Quote of the Week

“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”

- F. Scott Fitzgerald

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Fall Favorites: Pumpkick Beer

In honor of my favorite season, I'm starting a new series to document all of my favorite fall recipes, products, and such.  First up - New Belgium Pumpkick Beer.  This was an impulse buy at the grocery store, and boy am I glad!  This beer tastes like fall…for real!  Or to quote the website, "an unexpected kick of cranberry juice brightens this spiced season ale…plenty of pumpkin juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, a touch of lemongrass that send your taste buds sailing."  Enough said.

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Quote of the Week

"Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy." 

~ Anne Frank

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Fall is Here

School is back in full swing,  fall has descended upon us, and we're settling into our new house (did I mention we bought a NEW house?!?!).  Life is pretty great around these parts.  

+ Reading this for my book club that just had a revival after a 2-year hiatus, hooray!

+ Appreciating this book for future weeknight dinners

+ Looking forward to the premiere of this show in my queue

+ Rocking out to this new catchy song

+ Eyeballing these fall inspired cookies

+ My kind of rush hour in the Netherlands

+ Want to try this recipe to put an invigorating spin on breakfast

+ More parenting books to add to my nightstand

+ Why every parent should read Harry Potter to their kids

+ The coolest nanny gig

Enjoy your week!

Good Things

1. Ocean air is good for the soul.  It was so nice to get away with my little family.  We spent the weekend walking the shores of Cannon Beach (with baby in Ergo), breathing in the salty sea air, and soaking up the gorgeous sunshine on a beautiful fall weekend.

2. Riley has started to coo!  It is the sweetest thing!  She gurgles and giggles and makes all kinds of adorable baby noises, but one of her "favorite" sounds is awfully reminiscent of "Hi," which she sometimes echoes when we say hello back to her.  Therefore we've decided it is her first word :)

3. Came home to fresh flowers on my doorstep last week from the huz to celebrate our anniversary.  We opted out of getting each other gifts this year to save money but I was pleasantly surprised by a blushing bouquet of magenta roses and white gerber daisies to say "I love you." The gesture was greatly appreciated.  In turn, I bought him a cannoli (his favorite) at Whole Foods. That's love :)

4. Fall is alive in Seattle, and made even more beautiful by being pleasantly accompanied by crisp blue skies.  Our wonderfully sunny summer has blessed us with an especially colorful fall, everywhere I look the trees are bursting with vibrant red, orange, and golden leaves.  Love this season!

5. Friends who bring food to new parents with a baby.  I can't tell you how lovely this is.  I never appreciated the true gift of a home cooked meal until I was on the receiving end.  It's glorious!  For those moments when you're tired and starving and you've had one too many frozen pizzas...  Thank you dear friends!

6. New (to us) episodes of How I Met Your Mother on Netflix. My husband and I LOVE this show and are slowly making our way through the final season via Netflix.  Oh how we've missed the inside jokes, the blind side high-5 of Marshall and Lily, and the will-they, won't-they dance of Robin and Barney.  To us, the resurgence of HIMYM after bedtime is Legen (wait for it) -dary!

7. Last Friday night was my first workout post baby.  I figured I'd dive in head first and attend my favorite spin class.  Dark lights, pumping music, sweat flowing, these workouts are intense, and yes, it was challenging, but I did it!  Gave myself a hearty pat on the back!

8. Receiving my new teaching certificate in the mail.  I'm "officially" legit for another 6 years! Woot, woot!

9. Halloween party at my PEPS (moms) group.  What a sight to see!  Try taking a picture of 4 ladybugs, a dinosaur, Princess Leia, an old fashioned girl, Superman, a monkey, and a pirate all wriggling around on the floor in a circle.  Priceless!

10. My little bug is 8 weeks on Thursday!  I sure love being her mommy.

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Dinner Last Night: Pumpkin Black Bean Soup

Truth: my husband doesn't like the flavor of pumpkin. {Insert huge gasp here}...I know!  For someone who isn't picky and eats almost anything, I an flummoxed by his aversion to pumpkin flavored things.  

