High Five for Friday!

Once again, Friday rolls around.  It has been quite an exciting and hectic week!  Let's get to it:

1. My beautiful best friend Kim had her baby yesterday!  Mr. Vincenzo Thomas Hunter (seriously...what an awesome name) was born at 12:08 weighing 7 lbs, 12 oz and 21.5 inches long.  He is just ADORABLE and I want to snuggle on him all.day.long.  Can't wait to spend more time with him in the coming week when they're all home!  I will post pictures as soon as I get permission from them to put them on the blog!

2. My grandfather is turning 80 next week, so we are making an impromptu weekend trip to PA to see him!  I can't wait...most of our family from both sides will be there, so it will be a great time to catch up!

3. I started the dreaded summer/fall clothing swap.  This year I am vowing to get rid of a lot of things I have not worn in the past few years.  I tend to get sentimental attachments to clothing, so it's very hard for me to part with things.  I'm super nostalgic and love fashion, so it's a hoarding combo. ;)

4. I am getting really excited for October to roll around.  I will start putting out my Halloween decorations!  I usually reserve September for fall decorations and then add in the Halloween stuff soon after.  October is one of my favorite months of the year!  Bring on apple cider and donuts all day, erry day.

5. I have just discovered Sole Society.  WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE?!  The best part?  They actually have lovely shoes and boots in size 5 to fit my tiny feet!  I will definitely be shopping there through fall.  The scarves are just delicious looking as well.

Adorbs. Want.

I hope you all have a great weekend, friends!  See you Monday!

P.S.  Link up with Lauren below!

Apple Oatmeal Crisp

I'm not a huge fan of apples by themselves, but I love apples when they are cooked down and in a hot dessert.  They are delicious coated in some cinnamon and sugar and reduced and caramelized a bit!  My number one apple dessert is my mom's apple pie with crumble topping, but a close second is apple crisp.

When my inlaws came over, they had just been to the apple orchard and brought us two bushels of fresh apples!  I was so excited to use them that I quickly whipped up an apple crisp from a recipe I got online here.  It was super simple, super easy and it fed about 8 people.

It. was. delicious.  I haven't had this in so long and it was so so yummy!  I brewed some coffee while it baked and it was the perfect complement to this simple dessert.

Sometimes simple is the way to go!  I love dishes that are quick and flavorful with minimum cleanup.  It leaves more time for chit chat with friends and family.

What's your favorite quick dessert?  Happy Tuesday!

Essie Love

Fall is here!  It sure does feel like it now, too.  The wind is blustery, it's rainy and damp...exactly the type of weather that makes you want to snuggle inside under a fuzzy blanket while drinking coffee or hot chocolate.

Now that it's officially fall, I think I can permit myself to break out some of my favorite Essie fall nail colors.  I'm a sucker for Essie to begin with, but their fall neutrals are the best.  Here are my favorites:

I love love love these six colors.  I wear them often during the fall and I never seem to get sick of them.  They go with so many outfits and I have a pretty good mix of darks and lights in here to get enough variety.

Wicked is the only one that I typically wear around the end of October and Halloween.  It is the perfect color for that holiday season.  It's deep and rich and has a subtle sexiness to it.  I'm pretty sure I've worn it to every one of my best friends' annual Halloween parties the past 6 years.

Mochacino has some subtle sparkle in it, so it's a nice break from the solid colors.  Even the solid colors, though, look adorable with some glitter put on top of them if you feel like adding some flash to them.

In any case, I can't wait to get one of these on my nails this week!  What are some of your favorite Essie colors for fall?

High Five for Friday!

This week seems like it completely got away from me.  So much to do, so little time...so much sleep still needed!  Let's recap:

1. Yesterday was mine and Joey's 5th wedding anniversary!  He surprised me with a beautiful homemade dinner of stuffed shells!  He also got me a bouquet of beautiful roses and a bottle of wine.  He's the greatest :)

2. I am loooooving the temperatures outside.  I got to wear my J. Crew sweater and it's deliciously soft.  If it would stay in the upper sixties until next summer, I would not complain.  We can just skip all of the winter stuff, mmkay weatherjerks?

3. I finally got around to watching Dead Poet's Society for the first time this week.  It was good, but super long and drawn out.  Of course, I loved Robin Williams' character, but the other characters needed more development.  It was a good watch, though.

4. Does anyone else miss House of Cards?  I sure do.  I need me some Frank Underwood back in my life.  I wish it was February!  (Kind of.  Only for HOC.)

5. I have started decorating for fall!  I put little things like pumpkins and scarecrows on my fireplace mantel and added some of those fake flickering candles.  I need to bust out my Scentsy and get my Pumpkin Roll wax melting to make the house smell amazing.  Can't wait to add in some Halloween decorations soon, too!

Happy Friday, friends!  Link up with Lauren below!

5 Years

Oh today.  Today is one of my favorite days of the year.  I woke up next to my best friend and we were snuggled deep under the covers, comfortable and warm and happy.  Our first little furbaby, Daisy, was nestled in between us and quietly snored.  September 18th dawned a bright and beautiful day, just like it was 5 years ago on our wedding day.  The temperature was perfect with blue skies for miles.

