Once Upon My Life

My Style: Teal & Mustard

2012-02-21T07:00:00.000-05:00

If you live in this area and are not going to Caitlin's vintage clothing sales, you're missing out!! Friday & Saturday, Cait hosted a sale {in a hardware shop!!} and everything was $5 and under!! It was amazing. Most of her items are sold in her online shop, but every now & then she'll host a real, live, in-person sale to clean out her inventory. I scored this super cute vintage dress there, along with the amazing handbag {and a bunch of other goodies...}.
Also, I'm super proud of my crafting skills because I made my flower headband! We had craft stations at our last MOPS meeting and making this headband was one of the stations. {Thanks Hanna for leading this super fun craft @ MOPS!}.

Dress & Handbag: Calista Miakoda

Cardigan: Delia's, thrifted

Tank, Belt, Tights, Shoes: Target

Flower Headband: made by me!

Necklace: gift from Cait

Earrings: SEED

Frosted Sugar Cookies

2012-02-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

One of my all time favorite cookies - sugar cookies with vanilla buttercream frosting. And this recipe, happens to be the best. It's my Gramma's sugar cookie recipe, paired with my favorite vanilla buttercream recipe. I get rave reviews any time I take them anywhere. Cut out sugar cookies are a bit of extra work with the rolling out and cutting - but these are so worth it, trust me!

Frosted Sugar Cookies

Yield: approximately 4 dozen {will vary depending on cookie size}

Ingredients

1/2 cup {1 stick} unsalted butter, soft {not melted}
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
2 1/2 cups flour

1 cup {2 sticks} unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cooking Directions

For the cookies:

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in the eggs, beating well. Mix in the baking soda, salt, nutmeg and vanilla and stir until combined. Alternately add the sour cream and flour until mixed in. Cover & chill dough, at least one hour or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. On a floured surface, roll out dough to about 1/4 inch thickness {you will need to do this in sections, unless you have a huge surface to roll on}. Cut out dough with cookie cutters and place on prepared cookie sheets. Bake 7-10 minutes, just until the cookies are cooked through - but not browned. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Frost & decorate.

For the frosting:

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add 6 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla; mix until light and fluffy. If necessary, gradually add remaining 2 cups sugar to reach desired consistency. Add coloring, if desired.

Tips:

As always, don't over bake your cookies - that is the key to the best cookies!!
If you are going to double this recipe, use just 3 eggs total.
It's best to chill the dough overnight if possible. The longer it chills, the easier it will be to work with. {Although if it's super chilled, you are going to need to let it sit out at room temperature for a little while so that you can actually roll it out}
While rolling & cutting the dough, I keep my "scraps" that I am going to roll out again in a bowl in the fridge. Slightly chilled dough works best!

Source: Cookies - my Gramma | Frosting - Billy's Vanilla Buttercream

Happy Birthday Baby Sis

2012-02-18T20:04:00.000-05:00

Just wanted you to know, baby sis, that you are loved & missed!! Wishing you the happiest birthday from the East Coast! Glad that you have Craigie there to celebrate with you. Wish we could be too! xoxoxo

Valentine's Day...

2012-02-15T15:33:00.000-05:00

I'd like to redefine the way our society views Valentine's Day. Not a day for lovers but a day for love. Not about loving couples but about loving people. My heart always feels sad when people are hating on Valentine's Day because they are single and hate the holiday....it's not about having a sweet date - it's about showing someone that they are loved! You are loved! And there's someone in your life you can show love to - your spouse, your children, your parents, your co-workers, the lady sitting next to you on the bus. Do something sweet & simple for someone and you'll feel the love on V-Day - single or taken!

This is something I learned from my mom. I can remember getting little trinkets from her on Valentine's day, nothing big or expensive, just something that said I'm thinking about you & I love you. I try to love on my family in the same way. I was talking to baby sis the other night about this and she agreed with my thoughts on V-day and challenged me to see how long I could keep the boys thinking that V-day was just a love day and not know that most associated it with romantic love. I think I'll go for it.

{I am not saying we can't also celebrate romantic love on V-day...please do that too - I do! I just think it needs to be about more than just that.}

Here's some little glimpses from my phone of our day of love. I didn't get to do as much as I had wanted to do - Mike, Levi & I are all sick. I'm such a lover of hearts, red & pink so I try to go all out for V-day but that was just not happening this year.

I woke up to this mug & hand made Valentine's from the boys on my kitchen counter!

Our little garland of love...made by baby sis!

A table of love for six

Pizza-love

The cutest little valentine that Linc made in school!

The BEST sugar cookies!! {Recipe to come soon!}

Little gifts for the kiddos

And Mike & I got to stay up late making this 100 Days of School shirt for Linc -

glueing gum balls on a tee shirt - ou la la!!

Also - seeing this and this yesterday made me so, so happy! Happiest wishes to my high school go-around-pal, Sarah and her husband Eric!! Eeps - the happiness of that!!

Hope that you were able to share the love with someone yesterday! xoxo

Ten on Ten :: February

2012-02-10T14:00:00.000-05:00

One photo. Every hour. For ten hours. On the tenth.

Lincoln's class Valentines were due today and I didn't remember until last night, so we were doing this at 7am.

Ready. Set. Go.

Three little boys means we play with a lot of trucks. This is one of my favs.

Grimm Farms Honey...the best!

We love Rody.

Malacai told me he was cold and needed hot chocolate...

A little taste of summer...so nice. Berries & yogurt for lunch.

Filling up the tea {this is the only tea I drink!}

This kid came home with a crown on - and told me he could tell us what to do because he was the king and his teacher said so...mmhmm.

Road trip - headed out to see Nana & Papa.
{One overnight and our van is packed full...you cannot travel lightly with kids!}

Join the fun:

A Super Invite

2012-02-09T16:17:00.000-05:00

Every year I host a Super Bowl Party - so that my sister & I can go crazy with appetizers & desserts - our favs. These are the invitations I made this year. It was so fun & easy...especially because we have an unlimited supply of brown eggs - thanks little ladies in the back yard!

We...er, Mike, blew out the eggs {french toast!}. Then he hand painted the lines on the eggs. I typed up an invite and we rolled it up and inserted it into a hole in the bottom of the egg. Then we placed it in a little box with some tissue paper and delivered them to our guests. This idea was inspired by this.
Wouldn't this be so cute for an Easter party? I may have to throw one just to do these invites again!

Little Fashion - Awkward Poses

2012-02-02T22:09:00.000-05:00

These pictures make me laugh every time I see them! I took these a few weeks back and the boys seem to be really struggling with their poses. They were certainly trying hard to work their model poses though!

Starting off they were doing okay - cute, normal poses...

Trying to figure what they should be doing with themselves...

Totally struggling! Haa - I love them!!

Linc's wearing - sweater: vintage, thrifted | jeans: thrifted | converse: thrifted
Cai's wearing - shirt: vintage, thrifted | cords: thrifted | sneakers: thrifted

Linking up with Mama Loves Papa's Small Style...

***
I've had a super busy week....lots of baking! Made cupcakes to take to work on Monday for a friend's birthday. Been working on another cupcake order I have for this weekend. Plus busy menu planning, shopping & baking for the Super Food Party on Sunday...wahoo! Do you have any fun plans for Super Bowl weekend?

Today we are...

2012-01-29T22:09:00.000-05:00

Munching

Baking

Painting

Cleaning

{his request}

Collecting

Traveling treacherous roads

How was your Sunday?

The BEST Peanut Butter Cookies

2012-01-24T23:06:00.001-05:00

Did you know that today is National Peanut Butter Day? Did you know that there was a national peanut butter day? I didn't until a couple of hours ago. A couple facts about peanut butter:

An average American child eats 1,500 PB&J sandwiches before graduating from high school.
It takes about 540 peanuts to make a 12-ounce jar of peanut butter.
Americans eat around 700 million pounds of peanut butter per year (about 3 pounds per person).
I definitely eat more than 3 pounds a year...due largely in fact to these cookies.

When I was pregnant with Malacai {or was it Lincoln...}, Dunkin Donuts had delicious peanut butter cookies with chunks of peanut butter cups in them. I craved them something fierce. But buying cookies daily can get expensive. So my mom said, let's make them. And she showed up at my house with a bag of peanut butter cups and we pulled out a cookbook and found a peanut butter cookie recipe and went to work. And these little bad boys - so, so delish. They are one of my favorite cookies. Ever. And one of my most requested.
I make them on the smaller side. I think that helps with texture. They are soft, moist, so peanut buttery and just perfect!

Peanut Butter Chunk Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, very soft {but not melted}
1 cup peanut butter {I use Peter Pan - just in case you're wondering}
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2½ cups all-purpose flour
appx. 28 miniature peanut butter cups, coarsely chopped

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. If you'd like, line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. {If not, just use ungreased baking sheets}
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and peanut butter. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Add in the granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, and baking powder. Beat till combined, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Beat in the eggs and vanilla till combined. Add the flour {slowly} and mix just until incorporated. Add in the chopped peanut butter cups and fold in gently with a spatula.
Drop small rounds of dough onto the baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake 7-9 minutes. The cookies may seem soft immediately after coming out of the oven but they will set as they cool. Do not over bake your cookies, please! {This is the secret to soft cookies!!} Let cool on the baking sheets about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Yields: 50ish cookies {I've never really kept track - sorry!}

Source: Cookies adapted from Better Homes & Gardens {a cookbook I have}. Peanut butter facts from here.

Penny Thoughts

2012-01-23T22:50:00.000-05:00

You know how when you're hanging out with friends, you're doing just that, hanging out. You're not busy getting things done on your to-do list. You're not working or cleaning. Just hanging out. I've realized that this is what is causing me to feel like I'm not getting things done. Michael is my friend. My bestest friend. And we're always just hanging out! When he's not here for the evening, I get so much more done. And when I'm gone for the evening, he gets so much more done! {And I say evening because our daytime hours are spent either at work or chasing little boys around}. Eeps! Oh well...I choose hanging out with him over a crossed off to-do list any day!

