Corn Maze Days

To kick off fall we ventured to a nearby town to their corn maze.  We've been going for years and years, see picture below.  It's become one of our favorite fall family traditions and although the kids are less enthused they never fight going and always enjoy it.  What I am finding now as a mom of a tween and teen is that they also kind of like to cling to a few family traditions and rituals even though they are growing their independence and separating from their childhood.  I hope to one day be able to witness them becoming parents and carrying on some of these little traditions into their own families.  

The Rosthern Youth Corn Maze is our favorite by far because it grows with the family.  There is endless stuff to do, including two corn mazes, children's and an adult one, a bouncy area, wall climbing, a pumpkin patch area for pictures and to buy pumpkins, various games and activities, a wagon & train ride, food and drinks, and our favorite a petting zoo.  It's a great way to support a local organization and enjoy a full afternoon of fun.  We grown to enjoy and indulge in their mini-donuts and either a warm coffee/hot chocolate or this year slushies because it was so warm.  

I wore this totally casual button up.  I am actually loving button up shirt this year and I've add a couple to my closet.  This one was purchased at Belong Lifestyle here in town but guess what?!?  They ship all over Canada and even have a location in the states Belong Lifestyle USA.  The ladies focus on celebrating and empowering women of all shapes and sizes.  I absolutely love their inclusivity and their dedication to uplifting women.  I decided to give it a little twist by tying a knot in the front and adding my floppy hat for the afternoon.  It wasn't too breezy so my hat actually stayed put, which is one of the main reasons I don't wear it as often as I should.   I actually really want to add a felt fedora hat in tan for fall 2021 and I think I am going to order it from Ten Tree, see link below.

What are some of your favorite fall rituals or traditions?

Shop This Post:

Button Down Shirt  (Belong Lifestyle)

Festival Fedora Hat (10 Tree)

Puma White Sneakers

Mom Jeans (Garage Clothing)

Celebrating 18 Years of Marriage

At the end of August, we hit 18 years of marriage.  I love anniversaries, not because I get  a gift or we do anything very fancy, because we don't, but because I love the feeling of pride that I feel.  Logan and I got married young, at 21 and not everyone was on board or honestly I think probably many thought it would never last.  We've had a great 18 years of marriage.  Two beautiful babies that are not tweens and teens.  One house to bring Halie to, and another one to bring Anya to.  Many trips to western Canada, to Seattle, Disneyland and World, Bosnia 2x and many to Mexico.  Camping adventures and finally settling at Candle Lake and buying a piece of haven.  We've moved jobs, gone to school, and supported one another.  We built a great life.  But as with anything great in life, it comes with it's own dark days, weeks and months.  We've had those.  We've fought through them, and to be honest there were times I didn't think we would find the light again, but we did.  We have an amazing support system in my family and our closest friends.  They've rallied around us and encouraged us right from the beginning, and we are grateful to still have them at our sides all these years later.

If you've been around for a few years, you might remember that Logan and I take turns planning our anniversary date/weekend.  It's always local and nothing too fancy.  This year it was my year and I'll be 100% honest, I totally didn't plan anything to the very last minute.  Time just got away from me, but you know what?!?  It doesn't matter, because we had a great weekend doing things together and making new memories.  Keeping things simple and just carving out time to spend together, talk, laugh, try new things, that's really what got us to this point.  Wanting to and returning to being together in this marriage.  So here is a quick look at what our celebrations looked like.

Fireworks Festival on Friday Night

Something about walking around on a warm evening  and having Logan's arms around me while we watch the sky being lit up, is magic that never goes out of style.

Saturday

After a lazy morning of drinking coffee and reading our books, we biked 39km to a local cidery and spent the afternoon riding bikes under the sun and enjoying their beautiful location.  If you are local to Saskatoon, or come to visit, you must go out to Crossmount Cider Company, I'll even go with you 😄.  The grounds are wonderful anytime of the year, yes even in the winter, and we love it there.  We often even take the kids along with us.  They have great seating areas, cider for the adults and the little bakery has goodies and drinks for the kids and adults who aren't interested in the cider.  It's a beautiful location to walk around, play some of their indoor or outdoor games, and just spend a couple of hours at.

