happy halloween

it's halloween!! and boy did this day has start off with one crisis after another but we will save that for another post... Here are a couple pics from the halloween weekend! I had to work saturday so I didn't get to actually do my hair and really get myself together for my wonder women outfit..hoping to dress up tonight so I can actually get some great pics!

 Hope everyone has a simply wonderful Halloween!!

Bluntcard

my roomies sister recently opened our eyes to the world of bluntcards. And i am giving you fair warning that some of these are inappropriate but i did try to select the ones with the least amount of profanity. All of these cards have little sayings along with a great little 50's picture to go with it. Some of them are so ridiculous and funny...you should check out the website for the real funny ones. 

Here are some good ones though (and the more appropriate/ i can post on my blog ones)

haha. ohhh man... seriously though you must look at the site...so funny.

hope you have a simply blunt thursday. 

i love a good deal

So there are a couple things i have just been loving/ living in lately...and the best part is that I got SUPER amazing good deals on them :) and what girl doesn't LOVE a good deal?? Lets start with my favorite..

This isn't even love. this is obsession. I am obsessed with this necklace. And I apologize for the fact that I will be living in it for the next few months and probably over wearing it but frankly i don't care. just look at it! and the best part..... $16 bucks. yep thats right! thank you Nordstroms! 

I have also been living in my black wedges from target. seriously the perfect hight, and super comfortable to be in all day. and the good news here.... $29. Thank you target!  

i have been loving all of the mustard yellow that has been floating around lately. it truly is a perfect fall color. and i have to say that i love the new tank i just got that was only $15 bucks at nordies... its super soft and extra long. perfect for layering. Can't go wrong with amazing basics

anyone else had some great deals lately??

Have a simply wonderful Tuesday! 

the essence of fall

i heart fall. i mean who doesn't? especially living in corvallis where things are seriously just gorgeous right now. Leaves have all started to change colors and are starting to fall now. Crisp mornings and pumpkin lattes...sigh.... 

anyways...this weekend we had the perfect fall day. pumpkin patch day! It seriously was the perfect day to go to the pumpkin patch..it was sunny, not raining, and not even freezing! My roomie and bestie and I started out day with of course pumpkin lattes from startbucks then headed to the pumpkin patch in Junction City...pretty much the only cool thing about the town. We had so much fun! Take a look at some of the amazing pictures my rommie Alissa took. She's talented. 

We picked out perfect pumpkins, had pumpkin ice cream, kettle corn, and saw the goats. Pretty much perfection. We even took things a step further and went to din din together. all in all a great way to end of the weekend! :) 

Hope you have a simply wonderful Monday! 

i heart friday

Hellooooo FRIDAY! Not going to lie this week flew by. It was nice to get back into my more "normal" routine. I feel like I am slowly starting to put a little more order back into my life. yay for that! I am looking forward to a day with mamma tomorrow and some fun fall activities. But for now here are the blanks of the day! 

Link up yourself at the Little Things We Do! 

1.   Nothing says fall like      the leaves changing beautiful colors and falling .

2.   My favorite autumnal tradition is   making pumpkins seeds...we always go to the pumpkin patch and that equals amazing pumpkin seeds to be made      .

3.  My favorite fall treat is   pumpkin spice lattes   .

4. Fall makes me think of    a new beginning    because    after summer ends things go back to a more normal routine and with working at a  school everything starts. I feel like i end up making more goals for myself around this time then I do when the new year comes around  .

5.  Autumn free form word association, go!    crisp air, warm coffee, baked goods, leaves, beautiful changing colors .

6.  My go-to outfit in the fall is     jeans and cardigans...comfort and warmth and you can always dress it up or dress it down  .

7.  My favorite fall holiday is (Halloween or Thanksgiving)    Thanksgiving. Never have been a huge fan of dressing up and although halloween has grown on me I still prefer thanksgiving. Great food, great meaning and who doesn't love black friday the day after??  .

