Get Pinspired!

I am super excited today for two reasons!

Reason #1: September is in two days!! For me, September marks the arrival of Fall!! I don't care what the calendar says, it's officially Fall on 9/1! Maine has an absolutely beautiful summer, but Fall takes the cake! The cool, brisk days are absolute perfection:) I am not gonna lie, I have had a pumpkin spice coffee every day this week! It is heaven in a cup, I tell ya! Be sure to check back next Friday for my Fall edition of Friday Favorites!! And in honor of Fall check out Paladino Picks today, I've combined my two favorite Fall foods--pumpkin and chili! It's a soul-warming bowl of yummy goodness:)

Reason #2: Today is Get Pinspired!! I am once again linking up with Shay, Sheaffer and Mel for a little Pinterest inspiration!! Be sure to check out their fabulous looks today too!

Click here for Shay at Mix and Match Mama

Here for  Sheaffer at Pinterest Told Me To

Here for Mel at The Larson Lingo

I seriously look forward to this monthly link up, it's such a blast! 

Here are my looks this month!

I thought this was a good transition look from summer to Fall!  You know I love a scarf:) 

Another great summer to Fall look.  Notice I am rockin another scarf?? Tis the season:) Throw on a cute pair of flats and a denim jacket and you are good to go for a brisk Fall day! Fabulous, right?

I adore hot pink and black!  If you pair it the right way, it looks so classy.  This is a great "off to work" kind of outfit:)

Be sure to check back on Monday for my beach vacation recap!  We are having a wonderful week at Ocean Park with the fam, it is the perfect way to end the summer and celebrate the arrival of Fall!

I mean look at these temps, people! Perfection, right?!

Have a blessed weekend:)

Happy First Day of School!!

The first day of school is nostalgic for me. As both a student and a teacher I anxiously awaited the first day of school!! Happy first day students and teachers!! I send all my teacher friends a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils via my blog:)

Last week I started linking up with The Pleated Poppy for What I Wore Wednesday. Since I have been at the beach all week I have been wearing a bathing suit all week! So, in honor of the first day of school I am linking you up to my back to school fashion must haves!! Click here!

May you all have a happy and blessed school year:)

Weekend at Ocean Park!

On Saturday night we loaded up the car, got Joey all ready for bed and headed down to Ocean Park!!

We arrived just in time for Bill's pizza! We let Joe explore the camp a bit before we put him to bed. 

Then some of my fam walked down to the Ice Cream Parlor and my mom brought me back a pumpkin ice cream!!

It was delish!

Cuddling up with my siblings! Then we decided to have a Taboo tournament. Some of my cousins joined us as well. It was a riot!

My partner was Pat. Bless his little heart! Let's just say we didn't win, but he definitely got better as the game progressed! I look super sisterly in this picture, like am I giving a lecture or something!?

Luke and my cousin, Michelle, looking super intense. 

Andrew and little Grace

And there's Annie! She couldn't miss an opportunity to a photo op:)

The next morning Joey woke up at 5:40 and I tried I get him to cuddle with me. Unsuccessfully. I am in the back but you can't seem me! Joe is totally unimpressed.

 Andrew and I decided to walk to the market and get a coffee so Joey wouldn't wake up the whole house. But of course it didn't open until 7:00. 

So we walked down to the beach! This is the scene at 6:30. Just beautiful. It was so quiet and chilly and absolutely wonderful at this time.

We made the BIG mistake of letting Joey walk to the market by himself. It was not our smartest parent making decision. But then I got a pumpkin spice coffee and all was right in the world:)

Then my mom and dad took Joey for a long walk and Andrew and I went and had breakfast and sat on the beach with a coffee.  It was nice to be kid free for just an hour.

Here's another beautiful view.

Here's Joey being a cool dude. 

Playing with his Uncle Patch whom he absolutely adores!

Loving mum's coffee cup. It's the little things. 

Then he played on the beach all morning!!

This is what the mama did when he finally took a nice, long afternoon nap! 

Then it was more beach time!

Then he wanted to play bocce ball with the big boys! How adorbs is this?!

Loving on the ladies:)

Worked up quite the appetite and inhaled some watermelon!!

It was such a great day!

This is where Joey wanted Woodsy to chill on the way home:)

More pictures to come as the week continues!!

Today is the last day of Beach Book Bonanza!! Click here to check it out:)

Ocean Park here we come!

Every year since I can remember my family has rented a camp or house on the lake or at the beach.  When we were little we ALWAYS rented a camp at Sebago Lake.  I absolutely loved it! It was the best kind of family vacation.  We had a blast!  As we all got a little older my parents decided to start renting a house at the beach.  For a few years we rented a house at Higgins Beach.  But tomorrow we will head to Ocean Park for our 10th summer!!  I am so excited.  It is my favorite week of the whole summer.  My family always get the house the last week of August through Labor Day and it is the perfect way to end the summer:)  And Ocean Park is only 20 minutes from our house so we can easily drive out every day!! We are planning on staying the first Saturday night, but other than that we will take day trips. It will be a lot easier with Joey! 

 

This is my sweet little family from last year!  Can't wait to share pictures of our week this year!

