My Weekend In 10

Hi! I hope you had a great weekend. Mines was really great. I spent the weekend with my parents. It was my first time seeing them since July. We went to their college football game and spent time relaxing  in their newly renovated home that is amazingly gorgeous. I didn't have time to take photos, but will certainly take some over the holidays. 

Speaking of photos, this post is photo-less. I hope that's ok. It's Sunday night and I am wearing prescription sunnies as I am writing this post. A hot cup of tea is on the nightstand. Migraine. Bedtime is very soon. So I thought I would write a little post about 10 random things I did mixed with some random thoughts I had over the weekend. Hope ya like it...

1. I almost finished The Help over the weekend. My dad asked me to watch the movie with him in his new Man Cave over the holidays. His request warmed my heart. The little things...

2. I woke up to my mom's whole wheat banana pancakes on Saturday morning. They are the BEST! Her secret: applesauce instead of vegetable oil. Try it.

3. There were women walking around in 5 inch heels at the football game on Saturday. Don't ask. I wore these boots by Aerosoles over some black leggings with this sweater by H&M and felt stylish and most importantly, comfortable. Five inch heels... Geez.

4. The most played song on my iPod right now is "Paradise" by Coldplay. I wore it out on the way to my parents house and back home. 

5. I added Ree Drummond's blog, The Pioneer Woman, to my blogroll this weekend. It will be there forever. I spent an hour reading her blog over the weekend and I laughed so hard. She is an amazing cook, writer and mom who couldn't be more honest. She recently flooded her kitchen. I highly recommend you to read that post. 

6. I just remembered another song that I like. I never thought I would say this, but I like a song called "Christmas Eve" by oh gosh... Justin Bieber. I never thought in a million years that I would like a song by "The Beebs." It will be out on iTunes tomorrow. Can't wait. Can't believe I just said that...

7. My favorite chef, Giada de Laurentiis, is currently hosting a Facebook contest. Make one of her recipes, style it and photograph it. She picks the best photograph. Right.up.my.alley. I'll be working on it this weekend...

8. My dishwasher is ready to be unloaded. I wish it would magically unload itself. Oh I wish my suitcase from the weekend would magically unpack itself, too.


9. Why is the time change so late this year?? I am dying for that extra hour of sleep right now...


10. I am so thankful for migraine meds. I am already feeling better. Perhaps blogging made me feel better, too. Maybe there is something to doing what you love...


Happy Monday. And Happy Halloween! I just remembered that I forgot to pick up some candy...


xo,

On Orange...

I have to be honest about something. There isn't one single pumpkin or orange thing on the inside or outside of my house. I know, terrible. I just haven't found the time to decorate for fall and I find that to be ok. I have spent the last few weeks re-energizing myself from a busy time at work, catching up on sleep, cleaning my house and running tons of errands. This weekend, I will be catching up with family. I will see my parents and brother for the first time since July and I am thrilled! I have really missed them...

I hope you have a fabulous weekend...

xo,

Images 1.2.3.4

Fine Finishing {Segreto Finishes}

I will be honest in saying that I had not planned to do a post today. I wanted to give myself one night off from blogging. But I was on Pinterest on my iPhone and I ran across a gorgeous kitchen. The photo source was Segreto Finishes. I immediately pinned the photo, turned on my computer and went to their website. Segreto is a company based in Houston, TX that specializes in custom finishes for walls, ceilings, and cabinetry. I must say that I was mesmerized by the images on their site. The finishes are so warm and compliment the overall design of the spaces perfectly. Their portfolio is fabulous, so I highly encourage you to check their website and blog!

In other news, the lovely Michelle of Ten June is featuring her e-design of my bedroom! I absolutely love it! Be sure to check it out!

xo,

A Dash Of Glam

via

Let me tell ya... I'm all about sequins, but sometimes just a dash of them hits the spot. I'm loving this sequin-trench combo...

Homemade Applesauce

Over the weekend, I collected tons of apples from my apple picking adventure in Blue Ridge, GA. Click here if you missed my little round up. 

