5 Reasons Why I am Looking Forward to Fall

I know summer still technically has 37 more days to reign but I can honestly say that one we hit the first day of school fall seems to come so quick! 

Though I do LOVE the summer months fall is by far the most favorite season for me and October is my favorite month which is just 45 days away! 

Fall to me is a fun jam packed season for many reasons like:

1: Pumpkin Flavored EVERYTHING! 

All of us girls love our pumpkin flavored items! From coffees to cakes, cheesecakes to beer and most everything in between. 

2: Amazing Outfits! 

For the Man in your life

LIttle girls

For the Tween

For the Teen

For Me :)

 I LOVE using Pinterest to find outfit inspirations. I usually try and find an adorable outfit and make my own version finding the pieces cheaper and within our budget. To me this is a great way to still be "hip" without breaking the bank! 

3: Hoodies

 Whatever your style or preference is a hoodie is a staple in the family. We all have our favorite designs, colors, what we find comfy etc but you can be sure we own at least one. My oldest and I are so attached to them that you might even see us wearing them year round :) 

4: Festivals, Fairs and Community Events

This area is HOPPIN' with events and festivals this time of year and the fair is also in town! 

One of our favorites and one that we go to annually is Spook City. 

This year it is on October 22 and I have already got it in my planner to attend. 

The girls have amazing things happening at school in the fall too and there is usually something going on if not right here in our town then the near towns have it going on an we try to take a short day trip to enjoy the festivities and our little family! 

5: Holidays

 The fall months host some of our favorite holidays! 

The girls and I really like Halloween and all the festivities from carving pumpkins to trick or treating and more! 

 Then there is the hubby who enjoys thanksgiving...but then again who doesn't love to eat?!

 Each of these holidays holds a tradition or two for us and we do look forward to them each year!

 What is your favorite season? 

XOXO

SJ

Friday Favs!

I thought I would kick off the weekend with sharing you some of my favs!

These are COMPLETELY random and just off the top of my head so bare with me...

Pumpkin Flavor:

Fall is by far my favorite season of the year and ever since we have moved to Arkansas I am in love with it SO MUCH more!

Growing up in Southern California then moving to the DEEP Dirty South of Alabama you got TWO seasons... Summer and Winter!

Now along with fall comes pumpkin flavored EVERYTHING!

YAY!

From pumpkin pie, to muffins, from cold coffee to hot and you can't forget the BEER! My fall loving butt is ALL over it!

Luckily my girls inherited the love of pumpkin too... only down fall? Well now I HAVE to share...boo! and Aaliyah is allergic to nutmeg! UGH!

The Color Black:

I have always been a little obsessed with the color black. I honestly can't remember a time when black was not listed as a favorite. 

From clothes, shoes, nails, eye shadow and everything in between I can't go wrong with black... WELL except for hair... 

I can't pull that one off... I am WAY to WHITE!

Photography:

If you know me personally then you know since I first set eyes on my Grandpa's 35mm SLR camera I WAS HOOKED! Then when I had my first kid, Dakota, my mind was made up I would become a photographer. 

I was all self taught until I enrolled in school when we moved her to Arkansas. I am starting my own photography business, What the Photography (more on that later),  and EVENTUALLY the plan is to have my Master's Degree in the Art.

Ink aka Tattoos:

Again this was another obsession I have had since I know I was a teenager. My mom used to YELL at me all the time for drawing "tattoos" on me as a kid, plus I am PRETTY sure it didn't help when my ink skills found it's way to my shoes and jeans... oops...

I got my first tattoo at the age of 16 and now that I am 31 I am close to or right at 15 maybe even over. I lost count lol 

There are more that I will add but I can't tell you ALL of it now! That is for another post later so stay tuned!

P.S.: Ant is also inked up and all I can say is... men with ink...yum! :)

Who's with me?

Apps:

Okay I am SERIOUSLY starting to think there should be an addiction class like AA for these convenient little shits! I can NOT tell you how many of these damn things I have because of course I NEED them. 

Ant thinks I am absolutely RETARDED, but like I said I NEED them! 

I will share with you my favs soon but I promise I will categorize them first so you don't go cross eyed reading a half a novel on why I LOVE and NEED them :) 

Music:

I have always been a HUGE music fan and not just a dead set only exclusive kind of girl I listen, enjoy and know ALL genres. From classical to heavy metal; from rap to country there isn't much I don't like. 

If I was a single gal I could tell you I probably wouldn't even OWN a TV. I prefer music ALL day ANY day! 

Chalkboards:

Here is yet another OMG I LOVE thing and the hubby rolls his eyes at me. Granted last year I went a SHIT TON CRAZY little overboard with it. I find it SO convenient and not to mention I can reuse these items OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER again. With three kids to me that is just money smart lol

I have a free standing easel,  my coffee corner in my kitchen features chalkboard canisters, I have chalkboard banners I use for EVERY party I host and when we build our pantry in the kitchen I already told Ant I want the doors chalk board... DON"T JUDGE ME! ;)

Coffee:

Just ANOTHER thing I grew up to LOVE. I swear it is in my blood stream. I was raised as a military brat PLUS around fire houses and we ALL KNOW those men and women SURVIVE off coffee!

I have always had a taste for it from iced to hot, latte to cappuccino. If it is coffee based I am ON IT! I even got cross trained while working at Books-A-Million and became a certified Barista! Yes folks it is THAT BAD!

Oh and my kitchen theme will be cafe when I start it... LOL

My Planner: 

As a mom, wife, blogger, photographer, business starter, and future student my planner is the NEXT BEST thing besides my cell phone!

This is HOW I manage everything that goes on. 

From Doctor's appointments, school functions for the kids and hubby, sports for the kids, my work schedule, photo sessions birthdays, an

anniversaries and MORE. 

I am tell YOU I. WOULD. BE. LOST without it!

Color Coding:

SO when you are managing a household of , a blog, work, school, sports, a business AND trying to keep up with those Happy Birthday's, you learn to find a system that works for you. Mine just happens to be color coding things in my planner and my filing cabinets.

Aaliyah has pink files, Alora has purple, Dakota has red.. you get the picture LOL 

As for my planner... 

Let's just say multi-colored pen packs are MY BEST FRIEND! The more colors the better!

For example:

Light Blue: Birthdays

Orange: Anniversaries

Pink: Anything to do with the Girls Schools

( I REALLY wish they would have had a pack of pens that had enough colors though to individualize each girl because they are in 3 different schools for the first time this year and that my friends SUCK!)

ETC.

These are just few of the things that I love and I am sure there will be more to share with you very soon!

Next week I am going to be dedicating a day per family member to tell you a little bit more about them!
Have an AMAZING weekend!