Oh, Happy Day!

Happy Monday all! I hope this post finds you doing well. I, somehow, managed to get a four day weekend this weekend and I will happily take it! This weekend was relaxing, not necessarily lazy, but not busy either. A happy weekend, with no further delay, our weekend in pictures:

The pictures are slightly out of order, but who wants to see a giant storm cloud blown up?! Not this girl...

On Friday, I made cookies  (#3) for our new neighbors. But, they haven't been home, so we had to eat them. Bummer...But, they were really tasty and so easy. You should give them a try. 

Saturday we headed to Forest Park to enjoy the absolutely gorgeous weather. The storms from Friday night (# 5) brought in a cold front, so it was very fall-esque. However, the rest of the city had the same idea. To say the park was crazy busy is an understatement. It seemed like everyone, their kids, cats and grandparents decided to go to the park. No trip to Forest Park is complete with out going through the zoo, but the crowds made it less than relaxing, so we left. The fountain in front of the World's Fair pavilion is a favorite of ours (#1) so we sat, people watched and dipped our toes. 

After leaving the park Alex was a doll and took me to the Galleria, more importantly Nordstrom and Anthropologie my two favorite stores. I was a happy girl AND to tip the scales of happiness even more, I had my  first Pumpkin Spice Latte of fall 2012 (#4)!! We had a great day. Then on Sunday, we headed to church for some great worship and watched the Rams lose.

Moose Update(#2): He is doing great and growing like a little weed, weighing in at 12lbs. Little chunk! He is still teething and chewing like crazy, but he's a sweet little fella. 

How was your weekend? 

Thirty Thursday's {2}

This weeks topic: Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears.

Abby: 
1. I am afraid of the dark. I do not know why but, I hate darkness. Maybe it's a deeper, psychological or philosophical reason that I'm not aware of...or I'm just scared of the dark along with all other 10 year old girls....

2. I am afraid of uncontrolled water sources (oceans and rivers). They have the ability to suck you under and you have no control over the situation. What prompted this fear? When my family went to the ocean (or Gulf) when I was little we were boogie boarding and I got pulled under for hours (or 5 seconds) and it frightened me.

3. I am afraid of not getting the approval of those I care about. I guess I'm a people pleaser to a certain extent, mainly with my parents, Becky, Alex and other's that I'm very close to. 


Alex: 
1. I'm afraid of failure, for obvious reasons. Who wants to put effort into something and then fail...it scares me.

2. I'm afraid to lose people that I care about. Also for obvious reasons.

3. I'm sort of afraid of heights, but it's an adrenal rush that I like...I'm weird. 

Wednesday Pinsday {9.5.12}

Happy Wednesday! I hope September is bringing you as much happiness as it is me! It's my birthday month, which means that fall is just around the corner! I L.O.V.E fall! It's my favorite season; crispy leaves, sweaters, pumpkin spice latte's, caramel smells wafting through the house, bonfires, pumpkin spice latte's, boots, carving pumpkins, baking, corn mazes..I could go on forever. Oh boy, I'm excited! So, it's not hard to see why most of my recent pins are fall themed. Without further ado:

{1} Essie Hot Cocoa nail polish
{2} A fall color palate for the home
{3} Pumpkin Spice White Hot Cocoa
{4} Fall color palate for the lady
{5} Cozy layers
{6} Pumpkin Decorating **
{7}S'more Cupcakes
{8} Photo Transfer DIY

**Alex hates loathes/despises glitter, so please, if you are planning on bedazzling your pumpkins, let me come over to help. (Along with fall, I love glitter!)

What are you pinning this week?

What a lovely holiday!

We have had a fantastic holiday weekend and I'm not ready for it to be over. But, all good things must come to an end or so they say...

To celebrate the beginning of the holiday, Alex and I went to a local eatery we really enjoy: Cleveland Heath.  I haven't had the same thing twice and I have not been disappointed. If you're in the area, stop by. It's worth it...yum. 

Later, we headed up to my sisters for a fun filled 36 hours. We got to play with Ethan and Nora and their fantastic parents. The rain put a damper (no pun intended) on our outdoor adventuring ideas. But, we had a good time relaxing inside. We even headed over to Springfield- the Illinois State Capitol & home to good ole honest Abe {Lincoln}. We went to Scheels, which is a sporting goods store with it's very own Ferris wheel! Becky, Ethan and I hopped aboard while Alex, Jared and Nora were our paparazzo.  Then we went to a Collier family fav-Chipotle. It was a nice lunch and a good time (and nap) was had by all. 

Becky and I even made a Pinterest recipe  for some Auntie Ann's pretzels, which I have dubbed Auntie Abby's pretzels. They were very tasty, but I'm glad I didn't try to make them by myself. It was really messy/greasy/sticky, but they turned out well and I would probably make them again...with some assistance. 

What excitement did you have over the holiday?

Picture Details

{1}: Becky, Ethan and Abby on the Ferris Wheel at Sheels! It was a fun ride, probably because there was a three year old sandwiched between us.

{2}: Sheels Token: Good for 1 ride.

{3}: Twisting the pretzels just like the pro's...

{4}: While we're here in the lower 48, my parents are off being Alaskan Adventurer's with my Aunt Linda and Uncle Wayne. I had only one request: find a moose and capture it's picture....this is what I got. They're quite the jokesters. 

{5}: While at Cleveland Heath I enjoyed my adult beverage for the month a Moonshine Blueberry Mojito...yum! 

{6}: Becky and I making, rolling and twisting the pretzels (Becky hates, HATES messy hands, so we did what everyone would do, greased our hands with Pam to avoid the mess and it worked)!

{7}: Ethan and Alex my the giant fish tank at Sheels. Ethan tried to mimic my fish faces and he ended up looking very squishy.