Pumpkin Patch

Soo, we went to the pumpkin patch a little bit ago and I forgot to share! These pictures are just too cute to pass up so I'm just going to post them. It was a really fun day, my mom and mother-in-law brought us to this pumpkin patch up where they live. I was expecting like a field with a bunch of pumpkins (a pumpkin patch, right?) but this thing was a whole dang carnival! Complete with a hayride and train! So of course, we rode the train but the rest of the time was spent chasing Eliza around. She didn't want to leave! 


^^ this is my mother-in-law, Brandon's mom, can you tell? 

^^ and this is my mother (: 













Eliza's new thing is sneaking up behind sitting people, grabbing them around the neck, and swinging around on your back! I don't think she gets what "choking" is, lol. 





We took a ride on the train and got a mini tour of the farm it was on. It's originally a christmas tree farm so it was really fun to drive through all the christmas tree fields! Getting in the mood for christmassss!!!!



Eliza has a new fascination with all things turkey... 



And sitting on pumpkins.... 

But mostly, she was interested in the miniature, Eliza-sized, christmas trees! 

It doesn't feel like a monday... which is a good thing? How was your weekend? Mine was... really good. Saturday morning was kind of bad but from there it just got really good. I decided to take a last minute trip up  to visit my mom and that was probably the best decision I made all weekend. I got to see two really good friends of mine and I learned to crochet!!!!!!! I can NOT tell you how excited I am to start crocheting some granny squares. I also started knitting a hat, I forgot how much I liked knitting and how addicting it is! It's very relaxing though. Then, yesterday, we went on a family park outing. We came home and did some fun crafting (I'll share what me made later). Right in the middle, I looked over and Eliza had curled up in her chair and fell asleep! At 7:30! That NEVER happens. So that was cool, Brandon and I made some peach crisp and enjoyed the rest of our evening. I got a good night's sleep and am totally ready to start my week! Happy monday ya'll! 

Taco Soup

Soup for the soul! This is the perfect soup for the start of winter and it is sooo yummy. One day last week, Brandon had school late one night so Eliza and I cooked up this Taco Soup! I originally got the idea from Betty Crocker but changed it up a bit. This soup is kind of a mix between tortilla soup and chili. 
Grocery List:1 lb ground beef Corn Chips Packet of Taco Sauce Progresso Hearty Tomato Sauce (19 oz)Tomato Sauce (15 oz)Monterrey Jack Cheese (1 oz)Picante Sauce (optional: for a little kick) Diced Green Chiles (4.5 oz)Corn (half a can)
First, start off by browning your meat and drain it.


In a large saucepan, combine the meat with the Progresso Heart Tomato Soup and Tomato Sauce 







I let this come to a boil and then added the taco seasoning, a can of corn (I added a whole can but it ended up having to add more tomato sauce to even it out so I suggest half a can), the diced green chiles, and picante sauce. The green chiles and picante sauce are optional. You can omit them if you are very sensitive to spicy foods but Eliza ate them and was fine, it just adds a bit of a ziiing. 









Let that simmer for about 20 minutes until it thickens a bit. Now it's time to serve it up, chili style! 



First the corn chips,

And then the cheese! We like cheese, can you tell? 



(recognize the map coaster?)

Yummmmm



Eliza "super" liked it! I apologize about the naked booty-ness. She changes clothes about 4 times a day and by dinner time, she's just running around naked! What can I say? 





It's probably for the best, because that girl sure knows how to make a mess! 
How was your week?! I don't really remember mine, it was kind of a blur. Now that it's winter, I want to start knitting/crocheting things! Hopefully tomorrow I'm going to meet up with a friend and learn to crochet. I plan on knitting myself and the fam some nice cozy hats! I sound like a grandma.... but I just love it! Hope you guys had a great friday, woopee for sleeping in! 

