DIY Autumn

It’s finally fall in my town! The week has been cool, wet, and puurr-rfect. I’ve been making more soups, getting in the mood for baking, and, of course, wanting to make things with my hands. I have a few little projects planned for this season, and I thought I’d share them. They’re all pretty simple, inexpensive, and honestly, even more fun when you make them with friends! There’s something about crafting together on a chilly fall day that just feels a little more special.

Ghost Garland

I had an old, very busted copy of Stephen King’s Desperation that had water damage and was missing the first few pages from when I was younger. Instead of throwing it away, I decided to give the pages a second life and turn them into little ghost garlands! They’re super easy to make. Just make a simple ghost template, trace as many as you want onto your pages, and cut them out with scissors or an X-Acto knife (its what i had). If you want them to look a little more aged, you can crumple the paper and lightly dunk it in coffee before laying the pieces out to dry. Once they’re dry, make their face, take some twine and gently thread it through the tops. I hung mine around my bookcase, and it’s such a subtle little spooky touch. You could also outline the edges with a black marker or carefully singe the edges for a more worn look.  You could easily make pumpkins, bats, or little leaves instead.

Dried Citrus Garland

The second thing I want to make is a dried citrus garland. I’m planning to dry some oranges, lemons, and limes and either string them together into another garland or if I find a nice little stick outside hang the slices from it with some twine. I think adding cinnamon sticks and a some star anise would make it smell amazing too! Honestly, this is one of those decorations that could work almost year-round depending on how you style it and if its your vibe. The biggest thing is making sure the citrus is completely dried so it doesn’t hold onto moisture and mold. Slice your oranges, lemons, and limes into thin, even slices, pat them dry, and bake them at a low temperature until they’re dried all the way through. Flip them every so often so they dry evenly, then let them cool completely before turning them into a garland. I love decorations like this because they’re simple, natural, and don’t feel like something you can only put out for one month of the year.

DIY Halloween Wall Art

The third thing I’ll be trying this season is some homemade Halloween wall decor. You can hang the pieces as they are or even frame them, and all you really need is some extra cardboard and acrylic paint. I have tons of cardboard laying around from shopping at Aldi, so this is a pretty easy way to use some of it instead of throwing it away. I do recycle but why not give it another life! You can cut out whatever shapes you want and paint little ghosts, pumpkins, witches, moons, vintage Halloween designs, or honestly anything you can think of. Just some temporary Halloween gallery wall. These are also all things you can do with friends. I think they’re much more fun when everyone makes their own little version rather than trying to make everything perfect. They can be used for parties!!

Birthdays

Can I be honest? Planning birthdays can be overwhelming! As the oldest sister, there is nothing I love more than planning something special for my family. I want everyone to feel loved on their special day. As I've gotten older, I've kind of become the glue in the family who keeps the events going. I always want to do something big, but sometimes I end up burning myself out or getting disappointed when things don't go exactly how I planned.

This weekend, two very important people in my life celebrated their birthdays, and I decided to keep things simple, stay within a budget, and let my little village help. For my bonus sister's birthday, friends brought pizza, we made tinga, and we catered Cane's. I picked a color theme, grabbed some balloons and streamers from Walmart, and worked with the decorations we already had. Our iridescent tinsel backdrop even split in half, so my brother and I put it on either side of the "Happy Birthday" sign. Honestly, it looked intentional. Haha!

We played Jackbox, had cake from Sam's Club, and spent the night laughing. It wasn't extravagant, but everyone had a great time. The next day, my youngest brother turned 16. I spent around $20 on decorations, my mom helped with food and his cake, and we put together a small birthday setup with blue and green decorations. He wasn't expecting it at all, which made it even more special.

I couldn't have done either celebration without my family/friends. You don't have to do everything yourself, and you definitely don't have to spend a ton of money to make someone feel celebrated. Finger foods, a box cake, some balloons, and a few decorations can go a long way. Sometimes even the smallest celebration can mean the most. So don't let birthdays overwhelm you. Pick a color, keep it simple, ask for help when you can, and remember that a small celebration is better than no celebration. You don't need a Pinterest-perfect party to make someone feel loved.

