Thursday Threads

It was "Pumpkin Patch" weekend in our family.  But, we're city folk so we take a stroll down the block to our neighborhood plant nursery to enjoy their Harvest Festival, instead of trucking our two-year-old to the country to visit an actual pumpkin patch.  I'm sure she'll twist our arm someday, but for now we are enjoying the short walk and the lack of mud.  Everywhere.

It was a crazy weather day on Saturday, but we lucked out with only a little drizzle.  And little M could have gone on that hay ride about 30 times.  Success!

Here's what I wore to the festivities:

Shirt: J. Crew Factory Store (you can find it here.)
Vest: Marshalls - I bought it for my sister, but I borrowed it this weekend.  What a convenient gift ;)
Skinny jeans: Old Navy
Boots: GoJane.com

Not-So-Spooky Halloween Party

Confession: I don't like Halloween.  I hate all things creepy/spooky/gory.  But, it's so fun for kids to dress up and eat treats, so I don't want to be a total downer about it.  So, my husband and I thought a great solution would be to throw our own party to do Halloween our way.  Our daughter adores her cousins, so we invited family over for a good old fashioned party, complete with games for the big kids.  We all had a blast, and can't wait to do it again next year!

 Kids' party favors

 A little "trick or treating" for the adults.

 This picture turned out bad.  The sign was cuter, I swear :)

My oldest nephews during our bobbing for apples competition.  They rocked it!

In case you haven't noticed yet from the pictures, this party was in our GARAGE!  My side of the family has 22 people in it, so we need all the space we can get.  Our two car garage converts perfectly into a party room with an L shaped table (three folding tables) and a couple of tables for a buffet.  We kept things super easy with pizza, salad, fruit and dessert.  

A few tips and tricks:

1)  Plan your party with guests in mind.  We had kids ranging from 10 years to 10 months, so I planned four activities -- and prizes -- for the older kids and gathered some toys and fun snacks for the younger kids.  My family is also a big gift-giving family, so all the kids walked away with quite a haul.

2) Avoid candy.  I know this sounds crazy, but kids will be getting TONS of candy on actual Halloween, so we went with Target 1 Spot toys and party favors instead.  

3)  Keep it simple.  When you're doing a kids' party, they don't care about fancy serving dishes or recipes from the foodie blog you follow.  They care about fun!  We kept things fun with lots of activities, as well easy clean up foods and tables.

A few suggestions for party activities:

- Best costume competition

- Halloween Mad Libs

- Pumpkin painting (WAY cleaner than pumpkin carving, and no knives!)

- Bobbing for apples

- Make your own caramel apples

Happy Not-So-Spooky Halloween!!

Instagram

Hey, did you know I'm on Instagram?!  Follow me @itsyourbeauitfullifeblog for sneak peeks, fun ideas and everyday life.

Fall Flowers

I am a sucker for fresh flowers.  My least favorite part of fall is saying goodbye to the beautiful summer blooms.  But, today in my backyard I saw that there were some beautiful colors still lingering.  A few quick snips and I was able to get a great a great bouquet without spending a dime.

I hope you're enjoying the beautiful shades of fall.  Happy arranging!

I'm So Excited

If you're anything like me -- a kid of the late 80s/early 90s -- that epic episode of Saved By the Bell is playing on repeat in your head after reading the title of this post.  But it's true, I'm SO excited, because I just found an awesome display board at Marshalls and I can hardly wait to use it!

Look at this beauty:

 Totally hard to see in this first picture, but it's a wooden frame surrounding chicken wire with super cool stained clothes pins.

 I was planning on making one to display Christmas cards this year, but at $29.99, I snatched this up faster than you can imagine.  Can it be December yet?!

Homemade French Fries

I have such a soft spot for french fries (pun totally intended), but ordering them at a restaurant or fast food chain is usually not the healthiest option.  Wanting to have the best of both worlds, I decided to try making some at home, and they were SO delicious.  

The recipe is SUPER easy and quick.  I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

You'll need:

3 medium potatoes

1-2 Tbsp olive oil

Sea salt to taste

Step 1: Wash potatoes and slice them as evenly as possible.

Step 2: Place sliced potatoes in a plastic bag.  Add a little bit of olive oil, seal the bag and shake it to coat the potatoes evenly.

Step 3: Dump the contents of the bag onto a baking sheet (cover it with foil to speed up the cleaning process).  Sprinkle with sea salt.

Step 4: Bake at 385 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until edges are starting to crisp and brown.

Clean up is a breeze, these fries have no filler, and you know EXACTLY what you're putting in your body.  I've made sweet potato fries and carrot fries using this method, and both have turned out great. 

Enjoy!

Thursday Threads

Okay, before I continue, I feel like I should clarify that this is not what I'm wearing today.  Today, I look like a before picture in some TV makeover show.  Instead, this is what I wore on Saturday, when we went to watch my niece and nephew play soccer (in the sun -- it was glorious!).  Pardon the coffee cup...it's permanently attached to my hand these days.

What I'm wearing:

Sweatshirt: Gold and ivory sequin sweatshirt - Groopdealz.com (last season)
Shirt: Chambray shirt - Old Navy
Leggings: Zella - Nordstrom Anniversary Sale (these are the best ever.)
Vest: The North Face (This was a birthday gift so I don't know where it's from.)

DIY Hostess Gift

It may be 2014, but I still heartily believe in hostess gifts.  What better way to let someone know their invitation and efforts are appreciated?  So, I always try to make it a practice to bring something when we are invited to dinner or a party.  We're headed to dinner at the home of my husband's colleague, so I took a few minutes over the weekend to make a gift that I think will work perfectly for fall.

Step 1: Cut a hole slightly smaller than the top of the potted plant.

Step 2: Scoop out all the pumpkin guts.  Do they have a name other than pumpkin guts?

Step 3: After cleaning out your pumpkin, add the potted plant into the hole.  You may have to break up the roots a little bit to get it to fit.  Don't worry, it will be fine!

Step 4: Water very lightly (excess water will lead to mold), and you're already done.

I love this project because it is super quick and easy, but it shows thoughtfulness and effort.  A lovely way to thank your host.

Happy fall, y'all!

Here's My Beautiful Life

Hope you all had a great weekend!  We spent part of ours cutting back trees and getting ready for fall.  How cute is this little helper?!

I have some exciting stuff coming this week, so stay tuned.  Thanks for being a part of this adventure with me!

Custom Door Mat

I have an adorable door mat for our front door.  It's big, it's bright and it works perfectly in the space.  Did I mention that the "bright" is turquoise and lime green?  Not exactly good for fall.  So, I have been on the hunt for a door mat that A) will fit our space and B) is not tacky.

No such luck.  So, I found a plain one on Amazon and decided to make it more our style with a little masking tape and spray paint.

Step 1: Decide on design and tape it out.  Be sure to pick a measurement that is evenly divided by the overall size of the mat.

Step 2: Spray paint over the taped design.  My project required two coats.  Be sure you don't use too much spray paint at one time, it might bleed on the mat and ruin the design.

Step 3: After your paint is fully dry, carefully remove the tape and voila!  A new, custom made door mat.