Carnival Fun + A Princess Party

We had such a busy, fun Saturday.  A big thank you to my awesome sister for swapping a day at work with me so I could enjoy this day with Anniston and Brandon!

Yesterday was the annual Fall Carnival at Annie's school.  I had been looking forward to this for weeks- I love fall carnivals!  And this one did not disappoint!  It was such a fun atmosphere, big enough so that there was plenty to do and see, but not too big that you didn't see people you know or get overwhelmed.  It was beautiful weather, which made it all the more enjoyable. 

We all had so much fun.  There was apple bobbing, water pong, pumpkin painting, cake walks, and even one of the school's soccer games going on in the field right beside the carnival.  They had 2 huge blow-ups- a bouncy house and a slide.  Anniston LOVED the slide.  I don't know how many tickets we used going down that slide over and over.  I had to go with her each time because it was such a steep hike to the top and let me tell you- my workout for the day is complete!  It was pretty tough hiking up to the top with a 2 year old in tow.  But we slid down together, holding hands, with her giggling the entire way down.  It doesn't get much better than that- so when she kept saying "Again!" I just smiled and said "Okay!"



We let Annie have her first taste of cotton candy (which she loved, of course!):

Her and Brandon watched a bit of the soccer game (Brandon was thrilled, obviously):

She fished, played water pong, and plinko to win some prizes:

Her and Brandon even did the cake walk together:

Fall carnivals bring back some awesome memories of my childhood and I just love the atmosphere and all the games associated with it.  It was such a blast!  I'm so glad we chose this school for Anniston- I love getting involved and participating in things like this and this school has SO MUCH of that!  Everyone was so friendly and sweet and all the kids were having such a good time.

After nap, we headed out to a princess birthday party for one of our friends.  Anniston had been so excited to go Adalynn's party ever since I told her about it a couple of days ago.  My friend Jamie went all out!  It was such a cute birthday party and Annie had a blast playing with all the little girls.

A princess tea party!

 

 I'm guessing she thought this marshmallow stick was yummy

 

 Princess Anniston:)

 

Anniston and the birthday girl, Adalynn

 

 

I was EXHAUSTED after all the fun.  Considering she didn't nap well that day either, I barely got a break until she was in bed, fast asleep.  It was so worth it, though.  We had so much fun.  



Recent Happenings + Our Day in Pictures

I know I have been a bad blogger.  Things have been crazy around here- even though I just came off an 11 day vacation:)  My vacation days were spent catching up on things around the house, organization projects, spending quality time with my little angel, and having a bit of girl time with some of my favorite people.

For starters, we had a couple of rooms in our house painted.  It originally started out as a DIY project and almost ended in catastrophe when Brandon tripped over a paint can and splattered paint on the playroom floor.  I threw in the towel after that and hired someone the next day.  No regrets though!  We had the living room, entryway, stairs, upstairs hallway, kitchen, and mudroom all painted within 3 days!  Man, it feels good to pay someone to do the dirty work for ya!  Hopefully, I can get my fabulous sister over here soon to take some pics so I can show you.

Aside from all the painting, I worked on several organization projects around the house:  I organized all my (old) picture prints.  You know, the several hundred I had lying around before everything went digital.  I organized all of Annie's school work thus far and created a system going forward to store all her schoolwork in the years to come.  I also organized all my digital photos and am still in the process of backing them up.  It feels so good to be organized and get a couple of boring projects like that done!

As you know, I did 2 consignment sales this season and had a lot of fun.  My friend Emily and I did one together earlier last week and had so much fun shopping together.  We even had a little celebratory dinner afterward without the kiddos or the husbands. 

I went with Allie and my aunt, Nancy, to the Orpheum last Saturday night to see Flashdance the musical.  I had been looking forward to this for weeks!  We met up for a patio dinner at a great little restaurant on Main St. before the show.  We had a blast and it was so fun to get to hang out with our aunt, who we don't get to see as often as we'd like.  I have to say, Flashdance was horrible.  The music and songs were bad, the acting was bad, and, much to my disappointment, the dancing was bad!  It had the potential to be so great and I was so looking forward to seeing some great dancing.  We didn't mind though- it was still fun going and we still had a great time!

I'm back to work this week and today is one of my days off.  Annie and I have had so much fun.  We woke up this morning and watched TV while we ate our blueberry muffins for breakfast.  I love cuddling with her in the mornings- it's one of my favorite times.  Then we crafted a card for one of her teacher's birthday.  Annie's favorite part was picking out the paper we were going to use.

Other than that, she mainly just went through all my crafting supplies and made a complete mess while I did the card.  I think it turned out pretty cute!

My little helper:)

Afterwards, we got dressed and headed out to run some errands.  I wanted to go by Marshall's to look for serving platters to use for her birthday party coming up.  We got sidetracked by the shoes and ended up buying her the cutest pair of UGG boots!  I couldn't believe we found these!  I love that they are gray, so they will coordinate with lots of outfits.  Anniston LOVED them!  She pitched a teeny tiny fit in the middle of the shoe aisle when I made her take them off.

We hit up Old Navy next.  I scored 3 shirts for me and a couple of things for her, too.  I let her pick out a little jacket since we needed a lightweight one for when it starts to get a little cooler (hopefully that will be soon!)

She was so intrigued by the mannequins there.  She kept giggling at them and wanting to go up and touch them.  I don't think she quite understood why they looked like real kids but didn't move.  It was pretty funny.  We had a great time shopping together.  It's one of my favorite things to do, obviously.  I know she is not even 2 yet, but she is a great shopping buddy.  We have the best time. 

