I love this boy...

Today I don't have any new craft to post. No new recipe for a yummy little treat or a super tasty dinner. No exciting news, event, or funny conversation to post about.
Today I just want to document and post about my boy. My boy... Tuck!

He is a sweet little thing, you know?!
I am thankful to say that he is slowly growing out of his "momma boy" phase, (remember this post?) meaning... he sometimes lets me be and can play on his own.
I guess he just really, really loves his Mommy! But it is nice to see that this stage is sort of getting better, or at least I think!

Last night when I got home from work, Jes had the babes in the bath tub still. So, when I walked down the hall and into the bathroom... both babes lit up to see me.... especially Tuck!
He was dripping wet and literally climbing out of the tub to get to me!
So, against all regards of getting wet, peed on, or having to change my clothes... I grabbed my boy!

I snuggled his wet little body and wrapped myself around him to keep him warm.
I'm tellin' ya'... you should have seen his face. A smile from ear to ear! Pure delight that his Momma had picked him up, naked and all, and wrapped him in her warm, snuggly, hug.

Those are the moments that make being a Mom all worth while!

I've always been a very honest and forward person... and that is most definitely true when it comes to me talking about my struggles as a Mom. It's hard work and I am not shy or bashful to admit that. I am not trying to with hold some magical or perfect standard. And I am definitely not afraid to tell people that being a Mom sucks sometimes! - to be frank! lol

But it is also the best thing I have ever done with my life. It is by far the most rewarding.
To know that I have raised two happy, healthy, and fairly emotionally stable (sometimes Greta is questionable!) children makes me feel like I am doing something right. And when my sweet, little Tuck is so excited to see me that he is willing to jump out of the tub to get to me... it just makes me smile!


He is absolutely wonderful! He loves me with every little bone in his body... and I feel the exact same way about him.
I've said it before and I'll say it again... there is definitely something very special about a boy and his Momma.

We are closely connected and I know what makes him tick! I know what he needs before he even says it. - Every night when we get into his room to put him to bed he points to the rocking chair for me to sit down and rock him. Once I am sitting he nods his head up and down... I know this means he wants me to sing to him.
The cool thing is... no one else in the world knows that about my little boy. No one else knows what he needs and when he needs it. In a sense, no one else can take my my place and that makes me feel so, so honored to be his Mom!

I know, I know. One day this little boy will grow up and not be so little anymore. One day there is actually going to be some new girl in his life! Oh boy!
But for now... I am that girl. And so I will willingly grab that naked, wet, little boy out of the tub and hold him tight anytime he says so!

They sure do grow up fast don't they?!

Make sure to hug, snuggle, kiss, wrestle, play, or whatever you do with your babes!
Just take the time to let them know they are special and that you can't live with out them!

Chat later,

Jen

Pottery Barn Plates

It's bad! I can hardly sleep at night! My mind is constantly rolling around with new ideas and little ditty's for the November Sale of Louise's Basement!

Seriously, I lay awake at night looking at magazines, jotting ideas down in my notebook, dreaming, and sorting, and coming up with new things! I actually have to put in a season of Friends to calm my soul and wind down my brain! - I'm totally a nut job, aren't I?!
See, I told you it was bad! lol - Do I have a sickness? Do I need therapy?

So we have some pieces left from the last sale and I already have got my hands on a coffee table, bookcase, kitchen table, and 2 little cabinets! - These are all sitting in the garage waiting for Loren and I to work our magic. But as for the little ditty's... the extra crafty things, I have not done anything for November.

As I was browsing through the Pottery Barn Magazine, I found these....

... adorable little white plates with some twine wrapped around them and letters shoved in them! I thought it made a really cute display!

I know white plates and dishes are a big fad right now and I think they are just lovely! I don't have an area like this in my kitchen or house for that matter, but would love to make room for something like this one day!
So as soon as I saw the grouping of white plates they immediately caught my eye. As I looked closer I knew I could whip up some cute plates like these.

So, on my most recent trip to the Goodwill I scored 3 little antique white plates that were just perfect for my project!

And here is the finished project! My first item for the November Sale....
I'm calling them "Thanksgiving Plates!"


(remember you can click on any picture to enlarge it)

How cute would these plates look hung on the wall with plate hangers, or displayed on a plate stand in the kitchen hutch or on the counter?!

They are neutral, they are simple, they have just enough of a Thanksgiving touch, and they are simply GORGEOUS!

Gosh, I am ALWAYS wanting to keep stuff for myself! This business is quite difficult on me!
I even have the perfect plate rack in my kitchen screaming out for a beautiful update just like these! - But NO, I will not! These are for you, these are for the customer!

