Beautiful November /  by Kate Brightbill

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Today we were walking past a million leaves and my children begged us to let them play for five minutes with the leaves. The begging was unnecessary. It was a dreamy scenario for any kid and we had nowhere to be {ahhh, I'm savoring the blissful last days before school begins and forces us to adhere to regimented schedules}, so obviously we said yes. 

Also obviously, I took pictures of every bit of their excitement. It was one of those moments where our hearts were all so bright and content and grateful all at once. 

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(Maggie didn't quite realize that when said 1-2-3!!! It meant it was time to throw the leaves). 

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xoxo.

Deep Thoughts: Corner Stores /  by Kate Brightbill

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This series is brought to you by "things I think about more than I should and it's time to put to writing." Not deep at all.

San Francisco has corner stores everywhere. In most neighborhoods you can find a small market within a few short blocks of walking. This, my friends, is a corner store. When we were kids, we scoped out the best corner stores for 25 cent bags of chips and lemonheads, and ohhh, BubbleYum... responsible for about 65% of all cavities for children born in the 80's. A different corner store was responsible for supplying us with 5-cent "sour power" which came before sour belts and sour patch kids, and far better than sour straws. Corner stores have always had their place in my life. 

They say you never know the good things until they're gone. True that. The corner store near our old home was that GOOD thing in the world of corner stores. The best deal on lunchmeats! Fresh fruit salad! Delicious sandwiches! And most importantly: the kindest people ever.

My corner stores {we have four options going all different directions} are all more standard. Subpar. They're there for you when you need a last-minute meal, and you peruse Pinterest to find that incredible recipe that requires five or fewer ingredients so you don't have to actually trek extra blocks to the real stores. These stores are there for you. 

BUT... they also may have only 7 avocados to choose from, half over-ripe {good luck!}. They may only have the white beans that need to boil for three hours, and they may charge 50% more than they should, but they're there for me. Sometimes I absolutely love them {tortilla chips on taco night!}, sometimes I absolutely hate them {$2 for a CAN of white beans!?}, but they're there for me. 

The question and the REAL reason for this entire post and what I ask myself every time: 

What is cheaper, really?

If I go to Trader Joes, I'll probably go for - say, oranges- and then get in there and say to myself, oooh, but the CHEESE. The cheese needs crackers! Or bread! Or both.... and we probably should have some cinnamon almonds in the house too... 

SO the quick run for oranges at the grocery store is $20. 

I've answered my own question... I should have picked the corner store. $3 oranges. 

Yes on the price. Yes on the calories. Over and out. 

xoxo.

 

All About: Bumblebean /  by Kate Brightbill

I curated a fun list of cute things for kiddos- girls AND boys, (imagine that!)- over at bumblebean.com! 

Bumblebean is a great site for learning about new brands for kids' clothing, toys, baby goods, and new mothers. Once you've perused the site for a bit, it's simple to create lists for yourself to remember items you've seen, which you can go back later and purchase directly! It's like a wish list that you can make public or private and keep all in one little space on the internet.

It's fun! It's simple! Go see for yourself... HERE!

xoxo