Lately

I think I've finally recovered from my trip to Dallas last weekend!  I'm not even going to bother to write a post about the whole fiasco because it's just not worth the energy, but let's just say I came home exhausted!  

The conference itself was awesome.  Getting stranded and having to deal with American Airlines was not so awesome.  My flights kept getting cancelled, and I spent many, many hours on the phone trying to get re-booked.

But alas, I made it home safely!  

Life has been a whirlwind so here's a little update:

• My semester has officially ended!  It was a great semester teaching.  I got wonderful feedback from my students.  I did not, however, make nearly as much progress on my dissertation as I had hoped.  That means its time to refocus and re-prioritize.  2014 is my year to finish!

• While I was away, my boys surprised me and put up our Christmas tree.  You have no idea how sweet it was to come home to those twinkling lights. I was so exhausted from being up all night and seeing the tree nearly brought me to tears.  It was so sweet. Liam is completely obsessed with the Christmas tree by the way.  Every morning, the first thing he does is ask me to turn on the lights!

• I love looking at our tree and seeing ornaments from my childhood.  Growing up, we were given a special ornament each year.  There are so many happy, special memories tied to each of those ornaments.  I have continued the tradition with Liam.  This year, his ornament is a Cozy Coupe.  It's fitting considering how many hours he spent in his this summer.  

• Speaking of holiday decorations, I look at this holiday house tour and this one, and I'm completely inspired.  This year, however, it's just not in the cards.  This year, we kept it super simple with just our little tree and a few other decorations. Perhaps one day, when I'm no longer a graduate student, I'll have the time and energy to really do it up!  

• I just started reading this book.  I was a vegetarian for several years into my mid-twenties. Recently, I've felt an inclination to return to the lifestyle. I do, however, enjoy eating meat. And my husband is definitely a meat eater.  I think this might be the perfect compromise for us.  The book is full of really insightful nutritional information.  I consider myself pretty informed in this area but he's touched on several things I didn't know.

• I have also recently started doing yoga again.  I am using this DVD, which I love!  Since this past summer, I have had lower back pain, on and off.  I decided to take a break from my high impact, cardio workouts and do something more gentle, in hopes that the lower back pain will go away.  I have always enjoyed yoga and have read that it's one of the best ways to combat back pain.  In terms of yoga though, I only really like it when it's challenging.  I still want to feel like I'm exercising!  Ashtanga is a more rigorous form of yoga and I am definitely challenged.  Already I feel stronger and more flexible.  It's kind of remarkable.

• Liam is totally into Christmas this year.  I'm not sure he really understands what is going on, but he talks about Santa a lot!  I just got him a few books to help him understand what Christmas is really about.  This book is my favorite.  I cannot get over how much I love this story....which talks about the trees, the animals and the stars all rejoicing over the coming of  Jesus.  Truly, a beautiful story.

• I am currently drinking this hot chocolate.  So good!  Have I ever talked about my love of mint combined with chocolate?  I can't get enough.

• Which is why I plan to make these brownies to take to my family's holiday gathering.  I hope they are as good as they look!

• And speaking of Trader Joe's, have you ever had Cookie & Cocoa Swirl?  Whoa.  I don't think I should be allowed to buy this stuff again because somehow, I just end up eating it straight out of the jar!

• Andrew and I just finished watching Under the Dome.  I wasn't sold on it at first, but now I'm hooked.  The series was renewed for a second season, which means that the final episode totally left us hanging.  I hate it when they do that!

• We are happily gearing up for the holidays!  We'll be gone more than a week travelling to various locations to be with our families.  My grades are done.  Our gifts are wrapped.  And I'm truly looking forward to spending some quality time with the people we love~!

Fall Favorites

It's no secret that I love autumn.  Having grown up in the Midwest, I have a certain appreciation for the change of seasons, and the fall season is one of my favorites.  

It tends to be a busy season for us as we try to maximize our time outdoors and enjoy the beautiful weather. I'm okay with that because I know that the winter season usually brings slower days spent indoors. 

So what do I love about autumn?  I love the cool crisp mornings combined with warm, sunny days. I love watching the colors change on the trees.  I love pulling out my boots and sweaters.  I love drinking hot cider and the smell of leaves burning.  I also love the traditional fall activities of bonfires, hayrides, and visits to the pumpkin patch.

We try to get outdoors as much as possible this time of year.  Liam and I have been hiking at least once a week for the past month. These pics are from our family hike last week.  The little guy was beaming the entire time.

While we spend a lot of time outdoors, I also like to bring a little fall indoors. Our house is small so I don't have a lot of space for seasonal decorations, but I do add a few touches.  In our next home, I hope to have a fireplace.  I would love to have a mantel to change up with the seasons, but until then, I like to keep it pretty simple.

I frequently change up the centerpiece on our dining room table.  I love the vibrant colors of these fall leaves. 

I'm also big on natural touches and have a thing for candles.  This little arrangement sits on my grandmother's antique sewing machine.

One of my favorite ways to change my decor is to change out our decorative pillows.  I love the fall colors and embroidery in the middle pillow. 

I also have a love for all things pumpkin.  I light this candle every evening and I love how my house smells!

I also recently discovered Trader Joe's pumpkin butter.  Wow.  So good!  

In an attempt to save money, I also started making my own pumpkin spice latte using this recipe.  It's so good and gives Starbucks a run for it's money.

Happy fall!  I hope you get to enjoy all that this beautiful season has to offer!

xoxo

Pumpkin Pie

For Andrew's birthday, he requested a pumpkin pie, which is his favorite.  

I usually do not bake for his birthday, not since the first year we were dating anyway!  That year I decided to make him a chocolate cake.  It was a hilarious disaster.  So much of a disaster, in fact, that he's never asked me to bake for him since.

Let's just say that baking is not my thing.  I love to cook!  But my attempts at baking haven't proven to be the most successful.

This year, however, I rose to the challenge.

Making a pie from scratch was on my life list.  Since I wrote that list, I have dabbled a little in pie making.  But I've never had the nerve to make my own crust.  

My cousin recently came to our house for dinner, and she brought along the best apple pie.  When I asked her about the crust, she shared with me this recipe that she uses, which sounded completely non-threatening, so I decided to go for it.  

This crust is super low maintenance and easy to make.  It's not the prettiest crust, but it tastes great.  I was a little nervous because I used coconut oil instead of vegetable oil and it still turned out great (excuse the horrible photos, it was at night and I was using my iPhone).  Hopefully, with some practice, I'll be able to make some nicely scalloped edges.

Ready for some filling!

I also used the pumpkin pie recipe on the same link, although I used canned pumpkin.  I do not, and likely will not ever, have the time or the interest to roast and puree my own pumpkin, and I'm okay with that!

Baking

For the sake of keeping it real, here's what my pie looked like when I pulled it out of the oven.  See my stab marks?  That's the result of jabbing a knife into the center multiple times to see if it was done.  Note to self...next time use a toothpick!

Yummy

The end result wasn't necessarily pretty, but it was delicious!  So delicious that last night my two year-old actually buried his face in his bowl and started licking it.  No joke.  And as for that crust?  It's a nice, flaky crust and much better than the store bought ones.  

Based on this experience, I'm no longer afraid of making pie!  In fact, I'm ready to start making all kinds of pie.  So if you have a good recipe, please pass it along!

xoxo