High Five for Friday #146 | Fall Festivals + Red Leaves

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // October 27, 2017 // 8 Comments

Welcome to High Five for Friday – hosted by me, Becky, Tif, and Della! Come, read up on what we’ve been up to this week and get to know some amazing bloggers down below!

What have you been up to this week? Can’t wait to hear about it!

1. I’m looking forward to this particular busy season to be over… It feels like the last year has been so busy! Tons of activities, projects, and busy things… Finding a balance has been hard. BUT I’m starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. One of my larger projects has been redoing my church’s website. I’ve had to start from scratch, because it was just easier in the long run. Hopefully in the next 2 weeks it will be (mostly) done! But it’s been hard finding time to work on it amongst all the things.

2. A sad moment this week. Well… not that sad. I think my husband was more sad than I was. But I sold my car this week. This was a car that my parents gave me right after I graduated from college and it’s served both me and my husband well. It was time for it to move on, though. What you can’t see in the below picture is Elizabeth, bawling because we went to the DMV that’s in the mall with the carousel. And we weren’t riding it. Ah, mommyhood.

3. Today should be a fun day! I’m heading with Elizabeth and her little preschool to a pumpkin patch and farm. We’re most excited because we plan on wearing our rain boots 🙂 That’s my girl!

4. Last weekend was a busy weekend, but it was so much fun! We had a church fall festival, and it was such a fun time!

5. With this busy season, I have definitely been having a hard time finding joy in small moments. It’s been hard slowing down. But then I had a a moment that stopped me in my tracks. I found a red leaf in our backyard. We just have one red-leafed tree in our backyard. And it seems to drop its leaves at secret times. But because we were in the backyard, having fun, saving our moments, I happened to spot a red leaf. Take the time to slow down this next week. Look around, be still and just savor.

View this post on Instagram

STORY TIME // We don't have many trees in our yard that turn red in the fall… (maples, right?) we have one tree. And it seems to sneakily drop them when we aren't paying attention. But today, the kids and I hung outside for a while. Just enjoying the day. Taking it slow. I was purposefully trying to enjoy my surroundings. I tried to let my mind just relish in the breeze, the giggles from my kids, and even Elizabeth shouting really loudly, "Let my people go!". #truestory ? And then I saw it. One little solitary red leaf laying in the dirt. I would have completely missed it if I was trying to just "check the activity" off my list. Rush the time the kids and I had together to just get to nap time. But instead, I got to see the red leaf. What did you take the time to see today?? #slowdown #simplejoys

A post shared by Katie (@ktcupoftea) on Oct 24, 2017 at 10:48am PDT

Today’s featured blogger is Danielle from Young, Not Powerless. She’s a wife as well as a mommy to 3! If you’re like me, you love home reno posts. And Danielle has been sharing their bathroom renovation experience. And if you have any holiday travel planned, check out Danielle’s tips on traveling with kids. Swing over and say hi to Danielle!!

How was your week?? Can’t wait to hear all about it!

Loading InLinkz ...

High Five for Friday #145 | The Week in Pictures

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // October 20, 2017 // 2 Comments

Welcome to High Five for Friday – hosted by me, Becky, Tif, and Della! Come, read up on what we’ve been up to this week and get to know some amazing bloggers down below!

What have you been up to this week? Can’t wait to hear about it!

It just feels like this week should be celebrated in pictures. It was a fun week! We had Elizabeth’s birthday party on Sunday and it was such fun! I recommend playground birthday parties for everyone. It required a bit of hauling and setting up, but it was really easy! And everyone seemed to have a good time.

But here are my favorite pics from the week!

We have to start with this one. It summarizes the whole big sister/little brother relationship.

When your little brother gets in your birthday shot ? #photobomb #littlebrothers #typical #bigsisterproblems

A post shared by Katie (@ktcupoftea) on Oct 18, 2017 at 4:25pm PDT

Of course, that William sure is fun!

But we did manage to keep William away for one birthday on Elizabeth’s actual birthday. She is such a sweet girl!

And then this week we had GORGEOUS weather! It finally felt like fall! So we spent quite a bit of time outside in the backyard.

