FALL MAKES EVERYTHING BETTER

You know that feeling you get when all you want to do is sit down by the fireplace with a cup of yummy hot chocolate and read a good book? Yeah, I get that feeling every time Summer starts turning to Fall. And maybe it's a bit early this year, but Dallas had a mini cold front that has caused me to go into 'Autumn mode!' So although the cold front has passed now and the temps are back up at ridiculous degrees... I can't fight this feeling any longer... my mind has officially transitioned into wanting to enjoy the Fall season's activities. And for some funny reason that means doing some crafts. I was recently down in Houston helping my mom paint her bedroom and all the sudden we were bustin out the glue guns and buying things to fulfill my craft craving. We turned her whole kitchen and dining room area into a disaster with all our junk, but we ended up creating some cute little decor items :)

First we made a little pumpkin wreath... which my front door is now loving :) Super simple: twig wreath from Michaels, a few assorted mini pumpkins, made a bow out of some 'halloweeny' ribbon, lots of glue gunning, and wah-lah! Like I said, I hung mine on our apartment door, but this darling little thing could go inside your house too. Try it!

We also had a hay day with some candy corn around the house. We started with some glass hurricane candle holders, filled them 1/3 of the way full of candy corn, then stuck white candles down into the center. Sounds real simple, but we put them on my mom's mantle with some decorative autumn leaf garland and it looked really great. We also took some mini styrofoam balls and went to town glueing the candy corn all over them for a cute poky ball look on top of some candle holders. And of course, we snacked on them the whole time too :)

Next onto some pumpkin decorating. We wanted to spice up your average orange pumpkin with a little glitz for a fun and fancy look. We used some glitter glue to draw the swirls all over the sides, then spiced it up a bit with some black rhinestones in and around the design. We also covered the stem with glitter as well as some autumn leaves that we glued on top. We finished it off with a bit of silver curling ribbon and its lookin oh so snazzy on my shelf now !

Now obviously this picture isn't a craft, but another fun thing to help get you into the Fall spirit is lighting some of you favorite holiday scented candles. I am loving my Hazelnut Cream and can't wait to light this Cinnamon Roll one too. There is nothing better than opening the door to a home that is filled with tasty Autumn scents. This definitely puts me in the mood for the season, and as we all know, Fall makes everything better! :)

LABOR DAY IN GLEN ROSE

Swede and I just got back from an exciting Labor Day weekend with the Moores. We thought it'd be fun to explore some new places here in Texas, so we decided to meet the fam halfway in the little historic town of Glen Rose. We started the trip off at Fossil Rim where we got to pet, feed, and see lots of fascinating safari animals. We had an awesome tour inside the facility and learned lots of neat tidbits about all the animals. The best part was getting to be so up close and personal to all the wildlife, such a cool experience!

Another great perk to living in Texas is getting to experience and taste some the very best BBQ. We went to some really entertaining and yummy places the locals recommended, and we sure weren't disappointed. Although we had a hard time walking after stuffing our faces full with all the great eats, we all left feeling a little more Texan :)

After living in Utah and experiencing all the great outdoor activities it has to offer, we were all craving some good outdoor fun here in Texas. We were lucky enough to find the Brazos River where we got to rent some tubes and float down in style. It only took us about an hour to float it, but it was long enough to enjoy the beautiful scenery along the riverbank and have some great laughs. Definitely a fun water adventure!

We all stayed at a fun little bed and breakfast right on historic square and loved it's "old time feel" atmosphere. Although we had to convince the littlest one that there were no ghosts in the hotel, it was a comfy sleep with a yummy breakfast!

We ended the trip with a short drive to the Dinosaur State Park where we walked along a river bed filled with million year old dino footprints. We all thought it was especially cool knowing that we were walking in the exact same places where the historic dinosaurs used to roam. Very fun to see!

Thanks so much family for such a fabulous vacation! Love you!