September Budget

Target

1. Ona flats in cognac- $16.99 ($0 with birthday money)

2. navy popover- $19.99 ($0 with gift card)

3. black and cream striped dress- $22.99 ($0 with gift card)

JustFab

4. Marika boots in chestnut- $59 retail, $19.95 JustFab price (as my first purchase)

Old Navy

5. scarf (maroon option)- $12.94 ($8 on website right now but they don't have maroon!) ($1.88 with gift card)

6. plaid flannel shirt- $26.94 ($0 with gift card)

7. crew neck cardi- $24.94 ($0 with gift card)

$144.74 before gift cards, $21.83 actually spent

This month was a weird month. On the one hand, I bought more things at full price than I ever do. But I went into the month knowing that I needed to beef up my fall wardrobe, and once I found what I was looking for, I was afraid that my size would sell out. On the other hand, it was my birthday month so I had a lot of money and gift cards to spend, so paying full price didn't hurt as much, I suppose. Overall, I was really successful at finding things on my fall wish list.

Fall Wish List

cognac flats

comfy fall shirt

fall dress

cognac boots

fall scarf

second plaid flannel shirt

colored cardigan

neutral cardigan
maroon/fall colored pants

brown leather (or fake leather) jacket

Next month should go back to normal (have to spend my own money again, after all), but we'll see. J will be gone for a few weeks for a work-related thing, and E will be with her dad for part of October (yay, her dad gets back soon!), so I'll have a lot of time on my hands. I have a lot of projects planned to keep me busy, but I'll admit, shopping is going to happen. 

Linking up with Franish for Budgeting Bloggers!

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Banana Pumpkin Bread Muffins with Cranberries

E loves to help me. She loves to help clean, do dishes, do laundry, and cook. It's awesome, and I hope it stays that way, but sometimes it's hard to find ways for her to actually help. When it comes to cooking/baking, she is now my official stir-er. I measure the ingredients, she dumps them in and whisks them together. It's a pretty great system, and I hope it instills in her a love for cooking. I didn't learn much growing up, and am mostly self-taught. Knowing that she will at least have a foundation for cooking and baking for herself, and an appreciation of food and ingredients, makes me all kinds of warm and fuzzy inside (I think it's a mom thing). Bonus: when she's old enough, it'll be a great way to teach her fractions! I love my little sous chef.

Yesterday, she and I made these muffins. The original recipe is for a loaf of bread, but muffins are just so much easier to grab in the morning, instead of having to slice off a piece. I have one muffin tin, and one cupcake tin, and the batter was enough to fill both.

Ingredients

2 ripe bananas, mashed

2 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 1/3 cups canned pumpkin puree

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 cup craisins (other options: raisins or chocolate chips)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare your muffin pans (I used cupcake liners for the cupcake tin, and baking spray on the muffin tin).

2. In a large bowl, stir together the mashed banana, eggs, oil, pumpkin, honey, sugar, and brown sugar. (Fun fact: after she mashed the bananas, E informed me that they weren't bananas any more, they were soup.)

3. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pie spice and cinnamon in a medium bowl, and whisk together. 

4. Whisk the flour mixture into the banana mixture until just combined. Fold in the craisins. Spoon batter into prepared pans.

how full I filled my tins, for reference

5. Bake for 25 minutes for cupcake-sized muffins, and 35 minutes for muffin-sized muffins (ha), or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Move pans to cooling racks for about 10 minutes, then remove muffins from pans and complete cooling. 

mini-muffins

regular muffins

These are really moist, flavorful, and perfect for breakfast as they are not too sweet. Plus I hear bananas and pumpkin are good for energy! 

PS: I am creating a new label for the recipes E helps me with called "little helper recipes" so that, if anyone is interested, you can find recipes that are easy to do with your preschooler. I hope you find it helpful!

