Fall Smiles

 Happy Monday! This weekend was a good one. Fall is in full swing. 

Don't get me wrong: it's cold. The high today is 44... (good thing I got M's winter coat ordered when I did!) but it will be back to the 70s this weekend! 

October So Far

We are 10 days into October and I have nothing to show for it. This month is going to go by in a whirlwind. It already has. 

There's SO much goodness coming and every single weekend brings more. 

My month started with a little note on my pillow from M. She even made the envelope. 

For the record, the show I saw was good. 

The kids spent one of the last hot days at the park before going to a birthday party. 

I spent that day with a bunch of confirmation candidates at their retreat. 

We got adult happy meals. And kid happy meals. And you know what? It legitimately made me happy. 

There are a lot of fancier, healthier food options but McDonald's does hold a special spot in my heart. 

This creepy-looking animal showed up on the second grader's Spanish worksheet. No one seems to know what it is. 

The same sheet already had a sheep and a camel and the feet were different. Some people in my office believe it's like Sid from Ice Age, which I suppose it could be an extinct ground sloth but I am not sold. Everyone agrees it must be a girl due to the eyelashes. 

And yes, clearly it IS bugging me and I have asked a lot of people what it could be. Including the Spanish teacher. Who explained to me that the children didn't need to identify the animal, but simply count them up. (Yes, I got that. Still doesn't change the fact I want to know what this is.) 

I think the reason M didn't answer this one at all is that she's my daughter and utterly perplexed at what creature it is. 

Soccer is winding down. 

Last practice today! And one more game. M has really come into her own, she has decided she really likes defense and plays the position well. When they switch her to offense she isn't quite as great but overall the season has been a positive one. I wasn't sure how it would go this year and if she'd be ready to be done or not, but she has done a great job. I am so proud! 

Husband and I went to a wedding on Saturday. It was nice to go out and grown up together. 

And yesterday we went on an afternoon of errands and hit Costco. So then we had the fanciest dinner ever. $1.50 hot dogs and smoothies. (For a serving of fruit obviously.) 

And here we are at today. Now you're all caught up on my October! 

Fall is Really Here

 On Wednesday I was given the gift of an extra hour. Not a ton of time in the grand scheme of things, but a meeting I thought I had to go to was rescheduled so I got to go home an hour earlier than I had planned! And I 100% made the best of it because my favorite girl and I made one of our family's favorite fall treats! 

Pumpkin Chip Muffins! Thanks, Billie Jo. This recipe has been my go-to since at least 2016. And let it be known that because it makes so many (2 dozen!) you can freeze them and have them on hand for breakfasts or snacks as needed throughout your autumnal season. 

Yesterday, I had a diocesan orientation training and killed some time in a park. And it was the darndest thing because the season really has just come in with a bang. 

In three days last week, it went from 90 to 60. And now we're in that prime weather week where it's in the 40s overnight and into the 60s during the day. It's a special time. 

I even switched from my Birkenstock sandals to my Birkenstock clogs. It's Fall y'all! 

Life is so very good. 

Okay Then

Life has just been chugging away like normal. And I don't have too much to show for it I am afraid. Not for lack of doing things but you get it. 

So let's see in the last week... we took school pictures. And lucky me, I got to take one too! I wasn't super thrilled with that prospect but I ended up going over with the three-year-olds and it is a little difficult to be jaded when you get to take your picture with kids who haven't ever had a school picture before. 

C and M are both doing a show at the Center. Where C did Elf last year. This year the show is The Little Mermaid Jr. They had auditions and last Tuesday we got the cast list. C is going to be Grimsby, which is a good role for him but also a much bigger role than before. He has been working hard on his music this past week and trying to memorize his lines. 

M apparently really rocked her audition and I am so so happy about that. She was cast as a tentacle and a sea creature. She auditioned for the seahorse. (A small part with one line.) Tentacle means she is attached to Ursula and will get a lot of stage time, so she actually got an upgrade from what she was hoping for. She has been working on her songs as well, which was their homework before the Thursday rehearsal. 

My little theatre-loving heart is so happy about it! 

Thursday and Friday, I went on a staff retreat at one of our Deacon's cabin. Cabin is a loose phrase, because while it technically is, in fact, a log cabin. 

We were not in any way roughing it. 6 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and it's gorgeous inside. 

So that's where I was those days. Saturday M had a soccer game and they played really well together as a team, M played so incredibly well. I took no pictures. We then went out to lunch at Olive Garden for a very fancy meal because we had a gift card. I took no pictures there either. 