I was 22, he was 24.  We were so excited to start our journey together as husband and wife.  It's amazing how quickly 5 years has clipped by!  We still feel like newlyweds, but we aren't really in 'newlywed' status to others anymore.  Knowing that we have friends and family getting married this year and it's five years after us, it doesn't seem possible that it has been that long!

To say that I have a great husband in Joey would be an understatement.  This year has, without a doubt, been one of the hardest we have faced together, but he lived up to his vows to care for me in every way he promised 5 years ago.  I have truly hit the jackpot with him.

I love you, my sweet husband.  Everyday I am so thankful that God led me to you.  

Happy Anniversary, Love.

Comfy Cozy

Since the weather is determined to be fall, I am giving in.  I might as well enjoy the light sweater weather before I have to wear my cute sweaters under a bunch of bulky, un-chic winter coats.  A few weeks ago on Labor Day weekend, I told you I did some shopping on the J. Crew Factory website and bought a tee and a sweater  Today proved to be the perfect weather for the sweater, so I busted out this cutie.

(Please excuse my dog's tush in the photo.  Apparently, that's her opinion of fashion.  Pretty much the equivalent of flipping it the bird, yes?  Way to be ladylike, Lulu.)

Let me tell you, it is hard for me to find sweaters that I like.  Most are either 1.) too thick and heavy and make me way too hot or itchy or 2.) they turn my hair into a static sideshow.  However, this sweater was wonderful.  It didn't do either of those things and it was the perfect weight for the chilly morning and the tepid evening.  It is wonderfully soft and cozy and the color is rich enough so that it's not see through.  I don't like layering all the time and luckily, this sweater didn't need a cami underneath.  Bonus! 

I see myself reaching for this many many times this autumn.  I also see myself buying more of these, because I really like the quality.  I am willing to spend more if I know I'm going to wear it often.  Go get yourself one of these!  They're still on sale!

Weekend in Mackinaw

Happy Monday, everyone!  How was your weekend?  Hubs and I had a pretty fabulous one.  His family had their annual trip to Mackinaw, Michigan and it was a lot of fun.  All of his brothers and sisters and their kids went up so we got to hang with all of them and spend time with our niece and nephews.

It was super cold up there!  This was the first weekend where it didn't crack 55 degrees where we live, so it was even colder 4 hours north of us.  The hotel had a pool, so the kids (and the uncles!) had a great time swimming over the weekend.  The kids range in age from almost 2 to 6, so it was really fun to see them interact together since they're all so close in age.  I just can't believe how quickly they grow up!

Mackinaw City is a beautiful little town with cute shops to visit, historical places to see and, when it's warm enough, you can swim in Lake Michigan or Lake Huron.  You can't go to Mackinaw and not go over the Mackinaw Bridge.  It's a beautiful suspension bridge that connects the lower peninsula to the upper peninsula, and marks the transition point between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.

It was wonderful to be back up there.  The adults had some fun, too, when we all went to Kewadin Casino.  Most of us walked away with winnings so that was great!  We took the kids to the Deer Ranch so that they could feed the baby deer, went to Indian Village for some shopping and then headed back for a pizza party that night and to watch the semi truck parade!  It's a once a year parade where hundreds of semi's cross over the bridge blaring their horns, circle through town and cross back over again.  It was awesome to see!

I hope you all had a great weekend...they're never long enough!  There's always so much to do and so little time!  Until next year, Mackinaw.

High Five for Friday!

I can't believe it's Friday again!  They always seem so far away but then they sneak up so quickly as we launch into another weekend.  This week was BUSY.  So much has gone on, let's recap:

1. Joey and I bought new toys!  "Toys" being grown-up appliances that we are giddy about.  This is what you get excited about at 27.  We bought a washer/dryer set since our old ones became unreliable.  It took two, seventy minute dry cycles to dry a normal load of towels.  Ridiculous.  Then the control panel was becoming so hot, we were afraid it was a fire hazard.  The washer was also beating up our clothes pretty bad.  So this bad boy is being delivered today!

2.  Hubs and I had a great time at our best friend's wedding last weekend in Kalamazoo!  It was nice to hang out with everyone at a beautiful outdoor wedding!  After a rehearsal night of atrocious storms that completely blew the tent down, the wedding day turned out beautiful for them.

3. I'm kind of obsessed with a new blanket I got at Home Goods.  It's a faux fox fur throw (say that five times fast) that is sooooo soft and snuggly.  The dogs and Joey always try to take it from me but they never win ;)

4. I started my Christmas shopping!  (I know, I know, don't hate).  I can't believe I have even started it, but I got some really good deals on things so I figured I would jump on them and just stash them until Christmas.  It's mostly for my grandparents.  Their birthdays are coming up in about 2-3 weeks, so I bought their birthday gifts and figured what the heck, just get it all right now.

