Ash Wednesday

I was all prepared to do a Fat Tuesday post and share some of my latest kitchen creations with you but Blogger just wasn't cooperating.  Here it is, late on Wednesday and I'm too tired to dig through pictures and write about recipes so I'll save it for another day.  Instead I want to touch on the subject of Lent since Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent.  Lent lasts for 40 days, ending on Easter Sunday.  I'm not really religious but I still like observing Lent.  Some form of penitence now and then is just good for the soul!

One year I gave up pop and ended up not drinking it for an entire year.  The hardest thing I ever did was give up caffeine.  I had a headache for the first two weeks but managed to pull through!  This year I got my idea from Daisi.  Her mom has done this for the past few years and I think it's a wonderful idea!  For every $dollar I spend on eating out during Lent, I will donate a $dollar to the food bank.  This will be any meal I eat by myself and all meals with AB.  I'm guessing I will be shocked by the amount I end up donating considering I eat out almost everyday for lunch and usually a couple of times on the weekend.  It's something I take for granted and this will definitely be a humbling experience given there are so many people out there who cannot afford the luxury of ever eating out!  I'm very excited that my commitment will be helping the food bank! Unfortunately they have been hit by the economy, with more people in need of food and less people able to make donations.  AB and I volunteered there back in December and it was an awesome experience!  If you haven't ever done it - you should!  If you have kids, it would be a great family activity :)

Do you usually give something up for Lent?  What are you giving up this year?  

A Cold Winter's Night

Hello friends.  How was your weekend?  Are you watching the Grammy Awards like I am?  Watching the Grammy's makes me want to be a back up dancer!  I wouldn't really want the spotlight/fishbowl that comes with being a star.  A backup dancer on the other hand can enjoy the benefits of stardom without the fame.  Not to mention I'd have a killer body and everyone would want me to dance at parties, weddings, etc because of my awesome dance moves.

Back to reality!  I want to share a baked potato soup recipe that is just perfect for a cold winter's night such as this.  You can make it on the stove or in the slow cooker.  I opt for slow cooker because I love being able to dump all the ingredients into a pot and go.  The best part is - no peeling potatoes!  I found the recipe on my all recipes app.

Creamy Potato Soup

Ingredients

• 6 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 (10.5 ounce) cans condensed chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 5 large potatoes, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups half-and-half cream
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk

Directions

1. Place bacon and onion in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until bacon is evenly brown and onions are soft. Drain off excess grease.
2. Transfer the bacon and onion to a slow cooker, and stir in chicken broth, water, potatoes, salt, dill weed, and white pepper. Cover, and cook on Low 6 to 7 hours, stirring occasionally.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and half-and-half. Stir into the soup along with the evaporated milk. Cover, and cook another 30 minutes before serving.

I didn't add my bacon until the very end because I wanted it to stay crispy.  I also garnished it with cheese.   Super yummy!

I hope you all are keeping cozy like these two fur balls on this chilly night!

Eating Healthy

Lately I've been on a mission to eat healthier and non-processed!  The non-processed thing is so hard.  Americans lead fast paced lives, working long hours and cramming as many activities as possible into our lives.  This leaves little time to cook a homemade meal, not to mention one that doesn't involve a box or frozen good.  Frozen and box items are just so darn convenient!  I've recently seen some buzz on Facebook and other outlets about the Paleo Plan.  I decided to check out the website and liked what I saw.  It's a diet high in fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and seafood and low in foods that cause numerous health problems such as refined sugars and grains, dairy, trans fats, salt, high-glycemic carbohydrates, and processed foods.  The website is full of information and recipes.  You can even take it a step further and sign-up for $10/month and they will send you a weekly meal plan along with a grocery list.  I especially like the grocery list because it's designed to help you buy only what you need so there isn't a lot of waste.  If I decide to do the meal plans I will keep you guys updated on how I like it.  Last night I tried one of their recipes and it was definitely a keeper.

Zucchini and Ground Beef

The recipe calls for coconut oil which I had never used.  I was a little hesitant because I don't like the flavor of coconut but the oil really didn't have a flavor and there wasn't even a hint of coconut flavor in the dish.