So if you see these in the November sale at Louise's Basement take a minute to smile at these simple but pretty ladies. And if you really love them... buy them and give them a good home!

I know I want to! :)

Chat later,

Jen

Grand Opening = Huge Success!

So, the weekend is over and our first sale at Louise's Basement is behind us!

The Grand Opening was so much fun and from what I can tell... it went really, really well!
The numbers aren't in so I can't say if I hit it rich yet!
But regardless of hittin' it rich or not... a ton of our stuff is gone, the buzz around the shop was great, and I had a ton of fun while I was there on Saturday!

It seems as though the majority of our small stuff went but we still have some of our larger items around. Which is no biggie... hopefully they will find a good home during the next sale! - If not, you girls may be getting a good deal on them so I don't have to bring them back and store them in Loren's garage!!!

But the bigger selling items seem to be the small stuff! Little ditty's for the house and smaller furniture items like end tables and dressers. Which makes total sense! Who doesn't need some cute little extras for their house instead of a large piece of furniture! Big items definitely take a specific buyer.

But with that said we are still so excited! I absolutely loved being up there on Saturday! It gave me a chance to feel the vibe, meet some of our customers, and see which kinds of items were selling!

Here is a little photo recap of the weekend!

On Thursday when I got the call from Kelly, the owner, that tons of our little stuff was flying out the door... Loren and I decided to whip up some last minute things for me to bring up there on Saturday.

So here is the little pile of last minute stuff...

These little quote blocks turned out super cute! For $4 and $5 you can't help but grab one or two!

Here is the glorious walk down into Louise's Basement. Breath taking, I tell ya! .....

One of my cute little entry way shelves...

Lisa's Hair Diddy's....

Our Mason Jar Soap Pumps! Love these little babies...

And that's about it!

A big thanks to all the girls who made the drive to check out the new store... and to the girls who came to see me on Saturday.... nothing like sharing my "dream come true" moment with some of my favorite friends!

Now, Mr. Appleberry and I are in full swing for the November sale! The garage is already loaded with 5 new pieces that need to be painted, sanded, and gussied up! And my brain is in overdrive with tons of ideas for cute little pieces you will just have to have on your next visit!

Oh, and not to mention Loren took on a little side project for one of my friends. He is building thee most gorgeous kitchen table!!! - I'll let you know how that goes!

He is actually going out of town this weekend to get the deer cabin ready. - It's not enough that he gets to go hunting, now he has to "get the deer cabin ready!"
So it looks as though I will be a single lady this weekend.
I am definitely a little sad and torn with what to do with my time. - the very little alone time I will have.
Besides taking care of the babes, doing approximately 40 diaper changes, serving and cleaning up after 16 meals and countless snacks... oh, and praying that my patience doesn't wear out I may or may not take my "alone time" to work in the garage or sit down and enjoy a girly movie that Loren refuses to watch!

So we shall see!

But here's to a new week, a new sale, fresh ideas, and my hubby leaving me for the weekend!
(Can you tell he never does this and I am being kind of a baby about the whole thing?!) - Wish me luck!

* I should post a disclaimer for anyone who even thinks or attempts to break into my house... I have a furious dog that would love to attack you and a gun next to my bed that I know how to use! - There I feel a bit more safe now. *

Have a great week!

Chat later,

Jen

Pumpkin Pancakes

I've talked about my love of breakfast food before... and it's no secret it is one of my favorite food groups! Not too mention it is thee absolute best and most easy food group to go to when you have no time or have forgotten to pull anything out for dinner! *Aghh, ghmm... happens more at our house than you'd think!

So last week when I was in a pinch I went for the traditional scrabbled eggs and pancakes! A classic favorite, yes?!

But instead of doing standard pancakes... with Fall in the air I went a little wild and did... Pumpkin Pancakes! - And boy did they turn out super yummy!

Since I was in a hurry I went all Sandra Lee, Semi-Homemade style.
By that I mean I did not make my pancakes from scratch! I used regular old pancake mix and just "doctored it up" a bit!

Here's all you need...
I should mention I doubled the recipe for my pancakes on the back of the box. To my doubled batch I added about half a can of pumpkin, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and a couple dashes of cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. (Note: if your mixture is too runny just add a bit more pancake mix.) My mixture was a cute looking orange color!
Oh, and I almost forgot... I added about a tablespoon of flax seed. See, they were kind of like homemade pancakes!
And that's it, whip up your batter and start makin' your pancakes. Good thing I have a griddle otherwise a huge batch of pancakes can take awhile!
There ya' have it! A yummy plate of Pumpkin Pancakes! They are really good and actually the pumpkin makes them insanely moist! With warm maple syrup they were the perfect fall favorite for my fam. And they weren't too sweet at all!
Ahh yes, I mentioned I doubled the batch and that is because I planned on freezing the rest! Whenever you are making anything always think of the freezing possibility. So I say, if you are whipping up a batch of pancakes would it hurt to make a couple more and freeze them?! I have done this with banana bread or pumpkin bread, but especially try it with pancakes! It really takes little effort to make a bunch more. Now the babes have pumpkin pancakes for breakfast whenever they want! A win win!