Hope you have a simply wonderful weekend! 

reflection

 I feel like my mind has been in a different place this week. Doesn't help that I've been fighting a cold for over a week now but I've just kind of been in a place of reflection... on myself and just life in general. I find myself wanting quiet and peacefulness. Maybe it's because the last month or couple months have just been so crazy hectic that it's nice to just stop for once. anyone else have those moments? sometimes it's nice to just take some time to ourselves, to think, to reflect, and to be with our own thoughts. so much of this life is go, go, go that we forget the simply pleasure of being quiet. And that's just where i've been this week. i know..i'm weid...

anyways today's post is short and simple. hope you have a simply reflective quiet thursday. 

Wedding Wednesday: Barbie Edition

What girl didn't grow up playing with barbies? All of the hours spent dressing Barbie in her numerous outfits, playing house with them and having her date and marry Ken. However I'm sure no one expected for there to actually be a real Barbie and Ken wedding, but while browsing the blog world a while ago I stumbled across the real Barbie and Ken wedding. Rock n Roll Bride posted the amazing pictures of French photographer Béatrice de Guigné. They did a great job at capturing all of those wedding day pictures you would want at your own wedding. Check them out! 

 Hope you have a simply fantastic Wednesday! 

Tuesday's are Tasty

YUMMY!

This weekend my roomie and I decided to whip up some dinner together. I decided to make my grandma's pork chops and my roomie wanted to try out a Hot Spinach and Artichoke dip. And let me just say this dip was to die for! And to make things even better its the skinny version! You must try out this amazing recipe, actually you should try out many of the recipes found on Gina's Skinny Recipes !  But for now here is the recipe. The only thing we did differently was at the end of the baking period we topped the whole things with left over mozzarella and put it under the broiler. Made for that crispy cheese top that you always get when you go to restaurants and order it :) Try this out! I promise you will not be disappointed!

Ingredients:

• 13.75 oz artichoke hearts packed in water, drained
• 10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed
• 1/4 cup chopped shallots
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 cup fat free Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
• 2/3 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
• 4 oz shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
• salt and fresh pepper to taste
• olive oil spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°.

In a small food processor, coarsely chop the artichoke hearts with the garlic and shallots.

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Place in an oven-proof dish and bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes, until hot and cheese is melted. Serve right away. (also good the next day)

Can be made one day in advance and stored in the refrigerator before baking. Makes about 3 3/4 cups.  

Thanks to my roomie Jen for making such a fantastic dish :)

Hope you have a simply tasty Tuesday! 

finally making progress

So you know how I wanted to redo my room this summer? How I had grand plans of a new gray and yellow room? Well obviously easier said then done. Finding the right bedding/ pillows/ art/ everything has been...well a lot slower then I would have liked. However, I think I am finally making some progress. My biggest issue has been the art above my bed/ lack there of/ i didn't really fall in love with what I originally planned. 

Here is what I switched things to a month or so ago. Cute...but not as dramatic as I wanted. 

And here is what I switched things to this weekend...

 I was browsing the isles of good old Ross and found this print of the eiffle tower...it had a fun photo effect and as you can tell it is yellow :) And had some nice black and gray trees around it. I wasn't sure if I love loved it but when I turned it around and saw that it was 12.99 I couldn't resist. I then got home and attempted to figure out how to arrange things. I took everything off the walls and as I saw my eiffle tower painting on top of my yellow frame it just came to me. Rip the fabric out and frame the picture!!! Perfection! And I love it! I did the same thing to the random art I had made on the other wall. Not so sure I'll be keeping that forever but until I find the next perfect thing I find it will do :)

Now my next task need is the right pillows. You would think that finding the right pillows wouldn't be that hard of a task but trust me it is. However, now that I love my art I think I finally have a set direction I am going in. So I can now go to the fabric store and actually know what I am looking for.

So what dod you think?

Have a simply wonderful Monday. 

The blanks are back

It's Friday! I know the blanks have been missing the last couple weeks but here they are! Hopefully you all have a great weekend and aren't cooped up in bed trying to get ride of sickness like I am right now! 

Link up yourself at The Little Things We Do.

1.   The most selfless thing I've ever done was      hmm...maybe being "mamma and" to my many children who are all over the age of 20..I am always the one who just takes care of things or makes things happen. I would do pretty much anything for any of them .

2.   When it comes to working out    I have never been a fan...however it does make me feel so much better      .

3.  A woman should always   be confident in herself. Even if you aren't feeling confident there is nothing like a good fake to show the world you are here and here to make a mark  .

