Halloween is quite different this year. One we are in a new house and new neighborhood. Two our best friends are also in a new house and new neighborhood. So trick or treating was different. We also had more and different spaces we could decorate. Three Melody really understood things more and was super excited. She picked her own costume and asked to go trick or treating every day of the entire month of October, ha!
So I based this recipe on one that a fellow instagrammer (@xoashleyvictoria) posted in her stories a while back. It is fairly healthy, and it is really yummy!
Emily did a Paw Patrol themed birthday party for Lydia’s third birthday. I helped her out by making a few items using my Silhouette Cameo machine. One of which was a Happy Birthday banner. I used the Paw Patrol font for “Happy Birthday”. Then I made shields with the number 3 on each side. It was simple yet super cute!
So now that we are all moved into our new house, we are currently “making it our own”. We have unpacked, but now we need to paint and decorate. We decided to do Melody’s room first. It was the easiest, and we already had everything to do it except the paint.
We love good homemade ice cream, and when we were given an electric automatic ice cream maker as a wedding present we were thrilled. This is so much easier than rock salt and all that other fuss. You simply freeze the insert overnight, then it’s ready to go. This recipe is also super easy and inexpensive. Even Melody loved it, and she is picky about homemade desserts!
For Melody’s third birthday, we had a Snow White themed party. As far as decor went, I played off the Snow White colors and apples. I also included lots of pictures of Melody dressed like Snow White. And I even added in some of her toys.
On a trip to Montgomery this summer with my mom, we tried Urban Cookhouse. It was literally next door and we were able to walk there after my mom got off of work. We actually have an Urban Cookhouse here in Huntsville too. We arrived around 6:30 pm or so. While not posted on the door, this location apparently recently starting closing at 7 pm. They were even turning people away not long after we ordered which was a total surprise. As a business, you don’t turn people away. Especially before you have officially closed.
One of my most favorite parts about our new house is the back porch. We now have a HUGE back porch that is COVERED!! Our previous house didn’t have any awning what so ever, and it was fairly small what porch we did have. So fixing up our back porch was one of the first things I wanted to do!
One of the side dishes that I LOVE at Baumhower's Wings is their grilled potatoes. They are great with butter and sour cream, but amazing with ranch. So we decided to recreate them at home. And honestly, it is now my absolute favorite way to cook potatoes!
On a trip to Montgomery this summer, we stopped by Wharf Casual Seafood for dinner. The menu looked great online, and the location was ideal to where our hotel was located. It was also next door to where my mom would be working that evening.
The first restaurant we visited while at the beach this summer was a new one, Shunk Gulley. Brad’s parents suggested it because they had eaten there before. It was easy to get to (it’s also on 30A), it provides a lot to do before and after (although we didn’t really explore on this trip), and it’s really kid friendly. We ate here our very first night, so we were all tired and just unpacked. There were also 9 of us, but surprisingly we were seated almost immediately which is amazing for a Saturday night!
On our trip to Disney in August, we tried something different. We opted to stay off property, but at a Disney Springs hotel. The main reason for this was cost. We used Hilton points to pay for our room which dramatically reduced the cost of our trip.
I love wings, but I am very particular about them. My absolute favorite are from Baumhower’s Wings. And while we have one here in Huntsville, it isn’t the most convenient to where we live. So for a football game recently I decided to make my own. There are actually two recipes below. I like my wings with a dry rub on them. Brad prefers his wings with a wet sauce on them. So I included both versions. I will say, the dry version needs some adjustment to the baking powder. While they tasted amazing, the baking powder was a bit overwhelming. And next time I hope to find the wings separated. Publix on had them as a whole wing :(
Just like years’ past, I made another Halloween Happy for Melody. We gave it to Melody at the first of October so she could use everything the entire month.
While at the beach back in July, we visited two ice cream places on 30A. One we walked to, and the other we rode the golf cart. We ended up at Buddy’s Ice Cream because the line was SO long at the one across from our hotel, and Melody really wanted to ride the golf cart. We just had dinner at Goat Feathers, and it was right across the street from there. So we headed that way and gave it at try!
The summer we enrolled Melody in swim lessons again. Last year we did “lessons” at our local Y. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the setup there, and I wanted to go a different route. So this year we hired a private instructor for Melody and Lydia!
We love making Smores, but making them outside isn’t really the best option. So we make them in the microwave. It’s super easy, not messy, and doesn’t require any fire, ha. The fire is Melody’s favorite part, but we just save that for camping!
For Melody’s 3rd birthday party we were faced with a dilemma…what do we do with all of the kids. For Melody’s first birthday party, she was obviously so young, and there were not that many kids. And the kids that did come were young too. We had a few things outside that Melody played with, but the kids primarily stayed inside and toddled. For Melody’s second birthday party, we had it at my best friend’s house due to our remodel, and there were three kids. That was easy.
While at Disney back in AUGUST, they already had the Halloween snacks out. I took a few pictures throughout our trip of the snacks, but the only thing I had was the apple. And it was amazing as always. I LOVE white chocolate! There are WAY MORE snacks than the ones below. Lots of restaurants have specialty ones along with ones offered at the Halloween parties. But below are a few you can find this year!
