Free Downloadable Fall Art

 So, how cute is this Fall Subway art...

I fell in love with it the moment I saw it on this great blog... then I realized she put it on her blog to download for free! How great is that!?! I love it when bloggers are all kind and generous like that. If I had a cool art program on my computer... or if I had a Mac, I would totally upload free art for people to download. In the meantime, I'm going to post the link here for you to get it for yourself.

Check out her blog while you're there - it's super cute and full of great ideas.

Here's what mine looks like now printed out and framed in my kitchen:

  Happy Fall Ya'll!

Some of my favorite things

A few other blogs that I follow have a regular post where the author lists her recent "favorite things." They can be anything from craft supplies to a great jacket. I always find it interesting what other people have discovered out in the retail world, so I'm going to try it out on my blog as well. Let me know if you find it interesting too... or if I should just keep my opinions to myself. :)
Here we go...

Smith's Rosebud Salve

I've read about this product for years in various magazines and decided I finally had to try it for myself. I purchased it at Sephora the last time I was there and let me tell you - it's fabulous! It's petroleum-based, so it has the feel of Vaseline, but it has a hint of color and it's thicker than Vaseline, so it stays on longer. It's light and glossy and perfect for everyday wear.

Perler Beads

My friend Rachel turned me on to these little babies. Basically the kit comes with various different "templates" (flower, car, circle, etc.) and then you place the beads on the little raised dots on the plastic template. Once all the beads are in place, you iron over it and the beads melt together to form a plastic picture. Payton asked me to print out a picture of his favorite Pokemon character (a penguin) so he could replicate it on the circle template...

 I think he's pretty happy with how it turned out, don't you? 

The best thing about these kits is that it takes a long time to complete a project and the kids have to use their imagination! Win-win for everyone. I purchased this kit at Michael's Crafts.

Seattle's Best Coffee - cinnamon flavor
Anyone who knows me knows I love coffee. I usually get several Starbucks gift cards at Christmas from various friends and family members. So, when this "Seattle's Best" coffee was on sale BOGO at Publix recently, I decided to give it a whirl. Let me tell you... the cinnamon flavored one is SO GOOD!!! As you can see from the picture, the bag is more than 1/2 gone, hence why it's cut in half. The coffee isn't too strong (not like Starbucks, mom), but it's got a really rich coffee flavor. And the cinnamon adds this mild little taste that makes you want to wrap up in a warm blanket. It's so yummy!

 Smashbox eye shadow kit

I feel like every girl should run out and get this one immediately! It's the new Smashbox eye shadow collection for fall. There are three kinds: Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes, and Green Eyes. The colors are all so beautiful and there is even a tutorial on the back of the case that shows you how to make a "smokey eye" or various other looks. The colors are so easy to apply and really stay put. LOVE IT! (I got this at Sephora, but you can order it online too.)

 Ken's Lite Poppy Seed dressing
I'm addicted to this salad and dressing. The salad is just spinach, shredded chicken, crumbled blue cheese and sliced almonds. Then I dress it with this Kens Lite Poppy Seed dressing. If you like Brianna's poppy seed dressing, this tastes the same, but has less calories, which is why I L-O-V-E it!

Slatkin & Co. Spiced Cider candle
 Last but not least, I have been burning this candle all weekend. It definitely says "Fall is here!" and it smells so great. I got it from Bath and Body Works, but again, you can probably order it online. It's not too overpowering, but just gives off a subtle sweet cinnamony-cidery smell. Okay, gotta go light it now. :)

Hope you enjoyed some of my favorite things! What are some of yours?

Perfect Labor Day

This is how we spent our Labor Day weekend...

Relaxing. And loving every minute of it!

Luv my doggie

Parker is obsessed with Rohy. He loves him. He wants to play with him. He laughs when Rohy runs into the room. All I've gotta say is... Rohy better watch out because this baby is about to start crawling and then it's all over!!!

 

10 years

We celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary this week. 

I could write an entire post about how lucky I am to be married to Brian; how much stronger our marriage is today that it's ever been; how I thank God so often that I get to live every day of my life with him... but I won't get all sappy on ya.

I'll just say that 10 years is a long time and we've been through some amazing highs and some devastating lows, and I just don't know what I would do without him as my husband. Thank you honey for all that you are, for all that you believe in, and for all that you do to make me a better me. I love you so much.

Okay, so I had to get a little sappy... come on, 10 years is a big accomplishment. We're going on a little mini vaca very soon to celebrate, but in the meantime I came home to these on Thursday...

The picture doesn't do them justice. They are the most beautiful, most perfect, most amazing smelling roses I've ever seen!
Then, Brian got a sitter and we went out to a fondue restaurant for a very romantic dinner. We brought along a bottle of wine that my maid-of-honor and best friend of a zillion years, Jenny, got us a while ago. She said, "Open this and enjoy it on your 10-year anniversary." So, that's just what we did! Thanks again Jenny!!!

Happy anniversary babe! Love you to pieces!

Random Ramblings

I just went to download some pictures off the camera and realized I have quite a hodge-podge of photos to share. So, here are some random ramblings...

First off, last week Brian hung a swing from our tree in the backyard. Which is probably not that interesting for most people, but it is to me for two reasons:

1.) When we first moved into this house, a hurricane came through Tampa and knocked down a lot of trees in our community. This little tree was literally sideways with the roots sticking up out of the ground. We had to decide to either dig it out and get rid of it, or try to save it. Well, Brian and my Dad got to work and put all sorts of support beams around it and re-planted it. Now, 7 years later, it is a huge, beautiful oak tree that provides tons of shade, houses a great bird feeder that I love to watch in the fall, and now has a swing hanging from it. So glad we saved you little tree!!!
And 2.) I've always wanted a swing in the backyard ever since Payton was a baby. Now we have one and it is SO fun to watch him swing on it!
Okay, moving on...


The next random thing to share is that we recently got new neighbors. I'm so excited because they have a little boy that is in second grade! They seem like great people and I'm really looking forward to getting to know them better. So, when people move in to a house nearby, I bake brownies and then we all go deliver them together so we can introduce ourselves. I have this template saved on my computer and I just print one off when we need it (obviously I've edited the photo to cross out our personal info, but you get the idea):

This way, the new family knows which house we're in, and the ages of our kids, along with our contact info in case they want to get together or have any questions, etc. It's been a great way to meet new neighbors.


Next random thing... Payton has recently taken to climbing into Parker's crib any chance he gets. It's hysterical. Parker thinks it's the best thing in the world and Payton thinks it's so funny.

I swear they'd stay in there all day if we'd let them eat in there! And speaking of eating... our little Parker has developed quite the appetite these days. He's eating all sorts of foods including waffles, rotisserie chicken, anything I make in the crock pot and all kinds of fruits and veggies. I love watching the boys eat breakfast together in the morning.


Last but not least, today is the first UF Gator football game! Whoo, whoo!!! We're very excited for football season! We've got the UF flag flying outside and our blow-up Albert chillin' in the bushes. And of course, the boys had their "Gator Friday donuts" yesterday along with a bite of a Gator chocolate bar. "HERE WE GO GATORS, HERE WE GO!!!!"


 

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