We are officially Harry Potter fans over here.

Quite literally as of a few weeks ago when Ella's class read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

I know...we were probably the only people on the planet who hadn't read the book or seen the movie(s).

So, of course, as Ella was reading the book with her class and Halloween was approaching, she decided she wanted to dress up as Hermione for her costume this year.

As you can imagine, I had to do some research and get help from my friends on Instagram to get the costume together. 

I think we pulled it off.

In fact, with Ella's input, she managed to jazz it up a bit and elevated the regular ole Hermione costume into a "hip" Hermione by choosing converse for shoes, a short sleeve white shirt, a black cardigan instead of the wizard robe and an "older Hermione" hairstyle with a simple, black barrette. 

My favorite part about this costume is that it's SMART and SIMPLE!

All of the clothing elements can be used in REAL life...long after Halloween has disappeared. (black pleated skirt, white short sleeve shirt, black cardigan, black knee high socks and the "hip" converse shoes). That makes me and my wallet happy.

I'll let the pictures do the talking and I've got sources listed at the bottom in case you are curious about any of the items and need to pull one together too!

She's a cutie pie. And she made a great Hermione.

She usually wears glasses but chose not to wear them on Halloween night...just to make sure she was really in costume. *wink*

PS - Let's stay cozy + connected in-between posts...find me on Instagram for daily inspiration.

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HERMIONE COSTUME SOURCES

Black Pleated Skirt - perfect...just wish it didn't show lint

White Short Sleeve Shirt - Wasn't super thin but Ella was still hot and it wrinkles easily.

Gryffindor Tie - it was fine for Halloween but not high quality - you get what you pay for.

Gryffindor Iron-On Crest - I pinned this on so I could remove it from the cardigan for Ella to wear after Halloween

Black Knee Socks - Walmart

Black Converse - linking to Amazon but we lucked out and found some at Kohl's

Simple Black Barrette - found ours at Target

Wand

KEEPING IT REAL

It's funny...Ella's older sisters, who have both read the book(s) years ago and are HP fans, have always told me Ella reminds them of Hermione. I used to just laugh...not knowing who Hermione was...but now I completely understand what they mean. Ha!!

The cardigan didn't last 5 minutes in our 90º Florida heat on Halloween night...but she was  pretty comfortable for a night of trick or treating. *wink*

LIFE | The Kind-of-Sort-of Halloween Costume

I interrupt this regularly schedule programming of all things Fall + Christmas for a quick Halloween costume recap...because I just can't not share, even if it's a couple of weeks late.

This girl wanted to be a Greek Goddess for Halloween this year.
So I walked into Party City a couple of weeks before Halloween and bought the dress she spied online, a goddess headband, a gold snake arm band she specifically requested and gold bangles for her wrist. All in less than 5 minutes mind you. #momwin

Halloween night came...she got all dressed up in her dress, we fixed her hair, I added a little gold shimmer to her cheeks and a splash of lipstick and then she chose not to wear ANY other goddess accessory she had requested or picked out. What?!

Yeah...so...she kind of sort of looked like a goddess. *wink*
What can I say...
The girl chose comfort over costume...she's pretty smart like that.

With some friends by her side she had a pretty great night.
Second year trick-or-treating in our new neighborhood...
in our new town...
in our new area...
with new friends...
and new experiences.

It's feeling a little more like home.

Truthfully though, with the pillowcase she was carrying to collect candy, all wrapped around her shoulders in this picture...
well...she kind of looks more like a princess.
Or like she's going to another daddy daughter dance. *wink*
Regardless...those freckles of hers are darling and she's definitely the cutest sort-of-kind-of greek goddess I ever did see.

I hope you all had an enjoyable Halloween with your kiddos as well.
xoxo,
Jess

KEEPiNG iT REAL
I am SO glad I did not pursue finding the golden wrap-up-your-entire-calf-to-your-knee sandals she originally wanted. Pretty sure she would've never even put those on.

Oh...and all of that Hershey Halloween Candy I've been sharing on my Instagram stories was a hit with the neighborhood. We got rid of almost all 200+ pounds of it.

