fall is for farmer's markets

In a perfect world, there would be year round farmer's markets, instead of moldy, puny strawberries on isle 3 in January. Blegh.

So we'll just live it up every Thursday and Friday night while we can!

pro/con

Do you ever make pro/con lists when you have a really big decision to make? Like...where should we move to next, or when should we have another baby, or should I eat the rest of that ice cream in the freezer? 

Meh. I don't really either. Although, one time my very best friend made me (MADE me) verbalize a pro/con list for these two guys I was sorta dating, one of them being my current husband..soo I guess we know the results of that one. But generally when I have a big decision to make I just sulk and complain and call my mom. 

That was a really long way of getting to what I'm actually getting to, which isn't a big decision at all, but a pros and cons list for fall time. I'm just not ready to let go of summer! It was way too good to us. I didn't even mind the heat and consistent over 100 degree weather- bring it on. 

So this in all in attempt to help myself cope with the fact that we're going out out of one of my favorite seasons and headed towards one of the worst (winter that is). I'll just really try to enjoy the in-between...

The pros/cons of Fall:

Pros:

• Sweater, scarves, and boots- oh my! And I'm just gonna do it this year- I'm buying Jillian and myself a pair of Hunter boots. Just gonna do it.
• Pumpkin EVERY thing. Kneaders has a "count down to pumpkin bread" running on the board outside of their store and it's nearly torture. 
• Leaves changing colors- it's absolutely gorgeous 'round these parts when they do!
• Apple cider. I'm not necessarily a huge fan, but there's something about apple cider in the fall time that just makes me giddy.
• Pumpkin patches and hay rides. Things like that are infinitely more fun once you have kids.
• Anniversary! Our 5 year anniversary is this October and we're headed off to Florida to ditch let Jillian stay with Nana & Papa while we go off for a bit (to a destination that has yet to be decided...ideas are welcomed)
• I don't have to turn my AC on = lower electricity bill for 3 months.
• School supplies are everywhere. Although I'm not really ready to get back into a school/work routine, I love, love, LOVE buying new school supplies. 
• Soup! I usually only make soups in the fall/winter season...like 3 times a week. And man oh man have I pinned some delicious soup recipes the last couple of months just-a-waitin' to be simmered on ma' stove. 
• The farmer's market is open and we go every week!
  
  
  Well, that's more than I was expecting to come up with.
  
  Cons:
• Summer is over.
• No more snow cones
• No more swimming
• It get's darker earlier 
• Means winter is coming...*shudder
  
  Really if I could live in a place where there were just 3 seasons- spring, summer, and fall, life would be grand. If you know of such a place, do share. I'll make a pros/cons list of why we should move there ;-)
  But that totally helped me cope a little better with summer being over...and maybe, just maybe, get a little excited for fall. _________________________
  
  And a few random things from this week:

 

1// Designing my business card for my new Etsy shop! More on that later.

2// Check out this book I found at the library called "Everybody has a Tushie". It's literally a book for kids about butts.

3// One of my neighbors decided to rig up a hammock on the parking structure...

4// James dislocated his shoulder playing soccer and has to wear that beauty for a couple of weeks.

the family came to town

My parents and little bro spent the last two weeks with us here in poo-tah (my family's affectionate name for Utah). We had such a great time! I also love that anytime my Mom visits I revert to a teenager and she takes over "Mom" role (cooking, cleaning, laundry)..yeah..I'll milk that for as long as she still does it. Ain't ashamed.

It was so sad when they pulled out of our house this morning to head back to the airport- Jillian sat in the grass and cried, which of course made my Mom cry as she was waving and blowing her kisses from the car.

 This was one of the greatest summers- marked by Popsicle stains, sunscreen, and sidewalk chalk. I'm trying to breath in all of the last little bits of it. We'll have to squeeze in a few more pool play dates while the weather is still hot enough for it.

Now that they're gone, summer is officially over. I start work again tomorrow and I'm ALL but ready for it.

