It's Fall Y'all!

Well you know it's fall when Starbucks rolls out the Pumpkin Spice Latte.  Before you ask, no I haven't gotten one yet but yes, I intend to at some point.  Beginning this month, I'm going to be prepping my house/life for the holidays.  Yes, I realize Christmas is nearly three months away, but it'll sneak up on me fast.  For me, it always feels like once Halloween hits, everything else is rushing in behind it.  So preparedness is key.  But on the other hand, it's important to 'stop and smell the roses.'  What fun are the holidays if you can't enjoy them?  So on that note, I'll be writing about my to do lists, both fun and functional, from now until New Years.  Of course, I'll still be sharing recipes and other tips in between.

Let's start out with my holiday prep list.  My goal is to finish everything on this list before the end of this month.  That way, I can enjoy all the fall fun in October...pumpkin patch, here we come!

1. Fall Cleaning
You've all heard of Spring cleaning, but now that summer's over, it's time to do it again.  Not to mention, when you start with a clean slate, it's much easier to just do touch ups throughout the busy season.  Remember, start from the top of the house and work down.  Don't forget your car!  Get an oil change and clean the car inside and out!

2.  Purge and Organize
This really goes hand-in-hand with my first item.  When you're cleaning out your closets, bring fall and winter items to the front and spring and summer items go to the back.  While you switch them out, take the opportunity to evaluate your wardrobe and get rid of items that don't fit or are worn out.  Go through your pantry and get rid of items that are past their expiration date or you simply won't eat.  Keep in mind that unopened, non expired food can be donated to a food bank or homeless shelter.  Same goes for clothes and housewares...these are great donation items.

3. Evaluate Your Calendar
If you need to make doctor appointments, now is the time to get them out of the way.  Same goes for any house maintenance (i.e. have a toilet that runs?  Get a plumber out to nip that in the bud now!).  If you plan to have any holiday parties, decide the date as soon as possible so you can send out invitations in plenty of time for your guests to fit you in (don't send out a Christmas invite now...but I would send them out 4 weeks in advance).

4.  Prepare for Family Photos
Book your favorite photographer early!  Their calendar is likely to fill up fast because everyone wants Christmas photos in time to send out cards.  Not sure how soon is soon enough?  Just ask.  Be clear about the date that you want the finished product ready and they can help you figure out a good date to get your pictures taken.  In addition to making your appointment, start thinking and shopping for your outfits.  You want to 'go' together without being matchy-matchy...unless you're into that sort of thing.  It's good to shop early before the selection gets picked over and gives you plenty of time to shop sales and get alterations done if need be.  Oh...and one last thing...get thee to a salon!  You don't want your split ends or roots showing!  Make an appointment for the whole family to get a nice trim at least a couple weeks before your photo shoot.

A few more optional things to make your holiday season easier...

• When you're cooking dinner, double the recipe and freeze half for an easy dinner later.

• Stock your pantry with all the supplies you'll need for holiday baking. 

• Set your gift-giving budget and stick to it.  Make a list of all the people you plan to give gifts to.  This will make it easier to budget how much you can afford to spend per person.  You may also want to give yourself some wiggle room within that budget in case you find yourself invited to a party and in need of a hostess gift.  

Road Trippin'

We're hitting the road again!  You might remember my post about making road trips with your baby easier, but this time the little man is staying at Grandma's and we're bringing a couple of friends.  Needless to say, traveling without our toddler will be much easier...no stinky diapers, no tantrums (we hope)...but we will have other needs and that's what I'm going to talk about today.

We're traveling nearly 1200 miles in a vehicle with four adults.  So what do we need to make it a comfortable ride?  Glad you asked!

You have to assess your basic needs.  We're going to be driving straight through with as few stops as possible.  This means being prepared.  Food.  Drinks.  First aid.  Entertainment.

