Works for Me Wednesday: Thanksgiving Cooking

I have to say I'm not a huge fan of Halloween. I literally mope from the end of summer until now. I did better this year since it was so warm out and we kept the pool open pretty long but normally September and October to me are blah. Today for me means I can start listening to Christmas music and preparing for the holidays! First up, Friendsgiving and Thanksgiving! 

I'm not much of a cook. I will admit that. When it comes to preparing for Friendsgiving, I stick to the cleaning, drinks, kitchen prep and that's about it. I let Dennis take care of the rest. He does the turkey. He does the stuffing. I attempt the mashed potatoes. Everything else comes walking in the door and that works out perfect for me!

What are you cooking for Thanksgiving?

Works for Me Wednesday: Cute Notebooks

Who doesn't love cute notebooks? I'm a sucker for notebooks. I tried using them as a bullet journal for awhile but I just don't have time for that. Right now, I use the notebooks to keep a running to do list at work and home that I can use when I fill in my planner for the week. I'll probably start a new notebook soon when I rethink this blog some more.

Here are a few of my favorite notebooks. The first two I actually have and will probably end up buying more of in the New Year. The third one I love and would consider buying as well. I have used a Lilly planner before.

Spartina 449 Ruled Journal (striped with an anchor) and Ruled Notebook (Bay Dreams with Annapolis <3)

Lilly Pulitzer Large Notebook

Erin Condren Custom Quote - Notebook

Plum Paper Spiral Notebook

Vera Bradley Notebook with Pocket

What are your favorite notebooks? What do you use notebooks for?

Carter and the Full Moon

Have you noticed the moon lately? It's full - big and bright in the night sky. Well, Carter has too. 

The other night I put him to bed. I could hear him upstairs jabbering away and bouncing. Nothing new there. Sometimes he falls right to sleep and other times he fools around in his crib. Well on Tuesday night, I could still hear him at 9 p.m. That is not normal. Then he got a little louder and so I went upstairs. This is how I found him.

 

Not laying down. Not quiet. Not trying to fall asleep. Wide awake.

And why you might ask? Well, he was sitting there pointing at the moon through his window. He knows the word for moon too and was trying unsuccessfully to say it. He seemed pretty proud of himself that he could find the moon and had positioned himself in his crib for the best view.

Seeing as it was WAY past his bedtime, I decided to take him away from the moon. Parents of the year - we haven't gotten his curtain the whole way up. It hasn't really been a problem until now.

So, I took him downstairs and tried to get him to sleep in our bed. Fail. Then we went in the living room to maybe burn off some of this late night energy. Fail. He also knows how to use the remote now too. Guess he didn't want to let me finish watching Fixer Upper. (We don't even watch TV when he is around normally. Kids and technology these days. :) ) Dennis came home from fire, so we decided to take a ride. It was a pretty long ride too. Well, that was another stellar parent move. We just gave the kid the moon then.

The entire car ride he laughed and smiled and pointed and tried to say moon. It did tire him out though because by the time we got home he went right in his crib and didn't even look at the moon.

What's weird is that he did something similar in August! It's wasn't nearly as late and we were able to sit outside because it was still light. I shared this picture of him on Instagram in August. This is when he discovered the moon for the first time.

So, needless to say, the curtain will be on for sure the next time there is a full moon.

Happy Weekend: Carter's Wardrobe

We all know that Carter wears A LOT of Baby Gap. I won't lie. I love the store and I bleed blue. Plus he has a few very generous aunties and grandma that keep him pretty stocked in the Baby Gap department. I also know when the sales are and the best times to buy.

However, Carter also goes through sometimes three outfits a day. He poops. He misses his bib. He plays really hard outside. With all of this being said, sometimes it's not feasible to wear Baby Gap for this many outfits a day, which is why I have become obsessed with two second hand baby and children's outlets - Kid to Kid and the Sunflower Sprouts Sale.

Kid to Kid is the consignment store on McKnight Road. I buy and sell here, so then you can get credit towards future purchases. They also have great promotions and sales. I have scored a lot of Baby Gap clothes here and some with tags on them still. It is also great for baby gear and toys. This is where I got my jogging stroller, which looked like it had never been used before and some toys for Carter since I'm not really into buying expensive toys. If you haven't been there, I highly recommend checking it out.