Apple Cheese Danish

 Ingredients:

• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• ~2 cups cream cheese
• Pastie dough
• ~4 Apple (I used Honey Crisp)
• ~1 Cup Brown Sugar
• ~ 1 1/4 Cup white sugar
• ~1Tbsp Cornstarch
• ~1/3 Water
• 1 Egg

(heads up: I measured with my heart so that's what the ~ stand for)

The votes are in.... we are making Apple Cheese Danish! Fall is here, and you know what that means... cozy baking!! I did this late at night, so I apologize for the dark photo. Anyways, let's get into this sweet treat!

I started off by mixing my two great value cream cheeses with about a cup of sugar for the first part of the filling. Use a hand mixer if you've got one! I had to use my actual hands and a spatula. Once that's integrated well, push that to the side.

Then I started chopping up my apples into bite-sized cubes. They will shrink a bit when we cook them on the stove so don't make them too small! Once that's done, we will add them to the stove along with 1 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup of white sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. We don't want the apples mushy, but we do want them to be cooked enough. Taste them along the way and choose where you'd like to stop. This doesn't take long, and sugar burns easily, so keep stirring and keep your eyes on it!

Once everything is simmering, we'll make a cornstarch slurry with the water and cornstarch. Add this to the pan and stir well. This will thicken up the sugar into a syrup. If you can run a spatula through it and the syrup doesn't cover the pan immediately, but slowly does, you are good to stop and set this off the burner.

I wish I could make my own pastry dough, but I don't have the time or talent, so instead I opt for the Pillsbury pastry dough hehe. I cut these into 12 squares, and then in the center of those squares, we want to score another square. Think like a photo frame, but we don't want to cut all the way through. This is also when we want to make a small egg wash and wash the edges of the "frame." When they bake in the oven, the mini square will not rise as much since it's like a little home for the filling.

Speaking of filling, we will add a layer of the cream cheese filling. Don't be stingy! On top of that we will add our apple filling. Set the oven to 400°F and throw them suckers in there for about 15 minutes, or until golden on top.

After you take them out, this would be a great chance to drizzle some royal icing on top. I didn't have any and didn't want to make it, so I skipped that part. After cooling for a few minutes, they are ready to eat!

Some of My Fav YouTube Watches

 

Uptown Girls

A spoiled young woman is forced to grow up when she becomes the nanny for a serious little girl. A sweet, funny, early-2000s comfort movie about friendship, growing up, and finding your way.

Labyrinth

Sarah must journey through a strange and magical labyrinth to rescue her baby brother from the Goblin King. Strange creatures, elaborate costumes, and pure fantasy make this a classic.

Penelope

Born under a family curse, Penelope has a pig's nose and believes marriage is the only way to break the spell. A whimsical fairy tale about self-acceptance, love, and becoming comfortable with who you are.

All Dogs Go To Heaven

Charlie, a streetwise German shepherd, gets a second chance at life after making a deal in heaven. A nostalgic animated favorite filled with music, friendship, and a little bit of mischief.

Matilda

A brilliant little girl discovers she has extraordinary powers while dealing with an awful family and an even worse school principal. A funny, magical story about books, kindness, and standing up for yourself.

Now Playing

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Send Help and a Steroid Shot

 

If anybody is reading this... send help and a steroid shot! I don't know what I caught, but it's whooping my ass. I went home Thursday because my stomach was so upset. TMI, but I had a double accident in the bathroom : ( So embarrassing! I thought it was just a stomach bug, but then I woke up Friday with a sore throat. It hurt to breathe, but I didn't have a fever, so naturally I convinced myself it was just because I slept with my fan on. Maybe I was a mouth breather? WRONG!

My roommate caught a fever and sounded even worse than me, so we knew something was definitely going around. I pushed through another half day of work, but I could feel my body getting heavier as the day went on. After therapy, my jaw and teeth started feeling sore, which is usually my biggest sign that I'm getting sick. Would you believe I went to sleep afterward and didn't wake up until almost 10 PM?! I slept for HOURS!

My sweet boyfriend came over with Mucinex, Theraflu, and Emergen-C, and I was so out of it I didn't even realize when he came over and slept beside me. This morning I woke up with a runny nose, still no fever. I grabbed a thermometer from the store while my roommate made us chicken noodle soup.

So now we wait and let our bodies and medications fight off whatever plague has entered this house. Wish us luck!

