{wardrobe} wednesday: happy halloween

10.31.2012

i hope everyone picked up a proper stash of candy to pass out to the trick or treaters! always the procrastinator, i'm headed out to get mine right now!
what was your favorite candy to get as a kid?
personally, i loved when i'd get those fruity flavored tootsie rolls! guarded those babies with my life!

 and if you're searching for something to scare you, how 'bout them roots...
 you'd think with a hairdresser for a sister, i'd make it more of a priority to keep up on this hair of mine, but no, i get my hair done about 3 times a year, i just can't sit still for that long!
outfit details:
high-waisted skinnies//c.o. forever21
Flektor reflective watch//c.o. (kno)name
teal wedges//c.o. cents of style (check out the edith!)

a princess animal party--they happen.

10.30.2012

mama deer and baby deerest.
My sweet niece was having a birthday and when she was asked what kind it should be, "animal princess" was her reply.
There is only one woman I know who could take a little girls request and turn it into a true magical fairyland--my sister-in-law Reachel. She's basically Wonderwoman, and i'm so glad i get to attend her parties.
the spread
{i'm hoping she'll do a post on her blog with more detailed pictures...}
all the woodland creatures playing hot potato
 the sparkler candle was pretty exciting, 
 until she realized her lung capacity was no match for its powerful sparks.
two little deers, one is turning three.
i think it was at this moment that Coco finally realized that everyone was dressed like an animal princess, and it was awesome. 

Halloween Dinner--it's a thing.

10.29.2012

This weekend reminded me why Halloween is my favorite.
As I mentioned in this post, the show Parenthood has inspired us siblings to do more 'hanging out' and to create more family traditions. We decided it would be fun to each pick a holiday and get together to celebrate! 
Leisel chose Halloween, even though she's 7 1/2 months pregnant, and probably could have opted out{!}, but instead she threw the most beautiful halloween dinner on her back porch. 
 Each of the siblings brought something, and we dined on two different types of chili, delicious root beer and apple cider, corn bread (have you tried my recipe yet!?), and pumpkin bars. 
We topped off the evening by noshing on kettlecorn and watching Tim Burton's Beetlejuice--which reminded us of why it was in the discount bin at Walmart...entertaining none the less--i say day, i say day, i say day-ay-ay-o...
What do you all do for halloween? Any Fall traditions?

Cold-Hearted Woman

10.24.2012


Poppy got her 3rd round of shots today and she's been super snuggly because of it. 
She won't let me put her down at all--and when she's being this sweet, i don't really want to. 
I feel like i've learned so much from this little deer. 
i'm going to admit something that is probably going to sound really coldhearted, but for the past few years of my life i didn't know if i was going love being a mom, or even like it for that matter. and i was more than certain i wasn't going to have that  
 'i can't stand to be away from my child' 'i have to capture every moment' feeling for my babies.
When mothers talked about it, i thought it was great that they felt that way, but i couldn't comprend it happening to me.
here comes another kicker:
i've never been a baby person. 
i grew up with my two best girl friends being obsessed with babies. we would go to the mall in jr. high and high school and they wanted to go into baby gap to look at the tiny clothes.
i, on the other hand, wanted to go to forever21. 
someone close to them would have a baby and all they could think about was meeting it, and holding it and babysitting it.
i was good after one hold. 
being the very youngest of 8 children i grew up with tons of nieces and nephews. i was always the favorite aunt and i loved them. i love toddlers and i get along with older kids easily.
but babies--that's another story. 
all they do is lay there, and cry, and poop, and demand to be held and for what seems like too long in my book, they can't even smile or make eye-contact.
i crave my own time and time with marcus and the thought of having someone who literally needs me every moment, frankly, freaks me out.
But i also didn't want a dog. i had them growing up and they were adorable and sweet and they made me laugh, but i can not say i was a dog person. for along with their cuteness, comes their stink and shed and special ability to go to the bathroom in places they shouldn't--i knew they were a lot of work. 

marcus wanted one so bad and i felt bad, but there was no way i was allowing one in our house--because i knew, like my mom once knew with me, that i would be the one home with it all day, and i would in turn be the one who took care of it.