Oh! And scroll back up to image #3...
see those black things in the planter behind Ella?
Those are dead plants. Plants that died from the ridiculous Florida heat.
So...with it being Halloween, I just left them as part of the decor.
Yes...I tried to pass off dead plants as intentional Halloween decor.
It actually kind of worked.
Although it would've been more convincing had I followed through on creating the "Dead Head" Flower Shop sign idea I had in my head...to hang or put in front of the pots. Clever, right?
Maybe next year. *wink*

LiFE | Summer 2018 (Video)

Summer ends officially on September 22nd.
That's only two days from now and, as usual, my mind is not wanting to bend in that direction.
It's the whole one foot in the boat and one foot on the shore mindset - loving both summer and fall with the added dimension of not being well-versed in letting go or saying goodbye.

Summer was the backdrop for a few milestones for my girls. We celebrated Ema graduating high school, high-fived Clara for being on the UCF Dean's list at the completion of her Junior year, and supported Ella's choice to walk away from gymnastics.

We grew tomatoes, rode scooters in the summer rain, drew sidewalk chalk towns together, walked on the beach, ate cotton candy, lost my sunglasses in the ocean waves, made homemade strawberry shortcake, invited friends over for playdates, enjoyed BFF sleepovers, lavished in pool days, among other fun things.

There was also one thing in particular I'm so happy we made time for this year.
We enjoyed a "Girl's Camping/RVing" experience with my mom at Salt Springs this summer.
In fact, it's one of the very first things we did which helped kick off our summer on the right foot.

Here's a visual diary I created of our time together...
(and mom...if you're reading this...I'm sorry...for that one part in the video). *covering eyes*

So yes, our summer may not have been filled with lush vacations and jet-setting around the world but our days, and more importantly, our hearts, were spilling over with adventure and fun.

They say forever is made up of the nows...so perhaps we really can have a "forever summer" because we certainly filled it with a lot of "nows" I will always remember.

With that said...I think it's time for me to do some letting go...

xoxo my sweet friends!!

Jess

KEEPiNG iT REAL

I rolled my ankle stepping out of the RV on the first day of our camping trip. *laughing*

I fell on the ground and had dirt and grass all over me while Ella and my mom looked on in disbelief. 

I laughed so hard and could NOT believe I had done that while also holding back tears from the pain.

It swelled up immediately and I thought I had broken it. 

I put on a brave face, iced it every day and medicated myself with some Advil.

Thankfully I didn't break it and was still able to enjoy the rest of our time together.

BUT...it did take a solid two months for me to feel comfortable putting full weight on my ankle again.

(which has now exacerbated into lower back + foot pain because of my body overcompensating for it). *eyeroll*

LiFE | The Beauty in Change :: Daddy Daughter Dance 2018

"Everything is held together with stories"...

I love that quote.
It couldn't be more true about life.
That's what this blog has always been about for me...storytelling.
And through storytelling I share bits + pieces of my life...things that may inspire you, recipes that make me happy, things that add sunshine to my soul, and maybe even things that add a little sunshine to your own life.

My story today is about the beauty we can find in change.

Our move almost a year ago has certainly presented us with some tough days.
• tearful afternoon carline pickups with Ella missing her old school.
• getting lost + turned around a time or two trying to find our way around a new town.
• tearful prayers for me as a mom, missing my two older daughters who chose to stay behind.
• loneliness and disconnect at times.
• tearful tuck-ins at night with Ella missing friends and "home".

All of that is normal.
Those of you who have moved away from home know what I'm talking about.
You just miss the heck out of everything you ever knew and loved - people, places + familiar faces.

There's also soooo much beauty in change.
Although we've had some hard days and sad moments having moved away,
we have also thoroughly enjoyed the new experiences we've been able to have in our new town.
In fact, it truly has been an adventure of sorts.
There have been so many new places to see, restaurants to try, friends to make + meet, a beautiful neighborhood to explore and ultimately a new house to make into a home.

And then there was the daddy daughter dance this year.
If you've been following along for some time you know Ella's been enjoying this annual tradition at her old school since she was in pre-school.

This year, of course, was a much different experience for her...for us...since it brought with it a number of significant changes.

