"Autumnal Accoutrements Amore"

We are enjoying all the splendor of the season & hope you are as well.

 

One of my favorite outings this time of year is the pumpkin patch natch'! Brittany & I are waiting until we get to PA before we hit the patch, but Daddy & Connor just couldn't wait & ventured to our local pumpkin patch!! So naturally a Jack-o-Lantern was in order!! 

Along with carving a pumpkin comes pumpkin seeds & roasting pumpkin seeds is so easy, not to mention yummy!!!

My recipe is super simple:

Rinse your seeds in a colander

Spread seeds out in a single layer on baking sheet

Spray sheet & seeds with Olive Oil

Dust seeds with finely cracked Sea Salt (to taste) 

Optional: Also dust with your fav spices (garlic powder, chili powder, Old Bay, etc) I use Bob's Big Boy Seasoning & it's delicious!!!

Place sheet in oven @ 350 degrees for approx. 35 mins ... Then ENJOY!!

And, what would be better than watching  a fav scary movie (Child's Play was our choice) in the warm cozy glow of your hand picked, freshly carved Jack-o-Lantern. While enjoying fresh roasted pumpkin seeds & sweet warm mulled apple cider!!

Another super simple recipe, this time for warm mulled cider. All you need is Fresh Apple Cider of your choice and Williams-Sonoma Mulling Spices.

Pour desired amount of Apple cider in a sauce pan, then add a tea ball of the mulling spices, heat to desired temperature *remember to let the spices steep in the cider for at least a few moments. Pour into vessels of your choice & taste the season!!!! (although truth be told Connor much prefers Hot Cocoa!! LOL!!)

These are just a few of the traditions we do to celebrate the season & make happy memories to share for generations to come. What are some of your traditions? I'd love if you shared!! TTYL❤️

"Ghouls" Weekend October 2013

Six girls ,4 dogs, 2 cars, road tripping .... Wait this sounds like a setup for a bad joke!!! But, alas this was our "Ghouls Weekend" pilgrimage to Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights 2013! We loaded up our cars and caravan'd (real word???) up Floridas Turnpike ... destination Orlando!! After dinner stops, pumpkin coffee stops, potty breaks, etc. We finally arrived & found our (very well equipped) V.I.P. Pet Suites awaiting our arrival!! We decided to settle in our rooms and end our evening with some quality girl time (think gossip & giggles a plenty!!) a few night caps and full anticipation of our awaiting weekend endeavors.The next morning half of our group- Bonnie, Kristy, & Ana decided on an early breakfast at one of the fab restaurants our hotel offered, and the others, Brittany, Whisper, & myself opted to stay in our cozy beds to catch some extra Zzzz's. After the early birds took a dip in the pool & spa they decided it was high time to wake the sleepyheads!! After more girl talk (gossip,lol) we sleepyheads headed out for a fabulous brunch. Returning to our hotel more than satisfied (so full we felt like stuffed Turkeys!!) all members of our group made plans to enjoy our day away before regrouping for our evening. Brittany & Whisper opted for a fun after noon of sleuthing at the CSI Experience where you have to find clues to solve a crime ( they LOVED it!!) and afterward a tour of history at the Titanic Experience!! Bonnie, Kristy, & Ana ventured out and about International Drive for some shopping & browsing time. Me? You ask? As for myself I opted for a truly relaxing afternoon of watching my beloved Florida Gators play LSU (it was a great game, but my Gators were not the victors... This time ;-D) and lounging with my precious four legged babies❤️ Upon regrouping the festivities could now officially commence!! Makeup, cocktails,outfits, cocktails, accessories, cocktails.. LOL!!! When we were all ready it was... Wait.. Photoshoot time!!! :-)

Next stop... Halloween Horror Nights!!!!

After surviving The Walking Dead, Cabin in the Woods, Resident Evil , being chased by chainsaw wielding maniacs and much much more!!! We finally drug our weary souls back to our oh so inviting hotel suites!!! Honestly by the time we were leaving the park it was hard to tell the guests from the zombies!!! It never felt so good to crawl in the covers!!! At 4 a.m. Let's face it, it would have felt ok to lay down on rocks!!! LOL! A fabulous time was had by all us "ghouls" and we're already talking about our next Girls Weekend!!!

(My "Piggy's" precious face about sums up all of us girls)

 

How fab was your weekend? TTYL❤️

California Dreamin' on such a , um, ... Autumn Day?!?!

We totes LOVE Cali❤️ We got the chance to visit Disneyland,

Govt. Open? Just kidding its Disney ;-)

California Adventure,

Universal Studios,

LA, Hollywood, Burbank,

& Venice Beach!

PHEW!!! It was kinda whirlwind but soooooo.... Fun!! I hope you had a fantabulous week too!!! TTYL❤️

"Fall"ing in <3

If you know me or follow me on FB, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. then you know that Fall is my absolute fav time of year!!! Pumpkins, apples, falling leaves, cider, harvest candles and more!! What is not to like?!?!

Not to mention, one of my fav holidays... HALLOWEEN!!! 

We decided to jump start our Fall seasonal activities with an impromptu weekend jaunt to Orlando. We checked into one of our fav "home away from home" places, Hilton at Downtown Disney! ( all the perks-Transportation, extra magic hours, etc. of a Disney hotel and all the luxuries associated with Hilton including a 24hr Starbucks!!) 

After checking in, my Honey & I decided to hit the Epcot Food and Wine Festival!! Brittany & Connor opted to Park hop between Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios (for Fantasmic 'natch), and Epcot to round out their evening :0)

(This is an example of texts Daddy & I receive! :0) ~ Brit & Connor are going to "kill" me for sharing this pic!! Lol!!!) 

The Food & Wine Festival never disappoints!!

After partaking of delectable cuisine & spirits from all over the world we met up with the kiddos and headed back to the hotel to rest up for Universal Studios!! We had fabulous weather & enjoyed all the attractions and stole a peek at some of the "scare zones" from Halloween Horror Nights- (Universal's Annual Halloween event Brittany & I will be attending with "our crew" for Girls Weekend in about a week) 

        Think AMC's Walking Dead!!!

After having a ball at Universal we "costumed" up and headed to the one, the only, Mickeys "Not so Scary" Halloween Party!!! 

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern in the Paul Revere Room, rode the rides, watched a special "not so scary" parade (phenomenal!!) saw a spectacular "Hallo-wishes" firework extravaganza and of course Trick or Treated until bags were full and tootsies were sore!!! Lol!! Now we are home & trying to rest up for flying out Thurs. to do it all again... This time West Coast style!! California here we come!! TTYL <3