Fall is for Pumpkin

Thursday, September 19, 2013

It's no secret that fall is my favorite season. And, no, it's not because of Halloween (though I have been having fun at the shop making Halloween accessories). I love fall because the weather cools down, the leaves start to change into glowing shades of yellow, orange and red, and you can have pumpkin anything! I love pumpkin.

In this month's Food Network Magazine they provided an insert for '50 Things to make with Canned Pumpkin.' Yes, this is heaven. I've only tried one of the recipes so far (hubs isn't a huge pumpkin fan unless it's in the pie form) because it's hard to eat so much pumpkin by yourself without it going bad first. Here is Pumpkin Oatmeal! SOOO GOOD.

I apologize that this picture is awful. In my defense, oatmeal is really hard to photograph, and I hadn't even thought about the blog when I snapped this shot.
1 ½ milk
1 cup instant oats
½ cup canned pumpkin
*Simmer the above
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp butter
½ tsp pumpkin pie spice (I feel like you could put more than this if you wanted)
Pinch of salt
*Stir and let thicken

I threw some blueberries and banana in mine…YUM!

ENJOY!

m.s.inspired update

Monday, September 16, 2013

The day finally arrived. My shop is open - for almost a day now - m.s.inspired is live! I have some of my basic bows listed currently, along side a few Halloween items. As soon as the rest of my Halloween bow, and bow tie supplies arrive those will be listed, too!


I'm really excited about this new venture, and thank you all in advance for your support and encouragement. If you have something custom in mind (I've posted a lot of other headbands on instagram) I'd be happy to collaborate with you to create something special. I already have some winter ideas brewing, and will be introducing some crocheted pieces to the shop in time for the cold weather.

I know this is short ... Noelle turned 11 months yesterday, and this last month of her first year is sure to fly by ... just like all of the others did. Shesh!

m.s.inspired

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Hi Friends! I apologize for the radio silence over here. I've been working on some super fun stuff away from the blog, and am finally prepared enough to share it with you!


I've shared some pictures of my sewing projects before, and have been dusting off my skills for the past week or so. Seriously, it had been about 12 years since I last did any major sewing. But, I'm back in the groove, and have some awesome projects in the works.


Within the next week (hopefully) I'll have my very own Etsy shop up and running! My current focus is on Halloween and Christmas. The shop will have goodies for boys and girls, so nobody is left out!



If you follow me on Instagram you can find more regular updates on my shop. I will take custom orders (if you're inspired by anything you see that's not in the shop) so please email me at mallorysilverman@gmail.com if you are.

I'll see you at the shop when our doors are open!

P.S. All of the headbands in this post I have made. They all won't be immediately available, I'm starting with Fall (think, your favorite team colors) and Halloween! If you see something you like that's not up, let me know and I'll accommodate a special order.

Weekend in Review (and Labor Day too!)

Monday, September 2, 2013

Another weekend is in the books. This one was a bigger one, too.
The return of college football, and Labor Day which meant a long weekend for mom.
(Unfortunately, dad had to work on Saturday, and Monday, but we soaked up every bit of Sunday!)

 After a quick run to Target for a few essentials, we were home and rooting on the
Wolverines in the first game of the season. Touchdown! Go Blue!

Instead of photographing Sunday's events we enjoyed them.
Daddy worked on a project for Noelle and her little friends,
while we (Nono and me) got some chores done, watched a chick flick, and relaxed indoors. 

 Monday started with a walk to Starbucks.
Night terrors have started, and "they" must have known that mom didn't work the next day.
Baby girl and I had lots of sleepy snuggles (on the couch, almost all night,) so coffee for mom was a necessity!

 During Nono's morning nap I finished sewing her birthday banner.
Now all that's left is some stenciling, and a final once over ironing.
This has inspired me to possibly make a holiday banner.
I'm enjoying the whimsical touch it adds to the apartment. We'll see!

 Our next door neighbor's Great Neice was over for a family bbq,
so before all of their company arrived, we had a little play time.
It was so cute. They're just a month apart in age, so were perfect for each other!

Noelle explored the toy cabinet. 

 Tried on some shoes for fall. Baby's first Stuart Weitzmans, compliments of Aunt Erica!