First of all, she didn't get to attend with her best friend Elise, like she has done every other year. (2016, 2015, 2014)

Second, her new school didn't end up hosting one, (even though it was on the schedule at the beginning of the school year).  When I found out they had changed the "Sweetheart Social" to a "Dance Party" for the entire school, I originally thought we just wouldn't even be able to continue our annual tradition.

However, here's the "beauty" part of things.
Our neighborhood made a surprise announcement it would be hosting an inaugural Daddy Daughter Dance  - right in our own neighborhood at one of our own beautiful amenity centers. Yes!!

So although Ella was missing her bestie, (and I was missing all of the usual traditions of the evening photographing Elise + Ella and their daddies together), she still had a very special night with her dad.

And they literally walked to the dance together, hand-in-hand, down the sidewalk and across a pretty grassy field.

Our neighborhood spares no expense in creating fantastic, memorable events and this one was no different. It was a small scale Daddy Daughter Dance compared to what we're used to but it actually turned out to be quite a magical night since it was more of an intimate setting; filled with sweet treats, photo booths, hula hoop competitions, daddy's on their knees holding their daughter's hands while exchanging daddy daughter promises to one another and of course dancing the night away.

I wouldn't change a thing about how the night turned out.
And I wouldn't change a thing about us moving either.

It's not been easy at times but there have been more than enough wonderful things that have happened since our move that have opened my eyes to the true beauty that can be found in change.
And for that, I am so grateful to be able to add this experience to our story.

xoxo,
Jess

KEEPiNG iT REAL
It also doesn't hurt that the area we have moved to right along the St. Johns River is so gorgeous.
The sunsets here are absolutely stunning.

PS - I kind-of-sort-of made Ella's wrist corsage this year.
J brought home a boutonnière from Publix instead of a corsage by accident so I deconstructed it a bit and turned it into something she could wear on her wrist. Ha!!
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TIMEOUT FROM PACKING

In the middle of bubble wrap, packing paper, stacked cardboard boxes and empty walls...
Ella and I managed to sneak away for a bit from all of the moving preparations in order for her to do some modeling for our favorite local fashion boutique...The Secret Garden.

A new shipment of beautiful dresses in Ella's size have arrived and they needed a model!
As you may remember, Ella and I have a favorite tradition of going to The Secret Garden and picking out an extra special dress for the Daddy Daughter Dance held at her school every year. (see this post and this post). psst....I still need to post the photos from this year's dance. *covering eyes*

So, it didn't take much convincing for Ella to agree to an afternoon of trying on dresses and striking some poses. Here are some of my favorites...

Ella was thrilled to be a model for the afternoon...

and I was happy to get out of packing for a few hours.

Hope you all are doing fantastic!!

I've missed you and I'm really looking forward to getting back to some consistent blogging once we have moved and get settled a bit.

Stay tuned and keep up with me on Instagram in between blog posts.

xoxo,
Jess

KEEPiNG iT REAL

My entire world is about to change with our move less than 7 days away! Eeks!!

I am seriously a tossed salad of emotions. 

On one hand I'm super excited about what this adventure has in store for me personally, as well as

the magic and growth that is sure to come for my family...especially my two older daughters who are staying behind. *tears*

On the other hand...a mother is not supposed to leave her children, right?
The children are supposed to leave the nest and move away from the mother.
Although Clara turns 21 on Sunday and Ema is 18, this "moving away from them" thing feels so incredibly awkward.

And of course, there's apprehension and uncertainly as it's going to be quite an adjustment living a couple of hours away in an unfamiliar town without the comfort of having family and friends close by.

A new chapter for all of us that's for sure. *more tears* 

I really am putting my faith + trust in He who knows best and who's plans are far greater than my own.

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RECIPE | The Best Chocolate Cake Birthday Cake Ever

My Ella Pie turned eight years old on November 14th and this is what's left of the cake she requested.
And although right now we are all busy focusing on our Thanksgiving pies for tomorrow, (myself included), sharing this chocolate cake recipe with you RIGHT NOW just could not wait any longer. It's really THAT good. Besides that, I promised everyone on Facebook and Instagram that I'd post the recipe this week...so there! *wink*

If you've been following along my blog for awhile, you know it's a family tradition to allow the person celebrating a birthday to choose their birthday dinner and birthday dessert - usually homemade by mom. Clara typically chooses cheesecake, Ema has chosen a fresh fruit cake for the last five years and Ella has been known to pick ice cream cakes - not homemade.