It's no secret that I love anything with apples, so I wanted to make something spectacular that I had never made before. However, it also had to be quick cook recipe. I only had time to make and photograph something on Sunday and a nap was completely necessary...

So I took a mixture of Fuji, Rome Beauty, Braeburn and Granny Smith apples and turned them into a childhood favorite...

I adore applesauce and this is a perfect and simple recipe. Here is what you need and what to do...

A mixture of 8 of your favorite type of apple, peeled, cored and sliced into 1/2 inch slices

Juice of one lemon

Two cinnamon sticks, snapped in half

1 cup of 100% pure apple juice

1/4 cup or less of brown sugar

Pinch of nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

In a large pot, add the apples, lemon juice, apple juice, cinnamon sticks, brown sugar and nutmeg. Add less brown sugar if you want the sauce to be less sweet. Bring the mixture up to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes or until the apples are tender. Remove from the heat, remove the cinnamon sticks and add the 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. Then mash the apples with a potato masher to your desired consistency. I like it kinda chunky...

I served this with grilled pork chops and a salad the other night and it was delish! I think the kiddos would like this, too. Oh, and your house will smell amazing...

Linked up to Tasty Tuesdays and The Lady Behind The Curtain!

xo,

Images by me

Recipe adapted from The Neelys

Weekend Travel {Blue Ridge, GA}

Hi lovelies! How was your weekend! I can honestly say that this was one of the best weekends I have had in a long time. The weather was perfect, I got to take a Sunday nap, and I saw some really beautiful sites for the first time that I want to share with you today. On Saturday, a friend and I went to Blue Ridge, GA. It is a small town in the north Georgia mountains and I just loved it... Here is a little round up...

First up: Apple picking at Mercier Orchards. So much fun and absolutely gorgeous...

I picked Fuji, Rome Beauty and Braeburn apples. I snacked on some along the way and they were so incredibly fresh and good! 

Stop by tomorrow to see what I did with them...

That's me in Banana Republic skinnies, a Forever 21 top, and a Prada cross body bag that may or may not be real... Appalachian mountains in the background. 

The orchard was selling candied apples in their general store. My mom loves them, so I immediately thought of her when I saw them...

After we finished apple picking, we headed downtown for lunch. We window-shopped in all of the cute little design boutiques while we waited for a table. I thought that sunburst mirror was quite gorgeous...

Lunch was at Harvest on Main. This was hands-down the tastiest tilapia sandwich I have ever had. 

Dessert was chocolate cake with a pecan and cream cheese filling, topped with a caramel sauce. Sounds good, but I didn't love it. But they had already won me over with the tilapia, so it was all good! Oh, did I mention I had a fabulous mac and cheese appetizer, too?

After lunch, we went up into the mountains to sight see. We saw some beautiful cabins that were nestled in the mountains that had incredible views. This was the view from one of the cabins. It made me feel so thankful and happy.

Was your weekend as heavenly as mines? I certainly hope so!

xo,

Images by me

Creamy & Cozy

Happy Friday! I thought I would end the week on a creamy and cozy note. It is freezing here in comparison to the temps earlier this week and I am loving every minute of it. All of these images warm me right on up!

What's up for the weekend? I am going apple-picking for the first time ever and I am so excited. The weather is supposed to be gorgeous, so I hope to get some good photos and have extra time to whip up something tasty with my apples. We'll see!

I hope you have a great weekend!

xo,

Images 1,3,4/2

An Organized Life: In The Kitchen

I had a day off this week and I spent most of it organizing. Organizing makes me happy. Period. 

I'm definitely no Martha Stewart, but I like to stalk the Organization section of her website to get new ideas. I love being in the kitchen, so I particularly love her suggestions for kitchen organization...

I never thought to use a cake stand for something other than displaying cakes or cupcakes. This would be a great (and stylish) way to organize ingredients for a recipe.

This is probably the drawer of a professional chef, which I am totally not, but it still makes me super happy. It makes me want to take a quick trip to The Container Store. 

I adore this idea! I often find it easy to find the pot I want, but have to turn over and move around 10 other pots to get the lid I need. That causes all kinds of noise that makes my cat think the world is coming to an end. 

