What's Up Wednesday

Happy Hump Day, friends!

I started reading Mix & Match Mama a few years ago when her brother, Sean Lowe, was on The Bachelor. Sean Lowe also played football at K-State so I was primarily watching to see how many times K-State could be mentioned.

Any pub we can get, we take it.

She's just a mom, married to a K-State football player that my best friend was in love with in college, who loves to cook, who produced two children of her own and has adopted two, her last baby just recently. It's been fun to read along about her story with her kids as well as find some easy dinner recipes and some fun makeup/clothing recommendations.

She does a What's Up Wednesday with a few other blogger gals and I thought it would be fun to get in on it! So on the last Wednesday of every month, we will give this a shot!

What We're Eating This Week ...

Well... obviously if you read my post from Tuesday, you know that this one will not be very full! In fact, it's a repeat from Tuesday's post since Monday is the only day this week mama will be making anything -- Tuesday is a late pom/pom class for Sloane and Wednedsay and Thursday of this week, Matt is gone. Which means hot dogs and mac-n-cheese for the kids (and me - who are we kidding, I love some mac-n-cheese)! 

But as a reminder, I made the Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos from my Pinterest board for our good friends, the Stacey's. It smelled amazing all day long and luckily, it was amazing! It was SUPER easy to throw together in the crockpot, left it there all day, shredded the chicken at 5:30 and then we ate. My kind of cooking!

What I'm Reminiscing About... 

I've had two different adventures pop on my TimeHop app this week and both were awesome trips that make me want to immediately go back! 

 

This first picture is of Matt, Sloane and I - Sloane was just about 11 months old. We took a Clark family vacation, which included us, Matt's parents and his brother, Michael out to New York. We visited New York City and drove to Cooperstown, New York to the Baseball Hall of Fame. It was a part of their dad's Father's Day present from the boys (sidenote: Cooperstown in the fall is the most picturesque fall town -- absolutely adorable and I would totally move there from August - November)!

It's hard to remember life with just one child (because it's impossible to remember life BEFORE one child), but I can tell you this -- this girl and I were TIGHT. I just adored her ... and I still do. But once she hit the age of one, we basically have butted heads. I'm slightly kidding when I say this, but I feel like the next time she will ever appreciate me is when she's had her own first little girl. So... we've got awhile! 

This picture is from a hotel room view in Maui, Hawaii. Matt and I went there for our five year anniversary, which has already been three years ago (YIKES)! It was absolutely amazing! And we are already counting down the days until we go back! 

What I'm Loving...

It is no secret that Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year! I love decorating for fall, fall smells, fall colors...

I love pumpkins as well and have never, ever, ever seen a better selection of pumpkins that right here in northwest Arkansas at a local fireworks stand. 

Yep.

It's seriously amazing! The selection is so crazy - these are pumpkins you see on Real Simple that you can never find in real life. And they are between $5-10. 

It's our version of a pumpkin patch down here! I let the kids go and each pick one out. So they drag a cart around, pick out teeny little pumpkins and then drag my HUGE pumpkins around! #winning

What We've Been Up To...

My parents and niece Perry came to visit last weekend! #meltingheart

We are busy people! We are constantly go-go-going! We spent this last weekend at home and will do the same this weekend before October weekends are consumed with traveling to Manhattan, Kan., for K-State football games, a sorority sister's wedding and my Kappa Kappa Gamma 100th Anniversary Reunion!

What I'm Dreading... 

Flu shots. 

Enough said.  

And they didn't make the mist this year. 

Let that sink in.

What I'm Working On... 

Oh, you know... just everything.

I've been working on Two Dots this week, getting summer items moved to the sale rack to get ready for new items coming in this week and next (20 percent off all sale items this week with code FALL20 at checkout)! It's been hard to keep up with the store since Tess came into the picture and it could easily go away. But my sister and I really do love it, so we'll keep going!

Yes, it's that time when scarves are a mainstay at Two Dots.

Plus we just found out that we made it into another show in Kansas City in early November - Gift Gallery at Cure de Ars in Leawood on November 12 from 9 am - 3 pm. Mark your calendars! 

What I'm Excited About...

Do we even have to ask?! 

Which is why I celebrate it all month long, every year.

PS. Don't forget to enter the Etsy Gift Card Giveaway at the bottom of the post that I'm hosting JUST because it's my birthday! The winner will be announced on Friday on my Friday Favorites!  

What I'm Watching/Reading... 

I'm not afraid to admit to you all that I LOVE Bravo TV and Real Housewives shows. New Jersey is one of my favorites and this season makes me laugh because when I'm trying to explain to Matt what is happening (who could care less but will pretend to watch five minutes with me), it goes something like this "So that girl on the left, she just got out of prison and so they are all taking her to Vermont to celebrate that she just got her ankle bracelet off and taking one last girls trip before she becomes a single mom because her husband is about to leave for prison."

That's a fairly accurate description from Sunday night's episode. 

I'll start reading next week for Book Club. 

I hope.

What I'm Listening To...

Once September rolls around, when the kids and I are in the van, we are almost always listening to the Vince Guaraldi Trio's Charlie Brown Holiday Hits (click the link to listen to some songs). Yes, it has some Christmas songs... but it also has The Great Pumpkin Waltz, Thanksgiving Theme... so it's not just Christmas! 

But I love the piano and it always, always, always makes me happy! So why not?!

What I'm Wearing...

This week FINALLY became Fall! As in the weather and the actual season are meshing together! Woke up to 49 degrees this morning, but it warmed up to upper 70s, so it makes it hard to dress in the mornings.

It's definitely jean season and despite a good effort on my part to lose the baby weight from Ms. Tess, my favorite JCrew Factory jeans are still too tight. Which is a bummer. And a real problem. Since I only only these jeans in the same size. So... this means either I need to make a stop at my local JCrew Factory three hours away or figure something else out. Like constant leggings?

I found this pullover the other day from a blogger (Styled Snapshots) and LOVE it. And need it. It's perfect with jeans and booties, or jeans and sneakers for those days where I just need to be comfy AND cute. :) It's also from Abercrombie & Fitch, a store I haven't visited since 2005.

What I'm Doing This Weekend...

This is where I should insert a large question mark! Because I don't know! The only thing I do know is that Friday, my birthday, we will be spending it at the Bentonville High School football game, where Sloane will be dancing at halftime. 

Who wants to spend their birthday watching their daughter dance at a high school football game? 

Well, you know it's me! Seriously... I love high school football and cheer/dance so this is right up my alley! 

My mother-in-law is coming down Friday and I think Matt made birthday plans for us on Saturday, so I'll let you know. It's currently a surprise and I'm going to try and let it stay that way (which I never do ... I am almost never surprised)! 

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month... 

I LOVE to travel... but I think once October is over, I will never want to leave my home again (though we will be traveling so much the rest of the year, I might as well get over it)!

We are taking the kids on a surprise trip to the Gulf Shores for Sloane's Fall Break. They don't know it yet and we really haven't meant to keep it a surprise but we just haven't mentioned it to them... so I think we will keep it that way until we leave! If you've ever been and have some tips on things to do/see, comment and let me know!

We've got tons of birthdays to celebrate next month, including Sloane's 6th birthday, as well as one of my dear friend's weddings (on Sloane's birthday), football games and my Kappa reunion so it's going to be a packed month! 

 
What Else is New...

Nothing. I think I told you my entire life story on this post. 

Go buy your Glade Pumpkin Dream candle, ASAP! 

XXOO,

Allyson

PS. The link to the Etsy Gift Card Giveaway is below - enter before Friday! 

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