21 Month Old Anabelle

This kiddo is the spunkiest toddler around. She is so full of life and energy, and I can't imagine her any other way. She is quick to give you her opinion and she doesn't hesitate to let you know when (or anyone else, for that matter) has entered her bubble of personal space. 

Everywhere we go, she gets so many stares, smiles and comments about how adorable she is. She's quick to smile and wave at strangers, because she loves to be the charming entertainment. The other day she whispered gibberish in my ear and started cracking up. I couldn't help but laugh with her, as she grabbed my face in her hands and gave me a kiss.  

She has developed a true passion for baby dolls and stuffed animals. She holds them in her arms, rocks them to sleep, feeds them and shushes them when they are upset. This early in the game, it's apparent that she has a sweet and loving soul. 

As much as she loves those babies, she's a bit of a tomboy at heart. She refuses to let me put headbands or bows in her head. She runs away from me whenever I try. Luckily, she's learned to rock that top knot better anyway. She loves any and all balls. She's quick to spot them when we are out and about, and has an incredible arm. I imagined putting her into gymnastics or dance, but I think I'm leaning towards softball. You guys, I'm not even exaggerating when I tell you this kid can chunk a ball across the room. 

Anabelle loves to dance and is quick to rock her hips to any up beat. She often asks me to dance, and we have mini jam sessions in the kitchen and the playroom. It's the best!

She's started to master mimicking what mommy and daddy do. She repeats the words we say and it's so incredible to watch her connect the dots in her head. She's learned so many new words lately, it's hard to keep up. Lately she's been saying: hello, boo!, bubbles, no more, puzzle, book, tree, juice and store. 

She's also a tough cookie! Whenever she gets hurt or falls, she whines for a brief second, runs to me for a boo-boo kiss and goes about her merry way.

We started using the, "you have five more minutes..." phrase and she's started putting her hand up when she wants five more minutes. It's pretty hilarious now, but I'm sure it will bite me in the butt later on.

I'm so excited to bake a few things together for Thanksgiving. She's been wearing the tutu I bought her all week pretty thrilled about it. She twirled around, giggling and laughing, and it kinda hit me. I have a daughter :)

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

Tuesday Rambles

1. I made this apple pie yesterday for my office Thanksgiving. It only took me four hours to make. Oh my goodness. It's always been on my bucket list, but gosh. How did those generations before us do it? 
2. I'm making another one for my family's Thanksgiving. With a toddler in between my legs begging to "hewp" mommy. Clearly, I've gone off the deep end.
3. I can't even believe Thanksgiving is a couple of days away. I just typed out a few weeks away.  I'm delusional and need more coffee than the two and a half cups already consumed this morning. 
4. I'm obsessed with Vanderpump Rules. Anyone else like these trashy faux celebs whose lives are a train wreck? I can't stop myself from watching and my husband groans every time I put it on. I've rationalized watching this show because Jerseylicious is no longer on television. My TV time is sparse, and I choose my choice! (Sex and the City, forevers and evers.)
5. This video is my life. I seriously could not stop laughing. 
6. I ran across this article and I can totally relate.  Although I love crafting, I can drown in Pinterest way too long looking at all the amazing things other mothers are creating. "Make sure your child's life is fun and meaningful, instead of pretty and picturesque" really rings true.  
7. Has anyone seen Dan the news anchor dancing. Not gonna lie, I've watched this video ten plus times. It is hilarious. And I've shared it with everyone I know. Your're welcome. 

Five Reasons I'm So Thankful

1 \\ After years of refusing to have a family, I finally have one of my very own. I cherish each day with them because in reality, I realize there is so much more to live for. If I knew how awesome life was with children, I would have started way sooner. Kidding. Maybe. 
2 \\ I married the right man. Our communications skills have improved over the years, and I'm so grateful I've learned the right way to communicate with him. We're a team, and I think we're pretty damn awesome together. Plus, he's willing to go on an ice cream run at any time. Swoon. 
3 \\ My home is all my own. I never imagined we would own our home, but we have somewhere Anabelle can call her home. Somewhere she can trash up and we don't have to worry about paying the landlord for toddler tornado damage.
4 \\ Sweet friends that listen to me whine and complain and offer advice when I really need it. I can't imagine my life without them. 
5 \\ The realization that I finally know who I am. Who I'm supposed to be. And I'm so excited for what's to come.
Happy Friday friends! I hope you take the time to tell me what you're thankful for. Tis the season!

DIY Thanksgiving Placemat

With Thanksgiving less than ten days away (what?!), I wanted to make Anabelle a special place to put her plate when we sit down for dinner with our family. I am so incredibly grateful that she is in our lives, that a simple, "so grateful" sketched out on her placemat is no less than perfect. 

Supplies needed:

- Brown kraft paper (white would work too)

- Ruler

- Scissors

- Writing tool of choice (white pencil, gel pens, markers, etc.)

Instructions:

1. Cut out a 12x18 piece out of the kraft paper. 

2.  Measure out where your child's plate (or grown up plate) will be to the left of the placemat. I made a line in the middle of the placemat as a guide.

3. Write out a special saying to your child or loved one. You can even write out their name, or a place they can write out what they are thankful for this year. There are endless possibilities! 

