take it...or leave it...

I will admit I have a slight addiction to weddings

and every.single.thing.about.them

if you can't tell

I'm definitely a romantic

to every single detail

and I was a part of a beautiful wedding this past weekend

which my feet are not thanking me for

or my joints

yes...I'm still young as I'm always reminded and know

but my joints have been through heck

and they are not loving me right now

and have had to deal with my past four days in heels

all.day.long

because I love heels

but my joints don't

that's not a great combo

my feet said

I almost don't know what to say about this weekend and one of my great friend's wedding

I've been really behind and a bit tired

but I'm also having trouble getting through this post

{in a good way}

I have a great friend

who has always accepted me for me

who knows and understands me on a level that most people don't

I have a friend who grabbed my hand

as I was giving her toast

because I almost didn't make it through

as I about broke down in front of a 100 plus people

we make one another feel "normal"

we laugh and talk about that often...

 I had an uncomfortable 30 seconds of trying to regroup myself but I did it

 I have a friend who is wonderful and special

and I wouldn't miss her special day for the world

I do have a slight obsession with weddings

I love every single detail

and I so wish I could show you

every.single.detail of hers

because it was truly beautiful

but I can't

because I was in the wedding

and that makes it hard to capture everything

{on camera}

but I remember it all

very well

her

her dress

the flowers...cake...ribbon tied chairs

the lighting

her dance with Adam and her Dad
I remembered when her mom grabbed her dad's hand in the front row with a deep breath
{a happy deep breath}
but one that her little girl was getting married

I remembered how beautiful Julie looked and is

I will note that at every single wedding I have fun

making a fool of yourself dancing when you can is the best

because it's the only time you can get away with it

and the sprinkler and shopping cart rock

lol...

I remember it all

and all the people I hadn't seen in years

and the new people I met and spent time with

it was so nice

Bobby and I have always said

{even when we got married}

that weddings are meant to be celebrated...

 we will dance ridiculously and out of character just to have fun

and our feet will hurt...

well mine that is

and my husband had his shirt unbuttoned...

not by me

but a fellow classmate as a joke

and it truly was funny

because if you know me

I'm sometimes shy

and quiet

but I do have fun

and that's what all my friends know

that's exactly what we did

we enjoyed it...had fun...and cherished it

as a matter of fact at our wedding

we were told that people never saw a married couple have so much fun

yep...we enjoyed it

we started the dance floor

and brought it home with our friends

because we take celebrations to heart

and celebrations = fun

and even though we may be the quiet couple

we are a fun couple

weddings are such a special day
I always want to say

it is special

but it won't be the best day for you two

because each day you love one another more

no matter what you go through

it is always more

each and every day that passes
I love that

enjoying the simple and fun things in life together

is what it is all about

I'm so happy it was a special day for Julie and Adam

and so glad I have such a great friend in Julie

she's someone who takes me

and doesn't leave me

and accepts me for who I am

and if I talk anymore I think I'll cry again

because I'm a crier

who had to hide tissue in the tie of my dress

because I knew I may need it

so thank you Julie...you are and were a beautiful bride

and just a side note

I loved getting a pedicure...

really loved it

but I think I'm more inspired by my manicure

I'm a lifelong nail biter

but my hands actually look nice
I still can't believe it:)

 I think I want to work harder at not biting my nails

I think I can...I think I can...



a break perhaps...

I'm not really one that wants to have to announce a bloggy break

but I'm going to have to take one this week

I'll miss you all

and your posts...

hopefully I'll catch up soon

I'll do my best to check in with you

just don't hold me to it

pinky promise

hopefully I'll have some fun stuff come next Sunday or Monday

a little special trip

for a friend's wedding

can't wait!

And because I couldn't post without a picture

we spent the weekend 50's style

it was a great weekend with festivities held by friends and family Saturday and Sunday

and we are so thankful for that

xo

stay this little

 late Friday afternoon

I stopped what I was doing  
 for about an hour or so

Madison and Hayley were having fun wearing my flower rings, pins, and necklace{s}

so I thought...

it's a beautiful day outside
we are going to enjoy a few more hours of it
let's hit the road!

and of course I brought my "amateurish" photogropher self right there with them

no claims that I know what I'm doing

just making sure I say that again

I do realize I take waaaay to many pictures

but when I go back to look at them

I'm so glad I took all of them

I hear the laughs that went right along with them

I hear myself telling the girls to stay near as they find a new place to explore

I remember just how sunny or windy it was

I remember little details that I otherwise would have forgotten about later

 how I smiled
when they smiled
over wearing flower pins and necklaces

 pictures of their little hands and fingers are so much cuter to see with these rings on

than my veiny ones

As we left the house

I had just a tiny bit of purpose in mind

but more importantly just some spontaneous fun for the girls

they told me no pictures mama

but then said

"take our picture"

they laughed

I laughed

I reminded them to stay near

and reminded them again

because they don't worry like I do

I sat back and heard their belly laughs

as they brought the leaves up

and dropped them over each others hair

and chased one another

to do it all again

I asked for a few quick glances at my camera where there backs weren't always towards me

just to get a few pictures
I promised

but with little ones

it's about being ready for that moment...
not asking for the moment

 I often wish they would stay this little

with their little faces

hands

eyelashes that make me melt

with their sweet but mischievous personalities

I laughed about how they really run the show in our home

more than I would like to admit

and I'm thankful for my children

always showing me to live in the moment

our little time together last Friday afternoon

before the weekend festivities we had with family and friends
was spent together
just us girls

and it made me smile yesterday when I heard a new song on the radio that reminded
me of our girl time together
and how it makes me feel
and what I think about

it's by Taylor Swift...

