Currently Craving: Bunting

Love, Love, Love bunting! For weddings, holidays, parties, showers or just everyday! Bunting makes me smile!

{from here}

Love this Dia de Los Muertos bunting from BadBabyQuilts! Yes, I have a *crush* on all things Dia de Los Muertos!

How precious is this bunting from TopThisWedding? The greens, pinks and yellows from these sweet fabrics would be great for a wedding, spring bridal shower or even a baby shower!

And what about this laser cut bunting? I want to have this to hang in my bedroom year round!

{from Rockett St. George}

Happy Weekend Friends!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! 

Don't forget to change your clocks Sunday night...and enjoy that extra hour! 

Ready to start shopping for the Holiday? From casual days to Festive nights celebrate in style with these chic looks!

Currently Craving: Something Different...

You might have noticed that Vegan MoFo button over to the right. And you are probably thinking...

"Umm...she's not Vegan! What gives?" 

No, I am not Vegan but I do have a natural curiosity for this lifestyle. A Vegan is someone who chooses not to use or consume animal products, for various reasons. The top three reasons would be FOR the ANIMALS, FOR the ENVIRONMENT and FOR HEALTH.

I have never been someone who consumed meat on a regular basis, especially red meat or pork! (I will share my SAVE THE PIGS story with you later this month!) However my interest in Veganism has grown  ever since I really started researching the health benefits. Primary benefits include weight loss, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, less use of medication, avoiding surgery and cancer and feeling more energized.  

Vegan MoFo, Vegan Month of Food, is a blogger celebration of all things Vegan. Folks will be blogging about all things Vegan for the entire month of November! There are tons of great recipes, kitchen gadgets, restaurants and so and so forth!
Cooking and eating Vegan does mean that all you can eat is salad and beans. There are tons of delicious options out there.... even at your favorite restaurants.
I have been exploring Veganism through books, cookbooks and blogs. Vegan at Heart and The Kind Life are two blogs that I have found to be very helpful for someone who is "flirting" with the Vegan Lifestyle.

❉ Veg-A-licious Books to check out ❉

Skinny Bitch--all of them! I will be adding to my Currently Craving Wish List the latest,  Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook

The Kind Diet--Like totally awesome! Alicia Silverstone shares recipes, beauty products, clothes and  promotes better health.

BabyCakes:Vegan,  (Mostly) Gluten-Free and (Mostly) Sugar Free Recipes from New York's Most Talked about Bakery--What Vegan's eat cupcakes? And they are actually good?!!! (Just ask my brother and A--both loved these treats when I whipped them up one evening!)

 Vegan Brunch and Veganomicon--Yum Yum and Yummier!

And you can find many more here!

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Trials and Tribulations

We are trying to stick to a "tight" budget around here, since we have moved across country twice in less than 2 years, and I took an extended va-cay after the move. Everyday I tempted beyond belief, actually twice a day, driving to and from work. Tempted by what, you wonder? 

Hobby Lobby! 

And now EZ from Creature Comfort has published the long awaited for Gifted Magazine and I already know how this is going to end... 

So many amazing Holiday DIY projects, snowflakes, gift wrap and tags, treats and tons of inspiration! 

You will also find many great gift ideas. I have already added several to my wish list! 

Pretty Sure this Wreath will be hanging from our front door by the end of the week!

Now use that cute little button over to the right to get a peak and I will see you at Hobby Lobby! 

I Went to the Danger Zone

Hope everyone had a great Halloween! Saturday was gorgeous and we spent the day walking trails in the Manzano Mountains and then shopping.

Sunday was family day... we watched football, ate Chili and gave out candy at A's parental units house.  Zorro and Goose, from Top Gun were definitely the highlight of the evening!

 Today was A's sisters birthday so I whipped up some Pumpkin Cupcakes for dessert, as if there weren't enough sweets around!

For my cupcakes I took the semi-homemade route--using Betty Crocker White Cake mix and Cream Cheese frosting.  I had good intentions to bake from scratch but what can you do?! To make up for this and in honor of World Vegan Day and Vegan MoFo here is a recipe for Vegan, Gluten Free Pumpkin Cupcakes!      

                                                          Pumpkin Cupcakes  adapted from 

    BabyCakes

2 cups Garbanzo-Fava Bean Flour

1 cup Potato Starch

1/2 cup Arrowroot

1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons Baking powder

1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Xanthan gum

2 teaspoons salt

2/3 cup Coconut oil

1 1/3 cups Agave Nectar

3/4 cup unsweetened  Applesauce

1 cup Pumpkin Puree *I use Libby's*

grated zest of 1 lemon

1 cup hot water

1 can vegan Cream Cheese frosting

Preheat the oven to 325F. Line 2 standard 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, potato starch, arrowroot, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, and salt. Add the oil, agave nectar, applesauce, pumpkin puree, and lemon zest to the dry ingredients and combine. Stir in the hot water and mix until the batter is smooth. 

Pour 1/2 cup batter into each prepared cup, almost filling it. Bake on the center rack for 22 minutes, rotating the tins 180 degrees after 15 minutes. 

Let cupcakes stand in the tins for 20 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Spread 1 tablespoon frosting over each cupcake.

**I use Bob's Red Mill Flours**

The only thing missing from my weekend....

was this cute little garden gnome! 

That's a Wrap!

Happy Friday Friends! I am pretty sure everyone can agree with this but......

I am ready for the weekend!

Lots of fun activities planned for the weekend--baking cupcakes for my sister-in-law's birthday, Chili night and trick- or- treating with the family on Halloween and, most exciting of all, registering for our Wedding!

Some links to enjoy over the weekend with all that candy:

-Absolutely darling Homemade Wedding out of Athens, GA over at OnceWed

-Rock-on! Fabulous Kate Spade Bangles from SwankyPeach

-Chic Vegan has Scrumptious soups to fill you up and keep you warm

-Meghan Telpner is saving the day and our blood sugar levels with 5-day Low Glycemic Eating starting on November 5

Roses are Red...

Violets are blue... But non of that will do! 

I'm loving non-traditional weddings touches! Wild flower bouquets, 

like this one I found on 100LayerCake....ohhh....and that dress!

Or something bright and colorful with a little bit of edge. 

A bit obsessed with this Andy and Edie shoot put together by bash, please.

And, of course, anything with Billy Balls, Peonies, Dahlias will do.......

{oncewed}

{we met in a bar}