And, continued her musical education with Glastonbury 2013. Thank you, Palladia!

Music in the Square

Friday, August 30, 2013

Last night we did something really fun as a family.
We ventured out into the neighborhood and went to music in the square just a few blocks from our house. 


There was quite a crowd - I was really surprised.
The band was Drop Steady, a reggae group that is awesome!
We arrived during a break in their set so staked out a spot, and enjoyed a drink.
There are tents set up in the square that sell wine, beer, popcorn,
and some German goodies like giant pretzels and brats. 


Once the band started to play Noelle and daddy went a bit closer to dance with the other kiddos near the stage.
We had such a great time, it was hard to leave before they were finished. We stayed out past Nono's bedtime, but it was totally worth it. 


Our only regret is that we didn't do this sooner.
Every Thursday night during the summer this was going on (all different bands) only five blocks from our house.
How did we miss this? At least we made it to the last one...until next summer!

Cat and Dog vs. Baby

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

It's about time for an update on how the baby transition is going for the pets. Halas is doing relatively well. He's still pretty unsure about Noelle, does let her pet him (which ends up being more of a hit), but only for a minute. Winnie on the other hand is not doing well with the baby. Now that Noelle is so mobile Winnie is not a fan. Hopefully she'll come around with time, but for now we're very careful with baby and cat claws. Here are some photos so you can see what Noelle's been up to with Halas.

 Taking Halas to the park to run with friends.
This was earlier this spring before we moved and gained a back yard.
We don't make it to the park much anymore, but Halas goes outside a lot more now, and loves his new house.
Dad even put in some new grass for him to run and play on today!

 Noelle hasn't quite learned the difference between baby toys, and dog toys yet.
But, I guess when Halas is bringing his toys to her we should expect situations like this.
Unfortunately for Halas, Noelle doesn't know how to play fetch with him yet. 

 We spend many minutes a day like this. Halas on his bed, Noelle reaching up to him.
It involves lots of licking, but is good for Halas to be on "his turf" (kinda) and more comfortable when Noelle tries to get his attention.

 There are perks to Halas for Noelle being around ... people food!
I've had to cut back on this treat, but Halas knows his place when it's meal time for Nono - under her high chair!

All in all, I think it's worked our pretty well for both of them. 
And, maybe one day we'll have some pictures like this with Winnie too. Maybe.

Noelle's Ninth and Tenth Months

Monday, August 26, 2013

Well, these past two months have totally flown by. I can't even begin to explain all of the changes, and how much Noelle has grown. So, let's look at some pictures, shall we? I'll throw some captions in there, and hopefully things will start flooding back at me!

Noelle's 9th Month

 Father's Day. I love this little wrap dress. We didn't do anything particularly special for Father's Day.
We spent the day together (we only get one family day a week),
and walked through the outdoor mall in the suburbs. 

 First time in the shopping cart at Target - loved it. One of the last baths in her baby tub.
The big tub is so much more fun for Nono and all of her rubber duckies.
She gets so excited, and splashes constantly.

 Started sleeping on her belly, and weighed 18 lbs at her nine month check up.

 Swung in a swing for the first time, and enjoyed some potato chips while barbecuing with friends.

 Making friends with Halas, and standing all the time!

Noelle's 10th Month


 Showing Halas why he should be her BFF. She'll give him scraps, and share her toys.

 Patio dinner with mom and dad. We stayed out past her bedtime this night.
She was so good too. The patio was packed, and it was loud.
She nicely sat in our laps (no high chairs) until we finished, and headed home. 

 Playing with girlfriend Leena at Erica's baby shower. Finally they can actually (somewhat) play together!

 Computing and checking out her new walker. She couldn't use the walker yet at this point, but is a champ now. You can check out our weekend in review for the video!


 Lots of crawling and cruising along furniture.

 Enjoying watermelon at Great Aunt Pam's. This was a great day.
Dave's parents were in town, and so were both of his cousins who also live out of state.
We all gathered at Pam's house and enjoyed some delicious food, and relaxing by the lake.

It was a great two months. I can't believe that the summer is almost over - that is by date because if you go by the weather, we're far from the end. If we're lucky, maybe it will linger into October so we can have some backyard fun to celebrate baby girl's first birthday! Fingers crossed!