Can You Please Do Me a Favor?

Whatever you do... make these muffins! Seriously.

{ see what I mean? }

I found a picture of these pumpkin cream cheese muffins on Pinterest, and I knew right away that they belonged in my belly. They probably belong in yours too.... unless you're allergic to pumpkin, and then I just feel very badly for you.

Now go do me yourself a favor and visit Annie's Eats blog. (click that link above) Print yourself a copy of the recipe for the tastiest muffins you will ever eat, make said muffins, eat muffins, and then you can thank me later for sharing this link.

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Today you can also find me over on Alisha's blog, Alisha & Brandon.

If you haven't had the pleasure of meeting Alisha yet, you must go visit her. You also just might find a link on her blog that will lead you to an embarrassing video of me climbing through a tiny opening in a window. Yes, you heard me correctly. Now go!

Friday's Fancies | fall leaf love

If there's anything I know about fall, it's the color of leaves that fall from the trees in northern Michigan. Imagine a color, and you can most likely find it in the palette created by the tree canopy. People visit from all over the country just to see the colors of the trees in Michigan each fall. It's pretty amazing.

I know that fall is beautiful in Colorado too. You'll find the landscape turning more yellow and brown with each passing fall day. Fall in Colorado is different from a Michigan fall, but you'll still see yellows and browns for as far as the eye can see.

a fall drive through Rocky Mountain National Park

Fall is one of the times each year when I feel compelled to wear at least a little bit of color in my wardrobe. It just might have something to do with the leaves changing colors, and the fall color trends don't seem to hurt either. I love the warm, rich colors that can be found everywhere from clothes to nail polish this time of year. Time to bundle up in color!

scarf   |  sweater  |  jeans  |  nail polish  |  bracelet  |  shoes

Do you enjoy the colors of fall leaves?

would you wear any of the colors in my fall leaf inspired outfit...

Now imagine the following and listen to this song:
You're wearing cozy clothes and are sitting next to a blazing fire with a loved one... you've got a warm drink in one hand... and it's snowing outside. It's a great feeling to know you're inside in the warm and couldn't ask for much more....



Happy Friday!

Fall Inspired Fashions

Fall is quietly becoming my favorite season. I hate to say that too loudly, because I would hate for the other seasons to get jealous. Let's be honest though, fall is pretty great for many reasons. I have plenty of long sleeved cozy things in my closet, and they're just begging for attention this time of year. Unfortunately, it's still too hot for them, but I did make a few Florida fall appropriate purchases recently.

The purchase of this orange sweater (I know it almost looks red, but I promise it's a dark orange) and black and white striped skirt are inspired by pins like this one and even this one. There's no time like fall to wear orange and not feel scared by its bold color. I can maybe even get away with wearing this skirt year round. That's a nice thing about fall in Florida. I can throw on a pair of tights when it gets really cold, but most likely I'll be wearing it with bare legs. See. I told you I'm a rebel.

sweater (similar)   |   skirt   |   sunglasses (similar)

These fall items are great, because they're fun colors that are wearable in the hot Florida temperatures. Heck, you can even wear this skirt with tights and boots if you are lucky enough to live in a cooler climate. The sweater happens to be fairly lightweight, so you can wear it alone or layered under a vest or jacket. Options are always good. I also love how the orange color makes me think of pumpkins! Any time I see orange and black I can't help but think of Halloween. I can't stop. I've got fall on the brain.

What are your favorite fall fashions?

Mad for Plaid and Some Fall Favorites

It's getting to be that time of year again. The unmistakable cooler air of fall is near, sort of, and all I want to do is bust out my plaid shirts and drink apple cider and pumpkin spice lattes already. What can I say? Fall is great, and I love me a plaid shirt every now and then.

my little plaid collection

left : mossimo from Target  |  right : old top from American Eagle ( similar )

Wearing plaid just might run in my blood. Considering that I grew up pretty darn close to Canada, where plaid is practically their national uniform, it only makes sense that plaid be a part of my wardrobe. Not to mention my dad wears his fair share of plaid button up shirts too. I was certainly made to wear plaid. I am a northern Michigan girl after all.

the photo booth flash always makes my face look shiny. what the heck?

yes, I'm also missing polish on two nails. don't judge.

plaid button up : mossimo @ Target ( similar )  |  nail polish : essie - sand tropez

I recently purchased this plaid beauty at Target for only $17.99 people! Target often has cute clothes, but I sometimes worry about the quality. For this price though, I felt it was worth adding a plaid shirt to my tiny collection. Why not? Plus I'm sort of in love with the indigo blue and red combo in this top.

This top is going to look perfect with my skinny jeans and brown boots. Not to mention, this plaid top makes me feel a little bit cowgirl too. That's never a bad thing in my book.

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How about you... do you like wearing plaid too?

Love it or hate it?