Totally random, from out of nowhere question. If you were changing your clothes and someone walked in, would you rather they catch you changing your shirt or changing your pants? I'd rather be caught pant-less. I do not like what pregnancy did to my stomach. So worth it. But so not fond of it.

Tonight while I was getting Malacai a bed time snack, he tooted {I didn't hear it, but I sure smelled it!}, and then he said, "Mom, did I toot for a reason?" Haaa!!! This kid says the funniest things!

Cait gave me this vintage necklace for Christmas and I am so loving it {obviously not a vintage picture...although it did have one in it originally}! I wear it everyday.

Today I did good with my New Year's Goals - I called and made a doctor's appointment for myself and I got on my exercise bike! And I did an ab workout with Michael {the couple that crunches together, stays together}. Goooo Manda! {Like how I'm my own personal cheerleader ;)}

How was your first day of this work week?

Thrifted Goods

2012-01-22T20:04:00.001-05:00

Went to the thrift store last week. Excited about these goods that I picked up {along with a ton of clothes for the little men...so many in fact that the clerk had to ring up my purchase as two orders because the register has a limit for how many items can be rung per purchase - eeps!}.

A mini globe. A cute little tray. Pretty turquoise glass bottle. A new butter dish. A sweet blanket. All vintage. Love...

Ask Nicely...

2012-01-19T12:07:00.000-05:00

Malacai just asked me in the sweetest little voice, "Mom, can I please hit Levi?" Well, since you asked so nicely...

My new fashion statement...

2012-01-18T11:18:00.000-05:00

One of my pet peeves is not being able to breathe out of my nose....especially while sleeping. Right now I have a cold. And a stuffy nose. Which means I am not a happy camper when it's bed time. I'd seen those silly commercials for the super attractive nasal strips you could wear that would help open up your nose and be able to breathe better. I decided that no matter how silly you looked, if they would let me breathe out of my nose, it'd be worth it. So I got some {mine are just a generic brand}. I don't notice a huge difference - but I think it might make a little difference. And for that, I'll use 'em!

Here's a photo of me sporting my I-have-cold look. Mike always has some smart comments to make about my fashion statement. Breathing through my nose is so worth the dorkiness!!

What about you...do you have any tips or tricks {or oddities} that you use while sick?

{how about some vote lovin'? two clicks}

Oven Fried Pickles

2012-01-16T22:37:00.000-05:00

I know what you're thinking, fried pickles?! But they are soo good - if you like pickles...and I am a pickle lover. I think the first time I tried them was at a local restaurant, Bourbon & Burger, and I was head over heels. Worth going to eat there just for the fried pickles. {And they have some stellar burgers too}
When I saw this recipe, I was excited to try it because they aren't actually fried. And I hate frying food. {It stinks up the house and seems like more work than it's worth}. Plus, healthier too!
I made these to take to my sister's baby gender reveal party - a perfect snack for a preggers girl, right?! These were delish! You don't even miss the fried part! And they are pretty easy and quick to make too. These would be a great appetizer to serve at your Superbowl party...I think I need to add it to my menu. And I'm pretty sure I'll be making some of these tomorrow...I'm really craving some after writing about them - and I have a jar of pickles sitting in my fridge!

Oven Fried Pickles

1 jar whole pickles, sliced into spears {I used about half of a 32 oz jar}
2 eggs
1/3 cup flour
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Adobo seasoning
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs

Ranch dressing, for serving

Adjust the oven rack to the center position. Preheat the broiler. Set a wire rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet. Spray with nonstick oil; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and flour. Add the Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, garlic powder, Adobo seasoning, and black pepper. Stir until fully incorporated.

Place the Panko bread crumbs in a shallow bowl, a pie plate works great. Dip a pickle spear first into the egg mixture, then coat with the Panko bread crumbs. Set on the greased wire rack. Repeat with remaining pickle spears.

Broil for about 3 minutes on each side. Serve immediately with Ranch dressing.

Freezing Instructions: Before broiling, place coated pickle spears in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Flash freeze for 20 minutes. Transfer frozen pickles to a labeled freezer bag. When ready to prepare, preheat the broiler to high and broil on the greased wire rack set in a baking sheet for 4-5 minutes on each side.

Source: barely adapted from Pennies On A Platter

{how about some vote lovin'? two clicks}

Old Man Winter...

2012-01-13T22:50:00.001-05:00

has finally made an appearance. And it's brutal.

Beautiful...but brutal. I had foolishly been hoping that maybe we could just go a season without the bitter cold. The blowing snow. It's been bliss this winter without a winter. No icy roads. No scraping windshields. No looking for lost mittens while trying to run out the door.

So today has been spent snuggled indoors. Wearing cuddle duds. Making the most of this snow day. {Not a snow day as in no school - this is Western New York after all - it'd take a couple feet of snow to cancel school here}.

Remembering the good about these cold, snowy days. Like sipping hot coffee under cozy blankets. Enjoying that the snow mutes the sounds of the world {like traffic zooming by}. Lincoln's excitement over snow drifts in the backyard.

Getting a chance to just stay in and rest and recuperate. {This little guy has yet another cold. Our nights have been as brutal as the freezing wind. I think poor Mike spent more time awake than asleep last night. And we seem to be going through boxes of tissues like they're going out of style.}

And getting to end the day with a popcorn and hot chocolate party. {Lincoln wanted to call it a party}. And snuggled up with my love watching a movie.

Welcome back old man winter...

{how about some vote lovin'? two clicks}

Levi's Vintage Style: Yellow Car Onesie

2012-01-12T10:21:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was so nice here in WNY that we were out frolicking in fields with onesies on! Not really...although we did have a superb January day yesterday. I was going through pictures recently and realized I had never posted these gems - they were taken back in August.
I believe this super cute Healthtex onesie was a gift from Cait. Vintage Healthtex is one of my favs - especially with little boys. They seem to be the brand I can find the most of for the boys. And I love that this onesie has a turtleneck on it - so great!
I don't remember where I picked up this baby buggy - I know I had been wanting one for a long time and was excited to finally get one. Mike - not so much. He's complained about it taking up space in the garage since the day we brought it home. And I really can't use it out here in the country. If I lived where we had sidewalks - I'd definitely be strolling around town with it. So, I finally caved and actually have it on Craigslist right now. It's a steal. {Any takers? :)}

Onesie: vintage, gift from Cait | Buggy: vintage, ?? | Quilt: vintage, thrifted | Chair: from Gramma

Linking up with Small Style...

{how about some vote lovin'? two clicks}

Grand Opening!!

2012-01-11T20:37:00.000-05:00

I am so excited to announce the grand opening of our new shop!!! Well, it's Mike's shop - but he makes me do all the "business-y" stuff, so I get to claim ownership too. I do give some creative input too. ;)
My husband is so very talented - he can pretty much do anything. I've been bugging him for a while to start making things & selling them and the day is finally here.
We plan to keep adding new things as much as time allows. Right now, we've got all-natural, wooden teethers and rattles. A super sweet bird mobile. And paintings!

The name of the shop is in honor of my Gramps - who was an amazing artist. He sold watercolor paintings and his trademark was a little red cardinal in every painting. The red bird in our logo is the cardinal from the painting he did of our house. I used to always joke with Mike that he was Gramps' BFF - my Grampa loved talking with Mike and was always impressed by everything he did. I think he would be honored that there's a little piece of his artwork in Mike's shop.

So please go check out the shop and if you're an Etsy user - we'd love it if you'd favorite our shop and join our circle! And if you want to give a shout out on your blog or FB page about our shop - we'd love ya to pieces for doing that!!

{how about some vote lovin'? two clicks}

Ten on Ten :: January

2012-01-10T13:55:00.001-05:00

Linking up with Rebekah's Ten on Ten...

Every morning my love makes me a cup of coffee

Whipping up some Avalanche Bars for the MOPS mamas

On the way to MOPS {not actually driving while taking pictures...I do know I have precious cargo in the van!}

On the way home. Score for the boys - their favorite thing is to catch a train...

Lunch. Thanks Mama-love for making my salad!!

Hanging tough

Sunlight

Salt & Pepper

Craving

Reflections

{can you vote for me please? two clicks}

Why hello two thousand and twelve.

2012-01-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

I'm not very big on making New Year's Resolutions. I am a list person so it's kind of surprising that I don't get into it. This year I've decided to write down a few goals though and see how I do with them. Maybe writing these down on my blog will help motivate me to accomplish these goals.

1. Take more time for me.
Not in a take a daily trip to the day spa kind of way, but the you feel like throwing up the majority of the time and have bad abdominal pains and need to figure out why kind of way. I have some appointments that I need to make for myself, but I keep putting them off. I think that this is something a lot of parents struggle with. It's so easy to get distracted by all of our kids' needs, that we neglect to take care of ourselves. A lot of it for me is having to add one more thing to my schedule. I'll have to try to find child care and work out a time that doesn't interfere with anyone else's schedule. It just seems like so much work...I'll just put it off another week. But not this year!
This category also needs to include my exercising & weight loss - even though it's so cliche and puts me in the oh-so-old age group to have weight loss as one of my goals. But it needs to be done. I need to make a time to exercise and make it part of my routine.

2. Update/finish rooms around the house.
For the first few years of our marriage, I didn't do a lot of redecorating because Mike & I had talked about moving in the somewhat near future. {He wants land & remoteness....I want to get off this busy road}. It seemed kind of pointless to put too much into a house we would be selling. Then we started looking for houses, and looking and looking. There wasn't too much that appealed to us without having to move far, far away. Will we ever move...who knows? In the mean time, I'd like to spruce things up a bit around here. Or to be honest, I'd like Mike to spruce things up around here. I'm just ready to give lots of direction and moral support.

3. Be more open on my blog.
This is the goal I think I'm least likely to accomplish. First off - I have a hard time finding a good balance with blogging in my life. I either feel like I'm spending too much time doing it or I pretty much just ignore it. Secondly, the idea of being open, of sharing more of myself, scares me. I've never kept a journal because I hated the idea of someone being able to read my private thoughts & feelings. But I absolutely love reading the personal stories others share. They are so inspiring, helpful and just make ya feel good. And what if by my sharing I'm able to offer a little bit of that hope, helpfulness and feel-goodness to someone else? We shall see...

