Liebster Schmiebster

I got tagged in a thing...with stuff!

Go check out Bee's post here for the background story. Basically she gave some Q's, and I'll be giving the A's.

1. What is your favorite book? Impossible question. Is that not an acceptable answer? Fine, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I loved reading more about the school and relationships and just awesome wizarding stuff. Also, it feels to me like this book was a tipping point in the series. Voldemort returns, and we witness a character's death.  No more happy times at Hogwarts. Sh*t just got real.

2. What toppings would you put on your pizza? Pineapple!!!! And either tempeh or roasted red peppers. Vegan cheese optional.

3. What Hogwarts house do you think you are in and why? Hufflepuff...ain't no shame in my game. 

4. If you could go on vacation anywhere, where would you pick? Euro Trip! Ideally I'd like to take a month and go everywhere, but I think Mike and I will only have 10 days this time around. So Finland and London are on the itin for now.

5. Coffee or tea? Am I at home?? Tea please!! If we are talking about what you order at a coffee shop, that would be coffee or more specifically an iced latte with soy and a shot of coconut :)

6. What is your favorite color to wear? Persimmon!! Look I'm even wearing it today!

7. Holden Caulfield…yay or nay? His name did not ring a bell at all til I googled it and was bombarded with images of a dude in a hunting cap. Though I know this is one of the high school lit books I actually read front to back, I remember almost NOTHING about it. Except that there was a carousel and he swore....Guess that's a nay. 

8. What is your favorite TV show on air right now? How I Met Your Mother - gaaaah final season feels...blerg. They are doing a really good job wrapping it all up for us though aren't they??

9. What is your motto? (Good question, Alice).  Can blerg be a motto? It's probably my most said thing, but that's kind of depressing. How about some motivational quotes instead??

Here's a quote from Barbara Brown Taylor that I have hanging in my cube:

Click here to see the quote if you are having trouble reading that one.

Also my dad once told me the following:

"No one has any money until they are 36. My dad said that to me when I was your age, and now I'm telling you" 

Sometimes it's nce to be reminded that no one has their ish together in their 20's. We're all just working on figuring things out...and that's ok.

10. What song pumps you up when you are in a bad mood? In answering the last question about mottos, this song actually came to mind. Dig in Baby!

So what did you think? Chime in with your thoughts in the comments below! I'd love to hear about your words of wisdom and get psyched songs :)

Happy Hump Day!

Thanksgiving Prep Time! and Harry Potter 5 Faves

Hi Hello! It's Friday....and next week is Thanksgiving....and the week after that? December!

Holy moly I just can't get over how quickly the Holidays have shown up this year. We once again have the honor of hosting, this time with the Socie side as our guests. That means that this weekend will be full of lots of prep. My strategy for a low-stress Thanksgiving meal: make ahead AMAP (as much as possible). 

Here's a look at our weekend to do's:

Grocery Trip: Round 2

Mike and I already brought home most of the goods last weekend, but there were a few pesky items that require trips to specific shops, in this case Trader Joe's. On the top of our TJ list: crescent roll, pumpkin puree, and surprise, surprise Cowboy Cavier.

Make Ahead AMAP (as much as possible)

My two main targets for making ahead are the mashed potatoes and the layers for our Pumpkin Tiramisu dessert. 

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Doesn't that dessert look divine?? We got a trifle dish as a wedding gift that I've been anxious to use. Bonus points for make ahead, no heat up required, AND fancy pantsy presentation :)

Cleaning and Sprucing Around the House

We've already done some serious fallifying around the house. Last weekend I added even more:

We ended up with extra watercolor leaves that I'm not sure what to do with. Mike seems to think we are toeing the line of going decoration overboard. He has no idea what I'm capable of. Muahahaha.

HARRY POTTER

Don't worry, our plans aren't all work. We've got a HP marathon to finish up, starting with movie 6 tonight. In honor of the marathon I bring you my Harry Potter 5 Faves from around the web:

Click on the title links to be taken to the sources.

Favorite Apparel: Whorecrux Tee from Screened Lolz. Also love this tee that I gifted to my bestie Bee.

Favorite Experience: Warner Bros. Studio Tour - Holy dream vacay!! 

Favorite Stuck in Your Head for Daaaaaays: Potter Puppet Pals: The Mysterious Ticking Noise

Favorite LOL: Literal Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Trailer Parody HD

Favorite Quote: 

Happy Friday! Have a magical weekend!

