I'm 'Fallin' for...

Hey folks; it's been awhile...way too long for sure. I would like to say that I have been busy but honestly it was more laziness than anything. Sorry! Especially to Bonnie and Carolyn; I know you have been very patient waiting for another post.

Anyway, it is almost that time of year when the leaves change, the air is cool and crisp and weekends are filled with football. Oh what, you don't spend every weekend tied to some football game whether it is High School, College or Pro. LUCKY! :)

Well it's also that time of year, my favorite time, where I can pull out the pumpkins, the leaves and the wonderful recipes for baked goods. This year I am crushing on a few items and I would like to share them with you all.

Starbucks! Oh I love thee for the Caramel Apple Spice and the Spiced Pumpkin Latte's. MMMmmmm!

I am totally head over heels for some goodies at Bath and Body Works. Have you smelled their 'Creamy Pumpkin' or 'Leaves' wallflowers and candles. Hello! They are the bomb!

I know that these have been around for awhile and I am probably the last person on earth to find them totally awesome but pillows made out of old sweaters. OMG! Like this one from Pottery Barn...

but with a price tag of $39.00 why not try the next item. Same looking pillow for tons less!

someone's etsy shop-only $7.00; total score! click here 

Fall also means I get to make warm, cozy meals and treats like these. I can't wait!

~Pumpkin Cupcakes

~Eight Layer Casserole

~Slow Cooker Chicken Chili 

And my Southwestern Meatloaf; which I will share with you all very soon.

So are you ready for Fall and have you already brought out your bins of decor for the season? Or are you gripping on to the very last of Summer in hopes it won't vanish without a farwell hug? I plan on pulling out some of my seasonal decor tomorrow morning and hopefully {fingers crossed} I will have time this weekend to make a craft or two.

Cookie Jar Love

I am an absolute lover of all things cooking and baking but during the summer months I spend as less time in the kitchen as I possibly can. I become a bit lazy, both in the physical sense and in the creative sense. I don't spend as much time trying new recipes or complicated ones at that but more throwing together very generic dinners together. You know, like salads or sandwiches or even busting out a can of stew. Oh yah...don't judge..I totally did it this week.

So The Hubs has been dropping hints about cookies or something chocolate or sweet. My sweet wants his sweets! Who can blame him but in all honesty I would rather do anything else then turn on the oven. Which leads me to my next point...you don't have to turn on the oven to have a great treat.

No bake cookies, ya'll! It didn't even occur to me until The Hubs, who is not a baker, mentioned it. Duh! Why in the heck didn't I think of that.

Chocolate Oatmeal No Bakes

~1/2 C butter
~2 C sugar
~ 1/2 C milk
~4 Tbsp of cocoa 
~1/2 C peanut butter
~4 C quick rolled oats (Instant Quaker type)
~2 tsp of vanilla 

Add the butter, sugar, milk and cocoa in a pan and bring to a rolling boil.

Remove pan from the heat. I then put the peanut butter into the chocolate mix, just to melt it slightly. And you can do all of these next steps in the same pan by adding the next three ingredients into the sauce pan but I prefer to use a big mixing bowl. Pour the choc/pb mix into your bowl with the oats and add the vanilla.

Then drop, by spoonfuls onto wax paper, your cookies.

I then put them in the fridge to set up. Then they are ready for your enjoyment.

Mmmmm...mmmmm....chocolatey goodness! Be sure to pair it with a big glass of milk-can't go wrong here!

Oregon Coast-Last Phase

I know that I took over 200 pictures and I know that I would absolutely love to talk to you all day about the wonderful vacation but I need to get back to creating, painting, sanding etc so this will be the last post about our vacation...at least for awhile. I'm not making definite promises that I won't from time to time pull out a couple pics. :)

So we attempted to go crabbin' one day but all we caught were starfish...

I highly recommend getting a tide schedule, if there is such a thing, if you are going crabbin'. One of our pots got stuck under the pier and we had to venture back out around 10pm to try to free it. Luckily though when we got there a nice man had wrestled with it for 45 minutes and it was just laying on the dock, empty but laying on the dock nonetheless, waiting for its rightful owner.

Everywhere you look there is an amazing amount of plant life; everything is green and overflowing. I didn't snap any photos but the hydrangeas grow rampant here-I'm completely jealous! We walked through "tunnels" made of plants and trees...

There are flowers growing everywhere. They are all along side the highway, they are growing on hillsides, in between rock walls, up driveways to houses and it seems to be effortless and natural.

We went to Agate Beach but didn't find any agates. It was fun anyway just to be on the beach, taking in the salty air and listening to the waves crash against the shore. While we were there I snapped some photos of the houses on the beach; I was thinking to myself what a wonderful life it would be to live on the beach and absorb this beauty every day.

Look at the windows! GORG!

It then occured to me that while I may never be able to have a place on the beach I can certainly make a coastal oasis at home and no one is around to stop me or tell me that I can't. That is the beauty of having your own home, your own design and your own willpower-You can do anything you like! So if I am going to create a special "oceanic" place for me then I better get started creating my concept and figuring which space to take over. First a spot in our house...next, who knows maybe the world! :)