pumpkin patch!

he loves when i take pictures of him while he's eating. :)

it was love at first sight. 

headed up mt. charleston. so gorgeous. 

our view at lunch. 

Yesterday we went to a real pumpkin patch - I repeat, a REAL pumpkin patch in the Las Vegas valley. A pumpkin patch with apple cider, apple cider donuts, an orchard with "you pick" fruits and vegetables, hayrides, and a field full of pumpkins!

 I've lived here for five years (not to mention the 10 years I lived here as a little nugget) and I never knew this gem existed (I have Joel to thank for finding it!). What the heck?! I was sure that the closest thing to a pumpkin patch I would ever experience again would be a pathetic little stand set up on the corner of the street with a few festive lights, a bin full of crappy pumpkins, and a big slide for the kiddos. 

I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS!

Anyway, we took full advantage of this discovery and made an entire day of it. We started our journey to the pumpkin patch in the morning and since we had to drive so far north just to get there, we decided to head up to Mt. Charleston for lunch at The Lodge. Spending the afternoon up at Mt. Charleston definitely made the experience feel much more festive. Unfortunately, it was almost 85 degrees outside, which made it pretty difficult to be super excited about picking out pumpkins since we were sweating to death in the middle of a field (next year we plan to pick a cooler day to make the trip). We made the most of it though and just pretended it was a crisp 65. :)

Once we made it up the mountain the temperature dropped quite a bit and the scenery reminded us of what fall should look like! It was gorgeous!

Overall, it was such a great day and we are so excited that we have a new tradition to add to our list!

good for the soul

This week has flown by. 

The weather has been amazing, I've been getting more than enough sleep, and I've accomplished everything on my to do list. I'd say it's been a success!

Tonight was supposed to be our 2nd small group meeting, but unfortunately some of the girls can't make it so we've canceled tonight's get together. I'm totally bummed - but hey, things happen. Hopefully we can pick things back up next week or this will literally be the worlds shortest bible study. :)

Even though I'll be staying in tonight, I've started going through the book we decided to read and I am completely in love. The book is called Captivating (see above) and I highly recommend it.

Other than doing a little reading and possibly taking a cat nap, the rest of my day will consist of homework and job hunting. 

Wish me luck.

xoxo

life lately according to my iphone

This weekend was nowhere near long enough.

We spent our two days of freedom shopping (which just ended with us being exhausted, grumpy, and hungry), watching movies, cleaning, going to church, and all of the other standard weekend things.

I wish I had more to say today, but I don't.

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

:)

happy friday!

via

Small group last night was a total success! I went to bed with a very heavy heart and a lot on my mind. I told myself over and over not to cry while the girls were here, but of course I completely failed. So typical. I can't even watch a Folgers commercial without bursting into tears. Luckily, I pulled myself together before it became an ugly cry. :) All I know is, I'm so excited to get to know these girls better and grow as a woman of Christ. There's nothing better than sitting down with a group of women and discussing real issues and real struggles. I realized that we are all dealing with similar insecurities and doubts - and we are all just trying to be the best version of ourselves for God. 

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

xoxox

simple but delicious

Last night I started getting everything ready for bible study tonight. The only thing I couldn't figure out was what I was going to feed everyone. I knew I was going to have some dips and the standard veggie platter, but I wanted to make something sweet. When I found this recipe and realized I only needed THREE ingredients, I knew it was meant to be.

I found this recipe on Glitter and Grace, a blog I recently started following. Sara (the author of Glitter and Grace), totally sold me on these little nuggets when she said they had a similar texture to a muffin so they were great for breakfast. Cookies for breakfast? Okay! 

When I made the first batch I thought I had done something wrong because they didn't flatten out like a regular cookie. That is okay. They are not supposed to. They will also have a fluffier texture. That is okay. They are supposed to.

I hope all of the girls love these! But if they don't, more for me! :)

//Ingredients//

-1 box of spice cake mix

-1 can of pumpkin

-1 bag of chocolate chips (I used about 3/4 of the bag, but feel free to use the whole thing!)

//Instructions//

-Mix all of the ingredients together

-Form dough into balls and put on a cookie sheet

-Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes (I cooked mine for about 14 minutes)

*Enjoy!

so excited!

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While I am trying to focus on enjoying today, I can't help but think about how excited I am for tomorrow! Tomorrow I'm hosting the first night of women's bible study. :) I have been desperately wanting to join a women's small group for a while now, but wasn't sure how to go about getting involved with one - that was, until my wonderful cousin offered to start one with me! Everything came together so seamlessly and all of the girls involved are amazing. I just know it's going to be a great thing.

I can't wait to get started!

:)

green is good

I wont lie, the first time we made this I was very hesitant to even try it. Nothing about a green smoothie appealed to me. I thought it was going to taste like dirt. However, I quickly realized that all I could taste was the peanut butter and banana and I loved it! I originally found this recipe on pinterest, but since making it for the first time I've made a couple of small changes. I highly recommend embracing the green smoothie and giving this recipe a whirl. 

//Ingredients//

-3 cups fresh spinach

-1 cup coconut milk

-1/2 cup greek yogurt (plain/nonfat)

-1.5 bananas (frozen and sliced)

-1.5 tbsp peanut butter 

-a handful of ice cubes 

*Blend all of the ingredients together and enjoy!

cruiser.

This weekend was so great.

Saturday was spent hanging out with my cousin, taking a much needed afternoon nap, and finally renting the Hunger Games (which is an amazing movie, by the way). 

Sunday we woke up early and headed to church. Recently Joel and I have been "church shopping", which is such a weird thing to say, but it's pretty much what we're doing. The last couple of weeks we have been going to a church called The Crossing and so far so good! 

After church we hit up the local Egg Works and enjoyed a delicious brunch. To top it all off, we decided to celebrate the amazing weather we are finally having with a long bike ride. It's so easy to forget how beautiful the desert can be but yesterday was definitely a reminder. :)

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

xoxox

i plan on sleeping in

via

Happy Friday!

This has been an exhausting week for us. Between exams, job interviews, Joel working ridiculously long hours and Monk suddenly forgetting all of his previous potty training, we have had no problem keeping busy. Oy Vey. 

I'm ready to kick back with a brewski and watch endless hours of trash television.

HELLO WEEKEND!

applesauce

Since fall means an abundance of apples, I've decided to take full advantage of it and experiment with different apple recipes. This recipe has easily become one of my favorites! I love it for breakfast, snack attacks, and as a side dish. It's so much better than the applesauce you get in the store (and SO much healthier)!

//Ingredients//

-8-10 apples (peeled, cored, and quartered)

-Juice from 1 lemon

-1/2 cup water

-1-2 tsp cinnamon (more or less if desired)

//Instructions//

-Place all of the ingredients in the crockpot and stir to combine

-Cook on low for 3 1/2 hours

-After 3 1/2 hours mash up any of the remaining chunks and add more cinnamon if needed

-Enjoy!

*Store all leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge!

birthday boy

It's so hard to believe that Cole was ever this tiny! Today this little guy turns 2. 

I love you, Coley!

Happy Birthday!