4. Write down Levi's {and Lincoln's} birth story.
Um, yea, this should have been done like 5 years ago for Lincoln!! Levi's is actually half done. I must have been on a good blogging roll when Malacai was a wee one. And seeing how this is the only place I keep track of the milestones in the boys' lives - it needs to be documented...before I don't remember any of it!

5. Finish my mom's Mother's Day gift.
Um, oops. Sorry mom - this is horrible that it's on my list. I just remembered again that it's still not done when I was going through pictures the other day. :(

6. Spiritual Progress
I wasn't really sure how to label this goal. I have a couple things for this category.
First, is to continue doing daily devotions. The last four months or so, I've gotten into a good routine that includes time for Bible reading, a short devotional, and prayer. It's not very long - but it's made such a huge difference. I want to keep this going - and maybe make more time for myself? {Eeps - that would mean waking up earlier!!}
Another thing to work on is patience. With the boys. I can sometimes feel so frustrated with one of them {or all of them} and then I talk "mean". And oh how I sometimes hate this deadly poisonous tongue of mine! My worst time seems to be in trying to get out the door...oh the frustration of trying to get little kids ready & out of the house.

So there we go. Six goals. Easy-peasy, right? We shall see what the year brings!

And apparently I need to add learn how to drink to my goals this year as I just spilled pop all over myself whilst writing this post. Or maybe, for the love of my new computer, just say no to drinking & typing?

{can you vote for me please? two clicks}

2011 Review

2011-12-31T14:22:00.000-05:00

January:

Baking, baking and more baking. It seems my love for baking has turned somewhat into obsession.
My big sister told me that I needed to start posting about some of the yummy food I was making....and so I did. {And now you know a secret...if my big sister tells me to do something, I do it} Things like this Mocha Fudge Cake.

And one of my most requested, Red Velvet Cupcakes.

We went through a horrible teething stage with Levi - he was up every night, 3 or 4 times a night, for 45 minutes or more. It lasted for about 3 months or so.

February:

We took a trip down to Beaver Falls {& Pittsburgh}, to visit baby sis & her husband. During Superbowl Weekend.

Some of the amazing Superfood we had.

Getting crafty & silly on Valentine's Day. One of my favorite pictures of Lincoln!!

{Pictures by Andrew} My aunt hosted her annual Valentine's Day/Sledding Party - Linc absolutely loves sledding...can you tell?

I opened Mooies, a children's vintage clothing shop on Etsy!

March:

We threw a Pinwheel & Pennant Birthday Party for Malacai's third birthday. One of my favorites.

April:

Our venture into farm life started...we got chickens!! {Well, my mom got us chickens...}

May:

My Mother's Day was divine {minus a little bit of sickness}...the day started out with Strawberry Stuffed french toast served in bed!

Levi turned one! We celebrated in Nautical style. My most popular post of the year.

{Photo stolen from here} My sweet baby niece had heart surgery...and is doing better than ever now!

June:

We celebrated my mama's birthday - riding double and with a strawberry lemon cake {which I never blogged about...eeps!}

{Worst.picture.of.me.ever. And we are dorks because we staged this picture!} I participated in my first ever 5K with my mama and my cousin Jessica.

Lincoln turned 5...and we celebrated camp-out style.

My baby sister & her husband moved to California...so hard to be so far away from them, but we know they are enjoying their time out there. Haa...this picture! Do I look stoned? I was. This was coming off a kidney stone attack {and ruined plans for a surprise birthday party for myself!}.

My baby boy was in his first ever school play {The Three Little Pigs} and he graduated from preschool!

July:

Fourth food & fashion.

A fun little backyard vintage picnic {that I was late posting on...but it happened in July}

Family vacation to the Adirondacks....where we caught a mountain man bathing in a waterfall! Haa {just kidding for those that don't recognize my baby brother}.

August:

An amazing surprise 30th birthday party my family threw for me, which included a backyard drive-in!! {The party was in July, but I turned 30 in August, so...}

A little Milk & Cookies get together that I never blogged about! Such a fun night with Marla, Rachel & Victoria.

My Grampa passed away on August 31st. {This is one of my favorite pictures - it's a polaroid my mom has had on her fridge for quite some time}

September:

My little Lincoln James started kindergarten!! And we threw a back to school feast.

I participated in Fall Fashion Week and ended the week at my cousin's wedding - doing a sibling/niece photo shoot!

October:

We started the month out on a fall weekend get away in Saratoga and then spent the month enjoying my favorite time of year!

My niece, Fabienne, turned 1! I made some desserts for her woodland themed party.

Family o' lumberjacks for Halloween!

November:

Took lots of family photos for the calendars we make for the grandparents. {Our five and Mike's brother's five}.

We had lots of Thanksgiving day fun...and two hungry boys.

December:

Lots of Christmas-time fun throughout the month. {The boys all had reindeer sweaters for Christmas Eve - and so did Uncle Craigie!}

Thanks for sharing the year with me - looking forward to 2012!

{how about a little vote lovin'? two clicks}

Levi's Vintage Style: Plaid Jacket

2011-12-28T22:39:00.000-05:00

This is what Levi wore on Christmas day. I found this sweet little vintage jacket a few weeks ago while out thrifting and was so excited that it fit Levi. The vintage Converse were a gift from Cait that he opened on Christmas morning - how amazing are they?! And how perfect to go with this jacket! They are a little tight on him, so sadly he won't get much use out of them.
This little guy has had a rough few days - he got a pretty bad cold Christmas Eve that he's still suffering from. And he's had quite a few falls lately and is looking pretty banged up...tis the age.

Jacket: vintage thrifted | Pants: thrifted | Shoes: vintage, gift from Cait

Linking up with Little Vintage Style and Small Style.

{how about a little vote lovin'? two clicks}

Wishing you...{a bit late}

2011-12-25T16:02:00.000-05:00

a very

{photo by: Cait}

Hoping you had a wonderful Christmas day filled with love, joy and happiness. We had a couple of sick boys but still had a wonderful time celebrating with family. It is so good to have little brother & little sister home. And to be with family we don't get to see very often.

“I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!"

{how about a little vote lovin'? two clicks}

In case you were wondering...

2011-12-19T07:59:00.000-05:00

what it's like to live in my house, here's a two minute glimpse. {And those with little boys in their house will just smile and say, ah yes, and agree with me that this actually is a bit more on the mild side for the exuberance little boys can have for life}

{shot with my iphone}

{My favorite part: when Cai is up in the camera and says "I don't know what's happening". Haa!! I'm thinking that all the time buddy!}

Also, confession: I sometimes have to hide that little vintage popper toy. So cute - but so LOUD & ANNOYING. Right now, it's tucked away in the corner of my room. :)

{how about a little vote lovin'? two clicks}

DIY Vintage Photo Album Book

2011-12-16T15:51:00.000-05:00

I can't believe that I haven't shared this photo book with you before. Cait made this sweet little photo album book of the boys and gave it to me last year for Mother's Day and it's one of my favorite gifts!

She took an old book, ripped out pages, glued photos on those pages, laminated the photo book pages and then bound the pages together using a needle and string. {I think...correct me if I'm wrong Cait!}. Pretty simple to do and such a sweet gift. And, if you really want to make it good like Cait did, coordinate the book pages with titles that go along with your photos!!

{I'm sharing too many pages of my book because I just love them all and can't choose favorites!}

How perfect is that chapter title for this book since she was giving it to me on Mother's Day?!

The boys have a cousin named Charlie and think he's the bees knees {& Charlie also loves tractors}, so that page is perfect. And at the time, Malacai's lovey was that little bear.

Can you see Malacai running away in that first photo...."how to avoid work"- love it!! And so true of Malacai, even to this day.

Weren't all the book captions so funny & perfect? Just makes the book even better! So go make one - and if you do, take photos - I'd love to see it! Thanks so much for the lovely gift Cait - you're so creative & inspiring - xo!!

Also, on a completely unrelated note, while I was typing this post up, Levi woke up from his nap, so I went to get him and he had got his leg stuck in the slats of his crib!! Eep - after pulling and prodding for a bit, I had to call Mike, who managed to talk me through getting him unstuck. How Mike can figure it out over the phone and I can't when I'm right there...

Happy weekend loves!

{can you vote for me please? two clicks}

Thankful Thursday

2011-12-15T13:20:00.000-05:00

Today I am thankful for:

Silly little vintage elves

my big sister who brings me yummy food when i am sick and don't want to cook

red vintage luggage bags

My sweet husband who makes me nice lunches...

and tea

wooden vintage ornaments

cozy quilts

ibuprofen

{can you tell i haven't been feeling too well?}

my boys who think it's fun to take pictures with me

What are you thankful for today?

{can you vote for me please? two clicks}

We're going on a tree hunt

2011-12-13T22:37:00.006-05:00

The boys were super excited to open the Advent Calendar on December 3rd and find that our advent activity was to go get a Christmas tree. I was a little bit bummed that we were going with no snow, but thought maybe that would be a little easier on the boys. Wrong. After about 10 steps, the complaints started. "I'm tired." "It's cold." "My body hurts." {We hear this complaint from Malacai at least once a day!}

The boys did get excited about carrying the saw though. {I don't think I got any pictures of Malacai carrying it - I couldn't let go of him - the kid falls so much. I think he got to carry it for about 10 steps}.

Little Levi was only happy if he was wandering off.

Hooray - we found the tree!

I just love Malacai's face in this picture! The excitement I was looking for - although I think it was about getting to go home - not about finding our tree!

We came home and had grilled cheese and tomato soup for lunch - a perfectly cozy meal after a tree hunt.

Lincoln really wanted to help trim the tree - can you see him cutting that branch with his scissors? We decided for the safety of our tree & ornaments, we should put Levi down for a nap and do all the decorating while he was asleep. The bottom part of our tree has no decorations on it. So far, all ornaments remain safe & accounted for. I'm just hoping to make it through the season without our tree getting knocked over!

