Happy Halloween!

We're so excited that Halloween's Finally made it to our house, and we plan on having a holiday full of the best of friends, family, activities, and treats! These three little kiddos are over the moon about dressing up in their costumes that we threw together, and its really impossible not to catch some of the contagious joy and excitement that they are so full of.. though you can't quite see it in the picture below. hahaha

Here's wishing you a fabulous All Hallow's Eve from The Meyers house, mainly from Princess Eleanor, Sophie the Fairy, and the Lion named John:) Thanks for visiting, and I hope you treat yourself today, if even a little!
xo, Em

What We Wore // Civil War Couple - Halloween 2012

Don't worry, I know what year it is:) These are indeed our costumes from last year! I'm sharing them today because first of all I didn't really share them at all last year, because I was planning on being at home with my brand new little one when Halloween hit this year so Martin and I hadn't planned any costumes(sad face), and because I really loved these costumes and I share what I love with you!

Ever since I was little I've loved sewing costumes more than just about anything else (till I started quilting, now that comes in close second:)), but the sad thing about elaborate costumes is that there aren't too many opportunities to actually wear them! Needless to say, Halloween has always been a big deal for me, and I'm so lucky to have found a guy who lets me dress him up to match me every year:) 

Last year as this civil war couple was the first year that we didn't coordinate our costumes as a whole family, so once we'd decided what we wanted to be I started making little plans and collecting fabric and trims, etc for when I would actually start sewing. The most time consuming part of my costume was my dress, and the most painful part was my hat! haha I started with a floppy brimmed straw hat, molded the frame with a wire hanger, and then hot glued all the fabric and trim and things on all in one night, burning my fingers way too many times:( I love how it turned out though! The hoop skirt I bought on amazon, and the parasol I found at a little boutique. Worked perfectly I thought!

Martin's uniform was definitely a big challenge, but I couldn't bring myself to leave out any details once we'd planned how it was going to turn out. His sword (minus the tassles) and cap we bought on amazon, his shirt was from a previous year, and he's had the boots for years.

Overall I really loved how they turned out, and I'm just glad to have a chance to share these fun outfits with you guys:) I also hope that for those of you who didn't realize that I have a huge passion for sewing that you've been set straight! haha I hardly share my projects at all here on the blog, but I'm looking forward to changing that before the year is out:)

Thank you so much for reading today, and I hope that you have a fantastic Halloween tomorrow with friends and or family if that's your thing! We've spent the last week keeping on our toes in case the baby decides to make her appearance, but all the while watching scary movies, carving pumpkins, enjoying apple cider, and snuggling by the fire:) Take care lovely friends!

xo, Emily

P.S. If you want more immediate updates about the baby, its probably best to follow on Instagram! xo

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Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup

Howdy friends, so we've made about 15 different soups in this house so far this Fall, and it's been really fantastic! I love love hot soup and bread season, and if I'm going to go through the motions of cooking a pot of soup, why not chop a little extra here and there and make a huge amount? Especially since I have a gorgeous red 20qt pot just sitting there waiting to be filled with steamy goodness:) That being said, just about every soup we've made has turned quite a large recipe, which is just fine because I can still easily share it with the prospect of you simply cutting it in half or more in order to make less of an insane batch.haha Here's today's:

This soup is really simply to make not only because of the method but also the ingredients are so few! It has such a creamy texture and rich flavor, and even my finicky three year old ate multiple bowls so there's another score! I didn't come up with this recipe out of thin air either just to be clear. My mother made her original version of this soup all the time when we were little, and so when I took it upon myself to make it in our house for the first time I couldn't help but add in tons more of this and a little less of that, throwing in new things and tweaking as we all do according to what we have available and also what we love, and this resulted recipe is really to die for. Give it a try for yourself!

Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup
Ingredients: (makes approx. 14 quarts)
- 8 cups of cooked chicken, chopped
- 16 cups chicken broth
- 10 bullion cubes
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 stick of butter (3/4 cup)
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour (white is fine)
- 10 egg yolks (save the whites for omelets:))
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 8 cups milk
- 6 cups of cooked white rice
- 8 cups of brown instant rice
(Remember that if you're not a huge portion cooker, feel free to simply cut each ingredient in half or thirds, etc to better suit your houses needs. However all the cooking directions remain the same! :))

Method:
Step #1: Start your white rice cooking in a smaller pot, and add your chicken broth, your bullion, salt, pepper, and lemon juice together in your large stock pot and bring to a boil. Once it's boiled for about 5 minutes, turn down to med/low, cover, and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes. 

Step #2: While your rice is cooking and broth boiling, saute your finely chopped onions together with half of your butter till they're nicely caramelized. Add them to the pot with your broth. Melt the rest of your butter in the onion pan and add in your flour, whisking frequently for several minutes till it turns into a thick golden brown paste. Once your broth is through boiling, whisk in your roux and turn the heat up to med/high.   

