The Honest Truth about Halloween

Sisters, sisters. I am not like you. You come up with brilliant Halloween ideas. Emma, your were a farmer and Annabelle was a chicken. That is perfection.

Lulu, on your way to your Halloween party this weekend, a lady told you you liked Taylor Swift and sure you enough, you were dressed up as her. Ding! And Cole was Nick Jonas? Ding! Ding! Once again,  perfection.

(Lissie, I can't wait to see what you came up with!)

You want to know about me?

I was nothing. I'm no good at Halloween. Tear.

In September I get a touch excited about coordinating all the kids' costumes; I even entertain the idea of Husband and I getting decked out, too. But I wait too long, procrastinate too much, keep the sewing machine hidden away.

And then BAM. Out of nowhere Halloween is in 48 hours and I got nada.

I think last year was our best yet... we almost had all three kids coordinating. Isabella and Liam were a bride and groom...and Juliette was a bumblebee because, you know, bumblebees hang out at weddings. I think I loved last year so much because the bride and groom pictures turned out so funny!
 

This year, as usual, I asked Isabella what she wanted to be for Halloween and figured we could coordinate from there.

Isabella: "I want to be Batman Ballerina!"

Me: "Alright...let's all be bats, okay, Liam?"

 Liam: "No, I'm going to be Ninja Diego!"

Me: Don't you want to be a bat? Or Isabella, how about you be Dora!"

Insert wailing and flailing here.

Okay, okay. Batman Ballerina it is. Go (Ninja) Diego Go! And somehow Juliette ended up as a sunflower princess. Naturally!

There's always next year, right? JK. I loved their costumes and how they completely came up with them on their own! :)

Happy Halloween!

xoxo,
Marie

Friday Picture Book: Fall

Marie:

Lauren:

 

 "Fall in Love" by Emma: 

Lissie:

Next week's word is "reflection"!!

California!

Hello from the Newport Coast!

This part of Cali is simply beautiful! So beautiful that we're here vacationing at the exact same resort as we did last year, and once again, we're loving it! Of course, I forgot to bring my gear that gets my pictures off of my camera and onto my computer, so you'll have to wait a few weeks to see pictures from this trip... but know that we are having another fabulous time, and our number one goal is to hit the beach every single day!

Here are some shots from last year's trip:

And here are snaps of my California girls and surfer boy that Hubs just took on his phone...we told them to freeze so that the picture would be in focus. Looks like they're all ready to go!

Xo/xo,
Marie

How I Saved My Sisters from Needles and Tootsie Bangs

Hey there, beauty queens!

There are definitely perks to being the oldest, just like there are perks to being the middle child or the youngest. But mostly, I think I've rolled out the red carpet for my three little sisters--they get to watch me stumble through life and know exactly what not to do!

Take my clueless first fling with makeup, for example. When I turned 14 and was finally allowed to wear makeup, I was ready and armed with eyeliner, mascara and blush. On the dawn of my long-awaited birthday, I took my beauty markers and played face artist. I glopped the mascara goo on generously, even after hearing the appalling rumor that mascara's ingredients included bat droppings. (It takes pain to be beautiful, gasp!) And then I proceeded to tar my eyelashes unsparingly, lovingly stroking the top lashes and then going equally crazy on the bottom lashes.

I was all ears at school when a beautiful and bosomly classmate told me that if your lashes clumped, to separate them with a needle. (This same girl also copied my homework once, even writing my name at the top of her paper; I should never have trusted her!) But no matter the ditzy source, after using lots of eyeliner and mascara to make my eyes look like double targets on a dart board, I went to work with a needle.

Hell-o! That is just crazy and I'm happy to report that I no longer put needles to my eyeballs.

It was no use that our mom rarely wore makeup because she's one of those naturally gorgeous types. Yet, while she didn't know much about makeup, after watching me, she also quickly learned what not to do. The ashy smudges beneath my eyes were of serious torment to her, and after some desperate motherly pleas, I finally listened and stopped putting eyeliner and mascara on my bottom lashes-- a piece of priceless makeup advice I still follow! (Thanks, Mom!)

Oh, and I can't forget the blush! I have a long criminal record of over-applying. For a long time, I had this obsession with the color of my eyes, wishing they were more hazel green rather than hazel brown. My eye color has changed over the years, getting greener with time (yay!), but when I was younger, an overdose of blush seemed to bring out the emerald. There are many high school photos of me looking rosie-cheeked and clownish, ... which I can't seem to find right now, darn. I fear I still get a bit carried away in this department. (Watch and learn, girls. Watch and learn.)

So, when I see my sisters growing up with such style and grace, I'm initially jealous (humph), but then a little pride seeps in. It's all thanks to me, I think. :)

 Xo/xo, Marie

PPS. Don't you think I deserve to hear all your tried and true makeup secrets? Go ahead, hook a sister up!

Favorite Fall Accessory

Happy Monday Morning!

Today's post is going to be short and sweet--my to-do list is extra long today! But I thought I'd leave you with my favorite accessory for Fall this year (so far). I love Fall!

 Xo/xo Marie