And we ended the day sitting by the Christmas tree, drinking homemade eggnog. Perfect end to a perfectly fun day!

{How about a little vote lovin'? Two clicks}

Avalanche Bars

2011-12-06T14:04:00.012-05:00

Confession: I am slightly addicted to pinterest. And more specifically, to pinning food on pinterest...and mostly, dessert foods. Another confession: I have a thing for rice krispie treats. I could eat an entire pan by myself. Once, while pregnant, I found myself in bed with a pan of rice krispie treats in my lap - half gone. I made Mike take the pan away from me before I could make the claim that I actually did eat an entire pan of treats by myself.

I found these little bars a while back on Pinterest and thought they looked yummy. I was right. So good and could be quite addicting - although they are sweeter than just your regular rice krispie treats, so I think I'm safe from eating the entire pan by myself.

Avalanche Bars

12 oz bag of white chocolate chips

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

3 cups Rice Krispies cereal {generic brand is fine too!}

1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips + 2 Tbsp for garnish

Lightly grease a 9×9 pan {or 8×8 if you prefer thicker bars}.

Pour the white chocolate chips into a medium microwave-safe bowl and heat on medium power for 1 minute. Stir and continue in 30 second increments until the chips are completely melted.

Add the peanut butter to the melted chocolate and stir until completely combined.

Stir in the rice krispies. Let cool approx 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes or so to help cool.

Add the marshmallows and the mini chocolate chips and stir to combine.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly, pressing lightly with the back of your spoon, but not too hard - otherwise they will get hard.

Press the remaining chocolate chips into the top for garnish.

When the bars are completely cooled, cut into squares and enjoy!

Source: Cookie & Cups

{How about a little vote lovin'? Two clicks}

Let the bidding begin!

2011-12-04T22:00:00.006-05:00

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I mentioned my dear cousin was hosting an online adoption auction to help raise funds to bring her sweet baby home from Ethopia? Well, the auction has begun - so please go check it out and place a bid on something!! There are so many great things - you are sure to find something you love!

And since I know some of my readers are vintage lovers like myself...here's some sweet vintage things you could bid on {click on the pictures to take you to the auction}:

And for any of my foodie fans that live nearby:

Salted Caramel Cupcakes

And showing off my love's amazing talent - some super cute teether toys he made:

Happy bidding my friends!

{How about a little vote lovin'? Two clicks}

No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake

2011-12-02T09:16:00.004-05:00

This post is dedicated to my dad. This cheesecake is in our lives thanks to his love of it. We almost always have this for his birthday or Father's Day - or both! I always think of him when I make this {and feel slightly guilty when I make it for someone else - in fact Dad, if you're reading this today, there is some in my fridge right now, come on over!}

It also reminds me of when my sister and I lived in Florida and I needed something yummy to make her on her birthday. I called my mom and asked for the recipe and then walked down to the grocery store {Marla & I only had one car that we shared - she had the car with her at work that day} to get all the ingredients. I whipped it up and had it ready to surprise her with when she got home from work.

This is a super easy, simple recipe to make. I've changed it a bit - the crust was originally a graham cracker crust - I prefer nilla wafer crusts for most of my "crumb crust" desserts. Feel free to use either nilla wafers or graham crackers {or even a store bought crust - we all need some shortcuts now & then!}. Make this for your next get together - easy for you and your guests will love it...just be sure to invite my dad over too!!

No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 cup confectioners sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

8 oz. cool whip, thawed

9 inch nilla wafer cookie crust, recipe below

10 oz. blueberry pie filling *

For the Crust:

3 cups nilla wafer cookies

5 tablespoons butter, melted

To make the crust, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor {or blender}, process the cookies into fine crumbs {you should have about 1 1/2 cups of crumbs}. Combine the cookie crumbs and melted butter in a small bowl and mix until all the crumbs are moistened. Transfer the crumbs to a 9-inch pie plate {glass or metal}. Use the bottom of spoon to press the crumbs evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. Bake in the preheated oven until it is beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely while making the filling.

For the filling, beat together the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Fold in the cool whip - make sure it is throughly combined. Spoon filling into prepared pie crust. Spread blueberry topping on top of filling. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until chilled. Slice, serve & enjoy!

*I buy a can of blueberry pie filling which is about 21 ounces, so I use half a can of pie filling per pie.

{can you please give my blog a little vote lovin'? two clicks}

Thankful Thursday

2011-12-01T13:26:00.006-05:00

I haven't done a Thankful Thursday post in forever {or much posting at all recently...}.

I have much to give thanks for.

Today I am thankful for...

My Advent Calendar is up!! {The boys are thankful for this too!}

Cute vintage toys for the boys {thanks Cait!}

Little boys making silly faces

And who color cute pictures for their mama

Sweet little Christmas dresses in the Etsy shop

Fun finds at the thrift store...like this vintage Holly Hobbie kids sleeping bag!!

Vintage ornaments hanging on a branch above my kitchen table

School pictures!!! This is Lincoln's kindergarten picture!

Happy news of growing families...a little niece or nephew on the way!!

Dessert

Nap time.

But mostly for the few minutes right before nap time when I get to snuggle with my baby.

What are you thankful for today?

{can you vote for me please? two clicks}

Little Vintage Style: Boys in Stripes

2011-11-30T11:15:00.004-05:00

{Sorry for the quietness around these parts - busy, busy and trying to keep my priorities straight...sometimes blogging can consume me - I have no self-control!!}

These are the shirts the boys wore on Thanksgiving. I actually didn't get a picture of just the three of them then, so I made them all put the shirts on this morning and did a quick photo shoot before the bus came! {The boys were less than thrilled with this - but a little candy bribery goes a long way}. ;)

Linc wanted me to take a picture of just the shoes - haa! Can you tell he has some fashion bloggers/photographers in his family?

On all three boys - shirts: vintage, thrifted | jeans: thrifted | converse: thrifted

Linking up with Little Vintage Style and Small Style.

{How about a little vote lovin'? Two clicks}

Little Vintage Style: Boys in Button-ups

2011-11-16T12:51:00.005-05:00

Today these three little men can be seen over at Hart + Sew's Little Vintage Style {along with other cuties rocking their vintage style}. Thanks for inviting us over Stacy - we so enjoy LVS!

Also linking up with Small Style...

{How about a little vote lovin'? Two clicks}

An Online Adoption Auction

2011-11-14T20:56:00.005-05:00

My beautiful cousin, Rachel, and her husband, Doug, are adopting a sweet little one from Ethiopia. There are so many costs involved with adopting - and to help raise some funds, they are hosting an online adoption auction. I think this is a super idea as it's a win-win for everyone! They get some money to help bring their little one home, you get something fabulous your little heart desires. Right now, they are still in the collecting-items-to-sell-in-the-auction phase - and you can help with this!! See Rachel's announcement below:

Friends & Family -

We are so excited to announce our newest fundraiser!

Coming in DECEMBER -

an online adoption auction

to help bring our babe home!

We have already secured some awesome donations,

but we are asking for YOUR help to make this a success!

Do you sew? Crochet? Knit? Paint? Make jewelry?

Do you have a service you'd like to donate?

(photography, babysitting, baking, etc)

Do you own a business that sells exciting products?

Do you sell Pampered Chef? Lia Sophia? Mary Kay?

OR - do you know of someone who does?

If so, please leave a comment with your email address,

or email me at rachel.parton@gmail.com.

Please feel free to pass along information about our auction

and my contact information to anyone you think might be interested!

We'd love to advertise your shop or Etsy store!

Stay tuned for more details and sneak peeks of some of our fantastic items.

So do you have something you could make & donate? Or something from your shop to give? Not to make this all about you - {but if it will motivate you to donate something, then hey, it can be about you} - this could help get your business out there - view it as a good way to advertise - hundreds will be seeing your item and your business!! Sounds good, right? So contact Rachel and let her know what you have to give! I can't wait for the auction...and am so excited for Rachel & Doug as they get one step closer to bringing their sweet little babe home.

{How about a little vote lovin'? Two clicks}

Ten on Ten :: November

2011-11-10T09:22:00.007-05:00

One photo. Every hour. For ten hours. On the 10th. Linking up with Rebekah's Ten on Ten.

made up

waiting for the bus

bliss

doctors

library

malacai's orange cream smoothie...from the library?! our library has a cafe?!

{it's been awhile since we've been to the library...}

lunch of champions

pretty corn

yessssss!!

cozy

Join in on the fun:

{How about a little vote lovin'? Two clicks}

Levi's Vintage Style: Hoodie & Tee

2011-11-09T12:14:00.003-05:00

I found this cute vintage hoodie and tee shirt while out thrifting last week. I love them! The stripes and bird on the hoodie - the pointed hood!! And this tee shirt that says "cuddle me" is just perfect for Levi as he's been the most "cuddle-y" of my boys. I'm just bummed that I didn't find them sooner as Levi won't get to wear them too many times before they're too small.

hoodie: vintage, thrifted | tee: vintage, thrifted | jeans: thrifted | converse: thrifted

Linking up with Little Vintage Style & Small Style.

{How about a little vote for the cute vintage kid? Two clicks}

Mike Made It: Owl Rocks

2011-11-08T08:10:00.001-05:00

Aren't these little painted owl rocks so cute?! My sister had them pinned as an idea for Fab's birthday party and when Mike saw them he said, I can do that. And so he did. Such a fun, crafty project to do! Relatively easy too if you're good with a paint brush like my man is. {Best uncle ever, right Fabs?!}

{How about a little vote lovin'? Two clicks}

Is it November?

2011-11-07T21:39:00.005-05:00

We're getting blessed with some amazing November weather here. Yesterday was just so lovely, warmth and sunshine and fall leaves. We drove into the city and picked up big brother and headed out for some fun. These three little boys adore their big brother. And this morning while waiting for the bus with Lincoln, I was ready to put up a for sale sign and head out to SB with my lil' sis. Not because the weather was bad, but because it was so nice. I thought, hey I could handle no-freezing-while-waiting-for-the-bus every.single.day. {I'm so jeal Leeko}. We're enjoying it while we can - for sure this won't last much longer!!

