Perfect Fall Weekend - In Pictures

The weather this weekend was absolutely wonderful and has definitely put me in the fall mood (thank you Skilling)!  Since fall is my most favorite season in the world (well, out of all four of them) I decided to jump in head first.  I figured instead of telling you all about it, I would document my adventures in pictures.  

Hofbräuhaus Oktoberfest Beer

Tomato soup with baked
mozzarella sticks (in ball form) 

Einstein's pumpkin crisp bagel
and cinnamon coffee 

The biggest carmel apple in
the world from Mariano's 

Pumpkin cupcakes from Sugar Bliss

Just in case you wanted to see
these DELICIOUS cupcakes
one more time :) 

A house that smells like Fall? Yes! 

Baked apple crisp dessert (the book says bake something
that he will like "because much depends on the
state of his digestion" fyi) 

 As I take a look back at my wonderful weekend, I now realize that I need to go to the gym since, well, most of my adventures involved food and booze...  Oh well, it was glorious and totally worth it!!

Haunted S'More Treats

We were having some friends over for a little festive fall gathering this past weekend and since I now have a backyard, I wanted to fulfill my lifelong dream of sitting with friends on hay bales, around a bonfire, drinking wine.. like they do in the movies (granted, I feel like this is how all Horror movies start but it still looks like they are having a good time, you know, before they are hunted down by a crazed lunatic). 

And apparently, I'm not the only one with this dream :) 

(Note: I just had to say that not only does he love his PetSmart Fall Sweater but he was super excited for the Hay Bale Photo Shoot, so I don't want any emails about how I tortured my dog by dressing him up and making him pose for pictures.  He LOVES it... well maybe not loves it.. but he sure loves the treats I give him afterwards!!) Since it is absolutely outrageous to sit by a fire and NOT eat S'mores, I made some goodie bags so everyone could enjoy a little fireside treat.

  They were extremely cheap (and easy) to make even though I told people I slaved over them for days :)  Shame, I know. 

To make 35 treat bags, you will need :

• 1 bag Hersey's candy bars - $2.29 (Target)
• 2 bags Reece's Peanut Butter Cups - $4.58 (Target)
• 1 package of 50 cellophane gift bags - $3.99 (party store)
• 2 boxes Graham Crackers - $4.98 (Aldi)
• 2 bag Marshmallows - $1.98 (Aldi)

For a grand total of :

 $17.82 (before taxes, of course). 

**I made the tags in Microsoft Word and saved the templates here if you want to use them**

Hopefully, we will get a couple more nice days before the "Winter of the Century" hits us...  fingers crossed, I definitely need to use these hay bales a couple more times!! 



Etsy Shopping to Pass the Friday

Sooooo, I spent my morning perusing Etsy for things that I would purchase if I actually had some extra money, you know, just laying around.  It was awesome.  However, since I spent all of it on tile, paint and a functioning toilet (granted our upstairs toilet works just fine, I just have to manually push the plunger back down so it fills the tank back up with water.. no big deal....oh and it's red...with an owl on it), my credit card must stay in my wallet.  Below are some items that I fell in love with and hopefully, some of you might find them adorable as well.  That way, you can purchase them and then let me borrow them!  Kidding :)  Kind of...   

• Wire Wrapped Earrings... Perfect for any weddings or a sophisticated date nights out.    
• I find Feather Earrings to be super cute for Fall and I really want a pair...  Although, there were a couple more styles that I liked from this person but she isn't really wearing a shirt in those photos and well, that's just a little awkward.   
• I'm not sure if it is a real thing but I definitely going through some sort of skull phase.  It could be that Halloween is quickly approaching but I am seeing earrings/purses/scarves with skulls on them and snatching them up.  So naturally, these Day of the Dead Earrings would be amazing...  Oh, and these as well.  I'm not sure if one can have too many pairs of skull earrings... ask me in December.
• My forementioned skull scarf would look AMAZING tied onto this leather handbag.  One should always purchase a $200 leather bag to accompany a $9 scarf, yes? 
• I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to borrow this Love Birds Necklace from anyone I know (I really did a complete scan of all friends and couldn't come up with any S and J's... sad face) however, this would make a wonderful gift.. hint, hint, wink, wink, wink...    
• Clearly this coat is amazing.  I would need to start wearing fluffy, short dresses though... hmmmm defintely worth it.  
• The super artsy posing by the elephant is throwing me off but I think this poncho would be adorable with jeans and some sassy riding boots (I might have gotten distracted by something and wandered over to Zappos for a bit).   
• Maybe it's because it comes in orange or maybe it's because I've been watching too much Gossip Girl.. No idea why but I really want a cape like this. 

Hope your Friday is going as fast as mine :)  Happy Fall Shopping!! 

Some Easy Fall Fun

The fact that I have recently been MIA is not due to my crafting laziness.  I promise!!!  Nor, is it the fact that I've gotten take out almost every day for the past 3 weeks.  Well, I have, but the reason is far greater than my unwillingness to get near a stove.  My current home remodel has taken up ALL of my time (that, and this little thing called work) so I have not been able to do/blog ANYTHING.  I have, however, been daydreaming of things I want to do once I've set fire to all of my paint brushes and am finally moved in and settled to the new place.  So here they are, some fun things I want to do this Fall, in no particular order...  

1. Make my own Ravioli from scratch and learn how to make homemade Pierogies (this will require some assistance from my delightful, little, Polish friend Michelle :)...  I know this isn't a typical "Fall" activity but I can finally turn my stove/oven on without turning my house into a sweat lodge, so I say it counts.    
2. Knit a new winter scarf.  I've been learning to knit and feel like it's time to up my game.  My dog has enough blankets.    
3. Enjoy some hot Apple Cider Donuts while sitting in my yard (weather must cooperate, not too cold, not too warm.. looking for the perfect brisk day... let's make it happen Skilling).
4. Have a Ghost Adventures viewing party since the new season is kicking off on Friday, September 23.  Nothing gets me in the Halloween mood quite like Zack Bagans and his amazing hair gel and graphic tees.  If you've never seen the show before, then I urge you to tune in to check it out (with an open mind, of course).  I promise you wont be disappointed (fyi: you might find yourself making side comments throughout the whole episode, ala Mystery Science Theater, but that's where half the fun lies).  
5. Get a side job so I can purchase this ultimate Fall sweater.  I love me some "sweater weather" and this one just looks so incredibly cozy.  But, I can be practical and order this comfy cableknit which is more in my price range.  
6. Drink some Hofbrau Oktoberfest from the one liter stein that I carted back from Munich after college.  Due to its extreme weight and the lengthy distance I carried it, it has been decided that this mug really needs to see more action.  
7. Finally, finally, finally make my dog a Halloween costume.  I have no idea what he will be yet, but this year, I am making sure it happens. 

I feel like 7 is a random number to end on but I ran out of ideas... if I come up with anymore good ones (during a fit of spacing out at work) I will make sure to add them to the list!  Ohh man, I am so ready for the Fall.