EASY DIY THANKSGIVING TAGS

For our family Thanksgiving dinner, we had a very simple set up. I made a one pot pasta, buttery garlic bread & pumpkin pie for dessert. (store bought!) I didnt want to spend alot of time in the kitchen, and just wanted something quick and yummy. We ended up playing cards as a family after dinner, snacking on treats. It was such a fun little evening. 

I did want to make some cute place card settings though, and I though using the kids initials was a cute way to peraonlize them. All I did was paint the wood tags in shades or orangey peach/pink and glue them together. I added some black and white twine and slipped them over a few pumpkin stems. It was so easy and adds a really cute touch on the pumpkins. Plus, you could use these over and over again for so many differnet occasions. 

All materials were purchased at Michaels, and it took me about 20 min including waiting for the paint to dry. SO easy. 

THANKSGIVING

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year looked SO different from the other years. We didnt get to see my husband's side of the family, which we always do. It was so sad missing this holiday with them. 

But this was also the first year two of my cousins are living in the same city as we are and we got to see them for a small gathering. We haven't been seeing too many people, and having them over felt SO nice again. I forgot what it was like to host a dinner! And all the kids were playing so well together and having so much fun.

My sweet mom made all the food, except for dessert, which was my department. I made an apple cobbler, but it was gobbled up so quickly I didnt even have a chance to snap a picture. 

I decorated my mantle and table using some garlands I had on hand, and the girls brought me almost all the pumpkins we have in the house for a centerpiece. We went with white, pink and shades or orange. It was a mix of half real pumpkins and half artificial ones. And I added some twinkly lights on the mantle and table for a cozy magical feel. The girls faces were all lit up with smiles. They loved it.

Hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving! 

PUMPKIN PATCHES

One of the things I love to do in the fall is visit the pumpkin patch. We picked an amazing sunny day, finished our school work early and headed out to our local farm. 

I love trying to go early in the season becuase it means you get the best pick of pumpkins (of all sizes!) and you dont have to fight with the crowds. 

We got to the pumpin patch, but I realized quickly enough that Annie wanted me to hold her, and it would be impossible to carry her while trying to load pumpkins into my stroller. Haha. It's definitely a two person job when you've got your kids. 

So we picked a tiny little one that Ellie could carry, and explored the farm the rest of the time. I convinced the girls we needed to pick out tiny pumpkins for our Thanksgiving table and they loved helping me out. 

Such a fun and sweet day!

APPLE PICKING

We did one more trip to the apple farms with a few friends and it was the perfect day. Cool and crisp air...the best for fall days. 

I do have to admit, it was extremely busy becuase we went on a weekend...which did stress me out a bit. But I loved that we got to go as an entire family. And once we got out of the entrance area it was really nice and spacious in the fields.

A few more farm pictures because it was so beuatiful there! (And you really score when you can pick apples & pumpkins together!)