Decorating With Mom: Fall Mantel

If you are coming here from The Blended Blog, welcome! If you're starting here, head over there to get some tips from my Mom on how to decorate your Thanksgiving Table.

As you know I've been a bit gimpy, so this past weekend, my mom took down my Halloween decorations and found all this stuff laying around my house! Seriously, she had NOTHING, and she turned into this in 15 minutes. Amazing I tell ya. Okay I had the pumpkins, but never really did anything with them, I kept buying pumpkins and never used them, she actually made them look good.

She really didn't follow her tips on how to decorate a mantel, but all rules are meant to be broken when you gotta work with what you have right? Baby Fox has been coming home with a bunch of cute artwork from school, so why not include it?

Isn't that noodle art turkey just the cutest? I love noodle art. We'll get to the pumpkin in the center later.

That hand turkey on the far right is his school project from last year...so tiny.

I was on FB the other day and saw this, it's called the Thankful Pumpkin, each night we ask the kids what they are thankful for that day. It's definitely one of my favorite parts of the day. Mostly Mini Fox just says what Baby Fox says, but tonight on repeat whenever I asked her what she was thankful for today she just said Mama. Melted this Mama heart a thousand times over. I think this is a great tradition that we will be doing for many years to come. Good thing we didn't carve those pumpkins this year, we can thank my ankle for that.

What are your Fall decorations looking like this year? Comment below with the links!

Linking up with That DIY Party, Tweek it Tuesday, Mad Skills Party,  Fabulous Party, Weekend Retreat , Tuesday Talk,  Wake Up Wednesday Linky Party, 
and Let's Be Friends Blog Hop

I'm Walking...On My Own!

I got a walking shoe, I'm supposed to be walking around...and I did! For a minute there it felt like there was never going to walk again, cue the dramatic music. But I got a walking shoe and I'm supposed to start walking...I can do it for short amounts of time, but I'm getting there. On the road to recovery.

Mini Fox is starting her selfie skills...taking after her Mama.

 

Needs a bit more practice



 I love when the kids are in matching jammies.

Can't get them to sit still

Friday was my off Friday so I needed some help with the kids. Mini Fox was pretty much sick all day, so my Dad came over for some good cuddling time.

He got this shot of me falling off of my crutches, way to take a picture of girl at her lowest Dad.

 

 

She just wanted Mommy snuggles for most of the day, and ended up taking a 4 hour nap.

 



My mom came over so my Dad could go to a football game for my cousin, and she decorated my mantle, which you'll see next week, and this guy woke up from his nap, so I got some cuddles with him. Notice a theme here, I do a lot of sitting.

Saturday was our last soccer day, well not really, but we're busy next Saturday so we can't go. Baby Fox wanted to watch his show on tv and not the football his Daddy was watching, so he was boycotting breakfast and giving me the silent treatment.

Meanwhile Daddy got some good snuggles. I kept telling him I thought she was going to throw up...and he kept saying she's fine...and guess who was right? Daddy got thrown up on.

While we were cleaning up the mess, Baby Fox got some good snuggles in.

After she threw up and seemed to be doing so much better! I guess she just needed to get it all out, even though she didn't have anything but water in her stomach. The rest of the day I pretty much sat on the couch and practiced walking to the pantry and back, haha. Soccer went great, Mini Fox was feeling better so she went to the park with my Dad and I sat on the couch some more. She's not 100% better but she's going in the right direction. There rest of the night we hung out, ate dinner, and got this great shot of a right before bedtime tantrum.

Sunday was another low key day, and guess what?! I took my own shower, I didn't have to have someone wash/rinse my hair, and it was glorious!

Me and this guy laid around and watched some TV while Mr. and Mini Fox went to the grocery store. You can't tell but we're wearing matching shirts.

 

After they got back I was sweeping and the kids both wanted the broom, so Mini Fox got a small dust pan and brush and Mr. said I have something better and got out the swifter and Baby Fox thought it was the coolest thing ever and dusted our tv stand, oh yea!

