Our weekend started out on the busier side on Saturday but by Sunday afternoon, we were ready to put on our pajamas nice and early and hunker down at home.
Saturday
Saturday morning began with a workout! I took the vast majority of last week off from the gym thanks to my travels to Vermont coupled with my desire to spend as much time as possible with my parents during their short visit. It felt good to give my body a break but by Saturday morning I was craving some movement. Burn Boot Camp delivered a total body conditioning workout that left me feeling energized and ready for a fun day ahead.
I quickly came home to shower before Ryan, Chase and I had plans to attend Braydon’s second birthday party. Alexis and Dan planned a birthday party brunch, complete with doughnuts, toys, bubbles and cake.
The highlight of the party came around 10 a.m. when Dan magically reappeared dressed in an Elmo costume which captivated the kids and magically didn’t make any of them cry. We had to laugh pretty hard at the clearly-too-small costume that looked more like Elmo capris than a full Elmo costume on Dan’s tall frame, but he stayed in character for a solid 20 minutes, using a high-pitched voice to read to the kids and doling out high fives left and right.
The party was a lot of fun and I enjoyed catching up with friends while the sugar kicked in and our kids ran around like crazy and tried to jump on bubbles.
We said our goodbyes a little before noon and made our way to the store to pick up a few things I needed to make cornbread and honey butter for Saturday night’s chili cook off. On our way to the grocery store, we passed a small pumpkin patch run by a local boy scout group and made a quick pit-stop to pick up a couple of small pumpkins and snap a few photos since the little patch was so cute!
We swapped family photos with another family at the patch (my favorite way to get all of us in a pic together!) and then headed to the grocery store for cornbread essentials before driving home.
Once the cornbread was baked and cooling and Chase sleeping, I leashed Sadie up for an afternoon walk while Ryan tackled his to-do list.
The weather on Saturday was beautiful. It warmed up throughout the day but hovered in the low 70s through the mid-afternoon. Perfect walking weather! I walked Sadie while listening to my favorite podcast (Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me) and we covered around three miles.
By the time we made it home, Chase was awake and playing trains with Ryan. I quickly changed and rounded up the food we were bringing to the chili cook off and we headed out! We arrived at my friend Carrie’s parents’ house to find nearly 14 crockpots full of chili and plenty of toppings, appetizers and snacks to enjoy. I added my cornbread to the cornbread table crossed my fingers it would taste okay and do well in the cornbread competition since I had never made the recipe before and didn’t get a chance to try it before the party.
Chase had no trouble entertaining himself at the party since three of his best buddies were there which meant Ryan and I had a chance to relax a bit and soak up some quality time with a few of our closest friends.
Soon after the sun went down, the votes were calculated and the winning chili – a white chicken chili – was announced. The cornbread winner was announced second and I completely owe my victory to you guys and your recipe recommendations! Thank you!!! A few of you recommended the same recipe that involved creamed corn, sour cream and a seriously doctored-up box of Jiffy corn muffin mix and I revamped it a bit by adding sea salt and honey. If you’d like me to share my rendition of the recipe on the blog, please let me know and I’ll work on a cornbread post ASAP! Carrie’s parents’ awarded the cutest prizes to the first, second and third place winners and I’m now the proud owner of a fancy schmancy wooden spoon and serving board.
Eventually it was time to say our goodbyes and put our overly-wired toddler to bed, so we thanked Carrie’s parents’ for such a fun night and headed home. I wasn’t very sleepy by the time we crawled into bed, so I ended up reading for a few hours and finished The Woman in Cabin 10 around midnight. There sure were a lot of twists in that one!
Sunday
Sunday morning began on the lazy side with coffee and pancakes in our pajamas. We eventually got dressed and made our way out the door a little after 9 a.m. to attend our church’s early morning service. It was a wonderful service and the message focused on not looking for acceptance from others and knowing we are fully loved and accepted by God. In a world where it’s so easy to fall into the comparison trap and base our value on the opinions of others or things like social media “likes,” it was a breath of fresh air. The service concluded with the song “What A Beautiful Name” which I absolutely adore.
After the service, we drove up to Carrigan Farms for a hayride to a big pumpkin patch!
The experience was awesome and Chase LOVED the hayride. He was fascinated by the tractor and kept waving to the driver. Aside from a minor meltdown when it was time to leave which resulted in Chase crying “HAYRIIIIIIIDE!” as we buckled him into his car seat, I’d consider the trip a success!
The hayride took us from the main barn to the pumpkin patch, with a short stop to visit some farm animals along the way.
