[Countdown to Halloween] Candy Corn Craft

Welcome to Week 2 of our Countdown to Halloween link up! Thank you all for sharing your Halloween fun with us last week!

This week I wanted to share a fun and easy craft with you. I had searched on Pinterest for a fun sensory craft for Mason and some friends to do last week for a playdate when I came across this easy craft. I did all the prep and then let the kids go to town... or that was the plan. We went over for the playdate, everything was fine, Mason was a little shy and then seemed tired. Seth was holding him while I talked to the other moms and then he had to use the bathroom so I held Mason and then all of a sudden... (I'll leave out the visual)... all over my poor friends chair and carpet. Needless to say we were embarassed, very apologetic, and we left without completing the craft. However, there were leftovers from the other kids and I thought Mason would still have fun so we did it a couple days later when he was feeling better.

Materials :
- 1 piece of black construction paper
- 1 piece of yellow construction paper
- 1 piece of orange construction paper
- 1 piece of white construction paper
- scissors
- glue
- white crayon

Instructions:
I feel silly even including instructions since this was SO easy!

First, I took the white crayon and the black construction paper and I drew a candy corn shape (a triangle with rounded sides) and then drew two lines inside to make three different areas.

Then I took each of the other colors of construction paper - orange, yellow, white - and cut them in to about 1 inch strips (I didn't measure) and then cut each strip into a few squares (so they were probably 1x1 squares when I was done). Then I divided up the colors in separate bowls and let Mason go to town.

He opted to put glue all over the candy corn to begin with... however, I wouldn't necessarily recommend that haha. I'd start with glue in the top portion first and then put down the papers and then move to the next section, but whatever your crafter wants will definitely work.

He opted to start in the middle with the yellow.

He then moved to the bottom portion and did the orange.

And then moved to the top and did the white. No matter the order, your candy corn will come out perfect!

See? Ta-da! The perfect candy corn craft addition to our wall of art. And if I'm being honest, he did most of this himself. It was fast and easy and held his attention for about 10 minutes, which is actually pretty good for my non-craft-lover kid. I had to help a little with the glue since all we had was liquid glue, but glue sticks would have worked just as well and probably been easier for him to do on his own.

Now, link up with us and show us what Halloween fun you've been having!

An InLinkz Link-up

Five on Friday

Hey-o Friday! I'm so happy to see you! Unlike last week, this week went by at record speed. I seriously can't believe it's already Friday but hey, I'm not complaining! In fact, this weekend mama is going on a little getaway to visit my friend in Northern California so the boys are on their own (good luck!). A little less than 8 hours of work, I'm home to finish packing, and then I'm on my way! But first, my weekly five.

ONE.
Fall food.



I FINALLY was able to find the Fall cups at Starbucks! (insert praise hand emoji!) We stopped by Starbucks on the way to a play date on Sunday and I literally almost didn't get a drink because when I walked in, I didn't see anyone with Fall cups. I seriously told Seth "I don't want a hot drink, it's not worth it if it's not in a Fall cup. I'll save my money" (no joke - sad, I know). Luckily they did have them though - just in tall and venti only - so I skipped the grande and ordered a tall - JUST to get the cup.
Now that you officially think I'm crazy, take a look at that baby. I know it's just a cup, but isn't it so pretty??? Seth didn't think so, but I'm hoping that's just the "man opinion" and you ladies will agree with me!



In addition to my Fall Starbucks cup addiction, I also might have a small addiction to holiday Oreos. So when I went to Target the other day for "just the essentials", these babies happened to fall into my basket as well. #oreosareessentials


TWO.
Essie nail polish and gel top coat.

Essie Bahama Mama and Essie Gel Top Coat

I FINALLY used my Essie gel top coat and I have to admit, I love it! It actually works super well and kept my nails from chipping for way longer than regular nail polish without it. I've now taken it off once and painted them twice (and even used it on my toe nails!) and I'll never go back. It was super easy to take off (just regular nail polish remover worked fine) and super easy to put on!


THREE.
Blog Market Blog.

I recently came across The Blog Market blog and I love it. The blog is new to me but so far from what I've been reading, they have great pointers, advice, and suggestions on all things blogging, small business, tutorials, inspiration, and resources. I especially love this post of theirs. With this blog, I strive to do all the things they mention in the post and I hope it comes through!


FOUR.
Stella and Dot trunk show.

In case you missed my post on Tuesday, I'm hosting a Stella and Dot trunk show to help raise money for breast cancer. You can see the post here or go straight to shop the trunk show here.

FIVE.
Snapchat.

