Catching Up

Hello!

It's been a while. Like Jenny said in her update, it's great to be blogging again! For me, blogging is about keeping a record of our lives, sharing the fun things we discover, and staying connected with Jenny. It's so great to be back!

These past few months have been a whirlwind for our family. The biggest change being that I started a new job at the end of August! Although I've been involved since the beginning, I am so thrilled to be spending my working hours dedicated to the 30/30 Project! Here is an announcement of my new role if you are interested in reading about it. Not only am I excited to be back in my field (international development) but it is such an honor to be working with my family on something that is so close to all of our hearts personally.

Mylo continues to grow, both in height and personality! He is SUCH a chatterbox, narrating every detail of our lives. I need to start writing down some of the hilarious things that he says so that we have a record. He is a sweet, spirited, hungry little guy who keeps us on our toes and makes us laugh and smile every day. He LOVED Halloween this year and is obsessed with pumpkins so naturally we dressed him up as a plump one for his costume.

We have more to catch up on but since we are back up and blogging those can be full posts after Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Turkey Day! Jenny and I are making pies today, like we do.

Embracing Autumn

Don't get me wrong, I do love autumn, but there's something about the end of summer that's always sad to me. To avoid thinking about the loss of summer, every year I put a lot of energy into reminding myself about all the autumn related things I genuinely enjoy. Here's how I'm enjoying autumn this week.

1. Books... Fall is the perfect time to curl up with a good book. Due to my crazy schedule, I've turned to audiobooks. I'm currently enjoying Wyclef Jean's memoir, Purpose: An Immigrant's Story.

2. Tea... Roobios has been my go-to this week. It just makes me warm and happy inside AND different teas have lots of different positive health benefits.

3. Baking...We're on a Snickerdoodle kick at my house.


How are you enjoying autumn so far? I'm always open for other suggestions!


*Did I suck you in with my AMAZING title for this post? If I ever write a trashy romance novel I think I'll call it Embracing Autumn. It'll be about an average girl named Autumn who has seasonal depression. She will be plucked out of dreary Seattle by a handsome young billionaire who is instantly memorized by Autumn's ghostly pale skin and mousy hair that's perpetually damp and frizzy from the rain.  He will whisk her to his private island in the Caribbean where seasons don't exist and it's summer forever. Naturally I'll write a sequel to this book in which we find out that the billionaire is no longer attracted to Autumn once she's tan and happy. It turns out he only likes the super depressed ones. Autumn will discover that she doesn't need a billionaire to be happy and will move to a nearby island and become a yoga instructor and write a best selling memoir about her experiences. 

Fall Favorites: Apples!

As you likely know, the great state of Washington is known for our abundant and delicious apples. I have a lot of family that grew up in eastern WA picking apples growing up -- we love our apples here. Now that Mylo is becoming more easy going and grown up I'm getting back in the kitchen and cooking up some fall treats. I've been searching the internet for easy and interesting apple recipes and here's what I've come up with.

Apple pancake - how delicious does this look? Plus I can finally use my cast iron skillet.

Baked apples stuffed with oatmeal and brown sugar. This looks so easy and tasty.

Grilled cheese with bacon, apple and sprouts.

Baked apple cider donut holes. Yes, please.

Chunky apple muffins - Look great for breakfast


















PS. Five wonderful apple Pinterest boards.

(top image)

Fall Favorites: Oscar Season!

Although it's sad to see summer come to an end, Jenny and I are trying to see the bright side of the fall season that is upon us. One thing I love about September - January is that most of the Oscar nominated films are released into theaters. It sounds like the film getting the most buzz so far is 12 Years a Slave staring a talented cast of newcomers alongside seasoned vets like Brad Pitt. The preview looks great, check it out.

What are you looking forward to about fall? We'll be continuing this series for the next couple of months.

September Resolutions

To me September always feels like the start of a new year. After more than a decade of "back to school" the falls feels like the close of one season and the beginning of a new year ahead. Like many people, I'm thinking about how to get healthy this autumn (with the added incentive of moving toward getting my body back after pregnancy). My biggest pitfall, which is pretty obvious if you read this blog, is sweets. I don't drink caffeine so sugar is my way of boosting energy throughout the day. It's an addiction for me that usually takes a few days to get through feeling very tired and irritated when I go off of it. I'm going to use these 8 tips as I detox this month.

My other fall goals are to keep up my baby journal for Myles, take a lot of photos, start jogging again, and be gentle with myself as a new mom going back to work in October.

Do you have any goals for the fall?

(image)

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Thanksgiving...

What are you doing for Thanksgiving? This year, I'm hosting some family and friends at my house so I've had different ideas bouncing around in my head for a few weeks in terms of recipes, traditions and table decorations. 

Thanks to our Thanksgiving Pinterest board, I'm really inspired to try a few new recipes this year and am inspired to decorate. I have a set of Thanksgiving dishes I inherited from my parents, the leaf plates are my favorite part. So the goal with decorations, is to use those and get creative with other things I already have: doilies, leaves and branches, etc. 

We seem to celebrate Thanksgiving at a different place every year, so creating traditions that can be kept anywhere are a fun way to have consistency, despite the location. Last year, Teresa and I decided to make a tradition of baking together the day before, something I hope we still do when we're old and grey. 

Another tradition I've decided to start, is doing a craft project after everyone is stuffed. Last year, we made t-shirt scarves. This year, I'm thinking about making these. I love how they smell. Or we could really celebrate Thanksgiving elementary school style and make these!

How to Wear Loafers?

Ok, so I know I'm a little late on this trend but I picked myself up a pair of loafers over the weekend (patent leather :). Then I got home and realized I had no idea how to wear them. So I turned to Pinterest and Google and found a few good examples from the lovely Taylor Swift. What do you think of loafers? They seemed a little old fashioned to me but I'm coming around (especially since they are so comfy!).

Taylor wears her loafers with skinny jeans and dresses. I WANT CAT LOAFERS!

PS. Fab Sugar's guide to fall loafers. 

(Taylor 1, Taylor 2, Taylor 3)

Why tea is magical...

I recently ran across this great graphic over at THISFOLDEDMIND. It's no secret that Jenny and I are tea lovers. This time of year, when the rain starts and there is no end in sight, there is nothing more comfy than cozying up with a cup of Rooibos tea and a cat. 

Halloween Costumes

I've been scouring the internet investigating the cutest Halloween outfit for my nearly six month old niece and came across the most (inadvertently?) hilarious costumes!

"Sexy" Spins for the Ladies:


Sexy Raccoon: this cracks me up! Is it just me or are raccoons scary and rodent-like, not sexy getup?

Sexy Gnome Costume: Again...are gnomes sexy?? This one is cheeky though.

Sexy "Rosie the Maid" Costume...wasn't Rosie a plump middle-aged robot housekeeper on the Jetsons? Awesome purse.
















Hilarious "Little Artists" Costume Ideas from Oh Happy Day
How adorable are these kids? 

And possibly the cutest costume EVER:

Where's Waldo Dog!

Mums the Word

Yes, I'm on a lame pun kick this week, give me a break. Are you into fall Mums? It's fun to see them around town and get in the autumnal mood, plus they aren't too pricey. I'm trying to fill an arsenal of fun fall thoughts to fight against the impending winter blues. Here's some mum-spiration from around the web. Happy Fall!

(top, house, pumpkins, pins, steps)

Burgundy

Do you buy into the "color of the season" hype that goes around in fashion magazines and the internet? Apparently burgundy is the new color for fall (remember Tangerine Tango from last spring?). While I'm not likely to go out and buy a bunch of stuff in a particular color for a season, I have to admit I'm partial to burgundy. I'm leaning toward some pumps for work and play but all of this stuff is cute:

ASOS Dotty Dress

Cole Haan Chelsea Pump

Pieces Bell Belt

Free People Opaque Tights

Topshop Blazer

Getting Excited for Fall TV!

Although I'm going to miss the sunshine and outdoor activity of summer, I am looking forward to curling up with a cup of tea and enjoying some great TV this fall. I'm pumped for the season premiers of some of my favorite shows like The Good Wife, Amazing Race, Boardwalk Empire and New Girl. But I'm also going to try out a few new shows to see if any of them seem worth watching, here are a few on my list:

The Mindy Project is at the top and I've already watched the season premier thanks to Hulu. As, you've read, Jenny and I have a girl-crush on Mindy Kaling and I think this show has a lot of potential. They didn't knock the premier out of the ball park but New Girl was a slow starter too so I'll keep watching.

Ben and Kate is on during the same night as Mindy and New Girl so I'll probably give it a shot too. I watched this premier and laughed a couple of times, worth watching a few more episodes.

Elementary, based on the Sherlock Holmes books, also seems to have potential. It has a lot to live up to as BBC's Sherlock is one of my favorites.

Call the Midwife, already a hit in the UK, this BBC show about midwives in 1950's London comes to PBS in September. I'll definitely be tuning in for this one!

Back to School Shopping

Do you miss back to school shopping as much as I do? When I was a kid growing up in Spokane we used to be so excited to wear our new outfits that we'd end up sporting sweaters and boots in 90 degree weather on the first day of school. Fall clothes are my favorite to wear, there is something magical about a great pair of boots with a fitted coat.

I have my eye on a few fun things for fall but I'm also trying to hold out for some good sales going into the holidays. Here are a few things on my wish list:

Brown boots

Wool coats

 Dresses with tights 

Scarves and 

hats

Blazers

Sweaters and cardigans