run, forrest, run!

This past Wednesday was the kid's school's annual Run for Fitness. The kids and all their little friends show up, run a lap, and then get a ribbon. This year as Letty is now a big bad second grader she does a half mile, while David still does a quarter mile. It was humid, which did not help attitudes one bit. They both were really excited to sign up for it but the day of? Letty was wanting none of it. The whole two laps threw her and she didn't want to do it. Fine, she would do it. No way I hate running.... Lots of flip flopping and bad moods happening. Seeing all her friends there helped, I think. It's like social hour with these two I swear it! And yes, I totally didn't buy them new shirts but hey! Last year's fit! I never want my kid to be the only one not in a matching shirt type situation but this time I let that go.... Making strides people!

my hair, oh my hair

And on my headstone it shall read, Laurie Elizabeth (Trovato) Olsen, loving wife, mother, daughter and sister, with hair she loved almost above all else, may she rest in peace.

Or something like that.

My hair.... It's just important to me. Yet I never pay to have it cut or colored? I'm a conundrum, I know. I just like to have my long, dirty, wavy hair and it's sort of (very much so) like a safety blanket that I'll be very very sad to one day part with but for now (and for a really long time actually), it's sort of my thing.

Formulate contacted me a bit ago and asked if I would be part of their product launch for shampoo and conditioner that is formulated (get it?) to your hair wants and your hair needs. And I couldn't sign up fast enough. To start, I got to take a magic hair wizard survey! It was about 27 questions (that was my count anyways) but it only took a matter of minutes. Questions like: hair length coarseness issues, how often you wash and condition (in my case, I'm a once a weeker), what products you use (dry shampoo and hair spray only and I only air dry my hair, never curl), your type of hair, your hail goals (#hairgoals), where you live geographically speaking, your preferred fragrance and even the preferred strength of fragrance. It was pretty awesome. I felt super fancy.

things i’m loving right now

We recently got a new smart tv for our bedroom which has been all kinds of fantastic but Matt just discovered Plex? Which means that any movie that we have on our hard drive is accessible through any tv in our house. Just, poof! There’s a movie. Which then begs to the question do we rip every dvd we own so we can just remotely access them via remote? A project for another time to be sure. And sometimes I just read my book and he watches stuff so, winner winner. 

These slower afternoons we have been having. Girl Scouts hasn’t started yet. Wednesday night church hasn’t started yet. Letty’s tutor just had a baby. So these afternoons are mainly ours. For a little anyways. And as weird as that is it is nice!

A Hobby Lobby has opened by us! To be visited today! See also a new Wegman’s and a Whole Foods and where are we!!?

I was having some skin issues as of late which I mean, rude, and I have been using this lately and well, no skin issues. So I’m sold. The weird post-35 pimples, the dry skin, gone! Plus it smells so good!

Let’s see let’s see.... uhm flannel sheets. Coffee. Flannels. Cooler days. Leggings. Pumpkins. The fact that I’ve gone all month without an impulse amazon purchase!! Big things people, big things. 

What are you all loving lately??

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our final hersheypark visit!

I mean, other than Hersheypark in the Dark and Christmas Candylane, that is. But other than that the end of September brings the end of their regular season. Some rides will close up their doors for the year and decorations and lights will be strung up in preparation for the coming festivities... but the regular park as we know it is done. For us that is. We can't make it next weekend which, man that weekend is gonna be rough (we can do this!). So for us, this was our final visit.

fall bucket list

Now we can say it is officially Fall can we not? I know this image was in a post a bit back but here it is once more.... My Fall Bucket List! I know, just like the rest of life, that Fall can go by quite fast. Weekends fill up before you know it and I typically joke that I'll have a free weekend in January... Except it's not a joke. I like to have a list of what I want to do but I know that typically I won't get it all done.... But a girl can plan!

what i've been reading lately

I have not done this since January. Which is just ridiculous. But what that also means is that this list is quite extensive and so therefore this post could be quite nuts. I counted and well... 32 books. So I'm going to have to break it down into sections here. And I'll keep my comments very short. Ha!

I found a few new authors I love! Kristin Hannah and Sandra Brown. Totally different types of authors to be sure! From Kristin I read, The Great Alone, Between Sisters, and Mystic Lake. All three I loved! I am always left wanting to know more and they always end too soon. As far as Sandra's go I feel like she has herself a successful book writing recipe there. From what I can gather. These are page turners and I always read them so quickly! Mean Streak and Lethal were the two I have read so far and I plan on more! I have read Grisham before but it's been a bit. I read Camino Island and The Rooster Bar, both good as you can expect.

