texture

last week we had a bit of cold weather and we even had a little rain.
southern california is doing it's best to try to keep fall away,
but i say welcome, welcome.
i enjoyed that taste of fall that we had.

i'm ready to cozy up a bit and from the looks of what makes me think fall

 i'm loving a lot of visual texture.

1. vanessa bruno sweater, 2. annie larson knit hats, 3. tom's, 4. vintage chevron afghan

a leafy recap

this holiday weekend went by in a flash. 

 we now have christmas on our minds.  

this morning julian shouted 

"it's christmas eve!!!"

whoa, not quite, but i'm sure it will be before i know it.  

 here is just a little recap of our super relaxing thanksgiving.  usually we have about 2-3 different places that we go on thanksgiving, but this year it was just one.  this was the most relaxing thanksgiving i have had since having kiddos.  i really miss seeing the family that we didn't see this year on thanksgiving but it sure was nice to slow down the pace. 

we started the morning off with a late pumpkin waffle breakfast.

i thought it would be fun to make little indian headbands for the kids.  

they were super easy and fun and the kids were able to help a little.  ella sewed some of her feathers.

right now julian is wearing his and shooting his little toy bow and arrow...love it!

 then we headed outside and played...for hours.   

 i'm thinking for christmas all the kids need is a new rake. 

ha, ha! 

this pile of leaves kept them entertained for hours and hours.

somewhere in that time i was my typical last minute self and i turned out a quick thanksgiving dress for ella. 

then we headed over to my grandparents house for a not-so-quiet thanksgiving dinner. 

 i secretly love the loud din of family enjoying time together. 

 the kid's finally quieted down to watch a movie.

we went home with full belly's 

and very thankful hearts.

today i need to 

finish decorating the house for christmas,

edit way too many pics,

alter ella's christmas dance costume that is way too big and could probably fit me, 

try a new recipe for dinner 

and 

have a tree decorating party tonight

(love our fake white tree)

happy monday!

relax and enjoy!!

i had good intentions of making a nice list of all that i have to be thankful for but i will just say what ella said this morning...

i'm thankful for the whole world and ummmm...my family!!

fall love

it feels like fall!!

i'm loving...

1. that there are a few trees around here that have leaves that are changing into all of the magical fall colors

2. big beautiful storm clouds against a blue sky

3. hot dogs...not the ones you eat, haha, this costume gave me a good laugh.

4. little boys who dress themselves in fur scarves...i think he commented about 10 times that night about how soft and warm his scarf was.

5. rainy days

6. warm socks

7. bundling everyone up and going on a bike ride.

pippi and mr. skeleton boy

(costume details: wig, pinafore, and bags made by me, green t-shirt thrifted, skeleton costume,pippi's socks and boots- Target)

i love making costumes for these guys, but his year julian broke my heart and really wanted this store bought costume.  ugh!! i had to ask myself if this is really about me or them?...  julian got a store bought one, but it was super painful for me to buy it.  i still have hopes for next year and the years to come.

ella is the one with big plans and her confidence in me and what i can make is just a little too much.  her first choice for a costume this year was an ostrich....what?!! right?  i love her creativity, but WHAT?  she is just way too funny and quirky...hey that sounds just like a little girl named pippi.  

i was finally able to drop enough hints and get her convinced that she really would make a great pippi.

she is just like pippi in so many ways. 

 if you haven't seen any pippi movies in a while, do it...she is pretty entertaining!

next year i want to plan something for all of us to wear like when most of us were the little rascals.

i better start planning now!

not the biggest corn maze

 this past weekend we visited some really good friends who we hadn't seen in a while and had so much fun.  we considered going to the biggest corn maze in california, but opted for the free one. there was a  little bonus at the one we went to and i 'm pretty sure it made up for it not being the biggest one.

warning- there are a lot of pics

 you would never guess what these guys were waiting for...

 our surprise bonus...

that's right - pig races!!!

 such a fun time!!

pumpkin carving and football helmets

we did a little pumpkin carving this weekend and ended up with some pretty creative pumpkins.  i think my favorite is the football helmet...ha, ha...my nephews put those pumpkins on their heads without anything on their heads.  that's what i love about boys.  

i also love the skull andy carved for julian.  i'm not a big fan of skulls, but that's what julian picked out and i think it turned out pretty good, especially since it was free handed.  it kind of reminds me of a dia de los muertos skull.

i didn't finish mine so i worked on it for about another hour at home...this is so typical of me.  i made the haunted houses on the hill one, but i had never carved one that is just carved on the surface.  it turns out the pumpkin is really thick and you have to scrape half the pumpkin away from the inside so that the light can even shine through.  

so much fun!!

well, i'm off to the thrift store to get a couple of things to finish ella's costume.