Tuesday, November 3, 2015
escape to neverland
If you follow us on Instagram I shared each of our costumes leading up to Halloween. These costumes were so much fun to make and we had a blast living in Neverland for the day!
Our costumes were semi-homemade. As I mentioned in an earlier post Kensi's was the most complicated and took the most sewing. See how I made her mermaid costume here.
Finn’s lost boy costume started with some cozy jams I found at Burt's Bees Baby. They have the softest jams for littles, no joke. I paired them with a vest I made from felt and added fringe trim and a feather along with an expensive hat. Using two types of faux fur I made two fox ears and hand-stitched them to the top of the hat; along with a tail that can’t be seen in this photo which I safety pinned to the back of his pants. A pair of moccasins and some makeup finished his look and although I'm biased....he really is the cutest lost boy that ever was.
For Mike's Peter Pan we did look for green tights but they were much harder to find than we originally thought and he was relieved nonetheless. I ended up finding his green dress shirt on clearance at Target and paired them with a pair of khakis (rolled up) and some brown shoes. I completed his outfit with a brown version of the Pan hat and added a feather.
My costume was very simple as well. I found my dress on clearance at Francesca's Boutique and paired it with Minnetonka Fringe Boots. My sash is made from the same felt I used for Finn's vest and Mike's hat. My headpiece started as an elastic embellished headband. I removed the embellishments I didn’t want and swapped them for a few small flowers. I also added feathers to the back by layering them and some turquoise ribbon to hang down the sides.
All the pieces we bought for our costumes were purchased with the intention of doing double duty. I hate buying something that will only be used once so we made sure I would wear my dress again along with Mike's shirt and Finn's jams. These costumes were so much fun to put together, I can hardly wait for next year...in fact, Saturday night was I was laying in bed I was brainstorming themes. Mike knows I’m crazy, but that’s okay!
We spent Halloween morning trying to convince Kensi in eating as much healthy food as possible knowing the evening was going to be filled with lots of sweets. It was like two broken records going at our house with Kensi constantly asking if she could have a piece of candy and Mike and me saying no. So in order to get out of the house we opted to do a fun trick or treat at Whole Foods where they were handing out healthy food like popcorn and cheese sticks. This was actually a ton of fun and we'll definitely go back again next year!
This year we were really excited to throw our own small Halloween party with close friends. We required everyone to come in costume which made the night even more fun. I think my favorite was when our friend Jen came dressed as bacon! It was so cute and funny, we just loved it!
We kept everything very simple and made meatball sandwiches, mummy cheese pizzas on bagels and had cupcakes and cookies for dessert. All of our friends brought either an appetizer or dessert to share and it was downright heavenly!
We spent Halloween morning trying to convince Kensi in eating as much healthy food as possible knowing the evening was going to be filled with lots of sweets. It was like two broken records going at our house with Kensi constantly asking if she could have a piece of candy and Mike and me saying no. So in order to get out of the house we opted to do a fun trick or treat at Whole Foods where they were handing out healthy food like popcorn and cheese sticks. This was actually a ton of fun and we'll definitely go back again next year!
This year we were really excited to throw our own small Halloween party with close friends. We required everyone to come in costume which made the night even more fun. I think my favorite was when our friend Jen came dressed as bacon! It was so cute and funny, we just loved it!
We kept everything very simple and made meatball sandwiches, mummy cheese pizzas on bagels and had cupcakes and cookies for dessert. All of our friends brought either an appetizer or dessert to share and it was downright heavenly!
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
mermaid costume
I think I found my calling....costumes. I love love love making them. I find it relaxing and fulfilling creating something using household items, fabric and a few clothing pieces. This year our daughter wanted to be a mermaid and we built our theme around it. She likes to call herself Ariel, but we went with a Peter Pan theme and I’m having so much fun creating our ensemble.
This mermaid costume is by far the most complicated costume I have made, but it was still simple. I took to Pinterest for inspiration for what I did and didn’t want to do. I really wanted to make her costume feel like a real mermaid even though she is a little girl. She was adamant about having a bra like real mermaids so I had to be creative with how I made it, knowing she needed to still be covered up.
To attach my tulle, all I used was my hot glue gun. A little dot and gently press each piece into place. I arranged my pieces so it was higher on the sides and dipped into a low V in the front and back to create a fin look.