I love to bake, so I store my flour and sugars in jars like these, sans the cute labels. My suggestion for storing flour and sugar is to store them in containers that have openings large enough for a cup measure. That makes it so much easier when you are measuring them for recipes. I really love those labels...

Do you have any good ideas for kitchen organization? I'd love to hear! 

30 Day Photo Challenge via Ten June

The lovely Michelle of Ten June is hosting a 30 Day Photo Challenge. I was so excited when she started this because I LOVE taking photos and experimenting with my digital camera. Each week, Michelle is inviting her readers to share their photos. Here is the 30 day challenge...

I didn't get to participate in Week 1 of the challenge, but was able to take a few photos for Week 2...

A Bad Habit

I'm a magazine hoarder.

I spread all of the mags out in the middle of my bedroom floor for the photo. 

The light was perfect and even. 

I used iPhoto to make a few edits.

I neatly stacked them back up after the shoot. I didn't throw a single one of them away. 

Sigh...

A Childhood Memory

Gosh I miss the days when I didn't know what a calorie was...

Plain vanilla ice cream was staple for me as a child. 

Now I'm all about Pinkberry and greek yogurt. 

I took this in front of a window in aperture mode (f/6.3). 

That way, you can see all of the little frozen specs in the ice cream. Yum.

Something Blue & Eyes

If you have followed me for a while, you must know that I love my "child."

I'm sorry if you are sick of looking at him, but his eyes and their color met the requirements to a tee...

His face was in a shard of light coming through the window. 

A camera lens doesn't phase him at all.
  I love him to pieces.

I hate that I didn't get to take more photos! I will try to do better another week. 

All photos except for the ice cream were taken in manual mode. I had to take a class and 1,000 pictures to get there... 

If you live near Atlanta and are interested in classes, then this is the place to go!

xo,

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Hi guys! I mentioned last Friday that turning on my oven was on my list of things to do over the weekend. I wanted to make something new and very fall-like. I have been wanting to make something with pumpkin. Very fall-like. I thought about making this pumpkin mousse, but decided to make Jess's pumpkin whoopie pies...

Let me tell you something people...

These are finger-lickin' good!!! 

They are moist, creamy and super easy to make.

Jess made the mini-whoopie pies, but I made regular size pies. I used a regular sized ice cream scoop and baked them for about 15 minutes. I could have gained 30 pounds if these stayed in my house, so I took them to work. My co-workers loved them and you will too. Promise!! Click here for the recipe!

Linked up with Tasty Tuesdays & The Lady Behind The Curtain!

xo,

Images by me

Shopping! Shopping! Shopping!

Hello lovlies! How was your weekend! This was the first weekend I didn't work in months, so I can't even begin to tell you how fabulous it was. 

I have been stressed over the last few weeks, so you know what that means!! SHOPPING! If you follow me on twitter, you might know that I had a little fun on Saturday. I started the day off at Ninewest.com. They had a 30% off sale, so I bought these beauties...

I have been looking for some riding boots and I think these are perfect! I love the color and the distressed leather. 

The older I get, the more mandatory it is that my work shoes be comfortable. But they also have to be stylish. These are definitely stylish to me! I love the buckle and the sophisticated look of the shoe. Now I am just hoping that they are comfortable! I'll keep you posted...

After leaving Ninewest.com, I headed to Banana Republic and had an amazing experience...

I have wanted some skinny black jeans for a while, but have put off shopping for them. I don't like hate shopping for jeans, but I had a feeling that these might work. I bit the bullet, tried them on and JACKPOT! They fit perfectly. That never happens!! I'm glad no one saw the little happy dance I did in the dressing room... I was even happier because I had a coupon!

I stopped there with the shopping, but there was one more thing I wanted to buy...

I LOVE this hobo... It's the perfect size for an everyday bag. It's on my wishlist and I'm hoping it won't be there for long!

So I was able to check some things off of my fall fashion list and I am a happy girl! Before you go, stop by Johanna's lovely blog, 101 Things I Love. I am over there today talking about some of my other fall faves. Have a great day!

xo,