We have a little climber! She is rarely in this tree fort to just hang out. She’s always climbing!

We don’t have a lot of bright red leafed trees in our yard, BUT there are a few! And Elizabeth and I spent time hunting for them.

And do you know how hard it is to capture a picture of William these days?? But that little vest! HAHA it’s just so cute!

Today’s featured blogger is Anne from In Residence! Fun fact – her boy, Hendrick, and Elizabeth are just a few days apart! We’ve had fun over the last 4 years comparing milestones and stories! If you haven’t met Anne before, consider her your go-to person for cool, classic mom style, great book recommendations, and fun pinterest tries. I LOVE her latest post on decorating pumpkins with googly eyes. Genius. And if you have Michigan on your “must visit” list, check out Holland! Anne has a great post on what to do and see. Swing over and say hello to Anne!

How was your week?? Can’t wait to hear all about it!

Loading InLinkz ...

High Five for Friday #144 | Happy Birthday Elizabeth!

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // October 13, 2017 // 5 Comments

Welcome to High Five for Friday – hosted by me, Becky, Tif, and Della! Come, read up on what we’ve been up to this week and get to know some amazing bloggers down below!

What have you been up to this week? Can’t wait to hear about it!

1. The biggest excitement for the week? Our sweet Elizabeth turned 4! We had such a fun day celebrating her! I decorated the kitchen table so when she came down in the morning it was extra festive. And then at school she declared to everyone she saw that “today is my birthday!”. It was a fun day of celebrating her. This Sunday is her actual birthday party with all her little buddies. Between kids and parents we’ve got 60 people coming to the party. Mercy!

And at school, the firemen came for fire safety week!

2. The party has been an all-consuming thought this week. Errands, goodie bags, food planning! But who doesn’t love to plan a party?? We are having it at a local park so it will be a fun, relaxing party. Elizabeth even requested popsicles instead of cake or cup cakes. Here’s hoping that the humidity stays nice and low!

3. Elizabeth was sick last week. But this week was mommy and daddy’s turn. We both woke up sick on Saturday and just knew we couldn’t make it to church. We both quickly figured out who could swap with us for our various responsibilities and settled in to our PJs. Elizabeth was so bummed that she was missing out on church. But friends to the rescue! Elizabeth’s best bud came over, picked her up, and took her to church! It was kind of funny sending her off to go to church while the rest of us stayed home. But she had a wonderful time. And we rested up. Friends are the best!

4. This week I’ve noticed William has been saying “uh oh” now. Of all the new talker words, this one has always been my favorite. But you get him started on uh oh and he goes on and on and on! In fact, as I’m typing this, it’s 9PM and I can hear him upstairs, in his room, saying “uh oh” over and over. HAHA! But he’s entering in to such a fun phase! I can’t believe he’ll be 18 months next month!

5. I’m looking forward to the weather cooling off again next week. This week was border line unbearable. It wasn’t too hot, but it was SO muggy!! Seriously, if you stood outside for 5 minutes you were sweating like you had just ran a marathon. Ugh! I couldn’t even bear to go on my walks. Here’s hoping next week is a little better!

Today’s featured blogger is Cute Capsule Life! I love reading about capsule wardrobes, so when I see an entire blog dedicated to this I rejoice!! Swing over and say hello!

How was your week?? Can’t wait to hear all about it!

Loading InLinkz ...

High Five for Friday #143 | Fall! Finally Fall!

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // October 6, 2017 // 3 Comments

Welcome to High Five for Friday – hosted by me, Becky, Tif, and Della! Come, read up on what we’ve been up to this week and get to know some amazing bloggers down below!

What have you been up to this week? Can’t wait to hear about it!

1. This was one of those weeks were nothing got done! It started off with good intentions, but fell apart in the middle 🙂 One thing I was hoping to get done this week was our church’s new refreshed website design. I’ve been putting it off for so long! It just NEEDS to get done. But alas, I didn’t get enough time this week. It’s one of those projects that I just need to go to Starbucks every evening and work for 2 hours… it can be done. I just want to get it done!

