These Things: Fall Edition

I'm so excited for this upcoming Fall in our new home, here some totally awesome things that I want to have while enjoying my favorite season:

This amazing fire pit, with hammered copper; it's pretty much the best fire pit around town.
$3099-$3499

FRONTGATE

The Harvest Pumpkin wreath from Pottery Barn, if that doesn't scream Fall, I don't know what does.

$99

Pottery Barn

This awesome Stone Top Kitchen Island from Williams Sonoma.  It's rustic, but charming... kinda like me.
$1295-$2495

WILLIAMS-SONOMA

I love nothing more than to curl up under a nice, soft, warm blanket and while I don't know if this one is any of those qualities, it looks awesome so that's all that really matters.

$39.99

ZGALLERIE

These bookcases remind me of a library stacked with little treasures that you have time to read on a brisk fall day.  I want all three of them right now... I just need to fill them with books, or make them look nice with lots of trinkets and stuff.

$149

Ikea

Fall reminds me of the smell of a nice hearty fire in our living room and for some reason so does this charger, it just looks like it would smell like a roaring fire, doesn't it?

$91.80 for a set of 4

ZGALLERIE

And I'll take one of these, just because it warms up a room.

$325

URBANOUTFITTERS

There's nothing I like more right now than a nautical stripe... Shh!  Don't tell a chevron; they're still my jam!

$39

west elm

Who doesn't love a good claw foot tub?  This one is a modern take on a classic.

$1,144.99

overstock.com

This space chair would be the perfect one to curl up in while next to a fire.  I mean, it's orange... what more could you want from a chair?
$279

IKEA

A wire basket for my freshly picked apples and by freshly picked, I mean picked that day from the grocery store bin.
$49.95

WILLIAMS-SONOMA

Not that this has anything to do with the Fall, but recently, we've been watching an almost absurd amount of Gator Boys and therefore, my kids would love this planter.

$75

uncommongoods

I'm loving these coasters and since they can be used year round, why not buy em' in the Fall.  Pssshhhh, my moto is: if I want somethin' you damn well better believe that I'm gonna get it.

$64... is that too expensive for a set of 4?

uncommongoods

A punch bowl?  I love punch!

$59.99

redENVELOPE

Omg.  A fall picnic with things like cheese of all varieties and spiced wine would be divine; simply wonderful.  And since it's a bag, the man totally has to carry it, which means that I can just look pretty.

$79.95

redENVELOPE

We've Got A Nice Little Spot

There are some days when I have these big plans and we end up trekking 45 minutes to Ikea and then running home grabbing lunch and putting the boys down for naps, then we go to Michaels and Target and a how can we forget about that quick jaunt into Home Goods... our weekends have become a blurry mess of errands and spur of the moment trips that involve packing everyone into the car and driving somewhere.  Recently though, I've just wanted to stop, collect ourselves and step back from our busy lives, particularly on the weekends and relax.  We're finally in the home of our present and our future, talking almost daily about the fires we're excited to build in the fire place, our boys are growing up so quickly and learning new things daily; just the other night Cullen turned to me and said, "What does that man have on his armpits?"  (for the record, it was hair and he thought that was hilarious) and I realize that I've got to do better at saying no to an almost second nature habit of cramming in things that I want to do on the weekend, but don't need to do.

I need to do family time.  I need to do walks to recharge my energy and our family energy.  We have a pond in our neighborhood that we walked to for the first time last weekend, and I've come to realize that I need to do this pond more often.  Those are my needs that I've somehow over looked that I'm trying to get back into focus.  After I got home and looked at the pictures of the boys enjoying the trip to the pond, I realize that they need this too, they need this nice little spot to stretch their legs and enjoy the fish that create ripples as they swim over to the pond's edge.

We all got this chance to have a nice little spot, not just at the pond, but also in our lives right now and I'm going to make it a priority to enjoy it more.

Ahoy, Ye Landlubbers and Monsters!

So, did everyone know that it is Landlubbers and not Landlovers?!  'Cause I sure as heck didn't... but let's move on, shall we.

Bear with me, this post may be a little ramble-bambly, but we'll get there... eventually.  My whole life, I've always done things at the very last minute, waiting until the last second if possible; and usually things work out in a rushed, half-assed type of way.  As a mother, I am sincerely trying to analyze this and improve upon it; and how's that going, you ask?  Fair to partly cloudy.  Sometimes I'm the early bird, chowing down on a freakin' smorgasbord of worms and other times, it's all picked over with only the dried, crusty worms left, figuratively speaking of course.

Three years in a row, I've either searched frantically at the last moment to find a relatively cute costume in a size that remotely fits or we've bought costumes that are okay, but not awesome.  This year that's all changed after an impromptu trip to Costco- BOOM!  We got "the perfect" Halloween costumes and I don't wanna brag, but guess who had dinner last night with a Pirate and Sulley?  That's right, this girl.

I know, I know, we let them open the costumes and now there's no going back; it's Costume Time all the time up in here, but apparently that's a family tradition that started with my Grandmother, so I feel confident that I'm in good-Mom-company.

And, we let them buy two costumes because they were just so cute... but really, could anyone say no to these two?  Probably not.

Friday Short

You only turn one once, right?  

And this little guy was seriously livin' it up.

Look Who Found The Nice Camera

This weekend, we loaded the boys into the car and packed up a lot of stuff, then grabbed some drive-through Chick-Fil-A and headed on down to the Jersey Shore, which if you live in the North East, you know is the only thing to do to mark the beginning, middle and end of summer.  As we were leaving, I told Jim, "I'm gonna take a lot of pictures."  When we finally made it home, the grand picture total had climbed to 437 and we were all exhausted.

Now, sit back, relax and enjoy this photographic journey of what the beach looks like for us:

There's carefree babies in umbrella strollers rumbling up and down the boardwalk.

There are happy, happy, happy kids that are treated to orange soda, which, last time I checked, probably isn't made from real oranges.

Brothers share their chips, man.  

Brothers are pushy until chips are acknowledged and eaten.

Rides.  That's all I really have to say.  Lots and lots and lots of rides.  There's meltdowns over rides, there's kids who want to ride all of them and kids who want to ride only one.  

There's shuffleboard.  Look at Aunt Megan, what a player!

And breaks from shuffle board for some snapshots.

Strollers are a great time for joking around and having a good time.  Three year olds are particularly fond of walking.

We were brave and signed up for paid for 20 holes of miniature golf.  Considering that there were six people, three of whom are under eight, we fared pretty well.  No crying, quite a few holes in one and plenty of cheering and by that I mean helping yourself to picking up your golf ball and dropping it into the hole.

Return of The Rides: Balloons and Bears.

I don't know, for someone who was cryin' up a storm to go on the rides, they sure do look bored...

Patiently waiting for Daddy and Zeta to come down the log flume. Remember to lift your feet while you're going up, or you will definitely have wet shoes.

And last, but certainly not least on his list, a big bag full of cotton candy; the blue kind, not the pink.