Weekending - An Apple Hill Weekend

We had one amazing weekend even though Sutton had a yucky cold. We made the most of it and accomplished a lot.

Friday after work, we grabbed some lunch and ran errands to get myself another b12 shot. This one was different than the rest as I had an endurance boost and fat blaster boost added to it. I feel so much better! Then we ran to Ulta so I could get my Urban Decay Natural eye shadow palette and I picked up the prettiest Opi nail polish.

Then we came home to unload everything and then decided to grab Walter and walk down to the girls daycare to pick them up. It was a quick 20 minute walk and Walter and I waited outside while Rory went to grab the girls. They were so excited to see us and to walk home, but that changed after about 200 yards. They had no desire to walk home. Ha. But we made it and then gave them some more snacks and water.

I ran out to pick myself up my favorite salad since Rory was going out with friends that evening to celebrate a birthday.

We did the usual routine of making the girls dinner, bath time and then cuddles before reading 6 books. Yes they roped me into 6 books on Friday. Then they fell asleep, but that didn't last long.

Rory left and I settled in to watch Grey's Anatomy and ate my salad. Soon after, I started an episode of Bloodline and then Sutton woke herself up from coughing so much. I spent the next hour in their room and decided to go to bed after since she was waking at the slightest sound. Rory came home at 11 pm and Sutton woke again. Ugh. She was up for a lot of the night which meant we were too.

Saturday morning we went to breakfast and then to Home Depot. The girls begged to go there and I decided we could look at some Halloween decorations for outside. We bought a few items and then headed home. After putting the girls down for their naps, I headed out to Hobby Lobby and Pier 1 for more indoor Fall decor. I didn't get to shop much because Sutton coughed herself awake. At this point I thought we would have to cancel our babysitter for the night due to Sutton coughing so much. But Chandler (our cousin) said no way and she was up for it.

We took the girls to the park for some swings and playtime since it was warm and thought it would help Sutton's cough.

After we got home, we gave Sutton a breathing treatment and it helped a ton. They had the best time together that night.

Rory and I headed to the tailgate for some amazing bbq, football and fun. Then we went into the Nevada vs. Hawaii game with doubts, but they pulled off their first win of the season and it was a good game.

Sunday morning we woke up, got everyone ready and headed out to breakfast before going to my parents house to meet everyone for our annual Apple Hill trip.

Once we got there, we waited for my sister and her fiance to show up. They got there when we were doing bathroom breaks for the girls. But once I came out, my sister said she had something for me. And she gave me this.

The note had a tie around it and I pulled it out. It had the most heartfelt note asking me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding in June. I said of course and gave her a big hug. I am going to be a bridesmaid in my little sisters wedding just like she was in my wedding. Full circle and I am so proud and excited to be a part of her wedding.

Our first stop was Grandpa's Cellar. When we got there, we saw that there were chickens nearby and the girls wanted to go see them. They were so fascinated with the chickens.

We ate a slice of pie or apple crisp for some of us and then we went into their little store to buy a few things. The girls were on a "haunted" nature walk with their grandparents.

Next, we went to Rainbow Orchards where they have the best apple cider donuts. Heavenly. While some people waited in line for the cider and donuts, the rest of us hung out in the field areas where they had a band playing, hay bales to sit on and outdoor vendors. They also had some John Deer tractors that the kids could take photos on.

After Rainbow Orchards, we headed to El Dorado Orchards so the girls could go on the train like this did a year previous. When we arrived, they were so excited for the train, but once we got closer to paying and going on it, they freaked out and started crying. So we asked again if they wanted to ride and they said no. Then we found a face painting booth and asked if they wanted to do that. They were super excited. They picked out their designs, Minnie Mouse of course and then we were set to go. I sat down first and the girls took turns. I was worried they wouldn't sit still or like it, but they did amazingly. And they were so cute.

After they were finished, we did a little photoshoot and all the grandparents were snapping photos. So cute.

Next, we headed to Boa Vista which was packed and crazy. We put the girls in their strollers for this adventure since there were so many people there. We bought some apples, pears, mustards and nuts. We also did a potty break for the girls since it was the first place that had normal bathrooms. The girls refuse to use porta potties. They barely went in their pull ups that we put on as a safe guard.

