THE HALLOQUEEN 2015 | #HALLOWEEN

It's Halloween and you know what that means.  When the clock strikes 12:00 midnight and turn to November 1, the Christmas decorations are going to be up and the carols are going to be playing.  I'm just being honest.  Although it's true, before all that I just wanted to share a couple of photos from last nights Halloween party that my friend Sara threw! 

SUGAR, YES PLEASE | #HALLOWEEN

Getting ready for the party tonight!  Stick with me until tomorrow.  For now check out my costume.

5 THINGS THAT INSTANTLY MAKE ME HAPPY

We all have bad days and we all have good ones.  Whether I'm the happiest I've ever been or I'm really feeling completely horrible, there are a couple of things that never fail to completely cheer me up.  I figured that today, I would share them with you.  Let's get started.

CURRENT CUISINE | HEALTHY DOESN'T HAVE TO BE BORING

Like I said in the title, healthy does not have to be boring!  I have been loving the colors of the food I've been eating lately and the dishes that I've been pulling together.  

HALLOWEEN DREAMS

I wanted to post the first teaser for my Halloween costume for 2015!  I am so excited to actually be dressing up for a costume party, I normally don't dress up at all.  I know this is basically no clue as to what I'll be, but I just want to tease the outfit a little bit.  Any guesses?  Tweet me them!

AMERICAN PHAROAH & THE HASKELL 2015

This is all treat, no trick let me tell you that!  On October 31, American Pharoah is looking to make history once again and I couldn't be more excited.  Although I can't be at the Breeders' Cup, I will still be cheering on Victor Espinoza and American Pharoah as they try to become the all-time earnings leader in Breeders' Cup history.  

In honor of this weeks happenings, I figured I would share some photos from when I went to the Haskell Invitational this summer.  Check out some of these photos when we got a chance to lay our eyes on the Triple Crown champ this summer at Monmouth Park.

5 YEARS OF MARRIAGE | #HILIFE

Life is extremely complicated.  You'll find that for me, it has been no different.  I think it is so important, especially with the things going on in today's world, to stop and think about all that we've conquered.  Whether they're big or small, bad or good.  No life event is less significant than another if it has changed your life or impacted it in some way.  For this reason, I've decided to launch this segment called 'HI Life' on the blog.  

Why HI Life?  Essentially, we're saying hello to life.  The good and the bad, the happy and the sad.  To make it even better?  It's a segment written by the members of the Heard It Community and I, that's what makes me so proud of it.  Sadly, it's not the Hawaiian Life, but it's certainly the high life.  So welcome to the HI Life, where every week, I will feature someones story.  Uninterrupted, the way they want to tell it.

This week, we have Cara Zamorski of Fashion Swain.  We're celebrating the upside of life today with her five year wedding anniversary!

SATURYAY!

Oh did I have the ideal Saturday!  I was so happy to finally spend time with my friend Sara who I hardly ever get a chance to hangout with anymore!  We did a ton of Halloween shopping for her party and picked up a few other things.  Not to mention that amazing meal pictured above from The Committed Pig, one of the local favorites (we call it 'The Pig'). More>

TIMES SQUARE FLOWERS

Are you following me on social?  Here's where to find me!  Happy Friday!

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NOTES OF NEIGHBORHOOD 3 | A FLORAL FRIENDSHIP

Okay so I know I've been heavy on the neighborhood/floral posts this week (meaning I've done two), but I just can't get enough.  When it's fall, things just start looking a little bit different, in a good way.  I was walking the dog and I just couldn't help but take a few of these gorgeous shots.  Check 'em out.

NOTES OF NEIGHBORHOOD 2

We're finally starting to feel the fall.  Let's be honest, it does feel beautiful.  I'm a summer girl, but there's something about the crisp, new feeling of autumn and everything it has to bring with it.  Check out what's been shining in my neighborhood this week in this weeks Notes of Neighborhood.

WEDDING COUNTDOWN SIGN | DIY

As many of you know, my best friend is getting married in March of next year and everyone could not be more excited.  With everything that we've been doing so far, each task gets more and more exciting.  Since we've last chatted, I've seen the venue and it is absolutely beautiful.  It's been hard to not post about every little decision that is made/everything we go and look at, but we have to keep somethings a secret for the actual wedding day.

To ease the pain of not being able to share everything, I decided to put my mind to work and make something.  Who doesn't do that, right?  I figured it would be an adorable idea to make a countdown for Ally and her fiance that they would both love, not just Ally.  It's so easy to think that the wedding is all about the bride (and it kind of is, lol) but once in a while it's nice to include the groom and think about him too.  So here's to Ally AND Daryl, I hope you like this one guys.  Here's how I did it.

OY! YOU'LL LOVE THIS | ESSENTIAL OILS

I had the amazing opportunity to try out some doTERRA oils recently and I am thrilled to have done so.  I've been thinking about trying oils for the longest time but didn't really know where to start.  When Alexandra kindly reached out and offered to provide some to try out, I happily accepted and here are my thoughts.

POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION | #HILIFE

Life is extremely complicated.  You'll find that for me, it has been no different.  I think it is so important, especially with the things going on in today's world, to stop and think about all that we've conquered.  Whether they're big or small, bad or good.  No life event is less significant than another if it has changed your life or impacted it in some way.  For this reason, I've decided to launch this segment called 'HI Life' on the blog.  

Why HI Life?  Essentially, we're saying hello to life.  The good and the bad, the happy and the sad.  To make it even better?  It's a segment written by the members of the Heard It Community and I, that's what makes me so proud of it.  Sadly, it's not the Hawaiian Life, but it's certainly the high life.  So welcome to the HI Life, where every week, I will feature someones story.  Uninterrupted, the way they want to tell it.

This week, we have Cristina Burcus of Storiesfrommysoul.  This is her story.

SOCIAL SATURDAY

I just wanted to share my socials with you all!  I'd love for you to come say hello.  Thank you so much for all of the love and support you've shown HITTI!  If you'd like to be featured in my new segment HI Life, please feel free to contact me and tell me about yourself!

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TOPSHOP JEWELRY/SHOE HAUL | STYLE

So imagine my surprise when I strolled into Topshop and saw that the jewelry was on mega sale.  My absolute favorite thing about Topshop is definitely the accessories.  I mean, of course I love everything style-wise, but for some reason I think they have the most adorable/trendy jewelry and accessories for very reasonable prices (especially when they're 50-70% off!)  Check out what I picked up and let me know which ones are your favorite.

AFFORDABLE HALLOWEEN BANNER | DIY

With Halloween coming up, I have been trying to find some different ways to decorate my house other than the traditional pumpkin here, pumpkin there.  Don't get me wrong, I love pumpkins and I plan to get some this season, but I wanted to challenge myself to do something cute and I think I've done it.  Check out how I used Target Dollar Spot craft materials to make this adorable Halloween banner!

NOTES OF NEIGHBORHOOD

I wanted to share with you some awesome sights that I see around my neighborhood on a daily basis.  Everything is so beautiful, especially during this time of the year so enjoy these!

BLACK & A PICNIC BASKET | STYLE

Top | Skirt | Shoes 

TRIBAL TWIRLS | STYLE

Dress | Chambray | Shoes | Watch

Life After Bereavement - Sink or Swim? | #HILife

Life is extremely complicated.  You'll find that for me, it has been no different.  I think it is so important, especially with the things going on in today's world, to stop and think about all that we've conquered.  Whether they're big or small, bad or good.  No life event is less significant than another if it has changed your life or impacted it in some way.  For this reason, I've decided to launch this segment called 'HI Life' on the blog.  

Why HI Life?  Essentially, we're saying hello to life.  The good and the bad, the happy and the sad.  To make it even better?  It's a segment written by the members of the Heard It Community and I, that's what makes me so proud of it.  Sadly, it's not the Hawaiian Life, but it's certainly the high life.  So welcome to the HI Life, where every week, I will feature someones story.  Uninterrupted, the way they want to tell it.

This week, we start with the beautiful and lovely Lisa Hoptroff of Thirtysoemthing Belle.  Lisa is a British lifestyle blogger out of the UK and here is her story.

Exclusive HI Life Forward

I wanted to share my story with you. Tragic? Yes. However my main reasoning behind writing this was also to show that you CAN get through anything - I promise! Even the worst,most devastating moments of your life DO get better with time. Everything changes and the dark times pass. Keeping a positive point of view is so very important and an almost stubborn determination not to 'sink' helps too. 

Lisa's Story

Death. That one little word that sums up so many emotions. Heartbreak, love, memories, shock, injustice, anger, fear. For many, we cannot imagine losing the people closest to us. For some, it is a sad reality we have to brave.

My fiancé died. There, I said it. Today should have been our 7 year anniversary. I want to give you an insight into this significant part of my life and the months that followed. Whenever the topic arises, the awkward atmosphere swiftly follows. It's a conversation that nobody really knows how to have (including me) yet many are curious about so here goes...

IN 10VE WITH BURGUNDY ON 10/10 | STYLE

Dress | Watch | Shoes | Bracelet (All Sim)

What a stunningly beautiful fall day here at the Jersey Shore.  I couldn't have had a better day.  I went to brunch with my dad in the morning and then Bricktoberfest in my town afterwards.  How are you welcoming the fall weather in your town?  Send me a tweet.  Thanks for reading!