As you can see...no one ever really chooses a traditional cake - myself included.
So I was really surprised this year when Ella said you wanted a "chocolate cake with blue frosting and a dolphin on top".

The only photo I love of the cake is the mangled cake in the first photo because it was taken 5 days post-party as I was eating the last remaining MOIST bits of it alone in the house one afternoon with gorgeous natural light pouring in from the kitchen window. All of these other cake photos were taken at night because as those of you who saw my Instagram stories know...I finished the cake just barely shy of Ella walking in the door from gymnastics at 6:30 on the night of her birthday.*phew*

Regardless of the funky lighting...I just LOVE how it turned out.
I used Sweetapolita sprinkles , (a mix of New Jersey Shore + A Cherry on Top),  for me to add some fun to the sides and top of the cake. I then used my Cricut Explore Air 2 to create the glittered dolphin and waves cake topper! (also shown on my Instastories)

I'm not a huge fan of cake...even though I love cupcakes.
I've only baked a few "cake" cakes in my life so I'm certainly no expert but I am familiar with lining the pans, greasing the pans, dusting the pans and frosting a layer cake.

As my wheels started turning to figure out which chocolate cake recipe to go with, I remembered my friend, Allison, had recently made a chocolate cake for her daughter's birthday and raved about the recipe she used from someone at church.

I went with it and BAM! It's a winner!!
It's moist for DAYS...and it's oh so chocolatey!!
Which is why I'm sure it's original name is "Too Much Chocolate Cake".
The original recipe called for this to be a bundt cake but I turned it into a 3 layer 6" inch cake with buttercream frosting. I swapped out the regular chocolate chips for miniatures and I've renamed it "The Best Chocolate Birthday Cake EVER"!

I've even created cute recipe cards for you to download and print if you'd like because I love it that much!

DOWNLOAD THE RECIPE CARDS NOW

Do you love it?
Ella loved it...

Told you she'd just got home from gymnastics practice!
She's still in her leotard.

Anyway...the Sweetapolita sprinkles really make it extra adorable.
AND...if you aren't a cake baker or decorator...the sprinkles let you skip all those fancy piping details. BONUS!!

This cake is SO easy...especially if you do the bundt-cake version.
You could totally make this to surprise your family at Thanksgiving.

Hope you'll try it you guys!
You will NOT be disappointed.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families!!
I am so grateful for your love and support and the stories you guys share with me.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being so genuine and real.
The world could use more YOU in it!!

xoxo,
Jess

KEEPiNG iT REAL
I should clarify that Ella loved the way her birthday cake LOOKED on the night of her birthday because she never even ate any of her birthday cake that night. *gasp* She'd had a fever for three days previously and was okay...but not 100% percent and just didn't want any cake. I was SO disappointed my little birthday girl wasn't even eating her own requested special chocolate cake with blue frosting and dolphins on top birthday cake.

P.S. I still have her American Girl Doll themed birthday party details to share with you too.
But let's kick back and enjoy the Thanksgiving holidays for right now my friends.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have a little girl named Ella who's home with me today...waiting to do something fun together. *wink*

LIFE | Ella's Snowman Costume

Halloween may be long over...but since Ella decided she wanted to be a snowman this year I feel like it's still okay to share her costume as we make our way into the holiday season! *wink*

Besides that, it came out too cute NOT to share.

When Ella first told me what she wanted to dress up as a snowman, I was like "Okay!"
Then she told me she wanted a matching costume for "Little Ella", her American Girl Doll and I was like "Oh boy!" Ha!!

I knew the doll would be more difficult to find things for so we started with her costume first and then found things for Ella.

After trying to find some ideas online, we finally decided on a super simple + sweet costume I pieced together from things I found mostly online: tulle skirts, white tights, white shoes, white leotards (with black buttons sewn on the front), matching scarves, white gloves, matching snowman hat headbands and a few snowflake embellishments.

We both love how it all came together. I've never seen Ella so excited to wear a costume.
I think it had more to do with being able to dress up her American Girl doll - which has become her newest obsession ever since her big sister Clara gave her her old doll a few months ago.

