FALL BUCKET LIST

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Everybody loves fall! My husband and I decided that we needed to put together a list of things we should do for this fun time of year. 

Here is our list!

-When making a Fall Bucket List: Be sure to add things that are specific to your area, or any family tradition you may have for this time of year!

I will add a few posts about some of these items later :]

-Karianna

Up-cycle inspiration

Hey Everyone! We are so excited to have moved over to a WordPress site! It gives us a lot more options and we think you will enjoy it! Head on over to 

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Fall is my favorite time of year! The change in temperature, that special smell in the air, the super cute fall decor, it all just makes me feel extra crafty and my baking addiction comes out in full force. But, I've been dragging this year. I blame it on my sweet baby girl and her night owl ways.  So even though autumn was in full swing, I just couldn't find my inspiration.  That is until Karianna put her super cute, super trendy, super fall appropriate, wreath on her door! You guys would not believe how cute her wreath is. I had to make one.

The only problem, I had no budget to spend on a new wreath base and all the trimmings.  What's a girl to do?

Up-cycle Yo!

I had a wreath that I had purchased end of season years ago... Like six years ago... That I had held on to but was too embarrassed to actually put up. It wasn't that it was terrible, it was just a little juvenile. But the bones were good.  So I kept it.

Using the fire Karianna's wreath success had lit under me, I pulled out various old flowers, twine and a scrap of lace I had hanging around.  A few magical hours later, a completely re-designed wreath from materials randomly collected from the various craft storage nooks and crannies around the house, and 'viola! A fall wreath I actually like.

Fall in a Mason Jar

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I always liked fall, really I did. But it wasn't until this year, that I really fell in LOVE with fall. Did anyone else experience this? Fall 2013 has a whole new meaning to me! The colors seams EXTRA bright, the air felt EXTRA crisp, and I think there was an EXTRA need to wear sweaters everywhere.

I realized as soon as September was coming to a close, that I needed to put up as many fall decorations as my tiny apartment could handle. Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration. 

Here are a few ideas of fall decorations you can throw together with all those mason jars you have laying around your house.

1. Grab some candy! 

Be careful. Our Reese's Pieces jar only lasted about 3 days. My hubby and I couldn't keep our hands off! 

2. Found this cute pinecone/plastic pumpkin filler at Wal*Mart for just a couple of dollars.

(sorry for the terrible phone pictures, I need to invest in a nice camera!)

3. Wrap it up with twine and add fall flowers!

Have fun decorating! What are some ways that you like to decorate with Mason Jars?

-Karianna

How To: Pick a Name for Your Blog

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A name says it all, so a few months ago when my best friend/next door neighbor and I decided it was time for us to start a blog, we made sure the name would be a fantastic one.

We got together one afternoon while her oldest boy was taking his nap, took care of our new baby girls, and brainstormed for several hours.

I don’t know if it was our postpartum brain-dead minds or what, but we struggled to find a good one. However, we definitely got a kick out of all the silly names we came across. Here is our process – Hopefully some of our tips will work for you! {Remember! Anytime you think of an AWESOME NAME, you need to go check to see if another genius blogger has thought the way you have. No use in getting all excited over something that has been taken already.}

Step 1: Think of words that describe what you are blogging about or something that will tell a little something about you. It can also be a word has a special place in your heart. (If you want to learn a little more about us, to better understand some of our word choices, click HERE).

Here are examples of words that we found fitting for us.

Wives. Lifestyle. Improvements. Duplex. Mothers. Friends. Creating. Eating. Exercise. Health. Lawn. Grass.

Step 2: Begin experimenting with these words. One of our better ideas was Runaway Housewives.
And… some of our worst. Urban Grass Buddies.  Testing Besties.

Maybe you will find the name you are looking for with just Steps 1 & 2. If you have not obtained your PERFECT BLOG NAME by this point, please continue.

Step 3: Think of some trendy words/things.

Examples: Coral. Mint. Mason Jars. Damask.
Some of our flops that came from these include: The Minty Stripe, Coral Creations and Don’t Ask Damask

Step 4: Look through the dictionary. Looking through the dictionary may inspire you. Begin by flipping through the pages of the dictionary, and reading off words and compile some that you like. The winning word that we came across was TANGERINE. We liked the way it sounded. So we began to play around with it.

Step 5: Experiment again with words. We thought of a few different variations with this word.
Between the Tangerine.
Keen Tangerine.
Tumbling Tangerine.
Tangerine Cuisine (maybe if our blog was only about food)

And finally, we settled on SUNNY TANGERINE.

We think it’s pretty classy too :]

Step 6: Sit on it. No, not literally. No need to stick you notepad under your butt. What I mean is: wait. Give it a few of days before you go domain crazy and purchase your new site. Wait it out. If in a few of days you still love it. THEN you got it!

Repeat any or all of Steps 1-6 if necessary.

-Karianna 

A Little Background

Hey Everyone! We are so excited to have moved over to a WordPress site! It gives us a lot more options and we think you will enjoy it! Head on over to 

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to continue following us! See you there!

Mike and I moved into our cute little half of a duplex in June of 2011, right after we tied the knot. It is our first home, and we love it so much we never want to leave. Kirsten, Fred & their son moved in on the other side that December.

A few days after Fred and Kirsten moved in, Mike and I went over to introduce ourselves and welcome them to the area. We didn't see each other much that winter due to everyone being busy with school, work and running households. 

It wasn't until the next spring that we really started to get to know each other. One afternoon, we found ourselves chatting outside on the front lawn. We discovered that both Kirsten & I enjoyed doing yoga. Kirsten invited me to start going with her in the mornings.

Our friendship exploded and we immediately became great friends. Over the next few months, we grew closer. We would talk about everything. When the subject of having a baby came up, both of us thought that our families were several months away from starting that journey. 

At the end of August, both of us tested positive on our pregnancy tests! Not even planned!  This brings us to our unique situation. Two neighbors. We share a wall. Both of us were pregnant. Due one day apart in May 2013 (However, our babies were born 10 days apart). To top it, a few months down the road, we found out that we were both having girls. And both of us were able to quit our day jobs and be full-time moms. 

Neither one of us can explain this crazy situation. We just feel very blessed to have each other as neighbors. Our families love each other and we have all become one big family. Our families love hanging out on the lawn together, we often eat at each others for dinner, and while our husbands are working, Kirsten and I and our kids love to get together and hang out. Often we find ourselves, cooking, crafting, working out, and cleaning together. 

This all led us to our decision to blog. We are both imperfect and trying to better ourselves daily. We wanted to do something that encouraged us to get out of our comfort zone and try new things. Blogging about it keeps us accountable for seeking out our new adventures. And everything is always easier when you have a friend to do it with you. 

So, here you are, welcome to our blog. We're pretty excited to have you here! Hope you enjoy what you find!

Mike, Karianna, and Evelynn

Fred, Kirsten, Liam, and Josefine