Annual Sister Christmas Shopping Day 2014

The annual Sister Christmas Shopping Day is perhaps one of the best traditions we have started!
Every year, just after Thanksgiving, we head to the north side of Indy to get most of our strategizing and buying accomplished for the holiday season!

We always meet at Paradise Bakery first for breakfast and gift strategies!
Of course this usually turns into three hours of talking, coffee drinking, and coupon trading!



Then we head over to the Castleton Square mall for shopping at a few of our favorite gift-buying spots!



Our first stop is always the iconic Macy's!  We love to get mom's jewelry gifts here!
We also checked out some new makeup for Natalie's sensitive skin and a professional purse for Ashley's new job!



This was Jack's first time on the shopping trip!  He loved watching all the people!
He was very well behaved (as always!) and dressed for the Christmas season!

After we tuckered out Jack, we finished up our shopping at the mall and headed to Buca for a birthday dinner!

It was so great to celebrate our birthday with Natalie and Jack!

There were plenty of leftovers and our shopping lists were all but checked off!

What a great twin day! 

Thanksgiving at Emily's 2014!

This year we decided to celebrate Thanksgiving a little bit early because grandma was in town!

Grandma was still at Wellbrooke for rehab, so we took the opportunity to have everyone over to Emily's for a feast!

The table was set with pumpkins and turkeys!  Mom sent many a decoration!

Also, Emily got to use her new wedding china!

The family gathered around the great table and baby Jack was excited for his first Thanksgiving!

Baby Jack and great-grandma had some nice one-on-one time!

Jack loved his turkey bib!  What a cutie!

Everything tasted wonderful, from Greg's turkey on the Green Egg to Emily's pumpkin pie!

Some people even had to take a power nap! LOL!

It was so great to have the family together for Thanksgiving!

Everyone enjoyed the time together and the classic tastes of our Thanksgiving recipes!

Baby Jack was adorable in his First Thanksgiving onesie, and we cannot wait for next year when he can actually taste the food!

Great twin day!

Cabaret Poe

It was the night before Halloween and the Schwindlers and Marshalls were out in Historic Irvington for a frighteningly good time!

First we had dinner at The Legend Classic Irvington Cafe!
They usually have a rotating seasonal menu of drinks and fare to entice your palate and this fall was no different!
The pumpkin gnocchi was fantastic!

 

After dinner, we walked across the street to the Irvington Lodge for a haunting rendition of Cabaret Poe!
We have loved Edgar Allen Poe and his creepy writing for years, and what better way to enjoy Poe than with song!

The three-person show is a must see in the fall!  The funny, yet eerie look at death is an enjoyable night on the town!



What a perfect night for some fall fun!  We all dressed in our black and gothic fashions to enjoy such a creepy night before Halloween!

Spooktacular twin night!

Gran's Surgery/Wellbrooke

Gran went to Riverview for surgery on October 22nd.  She came through it really great and then settled in to Wellbrooke after a couple of days.  

It was a rough recovery, but we got to see her often.  

Gran sporting her rainbow assist belt.  All the nurses loved her and her infectious joy!

Gran kept her meticulous calender by her side, as always!

It was really great to have Gran so close for a month.  

When it was time for her to leave, we spent another twin night putting together these thank-you packets for the nurses and staff.  

They had antibacterial, pens, and candy tied with multi color ribbon and a thank you note from Gran!  

We also had some chocolate covered pretzels for the office, rehab, and kitchen staff.  

Gran was so happy to be able to give something personal to all those who helped her through her recovery!

2nd Annual Glamping Trip

This year, we decided to take our glamping trip to a state park, McCormick's Creek State Park to be exact!

We chose a weekend in mid-October, and the trees could not have been more beautiful!

Emily headed out from work on Friday and stopped by Beech Grove to pick up Ashley.

Once we loaded the rest of the gear, we made the hour drive to the park.

Emily had selected the campsite #204 in advance based on the website pictures.

We arrived to find a quaint little spot with a picnic table and parking space.

Although not as secluded as we would have like to be, we got busy setting up camp!

The main downsides to this site were the proximity to other campers and the latrine!

We made a point of finding the best spots for next time!

We positioned our tent toward the open woods and used the car as a barricade from seeing most of the other campsites.

This site had a fire pit as well with a grate over it for cooking.

The view from inside our tent was absolutely breathtaking.  The yellows were everywhere!

We brought our own firewood which we purchased at the gas station.

As long as it is approved with a state tag, it was fine to bring in.

We probably could have used a bit more, because the fire was so nice to have all the time!

Breakfast consisted of pumpkin, oatmeal, macadamia nut, and white chocolate chip power cookies, awake chocolate owl bars, and Starbucks cold coffee.

It was the perfect tastes to bring out our fall environment.  The witches brew candle gave wafts of that old familiar spicy smell.

Ashley brought fall flowers to glam up the table and we used her picnic blanket as a table cloth!  

It was a bit cool (around 65 degrees), but our flannel kept us comfortable all day!

At night, the air mattress and plenty of comfy blankets kept us happy and comfortable!

In the early morning hours, waking up to blueberry face wipes and classic dem' bones cartoons made it feel more like a perfect retreat than a stay in the woods!

After breakfast on Saturday, we decided to go for a hike and check out some of the scenic trails.

We had some fun hiking, talking and generally enjoying nature together!

The sites were enough to take your breath away at times.

We hiked several miles and even saw the "Twin Bridges"!

There were plenty of benches and overlooks to enjoy along the way!

We also stopped at the nature zone and used a proper toilet!  It had all the history about the park and was really interesting!

We finished the long hike by scoping out all the best camping spots.  

It then began to rain so we sampled some red wines and enjoyed a picnic style meal inside the tent.

Our view of the fire and foliage from the unzipped tent, along with our beautiful spread made the rain of no real consequence!

Each night we had a roaring fire!  The stars were out and the night air was crisp and refreshing.

Ashley brought small pumpkin candles to line the perimeter of the campsite, and it made for a spectacular view at night!

On Sunday, we packed up the campsite and headed to the Owen Valley Winery for a tasting.

They had a lot of wines to try and after a couple of flights, we decided on one each, some nice cheese, meat and crackers and headed outside.

The farm-style location gave great views and outdoor seating.

We enjoyed the fresh air and refreshments before hitting the road back to Indy!

After all the great weather, warm fires, beautiful leaves and gourmet meals, it was time to return to reality!

Mid-October is definitely the perfect time for some twin glamping!

Great twin weekend!

Sleepover with Gran

One of the best parts of having Gran come down to Indianapolis for her surgery was her pre-op appointments.  

Those long grueling days meant she got to spend the night at Emily's!  

We watched Young Frankenstein and had a great time just like we used to on Holley Drive.  

It has been a long time since we all just sat around and watched a movie together! 

Really got us all in to the Halloween spirit, even Gran!

Gran was so happy to see the old pumpkin!  She had wondered where it had gone!

The witches brew candle mom sent really set the mood on this October night!

Mack even joined in the fun!

Great twin night!