A Stunning Fall Southern Wedding

Now that it's spring I don't like to mention fall or winter, but in this case I will, because I just have to share!

Last fall when I was nine months prego--I had the pleasure of doing Lauren's makeup for her wedding.  She was a beautiful and gracious bride.  I loved working with such a sweet and happy person.

Scroll through the pictures and be inspired by this elegant wedding!

Pumpkin Pork Enchiladas

A couple of years I was in the mood for something chicken and pumpkin for dinner.  I searched on the internet and found this Pumpkin Chicken Enchilada recipe from Gluten Free Mommy.  Since then it's been my favorite enchilada recipe.  I started to experiment with this recipe and found that I like it even better with shredded pork!  This recipe is easy to make, fast, delicious, flavorful, and not loaded with calories like normal enchiladas are.  If you wanted to mix it up, instead of doing enchiladas you could make it into a layered casserole and swap out the pork for chicken!  Its very versatile!  I used up the rest of a pork loin we had the night before for dinner.  I got to use up boring leftovers in a new and delicious way.   It's a win-win for everyone!  

My 1500 Square Pixels of Fame

Have you ever thought that there is more to life than being really, really, really ridiculously good looking? Cue voice dripping in sarcasm.  

Remember this boy?  Well, said boy took me to the sunday morning session of General Conference.  He's a real catch.  Behold, our 1500 square pixels of fame:

photo credit

After our celebrity sighting of Elaine S. Dalton, we too became celebrities. There we were, minding our own business, waiting to get into the conference center when--BAM!--out pops a man with a camera who starts snapping us like we're Lady Gaga. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm used to the paparazzi being all up in my face, but never before have I been featured by such a fine publication as the Ensign. After our photo stalker left we mused about the distant possibility of our photo actually being included in the final issue. When we first saw the photo we were surprised, but then we thought, "No surprises here!" If you need evidence of that just let your eyes wander a little bit to the north (they'll probably do that naturally). This flattering portrait falls on page 100 of the conference issue. It serves as a lovely accent to Elder Kevin S. Hamilton's talk entitled "Continually Holding Fast."

Be sure to "hold fast" by picking up this month's edition of the Ensign.  That way you can feel not only the warmth of the Spirit, but also the warmth of our smiles.

A Festive Fall Front Porch on a Budget

I'm going to get a little personal here.  The last couple months have been really stressful for my McKay and I.  McKay's job has been in jeopardy because of the nationwide sequestration.  With several rounds of layoffs at his work and more to come,  McKay and I have felt so uneasy about his future and the need to have a more stable job so he can finish his masters and support Amelia and I.  The good news is McKay has been offered a job with a government program where they allow him to go to school full time, pay him salary, and they pay for school!  This is a huge blessing, but there's one crappy stipulation, it's a significant cut to his pay :(

We've had to have some serious heart to heart talks about our finances.  We even thought of moving out of our home and renting it out for a couple of years to save money.  Even though that would save us money we just didn't feel right about that option and plus I would feel overly territorial about someone else living in my home, worrying about whether or not they're keeping it clean, and thinking about someone sleeping in my bedroom (it kinds of creeps me out).

We'll be able to survive, but money is going to be really tight for the next couple years.   It's hard to be at a comfortable stage of your life then being forced to feeling like a poor college student again.  You feel like you're taking three steps backwards.  After weeks of feeling mopey and "my life sucks" kind of mood, and dealing with some health issues (it's been a rough week).  I've realized that this isn't the end of the world.  Many people go through set backs in their lives and this one will be such a small one in the grand scheme of our lives.  We're extremely blessed and have SO much to be grateful for.  This new opportunity is going to get McKay through school, have a stable job, and allow him to be home more.  Not many families in our area do have options, and I need to remember that.

I'll stop my whining now.

My friend Allison from Cupcake Diaries asked me to be apart of her series of 30 Days of Halloween where each day she features a blogger creating something Halloweenish.  You can go here to learn about the series and see all of the other awesome Halloween ideas you can use this year.

Anyway, I really, really, really, wanted to dress up my boring front porch this year for Fall/Halloween for Allison's series but needed to do it on a VERY small budget.  I was pretty skeptical I could pull it off.

I set a budget of $5 and promised myself I wouldn't go over it and I'm happy to say I was able to stay on that budget!  It wasn't easy.  I wanted to get a few new fall decorations I saw at various stores, but I stuck to my guns and bought only what I really needed.  Everything else I used I already had in my house, found in the garbage, borrowed, reused, painted, and grew to get this front porch looking festive.

2 Quick Ways to Transition Your Makeup for Fall

Here in Alabama, it's still really warm, and I wistfully walk by the cozy sweaters and buttery leather boots that have been in stores for weeks now.  I long for the crisp autumn mornings in Utah and California.  It's hard to get in a seasonal mood when it's hot and sticky by 9 AM!

But, that will not stop me from enjoying September, and the beginning of this season.  I'm OVER my summer staples.  I've been wearing hot corals and neon pinks on my toes all summer.  I'm longing for the richer hues of berry and bordeaux and I decided I don't have to wait!  I'm sporting a dark wine mani and shiny cherry toes right now!