Friday Favorites: Thanksgiving Edition

So, we decided this week that we will not be making the trek back to Ohio for Thanksgiving.

{Insert: Mild Panic Attack}


Apparently husb has a couple practicals/lab exams the following week and doesn't think its worth spending 20 hours in the car just to spend 3 days with our families, when he'd have to study during that short little visit anyway. I don't blame him... its such a short "break" and he doesn't need the added stress of traveling and cramming in visits with a million family members right before finals.

Truth be told - I'm actually kind of excited we'll be spending Thanksgiving in Atlanta. Is that terrible? It will be a much more relaxed day (and weekend). And we'll be in the company of wonderful friends, so I don't think I'll miss the family together-ness all that much. Not to mention, I was put in charge of pies! Pies have always been my mom's thing, so I'm anxious to take on her usual Thanksgiving contribution solo this year :)

So this week, I've been consumed with scouring the internet for Thanksgiving recipe ideas! Naturally, my starting point was Pioneer Woman's recipe archives. Pinterest has also been a big help. Anyone shocked? No, didn't think so. Here's a few gems I came across...

PW Dreamy Apple Pie ... I've never made an apple pie. Ever. But this one is tempting me to try!

PW Perfect Pie Crust. No store-bought pies allowed at Thanksgiving. Mom's rule...

PW strikes again. Green Bean Casserole... I don't like veggies. I don't like casseroles. But this looks reallllly good.

Prettiest little Sparkling Cranberry Brie Bites I ever did see! Perfect for munching on while we cook :)

Beautiful homemade Pumpkin Pie... almost too pretty to eat! Almost.

This Starbuck's Pumpkin Scones recipe would be a great Thanksgiving morning breakfast treat!

Feel free to place bets on how many of these creations will actually make an appearance on our first-ever-without-our-mommas Thanksgiving table!

P.S. Thanksgiving is this week! Did it totally sneak up on anyone else?? Hope your plans are all falling into place... feel free to share your favorite recipes if you have a must-make for me :) Happy cooking!

Fall in our Little Home

Now that I've started putting up Christmas decorations, I suppose its about time I got around to showing you the fall decor we've been enjoying around our little abode for the past couple of months, eh?

The first thing to get an overhaul: pillows. The easiest, most inexpensive seasonal change to make in my opinion. I already had the red throw pillows, so I stocked up on a few purple ones (Target & Home Goods) to bring in some jewel toned accents. By keeping the rest of the room pretty neutral, I can change up the accents every few months without too much of a headache - I've done greens, browns, reds, yellows, and now purples. I'm still loving the red/purple combo so I'm going to see if I can weave in my Christmas decor without swapping out the purple pillows.

All of the green/brown decor got booted into the office/guest room. We hardly ever use this extra room but its still fun to change the scenery in there every now and then. And don't worry, only 4 of those 8 throw pillows are on display now ;)

For a living room centerpiece I repurposed a hurricane and place mat I already had, tossed in my collection of wine corks and some purple toned {and amazing smelling} potpourri. Easy and simple!

I updated the pictures of my sweet baby cousins. Put out a vase of red glass beads and white hydrangea's on a beaded autumn placement. And hung the ribbon wreath I made at GNI last fall.

Last but not least, I brought out all of my favorite fall scented candles! Pumpkin. Spice. And my personal fave, "Cran Slam." I have no idea why these Beanswax candles were discontinued. Its a crime, I tell ya! Thankfully I still come across these amazing soy candles every now and then at Home Goods or TJ and I scoop them up. All of them... This one is my personal fave! Or at least tied for the #1 spot with "The Great Pumpkin" - also to die for.

Sadly, half of these decorations have already been put back in the closet(s) for next fall because I got ants in my pants last week and started decorating for Christmas already! Since we don't spend Christmas in Atlanta (1 week to FL, 2 weeks to OH is this year's itinerary) I wanted to start getting some Christmas-y things out to enjoy for a few weeks before we head out of town.

