Friday Favorites: Halloween 2015

No one can ever accuse me of not going all out for holidays, even if it is last minute. I really need to just realize that October for the foreseeable future is going to be crazy. With Fitz and Alex's birthday in the beginning and my huge week-long work show in Kentucky in mid-October every year, the Anderson house AT BEST is going to be Halloweenified in late October.

Nonetheless, I got it done. That's what counts right?

Here's my Friday Favorites for Halloween 2015:

I love this glittery eyeball garland I got last year at Michael's. I was worried it might not hold up, but I think it turned out super cute. Ignore the one dead sunflower. As Mark would say, any excuse for the glitter.

Originally I was disappointed I didn't have six matching placements, but I have to say, I like the funkiness it adds.

This year, Dollar Tree had the cutest monsters; you know the solar ones that dance in the windowsills? I saw them and had to grab them for our preschool teachers! I got up at 5am this morning and made pumpkin chocolate chip muffins for the director and her assistant. So easy and so delicious! Recipe to come next week, since they would be perfect for November gatherings as well.

Halloween week at school was so fun! Each day had a dress up theme and since they are still too little to pick out their own costumes, I got to splurge and get a costume for today and a different costume for trick or treating! Can't think of anything more perfect for my set of monsters than to dress up as Mike from Monsters, Inc.

I saw this on Insta last week and knew I had to do it for my friends. I'm not sure if it really took, but I loved getting the BOOOZED baskets together and sending "Dracula's Driver" out in the middle of the night. We took ours on Monday of this week, but I think next year I'm going to start the Friday before Halloween weekend? Dropped by Dollar Tree, grabbed a plastic pumpkin, some fun Halloween cups, and threw in a bottle of wine from our local wine shop.

We're heading to Zoo Boo today with all four kids, and then planning on doing Halloween crafts and decorating the wagon for trick or treating. Saturday forecast has rain at night, and I'm crossing my fingers, toes and sending prayers to St. Therese that it holds off until 8.

Happy Halloween from the fuzzy blur that is Fitz and Alex!

Currently

*Linking up with Becky*

Currently around the Johnson Anderson house we are...

Tired. Last week was a whirlwind with my annual trip to Louisville, Ky., for the biggest lawn and garden outdoor power equipment trade show in the country. We left at 10am on Tuesday and didn't return until 11pm on Friday. The days were a total blur, except for a few moments like these. I literally felt on top of the world at 55 feet in the air... Damn I have a cool job sometimes. 

Actually, not just tired; bloody exhausted. Fitz and Alex's school has Hand, Foot and Mouth going around. And guess who got it? Poor Alex has been covered up all weekend, and is staying home from school for part of the week to bounce back. Somehow Fitz hasn't shown any signs or symptoms of it...I'm just waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop.

Smiling from ear to ear about The Genius of Romance. I love to read romance novels, and until recently, I always felt a touch embarrassed about it. After reading this, well, I think the ladies behind those oh-so-steamy pages are clearly some of the savviest, most successful authors on the planet. Except that Twilight woman, and that horrible Fifty Shades woman, they just need to go away and be ashamed for what they did to the genre.

I can't believe Halloween is on Saturday! I guess I need to get used to the month of October just being flat busy every year. Here's my inspiration for the week. If you need me, I'll be drinking Witches Brew every night and eating off Halloween themed paper plates for every meal possible.

Look Human via Pinterest

The Hard Hat Diaries: Appalachian Psychics

A few weeks ago I made my third trip of the year to North Carolina, and even though I haven't had the most successful of trips in the past, each time I visited this year I actually almost forgot all about that little ER trip in Raleigh, which is probably 100% thanks to the amount of CookOut I consume on each trip. #gimmemilkshakes

North Carolina really has something for everyone, and since I usually traverse the state during my week long trips, I can say with confidence I really love it. In fact, I’m dying to head back to Little Washington now that the leaves are changing.

Or spend a long weekend around Appalachia. I mean seriously, doesn't it get any more beautiful than this?

