Joie De Vivre

Happy Halloween!  I am in awe of how fast this year is passing by, this week marks our one year anniversary of living in Georgia.  It is really starting to cool down here and it looks like it is going to be the perfect chilly Halloween night.  I loved Halloween as a kid like all kids do, but I think I may even enjoy it more now as an adult.  I love decorating the house and planning a cozy night in to hand out candy to all the neighborhood kids.  I must also admit that I love a good excuse to buy candy.  

Since we aren't in a permanent home and I don't want to accrue lots of things before we move, I have really enjoyed finding small and inexpensive ways to decorate.  Everything featured in this post came from either TJ Maxx, Target, or Michael's ( I made the wreath at the bottom). The only picture I didn't get is the most important - the front porch!  But, that's because we just last night purchased a pumpkin, which my husband and I will carve tomorrow afternoon before the night begins. Once we finish the pumpkin, I am going to make some yummy Taco Soup (you can read my post on it here) and try my hand at some sort of cornbread or muffin to accompany it, which you will probably see on the blog next week.  Whatever you plan to do, I hope you have a safe and spooky night.

xo Bridget

Yummy Body Treats

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Fall and Winter are my favorite seasons for indulging in cozy, yummy scents.  Anything Vanilla, Creme Brûlée, Marshmallowy, or Brown Sugary Sweet is ok with me!  Here are some of my favorite yummy body treats and some others that I'd love to add to my bath time routine this year.  

Favorites that I own:

1.  Sara Happ "the lip scrub" in Brown Sugar: I bought this at a small apothecary about a year ago a and I love it.  It literally reveals a new shiny pair of lips and the brown sugar flavor stays on your lips long after you have wiped off the scrub crystals. 

2.  Philosophy Coconut Frosting Flavored Lip Shine: I don't yet own the Coconut Frosting flavor, but I am a big fan of the Raspberry Glazed flavor - this is a great lip gloss.  You can read more about my lip balm/gloss favorites in my gloss addict post by clicking HERE.

5.  Bath & Body Works Comfort Triple Moisture Body Cream: I got this lotion as a free gift with a coupon while I was in the store buying candles.  I can't even describe how wonderful this smells, the best description I can give you is the one on the label "Pumpkin Latte and Marshmallow".  If that sounds good to you, give it a try - it's on sale right now as it is probably a limited edition for the Fall.  

6. Jo Malone Vanilla & Anise Cologne: Jo Malone scents are the loveliest.  I received this as a Christmas gift a couple of years ago and I enjoy wearing it most during the winter and fall.  I usually spray my scarf with it too,  so on chilly days I can stick my nose in there and get a nice vanilla-y whiff.

xo Bridget

Salted Chocolate-Caramel Rice Krispie Treats

Today, my husband returns home after spending about a week and half in the UK for business.  I am little embarrassed to say that I spent more than a couple of my evenings, while he has been gone, watching back to back episodes of various series on Netflix. Now, if I am going to indulge in a little couch time, I usually like a good snack to accompany it ... which brings me to this post. I decided to look for something new to make for this occasion.  I initially had my mind set on some sort of caramel popcorn, but in my search I came across this recipe for Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Treats from Little Figgy.  I am a big fan of Rice Krispie treats and this variation seemed like just the snack I was looking for.  It did not disappoint! I did have to change mine to Salted Chocolate Caramel Rice Krispie treats, because it was a struggle to find a caramel sauce in the grocery store that looked appealing.  I settled on a chocolate caramel & sea salt sauce and let me just say - it was amazing.  

xo Bridget

Out of the Blue

The other day, totally out of the blue (literally), my husband surprised me with this outfit from American Eagle.  It has been a long time since I bought something for myself at American Eagle, I didn't realize how cute and wearable (at my age) their clothes were.  This outfit makes a great casual day outfit.  The pants are literally the softest material and I love the swingy, lace, layered tank with them - perfect!  I popped in there this week again just to check out what other goodies they had and a lot of things caught my eye.  They have a lot of cute and affordable pieces for the fall in stock now, if you haven't been there in a while you should check it out.  

Top: American Eagle

Bottoms: American Eagle

Shoes: Sam Edelman

Sunglasses: Wildfox

 xo Bridget

Dark Florals

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La Croix Mojito

The other day, while I was on Pinterest, I came across this recipe for a Mojito using La Croix Lime Sparkling Water.  If you love La Croix waters (like myself) and fancy a light, refreshing cocktail then you must give it a try!  The fresh lime and mint really compliment the rum well - none of the flavors are too overpowering.  I could drink a lot of these - maybe not such a great thing - but the great thing is that they are practically guilt free.  The ingredients are easy enough to keep on hand and fast to whip up on an impromptu taco night if you so wish.

You can click on the link above or go on the La Croix website for the recipe, but it is literally so simple that I will also tell you here:  Put 10 mint leaves in the bottom of a glass and squeeze the juice of half of a lime on top.  Muddle the lime and mint together (I used a spoon).  Fill the glass with crushed ice and follow that with 2oz. of white rum and 4oz. of lime sparkling water.  Stir it up and enjoy!  The La Croix website is full of fun drink and cocktail ideas, I can't wait to try more.

xo Bridget

Floral Shift

Last week, I stayed in the Atlantic Station area of Atlanta one night for work.  After the work day ended, it was an absolutely beautiful fall night and I got to enjoy walking around and browsing through some shops.  I was intrigued to see an H&M, it used to be one of my favorite shops and it occurred to me that I hadn't been in there in quite some time.  There were so many nice things that caught my eye, but I narrowed it down to this floral ruffle dress and a pair of navy leggings.  I am really trying to cut off buying things for myself until after Christmas, but I justified it because I am really in need to clothes for work.  I love it here with my new booties and I can't wait to see how many other things I can pair it with.