Here are a couple of in the process photos

And the finished product which I paired with a Kalamata Focaccia round from Farrel Family Bread.  I know, I know, bread is a grain but it's going to be awhile before I can totally give up bread and at least this kind is organic :)

Weekend Happenings

Happy Super Bowl day friends!  AB thinks the Monday after the Super Bowl should be a work holiday, not a bad idea.  Do you have big plans?  Are you making any fun game day treats?  We will be watching the game at a friend's house, thus I will be making nothing.  I plan to plant myself on the couch, drink some wine, eat yummy food, gab during the game and watch the commercials :)

One game I was actually into watching was the OKC Thunder vs the Memphis Grizzlies basketball game AB and I went to Friday night.  Unlike football, basketball is a game I understand and enjoy watching.

We were right in the center of the court!  I've sat high, low, all over and there really isn't a bad seat in the arena.  It was a really exciting game, the Thunder didn't play very well the first three quarters but James Harden brought them back in the fourth quarter for the win!

In other happenings of the weekend, I started this book and I'm loving it!  I'm about half way through already.  I saw previews for the movie and didn't realize it was a book.  My MIL had it and said it was good so I borrowed her copy.  I'll have to go see the movie when I'm done.

I also went to my first Yoga class yesterday with Katie.  Yoga is something I've wanted to try for awhile but just haven't.  I really liked it and hope to make it a regular part of my workout routine!  There was a lady in our class doing the splits that said she could barely touch her toes when she first started four years ago!  That gave me great hope for myself.  I can touch my toes for about two seconds before my legs start shaking :)

Lost Without Lost

I've recently been mourning the loss of Lost.  It was creative, thought provoking and provided so much water cooler talk!  I'm having a hard time finding a show to fill the void.  I'm really loving some of the new comedies on the scene Up All Night, Suburgatory and Happy Endings.  They're great for some laughs but I need mystery and intrigue along with plot twists and turns!  Lost I miss you!!  Today I came across a show that definitely has some potential, The River.  It premiers next Tuesday but you can actually watch the premier online which I've done and I have high hopes for this one.

Does anyone else miss Lost like I do?  Have you found a replacement?  Even if you weren't a Lostie, do you have any show ideas for me?

Video Love

Happy weekend!  I thought I'd share some video faves with you all.  This first one, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, is so cute!  I just love the randomness of it :)  Marcel has become quite the sensation, he has a book and has even done interviews with the likes of Brian Williams.

The next one is a music video by the artist Gotye (go-tee-A) featuring Kimbra.  I wonder how long it took them to shoot this?  I also love the song!  It's funny how when you date someone, you talk to them everyday for months or years and then after you break up they're just someone you used to know.

I hope you all enjoy this lovely weekend!



Hello Friends

One of my goals for 2012 was to be a more consistent blogger - so far major fail!! I'm sure I'll get around to blogging about Christmas when Spring rolls around. I give props to those who do it daily or close to daily. It's hard, I always think of things I want to blog about but after sitting in front of the computer all day I don't feel like sitting in front of one all night. I do most of my nightly web surfing on my phone. Maybe I need an iPad! It would be so much lighter than my clunky laptop. Maybe if I told AB it would help me meet my goals he'll get on board. Ha! A girl can dream! The other problem is I've been relishing in the fact I no longer have to study by perfecting the art of doing absolutely nothing! And let me tell you, doing nothing feels great!

One goal I haven't failed at, I've actually done surprisingly well, is my spending freeze! As I predicted I had some withdrawals at first but found if you separate yourself from temptation it's much easier. I've cut out my lunch trips to Utica Square and I delete all emails from my fave retailers so I won't be tempted by awesome sales. I have to admit it hasn't been near as hard as I thought!

Have you been sticking to your resolutions? I hope so! Ug! I'll try my best to be a little more regular out here :)

Accomplishments & New Goals for 2012

My biggest accomplishment of 2011 was passing the CPA exam!  In the words of my niece Lilly, I won my test!  I do feel like I've won my life back, I'm not going to know what to do with all this free time. I have a few things I have to do before it becomes official but the hardest part is out of the way.

Another accomplishment I'm proud of is I stopped talking on my phone while driving.  After AB almost killed us a few times by pulling into traffic while on his cell phone I decided I needed to lead by example.  I can't say that I NEVER do it but the majority of the time I let the call go to voicemail and return the call when I get to my destination.  I've even pulled over before if I thought it was important and couldn't wait.  I'm happy to say AB has followed suit except for those darn work calls - he probably would have taken a work call during our wedding ceremony had he gotten one.

