this week’s highlights

Saturday / You know those brisk Fall days when you feel like bundling up, sitting by a fire, and enjoying a warm bowl of soup or a savory pasta dish? Well yeah, we don’t get those days in San Diego. And don’t get me wrong, I love San Diego. But I also miss those chilly Fall days. So after hearing my Mom talk about how their temperatures had dropped, and that she was cozying up in layers. . .well, I wanted to cozy up too! But since layers aren’t so much of an option here, we whipped up a cozy classic for dinner, Shrimp Risotto.

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Sunday / Thinking back on today, it was really one of those days when I know that we were doing things all day, but I’m sort of sitting here scratching my head like. . .what did we do? Well, we did some errands (which we typically try to avoid like the plague on the weekends). We caught up with family (which is always something that we look forward to). And then we watched a few Halloween movies that we had recorded earlier in the week. Topped off with my most favorite Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, it truly was a delightfully lazy Sunday.

Monday / My sister-in-law, brother-in-law and nieces sent me this drool-worthy cookbook for my birthday (along with this specialty pizza pan). . .and I have been flipping through this baby almost nightly. We keep debating which pizza to try first, but really I would be happy with any of them. We’ve never had Detroit style pizza before, but we’ve been hearing rave reviews of its cheesiness. And if there is one thing that this Wisconsin girl loves, it’s cheese.

Tuesday / I feel very grateful for the blessed life that we have in so many ways. But in this way, I feel very blessed that we have been able to make so many “clean” living changes. But at the same time, since I am sort of a creature of habit, the process hasn’t always been so enjoyable. We have tried so many new products over the past few months. . .and honestly, I am a bit worn out. I am officially ready to be done with the testing phase.

Wednesday / It’s kind of a funny thing that there are certain foods that have a seasonal attachment to them. And maybe that’s not the case for everyone, but for us, most definitely. And when it comes to Fall (and Winter) favorites, my Mom’s Chili definitely ranks up there. Who knew that chili could make you feel a little bit food crazy. . .but this one completely does! From the moment that I mentioned to Ryan that I was going to make chili for dinner, he could barely contain his excitement. And really for good reason.

Thursday / We haven’t had pizza for two weeks. Two weeks! I know, shocking. So today was the day. We couldn’t go one more day. For my husband, he’s Italian, so it’s in his DNA. But for me, well, I just love pizza. But let’s be honest, neither one of us need any excuse for pizza. Tonight we whipped up an old favorite, and something a bit unusual – tuna and red onion. Yes I know, this sounds sort of strange. But trust me, it is so so good. (And you can find the recipe for this pizza under my pizza Instastory highlight on Instagram.)

Friday / We’ve really tried to limit the amount of new seasonal decor that we accumulate each year. Because for the most part, the stuff that we buy from Target or Michael’s or the like tends not to stick around for very long. So I’m trying to make sure that the items that we do buy are more “investment” pieces. Things that we will really enjoy for (hopefully) a lot of years. (Like this West Elm Magnolia Wheat Wreath that I just ordered.) But there is definitely one Fall decor item that we will never deny ourselves of, and that is pumpkins. Lots and lots of happy little pumpkins. We just brought home our first ones of the season, and already our apartment feels just a bit more Halloweeny.