Happy Halloween!

This little monkey wants to wish you...

Happy Halloween! 

We will return tomorrow to recap the weekend, 

as well as our Halloween festivities!! I hope your day is filled with lots of tricks and treats!!

Weekend Planning Blog Hop!

Welcome to ANOTHER weekend and with it, another Blog Hop!!  It has been a ca-razy week here and promises to be an even crazier weekend.  Report cards are due Tuesday, which means I am a grading maniac while trying to clean our house for the Happy House Challenge (Molly, you are keeping me motivated!) and preparing for Halloween!

Friday:

• Inservice day (put me out of my misery) and then picking up Logan
• Thirty-One party!  Last one for October!
• Menu planning/grocery list making
• Making cinnamon rolls (I promised my cast)

Saturday:

• Rehearsal 9-2
• Grocery shopping
• Clean bathrooms
• Laundry
• Carve pumpkins/watch Nightmare Before Christmas/finish outdoor decorations
• Prepare food to take to friends

Sunday:

• Lots and lots of grading
• Take food to a new mommy and her family (Keep growing and getting strong, baby Harper!  Amy, you rock!)
• Prep dinners for week
• More grading

Join in the fun!!

If you haven't already, blog about your weekend plans. Maybe you have a bunch of projects you are going to tackle. Maybe you are attending party after party. Or perhaps you are laying low. Whatever it is, share it on your blog! Feel free to use the "Weekend Planning" button in your post! Then, come back to this blog and link up your post in the link collection at the bottom of this entry.

Blog Hop with Us!

If you want to participate in the hopping part of the Blog Hop, click here, copy the code provided and include it in your Weekend Planning post! The more people that participate, the further your blog will hop! :)

Bonus!!

As a little extra incentive, the first 3 people to link up their Weekend Planning posts will be featured in the sidebars of both My Happy House and A Life in Progress! Check out the new format of the blog link love. It not only includes the link, but also a thumbnail of your most recent post!

Our "Requirement"
All we ask in return is that you follow the two host blogs, My Happy House and A Life in Progress. Then be sure to comment and let us know if you are a new follower so we can follow you back. And of course, be sure to check out the other blog links! Simple, right?

And as a bonus...Win a THIRTY-ONE ORGANIZING UTILITY TOTE in our new fall print WINDSOR BOUQUET for participating!  That's right, my fellow organizers...link up to this week's Blog Hop, become a follower of A Life in Progress and My Happy House and LEAVE A COMMENT saying how you would use the OUT and you will be entered in to win one of our hottest sellers!!

So, to win, you must:

• Be a follower!
• Link up on the Blog Hop! 
• Leave a comment telling us how you would use this Organizing Utility Tote to organize your life!

Let's get to linking and motivating others to having a weekend with purpose!

Favorite Christmas Books

One of the things I am working on in preparation for Christmas is a book collection for Logan.  Erin at Sunny Side Up puts a basket of holiday books out for her kids and I loved the idea.

Here is Erin's Halloween book basket:

And here is her Christmas basket!

Here are the books I have purchased so far for our basket:

I am looking for suggestions for more books to add to our Christmas book basket. I am looking for ones you loved as a kid and ones that your children love!!  Post them in the comments for me!

Wordless Wednesday

Watch out ladies. Heartbreaker. Thank you for taking an awesome shot, Colleen Reed.

Weekend Planning Blog Hop!

Another weekend!  So much fun Halloween festivities on our agenda! 

Friday:

• Doing some shopping and then Boo at the Zoo at our Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
• Hopefully spending some time with my friends and their families!

Saturday:

• Pumpkin picking at Red Wagon Farm
• Menu planning
• Quick trip to the grocery store
• Doing some baking
• Prep for Thirty-One party
• Begin working on Molly's Happy House Express Cleaning Challenge

Sunday:

• Cleaning 
• Thirty-One party

How it Works:
If you haven't already, blog about your weekend plans.  Maybe you have a bunch of projects you are going to tackle.  Cleaning?  Always.  Halloween-related fun? Or perhaps you are laying low.  Whatever it is, share it on your blog! Feel free to use the "Weekend Planning" button in your post, the code is on the bottom right hand side of the blog.

Then, come back to this blog and link up your post in the link collection at the bottom of this entry.

