Snapshots of Halloween // 2016

Happy Halloween!

It's strange to have Halloween on a Monday, but I guess that means I can re-cap on my normal posting day. :)

We had our third annual Black & White Hallow's Night party last night, and it was so much fun! Each year a slightly different group of people has been able to come which is kind of fun!

Let's start with costumes, you may have seen these on Instagram, but KC and I dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf this year. It was tons of fun!

KC found this awesome mask at Target, it has a strap in the jaw that moves the mask's mouth when you talk! It absolutely freaks our cats out!

It took me forever to find a good cape... but I finally did, and it was $20, so I was glad not to shell out tons of money! :)

Overall a long cape and a long dress (with no shoes and a teeny apartment...) was not the greatest choice. I had to hold up my skirt and cape, and try not to snag on any furntiure while weaving in between chairs... Needless to say, today I am dressed up as little red werewolf hunter... because I can wear jeans. HA.

We made Hallowenos, mummy calzones, blackberry sangria with apple peels that look like worms..., and a salted caramel cake. It's also our friend Michael's bday weekend, so we have to double celebrate!

How cute are these?!?! I die. -Thank you Pinterest!

It's a bit messy... lol.

A big thank you to everyone who came over and dressed up! You made our Halloween fun! :) How cute is my sister and her baby as a Magic 8 Ball?! Everyone had really fun costumes, but I'm a little enamored by my sister's bump... :P

Even though my OE Jo is in Arizona... I have to include her kick-butt costume. It was her idea to be poison ivy (*sisters!*), and she even told my mom what type of outfit she wanted (cat woman's modified to be green and have ivy, obvs.).... She's so fierce! :)

What did you guys do for Halloween?

Did you dress up?!

XO,

Alexandra

P.S. Our cats were DEMONS all night. *cringe smile*

Have You Heard? // Throwback // *Spook Halloween Playlist

It's almost Halloween!! :)

One of my favorite things to do this time of year is dress up and throw a really festive party... seriously, there's proof ... 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, (apparently nothing happened in) 2011, & 2010.

I made this playlist two years ago, it's actually how Kristen and I met (sorta), and KC and I are still using it. If you're looking for some fun music for a Halloween party or just to get festive at your desk... check out the playlist (link to spotify included) here.

Are you doing anything this weekend? We're having our party of course, and we can't wait! :)

Other Posts This Week: Fall Happenings 2016, and Snapshots of Las Vegas // Day 1 // The Strip.

Happy Halloween Weekend! & Happy Haunting!

XO,

Alexandra

Snapshots of Las Vegas // The Strip - Day 1 // August 2016

In August KC and I headed to Vegas with his parents, his sister, and her (then) boyfriend, (now) fiance. :) We planned a mixture of together and "on our own" time, and were able to fit in so many cool places and things.

In general, Vegas was really hot or cold for me... and I am not talking about the weather. It was HOT the whole time. I'm talking about, I just LOVED certain places we visited and certain things we did.... but most of the rest of it was a little repulsive. Just two seconds on my soap box here... but what a wasteful city!! Doors open with the air on in the height of summer! No recycling (almost) anywhere. Call girl cards all over the ground. Dolphins shipped to the desert so they can perform for tourists.... you get the idea. Vegas is all about excess. Some of that is fun, beautiful, entertaining, so worth it, and so "Vegas"... but some of it was too much for me personally.

Off soap box.... I did my best to not think about it too much, and just enjoy our trip. :)

and...

On to the details!

Family mirror shot at the Bellagio. It's hard to get big group photos. :P

Eat:  Ah, so many great places to eat in Las Vegas!

• Burgers at Shake Shack. I LOVED it. The chicken burger was super good! We may have gone here twice.... 
• The Cafe at the Venetian - HUGE menu. Perfect for our pre-circque family dinner. :)

See: The Strip, The Conservatory & Gardens at the Bellagio, The Fountains at the Bellagio.