It will take me a few weeks to accept that summer is done and welcome all of the yumminess of Fall. But for now I'll just sulk about it...in the sun...with a snow cone.

a day at the zoo

We had a fun day at the zoo this week when my parents were in town! Jillian loved it. 

We also caught two gorillas doin' it right behind the glass. Zoo animals sure aren't shy, are they? 

Anywho, here's a little video from that day! (Gorilla whoopie-making is excluded from said video).;-)

how the houlins do pizza

I'm pretty sure pizza should have it's own separate group in the food pyramid. Then again, it does kind of hit each area, right? Grains...dairy...vegetables...meats...sometimes even fruits! All around seems like a good idea to me. 

Anyway. I never used to consider pizza a "favorite" anything really. That is, until I branched out from the usual Domino's and the like to buy and even make real, quality stuff.

Now I consider pizza a favorite. 

I love, love, LOVE these recipes I found for pizza on the grill. It is so delicious and tastes way better than anything you could buy from the freezer section or even homemade baked in the oven. 

Look at those grill marks on that crust! Yum-o! It is also pure culinary coincidence that it is shaped like a backwards Louisiana. 

I'm really loving discovering all of these new things we can use our grill for...it's panned out to be quite the investment. 

Last night's deliciousness: 

Greens on White

('lotta cheeses, arugula, proscuitto) 

Not Your Mama's Margherita Pizza

(roasted red pepper, garlic, fresh mozzarella, basil)

The third pizza in the back is what my dad named "Man Pizza". He thought my pizzas sounded like "chic food" and wouldn't be filling. He even mocked my delicious prosciutto calling it "gay ham." Haha...But he also used pizza sauce that came in a squeeze bottle. No big picture or recipe description there. You're probably safer with $5 Little Caesars. ;-)

Now go. Grill. Eat. Be happy.

minnie mouse headband tutorial

Jillian's 2nd birthday party was a Minnie Mouse-palooza! 

There were Minnie and Mickey Mouse ears for everyone...naturally. 

I decided to make them because they were WAY too expensive to buy (like $6-$8 a pair), and the cheap ones at the party store were..well, cheap. So this was a good alternative. They were about $1.50 each to make.

Materials needed:

• Black headbands (I found mine at Hobby Lobby for $1 each)
• Black stiff felt 
• Something round to trace (however big you want the ears to be, I used a tape roll)
• White paint pen (or something else to trace your circles on the felt)
• Hot glue
• Red ribbon

Step 1: 

Trace your round object on the black stiff felt using the white paint pen.

I was able to get enough circles for 6 headbands on 1 felt sheet using my half-used tape roll.

Step 2:

Cut out the circles in pairs leaving a space in between, like so:

Step 3:

Place the headband in that space where you cut the two circles out. Make a design with your hot glue, then fold those two babies together.

Step 4:

Once they are glued, trim off any places where the circles don't match up exactly. 

Step 5:

Add a bow to make them into Minnie (instead of Mickey) ears!

Check out the other Minnie Mouse party related posts below!

The whole party 

Mickey Mouse Oreo pop tutorial 

"Two" shirt tutorial

mickey mouse oreo pop tutorial

Oreos. On a stick. Covered in chocolate. Need I say more?

Okay. I will. 

I'll tell you how to make them so you can enjoy the delicious and adorable treat as well. If these were sold AT Disney World, they'd probably be like, $5 each..ridiculous. Darn those Disney prices.

 Materials needed:

Double stuffed Oreos

Mini Oreos 

Popsicle sticks

Chocolate almond bark 

Red ribbon 

Step 1:

Hold either side of the Oreo and shove the popsicle stick (gently)..gently shove..into the Oreo.

Step 2:

Scrape the cream off of the mini Oreo (then eat it). Hold the sides of the big Oreo together and gently push each mini Oreo into the sides of the big Oreo.

Step 3:

Melt your almond bark over a double boiler. (You can use the microwave, BUT it is a lot easier to burn it. Using the stove keeps the chocolate at a consistant temperature so you can work with it longer). 