As I mentioned yesterday, I finally did something that I said I'd NEVER do and I got Snapchat. And I have to admit... I kind of love it! I definitely don't think I'm interesting enough for people to want to see my snaps and in my videos, I think I sound like a robot, but I'm kind of addicted. I'm not sure I'm ready for the whole world to see my snaps, but if you have snapchat and would like to be friends, let me know in the comments and I'll see you my screen name (is that even what it's called? is that from instant messager?? lol #old)

And with that... have a GREAT weekend!

PS I'm excited to be the featured blogger for High Five for Friday today! Hop on over to Tif's blog : Bright on a Budget, Caitlin's blog : Coffee with Caitlin, Della's blog : Della Devoted, or Katie's blog : Cup of Tea to check it out and link up with us!

[Thoughts on Thursday] Confessions.

... that my fridge smells like coffee every time I open it. And I kind of love it. We recently went to Costco and bought a huge bag of whole bean coffee and then ground it in their little machine. We've been storing our coffee in the fridge (because I hear it keeps it fresher longer?) so every time I open the fridge door, I get a huge woosh of coffee smell.

...and an additional thing about that... I LOVE the smell of coffee brewing/coffee when I open my fridge door, but I don't necessarily need to drink it. I could just smell it.

...that I am SO paranoid about making sure I lock doors. Like whoa. I don't know where this paranoia came from, but I...
... always double check my house door to make sure it's closed AND locked when we leave the house
... always double checked the garage door to make sure it went down all the way before I drove off (when we used to have a garage at our old apartment)
... HATE being the last one to leave at work and always double, triple, quadruple check the door to make sure it's locked even though I KNOW I just locked it
... always had someone double check the front doors at the bookstore to make sure I locked them, even though I also checked them five seconds earlier.

... that I rarely, if ever, edit my photos, which is why they are definitely not photographer quality. Sometimes I throw them into PicTapGo (my recent discovery thanks to Erin - THANK YOU! ) before I post on IG, but most of the time I just make a photo collage and call it good. Why? 1. I don't really know how to edit photos and 2. I just don't have the time to spend editing. I WANT nice pictures, but I don't want to spend hours editing them because well, I just don't have that kind of time and I'm lazy. If someone could give me a crash course that doesn't involve it taking hours to edit, I'd love you forever.

...that I care way too much about what other people think. Sometimes I just need to know that I know what's best in certain situations and go with my gut.

...that I just got Snapchat and think I'm obsessed. I seriously was SO against it and then finally caved and am obsessed. Like I spent too much time on it yesterday, obsessed. And even though I spent far too long playing around on it yesterday, I still don't know how to use it.

...that I go over on data almost every month. We should probably up our data plan but I feel like since we got this plan soooooo long ago, it will probably cost more than the $10 overage fee that I incur... so I just pay the extra $10 every month.

And there you have it! Can you relate to any of my confessions?

[Fall Fun] Watch a Football Game.

When I put "watch a football game" on our Fall Wish List, I had originally hoped that we could actually go to a football game. The Pittsburgh Steelers (Seth's favorite team) play the San Diego Chargers in San Diego on Monday (October 12th) and I thought it would be awesome to get tickets. Not so awesome it was on a Monday night, but still, we could make it work. And then... I looked up ticket prices and nearly fell out of my chair and watched my dreams of getting Seth and his Dad tickets for a suuuuuuuper early Christmas present, die. I wish there was a way I could have afforded the $200+ per ticket price because the Steelers almost never ever come to San Diego (or even San Francisco) and I thought this would be the perfect gift. Maybe next time. We'll keep looking!

So, instead, we decided to FINALLY get Mason a Steelers shirt of his own. I literally think Mason hasn't had anything Steelers since he was a baby and we got a hand-me-down onesie, a terrible towel burp cloth, and a set of jammies. Literally Mason was like 3-9 months old. This shirt purchase was long over due. We got the shirt off of Dick's Sporting Goods online and they have tons of other teams stuff too (in case you're in the market!).

Since we couldn't go to the game this coming Monday, we did the next best thing, we dressed up in our matching shirts last Thursday night and we cheered on our team! They ended up losing (boo - stupid kicker) but we still had fun in our mama, daddy, and mini matching outfits!

Go Steelers!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

via

As most of you know, or have probably heard, October is breast cancer awareness month. And for those of you know who me, or who have been reading the blog for a year or so, you know that this month holds a special place in my heart.