2. Alright… William got a hair cut. And he’s just the cutest thing you’ve ever seen! It was a traumatic experience for him, but it was done in the end!

3. Poor Elizabeth! On Wednesday she mentioned to me that she was feeling really tired. And she was EXTRA clingy as we walked into school that morning. I figured she just needed more sleep. But she apparently did the first craft and then curled up on the floor. Her teacher texted me asking me if she might be more comfortable at home. And just as I’m walking her out the door, she pukes everywhere! Once that moment was over she said, “See mommy, I told you I was tired”. HA! But she was pretty sick Wednesday and Thursday. There was a lot of tv watching and blanket snuggling.

4. What’s on your Fall bucket list? I definitely want to get some baking in. Apple Crisp is my FAVORITE! What’s your favorite Fall dessert?

5. Speaking of Fall, it seems like we have turned a corner here, weather-wise. It’s stayed “cool”, humidity is lower, and it’s definitely cold when you get up in the mornings. Hooray! Is it time to pack the shorts away, finally??

Today’s featured blogger is Kenzie from Connected in the Kitchen! Kitchen is the key word here. She is an amazing chef and baker, and I’m so glad she shares all of her recipes on the blog!! This week I made her Butter Chickpeas recipe and it was so delicious! Warm comfort food at its finest. And since I have been craving Apple Crisp, her gluten-free apple crumble may just hit the spot. Swing over and visit Christina!

How was your week?? Can’t wait to hear all about it!

Loading InLinkz ...

High Five for Friday #142 | A Documentary + Sweaty Fall

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // September 29, 2017 // 1 Comment

Welcome to High Five for Friday – hosted by me, Becky, Tif, and Della! Come, read up on what we’ve been up to this week and get to know some amazing bloggers down below!

What have you been up to this week? Can’t wait to hear about it!

1. Last week was our week of back to school! And on Friday William got to go for the morning! It was such fun watching both kids running in and feeling excited. William honestly walked right in and never looked back. Apparently he kept closing the classroom door all morning and wouldn’t stop gabbing. That’s my boy 🙂

2. We decided that last weekend we should head up to my in laws house in Virginia Beach! My husband just got himself a new car – a VW GTI – and he wanted to drive it up last weekend. So we loaded up that little hatch back and drove up. We actually had a lot of fun! Because it’s a smaller car, we had to turn William around for the drive, and he was THRILLED to be able to see me. It was adorable. But we had a wonderful, relaxing time in Virginia. Plus, thanks to a flock of geese (about 50!) blocking our path on a walk, my husband and I ended up getting lost and walking over 2 miles to get back to my in-laws house. HAHA! It was one of those moments when I wished I had my phone for Instastories. It would have been hilarious!

3. While we were in Michigan, I got a random text from a college student who goes to our church, asking if she could film me for a documentary class she is a part of. Sounded like fun! So on Tuesday, she and her classmate came over with fancy film equipment and got to filming myself and the kids. They wanted to do a mini documentary on what it’s like to be a stay-at-home-mom. You know me – talking was no problem. But it was very different to gab at a camera while other people are there! HA! I hope I was articulate enough for their project……. and that they get a good grade!

4. PSA ALERT! If you haven’t tried the Old Navy Rockstar 24/7 jeggings, you MUST! They are basically stretchy jeans with a yoga pant legging waist band. They are a pain to pull up, but once they’re on, they aren’t sliding down! They are so so so so comfortable! And they are on sale right now!

5. Fall is taking its sweet sweet time getting to us here in Durham… this week was over 90 each day. Sweat city! But I think starting today it will be dipping back to the 70s each day. Hooray! But I really just am waiting for a frost so it can kill off all of the mosquitoes. They are prolific in our back yard!! But it’s still fun to play out there.

Today’s featured blogger is Christina from The Patricios! I love her fall home decor post! The pumpkin touches everywhere – love! And her mommy and mini style post on mustard colors for fall will give you some serious style inspiration. Swing over and visit Christina!

How was your week?? Can’t wait to hear all about it!

Loading InLinkz ...

« Older posts

Newer posts »