fall fashion week-sunday

I'm sad that today is the last day of Emery Jo's Fall Fashion Week, I have had such a good time and have met so many sweet, stylish ladies!!!
I realize I look angry in the first picture but I'm not! My dogs were barking like crazy, so I shot them a disapproving look which the camera caught. I was too cold to keep trying for better pictures, so I kept it and went inside for a hot cup of coconut cream coffee!!

tank top-charlotte russe ($5.00!!)

cardigan-nordstrom

belt-f21 dress

scarf-f21

boots-charlotte russe (I just noticed my boots didn't make it in any of the pictures, but they're the same ones from most of the previous posts)

earrings-f21

rings-gifts

My bangs all of a sudden had a major cowlick this morning, so I tried something a bit different...I braided them over!! I must say, I like it! It solved the cowlick problem and added a bit of fun to my usually boring hair.

I hope you all had just as much fun during fall fashion week as I did and I feel inspired to keep up and do outfit posts more often!

fall fashion week-saturday

Today I opted that "perfect" fall look, that is not only comfy but cute and perfect for the events of my day-a hayride to a pumpkin patch, dinner and possibly a haunted house!

I'm in a bit of a rush, I've been cooking and getting ready all morning so I only got a couple pictures but thats enough for this outfit.

shirt-target (clearance-$4.50!!)

jeans-LC for khols

belt-from an f21 dress

boots-charlotte russe

earrings-f21

fall fashion week-friday

Seriously, I am loving Fall Fashion Week!!!

I've gathered a lot of fashion inspiration and can't wait to try it all out through fall and winter!!

This fall I am loving taupes, blushes, greys/brown greys and yellows/golds....so this outfit was perfect to showcase some of that!!

shirt-h&m

skirt-forever21

cardigan-francesca's collection

shoes-the buckle

necklace-it was a college graduation gift from my parents

ring-f21

earrings-nordstrom

fall fashion week-thursday

I'm so proud of myself for keeping up with Fall Fashion Week!! 

I can't believe its Thursday already, everyone is looking amazing and I've "met" so many sweet ladies!!

Today was the chilliest fall day we've had so far, which was perfect because I've been itching to wear my fox tights again!!

Sorry for the crappy full body shots, I don't have anyone to take photos for me and getting a good one with the self timer is proving to be a tad hard!

Day 4

dress-H&M

tights-anthropologie

oxfords-nordstrom

earrings-nordstrom

rings-f21 and gift

Check out Emery Jo's blog to join in and to find links to all the other ladies joining in on the Fall Fashion Week fun!!!

Quiche

The other day, Danielle posted a quiche recipe (click her name for the post) that looked too good not to try!

Kroger was having a sale on eggs so I decided to give it a go!!

I swapped out the broccoli for leeks (love them) and spinach and used pepper jack cheese.

I made my own whole wheat pie crust (I added flax seeds to it) and did everything else like she suggested!

She was right-it was quick, easy and super delicious!

Placing the foil around the edges made all the difference and it turned out perfectly!

fall fashion week-wednesday

I am having such a blast participating in Emery Jo's Fall Fashion Week!!!

It is so fun to discover new blogs and see all the wonderful styles everyone is coming up with for fall this year. 

Now onto my outfit...

Day 3-Wednesday

dress-forever 21 (I love sleeves on dresses!!)

cardigan-francesca's collection (I didn't love the cardigan with it but added it for when I went to the pumpkin patch)

belt-forever 21

shoes-the buckle (I never shop there but saw them in the window and had money left on a visa gift card, so I treated myself!)

ring-f21

nail polish-f21 (taupe...I love this color!)

earrings-nordstrom

Its not too late to join in on the fun of Fall Fashion Week

fall fashion week-tuesday

Fashion Week Day 2-Tuesday

(I wanted to show the ruffles but it turned out to be a bit of a boob shot, sorry!)

cardigan-forever21

shirt-h&m

belt-from a f21 dress (this belt gets used A LOT)

jeans-lauren conrad for khols

boots-charlotte russe (these boots also get used A LOT)

earrings-f21

rings-f21 and a gift

I completely forgot I had this shirt (I love the ruffles) so it was fun to wear it for the first time for Fall Fashion Week!!

This outfit was super comfy and perfect for today, in the morning it was pretty warm so I started without the cardigan but by the time I was on my way to work the weather had turned pretty serious (windy with tornado warnings) and the temp dropped 20 degrees, so I added the cardigan!

I checked out a few Fashion Week posts while at work and everyone is looking so cute! I've picked up some fashion inspiration and can't wait to put my spin on some it!

fall fashion week-monday

Yay! Its the beginning of Emery Jo's Fall Fashion week over Moms are for Everyone!! 

This is my first time participating in a fashion week, so I'm excited about it.

 I always mean to take outfit photos but usually forget, so this will be a nice reminder for me to do so!!

