Bye Bye October

Well, October is almost over and I am just starting to get used to the idea that October is here. We had an extension of lovely warm weather this fall and before I knew it, the month flew by and I've hardly had a chance to enjoy all the wonderful things October has to offer. This weekend I am determined to soak up ever last minute of this month including a visit to the pumpkin patch before Halloween arrives! Here are a few of my favorite things about the beautiful first month of fall...

TIGHTS! I love love love pairing tights with everything from shorts to skirts to dresses, both dressy with heels or dressed down with boots. Tights are the perfect transitional weather piece and are the magical item that can transform a summer outfit to a fall outfit.

Every October I make a point to pay a visit to the pumpkin patch and pick out the perfect little round pumpkin that I generally like to name and draw a face on. I usually leave it at that because my carved pumpkins tend to look like Quasimodo.

I absolutely adore the beautiful colors that appear in Oregon in the fall. Every year the trees never cease to amaze me in their dazzling array of warm and vibrant colors. Photo shoot anyone?

BOOTS! Ok, boots can pretty much be worn year-round but I like to break them out in the fall and then hardly take them off. I wore my favorite pair almost to the ground last year and this year I am coveting these beautiful Steven by Steve Madden riding boots in Cognac. Yesterday I found out that I have a 158 dollar credit at our local resale store so I might just have to designate some of that extra spending money to investing in this key piece to my fall wardrobe.

This year I am falling even more in love with the flavor of pumpkin. I love pumpkin bread, cheesecake, lattes, pie, and even soup. And this morning I was introduced to Trader Joe's pumpkin butter which my friends, is heaven in a jar. Taste it, and if you love pumpkin flavor your life will be transformed. Of course, I found out after eating it that sugar is the second or third ingredient. Dangit! But you know, it was worth it

; )

Leave it to artist Bella Pillar from the blog Juniper Valentine and my favorite Papyrus card artist to make Halloween look adorably chic.

What are some of your favorite things about October?

Robin Hood and Agave Walnuts

Mondays can be a drag. Sometimes it takes everything in me to roll out of bed first thing Monday morning after a relaxing but too short weekend. However, this morning I got up half an hour earlier to do an early morning workout and didn't even mind knowing that I had an eight hour workday ahead of me because I knew that Robin Hood and agave walnuts awaited me when I got home. My parents had still never seen Robin Hood so I Netflixed it and made a plan to have a movie night tonight. I also decided that I wanted to try making for myself the amazing toasted agave walnuts my mom made over the weekend. They are so simple and so yummy you'll forget they're not the traditional candied nuts that are doused in sugar. I add them to salads and yogurt for that extra crunchy sweet punch.

Here's how you do it:

Start by thoroughly greasing a casserole dish and setting the oven to 325 F.

Pour a decent amount of walnuts into a medium bowl.

Pour a generous amount of agave over the mound of walnuts. Generous but not too generous. You don't want the nuts drowning in the agave.

Mix the agave with the walnuts thoroughly.

Spread the walnut mixture evenly into the greased dish.

Set dish in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes. Open the oven and stir the mixture and keep them in for another 15 minutes. And voila! The nuts are done toasting. Keep them in the dish to cool for about half an hour or so and try not to munch on the entire pan before putting them away : )

The backstory behind the nuts is that while I was planning on making them tonight anyway, my mom thought she'd make another batch for me because she knew how much I loved them. However, before I could even see them our mischievous dog got into our pantry, fished the nuts and only nuts out, and ate almost the entire batch before my mom got to him! I guess I was meant to make them myself after all.

And as for Robin Hood? The perfect way to start the week is watching Russell Crow once again done the armor that looks like he belongs in. I saw the movie in theaters and have been wanting to see it again ever since. I think I liked it even more the second time! The love story is wonderful. And my parents loved it too.

Sometimes you just need a little extra something to get you through your Monday : )

Moving On

Last night I went through a frustrating and aggravating experience that I am still recovering from. While trying to stay good with my money and not making any personal indulgence purchases, about a week ago I was delighted to remember that I still had (or so I thought) in my possession a 50 dollar gift card to Zappos left over from my graduation gifts. So, after perusing their sight for several days and finally landing on the perfect pair of glamorous platform pumps for an upcoming Christmas party, I decided to order them and pay the 21 dollar difference. So, last night, with wallet and laptop in hand, I was about to complete my order when I opened my wallet and to my dismay and utter perplexity, the gift card was MIA! I immediately scoured every nook and cranny that it could possibly be hiding but to no avail. I probably went through my wallet a total of 6 times and even went through my old empty wallet thinking I might have left it there. I called Zappos and they told me that the only way I had any hope of getting the gift card would be to contact the gift card givers and have them contact Zappos to be reimbursed and then reissue a card. There was no way I was going to make them go through that so after what felt like hours of hating on myself and near tears of frustration, I finally decided to wave the white flag and give up. So, my friends, all this to say is that there comes a time when you have to let go of a frustration situation that you want to beat yourself up for. Because I let my heart get so set on those beautiful shoes, I have come up with an alternate plan. I have decided to make up the 50 dollars I lost by doing odds and ends jobs, listing things on Ebay, and collecting some money I have at a couple local resale stores. Already I have done one household job I was told I'd get paid for, listed 3 Juicy Couture hoodies on Ebay, and made the plan to call the resale stores on Monday to see exactly how much money I have. That way, if all goes to plan I can finally purchase the shoes without any extra expense on my part and with the accomplishing feeling of knowing that I earned it and, in a sense was sufficiently punished for losing the gift card.