Hearty Chicken Soup

 

Ingredients: 

• Chicken breast
• Carrots
• Onion
• Celery
• Your choice of noodles
• Canned crushed tomato
• Corn Starch
• Salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, onion and garlic powder
• Chicken broth
• Potato's
• Garlic

(Tip: Have your soup veggies prepped and stored in the freezer for less cooking hassle. Your future self will thank you!)

Honestly, this was something I threw together with what I had on hand. I like to think all great soups start this way. I started by cooking my chicken and searing all that good flavor into my Dutch oven. You definitely don’t need a Dutch oven for this, but I think it adds to the cozy feeling. Once the chicken was cooked, I added my minced garlic. When that started to gain some color, I threw in my onions, carrots, potatoes, and celery.

Oh, and this is where I added the cornstarch. I let it cook for a little bit to get rid of any weird floury flavor, and it will also help thicken the soup once we add the broth. Since my veggies were frozen, I needed to let them cook in the pot for a little while, which took around 10 minutes.

In the meantime, my chicken had cooled down enough for me to start shredding it. I didn’t add the chicken back in just yet, though. Instead, I added the chicken broth and noodles alongside with the veggies to continue cooking. You want the veggies/noodles to be cooked through, but not mushy. Basically, if you can stab them with a fork and they’re the perfect bite, you’re good!

Now we can add the shredded chicken back in and let everything simmer together for a few minutes. Then serve it up hot or warm and enjoy!

Long Weekends

Hi everyone! I hope you are all having a great weekend. For some of us lucky girls, we had Labor Day off. I am happy to announce that I basically did nothing all weekend!! Most of the time, I am running around town for errands or family matters, but this weekend, I got to shop and decorate my home with more essentials, clean, and just watch movies and my shows!

I work 6 days a week, so it’s hard for me to find a true weekend. I mean, when I go on trips, I’m not truly relaxing. I’m planning and trying new things out of town. I always need a day to myself at home before going back to work after a trip, haha.

Back to what I was saying. It’s been a while since I last posted, so I thought I’d give y’all an update on what this weekend was like for me. I was going to get my nails done on Friday, but my girl was sick, so we need to reschedule. I’m thinking of doing a dusty pink and burgundy color. I usually go for an almond shape, but since my nails are short again, we went for a square overlay. Instead, I just went grocery shopping at Aldi’s. I save so much money there. Trust me, if you’ve got one near you, take advantage of Aldi’s! While I was shopping, I realized I only needed to get a few things for my pantry, and the rest was just veggies and meats! I am finally at the point where I don’t have to buy tons of pantry food. Yay!! I got lucky, too, because this time they had chicken and the 5-pound beef! I’ve never run into it because I always shop so late, but I saved myself a couple bucks and a trip to Walmart!

On Saturday, I worked for a few hours and then grabbed another Banana Nut Matcha and muffin before heading to TJ Maxx. I wasn’t planning to spend much, but IN MY DEFENSE, I’ve been meaning to buy a curtain rod, curtains, and a lamp since I moved back in April. Of course, they finally had everything I needed, plus a super cute scalloped wooden weave lamp that fits perfectly with the grandma aesthetic I’m going for! Also found a cute skirt and some brown tops for the upcoming season. So naturally like any shopaholic, I spent almost $200... I feel terrible about it and know I’m going to hate seeing that CC statement, but I did need the curtains, rod, and lamp... and I needed something new to wear. I’m just choosing to believe that my delusion about fall will make the weather cool down sooner. Later that day, a friend invited me over while the guys got together for a little ceremony with medals and trophies. They even had a presentation about their fantasy soccer league! We drank a little, caught up, and just enjoyed hanging out. I don’t have a ton of friends, so I really appreciate when we get to exist in our own little world instead of just being the girlfriend or fiancee of our partner’s friend.

Sunday, I reorganized my entire living room. It’s a small space, so I could only do so much, but it feels like there is way more room now. I added about a third of my book collection to the shelves on the entertainment center, which freed up my windowsill. Then I realized that the sun can bleach books! They are so yellow :’) I cleaned most of the day and then drank a couple Cayman Jacks. I’m not a big fan of alcohol, but these taste like soda to me. I made arroz con leche, and my brother made spaghetti, and we just watched movies all day. 