Instead of dipping the Oreo in, spoon the chocolate over ONE side of the Oreo and smooth it out using circular motions with the spoon (that way it will just be prettier when it dries).

Step 4:

Lay them out (remember only ONE side is dipped) on a piece of wax paper on a cookie sheet and pop them in the freezer or fridge for about 20 minutes, or until the chocolate is hard. 

Step 5:

Spoon more chocolate onto the BACK side of the Oreo and stick back in the fridge. 

Once the chocolate is hardened, tie on ribbons to the sticks to further "Mouse-ify".

To display, I stuck them in wrapped styrofoam boxes. 

YUMMY. 

You can store them in the fridge or at room temperature. 

See other Minnie Mouse party related posts below!

The whole party 

Minnie Mouse ears hand band tutorial

"Two" party shirt

"two" minnie mouse shirt

 I saw this t-shirt idea on Etsy and LOVED it. However, I didn't want to spend $25 buckaroos on one for Jillian's birthday party. Wah-wah.

Enter DIY.

Adding wording and embellishments to plain t-shirts is actually REALLY easy, so don't be intimidated. Follow these great tutorials here and here. Once you get the hang of it you'll want to do this to every plain tee your kid has. Promise. I would also suggest hand stitching (or using a sewing machine..but I'm not that talented) to sew around the outside of the letters. If you don't, they tend to peel up in the corners after a couple of washes.

I loved that I was able to customize this shirt exactly how I wanted to, and for a cost of about $5! 

To make the Minnie mouse head outline, I google searched "Mickey Mouse head silhouette" and printed this one. You can copy and paste it into a Word document and re-size it to however big or small you need it to be. It doesn't matter if the resolution is poor, you just need the outline. I cut out it and used that as my template to cut out the black felt for the head, then sewed on a polka-dot bow made out of ribbon.

Done and done. 

Check out other Minnie Mouse party related posts below!

The whole party

Minnie Mouse Oreo pop tutorial

Minnie Mouse ears head band tutorial

jillian's minnie-palooza party

Is my baby really TWO?! At her first birthday, James was joking how he was surprised we'd kept her alive for an entire year and he knows a hamster, gold fish, and a bird that would be pretty upset if they found it. But I think the REAL accomplishment will be if we can make it to her 3rd birthday party (can we say terrible two's?) HOLY SMOKES! They don't joke about that term do they? 

But we love her to pieces. She's so incredibly bright and brings so much happiness to our little family- I wouldn't have it any other way! 

I've decided 2nd birthday parties are WAY more fun than 1st birthday parties. Or maybe that's just in our case because Jillian threw up at her first birthday party all over her cake, mid "Happy Birthday" song and went to bed early. THIS time she LOVED it. Most of my pictures of her are blurry because she wouldn't stay still (though I can probably thank the chips, cookies, cake, and Oreos for that one).

We of course had to do a Minnie Mouse theme. Jillian is obsessed. She can spot a Mickey/Minnie mouse object from miles away. At her checkups when they ask if I have any concerns about her vision, I almost want to answer "heck no." 

But I had such a fun time putting this party together! I'm glad it paid off!

On the dessert table:

Red vines, sixlets, striped peppermints
Mouse-ified lollipops
Homemade sugar cookies with buttercream frosting 
with a variety of toppings (strawberries, crushed oreos, toasted coconut, mini chocolate chips, and sprinkles)
Chocolate covered oreo pops
Vanilla cupcakes with buttercream frosting 

 

 

 

On the menu:

Hamburgers and hot dogs (Hot diggity dogs and hammy burgers)
Pasta salad (Oh toodles noodles)
Chips (Minnie's munchies)
Watermelon, cantaloupe, honey dew melons (Minnie's mouthwatering melons)

Thanks to everyone who celebrated with us! Jillian is one lucky lady to be surrounded by so many great people!

I still can't believe we got a picture of ALL the babies sitting, smiling, and looking! The stars must have been aligned...

Check out other Minnie Mouse party related posts below!

"Two" shirt tutorial
Minnie Oreo pops tutorial 
Minnie Mouse ears headband tutorial