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Stay-At-Home Mom Style: Farmer/Picnic Chic

scarf, shirt, jeans/ Old Navy | boots/ JustFab

I don't think this outfit could be any more "me" even if I tried. If you were to ask me what the epitome of my style was, I'd point you to this outfit. Do you know what I mean? A look that is just so "you" that you can hardly stand it? I know I look a little bit like a farmer wearing a picnic blanket, but I assure you that does not make me love this outfit any less.

Anyway, a couple weeks ago I won a gift card from Bri (!!!), and this shirt and scarf are two of the three things I got with it (I'm saving the last piece for another day). Since seeing just how versatile my first plaid flannel shirt was, I wanted to get another one. I've also been needing a fall scarf, and while I still may get a leopard print one, I think the color of this one is fantastic. 

Also, these boots are my new cognac pair, because I realized that my dark brown pair just wouldn't go with every outfit like these lighter colored ones will. Three things, checked off my fall wish list, all in one outfit! Woo!

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September 26th Is Mesothelioma Awareness Day

As you know, my husband and many of my friends are military or past-military. Whenever information is brought to my attention that I feel is important to the military community, I always pass it along. When Emily Walsh (the Community Outreach Director for the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance) shared this information about mesothelioma, and how it affects veterans, I knew I had to share it. Please read, and pass this along to anyone you think could benefit!

Mesothelioma -- a long word you may have heard on a commercial or two, but do you know what it means? This rare and deadly cancer is sadly lacking awareness. In honor of Mesothelioma Awareness Day this September 26, read on for the top 8 things you don’t know about this cancer, but should. Then share them. The key to saving lives starts with education.

1. Mesothelioma is caused by asbestos exposure. Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that is invisible to the naked eye. Once inhaled, these fibers may infect the protective lining of the lungs, abdominal cavity, or cardiac cavity.

2. No amount of exposure is safe. Just exposing yourself once could put you at risk for developing the disease later on in life. If you were exposed today, you may not be aware until 2043, as the average latency period is about 30 – 40 years.

3. Asbestos was once used in more than 3,000 consumer products. These include household items, some of which may still be in use. Some of these even include hair dryers, crock pots, and cigarette filters.

4. It can be found in many older homes, schools, factories, and commercial buildings. Homes built prior to the 1970’s, along with a myriad of public buildings still could potentially contain asbestos because of the materials used in the original construction.

5. Asbestos exposure is still the LEADING CAUSE of occupational cancer in the US. Even after 30 years since the United States government issued stern warnings about the continued use of asbestos, many workers who were once exposed are now at risk of developing the disease.

6. United States Veterans are at the greatest risk. For many years, asbestos was used across all branches of the military. Many veterans and shipyard workers were exposed to high levels of asbestos from several different applications. US Navy veterans who served during World War II and the Korean Conflict unfortunately have the highest incidences of asbestos related disease, including mesothelioma.

7. Asbestos is still not banned in the US. Federal law requires the newly manufactured products contain no more than 1% asbestos. Although its use is regulated, roughly 30 million pounds are still being used each year.

8. Mesothelioma can be caused by secondary exposure. Family members of those who were directly affected by on-the-job asbestos exposure may also at risk of developing mesothelioma.

Want to do something to help this Mesothelioma Awareness Day? Our friend and 7 year survivor, Heather Von St. James, needs your help. Check out her campaign and share her message to help educate and save lives. Be a voice for the victims.

Pumpkin No-Bake Cookies

My husband's favorite cookies are no-bakes. Which, I'm not even sure how to process that, as I consider myself to be a bake-er (not to be confused with a professional baker--one day!), and he's like "hey, can you not-bake me some cookies?" Sure, baby, whatever you want.

So when I came across this recipe for pumpkin no-bakes, I knew I wanted to make them for him (and for me, let's be honest here). And they ended up being a delicious treat and a nice surprise for him to come home to. Serious wife points here. :)

Ingredients (makes 1 dozen small cookies)

3/4 cup quick oats
1/2 cup oat flour (make your own by blending oats in a food processor until they become powder. I needed about 3/4 cup oats to make 1/2 cup oat flour.)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/3 cup canned pumpkin
2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons milk, as needed
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir.

