“Will it ever feel like Fall?” is what all Houstonians are asking themselves this year. I’ve got leather leggings, monstrous scarves, over the knee boots, and sweaters just yearning to be pulled out of the closet. Alas, another weekend that could legitimately be spent at the pool… we should probably stop complaining.
With the holidays coming up, I find a lot of people struggling to find the perfect gift for their loved ones. My mom, in particular, is always asking me what I want for Christmas, and I have the hardest time coming up with a list! In order to get the creative juices flowing, I figured I would organize my favorite hobbies into lists of the best items for those types of people.
Today I’m starting out with a list of the 10 best gifts for craft lovers and DIYer’s. You know, those people with over 1000 pins for Pinterest DIY decor, lists of IKEA hacks to tackle, and mountains of rainbow markers in their drawers. I fall into this category, and these are the cute items and fantastic tools that I’m dying to get my hands on!
With Thanksgiving only a week (that’s right, 1 WEEK!) away, I’ve got my mind on turkey, stuffing, and cranberries. Oh, and celebratory I’m home in Chicago cocktails with my parents! Since turkey and stuffing don’t lend themselves very well to a cocktail, I stuck with the cranberries.
At this time of year every year I rush over to Trader Joe’s to buy their apple cider. It’s cheap, comes in a reasonable sized container, and is the BEST apple cider. I love how much apple flavor it has, along with an amazing blend of spices. With my trusty apple cider in hand, I was ready to make a fireside apple cider cocktail!
In looking over my old photos, I couldn’t believe how sad they looked. This drink is too special to look so depressing, so I updated the photos for you! Get inspired by the new photos and try out my favorite Fall cocktail! Warm, spiced, and delightful – there is no way you won’t love this recipe! Check it out here.
This weekend I am moving forward from the election drama and getting excited about a few fun things. I am getting my first facial ever after being inspired by my visit to a friend who raved about them! I am also trying to reduce my sugar intake to help my skin… so we will see how that goes… Friday night I am celebrating two of my good friends’ birthdays which will be a blast, and later in the weekend Megan and I are planning to try a totally new arrangement in the apartment! Literally one of my favorite things to do is rearrange furniture… I know I’m weird but having architects as parents has it ingrained in me! What do y’all have planned?
Being home with my family so much this Fall, I really got back to my roots. My roots, literally, are settled in with potatoes, being that my parents are both mostly Irish. Thus, I made some potatoes.
Continue reading “Sweet and Salty Sweet Potato Stacks with Maple Prosciutto”
Am I the only one who was completely unaware of the second most important voted upon contest of 2016? Every election year, starting in 1992, the “competing” first ladies from the Republican and Democratic parties each submit a cookie recipe that the public can vote on. A truly all-American bake off! It’s called the “Presidential Cookie Poll”. Continue reading “2016 Presidential Bake Off”
I’m going to go out on a limb and say that you and I are both really ready for the holidays? Can you feel the frost in the air? The smell of a pine tree wafting from the living room and freshly baked cookies from the oven?
Ok, so it’s still 80 degrees in Houston. I’m turning down the AC, lighting a Christmas tree candle, and baking cookies – I’m going to make the holidays HAPPEN! Every year they catch me off guard, so I’m planning to start my decorating and celebrating early in November to make the most of it. It is the most wonderful time of the year, after all.
But before we prance right into Thanksgiving and Christmas, I want to hear about your lovely Octobers! Did you dress up for Halloween? Please share your costumes with me, I absolutely love to see your creativity every year. I’m also taking donations in the form of apple cider donuts since I went up north twice this Fall and still somehow managed to miss out on them on both trips. I’m worthless, I know.
Most excitingly Good Housekeeping shared my DIY Sia costume on their website, along with many other blogs. It’s good to know that y’all adore her as much as I do.
Check out my October favorites to make sure you didn’t miss anything, and let’s get ready for November!
Oktoberfest Costume || Sia Costume || Cruella Deville Costume || Rose Quartz Bracelets
Pumpkin Pie Cocktails || Bagel Chip Dueling Apps
Every year I have a lot of emotions around Halloween. They go something like this: excited, determined, overwhelmed, confused, indecisive, excited, REALLY PUMPED! I was somewhere in the confused/indecisive stage when I decided to buy this black and white wig (Mine is unfortunately sold out! Similar wig here and here). Continue reading “One Wig, Two Costumes!”
Sew Bake Decorate 