Evie’s faves:
dancing to music
saying Karl (instead of mama and dada)
smooching his baby cousin, Brooklyn
C O N N E C T
F A C E B O O K
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C H E C K
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S E A R C H
Eleven months
Speaking of spirits
All of this holiday talk has me in the mood to sip some wine while blasting the Bing Crosby holiday Pandora station. Which is exactly what my sister and I did tonight while whipping up a batch of my mother-in-law’s Homemade Bailey’s.
[vino and Connick]
[the good stuff]
With family and friend get-togethers looming, this is a great make ahead recipe to have on hand for after dinner drinks. It is so good served alone, over ice or in your coffee. Um, yum!
Getting in the spirit
It’s no secret that I love this time of year. So as soon as the costumes are put away I am in full on holiday mode. Mannheim in the car, pinning all sorts of delicious recipes (that I’m sure I’ll never get around to make) and Hallmark Channel movies on 24/7. Yes, I’m that crazy lady.
So with that in mind, here is a little glimpse into what was going on in my world this past weekend.
[picked up my first red cup of the season]
[sang Jingle Bells while Everett shook these]
[picked up (more) festive wrapping paper]
[designed Everett’s first birthday party invites – can’t wait to share more about this soon!]
[went on a plaid binge at Old Navy]
If you are local to Des Moines and are interested in getting a head start on your holiday shopping, then look no further than these two open houses this week:
Accents & Interiors: I always hit this store up for their annual holiday open house and hardly ever walk away empty handed. This eclectic local specialty store has something for everyone on your list. Literally, everyone. 20% off almost everything store wide November 12-15. Get those lists ready.
Boxwoods Fine Furnishings: I was able to do a quick run through (squirmy kid in my arms) of this new store over the weekend and I can’t wait to return for their grand opening event this Saturday. I pretty much ended up drooling over every single beautifully curated piece. I have a feeling I will be pulling all sorts of inspiration (and items) from this new gem for decorating our new log home. Oh, and 10% off during the event – score!
Posted in Holidays, Local Spots
Tagged Accents + Interiors, Boxwoods, Old Navy, plaid, red cup, Starbucks
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Go Grandpa
Our family had a big night this past Tuesday as my father-in-law was elected to his sixth term as the governor of our state. I am so blessed to have such amazing in-laws in my life and I know that Everett thinks the same thing too!
Here are a few photos from the big day (and even a sweet shot from the morning after):
[didn’t have time to do my own hair (thanks Ev), so Blo did it for me over lunch!]
[a behind-the-scenes shot watching returns come in]
[it’s official]
[grandpa victory smooches in his mustache jammies]
Bird, bird, bird
Let the holidays begin! Now that November is here, it’s time to get festive. It all started this weekend with our annual Turducken family dinner. We usually celebrate this three bird feast closer to Thanksgiving, but this year we decided to space out our indulging!
Once again my husband did an amazing job crafting this masterpiece. Each year seems to taste better than the last!
[a little pre-feast play time]
[the birds are all ready for the oven]
[chef marcus does it again]
[the little ladies with their turkey cupcakes]
Grease is the word
I’ve been super busy all week getting prepared for Terrace Hill’s annual Halloween event, Scare Us Hill. Last minute craziness made my first cocktail of the evening taste that much better!
The family loves to go all out with the group costumes (past themes: Star Wars & Ghostbusters), and this year did not disappoint. “Isn’t that the most? To say the least?”
Hope you all had a happy (and haunted) Halloween!
Happy birthday to me
Today is my birthday. Whoopie! To celebrate being another year older I did the following:
Kissed this little dragon a thousand times.
Indulged with co-workers.
Had a margarita.
Was showered with gifts.
And as I head to bed tonight I will say a quiet prayer for all that I have been given and all that is still to come.
