WIWW

Hello, Wednesday!

I'm so glad you're here.

You see, I'm having kind of a rough week and I could use a little something to cheer me up.

Actually, it's getting kind of old some days to take a picture of myself standing on the toilet lid.

But I do appreciate the different perspective I get from seeing my outfit in a picture and learning what I like and don't like about it.

So here goes... another week of what I'll be ironing this weekend...

It's a little less exciting this time because I have a handful of re-wears both within the week and from previous weeks. Not to mention, I wore gray pants every. single. day. The same pair Wednesday to Friday and then a new pair Monday and Tuesday. Ha! Can you say "boring"???

Whatev. I'm keepin' it real.

Wednesday

work

navy tank - Boden

mustard cropped sweater - Boden

gray pants - Gap
necklace - ??

Quick insert about Boden (because Amy asked):

Yes, I had a love affair with Johnnie Boden for a few years.

If you're interested in shopping their fantastic (and fantastically pricey) lines of clothing, check out this link. My friend Julie introduced me to this brand (which originated in the UK) by passing on a catalog that came to her in the mail back in spring of 2006. I was instantly enamored and wooed by their loveliness. I wanted to move to London and live in the pages of their catalog. LOL The quality of the clothing is very high and their attention to detail is unmatched. That is probably my favorite part - all the little extra details that make it so unique.

I became addicted and, for awhile, saved all of their catalogs even after they moved into the next season just so I could browse and daydream. Plus it used to be that Johnnie wrote a little blurb about each article of clothing and I loved that he used descriptions like a "smart blouse" or "pair of trousers" or a "swishy skirt". He just sounded so delightfully British and he was funny too! It didn't seem like Boden clothing was all that well known for a long time so I kind of felt like it was my little secret. But then I started noticing a lot more magazines that were dressing models in Boden attire and listing it in that tiny print along the binding. Reason being: Boden always had fun, funky, unique things - perfect for magazine spreads. Am I rambling?

Okay. Important thing to note here is that the majority of my Boden shopping took place BK... "before kids". A few items trickled into my wardrobe between Will and Sophie's births. But pretty much stopped cold turkey when Sophie was born. It's just too expensive and I have far more important responsibilities now to budget my money. So now when a catalog arrives, I do my best to just toss it in the recycling bin (I usually fail and take a peak) but then I silently curse Johnnie Boden for making such beautiful clothing at a price that's completely out of the question for me now. So there you have it. My love story with Boden. (P.S. - they now have US clothing sizes. It used to be that you had to order in UK sizes! They also now have a baby and teen line in addition to just "kids".)

Thursday

work
turquoise tee - Old Navy

scarf - Old Navy

gray pants - Gap

Friday

work and then mortuary
ruffled, navy tank - Old Navy
black cardi - Kohl's

yellow skinny belt - Boden

gray pants... again - Gap

Friday night

came home to cook in my new apron
(okay this was partly for fun. I just thought it looked cute over my tank top. :) I don't normally cook in my work clothes and I did change right after taking this. LOL)

Saturday
library, funeral service (changed jeans to -surprise! - gray pants), then zoo in the afternoon and friends over in the evening
short-sleeved cable sweater - Old Navy
long-sleeved gray tee - Old Navy
weathered jeans - Gap

Sunday

brunch with grandpa, apple orchard, bros' b-day dinner
short-sleeved gray & white striped tee - Express
white long-sleeved tee - Boden
weathered jeans - Gap
teal scarf - Old Navy

over top:

mauve cord jacket - Boden

Monday

work
REPEAT - see above
gray pinstripe pants - Gap

Tuesday

work
floral button-up shirt - Boden
mustard v-neck sweater - Boden
gray pinstripe pants - Gap
(ick. these pants do not wear well on day 2. they look terrible. and I think this sweater is on it's way out. it looks too cropped and I'm not diggin' that. it's from fall 2006 so it's gotten lots of wear already. p.s. I also did not leave my cuffs rolled like that - me no likey - I rolled them down.)

Are you noticing something exciting and new in that last picture???
Check out my uber-cute new camera strap cover from Etsy!!!
Do you love it? I do!

It's black & white damask on the outside with a pleated lime green and white polka dot on the inside. Who knew you could fancy up your camera strap??

Side note - Craig hates it. :( Boo. But that's a minor detail.

It's a "Telescope"! It's a "Pirate Stick"!

It's actually a vacuum cleaner attachment! :)

Will goes in spurts of being obsessed with these plastic tubes and finds all sorts of uses for them in his play time. I do have to say, I'm happy to see his imagination blossoming a little more. He never seemed all that inventive as a toddler, but now he's coming up with much more creative play.

The last couple nights, he's been into playing "pirate kids" with Sophie, which basically consists of Will saying "Ohhhh, Matey!" over and over and jumping from pillow to pillow scattered all over the living room floor. Or, if my back was turned, jumping from coffee table to couch and back.

Oh, and I did try to tell him I thought the slogan was either "Ahoy, Matey!" or "Argh, Matey!" But he insisted on saying "Ohhhh, Matey! Today I'm a pirate kid!"

And the vacuum cleaner attachment was his "pirate stick"... whatever that is...

In the same night, he might suddenly switch to astronomy and use his stick as a telescope:

The other source of entertainment tonight has been the end table beside our couch. It's a hexagon shape with one cabinet door on one side and hollow in the center for storage. We usually just keep blankets in there. So Will and Sophie pulled out all the blankets and took turns climbing inside and playing peek-a-boo with the cabinet door. :)
Ah, child play...

Tonight, We...

...pulled on our rain boots...

...and stomped in some puddles! :)
Check out the awesome, hand-me-down, Bean Puddle Stompers we inherited from my boss's daughter. They're size 5... and they match the Bean pink rain jacket we already own perfectly! Score!

Okay.

So our puddles were nothing all that exciting to speak of... but Will still rocked out with the two small ones in our driveway. ;)

LOL

Good times.

MacQueen Orchards

If you live in this area, you absolutely must visit MacQueen Orchards.

They're a family farm open year round with an abundant farmer's market, bakery, cider mill and gift shop.

But one of the best times to visit is the fall. Known for their vast apple (& peach) orchards, they have a pick your own apple season starting about September 20th each year.

In addition, they host an Apple Butter Stir & Craft Festival every October. But beware: the crowds are monumental for that occasion.

Guess what!

This year, Will actually rode the ponies! If you remember last year, he insisted he wanted to but then panicked and changed his mind as soon as we put him in the saddle. So this was a big step!

Giving daddy the thumbs up.
Hmm... how convincing is that face? LOL

Will's pony's name was Bam Bam.

Way to go, Will!

Walking out to the orchards.

We borrowed some books on apple picking from the library this week and read about how the branches hang low and heavy with ripe apples.

If you click on that link above (or here), you can see several very similar pictures from last year to compare.

Love this one.

We also read about how the ladders for apple picking get narrower at the top

Playing peek-a-boo with daddy around the tree.

Then Will wanted to join in on the peek-a-boo.

I know these are all similar, but they were just having so much fun with it and I love the kids' expressions in these.

Could this kid get any stinkin' cuter?

Sophie wanted a chance to climb the ladder too.

After this, I had to practically drag her down from there. She wanted to go all the way to the top!

This place smells A.MA.ZING! Like fresh apple fritters and cider. Yum!

This is just the outside. The inside was too crazy busy for picture taking but it's overflowing with produce and baked goods and gourmet popcorn and cider and gifts, and, and, and...

We sampled the cider...

...and brought home a 1/2 peck of honeycrisp apples and a gallon of cider.

A fun fall day trip!