Now it’s Monday, and I visited my boyfriend at work with Slims. I cleaned the living room and did the dishes. I really was supposed to head to the laundromat and wash my clothes, but I will push it off until tomorrow. I’m sure I can find SOMETHING to wear. I’m also watching Five Star Weekend on Peacock, and I recommend it! It’s funny and heartbreaking and real. Well, I have to end this somehow. Tell me about your weekend! Did you do anything fun? Or were you snug as a bug in a rug?

XoXo - Cat

The Key to a Forgotten Door

Hello friends! I wanted to share one of my favorite series with y'all. These books, and Sarah J. Maas, have a very special place in my heart. This universe opened a door I had locked away for so many years, and I didn't even realize how much I missed what was on the other side.

Growing up, I had always been a bookworm. I loved going to my local/school library, book fairs, and the classroom books my teachers had us read. Sure, I didn't particularly enjoy having to write an essay summarizing the plot or analyzing the characters, but I loved the worlds these books threw me into. Books were an escape from my reality. 

When I got to college, life got a little too serious. I was juggling my junior and senior years of high school along with college. I'm super grateful for the early college program but it did take me away from one of my true loves... reading.

In 2022, I started my first "Big Girl" job. I'm happy to say I'll be hitting five years with the company soon. Throughout the years, I met so many women who were big into reading. They shared the books they were reading with me, gave me updates, and encouraged me to pick the hobby back up.

I was hesitant at first. What if I wasn't a big reader anymore? What if I didn't find anything I liked? (crazy, I know, there's something for everyone haha) It had been almost 4years since I had last read a real chapter book, let alone an entire series. Where would I even start?

Then it hit me! All these women, along with everyone I was seeing on social media, had been giving me the answer all along. It was practically orbiting me like the moon: the ACOTAR series.

So, I went straight to the bookstore and picked up the first book.

I'm not going to lie. It took me WEEKS to give this book a real shot. I had forgotten how much world-building fantasy books could have, and this book was not exactly beginner friendly. I couldn't even get past the first few chapters without feeling completely overwhelmed.

Trust me, I TRIED. So, I took a different approach.

Spotify offered audiobook hours with their Premium bundle, so I searched for the books and there it was... the answer to all my problems! I pressed play, and it was the beginning of a beautiful thing.

I was so hooked that I couldn't believe I had almost given up. I'm so glad I didn't! I read and listened whenever I could: during breaks, lunches, late nights, days off, and even during slow hours at work. I could not put this shit down!

ACOTAR was the key to a long-forgotten door.

Anyway, I'm not just telling you all of this for nothing. Everything is for a reason and if you're still reading this, thank you for reading my rambling. This is my official announcement of a new topic here on the blog. Book Reviews!!

I still have a huge TBR, who doesnt ya know? but over the last few years, I've read so many books and I can't wait to share with you all. That is, of course, if you're interested in fantasy, romance (mostly dark and morally gray), historical fiction, autobiographies, and everything in between.

A Girl Can Dream

 I wouldn’t tell anybody, but there would be signs. It’s hard not to fall into consumerism, but as someone who basically lives paycheck to paycheck, it makes it pretty easy to stick with what I already have, find dupes, and remind myself that I don’t need to contribute to overconsumption. However, if there were magically a day where I became a princess, these are some things I would absolutely “invest” in.

Starting off strong, a Disney princess TV. I had this exact one growing up and I hate that now its practically over 1/2 my rent now. Ariel swimming across the screen was everything. She was so pretty and pink!

Next up, a CD player! I had a hello kitty one but I gave it away to my cousin. She was building her CD collection.

Priority... I need a washer and dryer. I recently moved and they're so expensive. I'm paying off another Lowell's balance, and I would like to pay that off before going back in debt

A new purse for the fall!! I currently have a coach tote, black with silver stars but I am craving a brown bag for my rotation

Shoes!! I love shoes just as much as the next person. I recently got into heals but these have been my list for a while now. Years! I thinks its about time I indulge. The brown boots are a need. I don't have any boots for the fall. 

I love matcha, I want to make my own to save money and also If I wants a seasonal matcha, I don't have to wait an entire year before having one! I think it would be a healthy addition to a morning routine

I saw this bed spread a few months ago and fell in love with the colors. Basically, what I have on my bed now but without the pattern and dust pink under the comforter. Guess how much when I looked... Over $150! No thanks. I will just continue with what I have lol

And finally... I WILL own this one day. Maybe not anytime soon, and definitely secondhand, but this color is just too beautiful not to own. It would bring so much personality to a kitchen.