2. In a small bowl, combine all liquid ingredients (including pumpkin). Whisk to combine.

3. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until well incorporated.

4. Let the mixture set up in the fridge for about half an hour (this makes them easier to work with), then form into balls and allow to set on a cookie sheet fixed with parchment paper.

Easy peasy, delicious, and fall-y? Yes please!

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Book Review: 13 1/2

I'll start by saying that this book took me three days to read, so that's a good sign. I think it qualifies as one of those "beach reads," you know, a thrilling page-turner that doesn't take a whole lot of mental effort to get through. Although I did think about it a whole lot, because my major in college was criminal justice, so crime--and why people commit it-- has always been interesting to me.

I can't write a better synopsis of the book (without giving anything away) than what is given on the Amazon page for it, so you can read that here.

I think what made this book so interesting for me is the fictional look into the face of evil, but all the murders described in the book might as well be real in the world in which we live.There is a quote that comes to mind here:

"Fact is stranger than fiction. Fiction is truer than fact."

The downsides of this book: there is a "surprise" twist ending that, somewhere around the middle of the book, I was able to figure out (and I'm usually not very good at figuring out the twist), so at one point I was just reading to see if I was right. The characters themselves are not very interesting and are hard to root for. There are some gaps in knowledge about the lives of the main characters and how they got where they are that might have helped with that, if we'd been told by the author.

Overall, I recommend this book if you're looking for something quick and easy for a beach read or to pass time on a flight or something,  but not if you're looking for an amazingly well-written piece of literature.

I give it 3/5 stars.

(This was my August book, btw. I'm almost caught up! In between my last book I reviewed and this one, I also read Water for Elephants, but didn't bother to review it because most people I know have already read it and I'm just late to the game per usual.)

Butternut Squashed

Once every few weeks, a friend of ours will come over and we'll all prepare this big meal together. Last night was one of those nights. The menu for the evening was butternut squash soup, roasted chicken, roasted artichokes, pumpkin risotto and an apple raspberry crisp for dessert. 

Today I was planning on sharing the butternut squash soup recipe with you, but with all the craziness that was going on, we sort of forgot one key ingredient while preparing the soup: the butternut squash. We had boiled all of the other veggies until they were soft, but we had to add the butternut squash in raw, so the texture of the soup ended up more fiber-y than creamy as intended. So once I actually get that right, I'll share it. I was a little intimidated by the prospect of having to cube the squash, but I used this tutorial and it ended up being pretty easy! Just watch your fingers. 

I also plan on sharing the pumpkin risotto with you at some point. It was my first time ever making risotto and it actually came out pretty well, if I do say so myself.

The moral of the story is, I don't have a recipe for you today, but I should have some good ones coming soon! I hope you all are enjoying your weekend!

Stay-At-Home Mom Style: Dressed Up Tee

scarf, dress, belt, flats/ Target | tee/ Gap

You get two style posts in a row because today I'm linking up with Bri at Work Clothes, I Suppose for her Third Thursday Threads: Dressed Up Tees!

I guess you could say that tee shirts and I have an interesting past. All through high school and college, I was a jeans and tee kind of gal. So a plain tee made no sense to me. It was graphic tees all the way. Once I became a mom, I decided I should outgrow that phase and started wearing nicer shirts and blouses, and (mostly) left tee shirts behind entirely. But I still didn't see how a plain tee could benefit my wardrobe. 

Until very recently. Since starting this blog, I found myself thinking occasionally that I could totally put together a certain outfit, if only I had a plain tee. I finally made the plunge in August and bought one black and one white, and have worn them frequently since then.

