{Happy Halloween!}

Happy Halloween Friends!!

I've always loved fall and Halloween but this year it is so much more fun since I'm a mom. I can't wait until next year when the boys are walking and starting to talk a little. Should be a blast! We're not doing actual costumes this year, but I did get the boys some cute Halloween themed outfits.

Landon is wearing a cute Carter's set, and Ben is wearing this shirt with cute grey and black striped pants:


The mother-in-law bought the boys some cute ski caps that match their outfits perfectly so they'll wear those to keep the chill off, although it is supposed to be in the high 60's tonight...perfect!

The family is coming over tonight to order pizza, hand out candy, hang out on the porch and have fun with the boys. I can't wait!

Yesterday the boys hit the 5 month mark! Unbelievable! They are changing so much and really turning into little men.


On a personal note...

I'm in desperate need for some new fall/winter work clothes. Having twins wreaked havoc on my poor belly. Although it looks amazingly good for 5 months post partum, most of my pre-preg work clothes are too tight, and I'm getting tired of wearing my maternity stuff.

I really want a few neutral skirts and a pair of black dress pants, plus some drapey tops to cover my post baby bump.

These skirts from Forever21 are gorgeous and perfect (well they look gorgeous and perfect in the photos)...if only we had one close by so I could try them on.


And these sweaters would be great with a long sleeve tee underneath. I'm loving the short sleeved sweater with a long sleeved tee look right now.

This first one would look cute with a belt, but I haven't gotten into that trend yet. Takes me awhile to warm up to new things and not feel like I'm standing out too much. :)


And this one has super cute pockets on the front...hard to see them on the black.


I was able to purchase something I've been wanting for winter at Kohl's last night...a pair of grey rib-knit tights. Love them!

Oh, and fast forwarding to Christmas for a second. Mother-in-law is making the boys' Christmas stockings!!! I'm so excited...she is going to crochet them! I bought the yarn last night. I think she's going to use a granny squares pattern. Can't wait to see them in progress!!!

{my ever growing craft to-do list}

Add this project to my "I want to make these now but don't have time so I'll have to wait another few months" list. I've been wanting to do silhouettes of the boys in some form or another and this is a great project...and pretty simple. I think our family set would look cute in the living room.

{canvas silhouettes}


And I want to make a cute Halloween banner for our porch railing...not sure if I'll find the time or not.

If I do it will probably be a simple one like this...

Isn't our porch railing just begging for a banner?

{love}

Love this project I just came across on Design Sponge. It would be so fun in any room, but if I had a craft room or a play room for the boys I would be all over it! We need a bigger house...

{chalkboard screen door}


And if I had my dream job of being a full time crafter/artist, I would just die to have Pink Loves Brown's {aka Nicole of Making it Lovely} space. G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S!



Definitely need that bigger house...

{where do I start}

In my quest to create my Christmas wish list, and in my daily blog perusing, I've come across a ton of great new shops and etsy items that I'm dying to purchase (or receive..hehe). Most years I struggle to think of things to put on my Christmas list, but this year I'm having a hard time narrowing it down. Having newborn twins really puts a halt to fun, personal shopping!

Some shops I have just discovered:

{Art School Drop-out has adorable and affordable goodies like this cute owl plaque}

Sold out unfortunately *sniff*

{Urban Outfitters and Fred Flare always have cute stuff...these things are on my wish list}

{giant noveau printed rug}

I don't know where I'd put this rug but it is gorgeous!

Same goes with this chair, but isn't the color just lovely?

{melina club chair}


{trompe l'oeil cuckoo clock}
{hemline stationery set}



I have added SO many Etsy shops to my favorites list lately. Here are a few highlights...

{Pretty Raccoon has gorgeous hand painted scarves}



{Revisions has these adorable porcelain egg tealights complete with a tiny bird}


{Olive has the sweetest pillows and home decor items}

My fave has already sold *double sniff*

{strawberry cupcake has some cute original art}

And one last store...

{the pleated poppy has adorable handmade items like this apron}


OK, enough dreaming for one afternoon. :)

{yum}

Just a fun post about two yummy things I came across today in blog land that involve scrapbooking and stationery...two of my most favorite things.

