What I've Been Crushing On

{Hot pink lips for Fall}

{Oven pizzas}

{This little mooch}

{Holiday sweets}

{Favorite butter cookies}

Dine and Dash

Trying to take photographs while it was raining was rather challenging. We had fun running around trying to find different locations that would work, with the dark clouds hovering above us drowning out the light. The season at its best is a fickle beast, drifting between warm and windy and cold and wet. Trying to get a handle on it is as challenging as dressing for it. Layering is always the best answer. A soft, cozy, hooded sweatshirt, a military inspired jacket, denim pencil skirt and the best and most interesting black booties I have ever seen, are quickly becoming favorites for me. Mixing them up in different outfits based on what Mother Nature has is store has made getting a grip on the season as easy as grabbing a quick bite off the street when there's no time to stop for dinner. Easy, fun and satisfying.

Skirt is JCrew I got on clearance but there may still be some available. Clutch is Herschel Supply. Jacket is vintage JCrew. Booties are Joe's. Hoodie is Buy Me Brunch.

Salsa Dance

{Your Ingredients}

I have decided this year to partake in an unorthodox Thanksgiving meal. Every time someone tells me that "Oh you have to..." you can bet your bottom dollar that I won't. I am making sure to hit all the high notes so there is no question that I have made a concerted effort to touch on all those traditional and expected Thanksgiving meal essentials. I needed a Thanksgiving inspired cranberry dish, and the usual jello mold version or salad wasn't going to cut it. I wanted to give my guests something delicious and unexpected. I wanted to dance that fine line between what everyone likes but most haven't experienced yet. Spicy with the perfect sweet touch I give you

Cranberry Salsa

{Recipe calls for 2/3 c sugar but I just added until I liked the taste}

In a food processor or blender combine 12 oz fresh cranberries, 1 bunch cilantro chopped, I bunch green onions cut to 3 inch lengths, 1 jalapeno pepper seeded and minced, pinch of sea salt. You can judge for yourself how blended you want it. I saw photos where it was chopped all by hand and very chunky. I liked the look of it here. Like Mexican caviar.

If you're lucky enough to have me as a Christmas guest you may be getting some of this jarred as a hostess/host gift. me gusta.

FRIDAY FEELS

Sometimes when life throws us curve balls we tend to focus solely on the negative things that are happening to us. Sometimes those bad things are so prevalent that that is all that we see. Our internal vision is impaired. That is what is so important about Thanksgiving. It gives us the opportunity to reflect, in a greater way, on what we have. I know there are those of us who may even dread the idea of spending the day with all our extended family, but speaking from someone who has a very small circle...I cherish it now more than ever, and I am so happy to know that circle will only increase its circumference in the future. This is my step-Mom's favorite day because it is about spending time with the people who have been the greater part of your life, and it doesn't involve gifts in the material sense, but rather the gift of family and of friendship. 

Here is my list of things I am thankful for.

1. My family.

2. My family is healthy.

3. My job and the people that I work for and with.

4. My friends and their patience in listening when I need it most, the way they make me laugh and see my life in a whole new way, their generosity and love.

5. The seasons in all their splendor.

6. Birthdays and celebrating that persons place in my life.

7. Seeing people fall in love that I care about.

8. My puppy who gives us such joy every day.

9. Resiliency in the face of great loss, tragedy, and daily challenges.

10. Forgiveness.

11. Every new day.

12. The promise of a new year, 

Make a list of your own and share it with your family. xx

A Kiss Is Still A Kiss

{1. Mac 2. Rimmel 3. Revlon 4. Rimmel, 5. Revlon} 

I asked a bunch of my handsome guy friends their take on lipstick on a woman. I asked if it mattered whether it was dark or neutral, and I was astonished to find out that they did not like it at all. Not a single one of them gave me a yes. Pretty astonishing when you think of what a HUGE business it is for women, with new shades on the market every season, in every possible color. I love the way certain shades can add to or enhance a woman's beauty. I find it alluring. I always notice it and have been known to ask complete strangers what they are wearing. So it is no shock that I have a few tubes of my own, with red being my latest area of exploration. The holiday season is right around the corner, so why not make a statement that is a retro way to ring in the new year or meet under the mistletoe. If you find a shade you that flatters your skin tone, just go for it. After all, what's love got to do with it. 

1. Rimmel Kate #10 2. Mac in Russian Red 3. Rimmel Kate matte in Kiss of Life 4. Revlon in Cherries in the Snow

1.Mac in Russian Red is a brick red 

 2.Rimmel matte Kate in Kiss of Life is a strong orange-red 

 3. Revlon in Cherries In The Snow is a pink based red

 4. Rimmel Kate #10 is a long wearing, moisture rich, stop light red

 5.  Revlon in Fire and Ice is perfect for every skin tone

 All found at CVS or Target. Mac can be found online at Nordstrom.

