Ellie is heading to third grade.
Gracie to first.
Colin is staying home… much to his dismay.
Author: Melissa
an interrupted birthday
My poor Gracie – last week she had the stomach bug and Saturday her birthday got canceled because of Irene.
She said it was the “worst birthday ever.” But she was a trooper. She made the best of it and, as usual, ended up entertaining us all throughout the storm, hamming it up and being generally hysterical.
I can’t believe she is seven. SEVEN. She is headed to first grade and – for the first time – will be away from me all day. I have no idea what I’m going to do without my little buddy. I’m tearing up just thinking about it. She’s so big. Its going by so quickly.
Happy Birthday, Gracie.
fashion friday: plum for fall
I love fall fashion. If you follow my fashion blog, All Things Chic, you’d notice I am crazy posting over there on my favorite fall finds! One of my favorite colors this fall? Plum.
Lovely. What is your favorite color for fall?
Fashion Friday is the most fashionable day of the week! Thanks for stopping by: link up your fashion posts and join in the fun! Fashion Friday Sponsorships are available – contact us for more information!
yesterday i fell in love with a boy
His name is Marcus and he is my newest nephew. Isn’t he handsome?
In mere seconds, he captured our hearts…
We wore him out…
what i wore this week
We had a super busy week, with a trip up to NYC and a couple blogging events, so I have a What I Wore this week again! Woo-hoo!
I spent Wednesday shooting a segment for MSN.com with Julie. So fun!!!
We were supposed to be talking about jeans, so of course I wore jeans! I went to my go-to 7 For All Mankind flares with a colorful top to be on camera.
top: old top from Loft {similar here} {and here}
bottom: dojo trouser jeans by 7 for All Mankind {buy them here}
shoes: peep-toe clogs from Target {buy them here}
{or splurge on a designer option}
purse: from the coach outlet, so i can’t find it anywhere
Friday, we were hiking all around New York city, so I was looking for something comfy and casual. I went with flares and a tee, dressed up a bit with a scarf and a great crossbody bag. Here are me and my girls in Times Square!
top: Loft {buy it here}
jeans: Target {old} {find similar here} {and here}
scarf: {similar here}
purse {buy it here} {similar here}
shoes {buy similar here}
Saturday, we attended Style School in NYC! SO fun! I wanted to look nice, but still be comfy on the train ride home. I found this little number in the Theory outlet a few weeks ago. It was originally $150 and I got it for $27! SCORE!
dress: {buy it here}
belt: target {buy similar here}
shoes: last year from Old Navy {buy similar here} (and here}
Tuesday, we were running around doing back to school shopping, so I went for comfy casual – and pulled out the white jeans!
top: Loft {buy it here}
jeans: boot cut jeans by loft {buy it here}
shoes: flower sandal from target {buy it here}
For more fashion inspiration, visit The Pleated Poppy!
try this: black bean soup
We all love Panera’s Black Bean soup in our house… and after a few tries, we found a recipe that is really, really close! It was so easy and so so yummy!! It was a hit – this will be on our table frequently this winter.
Black Bean Soup
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 rib of celery, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups water
2 15-ounce cans black beans with liquid
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons lemon juice
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1. Saute onion, celery, pepper and garlic in the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat for 5 minutes. Don’t let the veggies brown, just soften them up a bit.
2. Add water, 1 can of beans, bouillon cubes, salt and cumin. Bring soup to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Puree the soup using an immersion blender or by pouring into a blender in batches. Be very careful when putting hot liquids in the blender – do very small batches and use a hand towel to hold the lid down on the top of the blender just in case.
4. Add the remaining can of beans to the soup along with the lemon juice. Combine the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl, then add to the soup and bring it back up to a simmer and cook until thick, about 10 minutes more.
t-minus 7 days
School starts one week from today. I’m having mixed emotions. On one hand, I’m ready to kick them out the door… but on the other hand, where did summer go? My kids are panicking. They’ve been home exactly 6 days the entire month of August, so they’re feeling a little pressed for time to do everything they wanted to this summer.
I’m feeling panicked that we still need haircuts, new shoes, school supplies, and all the other back-to-school essentials. I was sitting last night making my to-do list and taking deep breaths as I looked at how much we have to do this week. Oh well. I guess it wouldn’t be back to school if it wasn’t insane, right?
This weekend, my sister and I headed into NYC with just the girls for a little girl’s getaway. We had so much fun – they loved Times Square. We could have spent all day there. Then we headed to the Harry Potter Exhibit, which was so cool. Sorry for the horrible cell phone picture – they don’t allow cameras into the exhibit, so we just got a quick phone picture on the way out!
