#1 We’ve kinda been running a bed-and-breakfast at our house lately…and I love it, even though it’s been busy! Kevin, Keli, and EJ have stayed with us several times in the last few weeks (if you follow us on Facebook and Instagram, you saw that they’ve just arrived in Peru!!) and then my friend Erin stayed with us this past weekend. I had the hankering for Our Favorite French Toast, so they all got to try it, too. Yum! Also, good news: any extra French toast can be cooked and frozen. I discovered that when I made too much on Saturday and Jeremy suggested freezing the rest. It works! I did have to run it through the toaster twice to heat it up enough, but I was glad to figure that out. =)
#2 Jeremy and I are brand new Bible Bowl coaches for the Lads to Leaders program at our congregation. We’re still figuring it all out, but we’re so enjoying getting to know our 8th graders better! I’m glad we said yes. =) It’s great to see them learning Bible knowledge (and we’re reviewing/learning as well) but it’s even better to see the light bulbs come on when they truly understand something they never realized before. We’re shooting for ALL of us to have a better understanding of the whole gospel as we study the book of Matthew. That makes me happy!
#3 We’re all Pioneer Woman fans here at The Ruffled Mango. And we’ve been drooling over PW’s new kitchenware line at Wal-mart. (Btw, that link leads to all the ruffled items in her new line…ahhh!!!!) I came home with this beauty for under $6!
And I made sure to tell Jeremy, “Anytime you’re looking for a gift for me, you can just pick something out from this aisle.” 😉 😉
#4 I’ve been decorating for autumn and burning fall-scented candles and wishing I could LIVE inside my Autumnal Bliss Pinterest board. Fall is so lovely. I wish it lasted for a whole 6 months.
#5 Speaking of fall, Jeremy and I have been having a few more Bob Ross painting nights lately. And I’m completely THRILLED that I can paint some autumn scenes.
My first autumn scene. I etched a J+K into one of the trees. Can you find it? =) I followed some of Bob’s tree painting techniques, but added a few extra things, like pumpkins. 😉
My second fall painting. Followed along with Bob on this one and pretty pleased with how it turned out. I need lots more practice, though! Painting is DEFINITELY harder than it looks.
Jeremy’s fall painting – I love his colors! And he added some waterfalls, which I was super impressed with. =)
We’re still very critical of our work, but I’m excited that we’re picking up new techniques with each try. I’ve always wanted to paint and I’m loving that we are learning together. We’ve got several friends who paint, so I’m thinking we should plan a get-together soon. Maybe they can give us some pointers?? 😉
We’ve moved on to oil paints, made a late-night run to Jackson for fan brushes, and might buy better easels for our upcoming anniversary in November. It cracks me up. =)
#6 Last week we had to have a Ruffled Mango family dinner on one of last nights that the Westmorelands were in Henderson. We girls actually had a fun RM photoshoot beforehand (be watching for new pics!) and then headed to Burrito Meal, one of our new favorite places. Ashley’s mentioned it before, but their Bird’s Nest salad is fantastic! It’s their version of a taco salad – it’s got delicious little strips of fried tortillas made into a nest shape and then topped with…um, toppings. I like to order chicken as the meat on mine. White cheese sauce and a honey chipotle sauce make the whole thing even more delish!
My grandaddy bought a selfie stick (!!!) at City Drugstore a few weeks ago…(just let that sink in) He wanted me to figure out how to use it, so it’s in my possession right now. Of course, we had to use it to take a group shot before we left.
Not a one of the kids are looking…makes me laugh!
#1 This. I meant to share it with you several weeks ago. I keep a running list of Random Ruffles ideas on my iPhone. Little ideas, deep thoughts and funny things that I might throw in to our next post. One day, I pulled up my list, did a double take and then died laughing. Here’s what I saw.
#2 I’m currently working on the very difficult task of choosing prints to order from Man Cub’s newborn photo session. I want all of them!! My friend Sarah of Sarah Linnea Photography came out to the house, brought a boat load of props, and found lovely little venues to capture our everyday life. Half Pint wasn’t exactly feeling it that day. She was running a little fever and had a yucky cold. Some kids get all sweet and cuddly when they’re sick…not so much for her. At one point we could both tell that she was DONE. I was a little stressed out because I really wanted that perfect sibling shot where all three of my babies look like perfect angels. You know, the picture you gaze at on those days where they all seem to have lost their little minds! And it wasn’t looking good. Sarah said, “Turn on some music.” So I did. And then we had a little dance party around baby brother and she captured the most realistic, most fantastic shot. That’s the mark of a good photographer, friends. Flexibility. She definitely made lemonade out of lemons! This isn’t the first time she’s worked miracles with my kids and it won’t be the last!
I love everything about this. If I had to title it, I would call it Perfect Peace Amidst Utter Chaos. This is his life. This is normal.
#3 Pickle Pants might love autumn as much as Kristen does. We stepped outside to play on Wednesday and it was clear that fall had fallen. The wind was blowing, there were leaves scattered in all the yards and the air just smelled like fall. We did an acorn scavenger hunt – we looked for acorns that were really big, really small, wearing “hats” and “hatless”, siamese twins, and various colors. Once I had exhausted that activity, we moved on to leaves. Pickle Pants enjoyed hunting leaves so much that she asked if she could pick up some from our neighbors’ yard. I assured her that the Sheltons wouldn’t mind if she picked up ALL their leaves. An hour later, she proudly showed me her “crowd” of leaves. She corrected me when I called them a bouquet. No mommy, it’s a crowd of leaves and they’re about to watch a movie. Well alright.