Probably not. Unless of course I'm back on that sidewalk in Boone when a "psychic" was telling me I am going to get fired in March and my husband is going to leave me. That only took me a solid 36 hours of freaking out before I realized it wasn't true. Glad I didn't give her the $75 she wanted to reorder my chakra and aura color. Also, what's with all the Subarus? It seemed like every time I turned around in that area there was another damn Subaru.

Besides being able to temporarily escape the still blistering heat of Alabama, this last trip was for the Mid-Atlantic Logging & Biomass Expo…which means another edition of Woods Barbie: The Erin Andrews of the Forest.

Did I miss the class in college where you learned how to do live shots in the sun without squinting? Maybe I was just absent that day?

Hop, Skips, a trash can vodka punch

One of my favorite things my best friend and I used to do in college was make something we called "Hop, Skips" on random afternoons. It all started after one of her boyfriends introduced us to "Hop, Skip and Go Naked" trash can punch. From there? They became our go-to when we were in the mood to get a little silly drunk. So, naturally, when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to make for the boys' birthday party, Hop, Skips came to me immediately.

After #onewildyear with this one? Yea, Momma needed some Hop, Skips.

This time around Hop, Skips were called Jungle Juice, with the added fan-fare of two bags of frozen triple berry mix for "ice cubes." This is seriously the easiest punch to make—but revelers beware, it bites back!!

Hop, Skips, a trash can vodka punch 
Ingredients 
1 2-liter bottle of vodka
2 cans of frozen raspberry lemonade concentrate
4-6 cans of light beer, to taste
2 bags of frozen berries, I opted for the triple berry mix, but it really doesn't matter

Directions
Pour vodka and both cans of frozen raspberry lemonade concentrate into serving vessel, stirring well. Take one of the empty lemonade cans and fill it with water to add to the punch. (Here you can add as little or as much water as you want. Obviously, the water dilutes the vodka…) Dump in the berries and stir. Begin adding the beer for effervescence, one can at a time. Depending on how strong you want the punch, and how fizzy, add at least four cans of beer. Stir well. Serve immediately.



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**photos by Shelby Berry

Currently

*Linking up with Becky*

Recently, a close friend of mine and I were talking about where the last year had gone. I thought she summed up "doing life with kids" really well. She said, "The second they are out of you, the fast forward button on your life gets hit." Goodness, has the last year proved that idea. Fitz and Alex turning one last week has really thrown me for a loop, I simply cannot believe it is already October.

This is my first time using this online diary for its intended purpose—to keep a record of daily life snapshots—in way too long. This winter, I swear I'm going to force myself to be better about it.

Currently around the Johnson Anderson house we are...

Sugar rush crashing. This past weekend we celebrated One Wild Year, and...and...I'm tired. Not a single thing about the party could have gone better and I cannot WAIT to see the 299 photos my sweet friend, and kick ass photog, Shelby took. For now, this cell phone shot is all I have, but frankly, it sums everything up really well.

Pinteresting Halloween ideas. I haven't decorated for Halloween yet, I have been waiting for after the big party. But now, I'm thinking I want to do something creative with the porch. Or maybe make something creative for my pass out candy? I don't even know. Really I just feel like I should be getting into Halloween, but I'm kinda burned out from the birthday party. #momfail This idea makes me giggle out loud though...

CharmHome Blog via Pinterest

Ready for a big game in Texas this weekend! We aren't venturing to see the Tide play, but we're definitely amped up for this road test. All season I have found myself busy on gameday, and this one will be no different: it's the Junior League of Montgomery's Holiday Market, and I will be working a shift during the game. BUT I came across this on instagram and I think it might be making its way to the Anderson house this week...

via Anthro

With most of the travel out of the way, and no parties to plan, just a straight week of working my tail off, this seems really appropriate. Plus, it's one of my favorite sentiments—that Churchill, he really was the wisest man.

tumblr via Pinterest

15 for 2015 Update: September

Slow and steady wins the race... though I came to the sad realization this month that one of my items will be impossible to do.