When Bri announced this month's theme, I knew I wanted to put together a date night outfit (the only time I really get "dressed up" any more). I had a vision of this black tee with my new striped dress, but the v neck of the tee and the boat neck of the dress created an... interesting neckline situation. To remedy that, I simply threw on a scarf to camouflage it and voila! A new date night outfit that I will keep in mind for the next time J and I are able to go out (which in all likelihood will be sometime in November, so I may have to add tights). I really like how this ended up coming together, and look forward to wearing it some time.

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Stay-At-Home Mom Style: Birthday Suit

necklace/ laurenelainemoore | sweater and boots/ Kohl's | wrap/ thrifted | jeans/ Old Navy

This post title would be funnier if I were actually wearing a suit, but I still got a little chuckle out of it, and it's my birthday, so that's what counts. Right? Right. 

We're going out to dinner tonight as a family for a little birthday celebration, and this is what I plan on wearing. It's simple, comfy, and cute enough for a dinner out. 

These boots are actually my birthday present to myself from last year. It's funny, when shopping for boots last season, I turned my nose up at all the lighter brown boots in favor of a darker chocolate color. But this year, I really think a lighter/cognac brown would better suit my wardrobe. I don't know if my taste has changed, or I've just gotten better at recognizing what works with my closet, though it's probably a little bit of both. Right now I have a pair of cognac boots on their way to me. They should be here next week, and as long as they fit (this and shipping fees are the reasons I don't do much online shopping), I can't wait to start wearing them. I think this outfit would be even better with them. Until then, chocolate boots will have to do. 

Chocolate boots, and chocolate cake. Yummm. (The cake, not the boots.)

PS: Happy birthday to the Air Force!

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Chicken & Pumpkin Cream Sauce Pasta

When I run out of actual planned meals for the week, but haven't made it back to the store yet, I like to play a version of Chopped with myself. I find a protein and a starch or grain and see what I can whip up with them. This week, I was left with a pound of chicken breast and some whole grain pasta. I also still have a ton of pumpkin left, and thought maybe I could incorporate it into a chicken pasta dish. So I scoured Pinterest for "chicken pumpkin pasta" and came across this pin of this recipe.

I glanced at the ingredients and figured I would have everything I needed. As it turned out, I didn't have any chicken broth or heavy whipping cream. But I was able to find substitutes for both of them, so I forged ahead. And then I realized I didn't have any sage, so I looked up spices that typically accompany sage and used the ones I had from that list instead. The recipe you see here is a result of all those substitutions, a sort of Frankenstein's monster of mish-mashed ingredients that I figured would be "good enough."

Don't worry, unlike Frankenstein, this story has a happy ending.

Ingredients

8 oz whole grain linguine 

2 Tbsp butter

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch strips

2 cloves pressed or chopped garlic

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1/2 cup water + 1/2 Tbsp olive oil mixed (sub for 1/2 cup chicken broth)

1/2 cup milk + 1/4 cup melted butter mixed ( sub for 3/4 cup whipping cream)

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions: 

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and keep warm.

2. While pasta is cooking, melt butter in 12-inch skillet until it sizzles, then add the chicken and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through (8 to 10 minutes). Add chicken and garlic to pasta.

3. Combine the pumpkin puree, chicken broth (or substitute), whipping cream (or substitute), herbs, spices and salt in medium bowl. 

4. Pour over pasta mixture and stir to coat. Heat everything up over medium heat until heated through (3 to 5 minutes).

The end result was actually pretty good! My husband said it was "surprisingly good" (a glowing recommendation if ever I've heard one). It was pretty devoid of color, though. If I were to make it again, I might try it the way it was originally intended. But without having the original version to compare this one to, I think this was a pretty good substitute.

This has been another installment of The Pintester Movement, where I pick a pin and just go for it, win or lose. I'm counting this one as a mostly-win, since all of the substitutions didn't render the dish inedible!

