Easy pumpkin dip

I saw this recipe on Pinterest and immediately put it on my "everything pumpkin board" at the beginning of the summer. I didn't get around until making it until recently only because I would have gotten made fun of if I made something pumpkin in the middle of the hot summer. Any who, it was the easiest thing I've made that tasted so good. With just a few ingredients it is an instant topping to any snack or it could be a snack in itself!

The blogger who came up with the recipe served it with gram crackers and apples. I only had green apples and it tasted great with them, the sour of the apples and the sweet of the dip were the right combo. I even used it on top of ice cream. It's a great fall treat.

1 can of pumpkin, 1 tub of cool whip, box of instant vanilla pudding and pumpkin pie spice

Mix together and chill for an hour (it tastes just as good if not chilled) 

Mix it up and you're done

Three

Another week has come and gone. Tomorrow will be my 16th day in a row of working. I am looking forward to doing absolutely nothing Sunday and Monday! Now that I am full time at Universal and things have picked up tremendously at Amway I'm not sure how many days off I'll be getting until the end of the year. Even though some shifts are short and some are long it's nice to have a day where you don't have to worry about work.

Other things that happened this week: Ryan got his diploma in the mail from UC!!! It's officially official! He's now working at 2 companies with at risk youth and is loving it.

Also, I picked up some pumpkin spice coffee syrup during the week and have had a pumpkin coffee every day so far. I've never used coffee syrup before, it's really good!

His masters is in criminal justice 

From Target

First real pumpkin purchase of the season. I've never had a white one before, I kinda love it

September Birchbox review

I was subscribed to Birchbox last year for a few months and then stopped to sign up for Ipsy, but then stopped that one once I moved back to Orlando. After following Birchbox on all social media sites I had been going back and forth about signing back up. I finally did it for the month of September and I have to be honest with you, I didn't love my box again. After opening my box and reviewing the products online I cancelled my subscription.

I love everything about Birchbox except their products. It's only $10 a month so I didn't loose much, but I don't think it's for me. I ended up throwing most of the items away. In the next couple of months I think I'm going to give Ipsy another try.

New design on the outside and inside

Shampoo, conditioner, CC cream, lip gloss, nail polish

I like the color in the bottle but not on my nails, I threw it away

This cream made my face feel really oily, I threw it away

This goes on super smooth and not sticky like most, but it doesn't tint my lips. It might as well just be a clear color

List of the products. I did like the shampoo and conditioner. My hair feels so soft in the morning

9-23-11

Short and sweet today, happy 2nd anniversary to my wonderful husband Ryan!! Pictures from our wedding day.

Can't believe we've been married for 2 years now

*Bonus news: I can officially announce that I am now a full time relief lead at Blue Man!

Fall polish

Since the first day of fall is today I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite fall polishes. During this time of the year I gravitate towards nude or darker polishes. Neon pink just looks funny when you're bundled up in your winter gear. Most of these polishes are Essie (I have a problem) but there are many other brands that have similar colors that cost less. My second favorite is NYC and their under $2!

Perfect nude, sometimes it takes 3 coats but it looks much better than a plain nail

Jazz by Essie

I would put this in the nude category, it is much lighter in person and is great if you need just a little color on your fingers 

Soree Mauvee by Essie

Red is perfect for fall and winter

Bloody Mary by Nailtini

I thought this was a navyish color, but in the sun its a very very deep purple great if you're not ready for jet black

Smokin' hot by Essie

Favorite fall polish of all time. I used to wear NYC's Taupe non stop until it was gone so when I found this one that's pretty much the same color I threw it in the cart. It's a dark brown that goes with everything

Don't sweater it by Essie

I color blocked my ring finger. Full coat of "don't sweater it" and the top is "smokin' hot" 

Three

This week has been very exciting and busy. First, over the past weekend there was a fashion show at the mall that I checked out between shifts, it was cool to see what the up coming fall fashions are going to be. During the week Universal put up posters at the entrance for Halloween Horror nights which officially starts tonight. After hearing about some of the houses I'm excited/scared to go!

I found a carton of Starbucks carmel macchiato at Winn Dixie. I still haven't seen it anywhere else but for under $5 it fills up 4 16oz cups which is a great deal. Just put it over ice and that's it, it tastes really good too.

Lastly, the Lightning played St. Louis at Amway Wednesday night for a pre season game and won in a shoot out. 4-3! It was only the 2nd time I've seen the Lightning and I'm from Tampa Bay, I'm not a good fan. lol

Fashion show at Millenia Mall

Looking scary at Universal these days

Starbucks in a carton

Phillip Lim x Target

Monday all I heard about on social media was 3.1 Phillip Liam for Target. Not knowing anything about this designer I immediatly went to Targets website to see what all the talk was about. OMG I fell in love with the bags. I only wear cross overs or huge totes, Phillip had both. After seeing the taupe colored one I knew I would be stopping at Target on my way home from work.