Update on 15 for 2015 during the month of September, which I cannot even remember happening—at all. I know October will be just as crazy, considering I now have a set of ONE YEAR OLDS. Someone come hug me.

15 for 2015 

Hit the Pure Barre Montgomery 250 Tuck Club (Accomplished in January) 

Spend another long weekend in Curacao 

 Show Fitz and Alex the beach 

Read 15 books 1: Mending Fences 2: Tonight and Always 3: A Matter of Choice 4: Endings and Beginnings 4: Vegas Rich 5: A Perfect Life 6: Downtown

Take an entire month and not buy a single piece of clothing (or accessory) for myself (Accomplished in May) 

Finally re-decorate our living room (Accomplished in April) 

Update my phone software (Not that it helped anything) I actually got a brand new iPhone 6S in September!

Visit Kimber, Gentry and Saylor at the farm in Pennsylvania (Accomplished in July!)

Go home for Alabama Homecoming  This is the same weekend as Fitz and Alex's birthday party, so we are just going to have to let this one go...

Write my Nanny once a month January: yes, sort of. February: yes! March: yes! April: No. May: No. June: yes! July: I think so, but I can't remember, honestly. August: Mailed it on Aug 31st, but yes! September: yes!

Try 15 new recipes 1: Creamy Italian Chicken Crockpot Bake 2: Cajun Cake recipe from Southern Living Annual Recipes 1987 edition 3: Basil Chicken Pizza 4: Fiesta Chicken Rice Bowls 5: Carla Hall’s Confetti Blondies 6: Cheeseburger Pie 7: Sun-Dried Tomato and Herb Crusted Salmon 8: Bursting Blueberry-Chocolate Bundt Cake 9: Cheesy Stuffed Meatloaf 10: Rosemary, Thyme Oven Roast 

Completely clean out my closet (Accomplished in August)

Take about a zillion more pictures Roll Tide!

Clean out the storage unit and sell the furniture we are never going to use (Accomplished in March) 

Show Mark Philadelphia and the Porecca family

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Still need to step up my reading and cooking game!

One Year

Happy birthday my darlings! I wish I knew what to say, but for once I find myself at a loss of words. I'm conflicted, you see. I want this last year back. I want to be holding a snuggly little five pound creature with the tiniest hands I've ever seen again. I want those days back where I was so exhausted I couldn't feel my feet—where we sat in the rocking chair in your room and I just hoped to God you wouldn't wake up your Daddy and I could just have five more minutes with you.

I wish I could have made some better decisions this last year. Sitting at the computer and thinking back I find myself thinking solely about myself: my feelings and my actions. I wish I could start over.

But I don't wish we could start over. See, I can find all the places I went wrong, all the places where I probably should have done things differently. But I don't look back and see one single thing you could have done differently. You were, and continue to be, the best babies in the world. You did everything I ever dreamed you would do during the first year. Well, except really walking on your own, but that will come. You've gained weight—Lord have you gained weight—you've learned to play with each other; you've learned to comfort each other and you've started learning how to be tiny humans. You've shown me that no matter what there's something bigger than me at play here. You push me to remember that life is so much more than anything I ever dreamed it could be.

You've changed my life in 365 days without ever saying an actual English word.

So many people tell me congratulations for making it to this day—for surviving this year, your first year. But honestly, I can't remember much about it. I remember snapshots, I remember certain shirts you had and little outings and small milestones, but I don’t remember January per se.

I vividly remember the day Alex sized out of preemie clothes. I vividly remember all the days I cried because I thought I was "messing up" as your mom. Like last night for example. I hope you forgive me for doing that. I didn't mess up; we made it to October 7, 2015.

This year was so fun, I hate to see it go, but damn, I'm ready for the next chapter. I'm ready to watch my twin toddlers learn to run and explore and watch seven million more Professor Toto and King Julien episodes and eat mac and cheese and do all the kid stuff.

I love you more than I will ever say, and you will always be my babies. But I think we're all ready for this transition from babyhood and I know we will "survive" it the way we always have: by figuring it out together.

Happy birthday, I hope you always love your flawed momma the best.