HAPPY New Year! Can you even believe that it is 2020?! Whew! ..what a decade it has been. I definitely have SO much to be grateful for.
The past decade has given me two of my greatest gifts.. my beautiful girls! Capri turned FIVE years old last week, and I am so amazed at how quickly those five years have come and gone. Last weekend, we celebrated her Birthday with a Swan themed Birthday Party. It was complete with lots of pink, sparkle and frill.. just like my girl! I know she’s growing so fast, but I hope that she stays in the phase of loving her baby dolls, dressing up in pretty party dresses (just to go to the grocery store), or always having to have her nails painted. It’s what I love most about her!
Here are some fun photos from her Birthday Party..
While writing my Christmas list and checking it twice, I always seem to find myself scrambling to find gift ideas for teachers and teacher aides. This year, Capri has SIX teacher aides in her classroom! I wanted to find some inexpensive, but useful gifts that they would each enjoy. Who wouldn’t love a cute holiday soap by their kitchen sink?
While I haven’t shopped in a Bath & Body Works in YEARS, I fell in love with the adorable packaging of these soaps, as I was walking through the mall this week. I created some cute gift tags, and tied it with ribbon and twine for a quick and simple gift. I’ll also add a Target or Starbucks Gift Card to show extra appreciation.. to the ones who truly make a difference in this world!
One of our favorite holiday traditions, is to gather around the Christmas tree or snuggle in our beds, and read Christmas books together. Each year, on Christmas Eve, my girls get to open one gift. It is always a Christmas book, with a sweet written message that I write to them. The excitement that they have, when I bring out the basket of Christmas books each year is pure joy! It’s a fun tradition, which carries sweet memories that we love to look back on.
Here are a few of our favorites, along with some new books I’ll be gifting to them this year..
November 1st is by far the earliest I have ever decorated for Christmas, but the frigid temps and the beauty of the first snow fall, just put me in the holiday spirit. We of course don’t have our Christmas tree just yet, as we always have a real one, but all of my other holiday home decor is all set up and beautiful as ever.
If you remember two years ago (Gah! HOW has it been two years already?!), I collaborated with West Elm on a Holiday Home Tour (also seen here on Front + Main). I fell in love with all the things, and still get giddy when I set it all up. It was such an honor to be a part of one of my favorite brands. I absolutely love the blush, navy and ivory color scheme, along with the mixed metals of gold and silver. Today, I am so excited to share some pieces I have found to add to the beauty of it all.
One of the first signs of Fall in our house, is the amazing aroma of Pumpkin Muffins baking in the oven. Caramel apples, pumpkin pie or hot apple cider just don’t seem to it justice when it comes to our favorite Fall treat! These muffins are on repeat in this house, pretty much on a weekly basis. It’s a quick and easy recipe that I have now been able memorize.. which is not something I can usually do when it comes to baking!
We even incorporate one of our favorite ingredients.. coconut oil! If you can remember from my chocolate chip cookie recipe, we love baking with coconut oil. The flavor and health benefits are always a win!
We enjoy these muffins at breakfast, as an after school snack or even dessert. Trust me, you will LOVE them just as much as we do, and your house will smell amazing too!
Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour (we prefer unbleached)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1 (15oz) can pumpkin
2 eggs
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Place 12 liners into muffin tin
In large bowl, mix together flour, sugars, salt and pumpkin pie spice
In medium bowl, whisk together eggs, pumpkin, coconut oil and pure vanilla extract
Add wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix together until combined
Using a large scoop, distribute batter evenly into each muffin liner (batter will be close to the top of each)
Bake 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean
I am super excited to finally share this little treasure of a Fairy Garden. Pete created this beautiful structure, just outside of Chloe’s bedroom window. If you remember, the inspiration to her bedroom design, is Fairy Garden (see it here). Both Chloe and Capri have had so much fun collecting pieces and tending to their “garden.” They even picked out the mums and pumpkins to feel more fall-like.
Pete built this structure last year, and I love how the wood has aged over time. It feels like an extension of our home and I love how well it blends in with the landscaping surrounding it. Follow along, as I share the progress of construction, and what the Fairy Garden looks like today..
I absolutely love watching my girls play in this space, and use their imaginations to the fullest. It is one of the sweetest things my husband has ever built, and I am so incredibly proud of his creation. I can’t wait to add more pieces and see it transform into something even more beautiful, over the next few years!
It’s been quite a while since I’ve written a blog post. Four months, to be exact. While I feel like I’ve repeated myself often, and share that I am back to blogging.. life happens. And summer is gone in the blink of an eye! It’s the season of life that I am in. I have so many ideas and things to share, but then life gets busy. And I just can’t seem to find the time to sit at my computer to write a blog post.
But Fall has arrived, and we are back to a routine/schedule. It’s something that we all thrive on as a family. Chloe is in the 3rd Grade, and Capri started 4K. I miss having my girls home with me. Thankfully, Capri is only gone three days a week for 2.5 hours. I enjoy the few hours I get to myself, but I cannot wait to go pick her up. I miss her so much! The thought of her going to Kindergarten next year just brings me to tears.
A few weeks ago, we took our annual family vacation. We usually go to Disney World, but this year we opted for the beach! ..and have absolutely no regrets! It was exactly what our family needed. Being able to just relax and enjoy being together was pure bliss! We stayed at theOpal Sands Resort at Clearwater Beach, FL and loved it so much! We even had family photos taken (by Jommy Photography) that I just absolutely adore. I will definitely treasure the sweet moments and memories we made together.
I shared the quote on my Instagram “A day at the beach restores the soul,” and it is 100% true! I have some scheduled blog posts that I can’t wait to share. I’m hoping that now this “season of life” we are in is more structured, I can focus back on my blog again. Stay tuned for some fun new content!
Last weekend, we watched our beautiful Chloe Mae receive her First Eucharist. We are so incredibly proud of her. She has become so devoted and eager to learn what it means to receive the Eucharist of the Lord. It was a beautiful day, filled with family, friends and sunshine!
Here are a few of my very favorite photos, taken by my very best friend, Megan, from Under the Willow Photography.
Easter is next weekend, and I’ve been searching for some fun things to add to my girls’ Easter Baskets. I’m not a fan of giving them candy, so I prefer to fill them up with some cute accessories or small toys. I also love the idea of adding a few fun things for summertime, to get us excited for the warm months ahead. Here are some cute finds, in a mixed variety for both age groups.. Chloe (8) and Capri (4).
Last weekend we celebrated our beautiful girl, Chloe Mae. She turned 8 years old and has been obsessed with everything Disney Descendants. I have to admit, I wasn’t thrilled when she wanted this party theme, but together we made it fun.. and not too “wicked.” Here’s a peek at some of the party details..
I really enjoy these themed parties and dread the day that my girls no longer ask for them. My favorite part is planning them together and gathering their ideas too. As they are getting older, I cherish these moments with all my heart.