We also shot some fun photos...I love this idea!! {You'll probably be seeing a lot more chalk-it-up pictures from me! Go try it - it's so fun & silly!}

{How about a little vote lovin'? Two clicks}

Fabulous First

2011-11-01T22:59:00.006-04:00

My sweet little niece, Fabienne Joy, turned one on October 21st. To celebrate, my sister threw a woodland theme party. You can see pictures of the whole party on my sister's blog but I wanted to share what I contributed...desserts of course!!

:: The dessert table

:: Woodland Cake | Faba's "smash cake"

:: Caramel apples, cupcakes, treats & owls

:: Salted Caramel Cupcakes, Red Velvet Cupcakes, Blackout Espresso Cupcakes

:: More yummy goodness

:: Salted Caramel Popcorn, Pretzel & Peanut Bars

:: Sweet baby girl with her cake {don't you love her hat...my mama made it!} | Pretty Pink Layers

:: Owl rocks painted by my love | Cute woodland creatures

:: My boys...feasting!

I can't believe baby girl is already one! I love her to pieces and I'd do anything for her...including spend an entire week baking my heart out! xoxo little Joy!

{How about a little vote lovin'? Two clicks}

Halloween :: Lumberjacks

2011-10-31T22:09:00.004-04:00

**I know it's been quiet around here lately. I needed a little blogging break and then I was doing a lot of baking for some parties and a few work projects. Hope to be feeling like life is a little less hectic.**

Last year I saw a cute little lumberjack and thought we have to do that for Halloween next year. I love, love beards on the boys and knew with a little planning ahead it could be very easy. So over the last year I kept my eyes out for red & black plaid shirts while out thrifting and found shirts for all of us. The red hats were bought at the Dollar Store. I originally was going to do face makeup beards for all the boys, but Lincoln needed a beard that could come on & off to take to school today, so my mom knit this one up real quick and I sewed it to his hat. {Thanks mama-love!} I forgot about looking for suspenders until last minute, so I did have to buy some new ones for Lincoln & Malacai. {We had one pair already that Levi wore}. Mike made the axes from insulation board and then painted them. Jeans & shoes were ones we had. Easy-peasy and pretty cheap. Also - so loved having the family dress up together. I want to do it every year! {I'm sure Mike will be all about that}

Malacai looks amazing with a beard - I'm not sure what it is - but I just absolutely love it! {Our friend told us he looks like he was born with a beard - haa!} And little Levi in those last two pictures - ahh - I could just eat him up he's so cute! He was mesmerized by the flashing timer light on the camera.

Happy Halloween!!

{How about a little vote for these lumberjacks? Two clicks}

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Filling

2011-10-12T09:03:00.005-04:00

These are the perfect cookie for fall. I am not a huge pumpkin fan - but I desperately want to be. It's just so fall-ish. And it smells wonderful while baking. I'm starting to like it more...I still won't choose a piece of plain old pumpkin pie for my dessert, but pumpkin mixed in with something else? Sure. And pumpkin with maple cream cheese filling - definitely!

This is the only photo I managed to snap of these - I was making them to take to my aunt's annual fall party on Monday and was in a hurry. {And didn't come home with any - that's how good they are!}

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Filling

Yield: About 2 dozen assembled whoopie pies {will vary depending on how large you make them}

For the Whoopie Pies:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup canola or vegetable oil
1½ cups chilled pumpkin puree (canned pumpkin)
1 eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Maple-Cream Cheese Filling:
2½ cups powdered sugar
6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2½ tablespoons maple syrup
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger and nutmeg. Set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk the granulated sugar, the dark brown sugar, and the oil together. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk to combine thoroughly. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined.

4. Gradually add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and whisk until completely combined.

5. Use a large spoon to drop a rounded, heaping tablespoon of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.

6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, making sure that the cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely on a cooling rack.

7. To make the filling, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth with no visible lumps, about 3 minutes. Add the cream cheese and beat until smooth and combined, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time, then add the maple syrup and vanilla and beat until smooth.

8. To assemble the whoopie pies: Turn half of the cooled cookies upside down. Spoon the filling (about a tablespoon) onto that half. Place another cookie, flat side down, on top of the filling. Press down slightly so that the filling spread to the edges of the cookie. Repeat until all the cookies are used. Put the whoopie pies in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to firm before serving.

Source: barely adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

{How about a little vote for this baker? Two clicks}

Ten On Ten :: October

2011-10-10T12:52:00.006-04:00

One photo. Every hour. For ten hours. On the 10th. Linking up with Rebekah's Ten on Ten.

The start to my morning.

Having breakfast with my sweet lil' babes.

Baking...

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting.

At Aunt Jan's for Hempelfest....a celebration for autumn and Germans!

Winter warmth.

A walk on this glorious fall day!

My cousin makes some amazing soup.

Love the tiny converse. And the tiny boy who couldn't keep his feet still.

A pumpkin waiting to be picked.

Join in:

{How about a little vote-lovin'? Two clicks}

Fall Fashion Week: Day 7

2011-09-30T23:34:00.005-04:00

Today is the last day of fall fashion week. I've had so much fun doing this - and everyone has been so sweet with the comments they left. And I loved looking at everyone's style and being inspired. You girls are so beautiful!

Today we were at my cousin's wedding and the pictures were taken there. It was at a sweet little inn in Altamont NY. And as I type, I'm sitting in a parking lot in Saratoga Springs - quickly using the internet while we have it here.

My photo shoot from today includes my beautiful sister, Marla, who has also been doing fall fashion week, the cutest baby girl ever, my niece Fabienne, and even my handsome baby brother! So much fun getting to do pictures with them!

dress: vintage, thrifted | scarf: calista miakoda | necklace: vintage, thrifted | earrings: SEED | cardigan: gap, thrifted | shoes: target | clutch: vintage, estate sale

Fabienne's dress is from my shop, Mooies! {Told you she was the cutest baby girl ever!} For the rest of her outfit details and for Marla's - check it out here. {And I was going to tell you about Craig's outfit except he won't answer my text - dang toot it!}.

See other lovelies at:

{How about a little vote-lovin'? Two clicks}

Fall Fashion Week: Day 6

2011-09-29T07:28:00.002-04:00

{I wasn't feeling great while taking these pictures - a lot of them seem so serious.} This outfit isn't anything too stellar - but it's warm & comfy - perfect for fall. I love this sweater - it is silk cashmere - so soft and comfy. And the boots - my fav. Cait gave them to me a couple of years ago for Christmas and I fell in love. How she finds such rad vintage shoes for my big feet is amazing {I wear size 10. Yea, I know.}.

I absolutely love this building. The brick walls and mustard trim are fantastic.

{My photog was making fun of me and making me laugh in this last picture. Love him.}

See other lovelies at:

{How about a little vote-lovin'? Two clicks}

Fall Fashion Week: Day 5

2011-09-28T07:00:00.003-04:00

I must start out today's post wishing my favorite youngest brother-in-law a very happy birthday! And the boys wanted to give a little shout out to Uncle Andy too:

{Ahhh - these boys make me laugh everyday. Did you notice that Lincoln & Levi are holding each other's legs? And I love how Levi thought it was so silly that the older two were singing. Love these little men to pieces.}

We love you Andy! Wish we could be there to celebrate with you! {And bake lots of yummy treats for you...}

I found this little granny-dress {that's what Mike calls it} a couple of weeks ago and thought it was too cute to pass up. Plus it was half off. Should have worn my sunnies for these pictures...squinty-eyes!

There was lots of creepiness on this wall. Snails, huge gross spiders {that didn't make the shot}. You can bet your bottom dollar there was a lot of distance between where I posed and where those creeps were hanging out.

See other lovelies at:

{How about a little vote-lovin'? Two clicks}

Today...

2011-09-27T19:56:00.005-04:00

Shew...We had our first MOPS meeting of the year this morning and it's my first year as co-coordinator of our group. I've been planning & getting ready for this for weeks and now I feel like I can just crash. It was a great time...I love getting to hang out with other mamas.

Malacai & his BFF, Issac, hanging out together this afternoon. {Is anyone else disliking the new instagram? I'm giving it two thumbs down...}

I wanted to let you know that I'm guest posting on beautiful Morgan's blog today: Mama Loves Papa. Head over there to check out a fun artsy/crafty project I do with my boys.

{How about a little vote-lovin'? Two clicks}

Fall Fashion Week: Day 4

2011-09-27T07:35:00.002-04:00

See other lovelies at:

{How about a little vote-lovin'? Two clicks}

Fall Fashion Week: Day 3

2011-09-26T06:22:00.000-04:00

It is starting to look a bit like fall around here...reds, golds, and purples peeking out here and there. It's my favorite time to go for walks in the woods. Cool, crisp air. Crunching leaves. Color everywhere. {I do not normally dress like this to go for walks in the woods...}.

I am super excited that my big seester, her husband and little LadyCakes come home today!! I've missed them much while they've been out traveling the country. How does a bonfire, apple crisp and coffee sound?

{And ughh...my internet has been slower than molasses the last couple of days and it's driving me bonkers!!}

See other lovelies at:

{How about a vote for this stylin' mama? Two clicks}

Fall Fashion Week: Day 2

2011-09-25T21:18:00.002-04:00

I know this outfit doesn't scream fall - but the heat, o my this fall heat. In the 80's today. You can't expect me to get all cozied up...I hate being hot.

This dress is another fun vintage thrift find. It is very comfy and it would be great for breastfeeding - it has a zipper down the front. Nifty. And again - dress with pockets - love!

It kind of reminds me of an airline stewardess dress...peanuts anyone?

dress: vintage, thrifted | boots: target | earrings: SEED | ring: vintage, from Cait

Join in:

{How about a vote for this stylin' mama? Two clicks}

Fall Fashion Week: Day 1

2011-09-24T13:37:00.002-04:00

I've been reading Emery's blog for a while now. I love her passion for Jesus, her incredible style, and she's also got three handsome little boys! I've always enjoyed the Fall Fashion Week that she hosts and decided this year I should participate. So here we go!

