Don’t Forget to Wear a Mask!

Why do I think this is so funny?

The kiddos’ aunt, uncle, and grandma stopped by the other day and dropped off cute masks and the kids are so obsessed. We’ve accumulated quite a few masks this year and we normally keep them in a drawer so that the kids don’t play with and lose them (because we all know how easy that would be 😂), but these were too fun, so I let them hold onto them for a while before putting them up.

Little brother apparently thought his bear needed some protection, too, and kept putting his mask on it, proudly showing it off to me. I am so in love with these kids and their imagination/thought process.

Happy Halloween-Eve!

Why Everyone Loves Fall So Much

As PJ was cleaning up the leaves beside our house yesterday and I was obsessing over how beautiful the colors were, it got me thinking…

Why do we all love fall so damn much? What is it about autumn that makes everyone so excited every year to break out the cardigans, PSL’s, and watch Hocus Pocus on repeat? I decided to do a little research and, it turns out, there’s actually a reasonable, scientific reason why we’re all drawn to the second to last season of the year.

According to Kathryn Lively, “We’re conditioned from a very early age that autumn comes with all these exciting things. As children, we come to associate fall with going back to school, new school supplies, seeing friends. It’s exciting, for most. We still respond to this pattern that we experienced for eighteen years.”

In fact, the seasons seem to have more meaning than we all think. Researchers have found that “Much as physical landmarks help structure our representation of space, temporal landmarks such as birthdays and significant calendar dates structure our perception of time.” So in September, for example, the new season could represent a fresh start for many. As the weather and leaves change, your mindset might, too. After the year it’s been (so far), I feel like we’re all looking for as much of a fresh start as we can get.

Lively says that humans also view fall as comforting. “If we live in a place where the seasons turn dramatically, we break out flannel shirts, thicker blankets, we shake off salads and ice-creams for heavier stews and soup. From a sociological lens, our emotions are tied inextricably to the meaning that we make about ourselves, others, events and times of year.”

The article also points out, rather importantly, that the darker, colder, and shorter days can also cause depression for some people, which is another way your mood and feelings can change with the seasons. For some, it’s not always a positive season of starting fresh.

My associations and my love affair with fall are spot on with what Lively explains. I associate it with a feeling of coziness and security; lots of family moments during Thanksgiving and Christmas; comforting, warm food; and enjoying the cooler weather, which is such a nice respite from the blazing heat we get here in Tennessee all summer (which, unfortunately, sometimes spills into fall).

So there you have it! That’s the (extremely valid) reason why autumn is the best season of them all.

We Voted Early Today!

Today was the day! Finally.

Friends, I can’t tell you how good we felt pressing that red button this morning. After early voting started here in Tennessee on October 14, we have been trying to carve out time to make it downtown to vote, but between work and our renovations and the kiddos and their schooling, we haven’t had the time.

But this morning, my mom sent a picture with her “voted” sticker on to our family group chat and I immediately called her. She said she just finished voting downtown and that there wasn’t a long line if we wanted to go real quick and vote. The best part? She said she would come over and watch the kids while we ran to do it. It was meant to be.

We immediately threw some clothes on (including our voting getup: matching VOTE shirts from Fourlaps and a black denim VO-TE jacket from AG Jeans) and, once she got here, jumped in the car to head downtown to vote.

She was right: when we got there, the line was noticeably smaller than anytime I had seen it in the past two weeks.We waited maybe five minutes at the most before it was our turn to vote, and one minute later, we were finished! In and out, which I felt so grateful for, because I know others who have had to wait hours in long lines, and how in some places, it’s more difficult than ever to vote.

Have you voted yet? We are exactly ONE week away from the election, and I don’t know if I have ever been more excited (or motivated) to vote in my entire life. Nov 3, for better or for worse, can’t get here soon enough.

For information on voting, click here.

"Does (Older Brother) Need a Ferret?"

