feelin a little fall

Between the cooler temps, a trip to hobby lobby, & the stockpile of long sleeve shirts and sweaters I bought recently, I'm definitely feelin like fall.  I haven't quite brought myself to put any fall decor out, but I can feel it will be soon.  Here are couple other things I've been obsessing over that are putting my in the mood for fall:

Seasonal Movies
Including my FAVORITE time of year AMC Fear Fest 

saw this on Facebook today!  This doesn't even need an explanation

Seasonal Beverages
Including Pumpkin Spice creamer, Octoberfest beer & Galena Cellars Octoberfest wine

officially already had a six pack of Sam Adams Octoberfest last weekend

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Seasonal  Comfort Food
Including this recipe currently in my crock pot

ps.  you can make a much healthier "cream of chicken"

2 tbsp butter/2 tbsp flour & 1 cup of milk (chicken bullion for flavor)=1 can

Seasonal Colors
Currently obsessed with this spray paint.  Everything in my house will be copper!

I took an ugly old tray with a goose on it & painted it, a Ball jar & the "R" which I got from Hobby Lobby for like $3, it's currently hanging in my kitchen.

Seasonal TV

They've been teasing both of these shows for the last two weeks now & they are two favorites  set to start this fall, SOA starts September & Walking Dead starts October!

Before we know it we'll be celebrating our two year anniversary (September 24th!) and picking out Halloween costumes!

Five on Friday

One. Aztec Print
Aztec print, it's seriously everywhere! I got a couple adorable tops from Apricot Lane with this great fall print & I noticed it's popping up everywhere!

one. two. three. four. five.

Two. O.P.I  Matte Nail Envy
Hands down just loving this stuff for strengthening my nails.  Between prenatal vitamins and this miracle-worker, my nails are super strong and thick now.  I used to bite my nails until college, & even still today, I can't help but pick at them.  Seriously, I keep a nail clipper like everywhere.  What I like most about matte finish is it's more natural looking & not shiny.  

Three. Our Best Bites
I just came across Our Best Bites on another blog that I follow Hello! Happiness.  Wow, what a gem. There are so many awesome recipes, many of them seem very easy & with ingredients that can be reused an not wasted after one use (like that Ricotta cheese that went bad in my fridge... YUCK).  Totally worth checking out.  I totally stalked their page all night Thursday night & I'm totally inspired by these two.  I absolutely love cooking & I'm always scouring the interweb for new recipes.  I'm really lucky that my husband literally like everything that I make.  It's nice to be able to cook anything I want & get a nice compliment about how great it is practically every day.  (Thanks Joe <3) 

seriously how good do these Saucy Hot Dogs look!?

Four.  Metallic Finish

I am super pumped for this 16x20 metallic finish print I had my wonderful friend Heather @ HK Photography order for me.  This is probably my #1 favorite photo of Joe and I (besides the hundreds of wedding photos we have & the countless other pics that HK has taken for us.)  One of my favorite things about it is that it's taken down at our property where we are planning to build in the near future.  This picture just doesn't do it justice, but I highly recommend the metallic finish, I also go my blog header photo in a 5x7 in the metallic finish & I think I'll end up getting it bigger one day.  

seriously this picture doesn't even come close to how beautiful it is in person

Five. FURminator

If any of you have pets, especially ones that shed A LOT like my pug Frank does, than this is the tool for you.  This thing has been so amazing.  The FURminator is made for both dogs & cats, long & short hair.  It's a little pricey (I paid $35 for mine for short haired, #20 dogs), but it is well worth the money.  The amount of hair this thing picks up is unreal.  There is even a vacuum attachment you can buy so when you brush, the hair gets sucked up into the vacuum.  Too bad Frankie literally bites the vacuum, I don't think he would be a big fan of that attachment.

I've totally been slacking on the blog, but we've had quite the lull lately, which we've totally been loving.  This last weekend we brought our pop up to the property & camped, this weekend we're planning to see a blues band at Starved Rock, looking forward to another quiet weekend. 

Five on Friday

One. Scarves

I bought some really great scarves this year at Charming Charlie, Kohls, & Target. Now that it’s not hotter than Hades outside, I’ve been able to sport them more often! From skulls, stripes, solids, & sparkles, there are tons of cute ones out there. I like to pair them with a tank top & shorts for a cute summer look, or just a plain black t-shirt, skinnies, & heels for a work look. I bought the pink skull scarf at target & BONUS, it was 50% off! They’re a great way to transition into a fall look too!

Two. Moscow Mules

If you follow me on Instagram (lenaridley) then you already know my obsession with these. These drinks are the PERFECT summer drink. Refreshing, bubbly, & cold. If they aren’t served in a copper cup, then they aren’t worth drinking. We actually had them on our ski trip back in February too, they’re really appropriate to drink any time of year. I’m hoping to get my hands on (or maybe ask for a Christmas present) a set of cups & possibly even a matching pitcher, ca-ching, ca-ching! Many places will actually hold your ID as a deposit until the cup safely returned to the bar.

Recipe for the perfect Moscow Mule:
Two parts Vodka (preferably Absolut)
One part lime juice
3 parts ginger beer

Three. The Place Beyond the Pines

Who doesn’t love Ryan Gosling & Bradley Cooper? How about having them together in the same movie?! Not only are their good looks plenty of reason to watch it, (even with Ryan Gosling looking destitute) but the story was amazing & the acting was awesome. I love seeing Bradley Cooper do something serious. It was about 2 ½ hours long, but totally worth it. I don’t want to give too much away, but basically Ryan Gosling plays a criminal who robs banks to help with the cost of his baby & Bradley Cooper is a police office, their lives cross paths & what unfolds is pretty unbelievable. Great story, with a great ending. Watch it!

Four. Bike Trips

Really looking forward to a couple of trips we have planned on the bike. I would love if the weather would stay cool so I can layer up & leather up. Fall is the best time for riding. First we will be off to Minnesota on the 17th for a wedding. This wedding will be a ton of fun! We are planning to stop at New Glarus brewery on the way home which I’m really looking forward to. Second, Labor Day weekend we are planning to load up the bike with our camping gear and head to Poopy’s in Savanna for a couple days of tent camping & riding. We will probably visit Iron Horse where we renewed our vows last year for our one year anniversary, venture into Galena & Iowa for a while, & possible travel up into Wisconsin for a visit to New Diggins. Always love a good weekend bike trip.

Five. New Hair

My friend Jen is a FABULOUS hair stylist. Yesterday I got my hair done & I’m super pumped about the results. Lovin the copper, rose gold, & blonde. I’ve totally been reconsidering going quite a bit darker again once the fall rolls around. It’s been a few a couple months since I’ve done any drastic dark in my hair. Last summer I did a level 5 violet underneath along with some peekaboo highlights around my face. Thinking of maybe going back to that again for the fall!

not the best pic, but i absolutely LOVE the colors! yay for fall!

Happy weekend everyone!