It's official - the house is mine! All is right in the land of closing, and today is Moving Day! I move into MY new house today - pretty exciting, woot woot! Can't wait to finish the moving process and begin unpacking and getting settled.
Translation: Bring Your Own Pumpkin Spice LattePumpkin Spice Latte
makes 1-2 servings
Ingredients:
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons canned pumpkin OR 1 teaspoon of Torani Pumpkin Spice Syrup (your choice)
2 tablespoons sugar or sugar substitute - you can halve this amount
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1-2 shots espresso (about 1/4 cup of espresso or 1/2 cup of strong brewed coffee if you don't have an espresso machine.)
Directions:
In a saucepan combine milk, pumpkin and sugar and cook on medium heat, stirring, until steaming. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and spice, transfer to a blender and process for 15 seconds until foamy. If you don't have a blender, don't worry about it - just whisk the mixture really well with a wire whisk.
Pour into a large mug or two mugs. Add the espresso on top.
Optional: Top with whipped cream and sprinkle pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, or cinnamon on top.
image+recipe/thekitchn
I'm hoping to expand my cooking library in my new house. Somehow the idea of cooking in my very own kitchen inspires a new wave of culinary inspiration. Here are the next few cookbooks I've been eyeballing...
Here's a few pics from the girls weekend in Forks, woot woot!! With 9 of us girls, we literally looked like a parade everywhere we went, needless to say we stood out! But we are not alone - Twilight is everywhere in this town, storefronts, menu items, window displays, apparel for sale - you name it!
Fall is one of my favorite seasons for decorating. I absolutely adore the fall color palette, brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows echoing the trees as the leaves begin to fall. For my new house, I think I need one of these darling velvet pumpkins, such a clever concept!
I had a wonderful weekend...Wicked was AMAZING, my trip to Forks with the girls was fantastic (pics to come soon), but today I'm dragging...
This weekend I'm excited to go see Wicked. I adore musicals and this is one of the few I haven't seen. My boyfriend and I are going out to dinner and then popping in to sing along to "Popular."
image/inforks
I can't get enough of Glee!! It was even better last night. My favorite quote from the episode was when the standout glee club member Kurt became the starting football kicker to impress his dad. While warming up for the football game he announced, "My body is like a rum chocolate souffle. If I don't warm it up right, it doesn't rise," before he busted out Beyonce's "Put a Ring On It," on the field preceding the big kick.
Have you seen the latest pictures from Sydney's red hued dust storm. Named one of the worst dust storms in Australia’s history, travel in and out of Sydney has essentially shut down, causing citywide chaos as many major flights redirected or canceled. The intense red has an eerie, mysterious quality, awfully reminiscent of Mars, don't you think?
Officially one more week 'til moving day! My apartment is a jumbled mess of boxes, piles, and random stuff! Hopefully I'll get it all sorted out before Moving Day. Wish me luck!
My former colleague Rachel's wedding was featured on Junebug Weddings yesterday! Rachel and Patrick - recent transplants to West Texas, celebrated their wedding back home in the good old Northwest in Roche Harbor in the San Juan Islands. Check out the pictures of their beautiful day!
Wake up to Autumn with these pumpkin pie pancakes. Talk about getting into the season! And I thought I was excited when Starbucks brought back their pumpkin spice syrup...I am definitely going to make these one windswept fall morning yet to come. Picture it: pumpkin pie pancakes, cozy house, blankets, and a movie - my ideal way to enjoy the flavors of Autumn. 
This weekend was epic in Washington football. My alma mater the University of Washington Huskies defeated #3 ranked USC in the ultimate Pac-10 upset of the season! USC is a tough-to-beat, all-star team that historically pretty much destroys everyone and everything in their path. Led by our new coach Sarkisian and QB Jake Locker, the Huskies managed to out-match the Trojans 16-13 at home. Now USC is out of the top 10, and Washington is ranked (for the first time in 6 years). Quite a milestone!
While school lunches have improved light years since I was in elementary school, they're still nothing fabulous to write home about. Check out this school lunch menu in France, courtesy of fabulous blogger stephmodo...
Instead of Taco Tuesday or Pizza Friday, try Rabbit with Mustard Sauce, Zucchini Flan and Chocolate Mousse? And Roasted Duck with Haricots Verts and Chocolate Cake? And all for 2€ ? These divine lunches are almost enough to make me want to teach in France!