SIMPLE CAULIFLOWER BITES

I've scoured the internet yet again to search for some different ways to change up the daily routine of what we eat here in my house.  It's so simple to get caught up in the mundane reality of eating literally the same shit, every single day.  Amirite?  I know, I know.  I found these delicious looking cauliflower bites with a light coating of breadcrumbs, a mixture of spices and a hint of Parmesan cheese.  I can't say it's the absolutely HEALTHIEST thing, but it's not terrible and it's an alternative to something heavier, like potatoes.  Here's how I made them.  

INDIAN SUMMER

As the days where the sky looks like this wont last much longer, you have to take the time to enjoy it.   I get so happy when we're lucky enough to have an Indian Summer like this, 75-ish degrees in October! 

3 INGREDIENT, HOMEMADE GRANOLA BARS | NO BAKE

I had been scouring the internet looking for some recipes for healthy desserts because I am tired of the same old thing.  Can you agree with me?  I mean really, it does get kind of boring eating the same fruits and vegetables all of the time (even when seasons have just changed). Fall can get especially annoying because everything is about apples.  Don't get me wrong, I like apples, but I don't love them and I get tired of them very quickly.  

With that being said, I came across this recipe for homemade granola bars. When I found them at first, I thought it would be a great snack and what got me excited about it is that there were only three ingredients necessary.  Upon making them, I quickly realized that with the honey and peanut butter, they're a little sweet for me to consider them a granola bar and more of a dessert.  Here's how I made them.

LUNCH TIME | CAFE COLETTE

I recently stopped at Cafe Colette in Williamsburg Brooklyn for lunch.  I have to be honest, I don't get to Brooklyn often so as I was presented with so many lunch/brunch choices upon exiting the subway, it was a little difficult to pick something.  I was happy I chose Cafe Colette and here's why.

QUEEN JOAQUIN | STYLE

Cardigan | Dress (sim) | Shoes | Watch

THE LIEBSTER AWARD

Good evening everyone and I hope that you've had a great weekend.  I am so thankful to have been nominated for the Liebster Award by the lovely Hannah and Sara over at The Perfect Storm! Thank you so much girls, so sweet.  They run a blog together all about life, style, food and more so go ahead and check it out when you get a chance. 

Check out my answers to the questions, here:

Step Lightly | My Favorite Rain Boots

So as I'm sure most of the world knows, the East Coast is bracing for yet another hard hitting storm called Joaquin.  The weather around here at the Jersey Shore has been nothing short of rainy and windy and we are all bracing for some intense flooding.  After Sandy, there's not much we can't handle around here but there has already been some crazy stuff going on weather wise.

When it's raining,  I always like to make sure I'm prepared with some shoes that are comfortable, functional and cute at the same time.  Trust me, it's the key to staying dry, warm and happy.  I have found just that in these Michael Kors booties.  I have a pair of Helly Hansens that I wear all the time as well, but these booties match with absolutely everything!  If you follow me on Instagram, you will have seen that I wore them today.  

The Helly Hansens I have are also bright pink, not as professional as these are. These shoes are easily transition-able and not uncomfortable to walk around in. Before I had originally bought these I had my mind set on rain booties instead of boots anyway, so when I found them I was very happy. I like the bootie style because it is much more wearable with any outfit both in and outside of the office.

What kind of shoes do you favor wearing when it's raining or snowing to beat the band outside?  Where are you reading from, are you in the path of Joaquin?  I hope you're all safe.  Thank you for reading and be sure to send me a tweet with your favorite rain boots.  

Affordable Halloween Tray Decor | DIY

So it is officially October and Halloween is just around the corner.  The house that I currently live in is one that last year, had the best Halloween decorations in the neighborhood (we moved in after Halloween).  I really have been trying to encourage the rest of my family to keep that tradition going but no one seems as enthusiastic about it as I do.  That's okay!  I am usually the only festive one in the household by default.  I decided to start decorating for the season and this is the first evidence of that.  Fun fact about everything used in this little DIY (except the Scotch Washi Tape)?  It was (almost) all from the Dollar Spot at Target!  Let me get started and show you how I arranged everything!

ALL ABOARD THE CRAZY PANTS TRAIN

Can we talk about these pants for a second?  The minute I saw them in the store, I was awestruck.  I have to be honest, I knew they were coming home with me as soon as I laid eyes on them.  Something about them just makes me happy.  As they're not quite the most relaxing pattern, I never really imagined myself wearing them to bed.  Honestly, I always thought about wearing these with black heels of some sort and a black top.  I would be the one to wear these right into the office.

As you can see in the photo though, I wore them to bed!  I was in a chill mood and put them on one day and looking at the pattern didn't make me dizzy, imagine that.  There something about these pants and how aesthetically pleasing they are and they aren't even more than three colors.  I picked them up at H&M last year or so and wore them for the first time recently.  I can safely say, they'll be on my body again soon.  That's for sure!

I want to know though.  What's your opinion on wearing these harem style, tight at the ankle pants out in public?  To the office?  With the crazy designs?  Tweet me your thoughts!  Thanks for reading!