I think in this economy, working hard to earn every indulgent purchase you make instead of compulsively buying something with a credit card really helps add appreciation to the item and improves your relationship with money. Already, I feel like I am growing a lot in my spending habits and know that anyone can if they set their mind to it. Lost a big gift card? Slap yourself and move on. Come up with a plan to make up for it if you can. And most importantly, remember that there will always that "if I could just have" item and learn to make the most of what you have.

Rainy Day Reading Material

Yesterday I came home to a lovely surprise of not one, but two of my favorite magazines laying across the kitchen counter awaiting my arrival. In addition to those two, I have the November issue of Glamour that I still have barely touched after almost a month. What happened to the days where I would make time to devour every single colorful and glossy page of my favorite magazines? Is it leftover guilt from the college days where reading a fashion magazine instead of doing homework felt like a sin? Or is it perhaps that, like our culture, I have become so media-crazed that the only relaxing sounding activity is laying in front of a television or computer screen and vegging? Whatever the case, this rainy weekend I am determined to rediscover the simple art of curling up and reading a good magazine and a good book without a television blaring in the background or being involved in a simultaneous conversation. I forgot how much I love to curl up and be cozy on rainy days. It is truly one of life's simple pleasures. In addition to breaking in my magazines including my all-time favorite, InStyle, I am going to finally pick back up Never Let Me Go, the book I abandoned for the last couple weeks for Grey's Anatomy. Who knows? Maybe one day I might actually write another book review on this blog...

Here are a few books on my reading list:

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

No More Christian Nice Girl by Paul Coughlin

Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes

Happy Friday my fellow readers! Don't forget to make time for yourself this weekend and give your tired self a day of rest.

Power Roles

Elle magazine just hosted their annual Women in Hollywood Tribute (where of course my favorite woman in Hollywood, Gwyneth Paltrow, was honored) and it got me thinking, which Hollywood actress has the largest body of work representing powerful women? And As I was thinking about how much I want to see Hilary Swank's new film Conviction--about a woman who, convinced her convicted brother is innocent, puts herself through law school with the sole goal of representing him in court and gaining his freedom--I realized that hands down Hilary Swank takes this medal. From a female boxer to a women's right's activist to a high school teacher determined to motivate and inspire juvenile delinquents to learn and succeed, Swank's roles vary all over the spectrum and are placed back in time and present, historical and factual. But the one thing almost all of these roles have in common is the representation of female strength. All I can say is props to you Ms. Swank!

Here are some of my favorite Hilary Swank girl-power roles:

Freedom Writers

Swank won me over as Erin Gruwell, the fiercely determined new 23-year-old teacher at a high school full of juvenile delinquents and under privileged students who obstinately refuse to participate in class. This movie is inspirational because of the transformation that happens in the classroom through Erin's optimistic attitude and belief in the students who hardly believe in themselves. A wonderful performance and a wonderful film.

Red Dust

In this powerful film Swank plays a human right's lawyer from New York returning to her childhood village in South Africa to work on the case of a tortured policeman. The film sheds light on the brutality corruption of the Apartheid and the corruption's complex nature. I saw this not long after returning from South Africa and found it incredibly educational and eye opening.

Million Dollar Baby

Who could forget Swank's performance as an aspiring pro female boxer in her thirties? Her and Clint Eastwood blew me away in this inspiring and sad film also directed by Eastwood. Talk about female strength! Once again, Swank's character possesses a fierce determination that eventually wins over Eastwood as her coach and leads her to achieving her dream.

Amelia

I don't care what was said about this movie. Sure it is long and could have been cut quite a bit, but I thought Swank's portrayal of Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly across the Atlantic, was powerful and moving enough to carry the film in and of itself. And what woman doesn't want to watch a film based on the incredible historical figure who broker barriers for women everywhere?

Hilary Swank films that I still want to see:

Boys Don't Cry

Iron Jawed Angels (This is on top of my list of must-see Hilary Swank films about the Women's Rights movement.)

Conviction

The Affair of the Necklace

While we're talking about Hilary Swank, might I add that she's been looking fabulous on the red carpet these days. Here are a few of my favorite of her recent looks.

Check it Out!

Check out today's post of The Girl With the Blue Bow featuring me! She is going to start weekly posts featuring the writers/creators of her favorite blogs and I was honored to be her first interview.

Gonna go work on my painting now! Happy Monday : )