The weather cooled off this week, but all that seemed to do was make our skies even more gorgeous than usual. I had a bunch of work and Caroline had a couple of really grumpy days, so the week both flew by and seemed to last fooooooorevvvvvvveeeeerrrrrrr.

Sunday:

Halloween at the aquarium

Sunday couch naps

Take, move, import, edit, export, edit, repeat

Monday:

Shopping buddies – Caroline and Fluffy the Beluga Whale

Spoiled rotten 2 year old

But really, she’s too cute not to spoil.

Tuesday:

BOOM. Immunity!

I want them alllllllll

Cheesy Ginger

Wednesday:

Waiting for the bus always makes him look like a big kid

POWER RECLINERS! They pick you up and put you down.

Reading in bed, 2013 version

Thursday:

Reading the furniture catalog in the car. She says we need MORE couches.

The sky when we got to the evening photo session

The sky when we left the evening photo session

Friday:

First winter coat day of the season

Apparently when you don’t feel well, wearing your clothes like this helps you feel better.

Looooooooooooong work week

Saturday:

Hay ride, cider and donuts sponsored by Caroline’s preschool

Another beautiful evening sky

LOOK AT MY FACE MOMMY TAKE A PICTURE

If you see me online this week – especially if I ask you for Candy Crush lives – tell me GET BACK TO WORK. I need to stop cleaning up photos on my computer and clean up my kitchen. And put away laundry. And meal plan. And find something to do with this extra couch that is blocking my front door.  Although if I get a quiet minute to take a nap I might do that instead. SO TIRED.

Is it possible I could be nesting even though I’m not pregnant? Maybe it’s less nesting and more getting ready for winter hibernation. I’ve been living on a steady diet of HGTV while I edit photos, and nothing makes me hate my own (pretty nice) house than watching people turn their horrible basements into super useful space. Why can’t someone do that to MY basement?! It’s disgusting! The before and afters would be amazing!

The current first floor makeover started when E moved our cheap, old, Walmart desk downstairs so I could carve out an “office” corner for my business stuff. Need a lamp for one ugly desk was the gateway drug to a Target trip, which lead to a HomeGoods trip, which lead to an Ikea catalog with half the pages marked and a Pinterest board full of links to more furniture than I could ever fit in my house.

Last weekend I went shopping alone to “just look” for a little tiny couch to put in the living room. I didn’t end up finding the couch of my dreams, but that didn’t stop me from dragging the rest of my family out at 7 pm to look at the couch I DID find. It’s probably for the best I couldn’t find the one I wanted – I’m not sure a white tufted fabric couch is the right thing for a room that is currently full of surfaces the children are allowed to write on. The tan microfiber that was delivered yesterday will DEFINITELY survive more Play-Doh mishaps.

Part of the deal when E agreed to come look at “my” couch was we would also look for “his” new couch, which was basically the total opposite of that white one I had in mind. Think of the ugliest, most ridiculous man-couch you can. Now make it a) bigger b) uglier and c) add more cup holders. THAT is the couch he wanted. If a dozen cows didn’t have to die to cover his own personal reclining seat with built in beer fridge, he was NO INTERESTED.

Fortunately, our budget couldn’t support that couch, so it is NOT what I am sitting on while I write this. Unfortunately, the store’s huge sale item that weekend was a big, squishy sectional complete with cup holders and power recliners at each end, so that IS what I am sitting on. I’m not going to lie…it’s pretty comfortable. And this cup holder is very convenient for my Diet Coke. And it’s nice that it takes up basically the ENTIRE ROOM so we had to move most of the toys upstairs and I have most of my house back. The kids are both old enough that I can send them upstairs to play without me and I only have to occasionally shout at them to stop hitting each other. It’s pretty amazing to go from having 3 seats in this room to at least 7…and that’s not counting MY couch in front of the fireplace. A couch in front of the fireplace! For sitting on while drinking mulled wine and eating sparkling brie bites and having adult conversation without the TV on!

That will probably happen once. Right after we put the Christmas tree up. Then someone will say “We should watch Love Actually!” and we’ll move back to the giant ugly couch and that will be that. But when we have people over, there will be SO MANY PLACES TO SIT DOWN!

I realize I just wrote 500 words about two couches and I’ve posted no pictures, but that’s because I’m not done with the rearranging and redecorating. Plus I haven’t finished cleaning the old couch to put on Craigslist, so we actually have THREE couches in two small-ish rooms. I’ll be sure to do an underwhelming reveal if I ever get this part of the house set up the way I want – but I sort of suspect we’ll get busy and never actually sell the old couch or move this bookcase that’s basically blocking a doorway or buy a coffee table or patch the holes in the walls. So for now, just IMAGINE I live in a Pinterest-looking classy yet casual house. That’s what I’m doing.

This week is basically just photos of all the places I’m going to take photos. Plus Caroline.

Sunday:

Super happy to be swinging.

I GUESS this spot was OK for family photos. (This spot was amazing.)

Monday:

Eyeing the last apple fritter at Chowder Days.

Nicely done, Connecticut

Free boat rides are the best boat rides

Tuesday:

This is not my baby, but I kind of want to hang it up in my house anyways.