Next, we headed to High Hill Ranch, but we just played in the park like area while others shopped because this place is even more chaotic than Boa Vista. Plus the girls were getting tired. They did look at more tractors with my dad and Rory.

Finally, we headed off back to Lake Tahoe for pizza. The girls slept the hour ride there which was nice since you could tell they were tired. Then we had the best pizza, garlic chips and a nice cold beer. It was the perfect ending to the day.

We got home at 9:15 which is way later than normal. The girls slept in the car most of the car ride home, but were not so happy when we had to wake them up once we got home. And they were even more sad this morning when they realized that we wiped their Minnie face painting off the night before.

But overall, it was a great weekend. I love Apple Hill weekend!

Friday Favorites

*This post may contain affiliate links.

It is almost time for the weekend and one of my favorite weekends this season. We have lots planned and after my debacle with Apple on Wednesday, I could use the weekend and a few glasses of wine or scotch. Word of advice, buy your iPhone at your phone carrier. Save yourself from getting the new guy to screw up your service, cancel your service and give you a loan without your permission.

Onto Friday favorites and happenings.

ONE. iPhone 8 Plus accessories. There is one thing I don't like about getting a new phone....getting new accessories. Plus if you go from a 64 gb iPhone to a 256 gb phone, you will need to purchase more icloud storage if you are like me and only got the 99 gb storage. Ugh. But I am sharing with you my three accessories that I purchased and I am very happy with.

First up is the wireless headphones because there is no headphone jack in the new iPhones. You can use the attachment they give you, but my Skull Candies did not fit in it. Since I like to run, I got one that is geared towards that.

Phaiser bluetooth earbuds

Second, I needed a new case because I have kids and I can't go that long without a case. I got the gold iPhone 8 Plus and I love the color of it. Plus it has a white glass backing, so I wanted a clear case that wasn't too bulky, but still covered my phone. The Matone got amazing reviews and fit the bill to what I need.

Matone iPhone 8 Plus case

Lastly, I ordered the PopSocket for this phone. I like the idea of having another way to hold it and with how much bigger it is than my iPhone 6s, I didn't want to drop it. 

PopSocket

TWO. Yesterday Lindsay (from Lindsay's Sweet World) wrote about her Vegas (check it out, it is beautiful). She captured the beauty, fun and experience of Vegas. I spoke about the Vegas massacre on Tuesday and today it is still affecting me (I have cried a lot this week).

Just yesterday I was gmail chatting with my best friend and she said she is having a hard time this week. I asked her if it had to do with Vegas and she said yes. We talked about all of our friends and families affected in this and how many people we know that are injured. Heartbreaking.

Plus I work for the Gaming Control Board, so we have been very involved in this. Researching our databases and finding out anything we could on Paddock and gaming.

But my heart feels a little better when I get videos of friends recovering in the ICU and are walking when just a couple days ago they were shot in the chest, in a coma and had a collapsed and badly damaged lung. God is doing beautifully things helping these people recover, but I am still sending my prayers daily and trying to do anything I can to help.

THREE. J Crew Factory is having a sale right now....50% off of everything. I have been wanting a pair of the Gigi leggings, but didn't want to pay full price. I also have been looking at the cutest ruffle shoulder sweater. Both are in my shopping bag and definitely going to be purchase today as it is also payday!

 J Crew ruffle sweater

J Crew Gigi pants

FOUR. This weekend we are going to Apple Hill. It is my favorite Fall event. We eat apple pie ala mode, buy apple desserts, pick pumpkins, ride the train around the pond, look at crafts, drink apple wine and beer and spend time with family. It is just perfect.

Plus we have another home football game this weekend versus Hawaii. Let's see if my team can pull off their first win of the season. Yes they are 0 and 5 and totally sucking. I have never experienced the Wolf pack being this bad. Fingers crossed for a win.

I am linking up with April, A Little Bit of Everything, Meet @ the Barre and Cup of Tea.

Thoughts and Confessions

It is been a week and we are not even done yet. Grab a cup of coffee or tea and settle in for some Thoughts and Confessions...

- We were having such great success with potty training and then something happened. I don't know if it was Rory being gone for 8 days or what, but the girls regressed a lot in potty training, but only at school. When they were home last weekend, they didn't have any accidents and sometimes would go hours in between going to the bathroom. But then at school, they were having 3 or 4 accidents in one day, so the teachers would put them in pull ups, so no more accidents. Then the pull ups would be dry. So I am not sure what is going on, but it sucks. I just hope they get back into their routine and have less or no accidents.