Obsessed: trick-or-treat
Since I was a little kid, Beggar’s Night was one you didn’t want to miss. Going door to door in full costume (usually with a turtleneck underneath because it was too cold) to tell jokes and collect candy is every kid’s dream. We would get home and dump our haul on the table and ogle all the sugary goodness, picking out a few pieces to devour with the rest going into baggies to enjoy for weeks to come. (More on the DSM joke-telling custom here via The Des Moines Register.)
With my birthday falling a few days before Halloween and a penchant for dressing up, it should come as no surprise that I’m particularly fond of this spooky holiday.
Scare Us Hill: Once again I am on the committee this year (yours truly designed the invites!), and the main event is going to be better than ever because Halloween falls on a Friday night! Got kiddos? Then you should definitely check out Scare Us Hill: Trick-or-Treat at Terrace Hill this Sunday!
Carter’s gear: Everett has many Carter’s pieces (you can’t go wrong with camo), but I particularly love their holiday specific collections. This year’s crop of Halloween gear for the little ones does not disappoint!
Personalized treat bag: I almost purchased this goodie bag for Everett, then realized he can’t even walk and doesn’t eat candy. Maybe next year…
Howell’s Pumpkin Patch: This has always been on our annual to-do list but this year was SO MUCH MORE FUN because Evie was along for the ride!
Posted in Holidays, Lifestyle
Tagged Beggar's Night, Carter's, Halloween, Howell's Pumpkin Patch, obsessed, Scare Us Hill
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Portlandia
I just returned from the HighEdWeb conference in Portland and I’m in love. It was my first time to the northwest coast and even though I spent most of my trip inside a hotel, I found time to do a little exploring.
[Voodoo Doughnut – a must if you come to Portland]
[what’s in the bag? This hat from Pendleton]
[a little HighEdWeb fun on the 23rd floor]
[lunch stop at Lardo]
[still dreaming about the hand-crafted lattes from Public Domain]
[found this gem on an early morning run along the river]
[eating pizza in a haunted elevator shaft at Old Town Pizza– check]
[missed this little ham like crazy!]
Posted in Travel
Tagged highedweb, Lardo, Old Town Pizza, Oregon, Portland, VooDoo Donuts
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Mommy mind: post-bath bliss
[I sit here writing this post while I’m hundreds of miles away at a work conference in Portland, Oregon. This is my first time being apart from Everett for consecutive days at a time and I am missing my little man like crazy. Especially his – and my – nighttime routine.]
Like most households, we have a regular nighttime routine that consists of dinner, bath, book, bottle and bed. And it is my favorite time of the day. Well, that and when I walk into his room in the morning and am greeted by his huge grin and squeals.
My little guy has always loved bath time. Over the past few months the introduction of toys in the tub has become a necessity as he no longer wants to sit down. I’m amazed at how well I can now bathe him with one hand while holding on to him with the other. He is a slippery, squirmy one – exploring the spout, soap holder and undoing the drain stopper – but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Once he is out and snuggled up into his hoodie towel, I get him diapered, lotioned and combed while singing Five Little Monkeys and playfully chewing on his feet. His baby comb over makes me weak in the knees.
He watches me intently as I fill up his bottle with warm water – giddy with excitement because he knows what is coming. As I walk with him on my hip back to his room, I must kiss him a thousand times. Give or take.
Once we settle in and he is properly folded into the crook of my arm, I read his favorite book aloud to him. Over exaggerating words and ‘peek-a-boos’, I make sure to stop and watch his reactions when I open up the flaps to uncover words underneath for the hundredth time. With every giggle he gives me, I relax more and more into my role.
He guzzles down his bottle as I hold him as close to me as possible – inhaling his sweet scent and soaking up every minute of our last cuddle session for the day. During these few fleeting moments, I am always flooded with emotions.
“Am I doing a good job?”
“How can I possibly love anything more than him?”
“Can he stay this small forever?”
Those are just a few of the hundreds of thoughts that run through my mind while holding him close in those quiet post-bath cuddles. But every session ends the same. With a kiss, an ‘I love you’ and a promise for another day together.
Tomorrow's To Dos 