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Linking up with Kristen and Gretch today for another installment of What’s New With You.

Reading: I just started reading Where We Belong by Emily Giffin yesterday.

Listening: Christmas music all day every day. One of my most favorites.

Watching: All of the Christmas movies!!! Or, at least trying to! We watched The Grinch at least three times this past Sunday alone. Zoe is obsessed and it couldn’t make me any happier to see her get so in to that movie.

Eating:All of the things. Haha! This week we had a lot of food from Zoe’s party left over to snack on. For dinners this week it is turkey burgers, taco bowls and stuffed pepper soup.

Buying: Christmas shopping this year has looked like….

But in all seriousness, I have a good chunk done and for the gifts I don’t  have yet….I know what I need to get so there isn’t much guess work left. Yay!

Working: I need to get our Christmas tree up this weekend so that I have enough time to enjoy it before it needs to come  back down. I don’t think I am going to bring out alllll the decor this year. Our house just gets too cluttered with it. But I cant not put the tree up!

I also have been slowly getting the office cleaned out. I packed up all of Zoe’s baby gear on Friday last week and sobbed the entire time. Now I need to get another container to store the rest of the clothes she grew out of. It is crazy seeing how small some of the stuff was that she was wearing just six months ago.

Sending: I need to get my Christmas cards ordered and sent out! If you want to exchange Christmas cards this year, let me know and let’s share addresses. If you were on my list last year, you will probably get one again this year assuming I haven’t lost your address.

Feeling: Thankful and festive. There was a time when I let the holidays stress me out a little bit, but that time is long gone. Now I just soak up as much of the joy and activity that I possibly can. This is my most favorite time of the year, and I want to be present in it and make as many memories as possible. I am hoping to get a gingerbread house kit to do soon, bake a fun holiday treat, watch many more Christmas movies, drink hot chocolate, maybe go look at some Christmas lights, take Zoe to meet Santa Claus and any other things I can squeeze in to this month! What is your favorite holiday tradition?

Laughing:

Linking up with Kristen and Gretch for a currently post!

Reading: The Marriage Pact I just started and am over half way through it already. It is so interesting and work and adulting keeps getting in the way of me finding out where it is all going!

Listening: On November 1st every year, I whip out my Christmas music!!! I know some of you are rolling your eyes and groaning right now. But but but…Christmas music brings me joy and happiness, and why deny myself of that?

Watching: I know I have mentioned it before, but I am loving that all the fall shows are back! Blindspot started back this past week, they did sort of a restart of the show. Good Doctor has quickly become one of my favorites. So good!!! Grey’s still has my attention. I am not sure how I feel about Olivia Pope’s new attitude in Scandal, it’s a bit much. Still enjoying the show in general though. I am ready to start watching Christmas movies!!!

Eating:We have been making lots of soups lately. This week it is Spicy Black Bean. I made Peanut Butter Chicken last week in the crock pot and it was amazing!!!! The recipe I used called for 1 TBSP of red pepper, next time I will be reducing it to half that. It made my lips burn haha. But tasted and smelled sooooo good!!!! Plus it’s a crock pot recipe and super easy. Who doesn’t love easy?

I have gotten lazy for my work week lunches, mostly sticking to the Campbell’s Well Yes Sweet Potato Corn Chowder. Seriously you guys, go get this! SO GOOD!

Working: I cleaned out our refrigerator and most of the pantry last weekend. I still have the bottom half of the pantry to clear out, but I got rid of a trash bag full of stuff so it felt good! I need to tackle cleaning out the rest of my office and getting walls painted in there. Why does painting feel like such a big task? I already have the paint and just need to do it! Perhaps it is because the room needs cleared out first, lol. Also, I need to cut the grass one last time for the year!

Drinking: Is anyone else super excited that the caramel brulee latte and peppermint mocha are back at Starbucks??? I really enjoyed the pumpkin spice chai latte, so much better than just the regular PSL….but caramel brulee is my absolute favorite besides the butterscotch one. I am loving their new cups too! People who get pissed about what their cups look like make me laugh. If that is all  you have to worry about in life, you should feel super blessed, you know?

Planning:We have a birthday party to go to this weekend and Zoe’s first birthday coming up!!! I also have scheduled a family photo session for later this month! I am super excited to finally have some professional pictures done. I already regret not having newborn or maternity ones done. I want to make a goal to get professional pictures taken at least once a year, be it family or just Zoe. I will be attempting to do Zoe’s smash cake pictures on my own, wish me luck! Any advice welcome.

Excited: This is my favorite time of year with our anniversary, Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Zoe’s Birthday and Christmas all in a span of two months. I love all the holiday traditions, new and old, the food, the music, the movies, sense of togetherness. And the cooler weather! So I am just so excited and ready to just be present and enjoy the season. I cant wait to start some new traditions this year and make new memories!

Time to link up with Kristen and Gretch and share what we have been up to!

Reading: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

Listening: Seriously…I’m Kidding on audiobook

Watching: Lucifer started back this week!!! We are also keeping up with everything that came back last week. Scandal will be on tonight, and Blindspot starts back later this month. So I am excited for those too. And when we aren’t catching up on all the fall shows, football is on.