- I am still so heartbroken over the Las Vegas massacre. To read my friends stories of their first hand experiences makes me so sad. Our world is so scary right now. I just can't even imagine what they saw and the fear they have now. #prayforVegas

- I have been super annoyed in my car because my blind spot monitor hasn't been working. I try to test it out all the time. I drive at the same pace as another car and turn on my blinker (no I am not going to really change lanes) and nothing comes up. And then my back up senor wasn't working either. I kept brushing it off and saying that I would take it to Toyota to fix it. But then I thought maybe there is a button or area to turn it on and off, so I checked the manual. Somehow it did get turned off and all is right, but I kinda feel dumb since it took me this long to fix it and be that lazy about it.

- I made cookies on Friday and have eaten at least three a day and will be making more tonight or tomorrow. They are that good and I can't get enough of them. #cookiemonster

- So I tried Blue Apron for two weeks. I thought it was a pretty good deal. I got three meals with two servings each. I liked almost all of the meals and I wasn't sure I would when I was preparing them. You use ingredients that sometimes you normally wouldn't (like bok choy or shoshito peppers) and I loved that you branched out more. I did have one bad pepper in one of my dishes, but there was enough peppers that it didn't matter that much. The only thing I would change would be to have three servings instead of two. Sometimes the two servings was huge and enough for me and leftovers or me and Rory eating big portions, but other times, I felt like it was barely enough for me and a hungry husband. I now want to try some other boxes to see how I like them.

-I started decorating our house for Fall and Halloween and I realized that I need way more stuff, so I am hoping to go to Hobby Lobby and Target tomorrow.

- I have been buying something at Nordstrom every week lately. I love getting new clothes for work/Fall/Winter, but I think my husband is giving me the side eye when they show up weekly. Ha.

Weekending

I finally was able to sit down and recap my weekend. My mind has been a bit scattered, but thankfully no one that I am close to was injured in the Las Vegas massacre.

Anyways, back to my weekend recap. I don't have a ton of photos as I got a new iphone this weekend. I took some photos with it to play with the camera feature, but nothing of interest to post here.

Friday after work I headed to Petco to pick up some doggie food and treats and then I headed over to a local Thai joint for some lunch. Then I headed to the grocery store to pick up the remaining items that I needed to bake some cookies with.

I got home, unpacked everything and then let my butter come to room temperature. In the meantime, I took Walter for a much needed walk. Since Rory was gone all last week, he didn't get any walks during the week and it showed as Walter got into the trash a couple times. Once I got home, I started baking.

I finished up in time, to run out and grab us salads for dinner and then pick the girls up from daycare. Once we got home, I quickly fed the girls and cleaned them up a bit, but not before letting them try the cookies which were a huge hit. Then we headed to the airport to surprise Rory and pick him up. I thought of this about two hours before Rory landed since the girls would only see him for a few minutes once he got home. This way they could spend at least an hour with him.

Rory was so surprised to see us. He almost walked right past us since he didn't expect to see us there. The girls were so excited. We walked over to baggage claim and the girls met our co-worker who was on the trip with Rory. Then we took the girls to his truck so they could ride home with him.

After putting the girls to bed, we had our salads, caught up a bit and then I went to bed. Rory was still jetlagged.

Saturday morning we got up and went to breakfast and then went out to get the girls more shoes. I feel like we just bought them some (because we did), but we need other pairs for just daycare as they get ravaged fast. We also ran a few other errands before coming home and putting the girls down for a nap. I headed to Apple to pick up my new iPhone 8 Plus and got it all set up there.

After naps, we got the girls ready and my in-laws came over shortly after. They took the girls to the park and we took an uber downtown. We stopped at the new Renaissance to watch some football, play some games (they have bocce ball, ski ball and a bunch of other cool games) and have a drink. Then we walked over to a bar where a bunch of friends were to watch the Nevada Wolf Pack game. They lost again and are 0 - 5 which is the worst record in sooooo long. Ugh. Struggle bus here.

 Moscow Mule

 Reno art from Burning Man

We ubered home and went to bed.

