Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!!

Bryan and I keep seeing pictures of our family and friends kids all dressed up for Halloween so I thought I would share a picture of our "baby" all dressed up in his Halloween shirt. We have had this shirt for years and rarely put him in anything (sometimes jackets/sweaters in the winter if he'll be outside a ton because he gets cold).

Not many trick or treaters come by, but we are hoping since four families with toddlers/babies moved on our street this year that someone will come by. 

Have a spooky night!

Seasonal Produce Guide

Recently I was talking to a couple of people / clients about various produce that is in season because it is getting hard to find some produce in the grocery stores. I love this seasonal produce guide from Style Me Pretty. I often frequent various farmers markets in the Houston area and love trying new places. Last week I mentioned about pick your own fruit farms. I am still hoping to go to one in Tomball within the next couple of weeks. Froberg's in Alvin has awesome selection of produce.

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BooksApp

I read somewhere about the BooksApp on some blog (I can't remember which one). I love it. You can inventory your books by entering the ISBN number or scanning the barcode. When you do that with most of the books a picture and info about the book is automatically put into the app.You can put notes into the app regarding each book, who has borrowed the book (s), etc. You can export a csv file to your computer and have it for your files. I have a ton of books and love this app. Although, it does take a little time to enter all the books if you have a lot. 

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Pick Your Own Fruit Farms in Houston

Lately, I have been seeing a ton of pictures from people on the east and west coasts that are going apple picking. It looks fun so I decided to research if there was anything like that in Houston. I found out that apples just don't grow well in Houston, but many of other fruits grow well like berries, persimmons, peaches, etc. There are many farms in and around Houston where you can go pick your own fruit. Many of those farms right now also have pumpkin patches, corn mazes, hay rides, etc. I am hoping that Bryan and I can go check out one of these farms sometime soon. 

Here are some local farms where you can pick your own fruit: 

Blackberries of Houston
19531 Cypress Church Road
Cypress, TX 77433
http://www.BlackberriesOfHouston.com
281-373-5357

Chmielewski's Blueberry Farm
23810 Bauer Hockley Rd.
Hockley, TX 77447
281-304-0554
http://www.chmielewski-blueberry.com

Matt Family Orchard
21110 Bauer Hockley Road
Tomball, Texas 77377-5767
281-351-7676 
http://www.mattfamilyorchard.com


Dewberry Farm

7705 FM 362 Brookshire, TX 77423 281-934-3276 http://www.dewberryfarm.com Froberg's Farm (I LOVE this one) 3601 Hwy 6 Alvin, TX 77511 281-585-3531 http://www.frobergsfarm.com

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Ways to "Green" Your Halloween

Below are some tips for a newsletter I wrote a while back for ways to green your Halloween. There are so many big and small things you can do, but here are a few of them.

•       Make your own costume by using material you already have. Put twist on an outfit you may already have.  Buy one from a resale shop
•       Even though it may cost more, buy organic make – up from places like Whole Foods it is so much better for your skin
•       Buy biodegradable house decorations at your local farmers markets
•       Buy fair trade and organic candy like chocolate, lollipops, and jellybeans
•       Use soy candles
•       Choose to carry a reusable bag instead of the plastic pumpkins. I love FEED Projects Halloween burlap bag

Websites to get organic and fair trade candy:

www.yummyearth.com

www.chocolatebar.com

www.bettylousinc.com

www.jellybelly.com

Sources:www.planetgreen.discovery.com; www.greenhalloween.com

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DIY Skeleton Wreath

Once again I saw something on Pinterest and wanted to create it. So I tried this skeleton wreath. This project went much better than the pumpkin project. I got the skeleton already glittered up at the dollar store and the wreath and ribbon can be found at your local craft store. I had the gold spray paint, so I painted the wreath. This project was done for less than $5.

