Mid week treats!

Happy Hump Day, y’all!

When I leave work on Wednesdays, I always feel amazing, because the work week is already half over! Which means only 2 more mornings of waking up at 4:30am…yeah! I also usually try and treat myself to a Wednesday treat. Just a little something to say “congratulations for making it through the beginning, here’s a treat to hold you over until Friday..” Usually it’s a Starbucks Captain Crunch frapp {if you haven’t had one, shame on you} or maybe I’ll treat myself to a mani or pedi {or maybe pick up another one of the game-changing lip gloss from Walgreens…right, Katie?!} Do you guys have incentives to spoil yourself? I’m always looking for more excuses.

If any of you follow the “Pretty Little Liars” series, you know that every year there is a “between seasons” Halloween episode, and every year, my good friend Jaclyn and I watch this episode, cook an amazing fall meal, and carve pumpkins! Last night was the night of the episode, so this happened:

 

 

THE most incredible beef stew {made by Jaclyn} and the greatest chocolate chip banana bread {made by me!} to go with our pumpkins {our men helped us, and carved some of their own, such cuties.} Such a great time with great friends! Cholla and Milli wanted to help eat the pumpkins..Milli even ate a seed {I told her if she drank water now, a pumpkin would grow in her puppy tummy!}

 

If you’re going to do fall like activities, you have to dress like it. I give you my pumpkin carving attire: Steve Madden cognac boots, cheetah leggings from Rachas, a cute, local boutique, and an oversized zip cardigan from Old Navy. Helloooo, fall!

I’ve decided that now that I’ve got some extra time on my hands {wedding planning is done!!}, I need to get myself in shape! I used to do cross country running, so I decided I needed to start back up with my running! Now I’m not the type to have a ton of tennis shoes in my closet {I have one pair of baby pink Nike shox to my name}, so I had to go out and get a pair of shoes. After trying on what felt like half of Academy, I chose the FILA women’s memory therapy gradient training shoe. This shoe has great reviews and it is SO comfortable. It is also light, which is something I look for because I have very weak ankles. I’m excited to take these shoes out for a test spin, it’s always such a great escape to go for a nice run, and it’s even better when I’m wearing a shoe that doesn’t weigh down my foot.

 

I’m pleased to inform you that BBW is having their 2 for $22 candle deal starting again today. It only lasts a few days each time it comes around, so take full advantage! I need a few more fall candles to get me through November {on Black Friday every year, I go to BBW and stock up on holiday candles, and I start burning them on Black Friday while we are decorating for Christmas!} Be aware of Black Friday ad’s coming out. My sweet friend Jaclyn told me about the Black Friday app for iPhones that is already starting to post some Black Friday deals. You don’t want to miss out on the great deals J

This week, something on my mind is family. Charles’ grandfather became pretty ill, and his family is all coming in to see him. Some of the family I haven’t even met yet, so I’m pretty excited to meet everyone. Family doesn’t only apply to people you are related to. My parents best friends are people that I consider my family. They are all like aunts and uncles to me, and I’m proud that they are in my family. Charles parents also have similar friends who are like family to us. In fact, we are going to a bonfire at “Aunt Donna and Uncle Richard’s” house tonight {I’m so thrilled..what to wear, what to wear? And on a work night..I feel like a rebel. It’s good to break the rules every once in a while..}Bonfires are just plain good for the soul. The smell, the friends, the drinks..absolutely on my fall bucket list. I have “my family,” which consists of my parents, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, etc. Charles also has “his family” consisting of the same. Now that we are married, it is becoming a reality that now, my immediate family is Charles, and will someday be our children. We have branched off to form a totally new family, which is a little scary to think about, but also excited. I can’t wait to start our own family traditions, and to go through everything in life with my greatest, most true friend. Marriage is NOT for everyone and it certainly isn’t to be taken lightly. When you know, you know.

 

 ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”  Mark 10: 6-9.

 

I hope you have blessed Wednesday! <3

 

Hello, Friday! You're wonderful

Hey, y’all! Happy Friday =)

I hope you’re all as ecstatic for the weekend as I am. Big plans? I’d love to hear. I’m slowly but surely trying to kick the rest of this sickness in the booty {keyword: slowly. Painstakingly slow, in fact} in order to fully enjoy my weekend. Cheers for Friday!

Friday’s also mean 5 for Friday!! Here’s 5 things on my mind today:

{One}

My arm’s length to do list is on my mind this Friday. Albeit yes, my life has calmed down significantly since the wedding, I still have so much catching up to do. Throw in the holidays coming and us trying to fix up the house to sell, I’ve hit a point where I eat, sleep, and drink in to do lists in order to function like a normal and productive human being. No, I don’t want to be “that lady” who obsesses over list making. I’m not someone who makes lists to do lists, I’m not certifiably OCD, but the lists help me to remember what I need to do, and they remind me to stay on track. I really think it has more to do with writing things down. If I write something down {no, typing them into my phone calendar does NOT count as writing something down, it will never work,} I feel like I remember things better.  Surprisingly, my to do list for this weekend isn’t too terrible. My “to do before the end of the year” list is out of hand.