If you want to participate in the hopping part of the Blog Hop, simply click here  copy the code provided and include it in your Weekend Planning post!  The more people that participate, the further your blog will hop! :)

As a little extra incentive, the first 3 people to link up their Weekend Planning posts will be featured in the sidebars of both My Happy House and A Life in Progress!

All we ask in return is that you follow the two host blogs, My Happy House and A Life in Progress. Then be sure to comment and let us know if you are a new follower so we can follow you back.  And of course, be sure to check out the other blog links!  Simple, right?

Mommy Guilt

I am sure every mommy out there has felt this.

That agonizing feeling of Mommy Guilt.

I think it is especially difficult for those of us who are working moms.  I know that this summer was a blessing.  I was able to be home with Logan to see him blossom and become a little man with this big personality.  And I will tell you.  Come that first day of school and I was miserable.  I have never thought twice about being a working mom and I STILL believe that being outside the home and working is best for me and my family.  BUT...It was SO HARD leaving him after being home with him for three months.

Then I made the decision to take on Drama Club again because I was granted the production rights to Chicago.

I am torn with that decision.  I am so beyond excited to do the two productions i have ALWAYS wanted to do, but I really, REALLY miss my family.  I miss seeing Logan's face after school and I miss hearing about Alexys' day.  And I miss my husband.

My Thirty-One business has taken off (more on that later) and it is something I want to continue to work on because when I am no longer the director, THAT is going to bring in our extra money.

I am just overwhelmed and exhausted and I miss my family.  I know our productions are going to be amazing, but I can't help but think about what I am missing.

This is a rambling post, brought to you by a distraught and exhausted Mama, who is typing this on Sunday night (even though it is scheduled for later this week)  and really DOES NOT want to go to work tomorrow.

A Seussical Celebration

We are two months away from Logan's first birthday party!  Plenty of details are to come about the DIY and food and invitations...but first, a little inspiration to keep you on the edge of your seat!

Source: etsy.com via Gia on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Gia on Pinterest

Source: hostessblog.com via Gia on Pinterest

Source: erinfarrellphotography.com via Gia on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Gia on Pinterest

Weekend Recap

Thanks to everyone who participated in Friday's Blog Hop!  Be sure you are on the lookout next Friday because for all Weekend Planning Blog Hop participants who comment on my post and who follow A Life in Progress, I will be doing a Thirty-One giveaway!

So, what was accomplished this weekend?  

Friday (NO SCHOOL!  WOO HOO!):

• Buy paint for bedroom (maybe...)
• Wash bedding and swap out comforter for fall and winter
• Lunch date with my parents and the kiddos
• Clean the bathrooms
• Mop kitchen and laundry room
• Make grocery list
• Thirty-One party

Saturday:

• Grocery shop
• Clean out fridge
• Prep some dinners to take to my friend's house 
• Thirty-One party

Sunday:

• Logan's Halloween pictures 
• Going to see Footloose with Alexys
• Hopefully scamming dinner off my parents :)
• Make a ginormous pot of sauce for dinner and to freeze
• Hang out with my brother, who stopped over unexpectedly

I admit it.  I was kind of lazy this weekend.  Two Thirty-One parties kicked my butt because I had to unpack and repack everything.   I did not accomplish ANY of the cleaning I wanted to get done and now it is bedtime on Sunday night and I am tapped out.  I am going to go pack Logan's and my lunch and head to bed.  This Mama Bear is tired.

What did you accomplish this weekend?  Did you work on any projects?  Cleaning?  DIY?  Share with us and link up your post!

Weekend Planning Blog Hop!

Ah, yes, that time again!  Time to plan for our weekend!  Join me and my bloggy friend Molly as we plan out our agendas!

Friday (NO SCHOOL!  WOO HOO!):

• Buy paint for bedroom (maybe...)
• Wash bedding and swap out comforter for fall and winter
• Lunch date with my parents and the kiddos
• Clean the bathrooms
• Mop kitchen and laundry room
• Make grocery list
• Thirty-One party

Saturday:

• Grocery shop
• Clean out fridge
• Prep some dinners to take to my friend's house 
• Thirty-One party

Sunday:

• Logan's Halloween pictures 
• Going to see Footloose with Alexys
• Hopefully scamming dinner off my parents :)

How it Works:
If you haven't already, blog about your weekend plans.  Maybe you have a bunch of projects you are going to tackle.  Maybe you are attending BBQ after BBQ.  Or perhaps you are laying low.  Whatever it is, share it on your blog! Feel free to use the "Weekend Planning" button in your post, the code is on the bottom right hand side of the blog.