My mom died of breast cancer in 2003. And if you do the math... yes, I was only 18. I was a freshman in college when I got that dreaded phone call. I needed to come home. There wasn't much time left. I still remember it like it was yesterday.

me and mom - 1984

Without getting into too many personal details, she was first diagnosed when I was 11 (and my brother was 8). She went through chemo and radiation and surgeries and a double mastectomy and went into remission. Then it came back. In her lymph nodes. More chemo and more radiation and she went into remission. And then it came back in her lungs... and the doctors said there was nothing they could do.... which made me so mad. Why couldn't she get a lung transplant? Because "a lung transplant would be wasted on someone who's cancer could just come back somewhere else". Like I said, so incredibly mad. 

She was 51 years young.

She got to see me graduate high school, but not my brother.

She missed my college graduation.

She's never met Seth. She couldn't be at our wedding.

She's never met Mason.

It's hard to tell from this photo but this was the memory candle that we had lit at our wedding in memory of my mom. It had her name on it and the years that she lived : 1951-2003. We got married on her birthday, November 7th, as a tribute to her and as a way to "tie her into the wedding"

It was a complete surprise to me but my friend Stacy bought me and all of the bridesmaids these little breast cancer angels and we all wore them on our dresses at the wedding.

And while I do believe that she is watching down on us everyday and has actually "attended" these events and "met" Seth and Mason, it's not the same. She was robbed of so much. It makes me tear up just thinking about it.

For breast cancer awareness month, my friend Katie (a Stella and Dot stylist) and I have teamed up to host an online Stella and Dot trunk show! This is the second annual breast cancer trunk show that she and I have hosted together. 

This year, for breast cancer awareness month, Stella and Dot has come up with two beautiful bracelets. One is the "Resilience Cuff" and the other is called "Inspire" - they are both rose gold and simply stunning. They also have this gorgeous "HOPE necklace" and an engraveable survivor necklace as well.

Resilience Cuff // Hope Necklace // Inspire Bracelet 

And the best part? ALL net proceeds (100%!) of the breast cancer pieces goes toward the Noreen Fraser Foundation.  And 10% of all other purchases goes towards breast cancer awareness.

[From www.noreenfraserfoundation.org] The mission of the Noreen Fraser Foundation (NFF), a 501c3 not for profit organization based in Los Angeles, is to raise funds for breakthrough research that advances precision medicine for the prevention and treatment of women’s cancers.  Our hope is that cancer will become a manageable disease that patients will live with and not die from, until it ceases to exist.

NFF supports research for all women’s reproductive cancers (breast, ovarian, cervical and uterine/endometrial) because not only is there a strong hormonal and biological link between the women’s cancers including hereditary cancer syndromes but also because research in one type of women’s cancer oftentimes progresses research in the other types of women’s cancers. A multi-disciplinary approach and collaboration among researchers in the various fields of women’s cancers is absolutely necessary to accelerate the development of reasonable treatment options and potential cures.

While we focus on several types of cancers as opposed to just one, the research we fund is focused on making a real impact on women’s lives quickly. We feel that while a lot of money has been raised in the name of cancer, it has been divided amongst thousands of researchers and thousands of ideas diluting its impact. We believe that more money needs to be channeled to a smaller number of ideas. Focused funding and focused research will afford us the best chance to make greater strides and give this generation more than just hope to pass on to the next generation.

If you like what you see, or want to see more (spoiler alert : everything is GORGEOUS!), please feel free to shop my trunk show and help me donate money to help fund breast cancer research! (When you click the link, it will say the trunk show isn't until October 11th and while that is the official date, it is actually open right now through the end of the month - just click "shop online now".)This is the perfect opportunity to do good while adding a little sparkle in your life.

Happy shopping!

[Countdown to Halloween] Pumpkin Patchin'

I think we've officially hit our quota of pumpkin patches this Halloween. Though, if I'm being honest, I wouldn't mind going to another! I don't know what it is, but I just love the pumpkin patch. And my favorite thing? Probably the pumpkins. Normally, I hate orange, but there's something special about those big, round, orange pumpkins that I love.

We went to our first pumpkin patch (at Irvine Park - my favorite park!) the weekend before last when my Dad and step mom were visiting. It was hotter than hot that weekend but we decided to brave the heat and head to the pumpkin patch as soon as it opened. The early morning worked well as in there weren't too many people, but it definitely did not help with the heat. We rode the train, checked out the pumpkins, and played some games before leaving after about an hour and a half.