 

{Two}

If you know me, you know I’m not the world’s biggest red meat fan. Not that I don’t like it, not that I won’t eat it {because I will}, I just seem to always gravitate towards grilled chicken, fish, etc. Sometimes it’s difficult when Charles wants to grill a nice, big, juicy steak. He gets extremely excited, and I’m always sitting there thinking “Okay, I’ll eat this, it will be great I’m sure, so why am I not as excited as this guy?” I found my substitute for steak. It’s even BETTER than steak in my book. Get ready to go buy some immediately. Ahi. Tuna. Steak. SO GOOD. Yes, you can buy this at Wal-Mart of your local grocer {frozen…}, but it is SO much better to go get some fresh. Where I live, we have a local seafood shop that gets fresh fish flown in every Friday morning, and they have extremely reasonable prices {Shout Out to See’s Seafood!} You can prepare them however you’d like, but I like to keep it simple: a little olive oil, a little creole, some george’s seasoning {a special, secret seasoning that is pretty good fabulous that is made by a family here in Fort Smith}, and some lemon juice. Toss that puppy on the grill, it doesn’t take long to cook in the slightest. Enjoy a glass of wine while you wait {I know I will}. Anyhow, this is on my mind today because I have four of these beauties ready to throw on the grill tomorrow at the lake. Yes, I will be sitting on the deck enjoying a glass of wine while my husband grills the meat! This weekend’s weather will be amazing, I am SO looking forward to it.

 

{Three}

2 for $22 candles from Bath and Body works are never constantly on my mind, but especially today! These 3-wick candles run around $20 on a normal day, but in typical “always looking for a sale” fashion, I wait for these wonderful candles to go on the 2 for $22 sale, and then I stock up! I also save all of the $10 off a purchase of $30 or more, and then I get 4 candles {which on a normal day would run me $80} for $30! That ends up being $50 of savings. I’ll take it! Well as I’m sipping on my coffee this morning, casually scrolling through my email as normal, I saw the coupon for the 2 for $22 sale going on now. You better believe that I will be heading straight to BBW for some more candles, because honestly, you can NEVER have too many. Have extras? Save them for next year. You’ll always need them. Life is too short to not buy the candles. Right now I’m obsessing over “Leaves.” It’s always my fall favorite.

 

{Four}

The Children’s Emergency Shelter has been on my mind a lot lately, especially with the holidays coming up. This shelter in my town provides shelter, food, and care to children who found themselves in bad situations. This shelter is someone everyone needs to support when they can, find them on their website here, or on facebook! They often post what they need support with {whether it be food, laundry detergent, someone to stop by and fix a leak, etc}. If you have means to donate to a charity, please choose this one. It takes a special kind of person to run an organization like the one they are running. Please consider them when you’re at the store, or buying presents this holiday season! I know we will be thinking of them in the Alley household this holiday season.

 

{Five}

After work, I am headed to the beautiful and peaceful Lake Ouachita. Although I won’t be in a bikini sitting on a boat, I can’t wait for a peaceful weekend, sitting on the deck, and enjoying the cool fall weather. It will be SO nice to sit on the deck with a cup of coffee and a stack full of thank you cards. It’s hard to get things like that done at home, because I always feel like I should be cleaning something, or someone always comes over, or we want to get out of the house…I could think of about 50 excuses to do something at home, but when I’m at the lake enjoying some peace and quiet, I can get things done! Hopefully I can get finished early and enjoy a nap in the new hammock, and then enjoy some wine and a nice dinner on Saturday night. Ok, ok. The wine will happen regardless of me finishing. Let’s just be honest about that. In fact, it might be required just to keep me sane while I’m writing the thank you cards and doing various other things. Oh, and sleep is a priority this weekend! I have not slept well ALL week, and I really need to let my body rest and recover in order to kick this sickness. Here’s hoping I get some good naps in ;)

 

I hope you all have a splendid weekend, full of friends, family, and if you’re lucky, some peace and quiet! & don’t forget to come back around for a weekend recap in a few days! XO

Michele Alley

 

Fall Bucket List

It’s your lucky Friday, I’ve decided to share with you all my “Fall Bucket List!” Now as I previously mentioned, Fall is my favorite! Who doesn’t love fall? Fall to me means Razorback football, cider, pumpkins, crisp air, walks, yummy smelling candles, bonfires with friends, and just a happier Michele! There are several things I would like to do this fall, so why not make a bucket list and share with you? Sound good? Great!

