Five Things Friday -- Autumn Edition

This week was pretty uneventful…and I also forgot my camera everywhere we went.  (I have got to convince the hubby that I “need” a cell phone with a camera!)  We did have some fun times – Bible study on Tuesday morning, a play-date on Thursday morning, shopping at Target (which is always an adventure with my 2- and 4-year-olds) – but…no photos.

So today I’m giving you my five favorite things about autumn.  Because I can.  And because it really is my favorite season.  I think because we don’t have a “real” autumn in Arizona (I grew up in the Midwest, where the leaves have already changed and where it’s COLD about now and you freeze your tushy off at the local high school football game…ah, memories…)

Anyway – here’s my list:

1.        Blue Jeans.  With flip flops.  Because I live in Arizona.

2.       Holiday coffee creamers.  Pumpkin spice, Peppermint…whatever combinations they come up with.  Except I'm not a big fan of Gingerbread.

my current favorite

 3.       Pumpkin muffins.

4.       Pumpkin bread.

(Source)

5.       Pumpkin pancakes.

No pic - but here's the simple recipe!  Yes this is a postie.  I keep it on my fridge.  I am aware of my bad handwriting. 
(By the way, the scribbles "grd" in front of "cinnamon" and "ginger" mean "ground.")

6.       Pumpkin decorations.

One of my favorite autumn decorations - a tealight pumpkin house from Party-Lite.  I love the little mouse in the window - she's wearing a pearl necklace!

7.       Okay, so I’m giving you more than five things.  But I can’t pick just ONE!!

My Classic Winnie-the-Pooh Halloween tree.  Does it get any better than this?  I don't think so.

8.       I think I have an obsession with “pumpkin” anything.

Or eggplants.  Another Party-Lite favorite - my eggplant tealight candle house.

9.   New seasons of my favorite TV shows starting up.  I have a few that I like to follow.  It’s a weakness I have.

I can't help it.  I love this show.  Bryan calls it "nickus", though really "NCIS" looks more like "in-kiss." But "nickus" has stuck, and on Tuesday nights, Mama tries to watch parts of the show while Daddy tries to wrangle the boys to bed.

10.   Back-to-school supplies.  If you know the phrase “bouquets of sharpened pencils”, then you are someone after my own heart and I’d like to meet you. There is something about all those rows of notebooks, folders, pens, pencils, rulers, crayons and glue that make me want to go back to school.  I loved school.  (Remember, we’ve already established that I am a nerd.)

(Source)

11.   The leaves turning colors.  Because we don’t get to see this in Tucson, unless you go up Mt. Lemmon.  (Which makes me think…day trip!  The boys would love it!)   

(Source)




I'm sure there are more things I love about autumn, but this post is too long already.  Thank you kindly if you are still reading.  :) 

Happy weekend!! 

A Few of My Favorite Things

I've wanted to do this type of a post since I saw this one over at Plum Street Samplers.  (And, ironically, she links you back to another favorite blog of mine, The Sampler Girl!)  Anyway, I'm totally lifting this idea from Paulette Stewart (of Plum Street Samplers), who doesn't know me at ALL, or even that I exist -- and who is a wonderful designer of cross-stitch.  And I haven't even stitched any of her designs yet.  (But I've got a wish list going!) 

Back to my favorite things. These are just simple, every day things that make life fun. No I'm not getting paid by any of the products' companies for saying that I use or like them. The companies, like Paulette Stewart, do not know of my existence. And that is okay. I like to be incognito.

Ah, one of my comfort foods, and currently my boys' and I favorite breakfast.  Cinnamon toast.  Sans the coffee for the boys, but Mama requires it.  And I love the cup -- one of Monet's paintings, and similar to one I saw in Paris.  (I love Monet, but the Waterlilies start to all look the same...)  So what could be better than my pretty Monet cup, filled with yummy coffee, and a plate of cinnamon toast.  Mmmmm...

 I am totally copying Paulette Stewart on this one.  Because of her post, I discovered the wonder of Sallly Hansen's Insta-Dry nail polish.  Ladies, it really DOES dry instantly!!  And most of the shades only require one coat!!  Perfect for the busy mama.  I have actually been able to polish my fingernails during day when the boys are awake, without getting them mussed.  Love it!  And I love the pretty colors too!

Yes, this is a pink camoflauge Bible!! It's paperback, it's small, the font is readable...it's amazing. I love it for my nightstand and for traveling. I don't worry about it getting torn (it was only $4 on cbd.com), or the kids getting ahold of it. They come in green camo and I got one for each of my boys (including Bryan!).

Iced tea is a daily staple for me, since for some reason, too much water gives me heartburn! But I can't handle the caffeine all day (after a morning of coffee) so I go for decaf. And instant tea works great for me because I don't have to worry about a whole pitcher of tea getting "stale" (or whatever you call it when tea gets kinda cloudy and gross) since I'm the only one in the house that drinks it. Nestea is the only company I've found that makes Decaf, Instant, Tea. And Fry's Food Stores (Kroger's) is the only store in Tucson where I can find the Decaf Instant Tea. Just FYI.

Hazelnut coffee creamer is my absolute favorite!  It makes my morning coffee so yummy (and goes perfectly with cinnamon toast, by the way). 

My weekly meal planner, discovered in a dollar bin somewhere, or maybe won as a door prize at a party?  I can't remember.  I have a few of these lying about, in different formats, and have even designed one for myself in Word.  This one has a magnetic back, so I keep it on the fridge and write things down that we need throughout the week.  Then on Thursday or Friday of each week, I start thinking about what we'll do for dinners the following week -- take a look at the weekly store flyers, peek into the pantry to see what we've got on-hand.  You'll notice this one is dated for next week.  Yes I'm working ahead!  We're on vacation and I want to be ready to go to the grocery store when we get home!  No I'm not neurotic, I have just found it very stressful to be back from vacation without any ideas of what to get for food and an empty refrigerator. 

And I'm out of ideas for next week.  Any ideas for our family meals?

And these are a few of my favorite things.  I apologize for the song getting stuck in your head.  It's been stuck in mine for a while.  Try thinking of another song, like the "WonderPets" theme -- no that's more annoying.  Just turn on your radio.