I definitely have some goals for 2012 and hopefully putting them out here will force me to stick to them:

1) Get organized - we have several closets and drawers that need to be cleaned out and then organized.  Ashley's post really inspired me and my new found free time should help me to accomplish this goal.

2) Run a race - whether it's a 5K, 10 mile or 1/2 marathon I'd really want to get back into running and I think signing up for a race will force me to do it.

3) Get back into cooking - this is something I enjoy but gave up while studying for the exam.  I'd like to eat in more and cook more as opposed to heating frozen meals in the oven.

4) Go on a spending freeze - eek!  this is going to be a tough one but my goal is to give up buying things for myself for the first three months of the year.  Things include clothes, shoes and decorative items for the house.  I will still buy gifts for others, food and toiletries.  I feel like I have everything I need so this shouldn't be hard but I imagine it will be a lot like giving up Facebook - I will have withdrawals at first but after awhile it will feel good.

Speaking of Facebook I'm thinking of getting back on (this is not a 2012 goal by the way).  I have some hesitation but I miss seeing everyone's kids and the fact is, it's just how people communicate these days.  I've enjoyed being unconnected and I would recommend everyone try a detox from social media even if it's for a week...it's pretty liberating!

I hope 2012 is a good year, especially for my husband.  2011 wasn't the greatest year for him for multiple reasons so I really hope 2012 holds great things for him!!  Cheers!

Happy New Year!

Happy 2012!

How did you ring in the New Year?  We started the evening at Duke's Southern Kitchen.  AB and I had never been but had heard good things about it.  I liked the ambiance and everyone liked their dinner.

Our side of the the table: Me, AB and Jocelyn

The other side of the table: Jackson, Tommy & Katie

After dinner we headed over to Katie & Tommy's to hang out and play a game.  All of Katie's decorations were so cute!

A low key night with friends sure beats the days of standing in line in cold weather with no coat to pay money in order to get in and pay more money for drinks ;)

Star Struck

Yesterday I had a little brush with fame...right here in Tulsa!  Daisi and I went to a late lunch at Mi Cocina and as we were headed in to the restaurant Kristin Chenoweth was heading out...EEEE!

Daisi and I did what any respectable thirty somethings would do - we FROZE!  After coming to our senses we were disappointed in ourselves for not at least saying hi.  She seems like the nicest most bubbly person ever so she probably would have said hi back and might have even let us reach out and touch her. 

Kristin is even more beautiful in person and tiny, tiny, tiny!!  Did I mention tiny?  I don't think I've ever been star struck but then again I haven't seen that many celebrities up close and personal.  My celeb sightings include Mike Tyson, Kirstie Alley, Ted Kennedy and Hoda Kotb.  Daisi on the other hand is a celebrity magnet...I think she saw three in 2011 alone!

What celebs have you seen?  Did you play it cool or freeze?

She's Back

I am happy to report that this little bit is back to her normal wild self.

Yes, that is my kitchen counter.  It's called failed pet parenting but the fact is, she was unfazed by any form of punishment we tried to dole out...

• Sprayed her with water - Phoebe loves water and welcomed the refreshing spritzer
• Put muffin tins and other objects on the edge of the counter - this resulted in the loud bang it was supposed to when they fell to the floor but the noise only seem to startle us and our other cat...Phoebe not so much
• Blow dryer - this is one thing she doesn't like but a solid 30 seconds later she's back for more
• Foil - most cats do not like the sound of walking on foil but Phoebe not only didn't mind the sound, she ate some of it and threw up
• Physically removing her after every jump - this resulted in 30 minute TV shows turning into 60 minute TV shows because I had to get up every 2 minutes.  Something had to give and it wasn't going to be TV!

Needless to say we sort of gave up but not to worry - I thoroughly clean before cooking, etc!  I hate admitting it but I'm happy to see her jumping on the counter again, she wasn't up to doing much for a couple of weeks there.  I'll tell you someone that is not happy about this new development and that is poor Tavia.

The week that Phoebe was at the vet, Tavia was the happiest I've ever seen her!  She was like a little kitten again, playing and loving on everyone.  She's really having a hard time acclimating to the reintroduction of Phoebe.  She's been much more aggressive this time around than when we first got Phoebe.  I just hope it doesn't take several months like it did the first time. 

