or…at least Hayden and Travis probably will), and see where the rest of the weekend takes us.
Happy Thursday and Happy September 22nd…or as my calendar says, “autumn begins…”
Well, it’s my favorite time of the year! In case you missed the memo, I love fall. Also, I love a good quote, so here are a few of my favorite fall quotes:
I finally had the chance to decorate over the weekend. Actually, I thought I would be able to decorate one day last week, but I couldn’t find my tub of fall decorations.
We found it under the basement stairs on Friday. I’d forgotten that last year I purged and went from two tubs to one by donating or tossing older fall decor.
Friday night before we went to my school’s football game, I pulled a few things out trying to remember where I usually put things….by Saturday morning when I wanted to finish up, I turned to last year’s blog post to help me out!
I’m basically Oprah for pumpkins. “You get a pumpkin and you get a pumpkin…” haha
I know I love a good home tour…especially a seasonal one, but these blog posts also help me remember where I put my decorations!
Last year’s post started with my front porch, but the only thing I have out there right now are two mums in my planters. I hope to start adding to the porch this weekend.
Entryway:
I put my decorations in the exact same spot on the entry table as last year. The only thing that is different is that I now have two arches here (year round) instead of our family photo.
A few faux flowers, a tea light, and some pumpkins spruce up this table.
Living room:
I love the tray on the coffee table in the living room. It’s a great spot to change out seasonal decor. I’ve had this light up pumpkin (I have two) for two years, and it’s a favorite. A pumpkin spice candle from Antique Candle Co and a small fall wreath for the base of the candle are all I needed to create some cozy.
One of my Michael’s purchases this year, was this wooden pumpkin candle lantern. It fits perfectly on the wooden stool. My other decorations I’ve had for years. I add a few fall touches to our built ins, and then change the candle in the fire place lantern. We’ve had this little jack-o-lantern (with a tealight) for years, and it’s always nostalgic to put out. The kids always loved it when they were little.
I used the same pumpkin pillows that I’ve had for a couple of years. I love how they look on our new couch.
Office:
I keep it pretty simple in the office and just swap out the chair pillows for my “Morning Pumpkin” pillows. Then, this year, I decided to put out this fave pic of the kids in the frame that always sits on that table. This was October 2010 and Hayden and Hadley’s first trip to the pumpkin patch…such a sweet memory.
Kitchen:
I love this plaid pumpkin pillow in our sitting area. I picked up the turquoise pumpkin at Home Goods a couple of weeks ago, and added it to our island tray. It’s actually a candle, but I’ve been burning the Trader Joe’s Vanilla Pumpkin one recently. I always change out a nice hand towel each season on the oven, and put this pumpkin sign where one of my favorite cookbooks typically sits. I added the apple cider candle too.
The buffet is a fun area to decorate. I change out the flowers as well as my China plates to include these cute pumpkin ones.
Last year, I got this table runner and then I’ve had these plate for a few years. I picked them up at Target. I also add a couple of pumpkins in the tray.
The fireplace is my favorite part. Orange candles, leaves and pumpkin garland. So easy to hang up. I picked up the “Gather with a grateful heart” sign at Michael’s as well as the yellow pumpkins.
I have cute little metal stands that usually have topiaries in them, and I wanted something for fall to sit in them. I picked up these pumpkins the other day. They come in orange, yellow, and white. I chose yellow to compliment my orange candles. (By the way: Fall decorations at Michael’s were 40% off) {At this point, I feel like Michael’s should sponsor this post!)
Then, I added a string of lights behind the fall leaves for a little extra glow at night.
Sun room:
Swapping our regular pillows for these pumpkins ones as well as the burnt orange throw are a quick way to decorate out here.
I always change out the candle on the tray as well as the back door wreath to something more fall appropriate. I’ve had the plug in pumpkin for years, and actually didn’t have a spot for it in the living room like usual thanks to the mirror I bought last year. Anyway, I decided to move a lamp and plug in the pumpkin on the nights we sit in the sun room.
Bedroom:
I keep it very simple in the bedroom with a season candle and another one of the pumpkins from Michael’s. It’s nice to read or fall asleep at night to the glow of the pumpkin and a fall scent.
Yesterday, was 90+ degrees, and today the high is 70 with some 60 degree temps in the future too. It’s like Mother Nature knew what she was doing 😉
With cooler temps finally arriving, I definitely hope to get the front porch decorated this weekend.
Happy Fall {y’all!}
{This post contains Amazon affiliate links…Thank you for supporting my blog!}
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