 

She wanted a "sammich" after Old Navy, so we stopped by Newk's and grabbed us a bite to eat.

 

 

Now she is napping and I'm enjoying a little time to myself.  I've got my fall candles burning and I'm sitting at my new desk in my freshly painted living room.  Ah, life is good!

My Consignment Loot- Rhea Lana's Germantown-Collierville

I got to shop this morning and I scored some pretty amazing stuff.  I was actually really surprised I found as much as I did- only because I'm pretty picky about what I buy for Anniston.  They had some awesome stuff- lots of boutique brand clothing, smocked dresses, and cute play outfits.  They had a ton of toys/gear, too.  I saw a Radio Flyer red wagon (the kind with the canopy and seats) for only $50!!!  I think those retail for almost $200!  If my mom and dad didn't already have one to give Anniston for her birthday I would have snatched that right up!

So here's what I got:

 Gap purple tunic/leggings/Gap brown shirt/Gymboree kitty outfit

The brown multi-colored Gap shirt was only $3.50!!

 Pumpkin black and white outfit. This is a 4T so it won't fit her now, but I'm hoping she can wear it next year!  It was too cute to pass up!

 

 Halloween outfits!! 

 

 Molly and Milly outfit. 

 I think I paid $12 or $15 for this one.  But I know they retail for over $50!

 Janie and Jack orange dress.  I HAD to have this!  Not only do I LOVE Janie and Jack, but this is the cutest little fall dress!

 

 Ok- I am over the moon excited about these.  J Crew Crewcuts cardigans.  I could not believe I found these.  If you know me at all, you know I am obsessed with J Crew but their crewcuts line is just so expensive for kids!  I bought the light pink one with the matching shirt underneath for $8!!!  I totally did a little happy dance right then and there.  Once I saw the leopard cardigan I knew it would look so cute with the orange Janie and Jack dress. 

Turkey appliqued outfit with leggings.  $10

 

I am so excited about all the great stuff I got!  They really had some awesome stuff this year.  Go check out their website www.germantown.rhealana.com for details on when to shop!!

 

 



Get Ready to SHOP at Rhea Lana's Germantown-Collierville Consignment Sale

I'm so excited to be one of the bloggers for the Rhea Lana Germantown-Collierville Consignment Sale this year.  My friend, Sarah, and I met up tonight to get a sneak peek at all the great deals this year.  And there are A LOT!  Trust me, you don't want to miss this sale!  If you are a local, shopping starts tomorrow for consignors, moms-to-be, and guests.  Public shopping begins on Sunday from 12pm to 5pm, Monday from 10am to 7pm, and Tuesday from 10am to 2pm.  Check out their website, www.germantown.rhealana.com, for more detailed information.

So, back to all the fantastic stuff up for sale this year.  Consigners were still bringing in their loot but here is what it looked like tonight:

 

All of the racks are neatly organized by size so it's easy to quickly spot where you want to shop.

We checked out the girls' section first, of course, since Sarah and I both have little girls.  I'm giddy with excitement just thinking about all the cute outfits I saw.  Here are just a few of the things that caught my eye:

They also have a huge selection of Halloween costumes!

The boys' sections had tons of cute stuff as well.  Check out these precious outfits:

The shoes were neatly organized into bins, by sizes, so it's easy to locate the size you are looking for.

If you are in need of a stroller, this is the place to come.  They had a great selection:

And the TOYS!  I saw so many cute things I want to buy for Anniston- and at great prices, too!

How cute are these drum sets?

 

 

 

They also had a TON of books:

 

 

 

Rhea Lana's also has brand new Melissa and Doug toys offered at discount prices. 

 

 

Yes, some of these will be making their way home with me.  Maybe I will save some for Christmas presents?

 

I'm SO excited to get to shop tomorrow and find some awesome deals.  Check back with me tomorrow as I will be sharing what I purchased!







Consignment Season- Rhea Lana's Germantown/Collierville

I've mentioned on here before that I am joining in on the consignment craze this year.  I have TONS of clothes of Anniston's that need new homes so I was excited to participate.  I chose to consign in Rhea Lana's Germantown/Collierville sale.  I had heard from some of my other friends how great and easy it was to consign in it.  And that's exactly what I needed- easy!  Since I work full-time, I did NOT want to spend any more time than I had to tagging and sorting clothes.  And I was still a bit nervous about how specific and time consuming this was going to be.

My friends were right!  It was very easy!  I spent probably one, maybe two, afternoons during naptime sorting, entering, and tagging.  I went to their website, www.rhealana.com, and watched the short video tutorial on how to enter and hang your clothes.  Once you know how they want it displayed on hangers, it was a piece of cake!  They have a great online system, with drop down tabs for easy entry.  You simply enter all of your items online, hang them according to their instructions, and attach a small tag to each item.  And I get 70% of the sales!  I was done weeks ago, so all of my items were simply hanging in our spare bedroom closet, ready to go!

The first drop off day was today from 12-8 and they advised to allow an hour to get all your items checked in.  I arrived at 1 pm and was out in 30 minutes.  They simply looked over all my items, handed me my price tags, and instructed me on how to attach the price tags to all my clothes.  It was ridiculously easy, people.  And all the workers were so helpful and patient with me.  It was truly a great experience. 

I am so excited to get to shop on Saturday.  I hope I find some great deals!