{Disclaimer: I am not always wearing the outfit on the day it was posted. I like to take pictures when the boys are otherwise occupied, so if Mike & I happened to get some time alone, I had him take some photos.}

The weather is not feeling very fall-ish right now. It's been quite warm. This dress is another one of my great vintage thrift finds from over the summer. I think the colors in it are nice for fall. And it was almost a bit muggy when I took these yesterday, so my hair was out of control {plus I had shampooed it yesterday too. Yes, I do not shampoo my hair every day. Only once or twice a week. Curly, frizzy hair + shampoo = out of control}, thus the bun. {I think I look silly with my hair up since I don't wear it like that a lot}.

I love, love these shoes. I found them last month while out thrifting and they are so comfy and cute. I could wear them every day, all day. They do have that "teacher-walking-down-the-hall-sound" though. :)

I just got this ring last weekend at a garage sale. Mike calls it my coffee bean ring.

I can't figure out what animal my earrings are. Fox? Lynx? What do you think? And my favorite thing about this dress - it has a pocket!!

And, yes, I know - my legs are sooo white. That's all I could think while looking at these photos.

dress: vintage, thrifted | shoes: vintage, thrifted | earrings: gift from big seester | ring: garage sale find

Join in on the fashion week!

Levi's Vintage Style: Corduroy Suspender Pants

2011-09-22T10:19:00.004-04:00

I love these sweet little corduroy pants. Unfortunately, they are just a bit too small for Levi. I had to roll the legs because they were too short - I think they look really cute as knickers though!

The apple crate was a birthday present from my baby sister - it was used as a prop at my fabulous party and then I got to keep it {I'm trying to get a collection of crates to use for storage in my mud room}! My trick for getting pictures of Levi is to sit him or stand him on something so that he can't get down and run around! He actually really liked sitting in this crate.

Laughing at his big brother {Cai}, who was running around the yard while I took pictures.

pants: vintage, thrifted | shirt: Buster Brown, vintage, thrifted | apple crate: gift from Lyndsay | tractor: vintage, garage sale find

Linking up with Little Vintage Style and Small Style...

{How about a vote for this little vintage boy? Two clicks}

Sleeping with Cars...

2011-09-21T11:21:00.005-04:00

As I was laying in bed last night, desperately trying to fall asleep {why does it take me so long to fall asleep??!}, I rolled over and felt a hard, small lump tangled up in the sheets. Pulled out: Lightening McQueen!

Courtesy of Malacai.

Also courtesy of Malacai: being startled awake {ok...only Mike was startled awake. I was still desperately trying to fall asleep. I was just startled.} by an alarm going off. Apparently the kid had big plans for 12:02am. The alarm in his room started going off and it sits right next to the monitor base...it was quite loud on our end. Malacai didn't even wake up.

{How about a vote for this little rascal? Two clicks}

A Vintage Picnic

2011-09-20T22:34:00.000-04:00

I've been wanting an enamel table for a long time. And then I won this beauty at an auction this summer!

I was so excited! It's at our cottage now - but we had it sitting at our house for a couple of weeks before we took it down to the cottage. So what's a girl to do other than throw a vintage-style picnic on her pretty vintage table?

I also got the cute vintage picnic plates at the auction too.

The boys loved these vintage ketchup & mustard dispensers. I can't remember where they are from. I have a thing for old glass pitchers. This one is my fav. {Thrifted at Salva's}

Aren't these napkins the best? Cait gave them to me.

For those wondering why we have a table set for only four - yes, we did gate up Levi. Don't worry - we slid him food through the holes. {Um, just kidding for anyone thinking they might need to comment on our horrible parenting. He ate - in his highchair - before we did}.

{How about a vote for this cozy picnic? Two clicks}

My Style: Vintage Red Dress

2011-09-15T14:12:00.003-04:00

This summer I seemed to really luck out in thrifting some cute vintage dresses. So I thought I'd show some of them to you {now that summer is about over - eek - I get so behind on posting things I want to share...}. This one might be my fav. I got it at an estate sale a couple of weeks before my birthday, and wore it on my birthday, so now it's become my 'birthday dress'.

And the shoes are also birthday shoes - Cait gave them to me for my birthday! I love them! {And am so amazed that she found shoes in my size!}

I also shot some photos with the boys during this and am always so amused at what the boys are doing in the photos - check out Malacai in that last photo!

{Pardon my awkward posing and pale, pale legs. Skin cancer will scare the tan right out of you. Hm...another post I should do...}

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy...

red dress: vintage, thrifted {no tag} | shoes: gift from Cait | turquoise ring: no idea - i'm pretty sure i had this in high school?

{How about a vote for this stylin' mama? Two clicks}

Reason #582

2011-09-15T09:08:00.005-04:00

That I'm glad I live in the country with no neighbors close by: so they cannot see me standing on a chair {in the rain!} outside my bathroom window, coaching my toddler on how to unlock the bathroom door.

{This picture was taken right after he got the door unlocked}

Oh this boy....I went out to stand with Lincoln to wait for the bus this morning. When I came back in the house, Malacai was screaming & sobbing in the bathroom. I tried to open the door, only to find I was locked out. After about 10 minutes of trying to talk him through it standing outside the door, a phone call to Michael who left work to head home to help, I got Cai to open the shade on the window. I then grabbed a chair and went and stood outside the window and got him to crank that open {today I am thankful we have windows older than me - that can crank open}. From there, I was able to talk him through unlocking the door. He met me at the back door as I was coming in with a nonchalant, "hey mom - I got out." Yea...great job. Iye, iye, iye.

Also, while we're talking about Malacai; this morning he told me, "I'm too tall and too old to sleep in my room. I need to go sleep at Tori's house now." {Tori is my niece that babysits for us all the time}. What??!

Life will not be dull with this kid around.

{How about a vote for this naughty little boy? Two clicks}

71 Years

2011-09-14T10:09:00.005-04:00

Today would have been my grandparents 71st Anniversary. Can you believe they were married over 70 years?! How incredible is that? Last night we had dinner over at my parents and after dinner my Gramma, Mom & I looked through the old photo album my Grampa had put together. It was so cute to see all the captions he had written under the photos and fun to hear the stories that my Gramma shared.

I took some photos of the book and pictures. I love looking through old family photos.

This wedding sketch he did - 4 months before their wedding!

The happy couple on their wedding day - September 14, 1940. "Two of a kind" - so cute! {And I have a younger cousin that looks so much like my Grampa - I saw this photo and said, hello Robert David}

I love these - how cute they are!

Grampa adored Gramma. Always saying how beautiful she looked.

Thinking & praying for my Gramma today....

Psalm 121

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.

He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.

Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.

The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.

The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.

The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

A Moment

2011-09-12T19:12:00.003-04:00

I could live in this moment forever. The sun warming my back. The wind teasing my hair.

Little boys running through the grass.

And paddling through the green sea.

I should be inside making dinner and checking things off my never-ending to do list. Instead the boys talk me into walking through the trails in our field and pushing them on the swing. Do you ever get to the point of exhaustion and having too many things on your to do list that your mind turns to mush and you just can't seem to do anything? I am there. I am tired of the thinking, planning, going, doing. I just want to live in the moment.

This moment.

Ten on Ten :: September

2011-09-10T14:45:00.013-04:00

One photo. Every hour. For ten hours. On the 10th. Linking up with Rebekah's Ten on Ten.

Morning coffee on the porch.

Grammie's peach-pineapple jam.

Goodies from a barn sale this morning!

{Vintage: board games, puzzle, fabric, wooden blue crate!}

Pretty gumballs. Getting ready for MOPS....

Bike ride.

My baby's boots. The cutest little boots.

Malacai playing in the garage.

Pretty speckled egg. Loving my productive little ladies!!

Silly, silly boys.

So incredibly grateful that these baby cheeks are mine to munch on!

Join in!

Back to School Dinner

2011-09-09T11:12:00.005-04:00

I've always loved the Back to School Feasts that NieNie hosts for her family. It seems like such a fun tradition and gives the kids something to look forward to. I had been looking forward to starting that tradition but didn't think I'd do it this year due to having no time to think about it or plan for it. But then on Wednesday afternoon, I just felt inspired by a verse and a theme and thought, we should do this. So I used what we had around the house, told Michael to stop for some sparkling juice & ice cream on the way home from work, sent the daughter a text to come over for dinner and went for it.

Our theme for this school year. Good for the little man starting out on a new adventure. Good for a mama letting her little man go...

Our verse for the school year. This verse has been really resonating with me lately. And it just keeps popping up in different places.

I found these cute little vintage notebooks a while back and love them! So does Malacai.

Our menu: grilled chicken | macaroni salad | corn bread pudding | peach & apple salad | lemonade | peach sundaes {thanks Uncle Roger for growing them & Aunt Jan for sharing your stash} | sparkling grape juice

What about you - do you have any back to school traditions?

{how about a vote for the cute little dinner party? two clicks}

First Day of School

2011-09-08T09:17:00.005-04:00

Yesterday was the first day of school in our district, but it was a "meet the teacher" day for kindergartners {go with your parents}, so today was the real "official" first day for Lincoln. My baby got on the bus and is gone all day! Praying that he has a great day and meets lots of great new friends. Praying that I stop thinking horrible thoughts {what if he sits by himself at lunch? what if someone picks on him?} and making myself want to cry.

So happy to be riding the school bus! {Around the corner}. See that cute little girl peeking around the seat? Malacai was looking at these pictures with me and he said, "See that girl there? That's my friend. Her name is Luis." Haa! I have no idea where he came up with that name!! I laughed so hard.

Wait - bring me my baby back!!

I actually did really good and didn't cry. I almost did. And a little story about Linc's backpack. With everything that happened over the last couple weeks with my grandparents, I pretty much had life on hold and didn't do a bunch of things on my "to-do" list. Including ordering Linc's backpack. So he didn't have it for today {it's supposed to arrive sometime today though}. Not a huge deal, he can just use his preschool backpack. Except we couldn't find it anywhere! So the poor kid had to use my Jansport from highschool! Ugh...I feel terrible. He didn't care though. He just wanted to get on that bus!