5. I have a few things on schedule for the coming week I am hoping to accomplish.  Our filing cabinet desperately needs a clean-out, and so do my drawers and closet!  If I'm going to be bringing new stuff in, it's time to donate.

I hope you all had a great week!  Link up with Lauren below!

Fall Fashion Double Style

With fall right around the corner, I have been scouring the internet for gorgeous pieces that will be perfect to add to my closet for the season.  Now, the thing about me is that I have two polarizing 'styles'.  For work and going out in the evening, I love neutrals and tailored pieces.  I love having the classic staples that can be changed with different accessories, so I am a big fan of black, tan and gray pieces.  I own A LOT of black clothing.  I can't help it, it's my favorite!

For casual outings and staying around the house, I am all about comfort.  Slouchy sweaters, jeans, leggings and flats are definitely my calling on more low-key days. There are a few key basic pieces that I am going to try to find to add to my closet that will work with mixing and matching other pieces.

I made a collage with a few things that caught my eye that I am hoping to add to my closet this fall:

one: j.crew two: kate spade three: essie four: newlook 

five: jessica simpson six: express seven: loft eight: mango

nine: DVF ten: kendra scott eleven: OPI twelve: sperry thirteen: AE

I am pretty much in love with all of the items in this collage.  On the left, we have the work/going out style that I love.  I have been drooling over leather leggings for so long, so those are quite high on my list to purchase.  Pair those with the amazing Jessica Simpson booties and that sleek Kate Spade bag, and I am in heaven.

On the right is a great outfit to wear out with the girls or to run errands in.  The shirt is loose and comfortable, the shoes are cute flats that tie the outfit together, and a touch of spice is added by the DVF bag and Kendra Scott ring.  You could wear your hair down and with tousled beach waves or up in a sleek top knot and both would be adorable with this look.

I am hoping that when fall does finally set in, it's actually enjoyable and sticks around for a while.  I have heard rumblings about having a really short fall and a very wet, rough winter, so I am plugging my ears and ignoring the weatherjerks.  I have too many cute clothes to wear and I don't want to hide them under bulky winter jackets and be condemned to snow boots!  (Unless they're Hunter boots...hmmm).  That's a whole different collage!

High Five for Friday!

Hey friends, I hope you all enjoyed your short work week!  This week was pretty awesome, so let's get to the five awesomes that occured, shall we?

1.  You see those up there?  My J. Crew shirts came in!  All thanks to a lovely Labor Day J. Crew Factory sale!  The Merci shirt I can wear now, but I need to wait until it cools down outside to wear that deliciously soft sweater.  Not rushing summer though, because I know Autumn is always far too short before Winter snaps in.

2. The puppies got their haircut this week!  I love it when they look all shaved and groomed.  I can see their little eyes so much better!  On the flip side of that, though, Lulu tends to look like quite the little twig.

3. Our grass is coming in!  Man, it feels good to start to have a lawn.  We were approaching "hillbilly" status.

4. We almost thought my best friend was going to have her baby this week!  Her fluid levels are getting slightly low, but she's only 36 weeks.  So while it would have been awesome to meet her little one, baby should stay put for as long as he/she can!  She can basically have the baby at any time now, so we are all waiting excitedly for the 'real' call!

5.  Our other best friends are gettin' hitched this weekend!  It is on the other side of Michigan, so we are travelling over there today for the rehearsal dinner.  This wedding should be awesome...a tent, a food truck and gourmet donuts instead of cake.  Get in my belly.

Hope you had a wonderful week!  What did you do?  Let me know!  I love to hear what everyone has been up to!

Still Unpacking

It is hard going back to work after that gloriously long weekend!  Like I have said before, we really need to change the workweek to 4 days and the weekend to 3!  I felt so much more relaxed and productive this weekend.

While Joey golfed on Saturday morning, I plugged in the coffee machine, blasted some Britney and decided to tackle our office closet.  The office has been one space in the house that had become the "stash area".  Papers, receipts and general junk (hello random wrapping paper) made their way in there, and eventually began to overrun the room.  The thing that was really bugging me were the unpacked boxes that we still hadn't gotten to since we moved in last December.  They housed our immense book collection, so I needed to get them unpacked so I could see how big of a bookcase we needed to purchase.  Plus, it was making me crazy that I couldn't find one of my books that I wanted to read quickly.  Reader's angst, yo.

Here's the before:

Ugh.  Nightmare.  I started to spaz once I started unloading everything because it seemed to triple!  I threw away two full garbage bags of stuff and broke down about ten boxes after they were unloaded.  I was able to get all of the books up onto the shelf in there until we get a bookcase one day.  I found stuff from middle school!  Hoarder much?

It took me FOUR HOURS but here's the after:

So. Much. Better.  You can't see from this angle, but around the corner to the left is 3 more stacks of books and about 8-10 pictures that still need to be hung on the walls.  It's amazing how much relief it brings to have that cleaned up and cleared out!  I have a few more areas in the house to spruce up, but it's getting there!  Did anyone else wait that long to unpack some boxes from a move? ;)