During the summer I read a lot of what I would call "beachy" reads. Meaning sort of mindless and light. Fun? So if those are your types of books may I recommend:

Still Me - JoJo Meyers

The Hating Game - Sally Thorne

Love & Gelato - Jenna Evans Welch

Beautiful Day - Elin Hildebrand

I read a few historical fiction books and I just love those. These all were WWII themed and as we know, that's my favorite part of history to read about. Fiction or otherwise.

Beneath a Scarlet Sky - Mark Sullivan (This was about a side of WWII I rarely read about, the Italian side. In the alps.)

Secrets of a Charmed Life - Susan Meissner (Loved this one, about two sisters and The Blitz)

Beautiful Ruins - Jess Walter (also in Italy. jumps from the past to present and somewhere in between)

These are books I felt like I had to read just because of the author.... All were good.

The Chemist - Stephenie Meyer 

Origin - Dan Brown

Seven Stones to Stand or Fall - Diana Gabaldon (love me some Jamie!)

Varina - Charles Frazier

Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery (just for old time's sake)

I read two dystopian society type books and both were good. 

When She Woke - Hillary Jordan (the future where your skin is dyed to match your crime and no prison)

100 - Kass Morgan (delinquent kids sent to earth to see if it is inhabitable, also a show)

And ones that I just can't seem to categorize...

Wonder - R.J. Palacio (loved! cried! watched the movie! will read again!)

Little Fires Everywhere - Celeste Ng (family dynamics, prejudices, stereotypes. worth a read)

An American Marriage - Tayari Jones

Sweetbitter - Stephanie Danler (also a show and I like that better I think, about being a server in new york)

I wouldn't recommend these necessarily and I'll just leave it at that.... To each their own!

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet - Becky Chambers (it was just a lot. if you're into aliens then you'd probably love it!)

Shape of Water - Vanessa Taylor (weird)

Capital Gaines - Chip Gaines (you know I wanted to love this, I did! just felt very self-helpy to me)

Seinfeldia - Jennifer Armstrong (wasn't as interesting as I thought it would be)

Homegoing - Ya'a Gyasi (super important story but super heavy and I got confused)

The Princess Diarist - Carrie Fisher (although I did learn some interesting gossip)

So. Any book suggestions for me? I'm all ears (eyes)!

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the thing about amber bottles

Has anyone else noticed something happening lately on Instagram and home decor blogs and even at Target? It's all about the vintage amber glass bottles. Apparently.

I saw it first on Liz Marie's blog and as you may know I find her to be just the very best and I thought, oh that's fun! And then I started seeing amber bottles pop up in my Instagram feed. Allll over my feed. And then I went to Target and wouldn't you know it, Joanna also has a few things (this vase or these canisters) in her collection as well! So you know she probably was the one that started the trend  in the first place and now I am just obsessed with it. As things go when Joanna is involved.

groundhog day

I very much feel that this season in life is just one biiiiig hamster’s wheel. Every day (or week) the same activities return once more and we are just sort of doing the motions of life. Rinse. Repeat. Or in our case it’s: get the kids out the door (fed, dressed, with clean teeth), fold the laundry, empty the dishwasher, try and find something to occupy the morning, pack the lunches, do the homework, prep for tomorrow, dinner, some sort of extra-curricular activity, bedtime routines. Rinse. Repeat. 

It’s a lot. And it feels a lot more because all of this happens in the 45 minutes before they leave... and then these quiet hours when the kids are away life sort of pauses for a bit and I'm a little lost and then it jump starts the second they are home. Which is what it is and all of that. Nothing to be done about it. They are healthy! Thriving! The things need to be done and why dwell on it? Because I am a Master. Dweller. That’s why. It’s also hard for me to not always be planning. What comes next? Am I ready for tomorrow? Do I have something to do with myself every single day they are away? So on. Probably perpetuating the Groundhog Day type feel I got going on.

I have been looking through old photos of Letty and David lately.... and they almost seem unrecognizable compared to the Letty and David of today. Where did her curls go? When did her curls go? Where are my round-cheeked soft little dimpled innocent children? When did they become these thinner, taller versions of themselves? With adult teeth???? You blink and you miss it and I’m just so thankful I have this blog. To help me remember. To document. And to relive those moments where my hamster wheel life style got in the way... 

Normally when they do their homework I’m off doing some other task. Prepping lunches or signing paperwork of my own.... Returning emails, etc.  Not paying attention, not in the moment. But yesterday I just watched them. David who has been really working on his handwriting and it’s impressive how smart he is! Have I mentioned how smart he is?? Letty working so hard to get through her books she brought home. She works harder at that task than I have ever had to work for anything. Except maybe to get her? Which is interesting.  But focus on the now, Laur. Today.

currently

It's been a hot minute since I did one of these so... yes, let's!