Time to Simplify

Please watch



Wow, wasn't that cool?! I have been kind of at a crossroads and this was kind of the last kick to push me on the path I need to be on. Lately I've really been thinking about "stuff" and how materialistic we are.(Confession time!) I am a shopper, I don't know what it is but I love to shop and it is soo bad. Brandon always gets so mad at me for buying things we don't need and then I feel guilty but it never really stops. My shop is a great outlet for that because I love a good bargain and have the ability to sell my finds on the internet. But it's a bad habit that I really need to kick, find a balance somewhere between my store and personal life. And thinking, "I need to stop buying things to save money" is just not helping. I need to stop because it's just plain unnecessary and bad. I need to be more appreciative of what I have and think of others that are not so fortunate. I've been reading Bekah's blog, My Little Loves, for a little bit and she has really inspired me to start simplifying my life. Now, everyday when I walk around my apartment, I look around and feel a mixture of appreciation, guilt, and disgust. I think I've become a bit of a hoarder? And I get that from my Dad. He never throws anything away and has so much stuff, I think I've kind of inherited that. But I'm trying to change my ways! So from now on I'm going to be appreciative. I'm going to stop buying unnecessary things. I'm going to de-clutter my house (this will make my life so much easier anyways). And I'm going to do something uncomfortable! 
Oh and most importantly, spend more time with my family and enjoy this beautiful weather while it's still here! 

Halloween

We started off our Halloween by carving pumpkins! It was a lot of fun and easier than I expected? I think Eliza had the most fun though, she was making "pie" out of the mush from inside the pumpkins. Yummmm


Then she started sticking her feet in it and it was time to go inside! The pumpkin below is mine and the weird one with all the seeds impaled in it is Brandon's. 


 We rinsed off our seeds to bake later and decided to get dressed up! We just found some things from our closet and put on some fun makeup! We put glitter on our cheeks and went crazy with some purple eyeliner. After, we visited my dad since we won't see him in a while and handed out some candy. Then I talked Eliza into going trick or treating and we went to a total of.... THREE houses! Yay! It was funny because the first house, a lady answered and Eliza did really good and even said "twick or tweat" but the last two, men answered and when I would ask her what to say, she would go "mommy!" and try to hide behind me. So I'm glad we decided against full out trick or treating. Plus, she really doesn't need all that candy. Since no one comes down my dad's street, all three houses loaded her up. After all that, we met Brandon back at the house, cooked dinner, watched Hocus Pocus, and ate some yummy popcorn balls! We even got a few trick or treaters at our apartment too! So that was our Halloween. Pretty chill but we had a good time. 




I just happened to have this dress (hand-me-down?) and the pumpkin is from her godmother, thanks Meg! How was your Halloween? Do you like to keep it chill or go all out?! 

Girlish Garb: Dressing for Comfort

A belated outfit post, I was supposed to post it Sunday but.. well you know. It just didn't happen and I just remembered today so I whipped out my camera and here you have it! 

Today, I'm dressing for comfort. I woke up early to take Eliza to mother's day out and decided to skip school. Ya, I'm a rebel hahah. So anyways, I woke up and threw on some warm, comfy clothes. No makeup,  did absolutely nothing to my hair (luckily I don't have bedhead, the braid is from yesterday). I'm pretty sure I didn't even eat breakfast.... 






These are my FAVORITE pair of leggings. I wear them all the time.Outfit Details: Jean Button Up- Thrifted Navy Striped Gap Dress- Thrifted Leggings- Wet Seal? Like years ago Suede Heart Necklace- Will be in store soon 

So Halloween was really good. We spent the day at home (mostly) and just relaxed and enjoyed each other's company. It was really, really nice. We carved pumpkins, got dressed up (just things from our closet), put on some fun makeup (which consisted of glitter and eyeliner hearts) and went trick or treating (a total of 3 houses!) which Eliza was really excited about! I didn't know trick or treating in apartments was a thing but apparently it is? I'm glad we decided not to go full on trick or treating though because I don't think Eliza was quite old enough, I'll share more on that later. We finished off our day watching Hocus Pocus and eating some popcorn balls! All-in-all, good day. It's funny, I don't even realize how red my hair is until I look at pictures of myself. Huh. So what did you guys do for Halloween?