Sunday we got up and headed to our favorite muffin shop. Rory and the girls ate muffins and bagels and I had a coffee because I had a brunch with my fellow twin moms at 10 am. We went to Stonehouse which has amazing outdoor seating in a garden like patio. We talked about twins, the joys and fails, being moms, craft nights, holiday parties and so much more. It was so nice to hang out with people who get me and where I am at in life.

After brunch, I headed home where the girls were sleeping. Rory took Walter for a walk and then the girls woke up immediately. So much for a long nap. We did some cleaning around the house and then Rory got back and he mowed the lawn. The girls were starting to get impatient, so he quickly finished and we took them to two parks. 

Yes, two parks. The first one we went to was new to us and did not have swings. The girls played for about half an hour and then wanted to swing, so we left and searched for another park, but ended up at our favorite park near our house. The girls played while we talked more about Rory's trip. Then we headed to the store to get stuff to make spaghetti because we wanted something hearty for dinner. And I was worried the final Blue Apron shipment wouldn't have enough servings for a hungry husband.

We came home and made dinner, gave the girls baths, read bedtime stories and then put the girls down to bed. They didn't sleep that great that night, so luckily we went to bed early. Did you catch Modern Family last week? It was filmed a few weeks ago at Lake Tahoe. So cool.

And that wraps up our weekend. How was your weekend?

I am linking up with Jenn and Jessi.

Pray for Vegas

I had planned to write a weekend update to go live today, but after the events that happened Sunday night in Las Vegas, I just couldn't. That can wait until tomorrow.

Right now my heart is hurting for my friends and family who were at the Route 91 Music Festival. I spent the better part of Monday morning glued to my computer for updates on this tragedy. I was also texting friends and family to make sure they were not there or if they were, that they were ok. Then I saw all of the accounts of what happened on FB and my heart sank even more.

One of my friends was at the concert celebrating her sister and their love for country music (she passed away a few months ago from stomach cancer) when shots rang out. They ran to the VIP section and helped knock down a gate to get out of there. They were running as fast as they could when someone they didn't know, said her arm hurt. They stopped to see if she was ok and she had been shot in the back and it made its way out of her arm. Luckily, they were far enough away from the venue to stop and help the girl out.

Another friend hide under the bleachers as bullets ricocheted near them. He laid over his girlfriend to make sure she would not get hit. They made it out alive.

Another friend was there with his brother celebrating his 34th birthday. They took a photo about 3 minutes before the attack happened. They made it out alive...

...but so many people did not make it.

As more information comes out, we have learned that he lived in Henderson, Nevada since June 2016. Prior to that, he lived in Reno, Nevada, which is my home. He still has a house here and that house is less than two blocks away from my in-laws.

I am still wrapping my head around this and I am hoping and praying that none of my friends or family were injured.

When something like this happens in the US and even more so when it happens in Nevada, it makes me fear for the world my children will grow up in. There are some truly awful people in this world.

Please pray for Las Vegas.

TBB Asks - Everything Fall

It's time for another round of The Blended Blog Asks and this month is all about Everything Fall. I love Fall. That is no secret. From football to pumpkins, to yummy coffee drinks and Apple Hill, I definitely look forward to this time of year.

1. Favorite Fall Sweet Treat? Apple donuts. We get the best ones when we go to Apple Hill. I can't wait til October 8th!!!

2. Red, Yellow or Green Apples? I am all about the red apples. I love honeycrisp and pink ladies the most.

3. Favorite Fall Sport to Play? I don't really play any sports anymore. I just watch.

4. Best Drink for Fall? Spiced apple cider using apple wine from Apple Hill. So good!

5. Favorite Fall Activity? Watching Nevada football games. We have been season ticket holders forever.

I was about 12 weeks pregnant here.

6. Must have Fall Purchase? A new pair of booties/boots.

7. Pumpkins: Pick your own or store bought? We always pick our own when we go to Apple Hill. This year we have grown some for around our house.

8. Real or Fake Pumpkin? Real all the way!

9. Favorite Halloween Costume? As a child, I loved wearing a cheerleader costume. As an adult, let's just say I wore things that weren't that appropriate. Evidence below.

10. College Football or NFL? I love NFL. I love watching the Wolf Pack play along with bowl games, but I watch almost every single NFL game that I can.