Since I don't sew, (aside from being able to re-attach buttons), when it comes to putting together Halloween costumes it either needs to be things I can just piece together or something I can do with a glue gun. Ha! I'll give you all of the specifics at the end of the post.

I think it all turned out pretty darn cute!
And who knows, maybe you'll be inspired to have your little one dress up like this next year?
Pin it so you don't forget!! *wink*


SUPPLIES NEEDED TO RECREATE 
THESE SNOWMAN COSTUMES

ELLA'S SNOWMAN COSTUME
White Leotard
Black Buttons - JoAnn
White Tulle Skirt
Rhinestone pin on skirt - found at Hobby Lobby
White Tights
Scarf - created from fabric found at JoAnn - a little got glue and then knotting the strings on the ends.
White Sparkly Shoes
Snowman Hat - came as a 2pk and fit Ella perfectly
White Fingerless Gloves - made from a 4pk of baby socks I found at Target - Ha!!
Snowflake Hair Ties - made by hot gluing snowflakes I disassembled from a Hobby Lobby ornament.
Snowflakes on skirt- found at Hobby Lobby in the Christmas crafts section - secured with hot glue

LITTLE ELLA'S SNOWMAN COSTUME (Ella's American Girl Doll)
White Leotard - this Etsy shop
Black Buttons - JoAnn
White Tulle Skirt - JoAnn - it was an toddler/infant skirt found with Halloween costumes
Rhinestone pin on skirt - found at JoAnn
White Tights
Scarf - created from fabric found at JoAnn - a little got glue and then knotting the strings on the ends.
White Sparkly Shoes
Snowman Hat - I removed the plastic headband attached and replaced with black elastic.
White Fingerless Gloves - made from a 4pk of baby socks I found at Target same ones used for Ella!
Snowflake Hair Ties - made by hot gluing snowflakes I disassembled from a Hobby Lobby ornament.
Snowflakes on skirt- found at Hobby Lobby in the Christmas crafts section - secured with hot glue

KEEPiNG iT REAL
Ella's first idea for a Halloween costume was an ice cube. (no idea where she came up with that one).
Even though I'm always up for a creative challenge, I was relieved when she decided on the snowman costume instead. Ha!! But I think it's funny both ideas were related to ice.

SHARE | What I Love about Snapchat

Remember a little while back when I mentioned I'd been spending a lot of time on Snapchat this Summer, (even after having avoided the app completely for years)?

And remember I said I'd come back here to share a little bit more as to WHY I love Snapchat?
Well today is your lucky day!

First of all...let me just say...
from what I understand about the original intent of the creation of the Snapchat app...
it definitely wasn't something that suited my particular needs or interests. Ha!
(for those of you who don't know...it's original purpose was to be able to send racy pictures to specific people that would "disappear" after viewing for a few seconds and could not be opened, saved or viewed again).

Anyway...Snapchat has come a LONG way.
Snapchat, for me, is a way for me to lighten up and not take myself so seriously.
It's a place for my wacky sense of humor to shine and I feel it's a #judgefreezone !

It's simply a place to be silly...quite frankly! And to keep things real + human.
It's an app you don't hide behind...unless you're like me and you like to get into character with the mix of funny lenses that distort or alter your appearance, allowing you to instantly become someone else. Ha!

More than being silly though, Snapchat is actually a brilliant and fun way to document life as it's happening; completely raw and real and unedited.

Perhaps you've assumed Snapchat to be a waste of time, just as I once did. 
I incorrectly thought your videos and photos just disappeared after 24 hours, so what's the point right? BUT NO!! You have the option to save ANY and ALL the Snaps you post to your story or save to your Snap Memories. 

I've saved a lot of my Snaps so I thought what better way to demonstrate the different things I love about Snapchat than by actually sharing with you some Snaps I've taken over the last few months...along with some TIPS + TRICKS I've learned along the way.
Let's go...

I LOVE that you have the option to 

TAKE PHOTOS OR VIDEOS 

+ instantly add words, fun stickers and filters

Post photos for up to 10 seconds long or 7-second videos.

Front porch with text and emojis added.

