Halloweeny Friday Favs

Happy Halloween! I can't believe it's already the last day of October, but I am more than ready to dive head first into the holiday season.

1. Picked up the necessities at Trader Joes.. you know cookie butter and wine. I also picked up a few more cute lil' pumpkins and some cinnamon sticks for some mulled wine this weekend.

2. It's always a happy mail day when my new Rocksbox arrives, loving my new pieces.

3. I was excited to win one of the raffles at last week's mixer at work, and have been enjoying free morning Starbucks runs. Nothing is better than starting the day off with a nice warm Chai Tea Latte or an Iced Skinny Vanilla Latte.. YUM!

4. As sore/exhausted as I am after a good Barre3 workout, you seriously can't beat the amazing feeling after leaving class and enjoying a well deserved glass of wine. Counter productive? I think not...

*Yes that's a little white paw ~ doggy photo bombs are always cute*

5. It's not officially Halloween until my annual pumpkin is carved while watching "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown". Started the project with Linus and the gang and finished up while watching the Saints game. Perfect Halloween-Eve.

Linking up today with Lauren for High Five on Friday, Rebecca for That Friday Blog Hop, and Amanda for Friday Favorites. Hop on over and join us! Happy Friday! 

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Easy DIY Fall Decor

Adding some DIY fall decor to the house made it feel more homey, and I loved how easy this mini-project was.

All you need is a bag of candy corn, a hurricane glass, and an unscented candle. I placed the candle in the empty hurricane glass and poured the candy corn in until about half full.

Can't wait to light it on Halloween admist the orange twinkle lights on the mantle. What are some of your favorite DIY fall decor projects?

DIY Home Decor

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Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

I fell in love with this recipe as soon as I saw that it goes in the crock pot and includes a lot of my favorite ingredients. Nothing is better than coming home after a long day at work to dinner being all ready and waiting for you in the crock pot.

Ingredients

Diced chicken breast
1 block of reduced fat cream cheese
1 can of reduced sodium black beans
1 can of no salt added corn (do not drain)
1 can of Rotel
1 packet of ranch seasoning mix
1 tsp. of chili powder
1 tsp. of onion powder

Directions

Combine all ingredients in the crock pot and heat on low. Serve over brown rice and refrigerate any leftovers.

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4. Be sure to visit other blogs and find new recipes! 

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Disney and Brunching Weekend

I love taking Fridays or Mondays off to extend the weekend, and Friday called for a day at Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios riding rides and some day drinking.

Started the day off at Animal Kingdom where I rode Dinosaur for the first time and took another ride on one of my favorite coasters: Expedition Everest. Afterwards it was time for an African Margarita (Sauza Gold tequila, Van der Hum Tangerine Liqueur from South Africa, sweet and sour, and lime juice) and some photo opps in front of the Tree of Life with Expedition Everest in the background.

Next it was time to move to Hollywood Studios....

First thing on the to-do list was to cash in our fast passes we had reserved ahead of time for Aerosmith's Rock 'n' Roller Coaster and the Tower of Terror. Then it was time for a margarita flight at the Hollywood Brown Derby and some amazing looking candied apples. I mean how adorable is that Olaf apple?!

Saturday called for some errands at Target where they were giving out free cafe lattes *yes please*, an online Barre3 work out, and some lounging by the pool.

*Sunkissed*

*Scored both of these tops for less than $15 at the ON sale*

Our new living room centerpiece is now assembled, and decorated for fall. I just need to figure out how to conceal some of the wires and the Halloween twinkle lights. Love how cozy this makes the room feel, and how we can have the flames going with or without the heat which will be great for parties so it won't get too stuffy.

Sunday morning I went to brunch with the girls and had an amazing omellette, blood orange mimosa, and drooled over the cakes on display. There was also a dog costume party in the park across from the restaurant and it was adorable seeing all the doggies out and about in their costumes. I even saw "Beethoven"... my first in life St. Bernard siting. Such a sweetie-pie and so soft.

And what late October weekend is complete without a trip to the pumpkin patch? So many to choose from and let's just say I have a lot of jack-o-lanterns to carve!

Joining Leeann and Kimberlee for Monday Morning Gossip 

and

Biana for Weekending

and

Lisa and Bella for Weekend Recap

Disney World

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Fridays are for Disney

Yesterday was my Friday (whoo hoo!) as I took today off to spend the day at Disney. I keep going to Epcot for the concerts at the Food & Wine Festival, but haven't gone to explore the other parks in a while so I figured Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios needed some love today and hopefully some Magic Kingdom love too if I have the energy.