Friday Forecast: We're Gonna See the Heck Out of Rock City!

Raise your hand if you've got a 3 day weekend headed your way!

Sorry for bragging, but I'm pumped that next week Monday I won't wake up and think, "noooooooooo!" Remember guys, it's the little things.

Even though next Tuesday is a filing deadline, and I'm currently up to my ears in returns, it's also Mike's fall break. Meaning we get a very rare and precious long weekend to do some serious adventuring. Shoutout to my bomb-digs boss who totally gets this :)

Our original plan was to head out for a second camping trip, but we we didn't know if I would for sure get Monday off with the above mentioned deadline looming. So instead we are opting for a pretty extensive day trip into the north Georgia Mountains. How far north?? All the way to the Tennessee boarder: Rock City, Baby!!

Seriously?? Is this a cult??
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On our very first trip down to look for an apartment, we stayed at this little B&B in our desired neighborhood. Hanging outside near the entrance was a "See Rock City" birdhouse. Interesting... After moving here last year I started noticing a lot more birdhouses scatted all around Atlanta. Even more interesting... Then last week in the midst of our "What the heck are we going to to do make this long weekend awesome???" convos, I saw a random piece of trivia:

Q: Where in the US can you stand in one spot and see 7 different states??

A: Lover's Leap, a point in ROCK CITY!

Ok universe, I hear you! So, tomorrow morning we'll be waking up bright and early to make the 2 hour trek to Rock City.  And I'll be coming home with a birdhouse to prove it!

Our voyage North!

We have some pit stops planned. Supposedly there is a whole group of orchards all along a highway up there that's been nicknamed Apple Orchard Valley. On the way home from Rock City, we are going to cruise that valley like two winos in Napa. Mental note: pick up a jar of peanut butter for the car.

Hopefully we'll find a sincere pumpkin patch to pick up some Sunday entertainment and achieve further fall bucket list completion. Fingers-crossed.

Oh and for car ride entertainment...Harry Potter on tape!! Well actually cd, but you know what I mean. A word to the wise: if you've got a long car ride in your future, check out your library's selection of books on tape. I was seriously impressed.

Sunday and Monday will be much less action packed. We might try to make it to the Packer Bar for Sunday's game. I'm petitioning to use our empty Monday morning to hit up Flying Biscuit sans the typical hour long weekend wait.

Happy Friday! Have a ROCKin' weekend :)

Fall Bucket List!

Another Wednesday here, another weekend right around the corner. I'm going to switch it up a little. Instead of telling you about a project I recently did, I'm going to share some of my projects for the future. So, without further ado:

My Fall Bucket List:

1.) Fall Reading List I've mentioned this in other posts, but I've been trying to spend more of my free time to reading. My goal is to get through five works of fiction before Thanksgiving. One of those works is actually a trilogy, but I don't hear any booklist police complaining.

Slots 4 and 5 are still up in the air. I've found that it's best for me to pick new books on the fly.

2.) Harry Potter Weekend This idea has been floating around in my brain for a while, but until recently our Harry Potter dvd collection was seriously lacking. (Fun fact: the first Harry Potter movie was the first dvd my family owned growing up...and our only dvd player was in the computer). 

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In addition to marathoning the movies, I have plans for some serious Lego Harry Potter board game battles and possibly some  Lego Harry Potter on wii if I can hunt down the game in time. And to accompany all this activity: lots of pumpkin based recipes and of course butterbeer! 

3.) Pumpkin Carving! I am seriously pumped for this. I've asked Mike about a million times now if we can carve pumpkins this year. He says yes every time, but you better believe that when I see my next pumpkin I'm going to ask again :) Not only do we have a great outdoor space to display them this year. We can also use that same space to carve them, meaning less mess in the house! Soo Pumped! (pun intended of course)

I've already started fall-ify-ing  our patio. Can't wait to add some pumpkins.

4.) Christmas Cards Last year we thought about sending out Christmas cards, but mass mailings have never really been my thing. Now that we are married, I'm feeling a bit more obliged to partake in this tradition. I'v got some ideas, but I'm going to keep it a secret for now since there's a pretty good chance anyone reading this will also be a recipient.

What's on your fall bucket list? Share your plans in the comments!

Want to get jazzed for fall? Check out this article. Swooon.