I read an article once saying that your sense of smell is the strongest maker of memories and if you think about it, that’s probably why the food you ate as a kid has a nice comforting effect when you smell it now as an adult. It doesn’t go away once you reach adulthood though, so if you’re looking to make some new memories this year, you’ll want to check out this Pot-pourri recipe I tried that will guarantee to get your whole house smelling like fall.
HALLOWEEN IS TOMORROW!!! I’m sure by now you’ve got your costume all picked out and have in mind what you’re going to be doing whether that’s going to a party, trick-or-treating with your kids, or hiding out at home handing out candy and watching something scary ( my personal favorite choice). No matter what you’re up to, an easy way to celebrate this fun holiday is to do your nails.
I don’t have children to impress, so I prefer a more elegant nail that celebrates the season. I personally do that by using colors that are a bit more toned down, and designs that are a bit more sophisticated. This look is something that can be worn to the office, as well as to any event you have going on tomorrow and it’s fairly simple for anyone to recreate!
If we were sitting around a campfire, I’d tell you the story of Stingy Jack, a man who tricked the devil and thus couldn’t be allowed into Hell when he died and was too bad for Heaven. Because of that, he was forced to roam the earth for all eternity with only glowing coal to light his way…He became known as Jack of the Lantern….which leads me to the topic of this post! Jack-O-Lanterns!!!! To decorate a pumpkin is a long-standing Halloween tradition and with the magic of social media, there are tons of fantastic ideas floating around to get you inspired. The following are my top favorites!
Haunted Paintings are a fixture in any haunted home. You know the ones, lightning flashes and the beautiful bride painting turns into an evil hag or the painting of some creepy victorian man whose eyes follow you around the room. But did you know that there are actual haunted paintings?
When I’m not writing, I’m painting. In fact, I’ve actually just finished a give-away contest for a print of one of my paintings “The Master of Halloween Ceremonies”, so it shouldn’t surprise you that I really enjoy reading about Haunted Paintings. For this post, I’m going to introduce you to my favorite top 5 horrifying haunted paintings!
When October hits there is no denying it. There’s a chill in the air, everything is pumpkin spice, the leaves are changing colors and everyone is gearing up for HALLOWEEN!!! So for this post, I wanted to showcase some things I love to have and do during this amazing season. If you’re needing a jumpstart to get into the Autumn spirit, I hope these inspire you as they have me.
Today is my BIRTHDAY!!!!! I’m turning the big 35 and I wanted to do a knockout kind of cake that embodies everything I love. When I found this recipe I knew I had to make it. It has a delicious coconut sponge cake that is soaked in Kahlua and wrapped in a French Frosting made with a coffee extract and semi-sweet chocolate chips. It has everything I love, tropical coconuts, Kahlua, and chocolate. What can go wrong!
This is cake is not the easiest to make, but if I can do it, you can too. Just try to see the whole cake in segments. You can totally make the sponge, that’s easy. The frosting is a bit more difficult and also “sets” in the fridge, so that has to be done after the sponge, and the ganache is a classic element that isn’t too difficult to make. So my perspective is that you have two easy things coupled with one difficult thing and with a little finesse this is definitely do-able. So let’s take a deep breath and get started!
This has been an amazing quarter for me, my home and my blog. I have to admit in the past I’ve really dreaded writing these things because I’ve had either minimal positivity to write about, or there had been really no improvement. This is the first time I think I can really tell you that ALL of my goal areas are doing well and I can’t wait to give you the update!
These brownies come with a warning! These are Espresso Brownies and they contain a lot of caffeine and for someone like myself that is caffeine sensitive, it can have pretty intense feelings with it like increased anxiety, jitters, heart palpitations, and other symptoms. But if you have a late-night studying, or at the office, then this is the brownie for you! It’s chocolate packed and the bittersweet glaze balances the sweetness of the brownie.
I found this delicious recipe on the Better Homes and Gardens website (so you know it has to be good).
I always feel bad throwing out leftover cooked rice that as gotten hard. You know the type. Maybe you ordered take out and while leftovers for the next day seem fine, the rice is hard as a rock and no matter how much you microwave it, it never comes back to what it once was? This recipe uses that to make something absolutely delicious and once you prep everything it’s super easy to assemble. It easily serves four people and at 394 calories for a big bowl, this is a winning recipe for me.
I also used a little metal sakura flower cut out to make the bigger pieces of carrot look cute. This is a nice trick to try if you have little ones who are prone to not wanting to eat their veggies.
I found this recipe on Gimme Some Oven if you want to view the original recipe, and this post also contains affiliate links which means that if you click on one and purchase something, I get a small commission. Thank you! 😀 Read more
NOT going to college was NOT an option for me in my home. I remember that my sisters and I were not allowed to pick the “Skip College and Go to Career” option when playing The Game of Life.
I think it’s absolutely wrong that most 18-year-olds are pressured with picking something they want to major in and do for the rest of their lives. Most people would not force their 18-year-old to marry in America. We’d tell them they’re too young, but when it comes to picking a career choice somehow it’s completely acceptable to think that a child understands enough about themselves to pick a career they’re going to want to wake up to every day.
Growing up I was really sheltered, REALLY REALLY SHELTERED. I was homeschooled, I didn’t have really any neighborhood friends (because I started getting picked on as to why I wasn’t allowed to go to a public school), and my only other form of social interaction with the outside world was my church….which isn’t the best example of what real life is like *thank God*. Being the oldest in my family, I didn’t have many years of play and was given a lot of responsibility. I helped my mother with her home daycare, I often was expected to teach myself in home school, I was asked to help my sisters, I was expected to do chores beyond what was normal because chores often tied in with the daycare. It was a lot for a kid. I didn’t have time to play really. I knew I liked art and writing, but beyond that, there wasn’t much exploration of my life unless it could be done in the confines of my home.
As graduation approached the pressure to chose a career was heavy and it caused me a lot of stress. I wanted to take a year off to just get my bearings, but my parents weren’t going to have anything of it. I was able to get into a University (with a scholarship), but I still had no idea what I wanted to major in *because I hadn’t gotten to understand what I even wanted in life*. My mother wanted me to be a doctor, but the truth is, I know for a fact that wouldn’t have made me happy. The pressure I felt between the desire to find something I loved and could live with as my major coupled with my parents pressuring me to be a doctor lead to some severe depression. I stopped going to class and eventually dropped out with the promise that I would eventually go back….12 years later that hasn’t happened.
I recently thought of going back to get a degree in psychology, only to find myself crying in my therapists office saying things like “This isn’t coming from a place of ‘I want a degree for me’ but rather to insulate myself from all the negative life things that may or may not happen in my life if I DON’T get a degree!”.
So what is my first piece of advice: