DownEast Women

***Giveaway is now closed.***

Hi there. I'm back with another DownEast review. This time it's for the ladies.

What do you think of my skirt? I think it goes with just about everything and is perfect for fall. It looks and feels like wool, but it is really a washable cotton/poly blend. Some day I will own fancy dry-clean only wool skirts, but not while I have little kids living in my house. I like the interesting darts and the full lining and the fact that it is gray, which is so much easier for me to wear than black. My only complaint is that it was too long. Or maybe I am too short? Whatever the case, a few minutes at the sewing machine fixed it right up. And now I am tempted to wear it more often than I should.

I have good news! The nice people at DownEast think one lucky reader deserves a little something new, too. Hey, it could be you!

Here's what you need to do:
Browse DownEast. They have some great new things this season! Then come back to this post and leave a comment telling me your favorite item for fall. For an extra entry, you can like DownEast on Facebook. Just make sure you leave an additional comment telling me that you've done it. Do all of this before Tuesday, October 4th at 10 pm Mountain Standard time. I will announce the winner first thing Wednesday morning. Good luck!

p.s. Don't forget, today is the last day to enter the DownEast Girl giveaway. Have you entered? Winner will be announced tomorrow.

swiiings!

Last night, Elliot rediscovered the swings after a terribly long summer spent indoors. I don't know if you can tell, but he loved it. :)

We're hopeful that the daytime highs will leave the hundreds for good soon. Please?

Now that they're older, I like them quite a lot.

Let me tell you something. When I was little, my brothers used to drive me crazy. I realize now that's just what brothers do. If you have brothers, then you understand. But now I really like them!

Would you like to meet them?

Elliott, on the left, is the oldest. He is a businessman and father of 5. He is married to Ginger, who likes to reupholster furniture in her spare time. Much to my delight they just moved a few minutes down the road from us. Previously, they lived in Indiana, which is significantly farther away than a few minutes. We are so happy to have them in our town! (Side note: my baby shares his name, but not his spelling. My Elliot only has one t.)

Matthew, in the middle, is a graphic designer and father of 4. He is the only one of my siblings who still lives in southern California, where we grew up. He likes to surf, and I am just waiting until his surfboard shaping side job becomes his main gig. His wife, Katie, is the superwoman behind Singers Company.

After Matthew, comes Leslie, then me, then Lincoln, on the right. Lincoln is in his final year of dental school in Las Vegas, and is baby David's daddy. My kids call him "Guggle" and he is the nicest, most easy going guy you will ever meet. He is married to Mimi, who has enough energy in her little body to move mountains.

Julianne is the baby, and now that she is married, I think we are all officially grown up.


There, now I feel like we know each other a little bit better.

DownEast Girl

***Giveaway is now closed.***

This time it was Stella's turn.

DownEast Girl sent Stella this cute ruffled cardigan to try out. Stella loves it because it is pink. I love it because it is just the right layering piece for an Arizona fall (meaning: it is just like wearing a long sleeved tee, and heaven knows we don't need much more than that around here for a while). Stella turns four soon, and this size 4 cardigan is quite roomy on her. Hopefully that just means it will fit her until spring, so she'll get plenty of wear out of it. I always buy my kids' clothes a tad big, don't you?

Listen, do you have a girl in your life who could use a little something new from DownEast this fall? Well, I have good news! DownEast is giving away an item from their Girls' line to a lucky reader!


To enter:
Browse DownEast Girl. Then come back to this post and leave a comment telling me your favorite girls' item for fall. For an extra entry, you can like DownEast on Facebook. Just make sure you leave an additional comment telling me that you've done it. Do all of this before Thursday, September 29th at 10 pm Mountain Standard time. I will announce the winner first thing Friday morning. Good luck!


p.s. Don't forget DownEast's Live for Pink campaign that is going on right now. Until October 16th, for every limited edition pink tee they sell, they will donate half of the proceeds to Breast Cancer Awareness. You can read more about it here. I think it is fantastic.

p.p.s. If you don't have a girl in your life, don't worry. A giveaway for you is coming soon!

Oliver

 

If there could be a middle child in our family of 4, it would have to be Oliver. Mabel is the oldest, Stella is the most dramatic, and Elliot is the baby. That leaves this boy, quiet and easy, somewhere in the middle of it all. He turned 7 this month, and I can't stand that he is getting older. He is Mabel's best friend, Elliot's hero, and Stella's foe. And I'm not sure what we would do without him.

5 happy things

this little face

an early morning run

the first day of fall

peach crisp fresh out of the oven

a trip to the airport to pick up Mike!

fourteen years and a few days ago

Maybe I'm getting more sentimental as the years go by, or maybe it's because Mike is away on his once-a-year business trip and I miss him, but all day long I've been thinking about when we first met. It was fourteen years ago this month. In other words, we were babies.

Our meeting took place like this:

First: the grass outside of the old entrance to the library at BYU, Freshman Orientation Week. I see a boy in a blue Halley's Comet tee and a backpack. He is alone. I am with my brand new friends, standing on the steps that lead down to the grass. We are in a crowd, but amazingly, there is no one between us. I have a clear view of his bright blue eyes. We smile.

Second: passing through the Canon Center, Helaman Halls. I see that boy again. This time he is walking with a girl. I probably hate her. (I don't really.) Could he possibly live in my dorm? (He didn't.)

Third: Club Omni, Provo's hottest (and only) dance spot. It's ladies night. And there he is, dressed to the nines in disco attire. He is standing with a friend, watching some break dancers. I think that maybe if I go stand next to him, he'll notice me. (He doesn't.)

Fourth: the Fall Fling. I am dancing with my sister and some friends. The entire population of Provo surrounds us. I can't believe it, but there he is, dancing right next to me. I whisper to my sister that this is the boy I keep seeing everywhere. A slow song comes on. She makes me ask him to dance. (I do.)


I know this sounds lame, but I knew there was something special about him the first time I saw him. My first semester at BYU was spent strategically being in the right place so that I would "bump" into him between classes. And then he moved home. And went on a mission. And I dated some other guys. I will forever be grateful that he forgot that I had stopped writing him halfway through his mission and called me when he got home.

He is the best thing that ever happened to me.


Ok. Your turn. What's your story?

a weekend report

I wasn't quite ready to say goodbye to my white dress for the season, so I gave it another go at church on Sunday. I think the "no white after Labor Day" rule shouldn't apply in states where it lingers near 100 degrees until Halloween. Am I right, or am I right?

This weekend was great fun. My sisters-in-law and I hosted a baby shower for Mike's youngest sister and I didn't take one picture of it. But trust me, it was really nice, and the food was plentiful and delicious. (Thank you, Abbie, for doing most of the work!) Baby Hazel can be born any day now, please. We are anxious to meet her.

Then Mike and I went to a little neighborhood get-together to celebrate the end of a very long, hot summer. (The end of summer is definitely a cause for celebration around here.) I love our neighbors. They are the best kind of people, and it was so fun to talk and laugh with them until nearly nine o'clock at night.

We are old. :)

What did you do this weekend?

I'd like to eat him.

The light was just right tonight. And it wasn't hot. So we all make the trek across the street to pick Mabel up from her friend's house.

This little guy was just happy to be alive and outside and wearing shoes.

We survived another summer.

Monday night we went for a family walk and we didn't even get sweaty. It's not supposed to reach 100 degrees all week. The night time lows have dipped into the 70s. I'm making pumpkin chocolate chip cookies today. And when I walked out of my door at five o'clock this morning, it felt slightly crisp.

What I'm trying to say, is that I am pretty sure fall is here in the desert and I am just so glad.

Tea Collection

I first heard of the children's clothing company Tea Collection years ago when Stella was a baby. My mom picked up a few outfits for her and I was very impressed with their quality and unique style. When Tea contacted me a few weeks ago to see if I would be interested in reviewing some clothing for my children, I immediately said yes.

Mabel was the lucky one.

 the Flores de Calabaza top

the Polanco Chambray dress

Their current collection was inspired by modern Mexico. I am in love with a lot of it, and had a hard time choosing what to order. We ended up with the Flores de Calabaza top and the Polanco Chambray dress. Mabel loves them both. She says that the top is very comfortable, and keeps her cool on these hot school days. The dress is my favorite. I even looked at their sizing guide to see if I could possibly squeeze myself into the largest size. (I couldn't. Boo.) It would be great with a pair of leggings or some tights. The quality is top notch, and the style is classic. I have a hunch that once Mabel outgrows them, these will make the cut and be saved for Stella.

Other than a little mix up with my order, I was very pleased with my entire Tea Collection experience. The items arrived quickly and were just what I was expecting.

p.s. They sell boy's clothes, too.

some things, including rolls

It seems like every Sunday I find myself making a batch of rolls for dinner at Mike's parents' house. I don't mind one bit because I don't think there is anything more delicious than a homemade roll straight from the oven. I thought I'd share the recipe below in case you'd like to try them, too.

Leslie is finally home from England (she stayed for almost a week longer than I did) and has started posting about her trip on her family blog. If you'd like to see more photos from Julianne's wedding, or more England scenery, check it out.

