Fall Festivities

Fall Festivities have been under way for our family. T loves pumpkins so any chance we get we try and take him somewhere so he can get out and touch them.

This little toot is growing so fast! He is definitely not our little baby anymore and I am super bummed about it. I'm glad I snuggled him all those days when he was tiny because now he's too busy exploring the world to sit down and let me hold him. It's funny how when they are so tiny you spend your days wishing they were bigger, sleeping in their own bed and didn't require a feeding every few hours. Now I regret those thoughts. He's too big and it happened too fast! 

In between all of the fun festivities; we have been doing some renovation work. My heart really loves interior and exterior design so with the help of my dad and husband we have been putting together some really pretty houses. I will post some of our work in the next couple of weeks because as of right now we are demo-ing and that stuff to me is not the fun part. 

Have any of y'all had a chance to try the CrockPot Chicken and Dumplins recipe? It is on our weekly menu again this week and I'm not mad about it! It is perfect for this type of weather, since we are finally cooling off around here!

I hope to taste test another Fall Soup recipe so I will share that with y'all once I do!

Happy Halloween Week!

Love,

E

CrockPot Chicken and Dumplin's

I haven't been on Pinterest for a long time. Pretty much since T was born, I rarely if ever get on it unless I was looking for something specific. So the other day after deciding that we are going to start having a "craft day" once a week I decided to jump on Pinterest to see if there were any cute, easy ideas I could do with T. Lucky for me I found so much more than that!

After being on Pinterest for about 5 minutes, my feed presented a picture of "Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplin's". I was intrigued because 1) I love dumplin's and 2) I knew there was no way you could make them in the crock pot and they actually taste semi-good.

I was definitely wrong and I am glad that I was. This fool proof recipe is something anyone could do! There is no making your own dough or constant stirring. It is literally one of the easiest recipes I have ever made and the quality of the meal could fool dinner guests into thinking you have slaved over the stove all day! I doubled the recipe because we were having guests and it was just the right amount. We had a little bit left over so my husband polished it off for lunch the next day and he said it was still just as good!

Here is the link to the recipe! Please do yourself a favor and TRY IT! This will definitely be something I make a lot once it gets chilly outside! I will also be scouring Pinterest for other new, easy recipes so I can share them with y'all!

I hope everyone is having a good week!

Love,
E

Pumpkins Galore!

The off season is always the "best season" because all of the holidays happen during the 5 month break. I decorate for every season because 1) I love to decorate and 2) because I love to decorate! Who needs any other reason than that? My husband would probably say that I decorate too much but he always helps me when I need it, so secretly he must like it ;)

 

(The "Happy Fall" sign used to be an old window. I chalkboard painted it and made it a sign! This is a cheap inexpensive way to add some character in any area of your home!)

 

We got the front porch done on Wednesday and I love it! Cornstalks are my absolute favorite! 

When we picked up our cornstalks and pumpkins, the nursery we went to had a hay maze and a pumpkin trail where you can pick out your pumpkins. T had a ball!

He is at such a fun, explorative stage right now and I am loving watching him learn and see things in a new way! T ran around the nursery touching and trying to pick up every pumpkin in his reach. This is definitely a place to burn off some energy for little ones. We were all exhausted when we left!

We are gearing up for family to come into town this weekend so we can hit up the pumpkin patch here in town. We picked out a pumpkin last year for him there but this year he will be able to pick out his own. I am looking forward to seeing what he chooses!

I hope y'all had a great first full week of October!

Love,

E

October 1st!

October is kind of the real kick off of Fall for us. With September always so crazy because of our "end of the season" move home and all the adjustments that come along with it; once October is here we are ready to tackle to do's at our house. We literally come home with a list already made up of to-do's, honey do's and everything in between with hopes of actually getting them finished and marked off before it's time to head out for baseball season again. Last off season we did 1 of the 20 things we had on our list. We were too smitten with T to want to do anything else other than hold him ;)

So, October is welcomed in our home. It's a time for pumpkins, decor (for me), pumpkin spice lattes (for me again) and lots of time spent outside. T loves the outdoors and with the Texas heat we are welcoming October even more with open arms hoping the temps will cool with it's arrival. It might be a fat chance but we are praying! ;)

October also means-festive pajamas! He didn't really care too much about the glow in the dark part of his pj's but I think he will come around to it. I love pajamas so when they look this stinkin' cute I can't help myself! I have to get them!