A little early you say? Never ;)

On a related note... if you want your house to really be filled with the scents/tastes of fall, make these Pumpkin Pie Cookies. And add mini chocolate chips! So. Good.

Friday Not-So-Favorites... and a Wreath!

This post brought to you by husband's computer. Thanks babe! Oh wait, you don't even know I'm on here watching ABC shows and blogging... xo

My MacBook went into surgery yesterday afternoon. And after a long afternoon at the Genius Bar (and a whole lot of unnecessary shopping in between appointments and phone calls with my new genius friend Brad L.) it turns out, my little computer needs to be shipped off for repairs. Sad day.

The little guy won't turn on or charge... but I'm very thankful to Brad L. because even though he didn't answer my prayers - or fulfill the fortune cookie I got while chowing on food court Chinese food while waiting - he did manage to get my computer to turn on long enough for me to back it up before sending it off. YAY! So, fingers crossed I'll have it back sometime next week. Hang with me til then while I'm world's worst blogger ;)

In hopes of not polluting husband's computer with the same junk that probably led to the demise of mine {"someday" folders, blog pictures, etc.} I'll skip Friday Favorites and leave you with a little picture tutorial of the easiest, cheapest. CUTEST Pinterest-inspired fall wreath! I made it in my jammies on Sunday afternoon while husb watched football. Excuse the phone pics...

What you'll need:

YARN

FELT (I used 3 squares) 

FOAM WREATH

HOT GLUE GUN

 Using squares of felt, cut and hot glue rosettes in whatever colors you want. I varied the sizes of mine. And I chose colors based on what I thought looked "fall-y" and what would look good against our dark brown door. Here is a tutorial if you've never done this before: CLICK!

 Start the yarn wrapping by tying it in a simple knot around the foam wreath. Wrap your yarn - any kind/color - around the wreath until its completely covered. Don't worry about imperfections, they make it prettier. I actually went back around the wreath with some random, imperfect strands to add texture because I was too careful about wrapping it perfectly. Once your wreath is completely covered (should look something like the pic above) tie a knot to end the yarn and heat up your hot glue gun.

Lay out your felt rosettes however you want them arranged on the wreath. Then, start gluing! This is what the my end result looks like hanging on our door :) So simple... but something about it just looks cozy.

Total cost: $9.

Total time: 30 min.

I love it! If you're in the market for a fun fall wreath - or are just looking for a simple craft this weekend - make one!

Fall is in the air!

Finally.
The Georgia air is crisp and cool.
Our windows are open and the AC is off for the first time in months.

Saturday was too beautiful not to spend outdoors... and we spent most of it watching the cutest kiddos around.

Please oh please let these temps finally be here to stay!!

Friday Favorites

It fiiiinally is feeling like fall in Atlanta!!!  I mean, it was feeling that way for at least a few days. It'll be back up in the 80's this weekend and for as far into the forecast as I can see - but those early mornings this week where I headed out the door and was greeted by cool, crisp, 60-degree air were enough to get me excited for all things FALL!

The start of the NCAA and NFL football seasons also had me dreaming of autumn days and the scents of the season... husb and I even discussed arranging to have all of our future babies - all 8 of them. jk. - be born in the fall so that we have even more reasons to love it (as if we need it)! {side note: I know these aren't things most people have a whole lot of control over. Relax people, we were just daydreaming.}

This week was a good one, all things considered! I ate super healthy, got all most of my reading done for school, and feel pretty caught up on my life. For the most part. Proof that all weeks should only last 4 days.

I even had time to stalk the interwebs for all things fall, and have all the inspiration I need to start swapping out our apartment decor for festive fall stuff! Just in time for the weekend - TGIF!

Click here for an easy burlap bubble wreath tutorial - these are so cute! (And easy!!)

Pumpkin Fudge. I die.

A Pumpkin Party Cooler... only Martha, I swear. Great idea for fall entertaining!

DIY Pumpkin Topiary - perfect for front porches or apartment balconies!

These fall nail polish colors by Chanel are gorgeous! I'm a sucker for shades of purple, gray and taupe.