 

 

After lunch Mr. was BBQing some pork chops for lunches this week, and the kids wanted to ride on the plasma car together. It was seriously the cutest thing ever. A little nerve wrecking because Baby Fox goes way too fast, doesn't every mother think that?

 

All ready to go!

One loop around and having a blast!

 

During naps I went to my Mom's house to work on a blog post for The Blended Blog scheduled to post tomorrow, it's all about decorating your Thanksgiving Table. Then when I got back we ate dinner and the boys did this:

 

 

While the girls did this:

It was a great weekend, especially since I feel like I have some of my independence back, I mean I can get my own food now! We're talking huge! So excited to be on the other side of the pain and onto the recovery side. It's just going to get better and better, woo hoo!

What was the most exciting part of your weekend?
Mine was taking my own shower!

Also, don't forget to enter my $500 giveaway to Nordstrom! Everyone could use that right about now right?

Linking up with  Erin for Weekend Snapshot4, B Loved Boston and Champagne & Suburbs  for Weekending,  and Ashley at A Cute Angle for Monday Madness

Friday Favorites #50 On A Saturday

It's Friday Saturday and I am here with my favorites from the week. A day late, but better late than never right? So here they are.

The love these two have is adorable. She got in trouble for drawing on the table, and she immediately started crying and called for Coco (what she calls Baby Fox) and ran to get a hug. He loves being the big brother and says, "it's okay honey", yes he calls her honey sometimes, it's the sweetest.

 

This just pulled at my Mama heart strings. So sweet that this man gives up everything for his son.

 

 

 

My friend's baby needed a bone marrow transplant and they asked everyone to wear grey (his name is Greyson) and tag #greyday to show your support. Mini  Fox and I showed our support. Many prayers and thoughts to the family that the BMT is a success and Grey goes on to live a long and happy life.

 

 

 

 

Love snuggles at bedtime.

 

And family snuggles are even better.

Mini Fox wanted us to pretend we were sleeping.

 

 

Mini Fox is now sick, but it's so sweet that my Dad can come over the help out and provide a snuggle partner.

 

 

She just looks so sad...

 

That's all I got this time. Sorry it's a day late, sick kid, hurt leg...makes it hard to get posting done. Hope you are all having a great start to your weekend!

 

Linking up with Erika, Andrea, and Narci for Friday Favorites, September Farm and The Farmer's Wife for Oh Hey, Friday! April and the girls for Five on Friday, and Jennie for Friday Favorites

Mr’s PSL (Pumpkin Spice Latte) Adventure

Hello everyone! Remember that list of questions I asked Mr. last week? And one of them was what he thought about Pumpkin Spice Latte's...well you asked and he went and got himself one. Here's his PSL review!

 

Take it away Mr.

 

There’s a first time for everything. Since I was unable to answer Sarah’s question about the PSL, I decided to try one… with my free Starbucks reward. I’m only willing to go so far for science.

The Purchasing Experience

Starbucks wasn’t busy for once. A disinterested barista asked for my order. When I responded with “Venti Pumpkin Spice Latte”, he responded an internal eye roll that said “Oh… it’s one of you”.  What he said out loud was “Do you want whipped cream?” The odds of this experiment being worth the calories to begin with are substantially low, so I said, “Yes… however you normally make it”.

Visual Impressions

I got this thing back to the lab (my desk) for a closer look. Visually, this is a pumpkin drink purchased from a store decked out in full Thanksgiving regalia and served in a Christmas cup. I think it’s fair to say this thing is suffering from a bit of an identity crisis.

 

But I’m not shallow. It’s what’s on the inside that counts, right?

 

This is somehow even less promising than the outside. I’ve seen things this color before. I have not purposefully ingested anything this color before.

That’s a solid D-minus in the looks category.

Bouquet (a fancy word for smell)

Not as pumpkiny or spicy as I expected. It does smell very latte. So half credit for that one. Not bad though.