The bodice is a nude colored leotard. I used the same fabric from the skirt {just a different color} to make the base for the bra. I sewed it onto the leotard using a loose straight stitch and bought different types of pearl like trim to decorate. The seashell finishes the top. I sprayed it with spray adhesive glue and dusted it with fine glitter.
Kensi loves her finished costume and I’m so excited how it turned out. I can’t wait to see all of our costumes together this weekend for our fun Peter Pan theme!
Monday, October 26, 2015
pumpkin painting playdate
This year we planned several activities for October with pumpkin painting being one of them. We always spend an evening painting and carving pumpkins, but this year was special since Kensi was able to have a friend. Last weekend we spent our Saturday visiting the pumpkin patch and I was able to hit a few places in Raleigh to pick up a few fun pieces for our parties.
While at the pumpkin patch we found the perfect sized pumpkins for littles to paint. I love these pumpkins because they have a long stem that’s easy for the girls to hold and it’s enough surface space to paint without adding gobs and gobs of paint that will eventually flake off. 
Finn focused on eating his apple and that was about it.
After painting we served up individual dishes of homemade mac and cheese and hot roast beef sandwiches. For dessert our sweet friends spoiled is with pumpkin and cream cheese filled croissants. They were so delicious and only a few were left over for breakfast, but then they magically disappeared!
Thursday, October 22, 2015
beach swings + apple fritters
We are so excited to have cooler weather not only because it means wearing sweaters and boots, but we plan our weekly lunch date with Mike down by the water.
We went today and although it was in the high 70's the ocean breeze made it cool enough. The best thing about dining near the beach is sitting in one of the many porch swings. They line the street and sidewalk down in Southport and boardwalk at Carolina Beach. It's so cozy.
Before packing up our lunch, Kensi, Finn and I made Spiced Apple Fritters. Yes I said Finn. He was having meltdown after meltdown not being held, so I ended up doing most of the fritters one handed. I really was cutting time close trying to get these done before we had to leave and I probably should have held off, but they sounded so good and I knew they would be so much fun to eat down by the swings.
Growing up, my mom would make apple fritters for breakfast, but instead of chopping the apples she would cut them into rings. We ate them with powdered sugar and maple syrup. This recipes I used today was adapted from one I found on All Recipes. I adjusted the sugar to make it sweeter and added some fun spices to really bring out the apple flavor.
Once we met Mike and picked the perfect swing for lunch, Kensi could not wait any longer. She was so excited to show Mike what we made. We each dove our hands into the paper bag to grab a warm cinnamon-sugar coated apple fritter dusted with powdered sugar and sipped on cider. They were the perfect way to start and finish our lunch, although I was covered in powdered sugar by the end of our date. Luckily it was well worth it.
Unfortanelty, we were in such a rush getting out of the house and too excited to eat them that I forgot to snap a photo of these yummy treats, but chances are we'll make them again this weekend and I'll share a photo. Until then, I hope you try these festive bites!
Spiced Apple Fritters
1-1/2 cups Unbleached Flour
2 Tablespoons White Sugar
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Apple Pie Spice (we like Penzy’s)
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 Eggs
2/3 cup Milk
1 Tablespoon Canola or Vegetable Oil
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 Apples, peeled & chopped (we like Pink Lady)
Vegetable or Canola Oil
Cinnamon Sugar Mixture (1 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup cinnamon)
Powered Sugar (for dusting)
Mix up your Cinnamon Sugar mixture and place in a small paper bag. This makes it easier to toss the fritters in after they’ve been fried.
Fill a heavy pot or cast iron skillet with 1-1/2 inches of oil and heat to about 375 degrees F. I like to place one apple piece or a drip of my batter into the oil and once it starts to fry i know my oil is hot and ready.
In a bowl, whisk together flour, white sugar, baking powder, Apple Pie Spice and salt. Set aside.
In another bowl whisk together eggs, milk, oil and vanilla extract.
Stir the wet ingredients into the flour mixture. Fold in chopped apples.
When the oil is ready, drop spoonfuls of batter into the oil and fry. Don’t forget to turn the fritters to cook to an even golden brown. Once done, remove the fritters and let them drain on paper towels and cool briefly. Then toss in cinnamon sugar bag and shake. Place them on a cooling rack lined with paper towels underneath. Finish by dusting with powdered sugar.
Enjoy & Happy Friday Eve!
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