Day 1

dress-forever21

cardigan-francesca's collection

belt-from a different f21 dress

boots-charlotte russe

earrings-forever 21

rings-gift

Its not to late to join in the fashion fun:

Brick

I have now seen this movie four times, three of them being within the last couple weeks (thank you, current tv) and I still have pretty much no clue what is happening ever.

Maybe the fifth times the charm?

yummy sandwich

I made the best sandwhich for lunch the other day and enjoyed it so much I had it a couple other times this week (I didn't want to waste the rest of the baguette) and decided I just had to share it with you all!!

The mix of flavors may sound weird, but seriously it was perfection!!

I changed it up a bit everyday but each time it was wonderful.

you'll need:

.whole grain french baguette

. tofutti cream cheese

. peach preserves

. yellow mustard

. garlic salt

. ground black pepper

. red leaf lettuce

. yellow pepper

. red onion

. granny smith apple slices

. white cheddar cheese

. sun dried tomatoes 

. spinach 

. feta cheese

Cut the bread however big or small you want it and top according to your preference! 

I made mine medium sized and scooped out all the bread from the middle of the two slices, making them little boats and giving more room for yummy veggies!!

I used about one teaspoon of the mustard, cream cheese and peach preserves (just enough to cover the bottom of the bread) and just a sprinkling of the garlic salt and black pepper. I wanted to be able to taste all the flavors so I didn't over do it on any one topping.

I used lots of veggies on mine, but do whatever you want and add whatever you want and change it up!!

When I used the feta I left off the white cheddar and cream cheese and switched out the red leaf lettuce for spinach and toasted it all in the oven for a few minutes once...all ways delicious!

Enjoy!

yay for crafts, clothes, coffee and cupcakes!

Today I headed south and picked up a few things I needed to FINALLY get started sewing!

Of course I made an F21 stop and picked up a couple cute things.

For my crafting needs I purchased-a self healing mat, rotary cutter, yarn needles, brads and fabric.

For my fashion needs I purchased-a cute 3/4 sleeved dress, a printed button up shirt and a bottle of taupe nail polish.

I also stopped to enjoy a cup of coffee and a red velvet cupcake, but I consumed them both before I realized I didn't take a picture. They were both delicious though and I've decided coffee and a cupcake may become a bi monthly trip for me...I can't have too many cupcakes, my sweet tooth is mostly reserved for pie.

My plans for the rest of the day are to hang out with my dogs and hit up the gym!!

cup pies

If any of you are like me or my bff, Stephanie, then you LOVE pie and the show Pushing Daisies!!

Pie is seriously one of my favorite things ever and enjoying a piece (or two) always puts me in a good mood, it is my ultimate comfort food.

And Pushing Daisies, well if you've seen it then you know it is the cutest show ever and you'll know where I got my inspiration from with the following recipie!!

Awhile ago I made my first from scratch, fresh fruit pie-vegan whole wheat peach raspberry. It was a messy process and probably didn't turn out as well as it could have but to me it tasted delicious!!! However because of the time it took, I haven't made another pie since...I like to have my pie readily available to eat, no waiting around, which lead to me to make the yummy little cup pies (like on Pushing Daisies) this past weekend (and again yesterday) that take half the time to make!!

They are sooooooooooo easy to make, no mess, very little time, less calories (I figured around 200) and just the right size!!

I FINALLY found a good batch of strawberries at the store, so I bought a couple containers for my oatmeal and decided I could spare some for this dessert. I needed a filler to go with it, I love peach pie so I decided to use peach preserves...plus peach goes well with strawberries!

The end result:

individual strawberry-peach cup pies!!!!!!!!!

They were sooo very good and I topped them with my healthy whipped cream and a few more strawberry slices!!!

With the cool weather coming in, these are perfect to pair with a nice cup of coffee or tea!!

cup pie recipe:

you will need-

Store bought refridgerated pie crust-the kind in a box, not already in a dish. (mine had 2 in the box)

strawberries-2 per cup pie, sliced (switch up the fruit to whatever you like, same goes with the preserves.)

peach preserves- 1 tablespoon per cup pie

brown sugar (optional)

coconut shavings (optional)

muffin/cupcake pan (ramkins or mini pie pans will work if you have them)

Preheat oven to 450 (or whatever it says on your pie crust box)

roll out one (makes 5) pie crust and use a small bowl or cookie cutter to make each crust (mine were 4 and 4 1/2 inches.)

After a few circles you'll have to pile up the dough and use a roller to roll it out for the rest of the circles.

Once you have all the crusts made place them in the pan making little cups and place 3-4 slices on the bottom add a bit of the peach preserves and repeat.