The first is a gorgeous pop-up book/album from the sassafras lass blog. Look at how adorable and the amount of work! I'm in awe.

And my other find for the day are these adorable bookplates from the very talented Danielle Thompson. She made them as part of the goody bags for her son's birthday party. Genius! She printed them on full sheet labels which is a great idea...going to have to try that!

{loss}

I don't want to be a debbie downer today, but the frailty of life has been shown to me a few ways these past few days. As a new mom, I had no idea how hard these things would hit me, but I find myself beyond thankful and also strangely scared for the two little lives that God has entrusted to me. I found out yesterday that a dear friend's husband has been diagnosed with aggressive esophageal cancer. She is still so full of life and creative energy, and my heart is just breaking for her. The thought of losing Dan like that is just too much for me to even fathom. She is all I have been able to think about since I got the news yesterday morning and I just keep trying to figure out a way to support her and show her that she is loved and God will be there for them all the way through this. I now understand that one of the joys and also struggles of being a mother is wanting to shield your children from all of the hurt this world can throw at us. I guess all I can do is love my boys with every ounce of my being and hope that they will be prepared to handle life's struggles with a happy heart.

{the perfect lunch hour}

Today I didn't have to run around like a mad woman on my lunch break. I have to say that it was the most relaxing and rejuvenating hour I've had in quite awhile.

I stopped at Tim Horton's to get a cup of clam chowder (OMG...sooo good), a blueberry muffin and a large coke (momma needs caffeine!). Drove to our park which is beautiful in the fall, parked in a nice secluded area, popped in a Ben Harper CD, and enjoyed my lunch while watching the squirrels play. Heaven.

After that I made a quick trip to Hobby Lobby which is definitely my retail version of heaven. Bought some supplies for Etsy shop ideas in the works and a spur of the moment, perfect Christmas gift.

I did have to do one "adult" errand and deposit the hub's paycheck, but having more money is always relaxing, right?!

And voila...the perfect lunch hour Mandy style. :)

{lunch hour}

I've become quite the multi-tasker on my lunch breaks lately. Mostly because there isn't much, if any, time in the evenings to run errands. Today was an exceptional example of how much one person can accomplish in an hour.

Stopped at CVS for pampers, shower soap and York peppermint patties (can you guess which one was the necessity?)
Got home.
grabbed up Landon for some cuddling.
Threw a Lean Cuisine in the microwave.
Played with Landon some more.
Ate my mexican fish and rice something or other.
Picked up Ben for equal cuddle time.
Felt a warm sensation on my leg
Realized it was pee.
Changed Ben's outfit and diaper.
Ran upstairs and changed my pants.
Kissed both boys goodbye and left them in the capable hands of their Aunt Beth.
Ran to Walgreens to pick up a huge order of adorable baby photos.
Stopped at Starbucks for a smoothie.

Whew!

{new home}

My fall festival owl finds found new homes in the nursery over the weekend.

I think this looks like a mama with her baby :)


And these two on the cabinet.


Love them.

{5 years}

We had a great anniversary on Saturday. The grandparents watched the boys so we could spend a day just the two of us. We went to our favorite restaurant, Johnny Carino's for a late lunch, and did some shopping. It was a simple day but perfect for us. Here we are before we left for the day.

And here we were 5 years ago on our wedding day.

The weather Saturday was just as beautiful as it was on October 11, 2003. High 70's and sunny with orange and red leaves as the backdrop.

I felt so beautiful.

And my hubby was so handsome.

The ceremony was simple and elegant.

And we had so much fun at the reception.

The perfect ending to a perfect day.

{wonderful morning}

I'm sitting her typing, looking at my precious Landon sleeping on the activity mat. He just played himself out. What a sweet sight.

It has been a great morning for me. I took a vacation day from work and the boys let me sleep until 9:45 (after a few feedings inbetween). Landon and I came downstairs and he played while I made blueberry muffins. I've had that muffin mix since they were born and was finally able to make them. Yum.

I just made Dan a card for our anniversary tomorrow. Something else that I don't get to do much at all anymore is crafting, so that was a special treat.

I'm feeling so emotional and sentimental right now about our anniversary. I knew that we would have a blessed life together but I had no idea 5 years ago just how blessed it would be. Our relationship gets stronger with each passing day.

