HAPPY HALLOWEEN

THIS IS MY FAVORITE TIME OF THE YEAR. I THINK HALLOWEEN IS A GREAT KICK OFF TO THE HOLIDAY SEASON!

WE HAVE BEEN TO SEVERAL HALLOWEEN PARTIES IN THE PAST WEEK...WITH ONE MORE TO GO TO TONIGHT. THOUGHT I WOULD SHARE SOME PICTURES.

Kacey is Alice in Wonderland. I think she looks SOOO much like her! She also announced to her class this past week when they were discussing costumes...."I wanted to be Ariel or Snow white...but they weren't on sale....so I am going to be Alice" WONDERFUL. :)

***truth of that story is that they didn't have her size in Ariel....and then I did "encourage" her to look at the sale items****

Collin is a golf man! LOVE IT! I gave him the costume catalog and he picked this or the UPS man costume. (yes, there is such a thing!) This picture was taken after he won the costume contest at Chad's work halloween party!

Chad is collin's Caddy.....and I am the Cheshire cat to go with Alice. I always try to match us with the kids.

Kitty Litter. There was a contest for desserts.....I thought this cake was the grossest thing I could think of (and especially funny since I was dressed as a cat) I served it in a NEW kitty little pan....and you picked up your piece with a real pooper scooper.

SOOOO GROSS! I SPENT ABOUT AN HOUR FORMING TOOTSIE ROLLS INTO CAT POO! HA!!!!!

ENJOY YOUR HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

XOXO

Gift Ideas

I LOVE buying gifts for people! I know it is soo cliche...but I really do enjoy GIVING gifts more than GETTING gifts. (Although....that is super fun too)

For me it is more about picking out a gift, I just love it!

I found this company Planet Jill right after I had Kacey. I actually saw a lady at the mall with the ring on....and ran over to ask her where she got it!

I had charms made for EVERYONE in our family that year! I had actually forgotten about it for a while....and realized that I didn't ever have charms made of Collin when he was born! Now I am behind...and this is going to be expensive catching up. :)

Check it out! GREAT quality!!!

It has been one of those days...

It has been the kind of day where you change the clocks in your house to fool the kids that it is already bedtime.....JUST so you can sit down and have a glass of wine in complete silence!

Random Facts

I LOVE finding out new and random things from friends.....actually I love finding out random things about ANYONE! I am a sucker for gossip magazines and the random "what does she eat, wear, like" sections. I am not one to change my decisions based on what THEY are doing...but I just like to know the little facts.

Here are a few about me......

1-I just celebrated my 25th Birthday for the 6th year in a row. (random because turning 25 was the hardest birthday for me)

2-I actually knew I wanted to name my first daughter Kacey in middle school. (because my initials were KAC) I wanted her to be Kacey Collins (after my mom's middle name) but quickly realized that I would probably have a boy next and that I wanted to save that name for him. (yes, very strange for a 13 year old girl to figure out)

3-I rearranged my furniture WEEKLY when I was growing up! I LOVED changing my room around and shocking my parents when they came home from work. I still use the same moves for pushing large furniture......on the ground and push with your back! :)

4-I used to talk on the phone with my husband when we were in the 3rd grade!!! ha!!!!!

5-I HATE watching people brush their teeth! Makes me want to throw up!!! I seriously put tooth paste on my kid's tooth brushes and walk out! This is totally chad's job! My sister used to actually lock me in the bathroom and brush her teeth over me as punishment! AWFUL!!!!

6-When I went off to college my freshman year I introduced myself as "kacey". After a few weeks I realized that it was really hard to remember that I had changed my name so I switched it back to Katie.

7- My FAVE question to ask anyone is "tell me something you have never told me before". SOOOO funny the things you will hear!!!!!

8-I went to the prom with my husband! That is sooo funny to me!!!!

9-I graduated college in 3 years because I figured that I would be sick of it after that!

10-I took sewing lessons after school as a kid! My mom was a teacher and the kids got out of school early every thursday so that the teachers could plan. Instead of a babysitter....my mom sent me to sewing lessons across the street from the school until she was out. (THANKS MOM!!!! THIS VERY EMBARRASSING THING AS A CHILD NOW ALLOWS ME TO STAY HOME WITH MY KIDS)

11-I came home from my honeymoon pregnant!

12-My FAVORITE car of all time is still my 1995 volkswagon Golf. I waitressed all summer to save up for that car! I actually cried the day we sold it (because I couldn't fit kacey int he back seat....and it had a random leak when it rained). I took the money and bought a whole entertainment/storage unit from Pottery barn kids for the playroom. That made me smile a little bit.

13-I LOVE tofu!

14-I DO NOT watch scary movies...AT ALL! Actually, some commercials give me the creeps.

15-I broke down crying when I found out I was having a boy and told chad, "WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WHEN WE ARE OUT AT THE MALL AND HE HAS TO GO TO THE BATHROOM?! IT IS WEIRD TO ME WHEN LITTLE BOYS ARE FORCED TO GO INTO THE GIRLS BATHROOMS WITH THEIR MOMS!"