That was an actual question PJ texted me yesterday as I was dropping off apparel orders at the PO Box. This man, y’all. He has loved animals since he was a child and somehow has had every animal known to man, including a ferret at one point, and he told me he used to hide them in his hoodie pocket and take them into stores with him when he was little. How cute is that?

For the love of all that is holy we do not need another animal in our house. But I wonder if it would be good for older brother? To teach him more responsibility? Or will it be one of those things where I will be the one cleaning the ferret’s poop and feeding them and basically taking care of them 24/7? After doing some research I learned ferrets like company, so we would have to get at least two if we wanted it to be happy. Yikes.

I thought about how much work that would be for a good 10 seconds and then PJ proceeded to show me YouTube videos of how goofy and crazy and cute ferrets are and NOW I WANT A FERRET TOO.

For older brother, of course.

(images via here)

Do You Agree with Your Spouse Politically?

Is that too personal to ask?

I feel like it didn’t used to be. Or maybe it did? Regardless, a conversation we were having with our neighbor the other day got me thinking.

We were discussing the election (which is a recurring topic almost every day lately- only 8 more days!) with her and she mentioned how her partner’s political views are completely different than hers: she is liberal and he is more conservative. For some reason, during this entire election and the months leading up to it, the thought of potentially disagreeing with my significant other, on top of having to deal with everything else that’s currently going on in the world, seems like the last thing I would need on my plate.

Obviously, everyone is different and you just roll with the punches. PJ and I are fortunate that we 100% agree with each other politically (Biden/Harris 2020!). Though, this is not a given- the two of us have completely different personalities and disagree on so many things. Daily. But thankfully, this is one thing we don’t have to worry about butting heads on. We have only started taking a serious interest in politics in the last few years, so it’s kind of a journey we’ve experienced together, deciding and solidifying what our beliefs and morals are, and who we ultimately want to vote for.

So, if it isn’t too personal, and if you’re up for it, I’m so curious: do you and your significant other agree with each other’s political views? Or do you have completely different beliefs? I’d love to hear!

PS: VOTE VOTE VOTE

Our 5 Year Wedding Anniversary

First off, thank you all SO much for the sweet anniversary wishes you sent our way across our different socials. We felt all the love and then some!

We spent our 5 year wedding anniversary (and 10 years of being together) on October 17th, at home with our kiddos. We had plans to camp at the land with family and plan this whole big thing, but we mutually agreed we just didn’t have the stamina this year. In truth, all we really wanted to do was to relax at home without having the pressure (and work) to plan something bigger. So we made chili and my mom stopped by along with my younger sister and her girlfriend. We drank wine and laughed. It was so nice and exactly what we needed in this season of life.

Sometimes things don’t work out the way you wanted them to, and as we get older, we’re finding (for better or worse) that’s exactly what life is all about. It’s about rolling with the punches and doing what you can to make the best out of it.

Here’s to the next 5 years!!!! xoxo

PS: our 2nd anniversary and our 3rd (I guess I forgot to write about our 4th?)

The Final Presidential Debate is Tonight- Here’s What You Need to Know

The second and final presidential debate between Biden and Trump is tonight. Will you be watching? As much of a disaster the last one was, we were watching glued to our TV screen with bated breath. We kept looking at each other with disbelief. “How is this happening right now?” probably exited our lips 10 times that night.

After President Trump backed out of the original second debate that was supposed to go down last week, he has agreed to this one tonight. One big (and welcome) change is that each of their mics will be muted during the initial two minute response in each section (thanks for the correction and update, Lane!), which should hopefully help with the night’s progression. It’s sad that it even had to come to that, but this is 2020, and President Trump is, well, Trump.

Below are some things to know ahead of tonight’s debate:

Time:

9p-10:30p ET

Where to watch:

The debate will air on all major networks, and you can stream it online here.

Moderator:

NBC News’ Kristen Welker, who is also a White House correspondent and co-anchor of “Weekend Today”

Topics:

• Fighting Covid-19

• American Families

• Race in America

• Climate Change

• National Security

• Leadership

Where:

Belmont University in Nashville (one of the few original hosting universities that did not reverse its decision to hold a debate).