Food and Drinks
We're packing a cooler and a snack bag.  Variety is key.  I'm packing sodas, water, cookies, chips, and sandwiches.  Plenty of munchy stuff and nothing that will make your breath stink!  Other great options are: trail mix, fruits that 'contain themselves' (apples, oranges, bananas...all washed, of course), candy, crackers, rice cakes, veggies (like carrot sticks), cheese sticks, etc.  You want to be careful not to pack anything that will spoil or melt unless you're going to put it in a cooler with lots of ice.  We are packing a cooler, but I don't want to bring the huge cooler...hence the only cold items I'm bringing are sandwiches and drinks.  No chocolate either...messy, messy!

First Aid
I know my husband always looks at me like I'm crazy when I do my 'medical' pack.  He thinks I'm overly prepared...yeah, until he needs something.  Here's what I pack:

• Bandages
• Antibiotic ointment
• Anti-itch cream
• Pain reliever
• antihistamine
• Acid reducer (usually a pill of some kind, Tums and Gas X...hey man, it happens and I'm going to be in a car with three men...)
• Eye drops
• Sunscreen (you catch a surprising amount of sun through the windows!)
• Motion sickness strips
• Sick bags (I'm using Ziploc storage bags...they don't leak and I can seal them and throw them away)
• Pain relieving gel (for example: Icy Hot or Bengay)

Last but not least...Entertainment.

This one's a no-brainer. Books, game books (crosswords, sidoku, etc), magazines, mp3 player, portable dvd player, tablet, etc.  Whatever you like to do at home...if it's portable, take it.  I'm only bringing one book, one magazine, and my tablet.  My hubby's phone tethers to the internet, so I can use my tab to listen to music, watch Netflix and Hulu, or check my email.  On the off chance I manage to finish my new book, I can also purchase ebooks.  Really, a tablet with internet access is the perfect travel entertainment!

Other misclaneous items...

Sleep mask:  If we're driving in shifts, I should really be sleeping when I can and if that happens to be during daylight hours, the mask will help me get some sleep.

Ear plugs:  Sometimes you don't want to listen to music or conversation...sometimes you just want silence!

Coupons:  Yes, I'm bringing coupons.  I have a folder of restaurant coupons that I keep at home.  We rarely eat out at fast food places, but on a road trip you sometimes don't have other options.  It's always better to be safe than sorry and they don't take up much room in my tote bag.

Baby wipes and hand sanitizer:  These are great if you need to clean up a bit before or after eating.  And the hand sanitizer is a must for me after using public restrooms...yeah, you wash your hands before leaving, but sometimes you still have to touch the dirty door handle...yuck!

Trash bags and paper towels:  You never know when you're going to have a mess on your hands...drinks and food can spill easily and you want to be prepared!  I plan to bring a couple large (kitchen sized) trash bags (these are great to cover things if it rains and you have to make a run for it) and some small ones (grocery store bags) for most of our garbage.  

Pillow and blanket:  I actually forgot to bring these and I could have kicked myself!  Yes, our destination was a hotel with a nice, comfy bed, but the 20-ish hour drive was way too long to be uncomfortable!  I remember distinctly the moment I realized I forgot these.  I was in the back seat trying to sleep before it was my turn to drive and freezing my butt off because everyone else wanted the car cold and trying to decide if I should use my sweater as a blanket or as a pillow.

I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting, but these are the big ones!  If you have any items that you bring on road trips that have really saved the day, feel free to share them!

While I'm talking about out trip...I'd like to show you the flight of local beers we got to have while in Michigan.  I thought this was a really cool way to serve them, too!  I definitely suggest trying local brews when traveling (not when you're driving, of course).  We ended up going to a grocery store after dinner to purchase a few bottles of local beer and wine to take home and share with our friends.

Stress-free Wedding Planning

All the little details matter.
Photo by Norman Yu Photography

Hi all!  As many of you know, planning your wedding can be very stressful due to the amount of work, decisions and money that goes into it!  As I near the end of my countdown, here are a few tips that have helped me along the way:

1.  Use a checklist

Whether you choose to use an online version or print one out, these tools are invaluable!  Personally, I'm using the knot.com checklist because it has everything broken down by when it needs to get done.  It really does help you to make sure you don't forget anything or leave anything to the last minute!