4. I wish I could    make more time in the day    and then I'd    be able to actually do all the fun projects I want to do and have a perfectly clean house/ great meals on the table every night   .

5.  A best friend is    someone who will stick by your side regardless of the season. Be there to give you comfort, give the strength and give you the truth you sometimes need to hear. and through it all love you.

6.  I can't get enough of    fall, pumpkin flavored things, essie power clutch nail polish and weekend  .

7.  This weekend I am   hopefully tailgating, watching the osu football game, getting some sleep, and willing this sore throat away   .

Have a simply wonderful weekend!

the words we need

Sometimes in life we just need to hear those certain words. Words of encouragement, affirmation, compliments, reassurance...sometimes we simply just need to know that through everything life brings us that things will indeed work out. Because even if we know they will we sometimes just need to hear that. The chapters of life never seem to end and start where we think they will but we always look back realizing the there is indeed a bigger plan for ourselves then what we had planned for ourselves. So todays post are those words..the words and quotes that can hit so close to home or be that encouragement that we need. Most of these thanks to the world of pinterest.

Everything truly does happen for a reason...
Life happens for a reason.

Hope you have a simply thoughtful Thursday. 

beautiful engagements

As everyone knows I am obsessed with wedding cinema. There are so many talented videographers who make the most beautiful stories about one of the biggest days of your life.  AQUA VIVUS  is one of those businesses. While browsing the online world i came across some of their beautiful engagement videos. This first one is one of my favorites. Enjoy! 

Dave + Kristen Engagement from AQUA VIVUS on Vimeo.

This one is just simply sweet. i love the music.

Dave + Mariah Proposal from AQUA VIVUS on Vimeo.

yay for love. hope you have a simply wonderful wedding wednesday!

could use a nice drive

its monday. raining. and fall is truly here. i'de rather be at home sleeping in, decorating for fall, and taking a nice drive on the back roads like this one. drives truly are the best way for me to clear my head. and i'm not going to lie, i could really use some clarity.

hope you have a simply peaceful monday. 

elmo calls the pharmacy

so anyone who knows me knows that im not a huge youtube fan..i'm not the person who sits around and watches random videos but i must say that when shown this elmo video i couldn't help but laugh. This guy's prank call to a pharmacy is epic and i love that the pharmacist just goes along with it. Anyways...hope it all brings you a good laugh!

 

Hope you have a simply wonderful Thursday! 

Wedding Wednsday

today's post is short and sweet. work is of course super crazy busy but I just had to quickly share this ADORABLE wedding idea. We all love candy bars but what about a CARMEL APPLE BAR?! What a cute idea for a fall wedding!

Wouldn't this be fun!?!

Hope everyone is having a simply wonderful Wednesday! :) 

Lucky 100

Wow! Today marks the 100th post of my little blog! When I started this thing back in April 100 posts wasn't even feesable or something I even thought about..but as i was writing posts last week I realized i would be hitting the 100th this week! Lucky 100. For the last couple years I have simply been an admirer of blogs and this blogger world. I by no means consider myself to have anything of interest for anything to read about but I appreciate all of you who stop by every once in awhile :) 

So today's post is in dedication to blogs.

Here are just a couple reasons why I love blogging/ other blogs/  pretty much the blogging world in general:

1. Community: I love that there seriously is this whole other world of bloggers and how people get to know each other and how its almost like meeting a celebrity when you meet the writer of your favorite blog.

2. Endless creativity: I personally follow a bazillion wedding, style, DIY, and personal lifestyle blogs. I have gotten some of the most amazing ideas from them. If I ever need to be inspired I look through them and always find something new and exciting.

3. Tradition: I love that some blogs have weekly themed posts. Hence why I have wedding wednesday. It gives me some structure and something to look forward to wether its my own blog or one of my favorite bloggers.

4. Personal: I think that the blogs I love the most are the ones where people write about their life...the good, the bad, the fun, the boring, the random. It's nice to know that someone out there is just as imperfect as you. That with the fun and excitement they are a real person. And that's why I have grown to love my blog. It's a place where I can just be me. From talking weddings, and recipes, to the more personal things. This is me.

Thanks again for stopping by! :) And here's to the next 100 posts :)

Have a simply wonderful Tuesday.