The arrival of our boys, while stressful and not without its horrible moments, has been the single most defining moment of our marriage and we are beyond blessed to have them. We have come so far in the past 5 years and I feel like we are on the verge of a major transition right now. I'm excited to see what God has for us in the next 5 years.

{almost there!}

5 years ago today, I was running around like a mad woman, getting all of the last minute wedding details figured out. Like most brides I was completely stressed out and any little problem caused a total meltdown. The biggest freak out moment for me was Friday night after the rehearsal. As if I wasn't stressed enough, my glasses broke. Anyone who knows me knows that I don't wear contacts and I'm blind as a bat without my glasses. It was 9 pm and I thought there was no way I could get them fixed that night. Thank goodness my hubby and the husband of one of my bridesmaids rushed over to Walmart and the vision center was still open. Glasses were fixed and the bride was able to see, and breathe, again. :)

Here are a few photos from the rehearsal and dinner. It was very low key with pizza at a local restaurant.

Practicing our vows with my Dad...he married us :)


We look ready for the real thing, don't we?

Giving my parents a photo album of me growing up...definite tear jerker :)

Giving my mother-in-law her gift.

The hubs with his little brother and sister...he looks so tired!

{first cereal}

The boys had their first encounter with cereal. They weren't into it. LOL :)







We'll keep trying. I was given the suggestion of mixing in a little baby food with it so maybe we'll try that next time.

{the dress}

(With our 5 year wedding anniversary this Saturday, I'm dedicating this week to all things wedding)

Like most brides, during the early planning stages of our wedding I bought a plethora of bridal magazines, searching for the perfect dress. Who am I kidding...I bought those magazines before we were engaged. I can't remember what style I thought I would end up picking, but I do remember being surprised at the dress I did choose.

My Mom and I went for a fun day of wedding dress shopping in Indianapolis, prepared for a full day of trying on, crying, smiling, and all of those great mother-daughter moments. Our first stop was a small boutique where my sister had purchased her wedding dress. They were having a big sale, and I found a few dresses right away to try on. The first one was a ball gown with pearl spaghetti straps and simple, elegant beading. I've never been much of a spaghetti strap girl, but thought I would give it a shot. The minute I tried it on I knew it was THE dress. It was perfect. It hardly needed any alteration and I felt so beautiful in it.

Here are my Mom and I at my final fitting...



And here's a close-up shot of the bodice from our wedding day.


I'll be posting pics later this week from the big day...

{perfect fall weekend}

Saturday was one of those fall days out of your "perfect day" file. The weather was gorgeous...high 60's and sunny. My mother-in-law and I took the boys to their first 4th Street Fair, which is an institution here in our small town. It is a fall fair with all sorts of great vendors and food.

The day started with the boys trying on some of their new fall clothes.

Ben in his adorable owl shirt.


And Landon in his bad-ass "my aunt rocks" shirt. Thanks Aunt Carrie!

Then we were out to the fair. We had only been there a few minutes when I found my first treasures of the day. A milk glass cake stand marked $5. GASP. $5?! I'll take it!! I also found a milk glass vase and a precious aqua glass vase...all of that for $10!

Not a few minutes later I came upon a perfect find. Two adorable owls for the boys' nursery. $1 each. Super score again! Here's Grandma and Ben with the pretty pumpkins.


And here's Landon with the pumpkins...he wasn't as excited about them.

Mother-in-law bought a beautiful hand carved wooden giraffe for her mother-in-law and a green pottery vase for her sister. We came across a stand with pumpkins so of course I had to buy two little ones for the boys. $1 each. My total spending is up to $14 so far for all of those goodies.

After all of that bargain hunting the boys needed lunch. We took a break for a couple bottles and posed for a picture.


My final finds of the day were another milk glass vase and another adorable owl figurine for the nursery. $4 for both pieces.

Here's a pic of all my loot...all of this for $18! (cutie patootie pumpkins MIA)


Then on Sunday I took on a little organization project. Pretty much all I have time for these days. I cleaned out our medicine cabinet and used a few milk glass cups to hold the little things like tweezers and lip gloss. It makes me happy to open the door and see everything all tidy now.







Hope everyone had an equally fantastic weekend