"Never Grow Up"

if you know my home

Taylor Swift is a pretty big deal with both Madison and Hayley

to say they are fans is an understatement
and if she is on the radio
I'm not allowed to turn the station
ever

even if I heard the song a million times in a row

but I'm so glad I heard her new song yesterday
we all absolutely loved it
plus did you know she is a fellow number 13 lover too?

the words are beautiful and sweet
and ring so much truth to how I feel as a mama

{I've linked the song at the very end}

I  really would...

 give all I had

if the girls would stay young at heart

just as they were last Friday

but to me
it's not just last Friday
when I see them this way

I see them young at heart
all the time

as a matter of fact
those simple moments
I notice
every.single.day

and I love that about them

 I hope they will remember this throughout their life

and whatever they experience

to always stay young at heart
and never grow up

like this cute little moment as Madison watched the wind carry the leaves away

Over the weekend Bobby and I had a couple of adventures ourselves
I'm thankful we can be still young at heart too
maybe not often enough
but just enough for us

we both dressed up for the first time in costumes for a get together with friends
we haven't done that since we were kids ourselves
he makes quite the 80's rocker
just lettin' you know

and maybe

just maybe... 

I'll show you my other adventure that I did with a couple of friends

I've only been waiting a year and a half to do so

I finally did it

 and I'm loving it

today is my 200th post

and just in case you didn't notice
the rings, necklace, and pins are from someone I can't wait to share with you
when everything is up and running

~ let's never {really} grow up ~
I hope you enjoy her lyrics as much as we do
xo

a favorite place, part two

I thought I would take you to a favorite place of mine

Bobby and I had a date night last weekend

it had been a little while

something we always say that we want to do more often

and need to do so

but you know life and just schedules

but honestly we need to get better at not using life and schedules as an excuse

my parents volunteered to watch the girls for us

and we said

Absolutely

we went to a place right here in our town ~ about maybe 2 miles from us

I love local places

but before we left the house...

Bobby surprised me with this on the counter

I guess he wanted to bring the romance with having blue hydrangeas

and he joked if that was enough wine for a week for me

a week, seriously?

ummm....obviously he over purchased the two buck chuck from Trader Joe's

as a joke

because he read my blog when I joked about wine

I love that he still makes me laugh

seriously...that'll last more like a month

okay maybe 3 weeks

but my favorite thing other than the hydrangeas is that one of my favorite cheeses is back

at Trader Joe's

I really did a happy dance I love it so much

really love

if you haven't tried it

I would advise to stock up on it as it only is available through Christmas

it's their Cranberry Chevre

{fresh goat cheese}

and paired with their pita crackers...yum!

back to our date night...

Unkorked Wine Gardens

we first went there over the summer for a friend's birthday party

and we loved it so much

I think it is officially my favorite restaurant

He got off early from work so we had an extra loooong date day

the few extra hours together was so nice because we didn't have to rush to do anything

probably one of my favorite dates we've had

so I thought I would take you on a tour

so take a walk with me...

I'll show you around

what I love about this place is that it isn't a chain restaurant

it's local

just what our downtown needed

their service is fantastic every.single.time

{well all the two times we have been there}

but it's one of those places that you just know will have great service time after time

it's family ran

which makes me love it even more

I took that picture specifically for the sign

"Well Behaved Children are Welcome"

so come on inside

the location used to be a home and then office

 I read that years ago it was also the first chiropractic office to come to our town

and eventually this past year it was purchased and turned into a family business

Unkorked Wine Gardens

{I skipped a bit of history there just because I don't remember all of it exactly}

I loved how it isn't your typical looking restaurant

it's more beautiful than that

atmosphere is so important at places

and I think they did a wonderful job at creating their wine garden

after we took a look around inside

we did another wine tasting

because they had changed their wine selection

we selected a cabernet for me

and Bobby chose beer of course

as we headed outside to the patio

we saw their table numbers

 Bobby began to scan the place to see if there was a

number 13

he found it

and we smiled as the table was open

"just for us"

because restaurants just reserve tables for us 

right...

only kidding

it was a beautiful day

and as we tried asked for a picture of us...

they all happened to turn out blurry

so we gave up on asking for a date photo

you can sorta see a resemblance of us, right?