Format:

Same as previous debates. Each segment will last about 15 minutes, and the candidates will have two minutes to respond after the moderator opens each segment with a question, only this time their mics will be muted, giving the other a chance to respond without being interrupted.

Future Debates:

None. This is it!

November 3rd is quickly approaching! Please vote, and vote early if you can!!!

(image via New York Times, info via The Washington Post)

Pumpkins From the Land

See those cute little green pumpkins on the right?

Last year, after Halloween was over and we were putting all of the decorations away, PJ took the seeds from the pumpkins on our front porch and held onto them. And held onto them. And held onto them some more. For months, actually. And I borderline thought he was crazy, but then I remembered it’s PJ and he always has a plan for something, even pumpkin seeds.

Earlier this year, he took the kiddos out to the land and planted the pumpkin seeds somewhere out there (which they were ecstatic about doing) and I’m honestly not sure what I expected, but I definitely didn’t think we’d have pumpkins by this Halloween! I wasn’t there when they collected them the other day, but the kiddos came home so excited and proud to show them off.

Aren’t they so cute? PJ never ceases to amaze me with what he can do, even something as small as growing his own pumpkins. :)

PS- speaking of the land.

The Most Popular Baby Names of the Year

Yay for something fun!

BabyCenter.com released their annual list of the most popular baby names of the year (even though the year isn’t over yet, but hasn’t it felt like the longest year in human history anyway?) and I’ve been going through all the names with unusual excitement. I’m going to be honest, I’ve never paid much attention to lists like these before becoming a parent last year, but now I’m so curious.

They mention how the top 10 didn’t change from last year (interesting), though some names within the top 10 moved up and down the list. What I found mind blowing is that the top girl name of 2020 has been in the number one spot for 11 years in a row. Crazy, right? It is a beautiful name, I will say. None of the names we always thought about naming our kids appear in the top 10. I wonder what that says about us?

Without further ado, here are the top 10 baby names of 2020:

Most Popular Girl Names:

1. Sophia

2. Olivia

3. Riley

4. Emma

5. Ava

6. Isabella

7. Aria

8. Aaliyah

9. Amelia

10. Mia

Most Popular Boy Names:

1. Liam

2. Noah

3. Jackson

4. Aiden

5. Elijah

6. Grayson

7. Lucas

8. Oliver

9. Caden

10. Mateo (New to the top 10 this year)

As someone who has, like I said, never paid attention to lists like this, I was pretty surprised by a lot of the names. However, the names Aiden and Caden are super popular in the area we live in. Basically any baby name ending in “aden” is common here! Is that how it is where you live, too?

They mention how the popularity of a baby name reflects the trends of the times, mentioning how “Changes in the 2020 list reflect a year of loss and political divisiveness. Kobe shot up 175% after Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest basketball players of all time, lost his life in a tragic helicopter accident alongside his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna (up 216%). On the social and political fronts, Kamala (up 104%) and Liberty (up 12%) rose in popularity, while Karen and Chad declined by 13% and 12% respectively.” So fascinating.

You can see the full list at BabyCenter.com.

(above photo of 6 month old me with my dad)

PJ’s New Obsession

For the last few weeks, PJ has been browsinghigh and low for items that we need (and some we don’t) on his favorite new obsession: Facebook Marketplace. He’s already bought over 700 items (!) on it in the last month and I’m not kidding or exaggerating (more on that in a bit).

Have you ever used it? It’s like Craigslist but in my opinion ten times better and I, for some reason, have it in my mind that it’s safer. You can search for and buy almost anything you want all within the Facebook app. It’s kind of genius. PJ has been addicted to it lately and comes to me almost daily now with a question that goes something like, “What do we think of this?”