I came across this recipe for Smitten Kitchen's Pumpkin Black Bean Soup via Carly's blog.  Last night, when my husband, called en route home from work and asked "So, what's the plan for dinner?" I merely said..."oh, black bean soup," no mention whatsoever of the pumpkin.  Well, lo and behold, he ended up enjoying this soup (pumpkin and all). After he finished I decided to come clean and let him know there was actually pumpkin hiding inside.  Hee hee hee, I'm so clever. 

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Quote of the Week

"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall."

~ F. Scott Fitzgerald

Happy first day of fall!

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November Chill

Cold has descended upon the Seattle area.  One minute it was breezy, crisp, and feeling very autumn, the leaves rich with color and full on trees...And then, what seemed like a nanosecond later, trees are bare, and streets are carpeted with yellowy red mulch, and a wintry chill hangs in the air.  Yesterday, the temperature read 32 degrees, but skies were dry.  Not quite snow season, but getting close. Now, I realize this may not be considered cold in your neck of the woods, but winter boots, scarves, and puffy coat weather has arrived here.  

I'm currently enjoying a four-day weekend off school, thanks to Veterans day and a parent/teacher conference day that I opted to not use (having done all of mine before/after school in recent weeks).  I've spent the morning combing my stack of fall magazines that usually sit idly as I can never find the time to read them, but now I am leisurely perusing for comforting, fall recipes.  

Here are some favorites on my "to cook" roster, gathered both the web and reliable stash of Martha Stewart Living, Cooking Light, and Real Simple magazines.

+ Honeycrisp and Bourbon Spiced Cider

+ Butternut Squash and Mushroom Tarte with Gruyere

+ Golden Beet, Greens, and Potato Torta

+ Bacon and Butternut Squash Mac 'n Cheese

+ 30 Minute Filet Bourguignonne with Mashed Potatoes 

+ Roasted Pear and Chocolate Chunk Scones

+ Cavatappi with Browned Brussel Sprouts and Buttery Breadcrumbs

Now, let's see if I can really make every single one of these to enjoy at home!

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Pumpkinpalooza

I know it's not for everyone, but I love the flavor of pumpkin.  My husband does not share my enthusiasm and tends to turn his nose up at the likes of seasonal delicacies like pumpkin ravioli, pumpkin ice cream, and pumpkin bread.  He really is missing out.

Since I'm a pumpkin enthusiast, I've been trying my darndest to round up every sweet and savory pumpkin recipe under the sun to share with the rest of you who share my affection for pumpkin flavored things.  Here goes nothing... Ooh, and please feel free to comment with any fave pumpkin recipes I might've missed!

+ pumpkin cream cheese truffles

+ savory kale and pumpkin scones

+ pumpkin soup

+ roasted pumpkin quiche with caramelized onions, gorgonzola, and sage

+ healthy pumpkin pie dip

+ pumpkin pie oatmeal

+ pumpkin macaroni and cheese

+ pumpkin bread pudding

+ pumpkin pecorino gratin

+ pumpkin streusel muffins

+ pumpkin white chocolate and macadamia nut cookies

+ caramel pumpkin gingersnap cheesecake

+ pumpkin risotto with seared scallops

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Highlights of Fall

Have I told you how excited I am that it's fall?  While I am thoroughly the Indian summer that is currently underway in Seattle, I am looking ahead to all the loveliness that is fall.  

A few things fall things I'm excited for:

+ Our first anniversary, I can hardly believe it's almost been a full year since our wedding!  With our anniversary comes our inaugural anniversary trip.  We're headed to Friday Harbor, can't wait!!

+ Hot cocoa, mulled cider, spiced tea, pumpkin spice lattes...mmm!

