A little fall on this ridiculously hot day...

One of my favorite treats as a child was my mom's no-bake chocolate cookies...yes we've all had them...and yes we all know their delicious; so when I came across this recipes for no-bake pumpkin spice cookies, a little yelp may have escaped my mouth:

Ingredients:
1.5  Cups  White Sugar
.5    Cups   Brown Sugar
.75  Cups   Butter
.66  Cups   Milk
3.5  Cups   Quick Cooking Oats
1     Tsp     Pumpkin Pie Spice
1     Tsp    Vanilla Extract
1 Box Instant Pumpkin Spice Pudding Mix
I couldn't find this at my local grocery store...just to describe how small our local grocery store is, they also ran out of bread that day....like all types of bread, so I substituted the pumpkins spice pudding mix with vanilla pudding mix and 1 TBSP pumpkin pie spice.

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine sugars, butter, and milk. Bring to a boil. Boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add in the pudding mix, stirring to combine completely. Add in pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and oats. Stir to combine and let stand 5 minutes. Drop by spoonful on wax paper, and let them dry. These do take a little longer to dry than the traditional chocolate ones, but they are so worth it.

Now go, make them, and don't tell anyone you are because then you can eat them all by yourself.

I'm lovin' it August...

I thought I'd take this month's "I'm Lovin' It" post and just make things really easy for my husband (and anyone else). Ya see, my birthday is less than a month away, so why not take advantage of this post and just spell it out for him...This is what I want for my birthday, Race...

Sidenote: subtlety has never been my strong suit.

The Colin Stuart Riding Boot in Fog from Victorias Secret:

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World Market's Bodum Chambord French Press:

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Navy Blue Teardrop Earrings by Rustic Gem:

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The Simbra Zigzag Frame from World Market:

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ZGallerie's White Decorative Ram Head:

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What about you guys? What are you lovin' this month? Any other birthdays coming up?

Country Living Magazine House of the Year

I've never kept how I feel about Emily Henderson, as a designer and my pretend best friend a secret. She's just such a genius, and I loved that when watching her show there was always a moment when you thought she had completely lost her mind, and then in the end the room came together flawlessly. That happens to me sometimes...except the whole flawless ending thing...

 No one can add whimsy and interest to a space like she can, and I can't explain how obsessed I am with her newest creation;

I present to ya'll for your eye-candy needs, the Country Living Magazine's House of the Year:

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Where to begin....The mint color on the wall in the main living spaces is something I would never choose for most rooms, but here it just screams a day in the country. It's light and airy, and the blank walls keep your eye moving. Then there is the hammock in the living room, I can't be the only one that has dreams about this. It adds an amazing casualness and comfort to the room, that just can't be recreated.....without a hammock in the living room.

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  The teal on the walls in the bedroom and on the cabinets in the kitchen is seriously a perfect color. Benjamin Moore Oasis Blue, so gorgeous.

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Then there's my absolute favorite part of this house, those dining room chairs. I've actually been crushing on these chairs from World Market for awhile, but the wood tone was never right in my home, Emily fixed this by painting them that same amazing Oasis Blue color, and they are jaw droppingly (not a word) perfect. I am so tempted to do this....like today, but I'll hold off for awhile...maybe.  

The dining space is another space that just screams cozy up here with a cup of coffee and the newspaper. I have been long into the idea of using a settee or sofa at a casual dining space, and this space just puts it over the top. I also think that the pendant in this space is pretty perfect. Since you can see through it, it's visually light and doesn't take away from the other great moments in the space...Brava Emily...

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....And then there is that amazing tile in the bathroom, if it wasn't on a bathroom floor I would probably rub my face all over it...it's that stunning. It's by Granada Tile, for those that are curious...and you should be. 

Now, go to her blog, and read all about this amazing makeover.....seriously leave.

Sofa swap..

I've been searching for a new sofa for awhile. Ours has seen better days. It's 7 years old, and actually considering what we've put it through, in very good shape. We will probably keep it in storage in fact, for our future home, but for now we need a new one. There were a few must haves when it came to the new sofa:

Must be a sectional-

We love our sectional, and can't imagine not having another one in our living room. The shape fits our home well, I don't think a sofa and love seat would have anyplace in our current living room. I also love the amount of seating a sectional offers.

Must be Microfiber or 100% Polyester-

Not only do these two options make the sofa softer, but they are amazingly easy to keep clean; in fact, our microfiber couch has really impressed us.

Must come in a teal color-

After seeing images like these on Pinterest, I am completely sold on a bright teal sofa:

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So here's the options:

The Dunham Down-Filled 2-Piece sectional in Lagoon:

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The Dunham Down-Filled 3 Piece Sectional in Lagoon:

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The Milo Microfiber Sectional in teal...sorry for the weird picture, it's the only one I could find of the sectional in teal.

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There's also a custom option at a local furniture store, that actually comes out less expensive than any of these options and will probably be our best bet.

In any case, I'll keep you updated. 

So in case you haven't noticed (please, just pretend you noticed, it will make me feel better), I took a little blogging vacation last week. Why? you may ask. Because, I have absolutely nothing to write about. nada. zip. Writer's block, doesn't even begin to describe it. I have no inspiration, no design projects, no sourcing to do, and I can't do much in my own home right now (more on that later this week, hopefully). What does that leave? Lot's of yummy eye candy for you guys, and another little break for me. Hoping, some time away will help recharge me, and get my blogging mind going again. So here's to a good week, and some hopeful inspiration. Cheers...

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