We left with three large pumpkins and apple cider and made a quick stop for some doughnuts before we arrived home around 1 p.m.
Once we were back home, I whipped up a quick lunch thanks to Lindsay’s recipe for Shrimp Curry Noodle Bowls and we dug in! (Side note: I have made that recipe no less than four times since she posted it on her blog two weeks ago! LOVE it.) After lunch, Chase went down for his nap, Ryan headed off to the gym with a friend and I sat down at the computer to work. By the time everyone was home and ready for action, I was ready for a break, so we took our party outside and spent most of the afternoon walking Sadie and playing at a local park before dinner.
Dinner was a delicious delicata squash penne pasta dish I made thanks to our most recent Blue Apron delivery (not sponsored, we just love it) and I officially need more delicata squash in my life! We wrapped up the night the usual way: Bath + books for Chase before bed followed by reading in bed and an early bedtime for me and Ryan.
As for today… It’s picture day at Chase’s preschool! I cannot wait to see his pictures and I think they’ll either be a hot mess or completely adorable… but then again sometimes the disaster pictures are the absolute best, so hopefully it’s a win either way!
Hope you guys have a great Monday!
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What a perfect way to celebrate Fall with a pumpkin patch and chili cook off! And congrats on the winning cornbread!
So much fun! My son would have loved Elmo so much! We also went to a chili contest this weekend and it was so much fun trying all the chili!
P.S. Ya’ll are the cutest family!
What a fun weekend! Sounds like a blast.
That sounds like my perfect weekend 🙂 I think it’s actually supposed to cool off here a little this week so manybe it begin to feel like Fall!
I would love the cornbread recipe!! I actually made a turkey pumpkin chili yesterday (so good this time of year!) and made some cornbread to go along with it, but thought the cornbread was rather bland. I grew up on the Jiffy box mix which I still enjoy, but would love a go-to recipe. Sounds like you had a busy but great weekend!
Oh and I meant to comment before and tell you that I made your pumpkin icebox cake recipe for a dinner with family and friends a couple of weekends ago and it was a big hit! I made it with gingersnap cookies because I couldn’t find Biscoff cookies at the store where I was, but I want to try it again with Biscoff cookies sometime. It got a lot of compliments, and it was perfect for the weather that day because it was warm outside, but I wanted to make something with fall flavors.
I’m so glad everyone liked it!!! And I love the gingersnap substitution — sounds perfect!
You certainly did have a fun fall weekend! I love going to the Cidermill for donuts, cider, pumpkins and hay rides. The chili cook off party is such a cool idea! I want to host one next year.
Congrats on your cornbread win!! I make something like that at Thanksgiving with the creamed corn– it’s the most requested recipe!
You seem to always have the most fun-filled weekends! I would absolutely love a cornbread post! I typically just use the jiffy box which is simply okay.
Totally agree — I’ve used the box mix and followed the directions on the side panel in the past and it was just kind of meh. But this version was SO much better!! I’ll definitely share ASAP!
Please post the recipe!
What a classic fall weekend! Our local farm is having a pumpkin and chili festival all month long and I think your post convinced me to check ours out. White chicken chili sounds delicious (doesn’t that contain cream cheese? :)) and your cornbread sounds fantastic too!!
I’ve been having a “what do I want to eat” slump and the shrimp curry noodle balls you mentioned sound like it’s going to hit the spot. Happy Monday!
I would love to get the cornbread recipe!
What a fun fall weekend – your family is absolutely adorable!
I can’t believe none of the children cried when Elmo came out – that’s gotta be a first!
Please share a cornbread post!
Loved reading about all of your fall festivities! A chili cookoff sounds like the best kind of party! Would love to hear about your cornbread recipe 🙂
What an awesome fall weekend you had! I always love reading about your weekends because you always have so much fun and do so many activities!! Yay on the cornbread win!! Please share that winning recipe with us 😉 My nephew has picture day at his preschool this Wednesday and I am so excited to see his pictures!! I bet Chase is going to be so adorable in his pictures, as he is always so sweet in every picture you post of him! Have a great Monday, Julie! Xoxo
I would love to see your winning recipe! I’m looking to modify a cornbread recipe to make it gluten free and slightly nutritious so I’m definitely interested in checking out different recipes (esp since yours was obviously a hit!).
What adorable family photos!!
Love love love “what a beautiful name”. it’s one of my favorite songs we do at church. Makes me
Cry every time I hear it.
