I hope you all had a nice weekend! We visited a farmstand nearby and picked apples and picked pumpkins. I think Claire had the biggest in the patch! It
Reading
- InOrder to Live by Yeonmi Park– I mentioned I had started this book last month and I finished it September. It’s the true story of Yeonmi and her family and their life in North Korea. Eventually she and her mother are able to escape to China only to be sold into the sex slave trade there. They are finally able to make their way to South Korea and try to make their lives there. Given my time in South Korea, this book was so good. But even with my time there, I had no idea about the true poverty and difficult lives those living in North Korea. Yeonmi went through such a hard journey and she tells it so eloquently. This book is a must-read!
Cooking
- Pumpkin Spice Pancakes- I received some spices from Raw Spice Bar and their Pumpkin Pie Spice was one of those they sent. It smells amazing! So much better than the typical mix I get at the grocery store. So I wanted to try it as soon as I could. We had breakfast for dinner and I mixed some into the pancake batter. Yum!
- Pumpkin Spice Cake- This was a recipe of the Raw Spice Bar website. It was…okay. The spice mix was delicious and it smelled amazing, but I’ve made better pumpkin cake recipes before. I think my end assessment is: use the spice, change the recipe.
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Sloppy Joes– I’ve had this recipe pinned for a while and tried it last week. The whole family loved it and even Aveline tried some.
- Slow Cooker French Onion Soup- Towards the end of last week the weather turned a bit chilly. I made this and made some homemade croutons for it. Delicious! I love using the slow cooker in the fall and winter because it makes the entire house smell so good!
Products I’ve Been Using
- Jasclair Dermaroller with Vitamin C- I have been using a dermaroller for a few months off and on a few times a week. This dermaroller’s quality is on par with the other dermaroller I have. The serum that came with it contains both Vitamin C and Hyaluronic Acid. It’s a good sized bottle and combined with the dermaroller, it’s a good price for both items. I put the serum on after rolling my face and I have noticed the mornings after I use it, my skin looks much smoother and more even. I hope they start selling the serum separately so I can get more after I run out.
- Neutrogena Rainbath– I had the opportunity to try some different bath gels from Neutrogena through Brandbacker in several different scents. They are such a nice way to relax at the end of a long day! I have one in each of our showers.
Currently
- Wearing- I’m wearing all fall things! I’ve been loving dark florals and grey lately. It’s so easy to mix and match with other items.
- Collecting- After school some days my daughter and I have been taking a walk or bike ride around the block. We’ve been collecting pine cones and acorns for fall decorating and crafts.
- Making-I have some plain tees that I want to make a fall shirt using my cricut. There are so many great free svgs at lovesvg.com. I’m obsessed with that site!
- Taking- Matt and I took Claire to the cutest train restaurant a couple of weekends ago called 2 Toots. It is a 50s themed diner has a miniature train that runs around the restaurant and delivers your food. Claire thought it was fun and so did we. It was a nice way to celebrate her first progress report!
- Planning- I’m working on planning a few different things! Matt and I are hosting Thanksgiving for his family so I am planning some things I want to do and recipes I’d like to make for that. Aveline’s birthday will be in early November so I’m planning a small family get together for that. And my friend is pregnant so I am co-hosting a shower for her mid-November. Weekends are going to be busy next month!
- Aveline turned 10 months old this month. Her hair is finally long enough for a pony tail! She still doesn’t have any teeth, but she loves table food, just not a sippy cup. She only likes to try and dump out the water. She says dada a lot and hi. She loves to cruise around all the furniture. It makes me wonder if she will be walking before her 1st birthday. The crossing guard has nicknamed her Smiley because she is always grinning when he sees her when we go to drop off or pick up Claire. Love this girl!
TBB Asks
1. Favorite fall color? Do I have to pick just one? What I love about fall is all the gorgeous colors on the trees and how they look together.
2. Apple Cider hot or cold? Geez! Tough questions here. I think I prefer it cold, unless the weather is chilly. Then I like it hot.
3. Caramel apple, yes or no? Yes! I don’t always eat them on the stick though. I sometimes take them off and cut them up so I get a more even distribution of caramel in each bite.
4. Pumpkin doughnuts or apple cider doughnuts? Well I am a pumpkin doughnut girl all the way. Luckily the farmstand near us has both. Although if the apple cider doughnuts are from Edwards Apple Orchard it makes the decision even harder. I do like to have a few apple cider doughnuts for trandition’s sake each year, too.
5. Long or short cardigan? Long! The are cozier and warmer!
6. Favorite football or fall party food? Hooters Hot Wing Dip. I will probably end up making a quadruple batch for Thanksgiving. We love the Jalapeno Artichoke Dip from Costco, too.
7. Orange or white pumpkins? Orange for carving, white for decorating!
8. Hayride or bonfire? Bonfire. Gimme those s’mores!
9. Favorite fall baked good? Pumpkin bars. YUM!!
10. Most anticipated fall activity? I love apple picking and going to pick out pumpkins with the family. We were lucky to do both this past weekend.
September Goals
This is a new section I wanted to add. One thing I always worried about if I was ever to stay at home was keeping myself motivated and organized. I worried that I wouldn’t be able to get housework done and be able to have time for all those extras. I am talking about making phone calls to companies, following up on things, making appointments, decorating the house, craft projects, and more. With my first full month of being a SAHM behind me I actually have surprised myself. By making my weekly TO DO list and checking it each morning while Aveline is napping I’ve stayed relatively on top of things. I’m hoping it will get better when Matt is no longer traveling each week and he can help pick up, make lunches, keep the girls entertained while I cook, and help with baths. To keep myself on track I wanted to add some of my goals for the coming month. They may be small, but having them on here will hopefully keep me focused and organized!
1. Schedule blog posts-I want to start penciling in blog posts about a month in advance. Currently I only do about a week ahead. Hopefully by doing a month in advance I can better re-schedule posts around as needed and not end up doing 5 posts in a week…like this week.
2. Write blog posts a week ahead-I normally end up writing my posts the night before and this creates issues with me getting enough sleep some nights. I’d love to work ahead and so I can spend more time on posts and have some pre-written and scheduled.
3. Get clothes on Poshmark-I have quite a few clothes that I have cleaned out of my closet, but are too nice to donate to Goodwill. I’d like to get them posted on Poshmark or ebay. Or do you have another recommendation for selling clothes?
4. Get family photos scheduled- Aveline’s first birthday is right around the corner and I want some 1 year photos of her and some family photos that we can use for our Christmas card.
5. Organize girls’ clothing for fall and winter and buy what they need-Well this is self-explanatory. Claire and Aveline have grown out of some of their clothes so now that the seasons are changing I want clean out their closets and see what they need for fall and winter.
linking up with Anne & Gretchen + Kristen , Sunday Showcase, What’s Up Wednesday