Dress: H&M

Shoes: Sam Edelman

Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs

xo Bridget

DIY Halloween Cards

This past weekend, the weather didn't feel very much like fall at all.  It was in the 90's and humid, and I was cranky about it to say the least.  I decided that I would put myself back into a cheerful fall mood by popping open a bag of candy corn and making some Halloween cards.  I've never made or even sent Halloween cards before, but I saw the mummy stamp on sale at Hobby Lobby over the Summer and couldn't resist.  The little dog pulling the mummy strings reminded me of my little Jax and at a sale price I could totally justify the purchase.  The rest of the items I used to make the cards were either on sale or in the dollar bins at Target, so altogether these cards were pretty cheap to make.  I think sending these out will be a great way to say hello in a nice personal note before the craziness of the holidays begins. 

These cards were pretty simple to make. I stamped and embossed the mummy and spider stamps, and then embellished the cards with some festive washi tape.  I colored in the mummy for a fun effect, but really had trouble deciding which color scheme I liked best. In the end, I just decided to make a few of both.  For a visual on how to stamp and emboss, see my Easter card post by clicking here.

xo Bridget

Fall Finds

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Fall has long been one of my favorite seasons and each year I love to see more and more fall inspired décor hitting the stores.  There's something about the fall that always makes me want to add some  comforting touches to my home.  Small touches like a plush throw to buddle up in or a pumpkin scented candle makes a house more homey; a safe haven for the chilly months to come. Here are some Fall forest inspired finds that I'd love to add to my home this year.

xo Bridget

Pumpkin French Toast

This weekend I was pretty excited to try the first recipe from my "Fall Recipes to Try" post a couple weeks back (see post here).  I used this recipe, which I found on Pinterest.  This easy and yummy recipe uses all the classic french toast ingredients with the addition of pumpkin, ginger, and nutmeg.  The pumpkin spice flavor came through wonderfully and it smelled heavenly, it was the perfect breakfast for a lazy fall morning.  I paired it with some fresh tangy fruit and hot coffee, which complimented the sweetness of the French toast perfectly. 

xo Bridget

Savannah

My mom and I had an awesome time in Savannah last weekend.  About ninety nine percent of our fun comes just from being together, but Savannah definitely has a lot to offer.  We only had a weekend, which we filled to the max and I definitely think we could have stayed a bit longer.  I broke our trip down into what we did, and where we ate/drank/shopped/stayed.  Hopefully if you ever get a chance to visit Savannah this can give you some things to look forward to. I am so glad we got a chance to explore this city while I am living so close.  Enjoy!

Eat 


Fiddler's Crab House

It was a rainy afternoon when we finally arrived so we did some shopping around and eventually headed down to the river front to eat at Fiddler's Crab House.  We loved it because even though it was raining we could still eat out on the covered patio and watch the huge cargo ships go by.

Soho South Cafe

 www.sohosouthcafe.com

A great spot for a quick bite between touring and shopping.  We both had the veggie panini (which was delicious), but we kept eyeing all the grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup combos being served all around us - yum!

Leopold's Ice Cream

www.leopoldsicecream.com

Literally down the street from our hotel - amazing and very famous.  Tutti Frutti was our pick!

Chive Seabar & Lounge

www.chivelounge.com

We stopped here for late night cocktails on our first night and decided it was a must to go back to for dinner.  They claim to have the best oysters in Savannah - we don't disagree!

Drink 

Chive Seabar & Lounge

www.chivelounge.com

We stopped here for late night cocktails after our ghost tour.  They had some fun cocktails - a bohemian for me and a twist on an old fashioned for mom.  The bar staff were super friendly and gave us the scoop on all the hot places to go out.

Jazz'd Tapas Bar

http://jazzdtapasbar.com

We stopped here to close out both of our nights in Savannah. We both love live music and they had bands both nights - cover bands that were pretty good! I had Sangria, mom had a mojito, and we split an order of truffle fries as a late night munchie.  This was a hidden gem, out of the fray but still lively!

Shop

I didn't get too many pictures of our favorite shops, because we were too busy shopping!  Here are the names and websites of the stores we enjoyed the most:

Red Clover Boutique: www.shopredclover.com

The Paris Market: www.theparismarket.com

The Grateful Hound: www.thegratefulhound.com

Savannah Bee Company: www.savannahbee.com

Terra Cotta: www.terracottasavannah.com

Byrd Cookie Company

 www.byrdcookiecompany.com

We just happened to stumble upon this shop and kind of loved it!  They sell the cutest, yummiest, little cookies and you can literally try them all in their sampling station.  My favorite were the Georgia Peach Cobblers.

Stay

The Marshall House

www.marshallhouse.com

This hotel came as a suggestion from a coworker and when I saw the website I just knew it's where we should stay.  It was such a cool experience to stay in such a historic hotel - literally the city's oldest.  

Do

Hearse Ghost Tours

www.hearseghosttours.com

A beautiful and spooky nighttime tour of the city - good fun!

Walk

I enjoyed how walkable this city was, I loved all the squares, statues, and fountains commemorating history.  The spanish moss on all trees is spooky and lovely too!

Old Town Trolley Tours

www.trolleytours.com

This hop on hop off tour trolley was a great way to gather our bearings in they city and plan our next moves. We were able to stop and get off at all of our must see places like The beautiful Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist(below).

Savannah Riverboat Cruise

www.savannahriverboat.com

A good thing to do before we left Savannah but not too eventful and a bit chilly.  We got lots of pretty views of the Octoberfest festivities and the pretty city lights.

If you ever get the chance to spend some time in Savannah - do, and enjoy!

xo Bridget