I was definitely crying at the end of the service yesterday. It hits me hard every time. <3
Congrats on the cornbread victory! I’d love to see the recipe. It’s definitely getting to be chili weather (my favorite time of year!). I have your pumpkin blender muffins on my radar for this week. Hope Chase’s pics turn out well!
Congrats on your win! I’d love to see a post about cornbread!!
http://www.themilestraveled.com
Congrats on the cornbread win! My mom has an old recipe that she uses and it’s always so good.
Sounds like you had a perfect FALL weekend!
“…the message focused on not looking for acceptance from others and knowing we are fully loved and accepted by God.”
Thank you Julie for stating this TRUTH today. I wasn’t able to attend my church yesterday and I have been struggling the past week with feeling less than in a lot of areas of my life and this just brings it all back into actual perspective. People are going to fail us time and time again, but God doesn’t. He will be there for us no matter what. Thanks again. I love your blog.
I love that red plaid top – where did you get it?
Can you do a favorite makeup/skin care post sometime? You always look just radiant!
Oh yes. please please please post the cornbread recipe!
Looks like the most perfect fall weekend. I love your outfits – especially that maxi jean skirt!
Hello Julie,
Please post your winning cornbread recipe on the blog…YOUR rendition, complete with the creamed corn, sour cream, sea salt and honey!! I want to make it for Thanksgiving this year. Thank you!
What a fun fall weekend! Our friends host a pulled pork cook-off, so we went to that Saturday night and had so much fun!
Looks like a great fall weekend. Your little family is so cute! I’d love to see a blog post on cornbread. Also, was the winning white chicken chili recipe shared? I have a chili competition next week! =)
Ok, but what happened to the cat!?! (Woman in Cabin 10) Weird read for me. Quick, page turner, but something was “off” for me.
Awn this is so fun!!! It’s so true. I just want to cram this month with apple picking/hiking/pumpkin patches/wineries/and hiking!! Love the pictures of your sweet family!
Love this post! And all the previous several posts. I totally believe you won with that cornbread recipe! We’ve made that same recipe too for our annual Friends Thanksgiving (and our family Thanksgiving) and it is always a HUGE hit! Can’t believe how delicious it tastes, amIright?? And yes, I would like to see your version! It never hurts to have more goodness!
Looks like a really really fun and perfect fall weekend. I love that your friends have such fun parties – so many themes, so many good times! And lol on the tall Elmo! One of my very best friends (my brother from another mother) is a huge guy (6 foot 5!) and for some reason, little kids are totally drawn to him. So seeing your friend with his Elmo high waders on reminds me of my friend. lol So funny. (Also saw your instastory about it – lol)
Re: your last note about Chase’s school pics, and how sometimes the disaster pics are the best, I can attest to that! I have HILARIOUS pics of me and brothers in various stages of unwinding, and they are so funny in retrospect!
Great post as always.
Have you heard the gospel version of “what a beautiful name” yet? Our worship team just started doing that arrangement and it’s SO beautiful.
https://open.spotify.com/track/5ABnPJhVaNfzwzFuyf3Nvb?si=EyqKlcJf
Julie I just realized you look like Blake Lively in the family photo taken on Sunday! So beautiful. Have an amazing week 🙂
Can you post the winning white chicken chili recipe too?? Thanks 🙂
Awesome photos (and story) you have here! They all bring a smile to my face, and congrats on winning the cornbread!
Hi Julie, I would love your cornbread recipe!
I actually don’t think there is possiby a better way to spend a Sunday than eating chili and corn bread. Yes, PLEASE share that recipe! I am currently living in Spain and they just don’t “do” fall here, so I need to make it happen myself…aka make batches of cornbread and eat it alone. Hahaha.
I would love to try out that cornbread recipe while my family is in town for Thanksgiving this year. I would greatly appreciate it if you would post it because I am constantly on the search for the perfect cornbread recipe.
Pleas share your cornbread recipe! I have a doctored Jiffy recipe, but I don’t include sour cream. Sounds like a great addition!
HOORAY FOR WINNING CORNBREAD! I would also love the recipe! And this seems like such a wonderful fall weekend! I also love that both you and Ryan are wearing plaid.
Checking out the recipe for the curry meal. I don’t have a veggie spiralizer. Is it necessary? (Although I don’t know how else to get those vegetables in there!)
Julie, I was just watching one of your Insta-stories. You have the most amazing skin! I know working out and eating healthy play a part, but I’d love a reminder of your skin care routine. I know you’ve posted before but I’d love some tips!
Such a fun weekend! I just LOVE fall! Yes please post your cornbread recipe! I may be making cornbread for our church’s chili cook off too 🙂