When you're happy with the filling you can either use the leftover dough to make a lattice or little hearts, pinch the edges making it into a tart or a little dumpling. ( I made a couple of each)

sprinkle to tops with a bit of coconut and pop in the oven.

dumpling (4 inch circle)

cup pie w/lattice (4 inch circle w/leftover dough)

tart (4 1/2 inch circle)

Take them out once the top and edges are a nice golden brown and the preserves are all ooey and gooey!

Let them sit for a bit and then top with a few slice strawberries (or whatever fruit you picked) and some healthy whipped cream.

healthy whipped cream:

lite whipped topping

1 small container of plain greek yogurt

combine half the container of greek yogurt with a couple tablespoons of the whipped topping and stir until they are mixed together.

But the most important part is that you ENJOY them!!

I had mine with a nice hot cup of coconut cream coffee, yum!!!

Monty and my past dogs.

Continuing on with my post about the four legged loves of my life, here is MONTY!!

Monty came into my life at just the right time, I had moved back in with parents for the millionth time and no longer had friends only minutes away. Besides that, Lucky, my shepard/collie/chow mix of 14 years had passed away a few months before and I took it super, super, super hard-I'm tearing up now typing this ( I can't talk, think or apparently type about him without crying). 

Monty filled my big dog void and has brought such happiness to my life every single day, even though we have for sure had our rough patches.

When Monty first came to live with us, Newbie HATED him. So much so that he stopped eating, playing and letting anyone love on him. 

I felt so horrible that Newbie had such a horrible reaction to him, that I took him back to the shelter after a week because I was so worried about Newbie's health.

I reacted to taking him back the same way Newbie reacted to his arrival and after a very emotional week without him, I decided that if I was this upset without him after him only being in my life for a week then I was meant to have him as a pet and make it work with Newbie.
So that is what I did, I readopted him!
Surprisingly upon Monty's return, Newbie was very happy to see him and they've been the best of friends since!
Monty is so funny and smart, he already knew sit, stay, shake/hold hands, lay down and roll over when I got him and I have taught him to give kisses and speak.
His kisses are my favorite thing, they're soooo sweet!! All you have to do is make a kissy face and he will plant one on you (not a lick) and he love love loves to hold hands.

I'm also going to talk about my dogs that have passed away, because they made me the animal lover that I am today.

AJ, a boarder collie mix was my first pet/dog.
(aka-AJ-rooneypoo, Racedog)
(All my pictures of AJ are in a box, because digital cameras weren't around when I had him. If I find one, I'll add it)
We adopted him a few months after we moved to the States when I was five in 1989.
His litter and mother had been rescued from an abusive home, they were all tied to a tree with only a foot or so of chain to move around on with their food and water just out of reach.
I remember riding home with him in my dad's truck and how his head was way too big for his body because he was so malnurished.
AJ taught me that a dog really is man's best friend and sat with me more times that I can remember on my little picnic table while I hugged and cried on him when my mom was "mean" to me.
In return for his love, I made him treats out of dirt, wild onion, berries, grass and tiny flowers that smelled like watermelon that I found around our yard.
Thankfully, he never ate the treat because he may not have lived a good 15 years if he had done so.
While we had AJ, my dad was deployed to Saudi Arabia for the Golf War.
He was gone for months upon months and I will never forget the reunion of he and my Dad, it was very similar to this video just with a lot more running (AJ loved to run circles around the yard, hence his nickname Racedog)

My second dog was Lucky.
(aka-Luckums, Lucky Dog)

(I still didn't have a digital camera when we had Lucky, but found some prints around my parent's house)
Oh man, this dog stole my heart.
We adopted him when I was in 5th grade when we moved to a house with a bigger yard and decided AJ needed a friend.
My dad told my sister and I that we could ride our bikes to the shelter and pick out a small female dog.
So we made the ride all the way on the other side of town and somehow I convinced my sister to go along with getting the five month old, 45 lb, male ball of fluff that was Lucky.
Lucky also came from an abusive home but was eager to love and be loved.
He flinched if you moved to fast, raised your arm too high or talked too loud but after awhile he grew out of it and really came into his own.
He and AJ were inseperable, which gave Lucky a bad rap because it wasn't until he showed up that AJ started escaping the yard and my dad blammed Lucky for digging the holes, etc.
They'd go on days without us finding them but when we did, they were always side by side.
I knew it was AJ that was the mastermind because even though he loved Lucky, he wouldn't mind being on his own but Lucky, he would never let AJ out of his sight.
When AJ passed away, Lucky never left the yard on his own again.
Being a shephard/collie/chow mix meant Lucky was blessed/cursed with the thickest, fluffiest, longest hair possible.
This also meant he made the most amazing pillow and I would spend hours outside in the summer with him, laying in the grass using his belly as my pillow.

I could go on and on about my dogs, there are sooo many wonderful, funny stories about them. Perhaps I'll have to do another post at some point with a few more stories!
I hope you all have enjoyed getting to know the four legged best friends of my life, past and present!