{how about a vote for this cute kindergartner? two clicks}

Levi's Vintage Style: Football Shirt

2011-09-08T08:54:00.000-04:00

I found this sweet little vintage Health-tex shirt while out thrifting a couple of months ago. I think it's so cute {not into football at all though}. It's a perfect fall shirt. I would love it if it would still fit Levi for the superbowl party - but I don't think it will.

And how about these amazing little vintage sneakers!! I couldn't pass these up. Levi can barely squeeze his pudgy little feet in them. We had to go sans socks to get them on. Oh these boys...chubby big feet.

Also - what do you think of that braided rug? I fell in love with it at an estate sale last summer and thought it would be perfect for "the nursery". We still haven't re-done any of the boys rooms yet though. Maybe this winter?

Shirt: vintage Health-tex, thrifted | Jeans: Levi's, thrifted by Cait I think? | Sneakers: vintage, thrifted

Linking up with Little Vintage Style and Small Style...

{how about a vote for this vintage kiddo? two clicks}

Eight Years

2011-09-06T10:48:00.003-04:00

Celebrating 2, 920 days of wedded bliss!

Happy Anniversary my love!

-xoxo-

{how about a vote for these love birds? two clicks}

Hello Fall

2011-09-05T20:21:00.005-04:00

The apple farm around the corner from my parents sells homemade apple cider donuts. And they are amazing. They opened for the season today, and I'm pretty sure we were their first customers.

The air was so crisp & cool {and wet} today...ahhh - so looking forward to fall.

We also stopped at a garage sale and I got this sweet vintage Schwinn 10 speed for $10!! Yay - I'm so excited that I found a 10 speed in this style. I can actually ride it on the roads {& hills} around here. {And yes, I know it's a man's bike...that just means it's nice & tall for me}.

Wedding Guest Book

2011-09-03T08:23:00.004-04:00

{Source: Martha Stewart Weddings}

Getting married soon? I love, love this idea for a wedding guest book. Guests type messages to the couple on a vintage typewriter! How fabulous is that? Cait - can we book mark this idea for your wedding? ;)

Beepa

2011-09-01T10:13:00.009-04:00

My Grampa passed away yesterday. My heart is full of sadness. How we will miss him!

Some memories of "Beepa" to share:

One of my favorite memories is this camping trip we took in 2004. Mike picked an "easy" mountain for us to climb in the Adirondacks, half a mile up - half a mile down. Except he got his mountains mixed up and Goodnow Mountain is almost 4 miles round trip...which we didn't realize until we were already hiking. About half way up, my parents turned around with Gramma to go back to the car but Grampa would not hear of it. He was going to the summit. There was rain. Dusk. Slippery rocks. That was not going to stop this 86 year old! I love that I got to do this hike with Grampa and have this snap shot on the summit with him.

Bingo Bango! {A silly little rhyme Gramps used to sing to us...Uncle Craigie - can you take this over with my boys? Someone needs to be doing bingo bango with them!}

The birthday phone call. Gramps & Gram would call on birthdays and sing and Grampa would play the harmonica.

{Like this...this is from Linc's birthday two years - I only caught the very end of it}

Hearing Grampa yell "hark!" at us noisy grandkids.

Every year at Bannister Christmas, Grampa would whip up his homemade pineapple icecream!

The camp fires. Grampa collecting more and more and more wood for those fires. Enough to heat out the whole campground!

Being in his art studio with him. It was such a special treat to go in there, see all of his paintings. Watch him paint. {This is the painting he did of our house - a gift he gave us on our first anniversary}

His winnie-the-pooh laugh.

Equal & salt. Grampa's two best pals - he never went anywhere without them!

All of Grampa's MacGyver-style contraptions {and his love of duct tape}.

The love and pride he had for his big family! Here he is with a few of his great-grands:

December 31, 1918 - August 31, 2011

There are just so many memories with Grampa. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful, close-knit family. Thank you, sweet readers, for the love, support and kind words you have left me and the prayers for our family.

What about you dear family, any special Grampa memories to share?

A Heavy Heart

2011-08-31T13:14:00.003-04:00

My heart is heavy today. Filled with sadness for my Grampa. He's remained about the same - has had a few bad days, but things are not looking up. My Gramma and her children have some big decisions to face today.

I think I am finally admitting to myself that Gramps probably won't make it. I didn't sleep well last night - I kept waking up with such sadness and thinking of Grampa. I don't feel like doing anything on my "to-do" list today. I'm supposed to go school-clothes shopping for Linc and don't want to. I need to go get groceries. I've been trying to fill my time with doing things to keep my mind occupied but today the routine seems like drudgery. I need to keep on with the usual for the boys sake {and mine} - but sometimes it seems so silly.

I have been reflecting on my family and the blessing that they are in this situation.

My Gramma has such strength. Getting up each morning, usually to face an unpleasant task, such as canceling credit cards or reviewing legal papers, then off to the hospital for hours and hours. Her unwavering faith is setting such an example. At 93 she is memorizing Psalm 121. Does she realize how inspiring she is?

My mom, who gets up every morning to call the hospital to find out how Grampa's night went. Then sends out an update to the family. Keeping everyone connected. Rearranging work, plans, life so that she can be with and help her mother. Struggling with the decisions for her father that she is faced with.

I am reminded of the verse in 2 Timothy 1:5 -

I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother and your mother. And I know that same faith continues strong in you.

I am so thankful for their faith.

My dad, who is such a pillar of strength. He always knows what needs to be done. Always has the right words. When in tough situations, I always feel better with dad around, knowing that he will know what to do and take care of things.

And always, always thankful for my Michael. Who as I was writing this, called me to see how I was doing and find out the updates on Gramps. He is always here for me. Watching the boys when I need to go. Going up to the hospital with me {I hate to make that drive alone}. Leaving me silly notes to keep me smiling throughout the day.

I try to read from this day with the master by Dennis Kinlaw each day. Little inspiring daily devotionals for each day. Today's devo was ironically enough titled freedom to die. The last paragraph really resonated with me.

How do you get to the place of absolute freedom, where Jesus can do with you whatever he wills? Recognize that the One who holds you in the palm of his hand is greater than any force in the world. When he matters more to you than any other thing, even life itself, then you are free.

That is my hope & prayer for Grampa. For myself. For my children.

And I'll end this post with this thought, from my mama, in her daily email update:
Let's all continue to pray for each other, listen to each other, love each other, just as we are.

Lincoln's Vintage Style: Flannel Shirt

2011-08-31T11:16:00.006-04:00

As Lincoln gets older, it's getting harder & harder to find vintage clothes for him out on my thrifting trips. Maybe the older boys just wore out their clothes and they weren't worth keeping?? Months ago I happened to find quite a few long sleeves shirts in his size and I was so excited. I love this little vintage flannel button up. The sandals are from an estate sale and I think they are so cute - they seem to be pretty old. But I don't think I'll be able to get Lincoln to put them on again because the bottoms are very slippery and he fell while walking out the door. Eek!

Linc is such a great model. He wasn't very excited about doing the shoot - but he did it and would sit & look wherever I told him. Such a nice change from my other two won't-sit-still-for-a-minute boys. I love this kid so much...ahhh - kindergarten please don't come! {Feeling panicky about sending him next week!}

Isn't that chair the best? I found it a year ago or so in my Grammie's basement. It was broken and she had it in a pile of stuff they were throwing out so I rescued it and Mike fixed it up. I have a thing for old kid's chairs.

flannel shirt: vintage thrifted | tee shirt: thrifted | shorts: old navy thrifted | sandals: from an amazing estate sale | cute chair: grammie

Linking up with Little Vintage Style and Small Style...

{how about a vote for this vintage kiddo? two clicks}

Thrifty Fun

2011-08-25T15:43:00.005-04:00

Yesterday I went to a couple of thrift stores to look for some clothes for my Grammie {her clothes were ruined in the fire}. I know some might think that Grams should not be wearing clothes from a thrift shop, but honestly there is no better place to shop for Grams. She loves a good bargain, she shops at thrift stores, and where better to find the perfect clothes for her? So shop I did. {I also ran into my aunt at one of the stores who had left the hospital to go shop for Grams - what are the chances?!}

I got 6 pairs of pants, 3 sweatshirts, a nightgown and about 10 shirts for what you would pay for one pair of pants and one shirt at a department store. Honest.

Gram had quite the collection of brooches - so I got her a new one. And forgot to give it her this morning - oops!

I also knew Gram would want me to do a little shopping for myself. A new coat...

The cutest little fabric covered hat box....

And this globe to add to my collection!

Oh how I love thrifting!

It has been amazing to feel, see and hear the stories of the love being shown to our family during this time. Thank you. Gramps condition remains about the same - which is good. The first day the doctors were saying that he could get a lot worse over the next few days, but he has not, so we are very thankful.

..........

Also...as I'm writing this, Levi is walking around the house with a blanket thrown over his head and walking into tables and doors. Ahhh - Pippertones. What a crazy little fellow. And now he is standing on the coffee table - stuck. So I must go rescue the naughty little boy.

{how about a vote for this thrifty gal? two clicks}

Levi's Vintage Style: Snap-Up Hoodie

2011-08-24T21:45:00.004-04:00

Thanks to all those who have been praying & sending love to our family. Things looked a little better for Grampa today - just because he was not worse. Keep on praying!

...........

Oh I love this little hoodie. {Do you call these hoodies, sweatshirts, sweaters or something different? I've heard them called all the above. I grew up calling them hoodies.} I love the color. I love the little snaps. I love that it's not too thin, not too thick. I'm also loving that we've had a few cool mornings! Cool enough to need to throw a hoodie on. Fall is coming...and I can't wait!

hoodie: vintage thrifted by Cait {I think?} | shorts: old navy, thrifted | toy: thrifted by Cait

Linking up with Little Vintage Style and Small Style.