1. The last work mixer of the year was last night, and now it's time to vote on who's was best *ahem the tailgate last month was amazing*. But last night's Halloween Circus theme was nothing short of awesome. So.much.fun.

*Excuse the grainy iPhone pics*

I enjoyed some adult root beer floats and cotton candy vodka drinks while playing carnival games and even going through a haunted house.


2. Loving all the free Barre3 classes lately, and also loving the merchandise. I kinda need this Florida Barre3 tee for class don't you think?

3. Most newer construction homes around here do not come with fireplaces which made me sad. It didn't even cross my mind as we were working with the builder on our home. So what does one do without a fireplace? Buy an electric one of course! Can't wait to decorate it for fall and then of course hang my Christmas stockings with care.

4. Can't wait to go on safari and catch the Indiana Jones show. Maybe even a walk through Cinderella Castle.

5. Loving my recent finds on Pinterest:

Linking up today with Lauren for High Five on Friday and Amanda for Friday Favorites. Hop on over and join us! Happy Friday! 

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Pumpkin Picking

I'm so excited to finally go pumpkin picking this weekend. I love the whole experience... the hayrides, the corn maze, and picking out the perfect pumpkins for  carving into jack-o-lanterns.

Pumpkin Picking by greenfashionistablog

It's still not that chilly yet here (in fact last year I wore a tank top and shorts to the corn maze and pumpkin patch... not complaining!) so no need to bundle up under sweaters and scarves just yet. The perfect pumpkin patch outfit for me is a graphic tee, jeans, boots, and a crossbody bag. 

What do like to wear for fall activities?

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Denim & Stripes

I love that even though it's been cooling off, I can still wear most of my favorite dresses but just throw a jacket on over it for chilly mornings. I wore this outfit out to breakfast at the Halloween spot last weekend, and it was the perfect combination of casual chic for weekend fun and errands.

Dress & Jacket - ON | Bag & Sandals - Tory Burch | Necklace - Kate Spade

This was the first outfit I posted to The Blogger Closet Instagram over the weekend, I wanted to start off with something cute and simple with some pops of color.

Kate Spade Old Navy Tory Burch

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

As much as I love seasonal festive recipes, I'm not a huge fan of things that are overly "pumpkin" this time of year. Which is probably why I prefer pumpkin cheesecake over pumpkin pie because it's not an overwhelming pumpkin taste. So, when I came across this recipe on Pinterest I knew I had to make it, but was nervous that it may be too pumpkin-y. I was pleasantly surprised that not only were the cookies delish and the pumpkin taste wasn't overwhelming, but they were soft and chewy.

Ingredients

1 cup of pure pumpkin
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
1 cup of sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. of vanilla
1 tsp. of baking soda
2 tsp. of baking powder
2 tsp. of cinnamon
1 tsp. of skim milk
1/2 tsp. of salt
2 cups of flour
2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine oil, pumpkin, sugar, egg, and vanilla.

In a separate bowl combine baking soda, and milk, then add to pumpkin mixture.

In another bowl combine cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and flour, then add to pumpkin mixture.

Stir in chocolate chips and scoop out onto nonstick cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-13 minutes.

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Link-up Rules:

1. Follow Emily and myself on GFC and Bloglovin

2. Link up your favorite recipes or food related posts

3. Grab our Recipe Swap button and link back to both of our blogs

4. Be sure to visit other blogs and find new recipes! 

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Relaxing Weekend

I'm so thankful to be coming off a relaxing weekend, which was just what I needed after being so busy lately.

Friday, I enjoyed the soup, salad, and breadsticks lunch at Olive Garden with some work peeps and that evening called for some cocktails by the pool and some pizza to kick off the weekend. I also finally got my hands on the caramel apple vodka which is delish!

Saturday, H and I went to a local breakfast spot that goes all out with Halloween decor and I went a little nuts snapping pics of everything. Yep.. I was that girl...

Afterwards, I got my flu shot and spent the rest of the day swimming and grilling with my fav neighbor-friends before rooting for the Noles with them that evening.

Cannonballs in slooooow motion

Sunday was spent recovering from Saturday's shenanigans, baking cookies, and a little yard work with my favorite sunbather. Can't wait to finish adding new landscaping and laying down lava rocks. Goodbye mulch!

**Don't forget to follow along while I'm taking over the Blogger Closet instagram (October 19th-21st) hosted by the fabulous Amanda. Make sure to follow along @BloggerCloset.**

Joining Leeann and Kimberlee for Monday Morning Gossip 

and

Biana for Weekending

and

Lisa and Bella for Weekend Recap

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