did you know i {heart} vintage things?

i may have mentioned that a time or two.

but in case you forgot i will remind you.  i really really realllllyyyyy love vintage things.

it absolutely amazes me how things find their way back to being "cool" again. in the fashion world. in home decor. (do you think wallpaper borders will make a comeback?)  i am learning to never say that i don't like something because it always seems to come back around and bite me in the behind.  i proclaim i don't like the color purple and lo and behold a year later i have 5 purple shirts in my closet. 

anyhoo.  just wanted to show off a few things i have found thrifting lately:

a hobnail vase.
( fyi:  yvonne & renee this does NOT mean i have given up on mom's hobnail vase, mmm k? )

a darling pink pyrex casserole dish with daisy print (i'm thinking of watching for more vintage pyrex in various colors to stack up on some open shelves in my kitchen)

an Aladdin plaid thermos...

two in this pic:  the wire bird basket and an adorable afghan

this little guy is also nearing the vintage stage.... our oldest prays for him EVERY night to "stay healthy and strong" oh how i dread the day he leaves us and we have to break that girls heart.  as much as i tire of cleaning up the dog hair we do love him ;)

and related to all this i have put myself on a 30 day spending ban (again... i did this in mid-september to mid-october and apparently it did not teach me anything long term).  with the exception of buying Christmas gifts i will be refraining from making any non-necessity purchases.  this really should not be so hard, right? right.  i need to focus on USING the things i've picked up here and there.  following through on all those projects i have in mind. that's the plan, stan! :)

I {heart} Little House on the Prairie

and so does this girl:

she just finished reading "Little House in the Big Woods" in her class and they had a special day to dress up like a character from the series.  after searching high and low for aannnyything that could possibly work we came across my old 8th grade graduation dress.  it was huge on her so we belted it up, threw on some boots and called it "good enough"  i told her she could be "Nelly" because she was wearing a fancy dress.  she wasn't too keen on that idea.  i believe she said she was laura or mary in their sunday best. 

oh how i loved these books and tv show while growing up.  my sister and i used to watch it every day after school. (i loved the part in the intro when carrie is running down the hill and falls over but then gets up right away, so cute. just a random tidbit about me i am sure you are super excited to now know)  i am so ecstatic that my girl is getting into these now too.... YAY! :)

they {heart} the park (and so do i) :)

"cool pictures" gone wrong

i am reminded over and over again at how different each of my girls are... 

i took both of my older girls' pictures so far this fall and in an attempt to get that "cool picture" i copied the idea of the big open frame.  with my eldest they turned out great and one of my fave pics of her is one with her holding a frame. 

This is what happened with my second. 

click on the picture to make it bigger to see it better

oh she cracks me up.  what a goof.

we did get some good ones amongst her antics though:

 

Shout Out to Aunt Renee!

my fabulous sister (one of them, they are all fabulous) knit us some super soft, warm and adorable hats! 

they all put them on before dinner and thought they should keep them on to eat.
 warm heads = better eaters i guess?

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

pumpkin pickers

we took a quick trip to "Pumpkinland" a couple weeks ago.

here's the low-down via pictures:

the sun was setting as we arrived and it was beautiful

the older kiddos tried out the munchkin maze

she talked this kitty's ear off and all the other adorable animals in the petting zoo area

they checked out the llamas and goats and mini-pony (baby goats are SO cute! i want one)

then they were off to pick out their pumpkins.
the only rule:  you must carry your own pumpkin

the birthday girl picked a pretty big one

this was miss j's pick and her attempt to "roll" it out of the field
(kind of reminds me of those "mighty dog" commercials where those little yappy dogs think they are big tough dogs, ya know?)

she recruited a friend to carry one for her

my first attempt at a group shot of the girls

fail.
so we headed back to the main building to measure up.

Then... one more attempt at a girls group shot:

seriously?!? is it so hard to just get ONE decent picture?

yes. yes it is.

but the picture completely cracks me up (you have to find the humor in  life right?) miss baby is out of there as she has her eyes on all the things she can get into, number 2 is rolling her eyes to the heavens, the eldest is not paying attention and miss j is turned around pouting about something giving us a half moon. nice.

happy fall!

2 down 2 to go

my second least favorite job as a parent (in first place is potty training):  teaching them to ride a bike. 
which is why i pretty much offed this job to dear hubby.  (hey, i do the potty training, so it's only fair right?)  i did attempt it a couple times but both of us ended up frustrated after about 2 minutes. 

but about a month or so ago girly #2 mastered her bike sans training wheels.  YAY!

a little play by play in pictures:

walk bike to top of driveway (downhill is easier for starting, right?)

there she goes!

turn around through the grass

oops, look out for the pine tree

and the neighbor's yard

smile for mom :)  so proud of you girly!