Working: Our kitchen has gotten out of control. Zoe’s bottles and food have taken over half our counter space, I don’t have any good cabinet space for her plates and flatware that we are starting to pick up. And our pantry and refrigerator have no rhyme or reason to how they are laid out currently. I am not sure how my OCD self has let this happen….but it is time to purge and organize everything! It gives me anxiety just looking in the room!

Planning: Zoe turned 10 months old yesterday. Shut up!!! I know!!! I can’t believe it either. I obviously need to really start planning her birthday party! I think I have the day and time picked, and I know the theme. I have napkins, straws and one cute decor item purchased. I need to get the rest!

I also need to start picking up Christmas presents. Usually I have a few bought by this time, and I only have some clearance clothes and two movies to start Zoe’s collection. I haven’t even started on anyone else.

Lusting:Since I want to finally make a homemade pie this year, I want to get a special pie pan. I am thinking something in a really pretty color like this one. Do you have a favorite brand for baking?

Quoting:

Excited: My Godmother is coming to town this weekend for my mom’s birthday, and she will get to meet Zoe for the first time!!! She flew down here from Pittsburgh last year at this time for the baby shower and I can’t wait for Zoe to get to see her. My sister and I are going to meet up with her and my mom over lunch.

What have you been up to? Do you have any fall treats that you have to bake each year?

It is time to link up with Kristen and Gretch for a currently post!

Reading: I am finishing up Jane Green’s Falling and Roanoke Girls right now. I hope to have both done before the link up on Tuesday!

Watching: We are waiting for all the fall shows to start back! We started watching Catastrophe this past weekend and are in the second season. I really like it. I also watch episodes of Young and Hungry when Chris has other things to do. We are still catching episodes of Younger when they come on.

Planning: I can’t believe I am about to say this, but Zoe’s first birthday is just a few short months away!!! I have the theme for her party picked out and ordered the first thing for it this past weekend. I know what I want her outfit to look like and I need to call and schedule her one year/smash cake pictures too! I can’t talk about it anymore or I might start crying. A year??? No.

Debating: On if we are going to Gatlinburg or not after Christmas this year. The fires last year devastated the area and the supply of chalets is really low right now, which means they are asking A LOT for them. We didn’t go last year because we had a brand new baby and weren’t in any shape to travel, so we really want to go this year. It is a tradition and we enjoy it so much!

Lusting: Have you guys looked around the clothing department at Target lately??? There are so many things I want right now!!! I always get excited when the fall clothes come out, their tones just suit me and my pale skin so much better. How gorgeous is this color top??

How cozy does this poncho look?

Love this pretty color too!!!

This green sweater would be so perfect this fall/winter!!! I don’t have this color right now and I am loving everything I see in it.

Welcoming: Fall!!! I am excited that fall is here! Cooler temps, football, new shows, and all the holidays will be here before we know it. I am hoping to do a few fall fun activities with Zoe and start some traditions. Do you have any traditions that you do with your family or you did when you were little that you loved? I think a trip to a pumpkin patch is always fun, but what else?

Photographing: Zoe, of course! And food. Always food. I keep saying that I am going to get Chris’s fancy camera out and learn how to use it, but seriously…I need to make that a priority this fall! My iphone does a fabulous job for the every day things, but I would love to stage some pictures of my own every few months. There are so many picture ideas on Pinterest. Especially with the holidays coming up!

What’s new with you?

Linking up with Kristen and Gretch for a little What’s New With You currently post!

Reading: I just finished Brew or Die and will have the review in the next book link up! I am now on to Dashing Through the Snow. A little Christmas in July/August anyone?

Watching:Chris and I just finished watching Ozark on Tuesday night. Get on it!!! SO good!!!

I also catch episodes of Young and Hungry here and there. It’s a cute show that doesn’t make you think and you might have a laugh or two. We are talking about starting Game of Thrones. We have resisted this long but everyone watches it. Maybe we are missing out? We’ve never given it a chance. I can’t wait for fall TV to start back up!

Snacking:Carrots and blue cheese, Italian Roll Ups and cherries. I love when cherries go to $1.99 per pound. I take full advantage!

Working: We need to baby proof the house!!! Zoe started arming crawling this week! Not full on crawling, but couple that with the fact that she can pull up on things around the house, it is time to get serious! I rearranged her room yesterday so that she cant knock over her book shelf or side table. I also removed her swing and then cried for like 10 minutes. She is getting so big and she changes every day!

I also started filling in Zoe’s baby book this week. I don’t know why I have waited for almost 8 months to do it, but we are caught up to current on it now. I really want to make photo books for 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months and 9-12 months. I have yet to start any of that, so we shall see how that goes. I was going to do one book for each month the first year of her life but that sounds a little excessive to me now. Though, I have thousands of pictures and I have a feeling I am going to have a hard time narrowing them down for the four books I want to do. Who knows. Mom’ out there, did you do either?

Purchasing: My Sephora order came last night. I repurchased the Murad Time Release Acne face wash and my coveted Clinique Moisture Surge Intense moisturizer. You guys, both of these are seriously amazing. I have been using the moisturizer for almost a year now, and I started the face wash a few months after I had Zoe. My face is the clearest it has been in a long time and it feels super soft! This is my second bottle of face wash and my third or fourth jar of the moisturizer.

Excited: The solar eclipse is this month! It is also my birthday month! Though, turning 34 isn’t anything to get too excited over. It sounds so old, doesn’t it?

What are you up to?