Step #3: Beat together your yolks, cream, and milk, and slowly pour a cup or two of the hot broth into the cream/egg mixture to heat it up. Finally you're going to pour the cream mixture into your pot, add in your rices and your chopped meat and allow to simmer for another 5-ten minutes. Season a little more with salt and pepper to your liking, and you're all done!

This is such a hearty and satisfying soup, and goes perfectly with some fresh pop-overs or rolls! If you're excited to make the full batch, just remember to check your pot to make sure it can handle that amount, and click through to this recipe for instructions on easily freezing your leftovers for many future meals!

As always, I really hope that you give it a try and come back to tell me how it worked out for you and how you loved it! Also thank you for visiting, and I wish you the best!
xo, Em

P.S. If you want more immediate updates about the baby, its probably best to follow on Instagram! xo

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Triple Fall Bootie Giveaway!

Hey there ladies (and gents if that applies:)), another giveaway Monday is starting her today because I wanted to give a bit of an apology for all the absence lately with no baby to show for it(come on little one), and since the second best thing to make up for that besides simply posting on a regular basis again is a fab Fall giveaway, I decided I had to go with that. Plus given the opportunity to give away not one but Three pairs of these beauties, how could I turn that down?! I couldn't I tell you.

What can I say, I love giving away amazing shoes! Mostly high heels, but these still qualify don't you think? And three pairs?? Come on. The prospect that three more of my beloved followers and readers will have this awesome little pair of booties in their closet just brings joy to my heart.haha I can't believe that its been so long since I've done one of these. So anyways... you know the drill, complete the two mandatory entries to unlock a bunch more bonus entries therefore increasing your chances yada yada yada, but if you wanna stop at one that's just fine! Here's the widget already:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Aren't they pretty great? This ankle height style is so on trend this Fall, and I can think of so many different outfits and looks that would be so great with them. I also love the that the beige suede gives them a softer look mixed with the edginess of the buckles and studs, and four inches is really the perfect height for just about anyone don't you think? not too short, not too tall:) 

Well anyway's, thank you again for your patience with the inconsistencies here on the blog, and just keep in mind that I'm making plans to jam-pack the blog with that much more posty goodness to make up for it once this little tator tot makes her grand entrance! 

Thanks so much for reading, and don't forget to maybe visit my sidebar sponsors on the right? They play a direct part in bringing you these giveaway's by their strong support of The Freckled Fox, and they deserve a lot of love! Have a great day,

xo, Emily

P.S. If you want more immediate updates about the baby, its probably best to follow on Instagram! xo

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Halloween Inspiration: Retro Hair Tutorial Round-up

Hey everyone! So if you've been following along with our life at all then you know that little baby girl is well past her due date and not showing any major signs of wanting to change that! I've had lots of signs that things are progressing normally, but overall it's all quiet on the home front:| That being said, costumes have pretty much taken a back seat for Martin and I this year, and so if I'm not sitting home with a newborn on Halloween, than I'll have to come up with something pretty last minute. That's where this round-up comes in! 

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10 // 11 // 12 

I know that for whatever reason, there are tons of ladies out there like me who haven't had the time to think of any type of costume for themselves yet this year, and also since I've been getting emails asking about retro ideas for Halloween, I decided to share them with all of you in the hopes of providing some inspiration for last minute costumes! All you need to complete a look with one of these styles is some bold lips, a great cat-eye, top it off with a retro style shirt and pencil skirt and you're good to go! For those of you who have been looking for an excuse to do your hair like this, Halloween is the perfect time:)

Thank you all again so much for your encouragement and support as we wait for baby girl. Your sweet comments, emails, and messages make me feel so happy and loved! I hope you have a great day, and thank you so much for reading!

Xoxo, Emily

P.S. If you want more immediate updates about the baby, its probably best to follow on Instagram! xo

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Friday Finds #80

This week I found...
...this outfit is probably what I'll be wearing if I take the kids around for candy, plus a huge belly of course:)

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...this totally delicious looking pumpkin cupcake with graham cracker bottom. can't wait to try!
 

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...this awesome cowl scarf printed with some of the script of Pride and Prejudice. 

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...this template for this cute little DIY bat broach

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...this cute recipe and tutorial for ghost cupcakes with little chocolate trees. love them!

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...this cute Halloween print from ann garison studio on etsy. Now I need a cat to go with it! :)

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...this yummy collection of three different ways to roast pumpkin seeds! mmmm

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...this huge collection of Pumpkin Carving Templates. Easy to hard, and its time to get them done!

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...this recipe for pumpkin spice kiss cookies. sounds like the perfect time!

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...this collection of safty tips for you and your trick - or- treaters. good to think about!

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...this totally festive and fun way to serve Pie on or around Halloween. Looks super easy, and delish!