I LOVE FOOTBALL FOOD! These pizza bites are a great alternative to just ordering Pizza Hut on game day.

My to-do list is miles long, but I'm so excited to add some touches of fall to our home that I'm making room for a few extra errands this afternoon... I'll share some of my fall updates once I get things situated (and crafted!) like I did last year!

What do you guys do to add touches of fall to your homes?? I'd love to hear some of your easy, inexpensive ideas!

Weekend Recap

Our weekends have gotten progressively less eventful as the semester/quarter goes on... Unfortunately, its that time of year where I have to get serious about school after 12, give or take, weeks of just sliding by. I had big plans for this weekend - plans to get started on class outlines and read ahead for the week, in hopes of starting my finals studying early enough to really enjoy my Thanksgiving "break." But! True to my procrastinating ways, I didn't do any of those things. So here I am on Monday, scrambling to catch up instead of get ahead... and what am I doing? Looking at pictures from weeks past and wishing that every weekend could be so fun :)

Whiskey Blue a couple weekends ago

The boys who are lucky to have us... just ask them ;)

This weekend wasn't a total loss, though. We babysat my favorite little cuties on Friday night (they LOVE "Mr. Andrew" so he was a trooper and tagged along for a night of ninjas, chocolate milk and dirty diapers!), went to dinner with friends on Saturday, and watched the Browns beat the Patriots on Sunday - which, truth be told, would have been the highlight of even the rowdiest, fun-packed weekend in Andrew's book! - and lounged around at home watching our fave Sunday night TV shows. So while our weekend looked a little more like this than most others...

Cutest Batman I've ever seen!

We had some low-key fun, and thanks to "fall back" I feel well-rested and ready to tackle the rest of my crazy busy week! Sometimes I just need to remind myself to stop thinking forward to when our hard work will pay off - and enjoy the here and now! No matter now mundane it sometimes feels. Because really, its not so bad ;) Now, back to work!!!

More FALL Love

Because my friends and family in Ohio got their first snowfall of the season last night - ha. ha. ...

And because I am still enjoying the cold thanks to having butt warmers in my little car (thanks, Dad)...

Also just because I am so excited to still have so much sunshine and blue skies this time of year...

Here are a few pics of our beautiful city in the fall :)

Green space between aquarium and World of Coca-Cola

Outside of the aquarium

Same spot, different view

Georgia Aquarium

World of Coca-Cola

Beautiful foliage

I love fall, and I love Atlanta... but I'd be lying if I said I didn't envy the Midwesterners who woke up to a dusting of crisp, white snow this morning! I'm sure I will eat those words after our tip up to OH over the holidays when I get my snow fix for the winter :)

Closet Flip

One of the not-so-fun realities of changing seasons, is the closet flip. In our house, we have two sizable walk-in closets, but one happens to be in the guest bedroom... so rather than do the logical thing (logical = Andrew takes the guest closet, and gives me free reign of the master closet!) we are cramming both of our wardrobes into ONE of the walk-ins and using the second closet for formal wear, the vacuum cleaner, ironing board, and other random wedding gifts that have yet to find a rightful place in our itty bitty home! Oh yea, and it is also stacked floor to ceiling with plastic bins of off-season clothing! 

So last weekend, we spent the better part of our Saturday pulling out box upon box of fall/winter clothes and replacing our summer/spring wardrobe with sweaters, boots, scarves and turtlenecks. I expected the closet flipping process to be not-so-fun, but what I didn't anticipate was the not-so-fun glances, groans and hoarding lectures I would get from my hubby! Andrew was appalled at the sheer volume of clothing and shoes I possessed - I forgot that the first time I unloaded my wardrobe in our newlywed closet he was still up in Ohio :) This was his first true glimpse of my clothes, shoes and accessories. His "side" of the closet took about 30 min to switch over... but you better believe that he sat on the bed and watched me shove, cram, and wad up in balls my "side" (side and 3/4 to be exact) for 3 consecutive hours if for no other reason than to be able to tell me at the end of the grueling process that he doesn't want to hear me tell him I need to go shopping EVER again!!!