I Grew Up in The Mitten

Back in preschool we were taught that Michigan is shaped like a mitten, and that fact is still one of the coolest things I have ever learned about my home state. I kid. There are plenty of great things about Michigan other than its mitten shape, but it is pretty awesome being able to use your hand as a map. When people ask where I'm from, I just point to the tip of my middle finger. Yep. It's that simple.

It's very easy to make the state of Michigan using your hands.

Wearing 'Michigan' mittens makes it even better. (as seen below)

The weather here in Florida dipped into the 50s a few times this week.

The temperatures have been making this Michigan/Colorado girl very happy. It almost felt like fall here this week. Almost. I wasted no time busting out my 'winter' weather clothing like my hats, boots, and of course mittens!

My mom's friend made me these adorable mittens so that I could

represent my football team in style once the temperatures drop a bit. I love them!

How appropriate wearing a pair of 'Michigan' mittens.

Go Blue!

p.s. { did anyone watch them beat that one school last weekend? }

Fall Smells Good

I know it's already November and winter will be here before we know it,

but it's not too late to share some of my favorite scents for fall, right?

{  mulled wine candle: anthropologie  |  nail polish: essie  }

Anthropologie's website describes the mulled wine candle as
"red wine stewed with oakwood, cinnamon, and citrus."
I think it's the cinnamon that has me hooked.

The smell from this candle easily fills your whole room....
and maybe even your whole house*.
* { Depending on the size of your house. We live in a small two bedroom apartment. It works for us. }

I love the smell of food
cooking on Thanksgiving day too!

What are some of your favorite fall scents?

Oh My Gourd!

Yesterday we bought some gourds at a pumpkin patch. That's a little ironic, huh? The man at the pumpkin patch told us there is a pumpkin shortage in the area. We picked out a couple of gourds and figured they would serve as decent substitutes for pumpkins. How silly of us! After getting them home and attempting to cut into them with a paring knife, I realized they were pretty much rock hard.
Gourd carving fail!

Hopefully the pumpkin patch near my work still has some pumpkins, because I'd really like to carve a pumpkin this year. There's something very satisfying about carving a fun design into a pumpkin and then lighting up your hard work with a candle.

Pumpkins or not, last night my husband searched our storage closet for my favorite little turkey tea light holders. It's starting to feel more like fall here in Florida with each passing day. Before we know it, we'll be eating turkey and cranberry sauce and then opening Christmas gifts. Whew!

Happy Halloween!

Eat some candy for me.

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p.s. That blue bear in the first photo appears in our wedding pics...

I should really share those some day soon!

Dreamy Fall Outfit

I often play it a little too safe when it comes to fashion and style. Favorite items in my closet typically consist of grey cardigans and a comfortable pair of dark denim jeans. Not very risky when it comes to fashion. Sometimes coming out of your shell takes time, and I'm slowly working myself into being more brave when it comes to clothing. Fun pops of color and maxi skirts never killed anyone... right?

{ sweater tunic } { maxi skirt } { knit cap } { necklace } { wallet }

When shopping for new pieces to complete my wardrobe, I often run through images of items already in my closet. If I cannot picture how to make outfits with an item of clothing, then it's probably not a good purchase for me. The worst things is purchasing an item that never sees the light of day.

I desperately need to build my wardrobe, which will take time, but slowly adding some great pieces here and there should give me plenty of options to create some interesting outfits.

Who would have thought that a sweater tunic would look great layered over top of a maxi skirt?! Surprisingly, it worked out pretty well. The gray tunic tones down the red skirt and bright yellow wallet. I'm looking forward to creating multiple different outfits using this sweater tunic! It even looks great with a basic pair of skinny jeans underneath it. Not too bad. I just love versatile pieces. (:

Happy Friday friends!

Pumpkin in Pancake Form

Not sure if you noticed, but for all intents and purposes, it's fall. It may not exactly feel like fall in some parts of the world, but the calendar tells me that it is indeed fall. Plus it just snowed back in Denver, so had we not moved to Florida it might be feeling more like winter right about now. You just never know. Moving on....

Fall brings with it the idea that pumpkin must be worked into the diet as often as possible, because Christmas will be here before we know it. (Did I just write that out loud?! Yes. I did.) In this household we are taking full advantage of any excuse we can get to eat any and everything pumpkin! That includes pumpkin pancakes. I first read about these amazing pumpkin goodies on The Style Dossier, so make sure to also go read what they had to say about the deliciousness that is pumpkin pancakes.

You can find this Martha Stewart recipe for pumpkin pancakes over here.

We just so happened to enjoy ours with a dollop of whipped cream on top.

It made them taste rather like eating pumpkin pie... only in pancake form. Yup. Enjoy!

* excuse the slightly burned edge of my pancake... they still tasted amazing...

nothing a little extra whipped cream cannot cure.

Fall in Florida

After all of my whining about how hot the temperatures have been here in Florida, October was ushered in by some lovely fall-ish weather. I suppose my definition of fall will change the longer we spend in Florida. We have welcomed this Florida fall weather with open arms!