Homemade is always best but who says you can't fake it when needed!

So give this neat idea a try and let me know if your family likes them as much as mine did!

I think we will be having a lot more pumpkin pancakes around our house this fall!

Chat later,

Jen

Final Sneak Peak!

Ding, Ding, Ding!
Ring the bell, sound the buzzer, drop your paint brushes, and put your hands up!

Well folks, this is it! I am dropping off my last and final load of goodies for the

Grand Opening of Louise's Basement!!!

What's done is done, right?!

Although I can't help but feel like I should have done more, or I could have worked harder, or what if I could just paint faster!!! - All legit feelings I am sure. But as a rookie and new vendor I can't help but feel like... "I hope this is enough!"

Anyone who knows me will know that one of my life motto's is...
"Go BIG, or Go Home!"

It really spreads to so many areas of life! To my hair, my gatherings, my buffets of food, etc.

So I am really hoping I lived up to my own standard and lived BIG! That I produced a BIG amount of goodies for you and other ladies to enjoy!

So, with all that rambling and vent session behind me....

Here is the last sneak peak of stuff I am bringing up to the store tonight!

My stuffed pumpkins/apples...

Super cute black crate with another half dozen mason jar soap pumps...

Seriously, how cute are these?!?!

Oh, and this magazine rack is beautiful along with this giant, mustard yellow "S". Anyone with the letter "S" as their last initial is one lucky lady!

Two more prints I whipped together. A pumpkin seed packet and some roosters...

And these vintage hanging trays are fun....

Oh, my love! This black church pew is to fab! I could hardly let it leave my garage!!! (and this one was all Loren) Someone better give this gal a really, really, nice home!

Cute little end table with a handy, dandy magazine rack in the bottom...

This dresser/cabinet is quite old... and quite solid! She is a cute little thing, isn't she?!

Great for the babies room! (again, another Loren piece) A cream, nicely distressed rocking chair...

This is a terrible picture of this primitive little black dresser. She is much cuter in person...

And that's about it!

Ohhh, I am so nervous and excited all in one breath! I feel like I could puke or pee my pants at any moment! lol - ok, maybe that was a bit much!

But you get it right?! You get how exciting this is but also how nerve racking selling your goods can be!

Cross your fingers and say a little prayer for Appleberry's Attic!
Pray that we do well, our stuff sells, and that people love us and the new store we are apart of!

And while you are doing that....
I will be praying that you come out to visit me at Louise's Basement on Saturday!
I'll be there from 10 - 4.

Wish us luck!

Hope to see you there.
Chat later,

Jen

Apple Orchard

Oh how I LOVE Fall and all things that come with it!
Yesterday Loren and I took the babes on their very first visit to an Apple Orchard! Every fall we have done a pumpkin patch, but I don't know why we never put going to an orchard in the mix. It honestly was so much fun! And not too mention it was a really beautiful day! I would definitely say that going to the orchard will now be a yearly family tradition!

We went to Aamodt's in Stillwater, MN. It was a really great orchard with lots of stuff to do and see for the babes. My favorite part of course was trying all the apples and just walking up and down the orchard itself! But the kids loved the hayrides, the goats, the hay maze, and the apple doughnuts!

So with the babes in the wagon and my hubby at my side, hand in hand, this was our wonderful visit to the Apple Orchard!



The morning started out a little chilly for the babes but boy were they excited to be there!
The apple doughnuts were delicious!
Callin' the goats over.

Daddy & Tuck, waitin' to get on the hayride.
Me & my baby girl enjoying the ride through the orchard.


They sure loved all the apples they got to eat. I think this was their second one!
This is how family pictures go... you all know what I'm talkin' about!
And finally, the hay maze! We spent about 15 minutes in there pretending with Greta that we were indeed, "lost!"
After we got home the babes, well just Tuck, took a little snooze. Towards evening we ate some left overs, took a hot bath, and made a homemade apple pie with all of the apples we gathered that day! Why spend $13.00 on someone else's homemade apple pie when your own is amazingly yummy, about a third of the price, and tons of fun to make with the help of your family!

Now here we are, back to good ol' Monday!
Fresh start to a new week!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Chat later,

Jen