75% off wings at the craft store!

Pixie Girl

Wednesday:

Practicing his long jump skills

A pond…

…a cove…

…a park. I LOVE CONNECTICUT.

Wrinkly toes

Thursday:

Ready for school! It’s been 65 here all week, so she refuses to wear a coat.

I found the steps where we did my maternity photos! I love this park.

What does the fox say? BUY ME, I’M ADORABLE.

Someone had a bagel with cream cheese for breakfast.

That chalkboard was the train station schedule for Evan’s birthday. Repurposing!!

Editing editing editing…I really loved this session!

Saturday:

I did NOT buy this, even though I really really really really love it. I did end up buying a dresser. And a table. And a couch. And…another couch. It was an expensive weekend.

I love you, soda machine.

Project RECLAIM THIS DISASTER is underway. I’m so excited about it, especially now that it’s getting darker and colder and we’re going to be stuck inside more.

I had no photo sessions this weekend but I’m making up for it with 4 in the next 6 days and I’m crossing my fingers SO HARD that the weather stays nice. I’m hoping to get some of our personal photos sorted and (minorly) edited and shared too, since my family starts to get mad if there aren’t enough gingers on the blog. MOAR GINGERS SOON, I promise.

My excuse for being so late is “The Holiday Weekend Confuses Me Every Time”. Just ask the poor cashier and Big Y who wasn’t quite sure how to handle me falling to my knees and shouting “Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo!” when I asked why the beer curtain was down on a Saturday (it was Sunday).

Do I need to explain “beer curtain”? Is that a thing anywhere else?

Sunday:

Faaaaaalllll! Leaves!!!!!

Applessssssss!

Tank tops and snow boooooooots!!!!

Monday:

More fall. That’s really all I’ve got right now.

We both needed a nap on Monday.

I’m really excited to finish editing these.

Tuesday:

Cool fish sculpture that fills with water when it rains so the fake fish have somewhere to fake swim.

Every curb.

It was a really good way to spend the afternoon.

Wednesday:

Who can pass up a deal like that?!?!

Ready for a terrible storm…in the children’s museum.

MY PRECIOUSSSSSSS.

Thursday:

My only photo: Caroline staring out the door for Daddy. I FEEL YOU, GIRL.

Friday:

Pre-school selfies

Aquarium date

Twins?

Fall leaves & 80 degrees

Last farmer’s market of the season (so they BURNED IT DOWN!!!)(kidding)

AND a grown up date with some of my favorite people and a mountain of food

Saturday:

GORGEOUS lakefront property for my morning photo session

Basically everywhere in Connecticut is gorgeous right now.

Despite his face, he was very happy to be there.

And now I chain myself to the couch for the next week to catch up on my work. I might stay up way past my bedtime to get some personal editing done too, since I FINALLY dressed up my family and tried for some Christmas card shots of our own but owe photos to 6 other families first. Once again, NOT COMPLAINING, being busy is the best thing ever. I just need to get faster…and maybe turn off my internet connection so I can’t get distracted while I work. Stupid Candy Crush.

This post is late and I got less than 3 hours of sleep in the last 24 hours and I barely remember how I got home from the airport last night and Caroline is sitting on my lap with her slightly terrifying My Little Pony Equestria Girl introducing her to all the princess dolls and I have 5 photo sessions to edit so what I’m saying is if this post makes none sense don’t be surprised.

Sunday:

Princess Pirate Butterfly Caroline’s new best friend, the Dragon Ice Cream dragon

Evan defends his family against a zombie puppet

Sleepy, smudgy butterfly

Who knew a Kohl’s parking lot could be so inspiring?

Monday:

I don’t even know.

Sand castles on our deserted beach

About 20 seconds later Caroline and her friends smashed them all.

Tuesday:

They’re having a mini-conference on how best to beg me for that candy on the counter

Cleaning and trying out my headphones for an upcoming post

Shooties. Verdict after wearing them all weekend: Wise choice! Very comfortable for high heels, lots of compliments, only felt slightly like I have hooves.

Wednesday:

Who is this huge person going to preschool and where is my baby?

Another stunning fall day in Connecticut (Town Hall)

Watching Monsters University (again! We saw it in the theater!) with the kids

Thursday:

I took a picture of my parking garage level/number to I didn’t have to remember when I can back at 1 am Monday. BRILLIANT. Worked perfectly.

Boston!

Random MARTA station in Georgia where my friend Miranda picked me up!

Friday:

Average attention span in 2012: 8 SECONDS. Now you know why we needed a session on writing engaging content.

All cleaned up for dinner with my other Minute Clinic bloggers at Type A

The crazy cab ride was worth it to get to this place. AMAAAAAAZING.

Saturday:

In case you were wondering, THAT is an Equestria Girl. I managed to snag one when they were breaking down the booth on Sunday.

My next DIY, obvs.

Atlanta was really pretty

Step 1 in getting back to my real life: write down all the stuff on the calendar I’ve been ignoring because it was “in October” and “October is a really long time from now”.  Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh <–  the sound I just made looking at the stack of papers from the kids’ schools talking about open house nights and PTO meetings and pizza parties. Back to work!