After we biked back into the city, we decided to get dressed up and head to Las Palapas for dinner.  It's an authentic Mexican restaurant and every time we go we love the food and the atmosphere.  Because of the beautiful mild summer weather, we decided to stay out on the patio and share some nachos, have a bevvie and honestly by the time we got our main meals we were already pretty full.  Thankfully the burritos are just as good the next day.

 

Nothing fancy but it was so nice just to claim a chunk of time just for the two of us.  To go out and hold hands.  To reminisce about our wedding day.  Our journey along the years.  To acknowledge and celebrate each other.  

                             What do you tend to do for your anniversary?

Coffee Mugs, Floppy Hats and Last Days of Summer

 

This is going to be a short post.  Last week was HARD. The hardest of my whole career.  Our school community lost a 9 year old child.  We grieved for the loss of a student, for her family, and for our community.  We will continue to grieve, but one thing I know for certain is that we will wrap our hearts and arms around the family. We will love and support them.  We will also love and support each other.  

So with that, this weekend, coffee, reading, family time, and sleep were on the agenda.  Soaking up the last days of summer and the sunshine was welcomed and although my heart continues to be heavy, I know the best I can do is continue to show up.  

This outfit is perfect as we begin the day with a chill in the air and then shed layers to welcome the last few warm days.  I layered a simple black and white outfit with an old crochet, duster cardigan, and added some fall vibes with the navy and burgundy loafers and my floppy hat.  They say we are going to have a proper fall this year, so I am really hoping to wear more outfits like this with cardigans as light weight layers and instead of jumping right into wool coats and mitts.  

What are your favorite summer to fall transition pieces?

Dramatic Sleeves Three Ways

Well, I've been back at school for about two weeks.  I am not going to lie, I went to bed at 9 p.m. the other night and am struggling to keep up with all the things I love.  However, I do love being back at work and seeing all the children once again. We are masking once again but honestly all the kids seem used to it by now so the transition has been smooth.  It's busy on our end as we try to figure classroom sizes, support systems, and what families are coming back and who has moved  away from the neighborhood.  We also have a number of new programs we are trying to learn and get up and running.  So needless to say, blogging and IG have taken a back seat the last little while.  Sorry.  I am also thinking about switching my weekly posts from Friday to Monday's instead, that way I have the weekend to get my act together.

Today I am bringing all the DRAMA with these sleeves.  This top is a statement piece for sure.  I purchased them on a buy and sell on a whim and when I first put it on I wondered it it was just too much?!?  In the end I decided to start looking for outfits that were simple and allowed the top to be the center piece.  As I put outfits together, I grew to love it for its bold and unique look.  I made a decision not  to shy away from  this bold statement piece just because no one else in  my immediate group  of friends would wear it.  I decided to be the brave one.  The bold one.  The one that takes chances.  I test drove it first as a casual look for my birthday gathering in July and loved it with jeans, see first outfit.   

#1 Casual Jeans & Dramatic Sleeves

Because of the volume of the top in both the puffy sleeves and the cinched waist, I decided skinny jeans was the way to go.  I paired it up with my high waisted skinny's and little pumps to give the allusion that maybe my legs were slightly longer than they are.  This is such a casual Friday night look or as I wore it at a family gathering in July to celebrate my birthday.

#2 Leather & Cheetah Mix

I LOVE this look!!!!  This little leather skirt is so cute and I really love how this outfit came together.  I decided to add a pop of color to the mix with the red shoes because I always feel like red and cheetah print go well together.  In later fall/winder I would pair this outfit with some black tights and little booties.  I am thinking of wearing this out for a date night this weekend with some friends.

#3 Classic Look:  Black Pants and Dramatic Sleeves

This is a look that I would totally wear to work honestly either to teach in or on a day that I had meetings or professional learning all day.  These black pants are so easy to move around it, have a great deal of stretch and wash well time after time.  I did pay a lot for them but that was like 4 years ago!  I kept the outfit super simple with the addition of cute neutral sling back pumps, or swap out for flats.

That's a wrap.  We had a long weekend so today is actually my Sunday, I am so happy to have one more day.  See you next Monday sweet friends.