Falling for Autumn

September is here! Rivaled only by Christmas, I love fall! The color changes, the falling, crispy leaves, and pumpkin everything. Yes, I'm that person. I love DIY crafts, and my decor motto is keep it simple. I don't like too much clutter. Although you'd never guess by the look of my house the weekend after Thanksgiving!

Advice from a pumpkin: Be well rounded, get plenty of sunshine, give thanks for life's bounty, have thick skin, keep growing, be outstanding in your field, think big!

Here are a few things fall that I love so much I just had to share!

Home Decor DIY Pumpkin

Simply Beautiful by Angela has the cutest pumpkin made of wood scraps. I love my wooden pumpkins made of scrap wood, but I may love these even more simply because I love the horizontal look... takes on more of a round pumpkin look. Either way, whether you like the tall, thin ones, or the short fat ones, they're both cute. And a fun, easy addition to your fall home decor. Use the link to Angela's site for a step-by-step tutorial.

Must Try Fall Recipes

As the days get shorter, and the evenings cooler, we always change up our menu from our summer feasts (usually on a grill), to something that will both warm our home as well as our bellies. Closet Cooking has this amazing Rustic Roasted Garlic Chicken with Asiago Gravy... a perfect dinner on a fall evening. Chicken is a staple in our house, and throw in garlic and asiago, and we are all over that goodness. Use the link to be directed to this delicious and simple recipe for the whole family!

Deviating from my favorite fall flavor, pumpkin, these Baked Apple Cider Donut Holes are a must when you need a sweet treat. The best part... you can have more than one of these without the guilt of the calories because these little bites are baked, not fried. Thanks Little Spice Jar for this delicious addition to our autumn menu!

2018 Fall Fashion Trends

I don't know about you, but I welcome fall fashion. Utah summers are hot, and although around here it's not really cool enough during the daytime hours for jeans until October... I still hold out for the unusually cool days in September. There are a few. So what's popular for fall 2018?

Cosmic joggers are a must. Not only are these pants trending this year, they are also super comfortable, which is always a bonus! 

Cosmic Joggers $69.50 - The Loft

Blazers! No, they are not just for work. Not only are they chic and timeless, but blazers are a great way to add some color to your wardrobe and keep you comfortable when the temp drops into the 60s. These can so easily be dressed up, or down... add a skirt on your professional days, or a painted jean on casual ones. 

Double Breasted Blazer $128 - The Loft

The color to take fall fashion by surprise this year... magenta! Fall is no longer just for dark, cool, and muted color palates. Fashion Week brought this bold color to the forefront of fall fashion trends. Not saying ditch the other colors entirely, but spice things up and add a pop of color this year! 

Violeta Draped Neckline Dress $99.99 - Mango

 I think we covered the basics: decor, food, & fashion. Now that I showed you all my favorites for this season, I have to ask, what are your favorites?! Share in the comments!

Good Eats: 4th of July

My husband and son on Grand Lake, MN

Okay, so I love the 4th of July. It's just fun. It's patriotic (which I totally am), it's full or awesome food, and fireworks! I am like a little kid when it comes to fireworks. Growing up, I spent my 4th of Julys on a lake - swimming, boating, tubing, knee-boarding, jet skiing, cruising! One year we participated in the boat parade and had a little boat pulling a giant water raft. Not a floatie (or do you spell it floaty? I've seen both!), but a lake raft... the kind that is anchored out in the lake that you swim out to and jump off of. Between the amount of children on that raft and the size of the raft, it took us an exorbitant amount of time to get around that lake. Every other boat passed us. And the parade was well over by the time we made it back. But it was so fun. Occasionally we make it to Minnesota over the 4th, but not this year. My Utah 4th of Julys are very different. If I'm straight with you, they took a little adjusting to. I wanted the lake! But now I find them equally fun. It's really about the people we spend them with and all the amazing food.

My crazy, amazing family... 4th on the lake in MN!

So... speaking of food... here are some awesome suggestions if you're still looking for ideas! Let's start with dessert... because I believe life would be so much better if we could always start with dessert! The Kitchen is My Playground has the best Red, White & Blue Cheesecake Bites... I mean, look at these things. And they're so darn simple. And will be the hit of your 4th of July fun!

In charge of the meat? Or the grill... here's a great BBQ Chicken Kebab recipe... umm, just look at this picture. Yum. Give it up to Fabulously Frugal for this great 4th of July grilling idea!

Lastly a side... because we're usually asked to "bring a side to share" when we're off to someone else's festivities. I love the Skinnyish Dish (formerly knows as Daily Dose of Pepper). I've never been disappointed. Here's her take on a lower cal option for BLT Pasta Salad. One word... bacon! 

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe 4th of July! Eat great food and have some good belly laughs. And enjoy some fireworks!!

And don't forget to put your entry in for the book giveaway!

Good Food Should Always Be Shared!

Let's talk food... Mmmmm... F.O.O.D. I'm already hungry. The eggs I had for dinner are suddenly going to be so much less satisfying after this post.

But seriously, let's talk food. I love food. And that's a huge problem because my best friend is an AMAZING baker... who bakes when she's bored, when she's happy, when she's procrastinating, when she should be working, (guys, she's even been known to come home in the middle of church to check on something that is, was, or needs to be baked)... so pretty much she bakes all the time. And she shares. I blame her for every pound I've gained since high school! Okay, I'm really thankful. I don't blame her for every pound... but at least 12 of them. But my soul thanks her when she makes cookies. My hips... well, they'll have to get over it.

A side note... I'll be your true and loyal friend for life if you bring me donuts from Bowman's.

Here are a few of my favorite recipes. I suggest trying them out. And no... I didn't make any of these. I'll be sure to include the link where they came from and we'll give the true masters credit where it is due.

First up... Balsamic Bruschetta Chicken. It's gluten-free. And bonus... if you're on WW it's only 3 freestyle points. Heck yeah. And it tastes delish. Even my kids love this one.

Cooking with Points delivers this on-point dinner.

Know what's funny? I'm not a breakfast person. Like, at all. I usually get an upset stomach if I eat too early. Coffee... well, that's another thing. But even though I'm not a daily breakfast eater (no one attack me for this admission), I LOVE breakfast foods. Pretty much all breakfast foods. But pancakes are my number 1. They even beat out donuts. Here's one of my fave pancake recipes: Cranberry Orange Pancakes. Please note these are not gluten-free, and definitely more than 3 freestyle points. Don't ask me how many... sometimes ignorance is bliss. And these are definitely bliss.

Taste of Home brings this home with the W!

I totally have a soft spot for Greek food. There's this place downtown SLC that I totally recommend if you're ever in town... Aristo's. It's awesome-sauce (tzatziki-sauce, that is). Lame joke, I know. I've been to Greece twice and I could have just eaten myself into oblivion. So here's something to fill that void in my life: Greek 7 Layer Dip.

Bake your Day... you made my day with this one!

Okay ladies... eat up and enjoy your week!!