Reindeer Cookies

Making these cookies is a must around Christmas time. We would make these every year with my mom growing up and they are my favorite. They are just so cute! We always made them with peanut butter dough, but sugar cookies would work just as well if you don't like peanut butter :)

Peanut Butter Dough:
1/2 c butter
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c peanut butter (I used PB2)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Mix all the ingredients up and then form balls of dough
Pinch one side of the dough and elongate it to make the reindeer nose
Add a red m&m to the end of all the noses
Put 2 little pretzels on the head for the antlers
Put on baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10-13 minutes
Immediately after you take them out of the oven, using two spoons, reshape the nose
Add chocolate chips for the eyes
Take pictures of them and then eat them

At the Harbor

As you can tell, it was a really windy day today- but I am totally loving the weather lately! It is finally starting to get a little bit chilly. This is one of my go-to Fall outfits. I feel like it is pretty classic (stripes and a army green jacket)- but I love it! 

Button-down: American Eagle (similar)

Stripe Shirt: Loft (similar)

Jeans: American Eagle

Shoes: DSW

Stripes + Overalls

Ok this is by far my favorite Fall outfit. I am OBSESSED with these overalls. The last time I had overalls, I bought them from a thrift store- and I mean, they were cute.. but they were also probably like a L in Mens... sooo I got an upgrade. These overalls are so comfy! And just the cutest. And they fit great-loose enough, but not too baggy that you have no form, ya know? Just overall an excellent buy. 

Overalls- Gap

Top- Loft (link is similar)

Shoes- Gap (link is similar)

Sweater Weather

Sweater (Dress) Weather- this dress is the most comfy dress. It's super great for when the weather is just starting to cool down cause it makes you feel cozy, but is still short-sleeved. 

Sweater Dress- Forever 21 (similar)

Black Ankle Boots- Gap

DIY: Hello Desk Decor

I've had the materials for this project for awhile now.. and have been so excited to make it! I have seen desk stands like this all over and think they are just darling- but most of them are pretty expensive! So I made my own and I absolutely love it. It looks so cute on my desk- I may make another one for my office desk cause it is just so cute and so easy/cheap to make! 

MATERIALS: 
-Wood block- i actually found a big strip of wood and just sawed a little block off... but I'm sure you could find blocks at a hardware store or craft store- OR you could use baking clay and form it into a block- then bake to harden
-Wire-i found this copper wire at Walmart for $1
-Pliers- this just helps in forming the wire letters
- Paint & Paintbrush- if you want to paint your wood block
-Masking tape- to aid in painting designs on your block
-Screw- i used a screw to add holes into my block where the wire fits in

1. I chose to color block a diagonal stripe on my wood- so using making tape, I just taped the design I wanted, then painted the block white.  

2. After it dried, I took the tape off and it looked like this! 

3. Form whatever word you want in the wire- I picked "hello," but really you can form whatever word you want! You could make a few different words and then swap them out every once in awhile for variety. Just make sure the wire is long on the two ends- because that is where it will insert into the wood. 

4. Center the wire onto the wood and place little marks where you need to drill holes. I used a screw to add holes into the wood and it worked really well. You don't have to make them too deep, but just deep enough for the wire to stay in them. 

5. Insert the wire into the holes and you are done! 

This was seriously so easy to make and it turned out super cute. This is the kind of thing I really like, but probably wouldn't buy myself- so making it was a great way for me to have one and not spend a lot of money. 

                                                                              xoxo

Fall Prints

Dress- H&M 

Wool Hat- Old Navy

Oxford Heels- Similar

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Hot Chocolate

Guys. Why have I never made my own hot chocolate before?? It is so incredibly easy and way cheaper than buying fancy flavored hot chocolate. AND you can make what ever the flavor you want! 