So simple, yet so meaningful! I hope you give this a try and let me know how it turns out :)

Fall Nail Colors

Covergirl Outlast in Wine Stain // Sally Hansen in Golden Rule // Essie in Berry Naughty // 

Sally Hansen in Gray-t Escape

What's a better way to start off Monday morning than talking about beautiful nail colors for Fall? I absolutely love all of these colors. It makes beanie and scarf weather a little more bearable. These colors are a perfect way to get your nails beautiful for Thanksgiving (and Christmas). I always feel a bit more festive when my nails are glammed up, don't you?

Wine Stain // This has been my go-to color since late September. I absolutely love it, because it's dark enough to be a little edgy, but not to dark to be ominous. It's all about balance.

Golden Rule // I picked this up not too long ago, and I think this would look great for the holidays. Maybe even swept on top of another color for a quick glitterscape. 

Berry Naughty // The name says is all, just a little naughty mixed with a dark red.

Gray-t Escape // This color is a mix between gray and pink. It's very feminine without being too girly.

Are there any colors that you've been loving lately? Let's swap beauty faves! Tell me something I don't really need to buy, so I can add it to my ridiculous collection of products.

Have a great Monday, ladies! I have a sweet Thanksgiving-inspired DIY tomorrow. Don't miss it.

Thanksgiving Decor

Our house is riddled with pumpkins and pine cones that smell like Christmas. I made a fall-inspired feather garland with gold tipped ends to hang on our mantle and I love the beauty of it's imperfection.

I can't wait for a little time off to spend with my sweet family, and a time to wind down from the constant bustle of (work) life. I'm thinking I'm going to attempt to make apple pie from scratch this year. It probably won't look as beautiful as this, but it will be made with love :)

Have you got your Thanksgiving decorations up? I know I'm late sharing, but procrastination makes life interesting. 

A Little Sunday Failed DIY

This time change has thrown me for a loop and has officially put me into a winter hibernation of some sorts (hence the reason for being MIA). Anyone else having trouble? Anabelle sure isn't. She doesn't seem phased in the least. 

During Sunday nap time, while the Cowboys killed the Jaguars, I wanted to try my hand at an Indian headband. It looked so perfect in my head, but I ended up buying the wrong kind of feathers, so I couldn't paint the entire feather the way I envisioned in my head. I made the most of it and I quickly put this one together with what I had on hand. 

While I was outside finishing up, Anabelle fell and busted her top lip on the hardwood floors. Grandma was on duty, and I came inside to show her the headband, and I noticed red blood all around her mouth. I asked my mom, "what is that?" She said, "isn't that juice?" 

Insert panicked mama, a flurry of cleaning up her lip and applying ice. It really wasn't that bad, but I felt horrible because I was outside for like three minutes and she gets injured. 

Needless to say, she wasn't excited to take pictures with the headband I slaved over. Most of her picture-ready face looked like she was pouting. 

American Apparel Tee // Cheetah Jeans // Moccs

I love her independent free spirit :)

Happy Veteran's Day! I have the day off, so of course I have jam packed our mama and daughter day. Enjoy the day lovely ladies!

Mama and Baby Fall Favorites

November is my favorite month of the year, and not only because it's my birth month, but because it's the time of the year where everyone starts to be thankful. A month full of thanks. A month where I can cram my face with pie, stuffing and delicious butter rolls without feeling guilty is a plus, too.

We are gearing up for Fall here in our household, since the temperatures are finally reaching the 50's and 60's. That's as cold as it's going to get for a while, and I'm loving every minute of it. Here are a few pieces I have been eyeing lately! 

H&M Melange Cardigan // Nars Lipstick in Fast Ride // Gap Marled Eye Top // Gap Cable Knit Pom Pom // H&M Leopard Leggings // Minnetonka Fringe Booties // Gap Reverse Fair Isle Sweater // H&M High Waist Pants // Silence + Noise Chunky Zipper Boot

I tend to lean towards grays and blacks during the Fall, and I won't apologize for it. Those are classic colors that will never go out of style. Bring on the fifty shades of gray! Nars makeup is beautiful, and this color screams autumn leaves and cold weather! And those Silence + Noise boots, um... yes, please!  Anabelle had some Minnetonka booties last year when she couldn't walk so well, but I loved them so! I'm really thinking I may buy her a pair for this year. They are just too adorable.  Do you have any Fall favorites you've been drooling over? Fashion is my passion.  

Halloween Recap

Cat ears - DIY // Baseball Tee // Black Leggings // Moccs

We went to our church Halloween festival for some easy and safe fun with Anabelle. I decided to dress her up as a cat with simple glitter embellished cat ears, a plain baseball tee, black leggings and Potato Feet moccasins. It was super easy, and she totally adored it! We were practicing working on our, "meow" all week long. She totally nailed it.

She had a carpet burn on her sweet face from jumping off the bed (no idea where she got that from), and it was freezing outside, but we had so much fun! She played a few games, ate a waffle burger straight from a food truck, went trick or treating inside the church and managed to consume just a few pieces of candy. She finally crashed around 10:00pm, which is the latest she's ever been awake! 

I loved the simplicity of this year's Halloween! The look on her face when she got to wear makeup like mommy was priceless, and it's a look I hope to never forget. I soaked up every minute of Halloween, since I'm positive next year, she'll be able to tell me exactly what she wants to be. With a smile and a head tilt. And it won't be as easy, but it will be just as fun. 

Until we meet again, Halloween.