2.  Don't put things off

I know it seems like forever before you're walking down the aisle, but trust me...that time FLIES.  Aim to check off at least one item per week on your checklist to keep up with things.  Set reminders on your calendar for deadlines such as payments to your vendors and dress fittings.

3.  Decide on a theme early

The sooner you have an overall vision for your wedding, the less time it will take you to decide on other things.  For example...if you decided that your theme will be "Starry Night" after the VanGogh painting, you can rule out the butterfly motif on all your paper products.

4.  Keep your fiance in the loop

Most guys don't care about the wedding day...they just want to know when and where to show up.  However, it never hurts to let them know what's going on to avoid any problems later.  For me, I'd assumed that since we're a fairly non-traditional couple that we'd be doing our wedding pictures before the ceremony to save time.  When I talked to my fiance about our day-of schedule, he informed me that he actually didn't want us to see each other until we met at the aisle.  Big surprise!  So yes...make sure that you check in with him from time to time to make sure he gets what he wants out of the wedding...it's his wedding too!

5.  Take some time off from wedding talk

Yes, your wedding is a big deal and deserves your attention and hard work, but don't run yourself ragged.  This is a special time in your life and you should get to enjoy it.  If you're feeling really stressed out, take a break!  Enjoy coffee with your friends or a date night with your fiance...and DON'T talk about the wedding! Or just chill out on your own with a good book and a piece of chocolate!

It's always good to treat yourself!

The Perfect Glass of Iced Tea

I'm sitting here on this beautiful, sunny Florida day thinking to myself, "I'm parched."  Hmm...well considering I'm not purchasing any groceries for a while, I don't want to waste the liter of diet Coke in the fridge, I'm not in the mood for water and my darling boyfriend decided to drink my last Starbucks Refresher...what libation can I concoct?  Well duh...ice tea!  We've had tea bags in our pantry forEVER since we bought some and my dad always gives us a box when he buys them at Publix as a BOGO.

One problem.  I SUCK at making good tea.  I'm so ashamed.  I grew up on iced tea, but for some reason whenever I make it, it's bitter and just in general icky.  Yes, icky...it's a technical term.  Now, the bf likes 'sun tea' where I place water and about a zillion bags of tea in a glass jar and leave it outside for a day or two until the water becomes an almost black liquid that I'm convinced is not fit for human consumption.  Ok, well that isn't really how sun tea ought to be...but that's how he likes it.  He's weird, I know.  But what I'm after is that cool, amber colored liquid that just quenches the most unquenchable thirst.

So, I slink to my computer and pull up my Pinterest board because I seem to remember pinning something about how to make the perfect sweet tea at one point.   And in my shame, I actually read a recipe for making good tea.  Turns out...I've been missing an ingredient that really surprised me: baking soda.

Off I go to make some tea...here goes nothing!
What you'll need:

8 cups water

2 family sized bags of tea (or 6 regular bags)

8 cup Pyrex bowl (or similar)

a pinch of baking soda (not pictured)

A vessel of choice to hold the final product

First step...boil 2 cups of water.  Pour the boiling water (carefully!) into the 8 cup Pyrex bowl.

Add the tea bags, keeping the tags out of the water.  Let steep.  (I steeped mine for about 10 minutes.  It really depends on how strong you like your tea...just remember that it's going to be diluted in the next step.)

Add a pinch of baking soda.
Chemistry Lesson!  Tea contains tannic acid, more commonly referred to as TANNIN.  This is what makes tea bitter.  Baking soda is a base, so adding it to an acid neutralizes it, resulting in a reduction of bitterness!

Remove tea bags, squeezing as much liquid out before you discard them (careful not to burn yourself).  Dilute with 6 cups of cold water.  Pour into a container of your choice and store in the refrigerator.

NOTE!  If you prefer SWEET tea, add sugar while it's still hot.  That's it!  I, myself, prefer to use Splenda and add it to my glass...that way anyone else who drinks it can make it as sweet (or not) as they like!