His latest score is this white IKEA Ektorp slipcovered sectional. They retail for $800 and he found this one for $200! Isn’t that crazy? We’ve been looking for a sectional or U-shaped couch for the landing area at the top of the stairs for three years, so as soon as he saw this we knew where we wanted it to go. Of course, there’s always the glaring fact that we rearrange furniture in our house like it’s our job so it could very well be in a different spot by next week 😂.

He also found that ginormous painting above the couch on Marketplace for $35. It’s hard to tell from the picture but it is so big that it barely fit in the back of PJ’s truck. We love how moody and haunting it is, and how it fills the previously, extremely bare and empty spot between the two sconces.

So far I’m counting over 700 items he’s bought on FB Marketplace. If you follow us on Instagram than you already know that he bought over 700 trees and bushes and shrubs the other day for literally pennies. It was wild. He drove over 2 hours one way to get them and I wish you could have seen my face when he brought them home (again, if you follow us on IG than you likely already did) because I couldn’t believe my eyes. BUT they’re all for our land and the development of it, so it was really such a good deal that we would have been foolish to pass up.

So there you have it! PJ’s new obsession. I wonder what he’ll get next?

Pretty Autumn Colors

This is quickly turning into a blog strictly about fall and fall only. And that’s okay. Because look how beautiful the colors are! Don’t you think this time of year has the prettiest colored everything? The clothes, the leaves, the way the sky looks. If only it fall weather could last all year long like it seems to do in Gilmore Girls. A month and a half here in Tennessee isn’t long enough for me. You, too?

Happy Monday, friend!

xo

We're Having a Fall Sale On Our T-Shirts!

We’re doing a fall sale where you’ll get 25% off our t-shirts in our online apparel shop when you use code FALL25 at checkout! We’re thinking of doing another order of sweatshirts before the holiday season officially begins, so we’ll be sure to let you know when that comes in.

Happy Sunday, friends!! xoxo

A Beautiful New (Gay) Film

It seems like it’s been ages since Hollywood gave us a gay couple as the main protagonists in a mainstream movie. Was the last one Call Me By Your Name almost 3 years ago? At any rate, Supernova looks positively wonderful and I can’t wait to see it. It looks like one of those films where I’m going to have to break out the tissues multiple times (those are always my favorite anyway :).

The film is about Sam and Tusker, partners for 20 years, who travel across England and reunite with friends and family. The kicker is that one of them was diagnosed with early onset dementia 2 years ago, so they must figure out how to navigate life together with that illness.

It’s about time we have a film about an older gay couple dealing with all of the ups and downs life brings. Imagine: gay couples in long-term relationships are just like straight couples. Isn’t that a fun idea? :) And though I wish they had cast gay actors in the lead roles, I will happily see anything with Stanley Tucci and Colin Firth in it. Swoon.

The film comes out Nov 27, 2020!!

Every Night Before Bed

Each night, after we have our jammies on and brush our teeth, little sis sprints to her room and hides behind her curtains, anxiously awaiting me to come in and find her.

I keep waiting for it to get old but it hasn’t yet. She’s at such a challenging age but little things like this make me wish she would stay two and a half forever.

PS: do you see her little toes poking out at the bottom? xoxo

BookBook iPad Case

Why have I never seen this kind of iPad case before? We have a few iPads for the kids (I know, I know) and this would make them look so much more appealing, like it’s just another book lying around our house instead of…well like an iPad in a big blue case.

It gives a whole new meaning to what a “book case” is, and would make such a great Christmas present, don’t you think?

Trench Coat Love

Happy Monday, my friends. How about a lighter post to start the week off with?

Even though it doesn’t really start getting cold enough here in Tennessee to wear one until January (which of course doesn’t stop me from wearing one now), I will forever and always love the sophistication and timelessness of trench coats. Seeing all of the different styles and colors of these has me longing to travel to NYC and roam the chilly streets all bundled up in scarves and mittens.

NYC is so damn charming in the fall/winter!

How fun and different is this one? I love the combination of the navy and rope.

That’s all! Have a lovely day 😊.

All images via here.