I won't post any "before" pictures... because frankly they are just too embarrassing to share! Here is the finished product:

Andrew's "side" - my pants share the bottom bar with his haha - and he insisted that his sweaters be folded but refused to share the hanging bar above!!

The best I could do w/ my scarves since Andrew wouldn't share his hanging bar...

These shoe racks may (seriously) never be removed from this closet after the smashing and shoving it took to get them in!

My side, my scarves, my bins, and my shelf! Whew! Thank God for our dresser...

I will say, despite his disgust with the amount of clothing I own (and can't bear to part with) my hubbs has kept the closet much tidier now that he has invested some of his own blood, sweat and tears into the organization of it! Makes me wish I had made this a joint-effort sooner! That is, until he decides on our next shopping trip that I really don't neeeed a separate pair of brown boots to fit each of these requirements: one pair with a pointed toe and spiky heel, one with a rounded toe and chunky heel, and another pair that is flat and slouchy.
Until then, I'm just enjoying the change of color and scenery in our closet and its new (and likely, short-lived) organization :)

Hydrangeas

Where but the South can you find beautiful hydrangeas like this in the fall?! Maybe everywhere - I really am not a flower expert :) But I do know that these gorgeous stems make my home feel homey-er and put a smile on my face every time I walk through my door!

So beautiful they look fake!

Check out Bella Bad Girl in the background... ready to pounce!

Flowers. So impractical and such a waste of valuable grocery dollars... but I'm a sucker and can't pass up these beauties at Whole Foods - sorry hubbs ;)

Scents of the Season

Today in Atlanta it was about 80 degrees and extremely humid (I'm talking... humid as in my glasses fogged up when I walked to my car at 8 a.m. <-- nerd) even though it is almost NOVEMBER! That is craziness to this Midwestern girl. Up in Ohio, I would already be donning my Uggs and fleeces and scarves! Oh wait, I already wear scarves year-round - pure insanity if you ask my hubbs :)

So in hopes of bringing a little bit of fall flavor to our home, I've sprinkled our apartment with some little/easy/inexpensive flares of fall to make it at least feel and smell like fall in our house!

These Yankee Beanswax Candles are my latest obsession! Soo fragrant, even when they're not lit!

"The Great Pumpkin" scent = to die for!

I know candles aren't everyone's thing. Especially for people with ornery kitties who think flickering flames make fun toys! So for decor that can be enjoyed 24/7, I have developed a new-found affinity for potpourri! {Sidebar: I hate how that word is spelled.} I have found that a bag of $12.99 potpourri from Marshall's or HomeGoods can make such a difference in a room! This is my newest "batch" that I have used to liven up our coffee table and guest bathroom - and surprisingly I catch a whiff of it every time I walk past... almost a month, still going strong!

One bag of potpourri, a hurricane vase and a candle make for a simple, fragrant centerpiece!

This is a little nicer than sitting out a can of air freshener next to the potty ;)

And just because I share a breezeway with 3 other lovely apartment-dwellers, does not mean that my entryway can't be accessorized! This fall-colored ribbon wreath was a DIY creation made by moi! Thanks to Sheila, who organizes a fun, crafty "Girls Night In" every couple of weeks, my little door now has a homemade decoration of its very own! Ya, ya, I know wreaths don't fit in my "scents of the season" theme - but I just feel like bragging because I love it.

Ribbon Wreath: $10 of ribbon + $5 foam wreath + 30 fun minutes of tying knots at GNI

TA DAAA! {I think the security alarm sticker detracts from its beauty... but I can deal}

And what would fall be without the scents of warm, gooey, pumpkin-y baked goods?! These sweet treats have been my favorite scents of this season by far!

Pumpkin muffins and Pecan Braids from Panera

Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake fresh outta the oven... mmm

Until fall decides to officially arrive in Atlanta, I'll just keep adding my own unofficial touches of autumn to our little abode!

**Click the links for ribbon wreath instructions and cheesecake recipe**