On the chalkboard: I didn't go too nuts with this wall as I typically do... The chalkboard in the kid's playroom however.... I have too many chalkboards to keep count of. It might be a problem.

our weekend

Oh this weekend! Like much of the country we have been under a siege of gray and rainy and cool days lately but this weekend!!! The clouds went away and the sun came out and we all got a nice big heaping dose of vitamin d! Just what the doctor ordered!

dom's first two days...

Ah! My last one! Officially a school kid! Feelings! Coming out my eyeballs! 

Our first day was Tuesday and it was a shorter day, one where I didn't even have to leave him. A thank God! We got to do a scavenger hunt around the classroom and he enjoyed checking out all the new toys.... He especially loved the urinal which I mean, boys right? But it was good. A little slow transition for him (and for me, that too).

fall decor

It's time. I mean honestly I decorated last week after the kids went back to school. I gathered all my stuff up and laid it all out and then contemplated just burning the lot of it and walking away. I didn't know where to start and I have some new things I didn't have last year and so I was just like, meh! But! Dom was super excited about all of this. So he wanted to start in his room. Which isn't too crazy, just hanging up orange twinkle lights. But it was enough to get me going and knock this decorating stuff out.

my harrison is one!

Oh earlier this week my sweet sweet, smiley, big-cheeked, adorable, barrel of laughs nephew turned one! How!? He was just born! Time, you know how I feel about you! And over the weekend we all got together to celebrate our little Wild One!

and to my youngest...

Oh today is the day. My very last child will be having the very last first day of preschool. If you can follow that train of thought. This will be the last bandaid that will be torn off. From today on all of my little birdies are now school-aged birdies. Leaving my nest, and me, behind. Only for a little. I hear some of you saying, but he's only three! And yes, I hear you. But he is almost four and could you imagine sending him next year as an almost five year old to school for the first time? I cannot. So we made the call. Two mornings a week for a few hours. Just to dip his tiny big toe into the world of school.

the family that bowls together!

Gets made fun of by their Poppop together! 

Last Friday it was dreary and rainy and surprise of all surprises, we had no plans! So my brother-in-law suggested: bowling! I had wanted to do this over the summer but it was just one of those things that sort of got lost in the chaos. We decided to have dinner first and then - bowling! My parents met us for the bowling portion where my father, having been a veteran of a bowling league himself, looked on in dismay at the lack of bowling skill that his offspring possessed...

some new beauties around the house...

Before I go all Fall Fall Fall decor around here I thought I would share some of my new finds from my very favoritest of stores, Cocalico Creek. I knew after my last visit that I could only go to this place with gift money. You know, happy birthday Laurie! Love, your parents type of money. So that is just what I did.

what's new with you?

September. It still feels like the dog days of summer (so so so hot) but those days be long gone around here. School it is.

our labor day

This long weekend was just sort of an odd one. If you're from the area then you know that our Friday was just absolutely bananas with tons and tons of rain (almost 10 inches in a matter of hours) and subsequent flooding.... people being stranded and roads being closed and water conservation notices and so on and so forth. It was something else! The whole weekend just felt a bit off after that. But we still hit up Hersheypark with friends Friday because only a few miles away not much was happening as far as precipitation... Saturday was low key, I had a breakfast and shopping date with a friend and then we had ice cream at a summer joint with my parents. Sunday Letty had a play date (can we still call it that at eight? Maybe she was just at a friend's?) and we finally made it to the pool before celebrating my brother's birthday. And then came the actual day of Labor Day. With our patriotic wear! What else!

final day of summer vacation pool party

The final month of summer is tough. The final week of summer is tougher. And that final summer day? The one where you have to have all your ducks in a row and the bags and lunches packed and outfits chosen and alarms set? That one is just the worst. So I thought, why not throw a big giant pool party with my family? Eat too much food, drink the drinks, and hopefully get my mind of the morning. And guess what? Great success!

the etown fair!

Happy Labor Day all! I hope everyone can just enjoy this one last hooray of summer! Even if school did start last week. Rude. Ahem.

But before that nasty school bit starts there is always the Elizabethtown Fair! It's arrival marks the end of summer and has since I was in school myself, just a few years ago. Wink wink. I used to go for the food but I am trying to be good (aren't we all) and so we just went for the animals and then ate lunch at a more appropriate venue. Where the vegetables aren't hand dipped in grease and fried...