I'm not sure where I left off with Phoebe other than mentioned my belief that the snow flocked tree had something to do with her sickness.  I still don't think it was a coincidence.  After a week at the vet partaking in IVs and force feedings her biopsy results came back.  The results weren't as conclusive as they had hoped but the vets were still leaning toward inflammatory bowel disease and decided to move forward with that treatment.  After her first steroid shot she started eating and was doing ok so they sent her home but when we would give her a prednisone pill at home she became sick again.  After a couple of goes at that, it was determined Phoebe was having negative side effects to the prednisone.  They wanted to put her on a different steroid but before switching, the vet consulted with a colleague at the Oklahoma State Vet School.  After reviewing her information OSU didn't think she had inflammatory bowel disease but rather had developed an aversion to eating.  They also said they had received several calls regarding fake snow.  I knew it!  Of course, the manufacturers claim it is not toxic and it may not be, but it is definitely an irritant to animals.  They thought the snow could have caused the inflammation and recommended we give Phoebe an appetite stimulant to get her to eat.  She instantly responded to the stimulant but the first night we gave it to her she became very lethargic, uncoordinated and disoriented.  The vet said 1 in 10 cats have that reaction so she said of course Phoebe would be the 1 - ha!  All it took was decreasing the dose and she was eating like Takeru Kobayashi.  Christmas Day she was really acting back to herself and eating well so we decreased the dose to once a day and today the vet told us we could stop giving it to her all together :)

It is such a relief to have Phoebe feeling good again!  Sorry to make a short story long!  Having a sick pet can be stressful at times due to the fact they can't communicate with you.  The cause of the illness can become a guessing game of sorts but we love our vet and know our four legged friends are always in good hands there. 

I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday!  I will blog more about my Holiday happenings and subsequent Holiday hangover later this week....

Copy Cat Chic - Shoes Addition

Who doesn't love the copy cat chic blog?  Lately I've been doing my own copy catting but in the shoes department.  For some reason I'm really digging faux fur this season and I say some reason because fur has never really been my thing.  I've always associated fur with women who start drinking scotch and water at four o'clock in the afternoon.  Who knows, maybe I'm maturing?  I should point out real fur is still not my thing.  I'm not going to go all PETA on you and I do think Tavia would make a pretty coat...

 but I just can't get into it! I don't see any harm in the faux look and in my search for a pair of black non-heeled boots I was really drawn to the faux fur pairs.  Particularly this pair.

While I've never really been into Uggs, I was digging these!  Of course they came with the $250 Ugg price tag which is kind of ridiculous and I came to my senses AB said absolutely not.  In hind sight he was right, they are trendy and as soon as they go out of style I will no longer wear them.  Lucky for me I was able to find a similar pair at Express for 1/5 the cost!  I love them and I especially love that I didn't pay a fortune for them!

The story of these boots reminded me of a similar copy cat shoe experience I had last year so I just had to share!  Everyday I walk one or two blocks to my office building from the parking lot which is absolutely no big deal, I enjoy the exercise.  Although, when it rains small streams and ponds seem to pop up everywhere on that small journey and I'm always soaking my shoes and the bottom of my jeans.  As you know, denim does not dry!  So I decided to break down and buy a pair of the ever so trendy rain boots.  Of course I fell in love with these Sperry's, the most expensive pair I could find (my standard M.O.)

Even AB didn't have to tell me it was crazy to spend $80 on a pair of shoes I was only going to wear in the rain.  After some Internet scouring I came across these very similar boots from Walmart - yes! Walmart!  And again I only paid a fraction of the cost.

What girl doesn't love a good deal on a pair of shoes? 

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

This year we embarked on getting our first Christmas Tree, or I should say our first full size tree.  In years past we've used this little guy as our main tree.

I'm still using him but I decided after 4.5 years of marriage combined with the fact that we are hosting Christmas, we should have a full size tree in our living room.  I set out online to do some browsing and came across this beauty from the Martha Stewart Living collection at Home Depot.

My head was swimming with visions of how beautiful she would look in my living room.  It was love at first sight!  Unfortunately for me love can be a little blind and those beautiful snow flocked branches...

...were a disaster!  Putting the tree up and fluffing the branches caused snowpocolypse 2011 right in our living room.  Not to mention I'm married to a neat freak so the messiness of the snow was not going over well with him.  But it just looked so beautiful, I was determined to make it work even if that meant vacuuming every day!

