An Awesome Freaking Monday + A Fall List Update

Today was the most perfect October day.
I   just really, really  l  o  v  e   October this year... in case you hadn't noticed.
We have had gorgeous weather, just what you hope for and expect this time of year and the trees seem exceptionally
beautiful to me.

Oh, but today.
Today was my favorite.
After school we made a quick trip to the Pumpkin Patch to get our pumpkins for carving tonight.
When we got home we made popcorn, watched The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown and carved pumpkins.
Now our pumpkins are sitting here all lit up with candles in them.
The windows are open, the weather is perfect.
Today has been one awesome freaking Monday.

Earlier I was looking back at my Fall List post from early September, here.

I wanted to remind myself what was on my list and update it as far as what I have

 actually completed so far... and what I might still wanna do maybe.

{Here's My List}

1. Make Pumpkin Bars

2. Read a really good scary book or a mystery 3. Visit the Pumpkin Patch 
4. Make a pie { Apple? Pumpkin? }
5. Watch ::  You've Got Mail
6. Make  a Fall wreath
7. Take a solo photo drive when the leaves are changing colors
8. Have coffee on the front porch early in the morning as much as possible
9. Visit the Apple Orchard
10. Have fires in the fire pit when we can
11. Find a new pair of super cute(but not super expensive) BOOTS 

So I'm dropping the Fall wreath... Christmas wreath maybe?

But I do still want to read a really good scary book and/or mystery and I still have not 

found my dream boots, but I bet I will still. It's early.

And the pie.

Yes, still the pie for sure.I'm thinking that if I ever have a totally free 

weekend day(will that ever happen again?) I am so making a pie.

I will make that pie.

I guess there's just a few more days left in October to still do anything else I was hoping to

 do before Halloween then, huh?

It's going to be a super busy week but I am looking forward to it, having kids really reminds 

me of the excitement I felt as a kid in the days leading up to Halloween... 

Happy Monday + Have a great week! 

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Sometimes You Just Need 15 Minutes...

This weekend was busy. Full to the brim.
Wyatt's last soccer game, errands, last minute snacks to pick up, school Trivia Night fundraiser Saturday night, a very late night
out afterwards with friends, running into the office on Sunday morning to get a little work done, celebrating a couple of Birthdays
in there today real quick and then a family cook-out.
Geeez.
I mean... that's a lot.
It's way more than I like on the weekends.
It stresses me out, makes me grumpy.
I feel like our weekdays are busy enough... I dream of sleeping in, late breakfasts, second cups of coffee...
You know...   s  l  o  w    w  e  e  k  e  n  d  s.

But since I didn't get that...  I did get this.
I got about 15 minutes on our way home this evening when the sun was just starting to go down.
We passed a bike path and the sun was perfect and the trees were perfect and beautiful.
So we stopped and no one really complained and we took a short walk and I even had my big girl camera in the car.
Deep breath.
It's just what I needed.
These fifteen minutes were just the mini "reset" that I needed.

Thank God for a reset... I'll take whatever I can get these days.
Hope you had a beautiful Fall weekend wherever you are !


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Capturing Beauty Photo Collaboration /// Week 2 : Noon

So for two weeks now Lisa and I have been doing a photography collaboration project capturing the beauty of October
as we each see it.
We both take a photograph every day around a weekly prompt and share them side-by-side each week.
This week our prompt was noon... although I consider noon to be lunch time I think it's interesting that neither of us photographed
lunch or a meal or anything like that.

Last week I said that Lisa lives in Switzerland but she lives in Sweden... and I knew that, but I typed Switzerland.
I think I like our set of pictures this week even better than last week's set.
I love her cat photos the best I think.

This week we are capturing night and we will both share them next Monday.


Hope your Monday was a good one and your week is off to a good start... I am still trying to recover
from the weekend.
It was so,  so good.
More on that tomorrow!

Miss Charlotte Is Eight

Oh, my heart.

My baby girl turned eight years old yesterday.
Eight feels like a big number... but not as big as ten felt last week.
I love 8 though...  I can honestly say that.
It's funny because I hate the fact that they even have to get older in the first place, because it's just dumb,
but then again I love seeing the people they are growing into at the same time.
I love who they were, who they are right at this moment, and who they are growing into.
Something I don't think I quite "got" completely when I first became a parent, is that it truly is a gift to get to do so -
and by that I mean every stage, every issue, every rough time, every time you feel like you are failing as a parent--
all of it.
This is a gift.

Oh, but this girl.
This girl is a writer, a storyteller already at such a young age.
She is an animal lover with a funny sense of humor.
She is a little girl that is wise beyond her years that loves to draw.
And paint.
She is brave and loves adventures.
She likes trying new things and will often encourage her brother when he is unsure.
She will say things like; "I wish mommy was here to see this sunset..."
She writes me letters and tells me what a great mommy I am.

She loves school and her family and walks around with a book in her hand most of the time.
She always has a new favorite doll or stuffed animal and she hopes to go to Paris one day.
She loves "cute things" and is a tomboy at the same time.
She loves reading about The Titanic and American history.

I love this sweet + funny little girl of mine so much.
Charlotte is named after my grandma, Elizabeth Charlotte.
They never got to meet but oh,  this little girl of mine inherited not only a name but some of my grandma's sweetness as well, I just
know in my heart she did.
I am so very lucky to have her and her brother in my life.


Happy 8th Birthday, Miss Charlotte Rose.

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Capturing Beauty Photo Collaboration /// Week 1 : Mornings

Last week Lisa and I began a Photo Collaboration project  that will last just for a  few weeks in October, we will both
take a photograph around a weekly prompt and share them side-by-side each week.
The weekly prompts are;

Week 1 - Mornings
Week 2 - 12: 00 noon 
Week 3 - Evenings

Last week we both captured our mornings, whatever that may look like for us- mine are on the right, Lisa's on the left.
Lisa lives in Switzerland and I in Illinois, a world apart, but still so similar.
I love that we each had a rainy day picture on the same day this week.

I'm excited because this is going to force me to get my Nikon out a lot more this week and also, it's just kind of fun to have a
challenge or project to focus your attention on.

Next Monday we will be posting our second week of photos, be sure and check back!





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