Don't get me wrong, I love my fair share of pumpkin treats during the Fall... but I honestly don't care for things that are too pumpkiny... or are fake pumpkin tasting. But I wanted to try to make pumpkin pie hot chocolate because it just sounds like it should be good, ya know? So I made my own hot chocolate from scratch and... it is delicious! Seriously so so good. 

For some reason, I can never finish a whole mug full of hot chocolate- like if I use a packet.. I can never drink that much- so half the cup goes to waste. The best part of making your own is that you can determine your own portions! (I guess I could do that anyway by just pouring in half the packet... but I'm never smart enough for that...) Anyway... I now have a hot chocolate mixture that I can just take a little bit at a time and I love it. Also, this would make a great Christmas present to give to your friends who you would like to get them something.. but don't really want to spend a lot of money.. we all have those friends. So make a big batch of hot chocolate, put it in a cute bag, tie a bow on it.. and there ya go. 

It only takes 2 ingredients to make your own hot chocolate! Cocoa and sugar. 

• Note: Obviously the type of cocoa you use is going to influence how your hot chocolate tastes... so just make sure you use a cocoa that you know you'll like.

I happened to already have this pumpkin pie spice, so I just used some of that to add flavor to the hot chocolate mix... but really use whatever you want- experiment with it! There are probably so many hot chocolate flavors that turn out delicious.

To be honest, I kinda just guessed on the measurements... but it turned out really great. You can adjust them to your liking though. For me, I just used a 2 to 1 ratio of sugar to cocoa. A standard mug of hot chocolate usually takes a few tbs worth of hot chocolate mix, so mixing together 2 tbs of sugar and 1 tbs of cocoa will definitely give you a single serving of hot chocolate! But you could make a few cups worth to save for those days you need to be cozy wrapped up in a throw blanket, drinking hot chocolate. For the pumpkin pie spice, I honestly just added in a bit at a time until I thought the taste was strong enough, but not too overpowering. Definitely error on adding less at first- you can always add more. 

This seriously took like 3 minutes to make- and it was delicious. So you should try it! 

Fall Break in Dallas

My family came to visit Ryan and I for part of their fall break. It was so much fun having them here in Dallas with us. Being Dallas newbies ourselves, we didn't really know what to do with them here- so we kinda explored Dallas together. So here are some fun places/things to do in Dallas, especially during the Fall. 

 1. Go to a pumpkin patch! Obviously this is a fall favorite. Dallas actually has a few pumpkin patches. I have not been to the Dallas Arboretum, but I have heard that it is the cutest during Fall. There is a cute pumpkin village made up of 75,000 pumpkins and gourds. If you don't feel like paying an entrance fee for a pumpkin patch, there are other patches around the area you can go and find nice pumpkins for carving or decorating your home! 

2. White Rock Lake: This has been our go-to place pretty much every weekend. Ryan will bike around the lake and I will run for a little bit. We rather enjoy it, because it is pretty much the only outdoorsy place we have found in Dallas so far. There is a rental place right by the lake, so with my family we rented paddle boards. This is a great summer activity, but it was also really nice for the Fall because the weather is perfect. 

3. Top Golf: Several Dallas locals have told us about Top Golf. My dad loves golf, so we decided with them here would be the perfect time to go! It was really fun! The best part is that you don't have to be good at golf at all. It's kinda like bowling... but golf. Super fun idea. This is a great activity for a group of friends/family. 

4. Texas State Fair: I know I talked about this in a previous post (here), but it gets added to the list of things to do because it is a big event during the Fall. Seriously everyone here talks about it. We didn't go with my family because Ryan and I already went... but it is an event that is worth going to at least once. 

 5. Good Eats: I know there are a LOT of foodie places in Dallas. We have not even scratched the surface, so these recommendations might change once we visit more places... but for the time being, Ryan and I really love Torchy's Tacos- super yummy and affordable. And Ryan loves the BBQ of the Pecan Lodge. 

And here are just some pictures we took in our neighborhood :) Thanks for coming you guys!