Taste

First sip: The first word that comes to mind is “why?” I could have had my regular unsweetened Cold Brew.

Second sip: It seems a little buttery if that’s possible.

Third – Sixth sip: What the heck does this taste like anyway?

Seventh sip:  I’m not hating this. Probably the best part about it is that it’s not too sweet, too pumpkiny, or too spicy. I was advised to get the extra pump of pumpkin spice, but I’m sure that would have been a mistake. That second pump would have crossed the line…

Conclusion

This experience reminds me of a business trip I took to San Antonio. I went there. I walked on the river walk. I had fun. I didn’t pay for it. And I’m never going back. I don’t hate San Antonio or the PSL, we had an okay time. It’s me, not you. We should keep in touch. I’ll totally text you sometime…

Also linking up with Amanda, for Thinking Out Loud, Vanessa and Penny for Thinking out Loud, Lulia, Stephanie and Sarah for The Ladies Collective, Annie and Natalie for Thoughts for Thursday and Joey and Kristin for Stuff and Things

That Time I Kicked a 20 Yard Field Goal...

No outfit post for you today, I didn't get a chance to take any before the surgery. I figured that I would do something different. Story time! So I've told you that I had surgery but haven't told you why.

I think if you ask Mr. you would get a slightly different story, but here's MY version...the right version. When we first got married I watched a LOT of football. Okay that's a lie I would lay next to him on the couch and fall asleep while he watched foot. But still I was there, so it counts. Anyway, I would always yell at the tv and say, why did the kicker miss that, that seems so easy. I said this week after week, and finally one half time Mr. says, that's it, we're going to the high school and you're going to kick a field goal!

We called my Dad to get his opinion on whether or not I could use a tee. Mr. was in the no camp, but my dad pointed out that high schoolers get to use a tee, we didn't have a tee, so Dad said he could use a book instead, close enough, we went with it.

So anyway we get to his high school football field...I set down the book in where I thought was the middle of the field...but Mr. says, no no, it's not there and then moves it a couple of feet to the left. We get all set up, put the ball on the edge of the book, I take a few steps back, hop forward, kick the ball and as my foot comes down, I roll my ankle in the sprinkler hole located just on the other side of the book (no I didn't make the field goal). Yep the book that Mr. moved! Man it hurt, a LOT, I seriously laid there for what seemed like eternity contemplating if my foot just broke off. Eventually the pain wore off...sort of...and I said, let's try again. So we put the book on the field goal line and kicked it through the goals! woo hoo! Then we backed it up to the 10 yard line (so 20 yard field goal in my book) and I did it! It went through, so three kicks in and I was done, and we hobbled to the urgent care.

Fast forward 8 years, 4 x-rays and 2 MRI's later we finally found something! I knew something was wrong, but all of the previous doctors said there was nothing they could do. There had to be something, I was in constant pain, when we went on snowboarding trips I had to skip every other run to rest my ankle it was in so much pain. Then after my half marathon, it's just gotten worse. I'm so glad I finally found a doctor that found something and could fix it. I'm anxious to get back to my workout routine, this will be the longest I've ever gone without working out (minus the 18 months I was pregnant). So now for a few pictures of what I've been doing.

When I got home, I sat here:

Then the next few days I moved to the other side of the couch:

Then I moved downstairs...yep down the stairs on my butt:

My new view:

And got to spend some time with these guys:

Then when all those other places got boring I moved to our bedroom.

I've pretty much sat everywhere there is to be sat. then sat some more. Monday I had an appointment to get my hard cast and walking boot...it didn't quite work out how I wanted, mainly my foot wouldn't move to a walking position, it needed to be at a 90° angle and they could only get it at a 74° angle, so I have to go back to the docs tomorrow to try again.

Since it's a temporary cast, I let the kids let loose...

So that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Come back tomorrow, cause Mr. tried a PSL (Pumpkin Spice Latte) and wrote the funniest guest post EVER!