I am looking forward to taking this little pumpkin to pick out pumpkins and mums. I know he will love helping get the front porch ready for Fall! 

 

These are a few of T's Halloween books we are reading right now. Our sweet Ms. Joan and Mr. Scott sent them to us and we are loving them!

 

(Cheerios Halloween Play Book and Room on the Broom) 

What are some of your Fall rituals? I have heard of Apple picking but there isn't anywhere near us to pick them or we would be all over that!

Also, who doesn't love October baseball? Like, seriously? I cry during every World Series. Not even lying. October baseball is the best baseball and anyone who knows baseball, knows that is THE truth. 

I hope y'all had an amazing first day of October!

Love,

E

Class Reunion

I had my class reunion this past weekend. I cannot believe that it has been 10 years since I was in High School! It was so nice to see all my friends and classmates that I hadn't seen in a while. To me there is something about being back in your hometown that makes you feel like a kid again!

 

My besties!

 

Along with my class reunion, my school had an Alumni Cheerleader event! It was neat to take T and Jess back to where I spent a lot of my time in High School and for them to see me in action. I surprised myself and I actually can still jump and move like I used to. My shoulders were pretty sore the next day, though. 

It was a fun and very eventful weekend! I look forward to doing it again in 10 more years!

Love,
E

Summer Hiatus

I am no stranger to a hiatus on here. Most of you who read religiously know that sometimes I disappear from time to time but always, eventually make my way back to writing and posting new stuff.

This summer's season was what I would call beautifully crazy? We took away so many fun memories but there was so much chaos to it. Jess was a starter then he was moved to the bullpen, then went to spot start and then back to the bullpen, then to start again. This pattern pretty much went on all season and Jess just rolled with it. He did whatever they asked of him and would do the same if he could do it all over again. I envy him for his dedication and strength. I have said it before and I will say it again, that is why he is the athlete and I am the wife.

Jess ended up getting hurt towards the end of the season but thankfully his injury was just normal wear and tear on his arm and he ended the season on the mend-praise God. We spent about half the summer together and half of the season basically everywhere. Through it all, I kept reminding myself to be thankful. Thankful for a job, a place to stay during the season and for family and friends. The family we stayed with was absolutely amazing! We owe them big for opening their home to us and allowing us to have the opportunity to make the memories we made this past summer. They quickly became family and I am so thankful for their kindness, friendship and love.

With the 2015 season now in the books if I have learned anything after 9 seasons of professional baseball it's that every year gets crazier. I know when I am old I will think fondly of these crazy years and smile when I think of how we managed to pack a car full of stuff with promises to to my husband to pack lighter the next year. Titan has made this adventure of ours so much more fun. I tear up watching him learn and see new things and places. God is so good for guiding us through life and I am thankful for every beautifully crazy day of this past season.

I will be posting now that we are home so please check back! Thank you for sticking with me through my hiatus'. I just don't have the heart to post when I am not fully dedicated to what I wrote and with me and T traveling so much I found it hard to sit down and really write. Thank you again, xox.

Love,
E

First Haircut

Thursday afternoon we headed out to the mall with a mission to pick up a few things from Target and Old Navy. My husband and myself had gone back and forth about cutting T's hair. I really wanted to wait until he was 2. T has been called a girl-maybe a handful of times so Jess was just about ready to come unglued on the next person who did. Clearly the people who made this mistake weren't paying attention because T did not look like a girl. In my opinion if he did, who cares?

So with a little hesitation we went in to a Salon at the mall and they happened to have an opening right then. If we would've had to wait I can almost guarantee it wouldn't had happened ;)

He didn't cry a tear! Of course, I did and I was picking up hair off the ground like a maniac. First haircuts are hard. Firsts of anything are hard, especially for this mama. 

He looks like a big boy now and I think it was just what this One year old needed!

I hope everyone is enjoying their Father's Day weekend!

Love,

E