so, when one spontaneous labor day this year we found ourselves driving out to phoenix to look at puppies, i was surely off my game. and when after only 2 hours of contemplation we came home with a dog in our arms, i must have been slipped a drug...but since that moment, i have been utterly in love with this thing.
after a couple weeks of having her, i told ashley i would like to volunteer with the shine project, i had to leave her for 4 hours and i almost had a panic attack on the drive there.
i thought my heart might actually break.
and i had to set up her own instagram account because i knew if i didn't my entire feed would be taken up by every move she made. each move cuter than the last.
while i still feel i like i'm not ready to take the baby plunge, poppy reh has given me hope that when the time comes, i will become the doting mother i want to be. because even i, the coldhearted one, know that humans are probably even more special than puppies.
(but don't tell poppy i said so)
outfit details:
white v-neck//american apparel
gold necklaces//nordstrom and stella&dot
skinnies//downeast
cain flats//c.o. blowfish shoes
beach wave//tutorial here

around the house, fall edition

10.23.2012

jamie sent me a link to this halloween bat tutorial and i had to give it a try. i must say, i'm going to have a hard time taking them down, i like them so much.
my thrift store grandma was so pleased with me when i finally got some hooks to put away my trinkets. can't you just see the pride in her eyes?
 with the weather cooling down to a bone chilling 79 degrees at night, we decided it was time for some German soul-food--home-made knoodle with a mushroom cream sauce.
pumpkin from the ranch.

Do you decorate for the holidays? What's your favorite?

weekend at the farm.

once upon a time we went on a double date to Schnepf's Farm with our friends alex and jimmy.
we were really excited to do the corn maze, unfortunately after the initial boys run off and scare us a few times, it lost it's novelty. 
we felt it was our duty to the rest of the participants to make it more exciting by hiding in the stocks and scaring them as they passed by. after all, we wished someone was doing that for us.

we found a good dark spot and waited. for a long time. eventually a couple came by and i tapped them on the shoulder with a stock and they jumped and ran off. then a couple of teen girls came sneaking by. i dropped the stock down right before they passed and let out a yell. one of the girls dropped to the ground, startled and screaming. i raised up to apologize and show her i was just a normal girl, but she got in my face and yelled, "I hate your stinking guts, i could seriously stab you! i hate you, i hate you!" and ran off whining.
not exactly the reaction i was going for, but i couldn't help but laugh. 
i assume that makes me a terrible person. 
i can probably live with that.

(*for those who were concerned, we then went after her and helped them find their way out--we also saw them later, and they were just fine.)

once you go smartphone, can you ever go back?

10.18.2012

I read this article on mashable yesterday that got me thinking about something that I already think about a lot--iphone/social media addiction. 
I know, I know, it sounds really silly, but probably not as silly to people who have a smartphone. I've gone to brunch with a few blogger friends who admit to the addictive loop of checking emails, twitter feeds, instagram, facebook, etc... So, i know i'm not alone.
In the article it talks about people feeling anxious or jittery when they're not online. 
I wouldn't go so far as to put myself in that category, but I would say I feel a pretty annoyed when I know my phone battery is about to die and I won't be able to keep 'up to date' on things until i can get it to a charger.
I just feel like I fill a lot of my 'nothing to do' minutes with an endlessly checking of the online happenings. Some of them matter (I really am so grateful for the friends I've met through these platforms), but some of the things I could definitely live without knowing.

What I'm really afraid of are two things:
1. are those quiet 'nothing to do' moments the ones where i could be receiving creative inspiration (something I feel like i've been lacking in for a while)
and 
2. if i'm this engulfed in my phone, what is the next generation going to be like? 
frankly, it makes me scared. i don't want them to miss out on life because they're too busy staying up to date online. i don't want to be a hypocrite, so i know i need to make some changes. 

i really think that if i wasn't such a big fan of instagram (i may be addicted, but i also have always been addicted to taking pictures of everything--ask my friends that have known me since 3rd grade) i would give up on smartphones and go back to the basics.

Anyone have a (realistic) solution? 
Do you feel like you suffer from IUD/Internet Use Disorder?
outfit details:
straw fedora hat & black and tan striped shirt//forever21 $6/$12
BDG cigarette high-rise skinnies (i wear them almost everyday, i'm obsessed)//urban outfitters $58
india booties//c.o. blowfish shoes

instabomb.

10.16.2012

When I got dressed this morning, the Home Depot was not what I had in mind...
Poppy before her X-Rays.
Finally got the vintage school map hung!
Saturday morning snuggles with our little deer.
Leslie Knope & I would get along quite nicely, I think.
Poppy says relax.
Feelin' a little retro vibe, so i went with it.
From our lake adventure a few weekends ago.
Why i shouldn't be left alone with boring homework and sharpies...

What I did during conference.
The cabin is, clearly, too much fun.
Still waiting for Fall to hit.
Don't hate.
an insta from this night.
I'm a good babysitter, what can i say?
double date at Golfland.
our favorite pizza to go.
© i believe in unicorns. Maira Gall.