Then, come back to this blog and link up your post in the link collection at the bottom of this entry.

If you want to participate in the hopping part of the Blog Hop, simply click here  copy the code provided and include it in your Weekend Planning post!  The more people that participate, the further your blog will hop! :)

As a little extra incentive, the first 3 people to link up their Weekend Planning posts will be featured in the sidebars of both My Happy House and A Life in Progress!

All we ask in return is that you follow the two host blogs, My Happy House and A Life in Progress. Then be sure to comment and let us know if you are a new follower so we can follow you back.  And of course, be sure to check out the other blog links!  Simple, right?

Let's get to linking and motivating others to having a weekend with purpose!

S'mores Bars

S'mores. A definite reminder of summer, but you can enjoy the same taste all year 'round with these delicious bars that Joelen posted! I followed her instructions exactly and they were so good, we gobbled them up!

S'Mores Cookie Bars

recipe adapted from AllYou Magazine (May 2011)

as seen on What's Cookin', Chicago?

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallow
2 cups bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips


Directions

-Preheat oven to 350ºF. Thoroughly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan; set aside.
-In a large bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt; set aside.
-In the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until light, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs until well combined. Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly beat flour mixture into butter mixture.
-Reserve 1/4 of the dough and set aside. Press the remaining dough into greased pan until dough is uniform and flat. Top with chocolate chips and sprinkle with marshmallows.  Scatter the reserved dough over in clumps. Don't worry about covering the top; marshmallow and chocolate chips should peek through.
-Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Place pan on a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into bars and remove from pan.

Weekend Recap

First of all, WELCOME to all of my new followers!  I am so excited that you are along for the ride with me!  I have SO MUCH on the agenda that blogging is going to be done on a regular basis again.  Believe it or not, it truly does help to keep me on track.  And I need YOU to help me stay accountable! 

Back to the topic.  This was the agenda for the weekend and what was actually accomplished:



Friday: 

-Clean bathrooms

-Tastefully Simple party

-Decorate living room and dining room for A's party tomorrow!

-Order ice cream cake and pizza for tomorrow

-Make grocery list

Saturday: 

-Get my nails did

-Take A shopping for her Washington DC dress and some new tennis shoes for her school trip on Tuesday (We ALL went shopping...Kohl's AND Target and we all survived!

-Lunch at B Spot (I love you, Michael Symon)

-Grocery shopping

-Order pizza and pick up ice cream cake

-Try to survive the invasion of the eighth grade girls

Sunday: 

-Buttermilk pancakes or French toast? Haven't decided yet :) (We went with pancakes)

-Clean up

-Apple picking at a local orchard

-Homemade soup!

-Grade papers

-Dinner: Ribs in the crock pot, new potatoes with parsley, salad, and apple crisp for dessert

-Laundry and prep clothes for week

How did you do?  Talk about your weekend in the comments!  I would love to hear how your weekly agenda went!

Birthday Party Recap

Well, we survived.

Alexys' party went SO much smoother than Jamie's.  No drama, no tears (that I know of), and by 1 AM, everyone was quiet and watching a movie.   Which was absolutely glorious.  I had to go down a bit before then because they were having some sort of dance party involving the glow bracelets I had given them.

The girls started arriving around 7 PM last night, after Lexy and her friend had decorated with streamers (difficult to do when you are both shorties, apparently). 

I had their favor bags all ready.  Sticking with our green and pink "theme," I put a nail polish, toe separator for pedicures, candy necklace and some glow bracelets in them.  They had some chips and pizza and then of course, ice cream cake!!

We (the adults) hung out and listened to the giggles while eating some bacon crescent wraps.  The girls had ice cream cake and Alexys opened her presents.

Sunday morning, Logan was up at his usual time and I ate a bagel and had some coffee while waiting for the girls to get up and the little man and I watched Tangled while playing.. 

Finally, it was time for some buttermilk pancakes after all of the girls woke up. Even Logan and Chuck got to enjoy them. I think Alexys really enjoyed herself and it was great seeing her with her friends.