Then we headed to the American Girl Store, so Grace could fulfill her lifelong dream of owning a real American Girl doll. After much deliberation, she picked out Ruthie. And she has barely put her down since she got her. She wants everyone to know that she wants more American Girl clothes for her birthday, thank you.
It was a fun escape before what is sure to be an exhausting week before school! I feel like we’re starting really early, though. When do your kids start?
fashion friday: back to school with 77kids
77 Kids is one of our favorite stores. We went there on Wednesday to do a bit of shopping and pick out some outfits for our trip to New York City this Saturday.
It was tough. Because we found so much stuff we loved! How to pick!?!
Here are our favorite outfits:
Gracie is wearing this darling Tulle Gypsy Skirt (She loved this skirt! So flowy and twirly!) which she paired with the shirred elbow t and the fringy printed t scarf. She really liked this outfit (As did I. I mean, that SKIRT!). As soon as we walked into the store, Ellie walked straight up to this striped wrap cardi. SO cute. We put it with a black tank and skinny jeans.
Then Gracie saw this safari print cardi sweater:
But what they decided to wear to the #StyleSchool event on Saturday was this:
Ellie is rocking the jewel studded raglan t and knit beanie (sold out). She also picked out the super flare jeans to wear with it (she’s not wearing them here, though). Gracie is adorable in the ruffle sleeve day dress and chunky knit shrug.
HOW cute are they? Maybe they need a fashion blog like their mama! We also picked up another outfit for Gracie – she fell in love with this wild print tunic tank and a lace-inset sweater wrap (sold out). She thinks it will be perfect for school! (And I agree!)
I am a huge fan of 77Kids. Their clothes are cool, age-appropriate, affordable and such high quality. None of our 77Kids clothes have holes or rips – they really hold up… even with my crazy three-year old boy!! Be sure to check out their fall line for back to school!
disclosure: this fashion friday post was sponsored by 77kids – we were provided with a 77kids gift card to shop with for the event. as always, all opinions are mine (and ellie and gracie’s).
Fashion Friday is the most fashionable day of the week! Thanks for stopping by: link up your fashion posts and join in the fun! Fashion Friday Sponsorships are available – contact us for more information!
i need a vacation
We’ve had too much vacation. Since August 1st – in numbers –
9: number of states we’ve been to. BY CAR.
1,500: approximate number of miles driven
2: number of family reunions attended
50: number of family members visited with
6: number of times we ate fast food while driving.
5: number of different beds we slept in
3: number of times we watched Cars
13: numbers of hours my kids slept last night
We’re a little exhausted to say the least. We’re taking it easy this week. (Well, when we’re not going to blogging events and working like crazy.)
Until tomorrow, when the girls and I are going up to New York City with Nicole for a girls weekend! We’re so excited. American Girl Store and Harry Potter Exhibit, here we come!!
williamsburg stop #6: jamestown settlement
Our final stop in Williamsburg on Sunday morning was Jamestown Settlement.
“FINALLY!” said Ellie. Ellie had been dying to go to Jamestown Settlement, to see the re-created Powhatan Indian village. It was the part she had been looking most forward to. First we had to see the gallery exhibits and watched the introductory film that traces Jamestown’s beginnings in England and the first century of the Virginia colony and describe the cultures of the Powhatan Indians, Europeans and Africans who converged in 1600s Virginia.
Then finally, finally we headed out to the Powhatan village.
Ellie taught us all how to play this game – we didn’t even know what it was! But she had learned about it in school this year and knew all about it!
Then, we went over and toured replicas of the three ships that sailed from England to Virginia in 1607. SO cool. Colin was very very impressed!
Then we headed over to the colonists’ fort. Colin immediately went straight to the armor!! Imagine that!
The girls were fascinated by seeing the women cooking in the house kitchen. Jamestown really showed us all how difficult life was for the colonists. Seeing something like people cooking with only colonial supplies over an open fire was so eye-opening for the kids as to the challenges of colonial life.
Jamestown Settlement was absolutely fascinating. Unfortunately, we only had about 2 hours to spend at Jamestown, which was not nearly enough time. There was so much to see and so many exhibits and such, we really could have used more time. It was a fantastic place to visit and the kids were so interested in everything, we will definitely have to come back!
For more information on travel to Williamsburg, visit www.visitwilliamsburg.com.
disclosure: we were provided complimentary admission to jamestown settlement to facilitate this post. as always, all opinions are my own.