{Revlon's color for all "Fire and Ice"}

My work here is done.

Frank Sinatra

Casablanca

                                      

What I've Been Crushing On

{Winter Wonderland}

{Warm tea with honey for my cough}

{Thanksgiving meal planning}

{Someone to watch over me when I am sick}

{Yep I went there}

{Free doughnuts}

Are You Out Or In

One of the last truly warm days we've had I ran outside to snap a few pictures. It feels like here in Ohio the warm weather is fleeting, and before you can blink an eye, we are back inside for next few months. I think the most fun I have had besides putting together outfits and writing catchy little posts, is finding really cool places to take the pictures. I really loved when friends would comment on Facebook and try and guess where I am. It's like my very own "Where's Waldo" except that I own more than one outfit. Clearly. See you all inside. 

Denim is Madewell . Suede boots are Steve Madden. Clutch and sweater are JCrew. Necklace is Child of Wild. Sunnies are from Target. All old stuff but you can still find things like these at those locations. 

On A Roll

When my younger sister said that she was doing some research on the science of how to bake a better biscuit, I figured that there was no way I could tackle that type of recipe. Of the two of us, she is the better cook. She's been a stay at home mom for many years now and has way more time to hone her skills in the kitchen, and after my return to the workforce, I just stopped trying to make anything new. There is nothing worse then getting all pumped on a new recipe and have your family cringe because they would rather you just made spaghetti instead. Well I fixed that by making my own vodka sauce didn't I? So here I go again trying to reinvent the wheel I suppose, but why not? Nothing ventured, nothing gained. If I keep up this cooking thing I will gain...weight maybe but nobody can resist a risk taker even if it's a less than svelte baker. I will be eating these all week with my coffee and I don't feel that bad about it. Just roll me to work.

Take one pouch of active dry yeast, 1 tsp sugar, and 1/2 cup boiling water and mix together. Let stand.

In a generously sized mixing bowl combine 

5 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup cold stick butter sliced as you see above

mix or cut in with forks until crumbly

Take 2 tbsp white vinegar and fill with milk to the 2 cup mark then add that next instead of 2 cups buttermilk (lower in calories and saved me a run to the store)

cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Place on a lightly floured surface and knead 3 or 4 times.

Roll out the dough to 3/4 of an inch.

Cut in 2 inch circles or I saw someone cut into squares instead.

Place in a large skillet touching so that they rise even higher and bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Lightly dust with butter right as they come out. Serve warm.

I used real blackberries and squished them.

This is my jam. Flaky, but in the good way.

Original recipe in the November Issue of Southern Living

Mermaid Shoes

I can't say I grasp the infatuation with being a "mermaid" as is so prevalent on social media these days. Although beautiful and mysterious, they are not whole. Caught between two worlds...the land and the sea. In fact, Ariel herself  was torn between her life as she knows it and the one in her future. She makes a compromise in giving up her gift to be with the man she loves. In all relationships there is always compromise. Both people have to learn to give a little to make their life together run more smoothly. Even these shoes were a compromise. The ones I dream of having are by my favorite shoe designer Sophia Webster. She makes a fun, exciting shoe that I cannot afford. I am thankful that companies like Steve Madden will make their own version, at a more affordable price, for us girls who want the fantasy without sacrificing any of the style. When it comes to shoes you have to have the best of both worlds. 

F21 tank. Blank denim. Steve Madden shoes (no longer available). Ray Ban aviators from here. Lauren Conrad blazer from here. Herschel Supply clutch. Fossil watch. Necklace is old Anthropologie.

What I've Been Crushing On

{Great hair for going nowhere}

{Mini skillet smores}

{Still loving Fall colors}

{Spaghetti and meatballs}

{Her birthday}

{Boots with the fur}

The Waiting Game

As you can see by all the creases and bends, this novel and I have gone a few rounds. Not because it is a difficult read, but more because as I traversed with these characters through their life's journey, I soon realized that what was hard for me to escape, was the realness of it to some of my own past romantic interests. The lead character, by all accounts, is a trustworthy, fun and generous person capable of  so much loyalty and devotion, but his passion and love go unrequited. He lives on the outer edge of all the people that he touches. He is on the cusp of what could be...but never what actually is. He loves unconditionally without want for his own heart. He gives without any expectation of a return gesture. He is always present when he is needed without any regard for his own desires. He is selfless in his love and he is alone. But he loves with a reckless abandon, and an openness and hope for all the beauty that true love can bestow. It is in his waiting that I felt the most empathy. Who waits for the perfect love anymore? Would you?

Christina Perry

A Thousand Years