 

Happy Friday:)

Beachin it

I don't know about you but Joey and I are trying to soak up as much beach time as we can before summer is over! Don't get me wrong I am beyond excited for the arrival of Fall!! But I know I will miss these days at the beach in those long winter months! Yesterday we went to Willard and it was lovely. Yes, lovely is the only word that comes to mind. It was high tide so I planted my chair right by the water and Joey just played and played. My cousin, Molly, met us there and I got to catch up with her! Willard is such an underrated beach. I choose a spot the farthest away from the playground and snack shack and it's quiet and less crowded! The best part of Willard? You do not have to pay to park! Joey lasted about an hour and a half and then it was clear he needed a nap! But we had a splendid morning:)

This kid was content to munch down some cheese puffs!

Staring off into the distance

Soaking it all in:)

What I Wore Wednesday

I am really excited because I am linking up with The Pleated Poppy today for What I Wore Wednesday!  I have been wanting to link up for weeks, but Wednesday always seems to creep up on me and I forget! Click here to see what What I Wore Wednesday is all about!  Basically it is a way to motivate us gals to dress cute and stylish instead of staying in our yoga pants and sweats all day!  Just because I am a mom doesn't mean I have to dress drab! By documenting what I wear and posting for this series I am guaranteed a couple days of cute stylish mama status, right?!  What fun!  Here are some of my looks from the week.

I wore this outfit to church on Sunday!  I love me a maxi dress.  Soo comfy! And I love an excuse to wear a denim jacket:)

I wore this outfit when I went out to dinner with my mum and sisters.  Loving that the weather is getting chilly enough for my colored skinnies!

 Ok I LOVE this outfit!  I have been recycling it all summer!  I had to get one last wear out of it before the Fall arrives!  Doesn't it just scream summer style?

I had such fun linking up with The Pleated Poppy today! You should check out her sweet blog and fabulous shop! Click here:)

Also, I have perfected my summer salad! Head of to Paladino Picks to check it out:)

Our trip to BJs

Joey and I took a trip to BJs with my mom yesterday!! I came away with a bag full of some yummy bagels and a pair of yoga leggings. Thanks Mom!! I love no matter how old I get, my mom still buys me things:) Love her! AND I LOVE BJs! They have everything!! We literally just strolled around the store looking at this and that. It was fabulous! And this, my friends, is how I entertain a 17 month old boy on shopping excursions. 

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Although he seemed to enjoy Exhibit B when I had the diaper on my head. Oh the joys of being a boy mom:)

Weekend pics

I had to work 12-4 both days this weekend so we had a pretty chill weekend!! As you can see Joey started Saturday morning being a lazy bones!!

 Sprawled out on the floor.

Cuddling up on the couch!

This smarty pants knows what's up!! Got his hands on Dad's wallet!

I had my fam over for a BBQ on Saturday night. Joey LOVES his Uncle Pat!! He just kept grabbing his shirt and pulling him around to play. 

Cuddling up on his lap! Pat's so good with him:)

And some of Pat's silliness wore off on Joey!

We had a bonfire in our pit and made s'mores! Perfect night for it!

Sunday morning dancing!

Love this sweet face:)

We went to Mister Bagel after church! Yum:) 

Happy Monday!

Words of wisdom

Some words of wisdom for your Friday!

Have a fabulous weekend and be thankful for your many blessings:)

Be sure to check out my Friday Favorites here!

You know you're a mom when...

...you know all the words to the Bubble Guppies songs. AND find yourself singing them when your child isn't even around.

...you have to decide which is more important: washing your hair or shaving your legs--there's really no time for both!

...a cup of coffee is like a simple gift from heaven.

...you find a piece of cheese in your pocket that you had put there when your child threw it on the ground at the grocery store and you had no where else to put it.

...your cell phone is often used as a toy.

...sleeping in--HA what is that?? 

......the words "nap time" cause a sense of glee to flutter through your heart.

...you have a pile of toys in every room of your  house, and sometimes you don't know how they got there.

...your workout routine now consists of a jogging stroller and carrying a 25 pound weight up and down the stairs numerous times a day.

...when people are jamming out to the newest song on the radio and you've never heard it because your car cd player is occupied by Playskool or Barney CDS.

...the thought of bodily fluids leaking from the nose or mouth used to repulse you, now you use your hand and wipe it on your jeans.

...the highlight of your day is waking up to the beautiful smiling face of your child every morning.

..you have a new found patience.

...the term "mama" has a profound meaning.

...the love you have for another human being is so all-encompassing, overwhelming, fragile and selfless and you wouldn't change it for anything.

Love being a mom to this sweet guy!

My day with Joey

We started our day with a walk at Bug Light!! Not before stopping for a nice big coffee from the Cookie Jar for mum:) I will never get used to this view!

I have been trying to transition Joey from two naps to one! Granted there are still some days that he definitely needs two so I go with it! Yesterday he did not take a morning nap, so he was ready for a nap by noon! He slept until 3:15! He was very stoic after waking up from his nap. 

See what I mean?? This was after having a post nap yogurt!

He was super cuddly!! This never happens, I took full advantage:)

I needed cuddle time documentation!

Sweet little face 

Oh just playing with our shoes 

He was very unimpressed with my delayed reaction to his need for cheese!

Now he's happy

Love how he's sitting!

I took this picture of Joey peeking out from behind my back. He likes to "hide" behind me, then poke his face around my shoulder. He is adorable!!

I'm so lucky to spend my days with this little nugget:) Can't thank the hubby enough for this incredible gig!