That is until this Lil' Bit started chewing on said snow flocked branches and ingesting all the fake snow.

Within a day of the tree being up she started acting very lethargic which is not like her at all!  She is usually into everything and getting into places she should not be (ahem)...

We knew something was up and after a couple of trips to the vet it was determined Phoebe had an obstruction in her stomach that would require exploratory surgery.  She had the surgery on Thursday and they pulled out a very large, congealed hair ball (gross!) from her stomach.  This was the best case scenario of what could have been in there but while they had her open they noticed some of her bowels and pancreas were inflamed which could actually be the cause of her sickness.  They did a biopsy and we should have the results this week.  Either of the inflammatory diseases she possibly has are very treatable which is good news, the bad news is she hasn't been doing so well since the surgery :(  She's had a fever and refuses to eat which puts her at risk for some sort of liver disease.  Lucky for us she is in good hands!  The vet's office has been keeping her on an IV of fluids and antibiotics and they have also been force feeding her (something we would have a hard time doing).  She's been keeping her food down which is good and this afternoon we found out her temp is down a degree!  This is the first day we have not been able to visit her which has been hard because we miss her!

I have a hard time believing the fake snow ingestion is a coincidence although it very well could be.  The vet agreed that the snow could have helped the hair stick together in her stomach and I'm thinking it could cause some inflammation issues.  Needless to say I didn't want to always wonder if it was just a coincidence so the tree in all it's snow flocked glory came down!  A big thank you to my BIL for coming over, taking it apart and boxing it up for me!  AB was out of town and I couldn't even get the top part off by myself!

Maybe we'll find one next year, maybe not, after all Christmas isn't about the tree!

Thanksgiving

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  I think Thanksgiving is a great Holiday, one that makes you sit back and think about all the things you have to be thankful for.  My life is not perfect but I have nothing to complain about; my husband and I both have good jobs, good health and a roof over our heads.  Sometimes I think we take these things for granted because so many people in this world have none of those things! 

I've been studying nonstop this past week but the little part of Thanksgiving I got to participate in was very enjoyable!  I was very thankful that my BIL & SIL hosted this year because A) they live in town which meant I could go and B) I didn't have to do anything.  I know that is terrible but I'm very stressed so it was nice just to show up.  I did contribute a jello and it seemed to be a big hit so I'm not a total loser!  Thursday also happened to be our niece Lilly's birthday.  After we ate our delicious meal, she opened presents and had cake which was fun.  Her cute little boy cousins from my SIL's family were there, the oldest one just cracks me up! 

Today my brain feels like a fried Turkey!  I went to warm up my coffee and stuck it in the refrigerator.  Oy!  I'm very nervous about tomorrow which is weird because I'm usually not nervous but I've passed the other three parts and so this could potentially be my last one!  I got very close the first time  I took it (72, you need a 75) so I'm hoping I've done enough to push me to a passing score.  The part I'm taking covers a lot of material.  Some of it comes very easy to me because I do it every day but most of it just makes my brain hurt!  The test is 4 hours long so if you happen to think of me tomorrow between 1:00pm-5:00pm I would really appreciate you sending some positive vibes my way :)

I want to finish this post by telling you what I am most thankful for this year and that is my husband!  He has been so supportive of me and very encouraging.  He puts up with me when I am an irrational crazy person stressed and pretty much caters to my every need :)  I like giving him a hard time about being super frugal and a Ba-Hum-Bug when it comes to the Holidays but he really is the best!

Pip Squeak

Yesterday I made a mad dash to the mall to try on some dresses at Ann Taylor Loft.  I found two, both on sale - score!  As I was basking in my I got such a good deal glory I stopped by the kiosk in front of the Apple store that puts permanent screen protectors on iphones and computers.  The stick on protector I have for my iphone is looking worn out and I had heard people at the office talking about the permanent ones.  There was a kid working the kiosk who looked to be late high school/early college age.  I asked him if he could write the prices down on a business card but he suggested I take a picture of them with my phone (kids!).  As I was doing this he asked me if I had the new ios5 system downloaded to which I answered yes.  He then told me he had a cool trick he could show me.  I asked him if it was the fact you can use your camera without unlocking your phone.  He said, and I quote "Yes!  That's awesome - my Mom would never be able to figure that out!"  {Insert Record Scratch Here}  In my head I said - Hold up - Your Mom?!!  I'm no spring chicken but there is NO WAY I look old enough to be your Mom you little pip squeak!  In real life I just smiled, turned around, walked out of the mall and felt deflated for the rest of the evening.