Tailgate at numerous Razorback Football Games. Okay, now this is a given. Who doesn’t love putting up a few EZ Up tents, having a few drinks with friends, enjoying beautiful weather, and firing up the grill while waiting for the game to start! It’s the best time! If you haven’t ever tailgated before, you should give it a try. It’s a great way to show your team spirit and get outside for some fresh fall air! Plus, you never know the friendly people you will meet when you tailgate. Whether you go with family or friends (or both,) you’re sure to have a wonderful time. Check out my recipe for an easy tailgating dip that’s sure to make you the life of the party!

 

Feta Dip!

1 can SHOEPEG CORN (drained)

1 can BLACK BEANS (drained)

1 container FETA CHEESE

4-5 green onions, chopped

green and/or red pepper, chopped ( I like to throw in jalapenos for a kick!)

 1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon Cavenders

 

Mix it all together and enjoy! Can serve with fritos, tortilla scoops, or whatever you’d like!

Here is our Razorback Tasilgate! This is my brother in law and his girlfriend, and my future hubbie and I! WOO PIG!

 

 

Build a Bonfire. I absolutely LOVE a good fire. Who doesn’t like getting in a cozy sweater fall sweater (that I probably will get from Suite One…), some good music, and roasting a good ‘mallow? Because as we all know, first you take the graham, you stick the chocolate on the graham. Then you roast the ‘mallow. When the ‘mallows flaming you stick in on the chocolate. Then you cover with the other end. Then you scarf. For those of you who know that this is from the Sandlot, props to you! You’re okay in my book. For those of you who didn’t know what that was from, you’re killin’ me smalls! In all seriousness, I love the sound and the smell of a good bonfire. Even though I smell like smoke for a good two days, I love it!

 

Go to a pumpkin Patch. Okay, I know this sounds like something a little kid would do (and it is,) but who can argue that pumpkin patches are awesome places to take pictures? My plan is to get up in the morning, grab some coffee (maybe a White Chocolate Mocha, or maybe a nice chocolate chai tea latte, and head to the pumpkin patch with my soon to be husband! A lot of pumpkin patches have things for children to do (for example, face painting, hayrides, etc) and can be a lot of fun for the whole family! Grab a pumpkin to carve while you’re there and bring it home to have a carving party! Charles and I love having people over to watch football and carve pumpkins and it’s always so fun!

Our pumpkins from last year!

 

 

Have a photo shoot in a leaf pile. I know this may sound odd, but I’ve always wanted to do this! Again, it is great for pictures and I would love to make a collage of fall pictures to hang in the home. Fall is fabulous, and I just know we would have a blast taking photos in the leaves with our puppies!

 

 Read an entire book sitting on the deck at the lake house.  This one should be easy to accomplish! The view from the deck at the lake in the fall is just spectacular. Nothing would beat sitting with a cup of coffee and a blanket while reading a book and enjoying the peace and quiet! It’s a great thing, having alone time!

Here is the view from the deck at the lakeh house in fall! How could you not just LIVE here? Stunning, God's wonderful creations.

 

Decorate my home with fall decorations. This is a given. After going to Kirkland’s yesterday and stocking up on all of their fall candles, I can’t help but want to decorate my home with fall items! I’m pretty much obsessed with Kirkland’s currently; they have some amazing prices and really beautiful home décor. If you’re as obsessed as I am, check out their sale going on from today until Sunday. It is the perfect time to stock up for fall and get the best pick of items before everyone clears them out. Also, Bath and Body works has their 2 for $22 3-wick candle sale going on this weekend, so check that out (because paying $20 for one candle is ridiculous.)

These are the candles I purchased at Kirkland's the other day. They are $7.99 for this large size, and the scent payoff is wonderful. I also like the Bath and Body works 3-wick candles, but these are more cost-friendly!

 

 

Make an apple crumble, apple cobbler, etc. When fall rolls around, the delicacies change. I enjoy getting to make things like cobblers, pies, etc. that I don’t make all year round. It is not only delicious, but it’s good for the soul and y’all, it makes your house smell DELICIOUS.

 

Lay under the stars in a truck bed full of pillows and blankets. I have to admit y’all, I saw this on Pinterest (I have a not-so-slight addiction) and fell in love. Basically, you fill up a truck bed with pillows and big blankets and then lay outside and look at the stars. Charles has a truck, so this is perfect to try! Done. SO excited.

 

I have a lot more things I am looking forward to accomplishing in fall, but these are the things I’m really wanting to try! What is on your Fall Bucket List? I’d love to hear, maybe I can get some fantastic new ideas? I hope you all have as fabulous of a weekend as I plan to!

 

Until next time,

Michele