{18 Days Until...}

...our 3-night getaway to Seabrook, Washington! 

We have been wanting to visit this adorable beach cottage town since we moved here in 2009. We were supposed to be using the weekend of November 10-13 for a trip to Vancouver, but...it's taking longer than planned for me to get my social security card back with my name change so I can get my enhanced license. Oh well! Seabrook is just our type of place!

Beach Cottages...Pet Friendly Cottage so yes, Cogsworth will be joining us {first family vacation, awesome! We're pumped}...Pottery Painting where we plan to make Cogsy some awesome doggy bowls that he totally deserves because he just uses ours lol...Bike Rentals {if it doesn't rain the whole time}...Campfire Pit with our Cottage...the OCEAN...and just peacefullness...yes, "peacefullness" is a word in my vocab. We're so so soooo excited. We've been crazy stressed out these last two weeks and I was beginning to feel like something was really wrong with me because I was feeling so down. Nope, just stress. Now that I know we have this to look forward to I feel a huge excitement and don't feel so down. Like my aunt said to me the other day on the phone, "It must be hard for you to have the wedding behind you now! That was a huge exciting time and then it just suddenly ended." Yes...Auntie Debi, you are exactly right. This is helpful though!

So yeah, 18 more days!

I do have a couple other fun things to write about : ) 

I finally changed our chalkboard last night from the one I did for our party. Here it is now, one of our favorite Walt Disney quotes. I love it. I will be drilling this into our future children's brains one day, just like my parents did to me. Although there are cons in thinking this way...{feeling depressed when things don't work like you think they will or want them too}, overall it's gotten me exactly where I am in life today! {thanks Mom & Dad!} and Walt! ; )

After Matt sat me down the other night because he was worried about how I was feeling, we also decided...no nannying for me. I have enough to worry about owning a dance studio. Yes, my schedule leaves me a lot of time open in the day. BUT...that time is supposed to be used for keeping organized and lately I have been getting more and more behind to the point where I cried the other day {I'll have everyone know that, although this may be rediculously surprising for most of you reading this, this was the first time I've cried in a while since our wedding! whoa. that's almost 2 months. A record probably.} The nanny money was fun to have every weekend, and the kids are cute, but it wasn't worth the stress I was feeling. So, once again, I am the owner/instructor of Emerald City Dance and just that. Feels Good.

In about 30 minutes, Matt and I are leaving for Haley's birthday party! I'm excited about her birthday present. We bought a frame and this awesome photo will be making it's home there... {requested from Oona, no we have not received our photos yet...after almost 2 months. I'm getting antsy about it}.

I love this picture of Haley and I though! 

K, well I have to go now so we can eat dinner and I can wrap her present : ) Hope you're all having a great weekend!

Love,

Lasagna Soup and More.

We have been trying a lot of new recipes lately. With Pinterest and cook books we received as wedding gifts to find tons of new recipes we have had a lot of fun experimenting with new food. We also have been buying our groceries every week from Amazon Fresh, which makes grocery shopping and finding all these new and sometimes intimidating ingredients easy to find. 

Tonight I made Lasagna Soup. It is definitely one of our new favorites. It was so good, and I made breadsticks to dip in it. Yum! Here is a photo and link to the recipe. 

Lasagna Soup Recipe

Here are links to the recipes I made for our Pumpkin Carving Fall Feast Family Fun Day

Homemade Butterfingers Recipe

Slow Cooked Chicken Chili Recipe

Homemade Cornbread Recipe

Pumpkin Trifle

And the yummy Caramel Apple Martini recipe is:

2 parts Sour Apple Schnapps

2 parts Butterscotch Schnapps

1 part Vodka 

1 caramel square to put in the bottom of the glass

I was so happy with how all of the recipes turned out at our party and equally as happy with the Lasagna Soup tonight. My favorites of those recipes are the Cornbread and Martini. 

This week we are also going to be trying Mexican Stuffed Shells, a Ziti Pasta Bake, and Tortilla Soup.

We hope everyone had a good Monday :)

{Our First Annual Pumpkin Carving Fall Feast Family Fun Day}

Yesterday was wonderful. We had our first annual Pumpkin Carving Fall Feast Family Fun Day and it was  perfect. Matt and I had such a wonderful time with our family. {The Lanese Half}. Our day was full of everyone catching up, laughing, playing games, eating yummy food, being entertained by the kiddos and of course, carving pumpkins.