Dunkin' Donuts K-Cups

What's that noise?  Are those angels singing?  I think it might be and the wonderful sound of their music appears to be coming from this box on my desk!

My sweet friend Alisha brought these back from St. Louis for me.  You see, I love Dunkin' Donuts coffee and I was super excited when I found out DD was going to start making K-Cups, the only problem is they only sell the K-Cups at DD stores.  And why is this a problem you ask?  Well, we don't have a DD here in T-Town.

I'm so excited about these, you have no idea!  Who wants to come over for a cup of Joe?

Happenings

Sorry for the MIAness that's been going on lately.  I've been really focused on my studies which doesn't leave room for much else.  I thought I'd give some highlights as to what's been going on with us for the past month.

We got all spiffed up for a fundraiser benefiting Clarehouse.  Clarehouse is a place here in Tulsa that provides end of life care for individuals who are unable to take on the financial burden themselves.

My friend Janice (to my right) is on the board for Clarehouse.  It was fun to spend the evening with friends I hadn't seen in awhile and support such a great cause!

Then we jetted off to Savannah...

where we stayed in this quaint little Bed & Breakfast.  I hope to blog in more detail about this trip when I have the time.

Last weekend I took this Pre-Ker to the donut shop.  She is going to be 5 in a few weeks...5!  I can't believe she is growing up so fast!

I made some crafty treats for our Trick-or-Treat event at work.  I got the idea from one of Katie's Weekly Faves posts which lead me to this post on Living Locurto which eventually lead me to these.  I was happy with how they turned out!

In other Halloween news this little Cheeser refused to wear his turtle costume!  My SIL Erin and her mom made it so I'm sure it was adorable.  She told me they took him out to walk around and at one point a ghost fell out of a tree and he said "I scared" and wouldn't take his eyes off the ground until they got to the car.  My brother told me that has now become his ploy to get hugs and snuggles (as if he needed one).  He'll say "I scared" or "Jude scared" and run up and hug you.  So cute!

While we're on the topic of cuteness I have to share this picture.  It's so indicative of my two cats' personalities.  Tavia is so cautious and reserved while Phoebe is so uninhibited and in your face but they are definitely equal in the joy bringing department!

Although I've been MIA from my own blog, I promise I've been keeping up with all of your blogs but I'm usually reading them from my phone on a study break at the library so sorry for the lack of comments.  Happy weekend!

Not So Wordless Wednesday

I couldn't really post this picture without a few words.  Studying for the CPA exam isn't just hard because of the content of the study material, the time you have to commit and the things you give up in order to study for it is just as hard.  My social life has totally plummeted, I hope my friends will still invite me to things when it's finally over.  I definitely don't see my family as often as I would like.  I love being an aunt and the three people I miss the most are in the picture below.

Happy October!

I finally got around to putting out my Halloween decorations.  I think Halloween is so much fun and I'm slowly but surely adding to my collection of decorations.  I found this cute little item at Mecca Coffee Company here in Tulsa.



Here's my mantle.  I'm not a huge fan of the Ansel Adams poster but until I find something else, it's better than nothing.  Let me rephrase, until AB agrees to let me buy what I want for the mantle it's better than just bricks ;)

I got the cute little owls and the Spooky sign at Pier One, I think I got the other owl at Target last year and I've had the straw pumpkins for awhile.

 I found this friendly witch at Joann Fabric and the cute little witch hats are Halloween ornaments from Pier One.

We made a trip to the pumpkin patch yesterday with our friends Brian, Alisha and their daughter Emily.  It was a beautiful day, perfect weather!  I grabbed some pumpkins for our porch.  I searched high and low for a fall wreath this year and I found plenty I liked but none I was willing to spend the big bucks for.  Who knew wreaths were so expensive!  I found this cute ghost sign at Joann Fabric and I got the cute spider door mat at Crate and Barrel last year.

I hope you all are having fun decorating for fall!  I can't wait for the weather to follow suit...I'm ready for some chill :)