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The Man Behind the Blog

the only picture I ended up taking on date night... oops

This past weekend, J and I had a date night to celebrate our collective birthdays (his being this past Saturday, mine being Wednesday) and take advantage of the opportunity to have a date night, period. It's been at least four months since the last time we were able to go out, so we greatly enjoyed the few hours to ourselves. We ate a delicious dinner, then went to a movie ("The World's End"-- highly recommended if you liked "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz").

I don't think I've properly introduced you guys to J yet. He is my husband, my best friend, my soul mate, my number one fan and biggest supporter. He listens to me ramble about the blog and blogging in general, is willing to take my photos when need be, and supports my dream of opening a bakery one day. I'm proud of the service he has given to his country, and also grateful for everything he has done for this family. I don't know what I'd do without him. He is the yin to my yang, and is the only one who can help me see reason when I go a little, hmm... crazy. And he puts up with me. That's a full time job. He's my hero. 

I'm glad you had a happy birthday, baby, and look forward to celebrating many, many more together. I love you.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Today is J's birthday (happy birthday, baby!), so I wanted to have E help me make something special for him. Since she's a pro at making cookies, I decided on pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. I found this recipe, and halved it. And it wasn't until I'd already started throwing ingredients together that I discovered that I was out of eggs, so I used the old banana substitute (1 banana = 1 egg). This ended up working out in my favor, since it's easier to halve a banana than it is an egg. 

I'm writing this up exactly as I made it, but if you want to make more, you can use the original recipe's measurements, and if you actually have eggs and you want to use them, well you just go right on ahead. I will say, however, that it was kind of nice not having to worry about there being raw eggs in the dough, because E and I are both bowl-lickers. ;)

Ingredients (I ended up with 20 cookies)

 1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 banana, smashed

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp milk

1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Combine pumpkin, sugar, oil, and banana in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. 

2. Dissolve baking soda in milk, and stir into flour mixture. Then add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and stir until well combined.

3. Add vanilla and chocolate chips, stir until incorporated.

4. Spoon dough out onto baking sheet fixed with parchment paper (or sprayed with baking spray). Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm. 

I'm not even mad about the banana being in there, because while you can taste it a little bit, the flavor goes really well with the pumpkin and cinnamon and chocolate. It fits right in. And it didn't seem to affect the texture of the finished product at all, either. These are just as gooey and soft as you'd expect a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie to be. And J gives them a big thumbs up, which is really the important part because they're his birthday treat. :) 

To further celebrate his birthday (and mine, since it's next week), we are going on a date tonight-- for the first time in months. I'm super excited, and I'll be back Monday with pictures! In the meantime, I hope you all are having a lovely weekend!

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Stay-At-Home Mom Style: Blue

popover and flats/ Target | pants/ Post Exchange | necklace/ Caroline G.

I titled this post "blue" for a couple of reasons. 1) I'm wearing a lot of blue today. 2) Yesterday I was suffering from a random bout of ennui, and did literally nothing on my to-do list. Including but not limited to: working out, running errands, making dinner, and of course blogging. I'm sorry that I missed a post (for the first time since I started!), but I'll make it up to you by posting a recipe tomorrow, so make sure you check back for that!

On to the outfit: I really like that it's simple, but the blue pants keep it interesting. (I feel like I always say that about my blue pants.) I'm in the market for a maroon pair, so if anyone knows of any good brands for ladies with wide hips and thighs, but a narrow waist, that don't show panty lines, let me know! Also, this popover is another purchase with this month's budget. I love it so much. It's comfy and soft, and loose without being shapeless. I keep reaching for it because of closet amnesia, of course, but also because it's seriously that comfy and a perfect fall piece, in my opinion. And I think it would go perfectly with maroon pants, too! Remind me to get a new coral necklace while I'm at it, because I'm always reaching for this one (coral goes with everything!).

Happy Friday the 13th, errbody!