Now I couldn't imagine my life without my little man! (and lucky for me our mall has an amazing family bathroom.....so we are saved :)

6th Annual Celebration

I just celebrated my 6th Annual 25th Birthday last Friday! My husband planned a great day for us at Disney as a family! IT WAS GREAT!!!! We generally go there when company is visiting from out of town so it was sooo nice to be able to have a mini vacation with our family of 4!

All I wanted for my birthday was pictures of our family by my friend, Maria with Snidershots!
She is a great friend...and an amazing photographer!!!!! We had our pictures taken at my parents house and on the golf course behind their house...and I LOVE THEM!!!!!! I am not particularly into golf...but my husband was a golf pro for 7 years and so it is a part of his/our life. Plus, they are BEAUTIFUL.:)

Here are just a FEW of them pics that she took. Some of my FAVE aren't even included here yet...but I will show off soon enough.


This picture is one of my FAVE!!!!!



I have NO idea how she did this...or why I am leaning soo far forward...but I love it!


I am in shock at how big my baby girl is!!!!!!!!!! BEAUTIFUL!



For some reason this picture reminds me of the Wizard of Oz. (please excuse the big hair bow she picked out....she is a fashionista at 5!)

We didn't get many shots of just Collin by himself because he had a huge fall at the playground that day and didn't take a nap....and didn't really want much to do with any of the pictures. BOYS! :)

It was a GREAT day.....a GREAT birthday.....with my Favorite People!

BOX IT UP

I AM ALREADY GETTING MYSELF IN THE "BETTER START PLANNING OUT WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO GET EVERYONE FOR CHRISTMAS" MODE. I KNOW I KNOW....I AM WAY TOO EARLY.....BUT MOST OF THE TIME I ALWAYS ADD SOMETHING THAT I HAVE MADE TO EACH GIFT...SO I HAVE TO START EARLY. :)

I LOVE FINDING SPECIAL BOXES AND WAYS TO FANCY UP A GIFT....ESPECIALLY FOR KIDS! I LOVE STORAGE.....AND AT CHRISTMAS TIME YOU REALIZE HOW LITTLE STORAGE YOU REALLY HAVE!

I FOUND ALL OF THESE AT THE LAND OF NOD. I HONESTLY THINK THEY ARE PRICED OKAY. (IF I AM WRONG...TELL ME AND I WILL CONTINUE LOOKING :)



love these little lockers bins!!!!! sooooo perfect for my son's room! He loves jerseys...so I might just fill one with a new jersey and some baseballs.

love these too for my craft room!


I think these would be a really cute way for Kacey to save some of her crafts at school! I just can't stand throwing some of them away....but can't really post them all over the house.




THESE BOXES ARE MY FAVORITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY COME IN A SET OF ALL 3 SIZES AND THEY ARE NOT THAT PRICEY! I LOVE LOVE LOVE TO HAVE THESE AT HOME AT ALL TIMES FOR ANY BABY SHOWER OR BIRTHDAY WE ARE INVITED TO! WHO DOESN'T NEED A CUTE WAY TO STORE STUFF?! AND JUST ADD A BOW AND IT IS A PRETTY GIFT!!!!!


JUST THOUGHT THESE WERE CUTE TOO! COLLIN AND CHAD JUST PLAYED THEIR FIRST T-BALL OUTING AT THE REAL FIELD (JUST THE TWO OF THEM....BUT STILL COLLIN THINKS HE IS BIG LEAGUES!). i THINK I MIGHT SAVE THE BALL FOR THIS. :)

Wine Party

I am actually new to the whole "wine scene". (Late bloomer here) I am a fan of white wine as of now....but would LOVE to enjoy red wine as well. I know it is a strange goal....but I just like sipping a glass of wine!

It doesn't matter if I am hanging out with the girls, having dinner, or just watching my kids at the playground (not really), I like to ENJOY a glass of wine.

I have been wanting to have a wine party for a while now...and I think fall is the perfect time/season for it.

I was just checking out Pottery Barn...did you know that they offer "suggestions" on how to decorate and throw themed parties?! Well....THEY DO!

Check it out HERE

Ironing out the Details...

I am one of those people that LOVED being pregnant! I loved EVERY second of it from the positive test result.....to the moment that I headed to the hospital to deliver. (that was when the good stuff stopped...and the pain began)

I decided to go with a midwife for BOTH of my kids! I loved her, PLUS I have a SERIOUS fear of cut skin, and did not want to be pressured into having a c-section if the labor was taking too long.

With Kacey I was induced almost 2 weeks late and had 23 hours of hard core back labor.......and was still given the chance to deliver her naturally. (by naturally...I don't mean I didn't get the epidural.....I FOR SURE got one....I should probably leave out the fact that I am that rare % that it didn't work on!)

With Collin I figured it would go pretty much the same way.....WRONG.

I went on a trip to Disney with our family about a month before my due date....YES NOT SMART! And all of that walking must have made my little man feel the need to do a flip in my belly!

I went to the Dr's only to find that my little guy had flipped breach!!! I was either going to schedule a C-Section date....or schedule a date for an inversion. (I will spare the details of what that is....let's just say it involves a manual flip of the baby). I opted for the inversion!

I made the appt.....and then went home and googled ANYTHING I could find on how on earth to flip this baby at home, WITHOUT the painful inversion process.

I found some info.....and got some tips from a high school friend as well.

let's just say that when my poor husband, Chad, came home from work that night....I had put Kacey to bed early.....and I was laying on an ironing board that was slanted like a slide off of my bed....UPSIDE DOWN!!!!!!!!

I also had my ipod headphones positioned on my lower belly....as well as a flashlight. HA! I still laugh at what on earth Chad must have thought!!!!!!

I FLIPPED THAT LITTLE GUY THAT NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I STAYED UPSIDE DOWN ON AND OFF FOR HOURS....WALKED UP STAIRS ABOUT 100X.......PLAYED ALL MY FAVORITE WORKOUT SONGS TO MY BELLY......DID SQUATS.........AND MY LITTLE MAN FLIPPED RIGHT AROUND!!!!!!!

I went in for the inversion the very next day and didn't tell any of the Dr's because I KNEW they would think I was a crazy lady!

They were all in shock when the ultrasound showed him head up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was scheduled to be induced 2 days later!!!! Two days of me sitting at work holding my belly making sure my little guy didn't flip back around!!!!

I LOVE YOU GOOGLE!!!! AND I LOVE YOU TOO IRONING BOARD. :)

Lil Frankie and Lil Mummy!

I just had to write another post today and spread the word that I just added two new little goodies to my etsy shop!

They are actually my new little crushes! My sister made them and I have ordered 2 sets of them to give to Kacey's teachers and some friends so that I can fill them with Halloween goodies! Maybe a starbucks gift card to purchase a Pumpkin Spiced Latte as well! (I mean....Mom's can suck up to teachers too...right?!)

I am SOOO excited about these that I wanted to share them with you all! Go check them out!

I am working on getting her to open up an etsy shop as well!

Holding onto a memory!

I have to thank my mom for this whole project!!!! These bar stools had been my grandmother's (her mom's) and she just didn't want to get rid of them.....but they didn't exactly fit her style for inside the house. SOOOO she came up with a GREAT idea!!!

She removed the bar stool seat.....and placed a pot for planing in it! LOVE THAT!

When I moved into my home, she gave me one of them in hopes that I would learn how to take care of plants. (NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN MOM!) This past weekend I decided to give it a coat of fresh paint and make it fit in with my style a bit more. LOVE how it turned out! Heck, I might even water this plant. (of course I will have to set a daily alarm on my phone to remind me)

She also gave me an old wooden chair with a plant in it as well... It was painted white by my grandmother over 25 years ago.....and it has seen better days. I will show pictures after I freshen it up with a new coat of paint!

The countdown has started..

I LOVE counting down the days until Christmas, my birthday, the kids birthdays, and basically anything that is going to be a great day! My mom brought this Halloween advent calender back from her trip to Maine and we are SOOOO excited! Kacey has been in charge of counting down the days every morning and is having a blast with it.

I had planned on putting a little candy treat in each pocket....BUT with 2 dogs and 2 kids who are all at eye level of this sign....I decided I would keep them in my secret stash and pass them out daily. :)

I found this really cute pack of cards last year at Home Goods and in my usual fashion....I didn't mail them out. So I found them in my halloween box and decided to frame them.

Hope your house is spooking up nicely.

xoxo

OH HAPPY DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have a HUGE list of "honey do" projects lined up for my honey.............and with 2 kids and loads of birthday parties, activities, day trips, visitors on the weekends....they usually take forever to get finished.

BUT TODAY IS A HAPPY HAPPY DAY!!!!!!!!!!!

Actually, it is SUCH a happy day, that I forgot to take a BEFORE picture.

My dad and Chad made this AMAZING valance for our back sliding glass door!!!!! I purchased these pottery barn curtains when we first moved in on a TOTAL splurge and LOVE them...BUT they were just missing SOMETHING.

My parents have these valances in their home and I fell in love..........so they went on "the list" of things to do.....AND ARE NOW CHECKED OFF!!!! I AM IN LOVE!

I need to adjust the curtains still....but I was too excited to get these pics up!

ACTUALLY....my "honey do" list has grown now...........because I want these in my bedroom.....office......and dining room. THANKS HONEY! :)

The winner is....

I ALMOST FORGOT TO PICK THE WINNER THIS AM! THE WINNER OF THE THREE SPOOKY PILLOW CASES IS Tamstyles FROM GET IT GIRL STYLE!

I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHERE THESE GO! MAYBE ON THAT AMAZING SOPHIE! :)