I have been looking for a purse with this exact shape, size and one that had zippers on the side. I had seen similar ones for hundreds and even thousands of dollars but knew that wasn't going to happen. This purse was expensive for me, I usually go for things that are on sale, but this time I knew I deserved it! Little did I know this was a pretty big deal for Phillip Lim and Target, all the stores around me are now sold out of every purse.

Look book at some of the purses

My new baby. Loveee the zippered sides

3.1 Phillilp Lim for Target

If you zip up the sides and tuck them in

If you zip up the sides and leave them out

Zippers on the side

It can literally hold everything but the kitchen sink

Fall mantel 2

Recently I decorated my first fall mantel of the year. After buying some burlap I changed everything up rather quickly. It's funny how just a couple of changes makes such a big impact. I did get some inspiration from Pinterest though; hanging pine cones from the bottom of the mantel and wrapping burlap around the mason jars make if feel more like fall. I also put out some mini hay bales, they just look so cute!

Along with the sights of fall I also have added smells of the season too. It started with pumpkin latte air fresheners (one in each room of course.) Then the magical cinnamon broom was bought. This is a favorite of mine, it makes the entire apartment smell just wonderful. The good part, it lasts 3-4 weeks.


My inspirations:

I used black string instead of fishing wire

Love the rustic feel

My creations:

Wrapped some burlap around mason jars and added some much needed hay because every fall mantel needs hay right?

Hung pine cones from the bottom of the mantel using black string and tape

Fall mantel #2

Monogrammed pumpkin. This is actually fake, I had Ryan convinced that I painted it

Even the centerpiece on the coffee table looks more rustic

Pumpkin m&m's

These new m&m's have been popping up everywhere, Facebook, Instagram and even the Huffington Post. After reading that their only available at Target for a limited time I went and got them ASAP. They were $2.99 and worth every penny. We got them yesterday and they will defiantly be gone by tonight.

It's just the right amount of pumpkin taste unless you eat more than 3 at once then it can be overwhelming and just taste weird. I like how there's only 3 colors keeping up with the fall theme. I would recommend these if you share the same love of pumpkin as me :)

Cute package 

Fall colors

Chopped

Around this time of the year I tend to chop off my hair, which is weird because most people go shorter in the summer and not the fall. I had been wanting shorter hair for a while and wanted to change it up from the inverted bob I've had for the past couple of years so I went to Pinterest for inspiration. Candace Cameron (from Full House) kept appearing under short/medium hair. After googling her bob I fell in love! Choppy layers, long bangs and the hair hits right at her collar bone.

I showed the hairstylist and she went with it. After seeing a lot of hair on the ground and my hair looking and feeling much healthier I knew I loved it! Now I just need some styling products.

Oh PSL I love you

It's pumpkin season at Starbucks! Also known as, my favorite time of the year to get their coffee. The famous PSL or pumpkin spice latte is their famous fall drink which can be quite pricey. After tax a small PSL comes out to be $3.98, almost $4 for a small drink!!!! Each season I only a couple of those because of its hefty price. This year I decided to get it iced, since it was August and about 90 degrees outside. It was good but it tasted like my usual fall drink.... iced coffee with cream and pumpkin syrup.

The iced coffee is much cheaper and they taste the same except one has a little more creamer taste. The medium iced coffee came out to be $2.78 wayyy cheaper than a small PSL. I can live with that price and I even get a discount at the Starbucks on Universal property so my medium came out to be $2.12. I was thrilled. Now I know to wait until I get to work to get my coffee.

Since pumpkin drinks have started early this year I've already had 4 in 11 days. I'm pretty sure that's a record. Before the PSL's go away I probably will have another one but I'm going to save it for a cold day so I can get it hot.

Iced pumpkin spice latte, tastes just like iced coffee but creamer

Iced coffee with cream and pumpkin and my name spelled wrong

The 10th anniversary of the PSL

Weekend in photos

Over the weekend Ryan and I went to the west coast to stay with my parents for a few days. While there we kayaked, celebrated 2 birthdays, had family dinners, went shopping for Labor Day sales and watched Barney and Teddie (the dogs) wrestle until they passed out. As always it was great seeing my grandma whose cancer is now in remission!!!

My mom uses her Rustic Ruddy's wood to display picture frames

Fall beer and cider is finally in stores! Along with darker nail polishes 

Gizmo, Barney and Teddie. This was one of the few times they were sitting still

During the birthday celebrations I set up cupcakes on our wood