Polka Dot Designs

I have been slightly obsessed with print materials lately. Stationary, invitations, custom notepads, and everything in-between. and this last week I stumbled across Polka Dot Designs who had some super adorable invitations, announcements and other fun print materials. Check out a few the adorable things they have! 

how adorable are these notecards?! I love the chevron set. I may be needing to purchase some.

cute birth announcements  

obsessed with this woodland baby shower invite. i may be using this for an upcoming shower i have to plan 

i am in love with these glitter invites. i wasn't planning to use formal invitations for this years birthday 

plans however this makes me want to send out hard copies! 

 They also have some great holiday greeting cards, and some fun new years even invitations.

Hope you have a simply fabulous tuesday! 

let go

two words. let go. sometimes the simplest solutions are the hardest

promise to be back to my normal scheduled posts tomorrow. 

Hope you have a simply thoughtful monday. 

Tailgating Survival Kit

not really sure how we are back at Friday but I sure am happy about it! this weekend is a beaver home game meaning one thing. Tailgating Time! We only have two home games left and of course now that we are at the end of the season I am just starting to really get the hang of this whole tailgating thing. I look back at my first couple games this year and think about how hectic I was on game day mornings and totally not prepared. And i hate not being prepared in entertainment type situations. The best thing i did this tailgating season was make a Tailgating Survival kit. pretty much insures we have all our basics readying and waiting for each game. And they all live in a nice orange Go Beavs container.

Essential Basics:

1. Eating Supplies: plates/ napkins/ plastic utensils. I bought a set of utensils that came in a plastic reusable container. Makes it so much easier to refill and keep them clean and organized. And don't forget a wine opener/ bottle opener. Would be a shame not to have one of these on hand. 

2. Cleaning Supplies: Garbage bags are a must! I have made the mistake of forgetting to add these in one week and it was such a pain! I also have along clorox wipes, paper towel, and hand wipes. 

3. Table essentials: plastic table covers are the best thing ever for tailgates. They can get dirty/ spilled on/ stained and all i do is wrap the whole thing up at the of the day and throw it away. Can clean up be any easier?! Plastic trays make for better presentation and are easy to clean. 

4. Weatherproof: I also have a few ponchos and hand warmer sets in the container. You never know what conditions you are going to end up with in Oregon. Better to just be prepared then soaked. 

5. The Fun Stuff: We usually take part in some beer pong competitions so a set of Beaver pong balls are always with us. We also bring along a gallon of water to fill cups with. I have also added a set of battery operated lights to the container. These late games mean it is dark mid way through our tailgate festivities. Festive lights do the trick!  

Hope you all have a simply fantastic weekend! 

happy friday!

does anyone feel like this was a long week? or was it just me? i am SO happy to see that Friday has arrived. I have a fun evening ahead of me and also get to head home for some much needed family time. the only thing that could make this weekend better if was OSU honored the holiday on monday...wishful thinking... what do you have planned for the weekend?!

have a simply happy friday! 

full of thanks part 2

This week i am most thankful for a country that allows me to have the opinions i do, believe in what i do, and would allow me to voice any of those things without being persecuted. sometimes we loose sight of the bigger picture of things. this country allows us so many freedoms that so many other people in other countries would kill for. 

also thankful for red cups, tailgaters, favorite rings, leaves falling, sunny afternoons in november, good books, glitter, sequins, favorite purple pens, good co-workers, coffee obsessions, and gel highlights (have your tried these yet? they are epically amazing) 

pumpkin cake deliciousness

I love to bake. However, my schedule rarely allows for super time consuming, 100% from scratch kind of stuff. I wish I could but sometimes you just need that easy go to recipe that looks and tastes good but didn't actually call for slaving a whole day away in the kitchen. Enter the Pumpkin Poke Cake. Thanks to pinterest I came across this simple, yummy, super easy, super amazing pumpkin cake. It seriously was the easiest thing i have ever made. period.

what do you need?

1 box of yellow cake mix

1 small can of pumpkin puree

1- 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk

1 8oz tub of cool whip

1/2 bag of Heath Bits

Caramel Sunday Sauce 

what do you do?

- mix together the cake mix and pumpkin puree (do 

  NOT add the other ingredients on the cake
  mix box)

- pour batter into a greased 9x13 baking dish and bake
  according to the directions on the cake mix box

- let cool for 10-15 mintues. then use the bottom of a wooden spoon to poke holes into the cake

- pour condensed milk over the cake and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

- spread cool whip over the cake and sprinkle on the heath bits and drizzle with caramel 

- refrigerate for 3-4 hours (best if you leave it over night)

thats it! 

you are left with a delicious fall/ holiday cake that is perfect for last minute entertaining or to take to a potluck. i will be making this a few times this holiday season for sure! 

Have a simply tasty Tuesday! 

i need a party

two things. 

thing 1 - i need a party to plan

thing 2 - i want to have a christmas party

thing 3- i need a bigger house 

okay, so i guess that was 3 things. I have had a couple months off from intense party/ dinner party planning. and although i have been busy with work events things have started to calm down and i am starting to have that itch to entertain. or plan someone else's entertaining. the holiday's are in full swing and with christmas decorations and music in stores a whole month before we even hit thanksgiving, i can't help but get excited about what amazing holiday parties you could have. i would solve this whole dilemma by just planning my own holiday shin-dig but my current house does not allow for fancy cocktail and dinner parties. In these moments i still wished i lived in my old house with plenty of space for christmas parties. Sigh...so for now i just day dream about these things. it doesn't help that i came across the cutest holiday invitations at Tiny Prints. It is taking everything in me to not plan a tiny dinner party just so i have an excuse to order some of these adorable invitations. 

inspired yet? i know i am. 

Hope you have a simply wonderful monday! 

full of thanks - part 1

does anyone else find themselves getting worked up about life, ourselves, our neighbors, the dog, pretty much everything under the sun and having those moments where you forget about how much you actually do have? we all find ourselves wishing we had this, or wanting that. It is human nature to want something better then what we have and to always be looking at the future. i know i get so caught up in life sometimes that i forget to take a moment to realize how much i do have. how blessed i am and how thankful i really should be. November holds one of my favorite holidays, Thanksgiving. Last year i dedicated the november thursday's for a time of reflection of what i am thankful for and i think i will do the same this year. i really do have so much i am thankful for but i think i am about to be really aware of the little and big things i am thankful for. 

my goal this month: to be full of thanks. i have a long list of people in my life that make things so much more enjoyable. that make this journey of life bearable and exciting and sometimes i think all of us take the ones closest to us for granted. This month i want to make sure they know how much they really do mean to me. i am not good at phone calls, email updates, or cards, but this month i am going to make an effort. i real effort to say thank you.

hope you have a simply thoughtful thursday.