Our second pumpkin patch trip was to Tanaka Farms. We went to this pumpkin patch last year with our friends, Lauren and Seth, and their son, Logan (Mason's BFF), and this year, his new little baby sister, Norah, got to come too! Last year the boys weren't super into it, but this year was completely different and so much fun! (At least for the moms... the dads had to chase the kids around!) We went on Saturday night around 5pm and they closed at 6pm. It actually turned out to be the perfect time because it wasn't hot (at all - hallelujah!) and wasn't very crowded. I do wish that we could have gone maybe around 4:30 instead of 5 though to have a little extra time. Oh well, next year! We opted for the tractor ride over the petting zoo since we only had an hour and it was perfect. We practically had a private tractor tour as there was only one other family on the ride with us. And then we stopped to see the pumpkin get shot in the air by the pumpkin cannon and the boys were mesmerized. Though it was short, our visit was perfect!

Seriously, we had the VERY best time! The boys didn't want to leave and to be honest, neither did I. If we have another free weekend before Halloween, I totally want to go back!

So, you might be thinking "two pumpkin patches is kind of over kill" but no! They are actually both VERY different. The pumpkin patch a Irvine Park is more man made. The pumpkins are all picked and pretty much no matter which pumpkin you choose, it will be nice. They only set out the good ones so you don't have to sift through the bad ones to find the one you want. You just kind of choose what color and size you want and you're on your way. They also have a train ride (the train is always there) and then a bounce house and other games. Tanaka Farms is more real life farm. As you can tell from the pictures, there are just rows and rows of pumpkins. You can choose whatever one you want but you need to check it out before you buy it. There are tons of bad pumpkins (complete with flies and all), but it is the more farm experience that you might want. There's a tractor ride and a pumpkin cannon as well as a petting zoo. Both places are completely different and super fun. I love going to both each year!

What Fall and Halloween fun have you been up to? 

Don't forget to link up with us (below) and share!

An InLinkz Link-up

Five on Friday!

Where has this week gone? Not that I'm complaining one bit! I felt like the beginning of the week dragged on, then it was finally Wednesday, and now... Friday! Hallelujah! We've got some fun planned for this weekend but first... my weekly five.

ONE.
Pajamas.

transportation jammies // dinosaur jammies // Olaf jammies

I realized the other day that should it become cold outside, Mason would freeze when he goes to bed. He literally only has shorts and short sleeve pajamas. I can't even think about needing to wearing long sleeves and long pants but I know (hope) the day will come sooner rather than later and I should probably get something for him to wear. I found some cute ones at Old Navy and of course my love for Hanna Andersson runs deep. The only problem with Hanna Andersson is... I do not love the price. Thankfully Mason usually gets one or two as gifts. However, even though they are so expensive, they are seriously our favorite pajamas ever. They fit him the best, they wash well and wear well, and are just overall super cute and super soft. I noticed that they have some on somewhat of a sale (a rarity for Hanna's) so I may have to snag one or two.


TWO.
Christmas Pajamas.

Make Way Blue // Charlie Brown Tree // Red/Green // A Day with Santa Blue

Speaking of Hanna Andersson... they are KILLING IT in the Christmas jammies department! Holy cuteness. I want them all. It's a good thing that Christmas jams last us all the way through until at least Valentine's Day, if not longer, it makes it a little bit more worthwhile! No shame in the Christmas pajamas in February and March game!


THREE.
Potty Training.

We've been sloooooowly starting to start potty training Mason. We started with changing him from diapers to pull ups and working on calling them "big boy underwear". Now we've got the potty and he knows the ASL sign for toilet. And I made a potty chart where he gets to put up stickers. He has gone twice so far so I let him put up the two stickers but now all he wants to do is put up more stickers since I chose Paw Patrol stickers and he's obsessed. I tell him he has to go pee pee in the potty before he gets another sticker and he walks away lol. At least we're on the right track. We're not pushing anything, but trying to get the process started. I know we're "late to the game", but with him having autism and being non-verbal, we didn't want to push anything before he was ready or before he had a way to communicate with us, but at a little over three now, we decided to give it a shot. Wish us luck!

FOUR.

Collect App.

I posted this picture on Instagram yesterday and a lot of people seemed interested in what app I used to create this so I thought I'd share. I definitely can't take the credit for this, I saw someone else using it first (Erin???) and totally copied, but ever since, I LOVE it! It's an app called "Collect" and it accesses your photos from your photo album and basically creates a calendar of photos for you. I try to make sure to take at least one picture a day in order to import something in to the app. Hence why sometimes the pictures are of food and not people :)

FIVE.
Fall Scarf Exchange.

In case you missed the announcement on Monday, I'm co-hosting a scarf exchange! Click the link to get the details and then email me to sign up. Hurry! Sign ups close this weekend!

Happy Weekending!