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Stay-At-Home Mom Style: The Things You Learn

dress and flats/ Target | belt/ Nine West via Ross | necklace/ Caroline G.

This is the outfit I wore to E's birthday party this past Saturday. After seeing how versatile my blue and white striped dress could be, I started hunting for another jersey knit dress that was just as flattering, but in a more neutral color palette. This dress is made of a bit thicker material than the other one, making it perfect for the fall/winter months, but still super comfy. I had no trouble at all running around at the birthday party chasing little ones and making sure everyone had cake.

This dress also made me realize something. As I was trying it on in the dressing room, there was something about it that I just didn't quite like. It turned out to be the fabric belt that came with it. The way it hit me across the waist was not flattering for my shape, plus it was thin and just sort of blended into the rest of the dress (being made of the same material and all). It just was not a good look for my body type. Exhibit A:

This is probably a little sad, but before I started following style blogs, it never occurred to me that I didn't have to just take things as they came off the rack. That there might be some small change I could make that could turn it into exactly the garment I was looking for. (My military vest is a perfect example of me finally learning this lesson.) If I had found this dress before I started reading style blogs, there would be two possible scenarios. 1) I would simply not buy the dress. 2) More likely, I'd go ahead and buy it because it was almost what I wanted, then I would end up not wearing it much because I felt uncomfortable in it.

Thankfully, I knew just what to do to make it more flattering on my body: add a thicker belt at the optimal spot on my waist!

With that small change, I felt fantastic in this dress, and one of the guests even asked if I'd lost weight! Consider that lesson good and learned.

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Pumpkin Breakfast Smoothie Recipe

My pumpkin kick is still in full swing. I just love it so much, you guys. After posting a few of my favorite smoothie recipes awhile back, I've been working on coming up with some more, and I think we have a winner with this one. It's like pumpkin oatmeal, but in a glass, to go.

Ingredients

1 banana

2 heaping spoonfuls of pumpkin (or to taste)

1/2 cup quick oats

3/4 cup milk

1 spoonful brown sugar (or you can use honey)

1 tsp cinnamon (plus more for garnish, if desired)

Blend all ingredients. Garnish if desired. Enjoy!

Plus, did you guys know about all the health benefits of pumpkin? I sure didn't until I looked them up. As an orange veggie (like carrots and sweet potatoes), they help with eyesight. They are also rich in fiber but low in calories, so they aid in weight loss. They can even help keep your skin wrinkle-free and give your immune system a boost. (source) So maybe indulging in this pumpkin obsession is a good thing, after all!

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Week(end) Recap

Sorry for the (very) late and somewhat short n' sweet post tonight, but I'm sick and having lady problems (TMI? Sorry.) and I had to take my mom back to the airport today (she was in town for E's birthday party). 

So here are a few photos from this past weekend (and also a few from last week on E's birthday!):

On her birthday, E woke up to a treasure map on her table. We had hidden all of her birthday presents from us around the house, then marked them on the map for her to find. She may have found this even more fun than unwrapping presents (and this kid LOVES unwrapping presents). The map was made by J and a family friend (who requested that if I ever mention him on the blog that I refer to him as Mr. X). I think J and Mr. X had almost as much fun making the map as E did finding the presents. :)

Her face as J and I sang her the birthday song. Cuteness overload.

Her super hero pose!

At her party on Saturday, during the birthday song. She is such a ham!

My mom brought me a couple of my grandma's old cookbooks. One is a Habitat for Humanity recipe book, the other is a blank recipe journal for me to write my own recipes in! Excited to develop more recipes to write down in it, and someday share it with E!

Also, I want to thank you all so much for your encouraging words on last Thursday's post. You helped me realize that my style is actually exactly where I want it to be right now (but with room to grow!). You guys are the best. :) 

I'll be back tomorrow with another pumpkin recipe! (Yeah those aren't going anywhere any time soon, so sorry if you don't like pumpkin!)