Saturday night was the Back to School block party. The one with the food and the beer, and the carnival games, inflatables, and rides? The only picture I took of my family was this gorgeous framer: 

But a good time was had by all of us. The kids both won the cakewalk and made such good selections. C won blueberry muffins and M won some decorated cookies!! Breakfast and dessert for Sunday and not too too much cake to have sitting around the house. 

So that's what we have been up to. It's not much is it? But it feels like we have been so busy. 

Family Camp Year 2

 So we did another round of family camp. This time it was a little different because it was kind of like going for work. But it was still fun. 

Last year it was HOT. This year it was pretty rainy, but I would take damp over HOT any time. 

We spent Saturday morning in the craft barn. Painting acorns. Making lanyards. The regular stuff.

The kids both chose upper bunks again this year. Fine by me. Husband and I doubled up our mattresses on night one which was definitely better. Because it was so rainy and dreary, I got a good nap in on Saturday. And I'm not going to say it was the highlight of my weekend, but it totally was. 

It was nice to spend time together as a family and to have our community near us as well. 

And that was basically what we did last weekend. Family camp! 

It's Been A Week

 It's been a whole week and I have nothing to show for it. Not even decent pictures of the fun stuff we've been up to. Because there hasn't been anything particularly interesting or fun.

Last week we got a box that was MASSIVE. Truly, half the size of my 10-year-old. (True, he's a small 10yo but still...)  And it contained one shirt. I was flabbergasted when I opened my door to see such a large box. 

I remain flabbergasted a week later looking at the picture. Typically Amazon sends shirts in those little plastic mailers... whatever. It made it to me and it fits so that's what's important I guess. 

M had her first soccer game of the season. Friday night before the game she drew this picture. And I love it. 

The game was good. We won 8-1 and we actually scored that goal for the other team. It was a mistake but I was glad. The poor other kids. This year the fields are much bigger and they have 9 players on a team, one of them being a goalie. They've never played with goalies before and the first quarter ended and we had scored 5 goals, the little girl on the other team was just absolutely crushed and sobbing on her sideline. I was so sad for her. It's such a thankless job and so difficult at age 7. 

Afterward, we went out for lunch. 

And that's truly all that's new or interesting over here. Lots of LIFE stuff going on. It's not all good or bad, mostly meh. So that's what's up over this way. Happy Tuesday!

Labor Day Weekend

This weekend I had three household goals, ranging from pretty small to reasonably significant. 

Friday night, M and I delivered meals to our friends who had sweet new babies on the very same day. I even got to hold them both! Then we headed home for movie night, which was mostly good until we tried to play Trivia Pursuit. Have you ever played Trivia Pursuit when you're exhausted and your kids have done their first full 5-day week of school? Yeah. 

No photos were taken of the experience. 

Saturday I had to go to work for a short while. But it was good. I took a nap that afternoon. And during the nap Husband had checked the smallest thing off the list. (New bathroom lightbulbs. They're a weird lightbulb.) He had to go cantor that evening and when he came back it was crazy pouring rain. Which is nice. I love a good storm. 

Then we headed out for the evening. 

We started with drinks at our friend's Distillery Lounge. (Thus the weird angle, I sent it to my friend so she could see where we were.) Then we met some friends for dinner out. And we had a really nice time. 

Sunday we went to Mass. (Husband went twice this weekend.) And it was good. After lunch, I said, should we go ahead and check the next item off the list? So together we installed a new ceiling fan/light fixture in the kitchen. 

Then after that was in, we went to a music festival. I volunteered at the merchandise table for a while and the kids played. We enjoyed some tunes and ate from a food truck for dinner. The kids even got face painted. Which is kind of a big deal because Husband is NOT a face paint fan. He doesn't have a ton of things he just doesn't like so we've always just skipped over that. But this time he said they could. 

The festival went from 4-10. We were there from 3:30 (volunteering) to 7:00 so I think we missed the bulk of the crowd, it was just starting to get crowded as we were leaving. 

Then yesterday. The big project. Two trips to Home Depot. A lot of sweat. Some tears. No blood that I know of. And this is the result... 

Picture it with new trim and caulk which were the only pieces we didn't have time for yesterday. I couldn't be more delighted if I tried. 

Remember in April when they had to cut a hole in the floor?! 

Yeah. 

Farewell hole. Farewell, terrible 90s Linoleum.  Neither of you will be missed. 

So needless to say, it was a busy and good weekend. The perfect blend of fun and work. Only 4 more days til Friday again! And I can't wait!