{how about a vote for this vintage kid? two clicks}

Prayers

2011-08-24T12:37:00.003-04:00

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

My family would greatly appreciate your prayers right now. Yesterday there was a terrible fire at my grandparents home.

My heart aches for my grandparents, for my family. It all seems so surreal. I just want to wake up and have this be a horrible nightmare.

My baby sister wrote a beautiful post. You can see it here.

It is hard to find words to express my sadness. I am trying hard to release my fears and anxiety about Grampa to Jesus.

Please just keep praying. There is so much power in prayer. I am so thankful for my Gramma's steadfast faith in Jesus. For the example she has been in her 93 years. And I am praying for Grampa - to find his true comfort and healing in Jesus.

We are finding comfort in Him. And in the love you are pouring out to our family.

Bit of Luck

2011-08-19T09:22:00.001-04:00

Have you ever found a four leaf clover? In all my 30 years - I never have. ;) We were sitting in the grass at my brother-in-law & sister-in-law's house last night - enjoying a warm summer evening and I noticed all the clovers around. So I commented on how I'd never found one before - which prompted everyone to start looking for one. About a minute after we started, Cait found one. Then a bit after that my niece, Sarah, found one. Cait another. Sarah another. Mike one {pictured above}. My niece, Kailey, one. Me? Zero.

It's given me a new item for my "bucket list" - find a four leaf clover!

Have a lucky weekend! I'll be spending mine looking for four leaf clovers!

{how about a vote for this unlucky girl? two clicks}

Cream Wafers

2011-08-18T13:55:00.007-04:00

These little cookies are amazing. Melt-in-your mouth, can't-stop-eating them amazing. A perfect little wafer cookie filled with yummy buttercream. They have become a must-have at all our family bridal/baby showers.

They can be a little tedious to make {but well worth it - trust me!}, as any cutouts can be. I like to make them pretty small - so that adds to my time. They are also flaky, so be gentle. I usually lose some to crumbling.

Oh the goodness - looking forward to eating these this Saturday at a family bridal shower!!

Cream Wafers

Ingredients:
For the Wafers:
1 cup {2 sticks} butter, softened
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 cups all-purpose flour
Granulated sugar

For the Cream Filling:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
Food coloring, if desired

Cream together the butter, heavy cream, and flour . Cover and refrigerate about 1 hour or until firm.

Heat oven to 375ºF. Roll about one-third of the dough at a time to 1/8-inch thickness on lightly floured surface {keep remaining dough chilled}. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Generously cover large piece of waxed paper with granulated sugar. Place cutouts in sugar on waxed paper, turn to coat both sides. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Prick each cutout with fork a couple of times.

Bake at 375º, 7 to 9 minutes or just until set but not brown. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

While the cookies are baking, prepare the cream filling by beating together the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth and fluffy. Add a few drops of food coloring, if desired, and mix well. Spread a bit of cream filling on a cookie and top with another cookie to make cute little sandwiches.

Enjoy!

Source: Betty Crocker

{how about a vote for this baker? two clicks}

Levi's Vintage Style: Nautical Shorts

2011-08-17T09:02:00.006-04:00

I found these vintage Health-tex nautical shorts while I was out thrifting a couple of weeks ago. I love the cute little print on them.

Picking currants.

So excited to watch the tractor drive by.

This chair is mine from childhood. {Well, not mine - a family chair - my siblings will not take it too well if I lay claim to this. But if they wanted the cute chairs - maybe they should have had the first grandchildren...}

Shorts: Health-tex, vintage thrifted / Pocket Onesie: Old Navy, hand-me-down

Linking up with Hart + Sew's Little Vintage Style and Mama Love Papa's Small Style.

{how about a vote for the vintage baby? two clicks}

Camp-Out Birthday Party

2011-08-15T20:35:00.010-04:00

Finally getting around to posting the pictures from Lincoln's fifth birthday party {back in June}. For his birthday, he said he wanted to have a tent and a fire. Done & done....and then some. I was so excited to do a camp-out theme because we love camping. And therefore, we have a lot of camping related items - which made decorating easy. And I wanted to make s'more desserts. This party was so much fun! And I'm so thankful that we had a lovely day so that we could have it in the backyard.

The "main" table was the dessert table, because, well we know what's important around here. I made the banner using burlap and paint and my mom sewed it together. Extra burlap was used for the tablecloth. Mike made the "Camp Lincoln" sign and used a wood burner to write on it.

Mike also made all the wooden labels for the food.

As well as collecting & cutting the wood used for stands {thank you my love!}.

Saw another camp themed party that had Boston Baked-Beans candy and thought it was cute - so I picked up a box from the Dollar Store.

Plates & napkins from my favorite store, Wegmans. Our dinner menu included: pizza hobo pies, fire-roasted hot dogs, baked beans, deviled eggs, watermelon and garlic potatoes.

Mike, Lincoln and my cousin Jessica roasting hot dogs. Wondering why we have so many red & black shirts? Have to wait till October to find out...

Log candle holders were made by Justin {years ago}. Vintage thermos from Andy & Lyndsay {knew we could find something to do with that!} And yes, that's a little camping espresso maker that Mike wrestled from a bear in the mountains. {Real story: hiker had backpack stolen by bear, bear left items from backpack all throughout the woods, Mike happened upon the espresso maker...long after the bear had left - and the hiker}. Had gummy snakes on the tables...the boys loved these.

Beef jerky for the campers. Log ~~toothpick~~ Slim Jim holder also made by Justin. Deviled eggs made by my Grammy. {I love her egg dish. And her.}

Ah - s'more desserts. These cookies are so amazing. I got a kitchen torch and now can "burn" my food. It is so much fun!

Made little birds nests cookies. {Marla saved the day by still having mini robin eggs candy left from Easter!} And a pine cone cake.

Yes, that's right. A pine cone cake. The cake is featured in Rose Levy Beranbaum's Cake Bible. It was the perfect cake for a camp out party! {A bit tedious to make though...that's a lot of "pine petals"}

Our snack food included: s'more goldfish, chocolate covered pretzels {firewood}, tootsie rolls {logs}, homemade trail mix, giant marshmallows, and of course s'mores.

Chocolate graham crackers + peanut butter cups + roasted marshmallow = delicious!

We used a picnic basket for presents. The vintage hiking boots are Cait's {so cute, right?}. We actually played every "game" listed on the chalkboard.

Cait also picked up these cute onion bags for us to use for our sack race {from the pizza place where she used to work}. These are our very rad corn hole boards made by Andy & Lyndsay.

Cousin Tate taking a dramatic fall {no children were hurt during the course of this party...} during the sack race.

Lincoln turned out to be a champ at the sack race and wanted to race everyone...my cousin Andrew, trying to keep up.

Little Levi with his red & black bandana bib {or neckercheif as my mom calls them} - made by my mom. Um, yes, I too participated in the sack race {a lot harder than it seems...especially in a tiny bag!}

I saw a "don't feed the bears" sign on another blog {not sure where though} and we just happen to have a very large stuffed bear in our house, so I knew he finally had a purpose other than always seeming to be in mama's way. Sign made by my love.

Linc could not wait to roast a giant marshmallow {I think the birthday boy even got to indulge before dinner...}!

Ever since Malacai had a sparkler on his birthday cupcake - Linc had been talking about how he wanted to have one for his birthday. He promised not to react like Malacai though.

Some hecklers in the crowd told the boys they could blow the sparkler out if they tried hard enough.

Running through the fields - chasing fireflies.

Such a lovely, fun party!

{how about a vote for the happy campers? two clicks}

O Happy Day

2011-08-12T20:28:00.003-04:00

Back in April we got six baby chicks. And now we have farm fresh eggs! Yay - our little ladies have laid their first eggs! So, so excited...

Also - loving my vintage wire chicken basket - birthday present from my big sister!!

{how about a chicky vote? two clicks}

Ten on Ten:: August

2011-08-10T22:57:00.006-04:00

Insta Ten on Ten this month. Wasn't sure if I would have the time to do my normal pictures. Busy, busy week. {Plus I just love my new phone}

Naughty boy on the coffee table - first thing this morning!

Malacai's favorite breakfast...purple Kix.

Out on a morning walk.

Looking at the vintage aprons hanging on the line...getting rained on!

Baking peanut butter chunk cookies.

Oh Davey - the boys love watching this movie.

More baking...

Endless dishes.

Cookies & Milk Party I hosted this evening.

Life's a peach {many thanks to Rachel for the peaches!}

Linking up with Rebekah's Ten on Ten

Lincoln's & Malacai's Vintage Style: Polos

2011-08-10T11:35:00.005-04:00

I love these little shirts the boys have! I wish I could find more vintage polo shirts for them. {And wish I had one in Levi's size!}

And have to include a couple out-takes - they are my fav.

The boredom...

The fighting and pushing and tickling...

Love my boys!!

Shirts: vintage thrifted {by me? cait? mom?} Shorts: thrifted/hand-me-downs Sandals: thrifted/hand-me-downs

Linking up with Hart + Sew's Little Vintage Style and Mama Loves Papa's Small Style...

{how about a lovely vote? two clicks}

A Birth Day

2011-08-09T20:36:00.006-04:00

Some photos from my birthday. I joined the in-crowd and got an iphone a couple weeks ago {and made Michael get one too}. And I'm not going to lie...I love it! {I have been an Apple lover for the last 10 years though...eek - 10 years - I'm so old - so it's no surprise I love my new little toy.}

O I do love this vintage-y birthday banner!

Mmm...greasy breakfast sandwich...lovin' it.

At the playground sharing yummy drinks.

Swinging is my fav.

A cute vintage present {picnic basket} and cute homemade card.

Big balloons - so much fun! {This is actually from a few days before}

Deep dish pizza from Main Street Pizza...love.

Charcoal BBQ wings from Main Street Pizza - really love.

Cream soda is my fav.

Sparklers on a mini cake.

{Pretend} Blowing out the candles.

Also - you have to check out the pictures from my surprise party that Marla and Caitlin posted - so, so lovely!

{how about a lovely vote? two clicks}