a party, a horse and a toddler

The other night, we went to a Halloween party. Elliott was and will be tonight... a horse of course! He absolutely loved the festivities and everyone (even a baby dressed like a puppy) was "scary". He got a chance to practice his "trick-or-treat" and "thank you!" 's which made me a very proud mama. Right before we left to head to the party, his zipper on the costume broke, hence the open chest look. Let's just say he's a stylin' v neck horsey.
A horse eating an apple...so typical.
A toddler finishing off roll 5 of smarties...so very typical.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

happy halloween weekend!

Have a happy halloween weekend friends! I'm getting pretty excited to take Elliott trick-or-treating this year. He's finally at the age I think he might grasp the idea that people are giving him candy! Any guesses as to what he'll be for Halloween? It was kind of a no-brainer and he's stoked. I hope you have a wonderfully festive Halloween weekend friends!

{I think I'd sew them to everything}
{mmm...}
{So, so cool}
{Totally making this for Preston and Elliott}
{Perhaps the coolest clock. Ever.}
{She did what we all wanted to do. And she rocked it}
{Non-festive, but still awesome}

p.s. This is Elliott's "scary" face. Not too bad, right? :)

exciting news! - sign up now closed

SIGN UP IS NOW CLOSED.

Good day friends! I have some very exciting news for you today. Susan, from Freshly Picked and I have decided to host a Holiday Gift Swap!

The Deets:
What: Holiday Gift Swap!
When: Signup today(October 24th) through November 4th
Who: Any handmade artist. From prints to jewelry to sweaters, all are welcome!
Where: Sign up on the Freshly Picked facebook page

First sign up and then get to work making 5 items to send out to 5 different artists. They can be the same, they can be different, they just have to be handmade. Then on November 7th you will get an email with 5 names and addresses, mail out your goodies and watch the mailbox, you will be getting 5 unique handmade items in return! And just like that, 5 Christmas presents done and you didn't even have to go shopping! Aren't you clever.

You do not have to sell online to participate, you do not have to sell anywhere! We welcome all crafty, creative, artistic people. So what are you waiting for? Get on over, sign up, and let the crafty gifting begin!

International crafters welcome!

Follow Holiday Gift Swap on twitter for updates and more. 

a weekend in salem

Salem was awesome. There was a healthy amount of seafood consumed, lots of great/hilarious times with the kiddos, site seeing, and a bit of shopping. I have always been fascinated by the Salem Witch Trials so it was really interesting to wander the town and learn more about them. I was really hoping to visit the graveyard where the "witches" were buried, but as it turns out, because they were thought to be "sub-human" they were not given a proper burial but were buried in unmarked graves by their families. So even though I couldn't visit the graves, being in the town was still pretty amazing.
On Saturday, we drove up to Maine and visited some quaint, pretty little towns. While we were busy enjoying the beautiful scenery, Elliott was busy drinking a lot of water, which soon lead to an overflowing diaper. I of course did not pack an extra pair of pants, hence the chunky thigh goodness. It never ceases to amaze me how unprepared I still am after 2+ years of this "mom" thing. Maybe I'll catch on when I have grand-kids :)
While we were in Maine, Preston got me this little vintage brass cricket. To give it a little background, when I was a baby, my parents gave me the nickname "cricket" (which has stuck :) because I used to rub my legs together like a cricket. So this was a must have, and I love it! 

Elliott had the best time seeing the family again. Especially his favorite playmates, his cousins! He probably gave them about 100 hugs over the course of the weekend. And as expected, the tears that flowed when we had to head home was heartbreaking. But hopefully we will see them all soon!

All in all, it was a fantastic weekend. History, beautiful sites, amazing food and family. What more could you ask for?

p.s. Elliott did not wear the same shirt all weekend despite what these pictures show. I just neglected to get pictures on the other days. Promise!

happy weekend!

Friends, what are you doing for your first fall weekend of the year? Have anything festive planned? We're having a family reunion of sorts up in Salem, MA this weekend. Talk about the perfect fall getaway! It's been great to see my family and Salem/Boston is a pretty awesome area full of amazing history (Witch Trials!) The weather hasn't been cooperating (see second picture) but that hasn't stopped us from having a blast! (see first picture) Whatever you have planned have a fantastic weekend, friends!

Here are my links for the week, enjoy!

{I want these chairs to do their magic on me}
{Sweet polka dot party}
{mmm...perfection}
{Poor little seal}
{Perfect red flats}
{DIY star gazing}