11. Fall or Halloween Decor? I love both, but I tend to use more Fall decor, so I can leave it up until Thanksgiving.

12. Raking Leaves or no Leaves to Rake? We use a blower and then rack the leaves a little bit into a bag.

13. Favorite Soup? Butternut Squash with Pears and Bacon.

14. Favorite Fall Candle scent? Leaves by Bath and Body Works

15. Love or Hate Pumpkin Spice? I love pumpkin spice. I love it in lattes, soups and desserts.

16. Short Booties or Tall boots? This one is hard because I wear them both.

17. Favorite Halloween Candy? Dots. I only ever have them when I used to go trick or treating and now I take them from my girls candy bags. Don't tell me you don't take the best candy out of your kids bags. I know you do.

18. PSL (Pumpkin Spice Latte): YES or NO? Yes, but usually a tall ever so often.

19. Hayride or Corn Maze? I love corn mazes. Before having kids, we used to go to one yearly. So much fun. I can't wait for my girls to be old enough to do this.

20. Favorite Fall TV Show? This is Us. I am so in love with this show.

Friday Favorites

*This post may contain affiliate links.

How are we two days away from October? Time is going at warp speed right now. I made it through my single parenting week. We have a lot of bumps (literally), but I am glad I got to have this time with my girls.

Let's get onto Friday Favorites and Happenings.

ONE. There have been a lot of attempted kidnappings in my local area. Not just on women, but children too. You can guess why they are being kidnapped. This week, our local police put out a huge warning, sent out photos of these creeps and ways to protect yourself. It has made me really weary of taking my girls out anywhere. The attempts have been at retail stores, so I haven't wanted to take them anywhere near a store.

I am super cautious and have already taken steps on adjusting the way I go about my business at the stores. I will no longer put the cart at the rear of my car and take one child out, load them and get the next child. I will be taking them both out at the same time, bringing them to the car and having one stand in front of me between me and the door while I load the other.

I will be more cautious about my surroundings. I will take my keys out before leaving the store. I will watch what is going on in the store to make sure no one is following me or checking me out.

This is scary stuff going on. I don't know why in the last month it has gotten worse, but it has.

I wanted to get the girls some new pjs, long socks and other Fall/Winter things, but I just don't want to go to the stores, so I will order online for now. And I am really considering (but not fully committed yet) getting the girls the harness leashes. Yes that sounds awful and I am not a big fan of it, but when you have two toddlers running around, I think it is better to be safe than sorry. I am looking at getting one of these two:

 Butterfly

Mickey

TWO. I am always looking for Fall clothes and I am sure my husband shakes his head every time there is a package on our doorstep because it usually is mine or the girls. This week, I found the cutest sweatshirt with bow sleeves. It is on sale for $35 and I could pass it up. I mean how cute is this?

THREE. I have been binge watching Bloodline on Netflix. It has the coach from Friday Night Lights in it and I am almost done with it. This show is amazing. I LOVE it. It was recommended to me a few times, but after reading the synopsis, I was not interested. But after a ton of people said to watch it, I did. I chose it over watching Friday Night Lights which everyone said to watch as well.

Well I just found out Friday Night Lights is leaving Netflix on Sunday October 1st. I don't think I can binge 5 seasons without locking myself in my house and keeping away from my girls. So I hope it either comes back (license gets renewed) or you all can tell me where else I can watch it without buying the series.

Otherwise, what other Netflix shows do you recommend? And in the meantime, go watch Bloodline.

via

FOUR. I bought the cutest Sam Edelman flats last week and they arrived this week. I have been wearing them to work every since and I LOVE them. There is no break in time, they fit perfectly (true sizing) and are by one of my favorite brands. If you are looking for flats to wear to work or for fun this winter, get these. They come in many colors too.

flats

FIVE. Today I have to grab a few things from the store, so I am going to pick up the ingredients for these cookies. I am going to bake them today before I pick up the girls from daycare and before my husband gets home from his week long trip. I love pumpkin everything and I am not sure these will be as good as my moms pumpkin oatmeal cookies, but I am hoping they are close. I love classic sugar cookies and adding a bit of pumpkin to it sounds like perfection. Have any of you tried these? I will let you know what I think of them.

Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

I hope you all have a good weekend. I will be relaxing most of the weekend and catching up on missed sleep from this week. I also hope to go to watch the Nevada Wolf Pack football game at the bar with my friends and brunch on Sunday with some amazing twin moms.

I am linking up with April, A Little Bit of Everything, Meet @ the Barre and Cup of Tea.