Are you on instagram? It is just about my favorite thing these days. I even like it better than blogging! Shocking! My handle is barefootstephco. Let's be friends.


Soft Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls, from The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook

2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour (I use white whole wheat)
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons SAF yeast, or 2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

1. Place all the ingredients in the pan according to the order in the manufacturer's instructions. Program for the Dough cycle; press start.

2. Grease a 9x13 inch pan. When the cycle is finished, remove dough from the machine. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half, then roll each half into a 2 to 3 inch cylinder. With a metal dough scraper or a chef's knife, cut the cylinder into 8 equal portions. (8 equal portions makes a very generous sized roll. Sometimes I divide each cylinder into 12 portions instead.) Repeat with the second cylinder. Shape each portion like a miniature load by patting it into an oval, then rolling up from a short side. Place the rolls in the pan with their long sides touching. Brush with melted butter (about 2 or 3 tablespoons), cover loosely, and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

4. Place pan in the center of the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. (Mine are usually done after about 18-20 minutes.) Remove from the pan and let cool on a rack. Serve warm.

scenes from my kitchen

Even though it's still 108 degrees outside, fall must be in the air, because I started cleaning my kitchen today and I couldn't stop. I needed my counter tops cleared and my walls bare. I needed everything off my fridge and my pantry organized. I even washed the curtains. For some reason fall cleaning always hits a bit harder at our house than the spring version.

Watch out closets, I'm on a roll.

the time when I pretended to be a wedding photographer

The ceremony was inside this beautiful chapel, which is part of Toni's college at Oxford.

Toni chose the flowers, and I made the ring pillow.

During the ceremony, Julianne read a poem and Toni read a scripture. She found her 100 year old dress online and it fit her perfectly. Isn't it stunning?

At the last moment, she realized that she didn't have any stockings to wear. So I lent her mine. She then had something old (her dress), something new (her shoes), something borrowed (my stockings), and something blue (the pretty velvet ribbon on her dress). Leslie, my mom, and I helped her get ready in my parents' little hotel room just down the street from the chapel.

Mr. and Mrs. Weis with my mom and dad.

some post-ceremony candids

Miles was the ring bearer in his handsome suit. The entire H* family made the trip.

The reception was held in the rector's garden. A traditional British tea was served. It was so pretty and very delicious. Scones! Clotted cream! I didn't eat nearly enough.

These two are very much in love.

My siblings were all able to come, thanks to our wonderfully supportive spouses. That's Elliott, Lincoln, Toni, Jooj, Leslie, me, and Matthew. Toni is a special guy and he fits right into our family. I am so happy to have him as my brother.

When not doing wedding things, we toured the grounds at Blenheim Palace, wandered around the little town of Woodstock, and walked all over Oxford. England is one of my favorite places to visit, and this trip was a dream. Next time, though, I'm bringing Mike and the kids. 

my sister's wedding, instagram style

My beautiful little sister married her love last March at City Hall in New York City. This weekend, family and friends gathered in Oxford, England, where Julianne and Toni met, and where they will live for the next three years as they complete their doctorate programs, to celebrate their marriage.

It was fantastic.

the bride :: our weekend accommodations

 Christ Church Meadow :: the happy couple

exchanging rings in the chapel at Exeter College :: Julianne's 100 year old dress

my brothers + nephew walking the streets of Woodstock :: a teeny little house I'd love to call my own

the bridge at Blenheim Palace with a classic British sky :: just another view in old Oxford 

"New" college at Oxford :: a pretty wall

the Bodleian :: Christ Church Cathedral

more of Oxford :: the old library, scene of the Wedding Dinner

one of the colleges :: pretty skies on my long flight home

I left Mike and the kids at home, which made the trip easy. But traveling alone is highly overrated. I missed my little family!

Leslie and I were the unofficial wedding photographers. Stay tuned for photos from my real camera soon.

day twenty: Sunday shoes

This one is a piece of cake, as I am attending my sister's wedding today. Sunday shoes are a must. I hope it doesn't rain! I'm pretty pleased with how my dress turned out. I think it's just right for a wedding in an old English chapel followed by tea in the garden, don't you think? After the past twenty days, you can't possibly be surprised that I chose pale pink.

I'm skipping out on the final day of the challenge, but I'll be back soon with a full report of my trip.

p.s. I used Simplicity 2180, if you feel inclined to make one for yourself. I'd highly recommend it.

on my way

I'm headed to this pretty place today. Hooray! I'm planning on taking lots of pictures and buying my kids really great souvenirs.

I have one last outfit to post while I'm away. Stay tuned. . .