Weekend Planning Blog Hop

Another weekend! Hooray!! I have no Thirty-One parties this weekend but TWO next weekend, so we are going to make the most of this time off!!
Friday: 
-Clean bathrooms
-Give little man a bath
-Tastefully Simple party
-Decorate living room and dining room for A's party tomorrow!
-Order ice cream cake and pizza for tomorrow
-Make grocery list

Saturday: 
-Get my nails did
-Take A shopping for her Washington DC dress and some new tennis shoes for her school trip on Tuesday
-Grocery shopping
-Try to survive the invasion of the eighth grade girls

Sunday: 
-Buttermilk pancakes or French toast? Haven't decided yet :)
-Clean up
-Apple picking at a local orchard
-Homemade soup!
-Grade papers

How it Works:
If you haven't already, blog about your weekend plans.  Maybe you have a bunch of projects you are going to tackle.  Maybe you are attending BBQ after BBQ.  Or perhaps you are laying low.  Whatever it is, share it on your blog! Feel free to use the "Weekend Planning" button in your post, the code is on the bottom right hand side of the blog.

Then, come back to this blog and link up your post in the link collection at the bottom of this entry.

If you want to participate in the hopping part of the Blog Hop, simply click here,  copy the code provided and include it in your Weekend Planning post!  The more people that participate, the further your blog will hop! :)

As a little extra incentive, the first 3 people to link up their Weekend Planning posts will be featured in the sidebars of both My Happy House and A Life in Progress!

All we ask in return is that you follow the two host blogs, My Happy House and A Life in Progress. Then be sure to comment and let us know if you are a new follower so we can follow you back.  And of course, be sure to check out the other blog links!  Simple, right?

Let's get to linking and motivating others to having a weekend with purpose!

Planning a 13th Birthday Party

Several years ago, when J turned thirteen, we allowed her to have some friends over to spend the night. I made this cake and did lots of planning and worked my butt off to make sure the day was just right for her.  Of course, because there was lots of drama and I swore I would never do it again.  But, being a glutton for punishment and to make sure everything is always fair around here, this year it was A's turn.  We decided to wait until school started because her birthday is in August.

So, Saturday marks the big day.  What does one do to get ready for an onslaught of 8th grade girls?  First, as always, the invitations!!

The invitations set the tone for the party and A wanted a "pink and lime green theme."  Um, okay.  So, after a quick trip to the craft store and some time fiddling with our printer, this is what I came up with: 

It isn't my best or most creative work, but I had very limited time because the invites needed to get out ASAP (as in the next day), so there was no time to waste.  She liked them and her friends were impressed, which is all that matters.

When A was asked what she wanted to serve for dinner at her party, I was expecting something exciting.  Instead?  Pizza and salad.  And she INSISTS on having Cool Ranch Doritos.  Okay, I can do that.  As for cake?  Ice cream cake.  Again...easy peasy.  In fact...am I going to have to work at all for this party??  Works for me! 

Friday night we will do some cleaning and Saturday afternoon we will decorate and set up for the girls.  Tomorrow I will be putting together their favor bags so I will be sure to tell you what I did for that!  Because what DO you do for a favor bag for a group of giggly 13 year-olds?

I will be sure to post details next week, along with final pictures of the decorations and the house!

October Goals and a Confession

Not gonna lie. September was a tough month for me in the blogging arena. It mostly consisted of Weekend Planning (that didn't always go as planned) and Logan's 9-month post. I kind of suck, huh? Well, with October comes fall. And Halloween. And a very busy schedule. And then, before we know it, Christmas. OMG. And Logan will be ONE. How the hell did THAT happen? With that said, I have made a promise to myself to become a better blogger. During the summer, I was pretty good about posting and updating, and since we have SO MUCH COMING this fall, I want to make a little list of goals for myself. WIthout further ado, here is what is ahead: 1. Decorate for Halloween 2. Plan A's birthday party for her friends 3. Paint the front door 4. Powerwash house and patio 5. Clean out garden (which has been HUGELY neglected since school started) and flower beds 6. Work on DIY crafts for Logan's party and my Cookie Exchange! 7. Visit the pumpkin patch and an apple orchard, as well as attend Boo at the Zoo (I can't WAIT to give details on that!) I am sure there is more on the list, but I vow I will be a better blogger this month. Stick around! There is lots to come!