+ Fall clothes!  I've definitely worn my summer clothing thin, so I'm excited to pull out the scarves, sweaters, wellies, and warm + cozy items from the depths of my closet.

+ Weddings!  Our friends Carla + Ryan are tying the knot this weekend, can't wait to dance the night away, DJ Greasy style!  haha...

+ Fall recipes; heart-warming soups, stews, casseroles, and cassoulets.  I'll defs be turning my oven on this season to crank up the heat!

+ 30th Birthdays!  This is the year of turning the dirty 3-0 for most of my friends and I, and we have some fun shindigs on the horizon, first with a dual birthday weekend getaway in October!

+ Babies!  Three of my college girlfriends are due with their first babies in October.  Literally, October 1, October 10, and October 17th - what are the odds, right?  None have made their debuts yet, but we are eagerly awaiting texts, emails, and updates!

+ Halloween!  No costume selected as of yet, but I'm open to suggestions...

+ Clear days, crisp air, vibrant leaves on the trees, eventually carpeting the streets.

Oh, how I love fall!  What are you excited for?

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Weekend Link Love

It's here!  Fall is definitely in the air.  With a busy few weekends ahead of us, I'm quite excited to do a whole lot of NOTHING this weekend.  No plans, no schedules, no agenda.  Doesn't that sound lovely?  Enjoy your weekend!

+ Paint dipped furniture

+ It's not too early to plan for Christmas, right?  Count down to Christmas activities!

+ Pumpkin monkey bread with salted maple glaze - yum!

+ Cross stitched pumpkins, perfect for fall

+ Creative centerpieces for holiday decorating

+ Your own wedding app, sooo cool!

+ Healthy dinner option - quinoa sliders, my sister would love these!

+ Felt bookends

+ Jack-o-lantern stuffed peppers

+ River rock boot trays, for collecting snow, so clever!

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Squash Vases

A smattering of squash vases - how perfectly fall. Must try this!

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Pumpkin Spice Alternative

I'm happy to report I've found an affordable alternative to the pricy $4.00+ pumpkin spice latte, Trader Joe's Pumpkin spice coffee. While it's not quite the barista, it does have a aromatic, spicy fall flavor and it's only $8 for 14 ounces. Sweet!

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Cider Tea

I just heard about this fantastic autumn trick. If you're a tea fan, try this, rather than brew your tea in the usual water, try brewing in hot cider instead. I can't wait to try this! It'll add a kick of apple spice to my usual chai tea in the evenings!

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Lumina Pumpkins

I'm officially all about lumina pumpkins. Aren't they cool? The bright white is a lovely contrast with the traditional orange pumpkins of fall. Can you believe it's pumpkin season already?

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Pumpkins Galore

I love the pop of orange pumpkins. I love the way they add that bright splash of color to neighbors front porches and stoops, and their presence just declares it's fall! And I especially love seeing the creative flair pumpkins can lend themselves to. Here are a few of Martha's best ideas for how to spice up the everyday pumpkin for Halloween.

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Feels Like Fall

With the rain and cold settling in, here in Seattle, it feels more like fall than the tail end of summer. While I'm sad to pack away my shorts and tank tops, I am looking forward to some perks of fall; thick scarves, pumpkin-spice lattes, and series premiers!

What is your favorite season?

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Balloon Fun

Being sick on Halloween is no fun, so I've resorted to planning a spectacular costume for next year. I stumbled upon these balloon costumes - pretty impressive! Check out these clever balloon costumes, but be careful not to pop!
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Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween weekend my dears!
Hope your evenings are full of spooktacular trick-or-treats!

Pumpkin Yum

These were so good, I forgot to blog! My mom made these amazing pumpkin muffins with crumble topping for me last week. She made me an entire Tupperware to "share" with my boyfriend and co-workers...truth be told, I hoarded the container and ate most myself. They were that good! All you pumpkin lovers like myself should whip up a batch and indulge!

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