Winter Pinspiration

After doing an 'Autumn Pinspiration', I felt that it was only right to do one for winter. The weather so far hasn't been ideal; normally I enjoy the warmth and rain, but this is not like the Midwest at all. Over the weekend it got up to 60 degrees fahrenheit .. normally it's in the twenties this time of year, and this gloomy weather is bringing me down. I enjoy having snow throughout the month of December, so I'm hoping that Jack Frost will get it in gear and bring on the snow ASAP. Without further a do, here is what usually makes me happy this time of year, and hopefully this post will bring some Holiday cheer.

I have never gone ice skating, but I really want to; hopefully some of my friends will be up for it when I go back home. There's an ice skating rink that is located down town and is actually outside instead of in a hockey arena. They provide skates, for a fee of course, and I believe they sell hot chocolate; although I'm not 100% sure. It sounds like the best winter activity and I'm so excited to try it! I just hope the weather starts getting colder and snow starts falling from the sky ASAP! Wow - that is something you'll almost never hear from me! Other than ice skating, I enjoy being outside in the snow: making snowmen, building snow forts, having a snowball fight, tubing, driving around on the snowmobile trails etc.

All of the winter accessories that you get to pull out from your closet are always so exciting: scarves, mittens, that cute winter jacket, and of course knee high socks. I get cold quite fast during those brutal winter months that are drawing near, that some times I end up going out looking like Randy from "A Christmas Story", when his mother dressed him in his snow suit. . . not the prettiest sight, but at least I'm nice and toasty! (:

Sometimes I wish that I grew up in a small town that goes all out with their decorations. I think it just looks so lovely and festive. I've often heard stories from my mom that when she was younger the shops down town would decorate the square and Christmas lights would hang over the streets and walkways. In addition to the decorations, you'd be able to buy yourself a hot beverage, while you walk up and down the street popping into different shops or peering through shop windows to see Christmas toys and goodies [Much like in Christmas movies].

Growing up, my mom had the loveliest Christmas village that we would use to decorate above our kitchen cabinets, and let me tell you, at night when it was dark and that tiny village was light up in our kitchen, it was absolutely gorgeous and I wouldn't think of a better way to get you in the Christmas spirit. It was always a tradition to set it up together, but it took a lot of work and it was time consuming so I'd always imagine what it would be like to live in a place like that. There was an ice skating rink, a church, houses, and my favorite; a candy shop that made chocolate and/or fudge in the front window. Unfortunately, my mom now lives in an apartment and there is no place to put them, so they sit in a box in storage collecting dust. I hope someday in the near future I'll be able to bring them out and light them up at night like all those years ago. Just thinking about it brings warmth to my heart. 

So there you go, that is everything (for the most part) that represents what warms my soul throughout these chilly months. (:

What is your favorite Christmas tradition, or winter activity?

Much Love! Xx

Crockpot Hot Cocoa

It's that time of year again where the weather drops below comfort and you are willing to do anything to keep warm. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the brisk November weather but when it gets down into the 30's and the wind is throwing the fallen leaves across the road, I'd rather stay inside and snuggle under the warm covers. On days like today I like to stay in comfy clothes, grab a hot beverage and check on all of my social media. As usual, I spent my morning on Pinterest and found multiple food recipes that extends well past my culinary skills, and a couple of hot chocolate recipes that looked oh so inviting. I knew I needed to give them a shot, because I am a sucker for hot cocoa. Unfortunately for myself, their recipes wouldn't fit into my tiny crockpot. Plus, it's not like I'm serving 12 people; just me, myself, and I. So I had to do some tweaking to these recipes and create my own... Therefore, here is my tweaked Crockpot Hot Cocoa recipe for all you tiny crockpot owners:

First You'll want to round up your Ingredients:

2 1/2 Cups of Milk
3/4 - 1 Cup of Heavy Cream
1/2 Teaspoon of Vanilla
5oz Can of Evaporated Milk
1 Cup of Chocolate Chips
Your Choice of Garnish

Then put all of your ingredients in your crockpot and turn it on low. Stir occasionally.

Wait 2 hours or until your chocolate chips are melted & well mixed.

Serve in your favorite mug and top with your choice of garnish. I went for mini marshmallows (:

[ The recipe that I created serves 2-3 depending on the size of mug you choose ]

This recipe surprised me; It was so creamy and delicious and I can definitely see myself drinking this around the fire at Christmas time. I found that this homemade way is a lot more convenient because you can leave your crockpot on low and whenever you need a refill, you have your remaining hot cocoa steaming & ready to go. This hot cocoa was so satisfying that I might even get rid of my hot chocolate mix and k-cups.

Hot Chocolate is my go-to beverage on these cold Fall days; What is your go-to hot beverage?

Much Love! Xx

Autumn Pinspiration

If you haven't noticed yet, Autumn is my absolute favorite season! Everything just seems to slow down and gives you time to reflect on the year you've had. With this being my first year living on my own and on a tight budget due to being a student, I can only dream of my apartment being decorated accordingly and smelling like delicious baked goods. I'll get there one day, but for now I'll leave you with this post. I wanted to to share with you how I think of fall & what I love about this time of year. Hopefully, these images will make you just as enthusiastic as I am!

I got this fun idea from A Rosie Outlook who did this on her blog, which if you'd like to check out her post you can click here.

Basically, I am taking images from my Pinterest boards and merging them into one to give you some Fall 'Inspiration', hence, the title "Autumn Pinspiration". 

All of these pictures represent the beauty and warmth Autumn brings, despite the chilly weather and gloomy/rainy days. Aside from Halloween, I think these pictures best represent what I enjoy about fall. Of course I couldn't fit everything in this post, but I managed to get a good handful of what brings me joy and happiness this time of year. I always enjoy having a good cup of steaming hot cocoa on those chilly mornings, while reading a book, and snuggling up in a blanket. Candles are an essential item during this time of year, however, I can never find one that I enjoy that still screams"AUTUMN"... If any of you have suggestions, please let me know! 

Living in the midwest has it's ups and downs during fall. First the weather is bipolar; one week you can wear skirts and t-shirts, and the next you're bringing out the long johns and mittens. But I think I enjoy those November days where it's a bit dreary and lightly raining, the best. Call me crazy, but it's those kinds of days that calms me and reminds me of my childhood. With chilly weather comes heavy and warmer clothing. My favorite fall clothing pieces are long socks and scarves. Both are an absolute must-have if I'm going for a walk in the park, or just out and about. 

 Another thing that is amazing about the midwest is the amount of farm land and rolling hills. Driving through the countryside during this time of year is full of bliss. The temperature isn't too hot or too cold, so you can roll down the windows and breathe in the crisp air, upon viewing miles and miles of colorful trees, and the occasional cow pasture or bundles of hay. Although, at this point most of the leaves are being raked up and thrown away; It's still nice to let your inner child come out and run through the leaves or jump into a pile of them.

Growing up, my family would always gather at my grandparents house during November, not only to celebrate Thanksgiving, but to mark the beginning of deer hunting season. This was always my favorite, even though I don't hunt and my parent's don't hunt, I always enjoyed getting together,  spending the afternoon baking with my grandma while the men went out into the woods.  

Even though I miss those traditions, the memories will never fade. And who knows, maybe I'll start making my own traditions.

I hope this post gets you into the Autumnal mood! And quite honestly, I'm already looking ahead for winter 'pinspiration'! 

For now, however, what is your favorite thing about Autumn?

Much Love! Xx