These Banana Doughnuts with Dried Banana Streusel are making my mouth water - talk about the perfect Friday treat! Yum!
Isn't this natural wonder gorgeous? It's Canary Springs at Yellowstone National Park. Have you ever been here, because I haven't and I would love to go! This month Budget Travel magazine is featuring an article entitled "8 Places Every American Should See." The list includes the likes of Gettysburg, Graceland, and Monticello among others. 
Good news, I survived my first power yoga class! My friend Anna and I sweated through our 90 minute class in the heat of a 75-degree studio last night. I felt pretty good last night after the class, challenged, stretched, and this morning I woke up to find my arms were incredibly sore! Turns out this Vinyasa yoga is pretty challenging stuff! Hopefully I'll get some sweet toned arms as a result!
I'm fond of these posters promoting Autism awarness by the Rugh Family Workshop. I can relate the content of these artistic representations to the uniquely creative thinking of students I've worked with.
A turning point for fall is putting away the flip-flops and bringing out the shoes and socks. Not just any old socks - fashion friendly argyle socks! Why not warm up your home accessories as well for a cozy fall look!
If you've read my blog for a while now, you know I'm obsessed with chalkboard paint...(see here, here, and here) Maybe it's the teacher in me, but having I love the idea of a chalkboard wall in a home, a flexible surface available for list making, doodling, drawing, you name it.
I had such a fun weekend celebrating Carrie's bachelorette party in Vegas! It was a crazy, hilarious time, gathering up 20 sorority girls for a spectacular send off from singledom. My pledge class has stayed incredibly close since we graduated in 2005, and it was such fun to be able to dance the night away with all my best girls.
I'm so excited it's the weekend. Off to celebrate my friend Carrie's bachelorette party, looking for some good times with some of my favorite girls. Have a good one!
Per Joanna's recommendation, I picked up Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant - Confessions of Dining Alone, at the library to read on the plane en route to my weekend in Michigan. Since I currently live alone, I do end up making meals for myself fairly often intermittent with nights my boyfriend and I either grab take-out, or make dinner together.
Like it spicy? If you do, life is made a heck of a lot easier with these new gallon-size jugs of Tabasco, heck out these gallons of hot sauce? I'm a mild-medium spice kinda girl - I rarely use Tabaso, and if I did, I'd need the tiniest vile (not the jug)...
I made this lovely dish for dinner last night, Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower, Arugula, and Prosciutto. It really should have grape tomatoes thrown into the name since they are a main ingredient, but hey, I didn't make the recipe. It was healthy, light, filling, and pretty easy once I assembled all the ingredients. 
Anyone else feel this way? I'm not a grammar goddess by any means, but when people incorrectly use your/you're it drives me crazy! Must be the teacher inside of me.
It's official - we got the house!!! I am so excited I can hardly contain myself. We received mutual acceptance Friday morning, and got the inspection completed this weekend. Everything is going according to plan, and I'm excited to move in at the end of the month. Here's to the next step, my adventures as a homeowner!
Happy Friday and Labor Day weekend! I'm trying to soak up the last of summer weather, going to a friend's wedding tonight and enjoying Seattle's famous music festival - Bumbershoot - later this weekend with friends. As for my offer on the house...still waiting to hear back from the sellers, but I'll be sure to keep you posted on house happenings!
I'm such a sucker for a fun label - I'll usually buy that over the recommended wine anyday. Loving this label "He Said, She Said," Australian wine by Lake House Denmark Wines.
So blogging friends - I feel like I should let you in on a little venture I've been working on... My wonderful parents are helping me to purchase my first home, which is exciting in itself. I can't believe I'm already at the age where I could be a homeowner! I finally feel like a grown up.
You know how there are some products you just love, despite all the other appealing bottles and containers available in the aisle at the store...often times I try out the new ones, wooed by their intriguing labels or shiny packaging, but afterward I always find myself gravitating toward the same reliable products...Such as C.O. Bigelow's line in lemon scent. My absolute fave is the lemon hand wash, it's fresh, citrusy, and clean, perfect for your guest bathroom. The best part is - this line of products is available offline at Bath & Body Works.
