LF STORES WINTER LOOKBOOK

(images via LF Stores)

My favorite three shots from the amazing LF Stores 'Wayward Winter' lookbook. See the rest of the looks here for extra inspiration. This makes me a little more excited for the freezing weather headed our way soon. What about you?

Hoping that everyone had a great Thanksgiving! After a nice breakfast with my oldest brother and his wife, I spent my afternoon serving at our local Rescue Mission. This year I wanted to think about those who cannot enjoy Thanksgiving Day the way I am used to enjoying it. It was a blessing to humble myself for just a few hours in order to help my community. Thanksgiving dinner was delicious, as always. Oh, but I didn't snap too many pictures.. I was too busy enjoying a second plate.

P.S. - My Black Friday finds will be showing up on the blog here soon! ;)

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WHAT I'M THANKFUL FOR

 

1. My crazy family - my parents, two older brothers (aka bodyguards), and two sister-in-laws.

2. The true friends in my life (not pictured here).

3. The traveling I have already done in my life that that is all located in this journal.. and more traveling that is awaiting me! 

4. Mr. Mac - I don't know what I would do without him. 

5. Cameron Canon - So happy that I treated myself to a "real" camera. Oh, have you noticed that I name all the technology in my life?  

Happy Thanksgiving! 

I hope you all have a wonderful day spending time with family and friends. Enjoy having an excuse to eat way too much! Cannot believe that just last year I was spending my Thanksgiving in Paris. Although I wish I was still there, I remember missing my dad's amazing cooking so badly. Now I finally get to experience the ultimate Thanksgiving again!

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THANKSGIVING EVE

Spent my day preparing for tomorrow! I cannot believe it's already Thanksgiving. Definitely one of the best times of the year. So excited! I painted my nails with a little bit of Turkey Day inspiration, although I could have been more patient and done a better job. Oh well. There's always next year! This candle was lit all day that my mom gifted me with, along with a cute little card. She doesn't pass up an opportunity to give gifts.. ever. We baked all afternoon as you can see! It was my first time ever making an apple pie, and I must say I impressed myself. Hopefully it will taste as good as it looks!

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

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GUEST POST BY MY FAVORITE FOOD BLOGGER

I am so happy to have my very good friend Carrie of plums in the icebox share with you all one of her amazing recipes! Make sure to check out her blog and follow her on Twitter here for all of her latest happenings. Read her post below to find out how to make these apple-oat muffins! I will be getting a glimpse into her life tomorrow when my mom and I bake lots of pies for Thanksgiving. I have a feeling my blog may turn into a food blog over this Thanksgiving holiday. Don't worry, Carrie. I won't be able to make anything as good as you can! 

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I'm not usually the best baker, but this fall the weather (rainy and cold and blah) has made me want to stay inside and use my oven. These apple-oat muffins are easy to make and completely delicious. I added applesauce and yogurt so they would be extra moist, and wow, they were! The oats and the apples make these healthier than your average muffin, perfect for a Thanksgiving day breakfast (I even froze a few of these and plan to eat them for breakfast throughout the winter). Use whole-wheat flour to make these even better for you! If you're gluten-free, these are easily customizable; I made the muffins with 1 cup of Arrowhead Mills baking mix and 1/2 cup of rice flour. 

Apple-Oat Muffins
makes 12 muffins
total time: 30ish minutes
total hands-on time: 10-15 minutes

1 1/2 cups of flour 

1 cup oats
1/2 cup of brown sugar
dash of salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs

1/2 a cup of applesauce

1/2 a cup of greek yogurt (plain or vanilla)

1/2 cup of sliced almonds or other nuts (optional)
2 small apples, diced extremely small

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and mix.
3. Combine wet ingredients in another bowl and mix..

4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir well.
5. Core and seed your two apples, then slice them into extremely small pieces. I left the skin on for more fiber, but you can peel them if you want.

6. Add the apple mixture and the nuts (if you're using them) to the batter and stir well again.
7. Spoon batter into muffin tin and bake for about 20 minutes.