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DIY Chevron Pumpkin

Last year I saw this post on Pinterest on how to make chevron pumpkins. Needless to say mine didn't turn out nearly as good as I wanted it to, but I still displayed it on the porch anyways. The taping off of the pumpkin was such a bitch to deal with. By the time it was time to do the second pumpkin I said screw it and returned the pumpkin back to Michaels. I really do love the look of these pumpkins and possibly I will try again in the future. Maybe you will have better luck with the pumpkin. 

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Halloween Cards

Anyone who knows me knows I love sending mail. I know it is not the most eco thing, but like I have said before paper is my vice. I love getting mail and sending it. Who doesn't love getting mail. 

This year I got cards from Hallmark (they were available and inexpensive). If my local stationery store had the Rifle Paper Co. Halloween cards in stock, I would have gotten them probably because I love their cards plus they are printed in the USA. I got some washi tape to use as a seal since I usually use a seal on all my letters. I used stamps I already had. I hope my family and friends enjoy them.

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This & That: Russell + Hazel Mini Binder

I have been obsessed Russell + Hazel mini binders for a long time now. I love that they use recycled materials and are made in the USA. I am loving this colorful new binder from them. 

Here is some others that I have as well.

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Organizing Taxes

Organizing tax information can be such a draining thing for some people because there can be a TON of paper work involved, especially for self employed individuals. Here is how I like to organize taxes (pictures below), I actually have several different clients that use this exact system and I recently switched to this way as well (not really sure why I didn't do it sooner). I help others get organized all the time and by the time I get home sometimes I'm just too tired to think about what I need to do at home. 

What you need:

• Half file boxes that you can find at an office supply store
• Hanging files that you can find at an office supply store
• Label Maker
• Taxes (of course)

It's super easy to put together if your taxes are already divided up by year. 

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The Weekend

Happy Monday! Hope you had a great weekend. Bryan and I came home from ACL last night. We were originally going to come home today, but decided to leave early. We were sad to leave Austin because unlike many other times we go to ACL this time was really relaxing for us. We tried new restaurants Walton's and the famous Franklins BBQ (we waited 2 hours in line) and it was all delicious. Now onto fall festivities.....

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Music Festival Packing List

Right now Bryan and I are in Austin, TX for Austin City Limits music festival and will be here until Monday. We go just about every year and love it. (Bryan couldn't go last year, so my friend Ashley in NYC flew down to go with me). This year we haven't given it too much thought because we have been so busy, but are excited to be in Austin because we absolutely LOVE Austin. Most of the bands we have seen in the past at ACL or at other venues, but nonetheless still enjoy seeing them, plus we often discover new music we love. 

I feel like every year when there is a picture of me from the festival I have on the exact same thing because every year I pack the exact same thing. Here is what I packed this year.

• Tickets (duh)
• Sunscreen (I'm so pale and don't want to get burnt)
• Sunglasses
• Dresses because they are easy and dry fast if it rains
• A pair of clothes if we decide to go out at night (usually we are exhausted)
• Sandals
• Cash (I hate ATM fees)
• Debit Card (in case I need to go to the ATM)
• ID (for beer of course, plus I look 15)
• Water bottle (You need to stay hydrated in the heat)
• Ponchos (I often forget these, but not this year)

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Thrifting Finds

Anyone who really knows me knows that I get almost all my clothing at thrift shops (not all, but most). I love everything about going to resale shops, the hunt, great prices and supporting wonderful causes in the community. I really hate paying retail for anything if I don't have to. I am lucky enough to have a ton of great resale shops available in the Houston area to go scavenging in. 

Here are some of my recent finds:

• 2 Lululemon tops (I LOVE Lululemon, but rarely find them in resale shops as people hang onto them because they last forever) $3.99 each
• Tibi colorful halter $4.99
• Yoana Baraschi tank $4.99
• Trina Turk Tank $4.99
• Michael Stars knit cardigan $5.99
• Anthropologie Idra Wool Jacket $9.99
• De Colores watercolor top $5.99
• Anthropologie 9 - H15 S'CL Top $5.99
• New with Tags Factory by Eric Hart Dress $9.99

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