Shows: We saw several shows during our trip, but this one was our first, and my favorite. :) 

Cirque du Soleil - "Mystere" - Treasure Island - The classic of the Cirque du Soleil shows. We had no idea what to expect, but enjoyed the blend of humor, dance, acrobatics, and visual displays. There are some extremely talented members of this cast! The theater is fairly small as well (from the three we went to) so you are pretty close to the stage. It's easy to see what's going on! 

Shop: Most of the shopping in Vegas is reminiscent of mall shopping elsewhere in the US. Those shops that do not resemble it are likely ultra high-end shops. Think Valentino, etc. Not my jam, but cool to see if it is yours! :) Check out the shops at Crystals, The Bellagio, and Ceasar's Palace.

Do: Walk the strip and through the casinos. Tons of cool reproduction architecture. :)

Favorites: Shake Shack, Cirque du Soleil "Mystere", the view from the tram between Mirage and Aria. 

New Experiences: Nevada, Vegas, Shake Shack, and Cirque du Soleil!

Random Tips:

• Don't go in the summer unless you LOVE the heat.
• Take the Tram from Mirage to Aria.
• Plan a mixture of "VEGAS" things and things you normally like to do when you travel. Balance is key!

We were so glad to have a fun family trip to Vegas! Glad to get to see a place that my in-laws love so much! :)

Have you been to Las Vegas? What did you think?

Are you a high-end shopper? Or do you prefer small shops?

Have you been to a Circque du Soleil show? What did you think of it?

Other Nevada Posts: Vegas Day 1 - The Strip, Vegas Day 2 - Museums & The High Roller (my favorite day!!), The Hoover Dam & Boulder City, NV, Downtown Las Vegas, & Day 4 Pancakes & J.Lo.

Happy Travels!

XO,

Alexandra

Festive Fall Happenings // 2016

Happy Monday friends!

This weekend we decided to take it easy as far as planning went and get some things done around the house. :) We cleaned out the closet and hung up so many pieces of clothing that have been folded or draped around the room....! -yess! I also found a lot more things for my donate pile! 

We also went out to get pumpkins, costume pieces, and made time to carve our pumpkins. On Sunday we went to a Kansas City Chiefs game. I had never been to an NFL game, and I surprised KC with tickets a little while back - to say thanks for being the best ever. It was a little bit of a rough experience for me, but KC said he had fun, and I guess either way I tried something new. Maybe if we go again someday we'll know what to do, and what not to do! 

We got home, and I felt like I had spent the whole day at a theme park. Hot, dusty, face felt like it had been sunburnt... and I just passed out and took a two hour nap. When I woke up KC was making dinner, and had done almost all of the dishes. He even vacuumed later. #dreamboat

Last year... I am not even sure we bought pumpkins... so I'm feeling good about where we are pre-Halloween this year! I'm sure I'll have more to post after Halloween, but I thought I would do a short Monday post this week with a few photos from our weekend. 

This week is fairly light in plans... by which I mean, KC has two guy nights, and I have dinner with a friend. Excited for our Halloween Party on Sunday night. :) 

A Few Links: 

5 Steps to an AMAZING (& Cheap) Costume, Last Minute too! It's not too late! :)

Vintage and Indie meet in this Halloween playlist, *spook ! (6 hours long..... mildly more than anyone should ever need... but.... )

Halloween Movie Night Picks for the Kiddos, and the Scaredy Cats (*raises hand!*) A selection of fun costume-y movies, perfect for the occasion.

More Halloween Movie Night Picks, of the witchy and spooky variety. Or perhaps you want to start Witches of East End and watch it non-stop through the weekend? No judgement here.

Or you know, maybe you just want some Pumpkin Waffles... and Gilmore Girls... ? THE REVIVAL IS SO SOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What have you guys been up to?!

Do you have any fun plans for Halloween?!

XO,

Alexandra

Have You Heard? // Phantogram - "Blackout Days"

Happy Friday Friends!

This song has been around for quite a while, but I just really like it. :) It's kind of epic, I remember it being in a promo for Witches of East End season 2 and thinking it was a great song choice. So... happy October.



They have a new single out, but I'm not quite sure how I feel about it yet.