last photo's the best

and I actually wore a different color than grey, brown, blue, white

well I still had a little bit of grey

what we loved about our date is that this is a place you can sit and enjoy

we weren't rushed out of the restaurant so they could turn over the table

which seems to be the norm at chain restaurants because that's what they're taught

we sat for several hours

talking

sitting together

enjoying wine,

ordering dinner,

more talking

laughing

and a little bit of more wine,

because everytime I went to the restroom I came back with a glass full

just be careful of that

{wink}

and then more food

 someone wouldn't take the camera out of my face

so I told him I wouldn't look at him

but he still got me smiling

they have live music on Friday and Saturday nights

love that

especially with patio seating

and when we left

this handsome man took us home

his name is Robby just in case you wanted to know

dressed the same as my Bobby

weird, huh?

we happened to meet him on the way out

and he wanted me to take his picture

apparently he wanted to give me a model face

obviously kidding....

that's Bobby

I requested a sort-of-serious face from him

which when I request that

he does the opposite

he does that look everytime I tell him to be serious

he hasn't learned that I do it on purpose yet

as good as it gets

this fall season

in the "C" household...

we're keeping it simple with the fall decor

is just how its going to be

I'm not overally creative when it comes to fall decor

the colors are hard for me to dive into

well darn...the truth is

it's the color orange that throws me for a loop

I've never known how to decorate with orange

many of you do it fabulously

but not me

 I actually enjoy sticking to earthy colors

for fall

greens, whites, browns, maybe a tad bit of yellow

or even washed out orange

I find it earthy goes with our home better anyway

and any chance I get to throw in hydrangeas

you better believe our simple fall decor better flow with it

{wink, wink}

so I'll give you a little peak into our home

for my easy peasy fall decor

drum roll please....

just kidding...
don't want to lead you on or anything

tada!!!

expected more?

well I warned you...

easy peasy

when I went with Madison's class to the pumpkin patch I stocked up on mini white pumpkins

to fill a galvanized container I had

it was just waiting to be filled with something

actually I snagged it from Madison

since she wasn't using it

filled that puppy with a bit of packing paper

just a tad

and the rest is mini pumpkins

do you see that candle
and that twine?
they may not always compliment one another
well at least when the candle is lit

well lets just say...I almost caught the whole "set up" {if you will} on fire

actually to be honest
I did...not almost
you are the first ones I've told

and out came an expletive right before I quickly patted and blew it out
{don't worry the girls weren't around so I didn't harm any ears}

I blew that mini fire on the twine right out before the whole shebang went up into flames
whew

I know there are a couple of people rolling their eyes about now over that
because they are saying
"that is so you Martha"

I laughed only after my sigh of relief

by the way do you like those jeans in the corner of the last picture?
well the picture is below again to refresh your memory

Bobby was packing...I didn't catch them
until now 

just keeping it real for you

getting back on point here...

"adorning" my front porch
I use that in quotations for a reason
aka

the prime spot for pictures

is what the check out woman called

"the ugliest pumpkins EVER"

and then went into a story about two men workers that were doing work in her attic
came down the ladder
and their faces covered in the exact same color soot as those pumpkins

all.over.their.faces
she emphasized
all.over.their.faces
not me

that's why she didn't like my green/grey pumpkins

she was completely being nice when telling me the story

but I just smiled and simply said I love 'em!

the green/grey makes me smile

 

we went back Sunday so Hayley could have a visit
per request of Madison
and because I needed more mini white pumpkins for a business project
they fit right in my flower pots that I recently cleaned out
perfect until it's time to use them

guess I should mention it was not the greatest pumpkin patch trip we've ever had

not only did we rush
but we had the grumpiest...most crying 2 1/2-year-old with us

I looked at Bobby walking back to our car and said

"well we could have skipped this trip today with Hayley"
"yah I agree"

She was so exhausted

{which is why she was crying non-stop...except when she rode the horse and fed the goats}
because that's how it works with kids
they decide when they are fine and when they are not

After we got home
she literally didn't remember she went that day

Bobby had put a movie on for them as he packed and I was well...

I don't remember what I was doing

but as he came downstairs he said to me

"Hayley just asked me if we were going to the pumpkin patch?"

Me: "Huh?"
Bobby: "I told her we already did..."

Hayley pretty much forgot
hil-a-rious

I just plain shook my head and laughed
wondering if someone put rum in her cider
{only kidding you all}

I showed her pictures

and now all of a sudden she remembers

seeing all the people...

that there was a house there...

very similar resemblance I tell you to someone I know

the only male in our household

{wink...wink}
I'm really kidding on that
don't want Bobby to get in a huffy you all thinking that's true about him
because it's not
for some reason it makes me laugh saying that because that's how we make each other laugh
references like that

so... there are only photos of Madison with us
Hayley wanted absolutely nothing to do with us
or pictures for that matter

Hayley's grumpiness is why that little girl landed in bed and sleeping by 7:15
no joke

a record of early bedtime I believe because both of our girls are night owls

and they are never in bed that early

but she was so tired and after 2 hours of straight crying

sometimes a mom's got to do what a mom's got to do
early bedtime

And because I have some semi-orange lovers in this house with pumpkins

Madison and Hayley were going to bring home one pumpkin each

but they went for 2 mini's each

ummm...only $3 for 4 mini's...are you kidding me?

that made Bobby happy

I pinky-promise I'll get caught up on some reading of you all tonight
once the girls get to bed this evening
I know I'm way behind on keeping up with you all
xo