The cooler temperatures make being outside somewhat tolerable, so obviously my husband and I took our day off of work together and made the best of it. Cooler temperatures really help with lugging around a camera bag while hoofing it through town. Seriously, no one wants to look like they just walked through a sprinkler while walking about the streets.

Some photos from our recent day trip to Mount Dora, Florida :

See... fall in Florida isn't that bad.

Come back in the next couple of days

to read more about our visit to Mount Dora!

Pumpkin Spice Latte Envy

Lately I've been reading quite a few blog posts mentioning Pumpkin Spice lattes and cooler weather, and I have to admit that I'm a tad jealous. (That may be the understatement of the year.) Yes, I have access to my fair share of Starbucks, but the hot and humid weather in Florida is unfortunately not in my control. If it was, I would drop temps into the 65-70 degree range and enjoy a Pumpkin Spice latte without having a hot flash. I might even bust out a sweater and wear it outside for longer than it takes me to walk from my car into work.... but I'm not bitter. Nope.

Since we're still suffering through enjoying hot and sweaty summer weather here in Florida, I thought I'd put together a virtual outfit that I'd like to wear once the weather cools off a bit. Pumpkin Spice lattes may be out of the question when it's "hot as hades" outside, but pumpkin-orange colored tops just might do the trick in quelling my fall jealousy. Until I can sip on hot drinks again, without wanting to rip off all my clothes and hop in a pool full of ice water, I will spend my time fantasizing about favorite fall outfits.

Longsleeve Tops by Anthropologie
Wedges by Steve Madden

I could really use a wardrobe update.

What are you loving when it comes to your fall wardrobe?

Happy Halloweeeeen

Usually Nate and I would be living it up at a Halloween party while dressed up all silly, but this year we're being much more low key. Are we getting old or something?! Heck, I don't even like scary movies any more!

This was from a Halloween party last year. We were feeling like 20-something year olds at that point. :)

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Halloween parties or not... the one thing I cannot live without is pumpkin carving! I'll never get too old for that. Pumpkin carving is the best!

I love picking out the perfect pumpkin. 

I love finding a fun design that fits perfectly.

I like sticking my hands in the 'guts' and 

squishing my hands around. 

I love carving carefully through the 

pumpkin, so that the design stays intact. 

I love lighting up the freshly carved 

jack-o-lantern for the first time! 

This year, Nate and I joined Annie & Mike for pumpkin carving. The more carved pumpkins... the better! I've decided that next year I'm carving more than one pumpkin, because one just wasn't enough. There are too many fun designs, and I want to carve at least 2 pumpkins next year. Nate might think I'm a little crazy, but I just like to be artistic and make things. Pumpkins are a once a year thing! Maybe I should take up carving oranges and apples the rest of the year?

Did anyone else enjoy their pumpkin carving experience this year? We did!

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Here's a look at mine and Nate's Halloween pumpkins over the years:

* 2010 Pumpkins * 

 * 2009 Pumpkins *

* 2008 Pumpkins *

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Happy Halloween!!

Fall Favorites

After reading Shawn & Rachel's blog about fall, I felt inspired to share some of my favorite things about fall too. If you asked me what my favorite season was when I was younger, I would answer without hesitation that it was "summer". However, now my favorite season is fall. I sometimes wonder if we lived in Michigan if fall would still be my favorite season? I really love fall for so many reasons...

Football! Need I say more? My love for football has grown over the years (sort of like my love for fall). I even passed up a chance to watch the Desperate Housewives season premiere, with no objection from Nate, because Sunday night football was on, and I wanted to see how my fantasy football players would perform. Scary... I know.

Food! Not only does the beginning of fall signal the return of pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks, but it also means that Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Turkey day is my favorite holiday, because it allows friends and families to get together to give thanks and be happy! No presents to worry about buying, no stress over wrapping and debt, just a good old fashioned get together over food. Not to mention I like to cook, and it doesn't hurt that the Michigan/Ohio State football game falls on Thanksgiving weekend either.

Clothes! Goodbye to shorts and tank tops. Fall gives way for scarves and boots. I have really taken a liking to cooler weather clothing... it may have something to do with the fact that I'm not sporting a six pack any more, and I'm not talking beer. Does everyone grow out of loving summer at some point in their lives? There's nothing like heading outside with a cozy scarf and a pair of comfy boots. I also really enjoy waking up to weather that's crisp and cool as opposed to scorching and hot. Sweating from the moment you get up until you go to bed gets old... thank you fall for offering a break from the sweat. :)

Decorations! I love to carve pumpkins... always have, always will. Something about a flickering Jack-o-lantern in the living room or on the porch gives some "spook" to the dark fall nights. I also like placing other little fall decorations around our place each fall. Mini pumpkins and gourds... pine cones... candy corn... mmm I love fall decorations.

There are almost too many things I love about fall to mention.... like: It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, Halloween costumes, candy, leaves changing color, concerts in a park, cider mills, cider and donuts, crisp... clean... air... I could go on and on...

What are some of your favorite things about fall?