'Whole' Heartedly

Guess what guys...

You're never going to believe this.

Or maybe you will.

Maybe you knew this all along and were just holding out on me....

No matter.

The secrets out.

Rhymes with 'Sulk Yarn'....

Guesses anyone?

You got it.

~BULK BARN~

OOooOOHhhhYEeeAaah!!

And guess who found 'Whole' Allspice there?!!

*Referencing from a previous post wherein I discreetly question the existence of 'whole' allspice.....as in, ball form, and not a powder...  Like it's mythological or something.

You betcha--

{This girl}

It's a dang ol' Christmas miracle.

If Celebrating Christmas This Early Is Wrong, I Don't Wanna Be Right

The verdict is in:

Purchasing a new holiday cd- Guilty.

Listening to that new holiday cd- Mildly guilty.

The kids and I only listened to it in the truck.

Just for a little bit.

Just to make sure it was good.....

Stocking up on assorted Hershey's Chipits (semi-sweet, mini Kisses, mint chocolate, peanut butter & Skor toffee bits) for Christmas baking....

Totally Guilty.

Ask yourself: Can you really be guilty of being too prepared?!

Going to the book store to buy a new novel and instead walking out with Betty Crocker's 'Christmas Cookbook'- Innocent Bystander.

I was not planning on this.

Enjoying a Second Cup  Eggnog Latte- Guilty.

(FYI- James was an accomplice......)

Aquiring the new holiday hand soaps from Bath & Body Works- Super Guilty.

Shamelessly bought those over two weeks ago....

Eye-ing up a new slim Christmas tree.....

Shamefully Guilty.

The one we have works just fine...

And the nail in the coffin.....

Hanging up the outdoor Christmas lights--- BUSTED GUILTY.

Gotta get 'em up before the weather turns nasty.

Reeelax!!  I haven't even turned them on yet.

Only to test them out........

*All photos found on Google images

Wish List(s)

Aaron & Ava 7:50 am

.....First thing this morning

after a hearty breakfast of peanut butter and pomegranate jam toast

followed by a small bowl of Reese Puffs cereal.

The Walmart and Toys 'R' Us Christmas catalogues have arrived.

And so,

The.Wish.Lists. too, have arrived.

  

Cupcakes Won. They always do.....

I admit defeat.

The 'Cindy Lou Who' costume did not turn out as planned.

Or rather, I failed to even attempt it.

Booo me.

In my defence, there was A LOT going on...

Pumpkins to be carved,

Treats to be purchased,

Cider to be made (recipe to follow, your welcome),

Treats to be purchased again because we ate all of the other treats we just bought....

{I'm lucky Ava's hair even received some one-on-one time with the curling iron}

I may have been just a bit over-ambitious this Hallow's Eve.

So, as it were, Ava was satisfied to 'just be' a Cupcake Cutie...

(Although, just the day before Halloween she nearly had a meltdown with some crazy talk about wanting to be a donkey instead-- WTFudge?!)

And, Aaron was a Shadow Ninja.

Again.

Regardless, it was a Happy Halloween.

Our kids were still as ridiculously cute as ever.

The weather was fantastic for the third year in a row!!

And while we didn't have as many trick-or-treating friends with us as last year, the group photo would make you think otherwise...

Best Homemade Apple Cider Eva!

Get your crockpots out!

This cider recipe will rock the socks off any one of your guests because:

A. It's 'homemade' and the best dang cider you'll've ever tasted

And B. It'll make your whole home smell like it belongs to some cozy holiday special on t.v.

You'll be needing:

1 Litre of Apple juice

1/3 cup of Brown Sugar

2 Cinnamon Sticks

6 Whole Cloves

6 Whole Allspice

(I can never find 'whole' Allspice so I just use the powder and sprinkle a bunch into the pot)
That's how 'real' chefs roll...

And, 1/8 a tsp of salt

Add all the ingredients to your crockpot.

Crank up the heat and let simmer for at least an hour.

Keep warm all day long and enjoy throughout the day!

PS- You're gonna wanna double up the recipe..... Trust me.

Happy Halloween!!!

Ava Lou Who

Two weeks back now,

I managed to find Ava's Halloween costume whilst perusing Winners.

My excitement cannot be contained.....

Cupcake Cutie altered to become Cindy Lou Who.

I've been waiting to perform this costume since the day the ultrasound concluded 'It's a Girl!'......

And lucky for me.... Ava bares a striking resemblance to Little Miss Who:

Lil' bit?!

Or just reaching.....

No matter.

To my delight, it's happening either way.

I'm Smitten

Meet Storm, Goldie & Fog

(I took the liberty of naming the second one Goldie as, apparently, it is nameless...)

Joe's new Fall Nail Collection.

It was love at first sight.

So much so, I ran out this morning to buy mine.

At 3 for $10.

Who could refuse that?

 

Just one more reason why I get all ga-ga this time of year.

 

And here are two more trinkets I think you're going to be smitten with...

{I know I am}

Bath and Body Works 'Creamy Pumpkin' & 'Caramel Apple' Hand Soaps.

Strange that ridiculously yummy hand soaps can make one person's home feel so complete?!

 

And lastly,

Stella & Dot.

I love me some Stella & Dot.

And just recently I was lucky enough to be gifted this little gem (Thank you Kirsty :) to add to my small collection:

 

Vintage Twist Bracelet- Gold from their Fall/Winter Collection.

Isn't she lovely?

Tongue Tied

Farewell August.

So long Summer.

If you think this chick's sobbing crocodile tears into her peppermint tea-- Guess again.

I love September.

Adore Fall.

Cherish Thanksgiving.

And anticipate Halloween.

Tack on our wedding anniversary and myself and hubby's birthdays and you've got my favorite of the four seasons.

 

{Maybe you've noticed}

I've been absent a while.

Stage fright.

A few new followers and all of the sudden I'm tongue-tied.

Imagine that!?

Well, not anymore sister.

Time to put the big girl panties on and get typing.