Sunflower Sprouts Sale is the semi-annual kids and baby sale at the sport complex in Harmarville. The fall sale just ended yesterday, which prompted me to write this post. I would say the sale is hit or miss. Last fall, I was able to get Carter a lot of clothes (again many with the tags on) and a Hanna Andersson snow suit that he will most likely get another winter out of this year. In the spring, I found an infant life jacket. This weekend, I went in not really looking for clothes but really needing baby gates and was able to get two that attach to the wall. The even better part is that Saturday and Sunday of the sale are half off, so I ended up getting each gate for $4. The next sale isn't until the spring, so find the date and don't miss it!

Kids ruin clothes and we are trying to renovate a house and pay for a big trip next year, so I buy Carter's clothes for special occasions at Baby Gap and during big sales and what he doesn't get in gifts come from Kid to Kid and the sale. It all works. He still looks good!

Try it, you may be surprised!

Fall Reading List

I was on quite a reading kick at the beginning of the summer but then life got in the way with parties, trips to Lakeside and home renovations. Hopefully now as the weather is changing and it is getting darker earlier I can get some more books read again. 

I used to be able to read all of the books on my reading lists but that isn't realistic anymore. I still put the same amount of books on my list, so that there are options but I know I won't be able to get that many read.

So without further ado...my fall reading list:

A Hundred Summers

Yes, it's fall but I read beach reads all summer long! I've already tried once to read this and couldn't get into but I'm going to give it one more try since I picked it up at a book sale and can take my time if I need it.

Hungry Heart: Adventures in Life, Love and Writing

I love Jennifer Weiner's books so I'm pretty excited to read her new book, which is quite a transition from what she normally writes.

Saints Among Us

Ahh this was on my summer reading list and I never got to it but I am still just as excited to read it since J. Courtney Sullivan is one of my favorite authors.

Sisters First

Of course I have to read anything about a first family!

The Girls

The Other Einstein

The Sun is Also a Start

I loved Everything, Everything by the same author and her writing style so I'm pretty excited to read her latest book.

Today Will Be Different

Again, another author with fabulous books - I mean who didn't love Where'd You Go Bernadette?

Uncommon Type

I'm not sure how I missed Tom Hanks wrote a book but of course I will be reading it!

I also have some book club books to read as well, so I know at least I will hopefully get four books read or listened too. This is what we are reading for the fall: Hidden Figures, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, This is Where I Leave You and The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding. 

What's on your fall reading list?

Happy Reading!

House Update: Living Room

I haven't posted a renovation post in a while, so here's a quick one about the living room for transformation Tuesday.

As you can see, the room was very white and sterile before, so we painted and ripped up the carpet to reveal those awesome hardwood floors. It definitely wasn't easy but so worth it. 

The living room is still a work in progress. I have to finish hanging some artwork, buy an area rug and paint the front door, which I'm really excited about. The bookshelves need a little love. I'd also like to tackle reupholstering the chair that you can't see in the after pictures.

The living room is going to change a little bit when the basement is finished since the old couch will move downstairs and a new couch will go in the living room. The bigger TV will also go downstairs.

I love this room and I'm so happy with how it is turning out. It's definitely going to be great to curl up on the couch in the winter. And the view through those curtains is amazing!

Summer Bucket List

What's left on your summer bucket list? I don't know about you but every year around this time, August rolls around and I feel as if I've missed summer and have not crossed anything off my bucket list. To me, I want summer all year round.

Here's my summer bucket list and what's left:

Go hiking. Make ice cream. Have a picnic. Make s'mores. Go to a Pirate game. Take a day trip. Feed ducks. Go night swimming. Go to a farmer's market. Go paddle boarding. Tie-dye shirts. Eat from a food truck. Play putt putt. Go to the drive-in.

Read 10+ books. Paint rocks. Go fishing. Go to a concert in the park. Attend a parade. Have a BBQ with friends. Find a new playground/park.

Go to a fair. Make pizza on the grill. Take a family bike ride. Watch a movie in the park. Do the summer reading program. Go to Soergel's. Go to Kennywood.

Stargaze. Paintball. Go kayaking. Walk a 5K Race. Have a home spa day. Go to a splash pad. Go to Idewyld. Go to the arts festival. Get a pet.

Go to Phipps. Go to the Children's Museum. Go swimming at a different pool. Go to Sandcastle. Do karaoke at Bob's. Go to an art gallery. 

Go to Glen's. Try a new restaurant. Go to berry picking. Have a pool party. Make sangria. Ride the carousel at Schenley or the zoo. Go the botanical garden. Go to the African Safari.

 Alright, there's still plenty of summer left! Who wants to help me check some of these off my list? Carter loves field trips too!