Video of my master bedroom with a filter added

TIP: There are some face lenses that have cool effects 

even when you switch from front-facing to rear-facing.

Herbs I photographed and added stickers and words to

TIP: Add a plethora of sticker options to your photos and videos.

You can enlarge, rotate and place them where you want.

Video I shot with one hand - not an easy task BTW

TIP: Include music in your Snap videos by 

choosing a song on your phone within iTunes 

or just have music playing in the background from a radio or other source.

I LOVE that I can

RECORD SPECIAL OCCASIONS 

and label them right on the spot.

Snapping a photo or video and then being able to add

text to it immediately is great for two reasons. 

First, if I post it, whoever sees it will know what the photo is about 

and second, I'll remember what was happening when I look back at saved Snaps.

Clara's 20th Birthday - with a crown sticker added + text

All three of my girls together for Mother's Day Brunch

Ella - in the bathroom on the night of her talent show

about to perform a gymnastics routine

Getting frozen yogurt AFTER the talent show with her bestie, Elise

POST Talent Show video

TIP: You can turn the sound off before posting videos

I LOVE that I can record

LIFE'S LITTLE MOMENTS

Ella at a doctor's appointment

TIP: Fast-forward, Slo-Mo and Reverse are available AFTER you take a video.

They are included in the filter options and I love that you can decide 

AFTERWARDS whether or not to speed it up or slow it down or play it backwards.

Ella's First Grade "Good Pie" Party

Ella + Elise having their very first sleepover

This is what the backseat looks like when riding with Ella 

and I wanted to capture it.

TIP:  Draw on your photos too! 

Snapchat has a slide bar of colors to choose from.

A quick snap of Ella in the bathtub 

with her collection of My Little Ponies.

Waiting in the car line at school...Ella really liked the

"charming" flowers in this Snap lens.

Having brunch with Clara

TIP: The funny lenses can be added to someone else by 

double-tapping the screen to flip the camera from front-facing to rear-facing

Clara and I after Ella's Talent Show

TIP: When doing a selfie with a lens,

other people in the screen can "steal" your lens...

and even better...some of the lenses have now been designed for two people.

Slow-Mo feature 

This is Clara holding her phone, creating her own Snap

while I'm over her shoulder with my phone recording her...

I LOVE that I can

JUST BE MY SILLY SELF

One of Snapchat's floral crown lens

+ The Chainsmoker's "Don't Let Me Down"

Snapchat's Marilyn Monroe lens 

+ Gwen Stefani's "Me Without You"

Snapchat's Lion lens

I LOVE that I can

DOCUMENT AN ENTIRE EVENT

from an entirely different RAW + FUN perspective

Snapchat can literally be the life of the party 

by giving everyone in attendance permission to be silly + fun!

This was the first 24 hours of my family reunion this Summer -

completely photographed and recorded using Snapchat.

Aren't they a crazy, wild bunch of lovely people!!

I still need to post all of the details about that too!

TIP: You can save all of the videos and photos you've recorded within a 24 hour period (and posted to your Snapchat Story) in ONE video - which is awesome for a quick recap of events.

I hope I've enlightened you guys today...

or at least made you laugh out loud, having exposed my sense of humor I rarely get to share here on the blog. 

If you are aren't already on Snapchat, have I at least caused you to consider looking into creating an account and trying it out?

If you still aren't convinced, stay tuned for my post about how I used the silliness of Snapchat to get me through a more serious situation over the Summer.

And if you are already a fan of Snapchat, you can find me by searching for: pnpflowers 

I'd love to find you over there!

Here's to being silly...and not so serious!

Life's too short!

xoxo,

Jess

KEEPiNG iT REAL

There's a lens I use on Snapchat quite a bit that I didn't even share today.

I'm not sure why, but every time I see the lens on my face my voice immediately changes into

a backwoods-country bumpkin character. I just can't help myself!

And what do my older girls think about me having a Snapchat account? 

Honestly, they make me feel as though I've overstepped my bounds as a parent and that I'm treading on their territory. And actually, they've stopped using it as frequently...probably because they think if I'm on there...it can't possibly be as cool anymore. (and maybe they are right). *wink*

So, yes! They think I'm a complete dork and I probably embarrass them with my posts. 

But I don't even care! *wink*