I was so excited that it was our first time having the whole family over and it not being for a birthday. I was really pleased with how all of the recipes that I tried from Pinterest turned out {blog on those to come later}. I definitely loved hosting and was just really happy to have them all over {especially knowing I was now officially part of the family} (I know, Mel, but it feels cool being official official now) :) Cogsy also made us so happy because he was so well behaved. He played with Clare and didn't jump on the babies {a lot}. It was great!! 

I am already looking forward to next years party! 

I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking. Here are just the ones from my camera, I'll post more from Megan's camera later. 

{Exactly why I wanted a chalkboard, for fun things like this}

{I was super excited to decorate and get to use my Antropologie table cloth, thank you Haley}

{I loved the color of these flowers! Perfect for Fall}

{Snow White made an appearance at our party. She's adorable!}

{"Auntie Chelsea, this party rocks! Yeah!"}

 {Being an auntie is the best.}

{Snow White, Nana & baby Caitlin}

{Lady Bug Girl even came to our party! Cutest little bug ever. The tights...*love them!*}

 {"Um, Auntie Chelsea, can I get some help here?..."}

 {Auntie Chelsea and the little bug}

{My incredibly handsome husband doing his "Chelsea Pose" lol. Poor guy had to run to the store twice because I was apparently can't multi-tast while cooking.}

{The Lanese Family. -minus Megan who took this photo, the babies and Cogsy-}

{Cogsy enjoying some quality time with Papa. --I warned you this would be blogged lol-}

{Some of my big sibs playing a nerd game ;) }

{Megan was loving Clare's outfit, we all did :). She has on a cupcake sweater, a tutu I just gave here, bow in her hair and sparkly shoes}

 {The only picture I have of the little dude from the whole day. I was so sad after they left realizing I didn't hold him the whole day either...it made me sad. We'll just have to plan a visit!}

{The Lanese's}

 {me and my amazing hubby}

We loved everything about yesterday. We loved how everyone stayed so late and that everyone was just chill and enjoying the day and our time together. It was perfect. I can't wait for another day like that : ) 

Our Very Own Marley & Other News

I finally took pictures of our fall wreath for you to see. I'm really happy with the way it turned out and it was a lot of fun to make. I feel really proud when we come home, our door actually looks welcoming, it really "feels like home." 

Matt got sick on Sunday and still isn't feeling 100%. It's sad when he's sick :( He's such a good husband and I always feel so bad because he always get sick through me. I catch all the stuff from holding snotty and drooled on hands with my dance kids and then I'm so immune it goes right through me and onto Matt. Happens every year. 

Cogsy has been happy about it because it just means more cuddle time with Matt. We had a cozy 'don't get out of your pajamas' day on Sunday and Cogsy liked loved it! He watched "Marley & Me" with me snuggled on the bed. No really...he actually watched it...

{Mommy, this movie is a little bit sad}

{But I really really like it}

{Yes, I like it so much I will watch the entire movie with you just like this}

And...he did. No lie. He didn't move and watched it. He really helps fill the baby void that likes to sneak up on me lol. Who needs a baby when you've got an amazing dog like Cogsy? At least for now : ) 

I got some good news today, my dance program may be expanding even more...I just got a phone call tonight through, so we'll see. I'm not going to write more than that until I know it's actually going to happen. I am so excited though and can't believe how incredible these past 13 months have been. I also hired another teacher this week. So next quarter with me, we'll have 4 teachers! Awesome! 

We're getting excited for our 'First Annual Pumpkin Carving Fall Feast Family Fun Day' this Saturday. I'm sad that more of our friends won't be able to make it, but I know it will be tons of fun. Some friends are popping in here and there so that's nice. I hope everyone likes Slow Cooked Chicken Chili with rolls and cornbread {that's what we're having for dinner}. Chili, low in the bean department {Matt doesn't like hates, beans }. 

Tried 2 new recipes this week so far.

#1 Banana Muffins {they were gone pretty fast}

and 

#2 Stuffed Shells {it was actually the same recipe that Megan makes that I love but I found it on Pinterest} Matt devoured them and Sophie {nanny kid} loved them for lunch today. Awesome.

That's all for now. Going to go read "The Help" now. It's sooo good! I definitely recommend it.