In Case You Missed It: 12 Witchy Reads for Halloween and September & October Currently.

What have you been listening to?

Anything fun planned for the weekend?

XO,

Alexandra

September & October Currently // Rare

I normally have  a lovely travel post up on Wednesday mornings... alas, not today.

Instead I'll share what I've been up to recently. :)

Seeing: Fall colors - finally! Though... it was 88 degrees on Monday. What. Kansas. - oy with the temps already!

Feeling: A little bit grumpy about the lack of free time recently... but I'll deal. - I think.

Drinking: Campfire Mochas from Caribou Coffee - help!!

Eating: Lots of soup. We made a full batch of PW's minestrone... instead of a half. - whoops! SO MUCH SOUP. Then we made a potato chowder that did not turn out (for my SIL's engagment party) - bummer. And then we made chili for our game night.... so... #allthesoup The silver lining is that our friend Lee makes some really amazing wood fired oven bread... and we've been buying tiny loaves to accompany said soup. YUM. - Also The Waffle Iron has been popping up in town again, YAY! So we've been grabbing waffles! SO GOOD!

Watching: Everything. We've been really busy with social stuff recently, and at work, so we've been trying to decompress with Netflix. We are catching up on all of our CW shows: Reign, The Originals, TVD (the final season starts soon!), Jane the Virgin (end of season 2 broke my heart!), etc. We are now completely caught up on some, and only one season behind on others. We are also still making it through Parks and Rec, which is super fun. The epitome of small town Midwestern government. :)

Also went to see: Bridget Jones's Baby (laughed so hard I had eye SHADOW all down my face!), Magnificent 7 (not bad, Chris Pratt). Got Beauty & the Beast on Bluray... so fun, cannot wait for the live action one! :)

Reading: Lots of things... I am working through a lot of my Netgalley books right now. I am really enjoying Certain Dark Things at the moment. It's very imaginative and nice and dark for October. I really like the setting and the way the society is set up. Very interesting. I have too many things I want to read, but I may try to get through Girl On The Train next. :)

Planning: Halloween costumes for KC and I... I need to focus, it's coming right up! Parties: my SIL's engagement party is over. I think it went pretty well, though it was kind of hot and humid. : /  WE have had a few game nights, one with a baked potato bar, YUM! We are planning a Halloween one, and several baby showers for my sister among other things. Lastly some travel for 2017! Looks like it might be a few big trips for us! :) It's a little overwhelming to think about... and start planning... but I am sure it will be worth it in the long run! More on all that later!

Making: Invitations for my sister's showers, and making a list of what all needs done for the showers... feeling a bit overwhelmed by it at the moment.. but I am sure it will work out just fine! Putting the project life travel mini album on hold for right now, but I am still so happy with how it's looking! :)

Best Time this Month (so far!): The James Bay concert. Oh my goodness, what a dream!! :) It was the best show we have been to in A WHILE. He even played "Clocks Go Forward" and he hadn't all tour. What a great show!!

Buying: ... lots of things ... In September I definitely splurged on a few new things... but I am not sad about any of them. I got a really lovely necklace from 31 Bits's "refined" collection - I have worn it so much already! Rifle had a sale on their bags, so I finally got the Le Sportsac tote bag that I've been eyeing since we visited their studio/shop in Orlando. I even got a fall pallet from Honest Beauty and it's so pretty!

bathroom selfie game: on. point. - LOL

I bought a few sweaters and tops too.

And.... TWO moto jackets... (this is not a great picture of the jacket... it's an OK picture of the necklace though... ) but... I have been looking for one for at least 5 years and FINALLY found some. I bought the same jacket in two colors... :) A lot of my winter wardrobe needs a re-haul... so I'm not regretting any of these purchases. We also bought some really fun tickets that I can't tell you about yet! :)

So, I suppose that's mostly what I have been up to. Otherwise just really feeling the urge to de-clutter and be healthy. It's like a "new year" vibe or a "spring fever" but in October. Weird...

What have you been up to?!

XO,

Alexandra