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Have you made up your mind about what Halloween is going to be like in your house? Are you even really celebrating? I'm excited to make it as much of a 'deal' in our house as we can despite the fact that everything is kindof up in the air since this baby girl is being so stubborn. We're checking off our little Holiday to-do list though, and its going to be a fun one:) Thanks for visiting and reading!

xo, Em

P.S. If you want more immediate updates about the baby, its probably best to follow on Instagram! xo

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Maternity Style // Braided and Leather

Hey my peoples. Firstly I just wanted t say thank you so much for all the sweet notes and expressions of encouragement as we get closer to this baby girl's debut. Its so easy to get frustrated with the busy schedules and the discomfort of being so large, mixed with taking care of the other three little babies and trying to not get nervous about the birth itself, and I really lean on you guys a lot! I can't believe that after two babies that came quite early early (our first took her sweet time too), that this little one has decided to hang in there past her due date! haha I really don't mind beyond the fact that my arms are just itching to hold her. Anyway's, thank you!

earrings - gift // dress - Target // jacket - ross // tights - macy's // heels - bagunda

Thanks so much for visiting and reading today:) The little part of me that's not consumed with thinking about the baby and birth 24/7 is so anxious to get back to doing more solid posting here on the blog, and beginning so many new and exciting things that I have planned for it!! I wish I could spill it all right now, but then it not only would spoil the surprise, but I couldn't fit it all in this post! Ahh okay I'd better stop talking about it:)Have a great day, and keep those fingers crossed!  

xo, Emily

P.S. if you're wondering why my hair looks so bright red in these pictures, I'm wondering the same thing.haha I chalk it up to the funny sunlight off the autumn trees that day, because its way redder then I've ever seen it!

P.P.S. If you want more immediate updates about the baby, its probably best to follow on Instagram! xo

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Weekend Wrap-up

This Week: was empty of a new baby sadly enough, but because we were planning on this baby coming early like all my others, we set our schedules to be more free the weeks leading up to my due date, which has made for lots of much needed down time. We made a little trip to see my sister Jordan and her hubby Gary. We ate yummy food, went swimming, and had some very late couples games and movies. The best part was when they turned around and came back to visit us so she could co-throw me an amazing baby shower! She teamed up with my newest sister Sarah and they had fantastic decorations, really delicious food, and it was full of just about all my favorite people:) It was the first baby shower I've ever had, and they did so awesome with only a little time too prepare. Thanks again ladies! Also my sweet Grandma Dorothy had a surprise 90th birthday party that weekend which was really neat to be a part of, but other than that we've just been going on as many walks as we can manage, make as many soups and treats as we can fit into each day, and at the same time try to keep in the mindset that the baby could decide to come at any time!

Weekly Snapshots: the perfect little front gate // amazing baby shower treats // giddy girls in the bike isle // swimming in Rexburg // sister shoes // garden veggies for dinner // fresh apple crisp // my grandparents wedding portrait // some friendly ducks // sticky note heaven // leaf pile fun // feeding my autumn obsession

A Few Facts:

• I cannot sleep with socks on. I regulate my body temp by sticking my toes out of the covers and pulling them back in, so socks make me really over-heated.
• I played Basketball in highschool. I really enjoyed it, but I don't think I was that great overall.haha
• Besides the occasional pregnancy craving for soda (usually cream soda) we really aren't soda drinkers at all. We actually don't have a lick of soda in our house, except for the 2 liter of root beer we keep on hand for occasional floats:)

I hope you've enjoyed getting a little deeper look into our goings on lately, and thanks for visiting!

xo, Emily

P.S. If you'd like more immediate updates on progress with the baby, etc then follow on Instagram!

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Friday Finds #79 - Halloween Edition

Hey guys! Before we get started with my Halloween finds from the past week, I have two Giveaway Winners to announce! Firstly, the winner of the Kindle Fire HD giveaway  from my sponsors is: Roxy M! And the winner of the Cool Water Gem's shop credit goes to Ashley H! Congratulations, and check your emails ladies!

This week I found...
...this Shirley Temple Halloween promo for starters. Isn't it great? :) 

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...this recipe for caramel apple pull apart bread. mmm!

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...this jack skellington nail mani. I'm not huge on painting my fingers but it would be really cute for toes I think! If i could reach mine right now.haha

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...this pinterest board that I stumbled across with lots and lots of halloween makeup ideas

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...this neat idea for making a huge pumpkin cake for your Halloween party! May try it this year

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...this set of super creepy and neat cheesecloth spirits from Marthastewart.com Super eassy too!

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...this idea for freezing a surgical glove full of water as the ice-cube for your punch bowl. Neato huh? 

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...this neat post from iheartnaptime where she shares a bunch of Halloween DIY's she's collected

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...this more 'poe' inspired vintage halloween decor. How we like to do things! 

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...maybe I just have a thing for tiny puumpkins, but these guys are so cute to me

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...this cute idea for a simple chocolate and white layered cake with simple ghosts on top! super cute

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How are your Halloween/Fall decorations coming along? Do you feel in the spirit of the Holiday yet? Do you celebrate Halloween? I'm just curious:) We aren't going as 'all out' this year as we have in the past because the impending baby birth is taking up a lot of our focus, and rightly so:) Anyway's, I'd love to live vicariously through you guys! haha
Have a great day, and I'll see you again soon:)
xo, Em

P.S. If you want more immediate updates about the baby, its probably best to follow on Instagram! xo

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