So much LOVE!

Today is a special day for my love and I, we are six months married and this marks four years together!

I'm so thankful to the Lord for putting us together! He has provided for me in so many ways and he blew me away by providing this man far better than I could ask or even dream to be my husband and partner in this life! 

I love you my bear and I always will! Thank you for taking me to be your wife, loving me as I am, and taking such good care of me! I can't believe how far we've come in these four years together! I couldn't be happier that we are now married!!! Thanks for all the wonderful memories, jokes, and fun times! You are my best friend, my love. I love spending each day and night ;) with you! Thanks for being you! 

much love, Bug

The most DELISH breakfast for fall!

Pumpkin Pie, Sweetie Pie Yogurt

This is a super yummy breakfast I've been making the past few years in the fall! When I start feeling those intense pumpkin cravings...like August, haha! nah just kiddin' October usually :) The best thing about this recipe is: it's super delicious, it's stupid easy, and it's fast! 

I'm calling it Pumpkin Pie Sweetie Pie yogurt because I had started making it mid October and my hubby cautiously watched me eat it while eating his regular yogurt or a bagel. Sometimes he doesn't like to try new stuff but I don't push. One day I offered him a bite and he said he really liked it. The next day I offered to make him some but he still said no, sad face :(  probably just didn't want yogurt but whatever... Then a few days later I offered again and He ACCEPTED!!! "Here's my chance!" I thought, and he loved it! Now he asks for it every so often and I think to my self "he's such a sweetie pie!" ;)

You will need:

yogurt of choice: I use greek gods greek yogurt the honey flavor. It's decadently thick and creamy and perfect sweetness. I use about 1 cup (I don't like getting measuring cups dirty for b-fast and if you measure it once and continue to use the same bowl you can eye it)

two to three tablespoons pumpkin puree not the pie filling but ironically there is a pie on the can...

1 tea spoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon cloves

 *for the spices add what you like! pumpkin pie spice is great because its got cinnamon cloves nutmeg and allspice all bundled up together but I love cinnamon so I add extra and same for cloves it you like extra spicy-ness add extra nutmeg whatever YOU like!

stir it all together  and top off with your favorite granola

There you have it!A delish breakfast that is festive for the season filled with pumpkin,a super healthy vegetable that contains lots of good vitamins and fiber. 

Snack!

Hey there! Just wanted to share a pic of my delicious and healthy snack for the day: Raspberries and Persimmon! 

Also getting some double fist pumps from my android couple! lol! Their names Lemon and Cherry!

DIY Coaster for Mom

I came across a funny image on the internet (pretty much a daily occurrence nowadays) But I totally thought of my adorable mom whose birthday is coming up!!! I knew I needed to make something of this photo for her..but what.. and then I came to me as I sipped my water... I went to set it back down and noticed the cute painted tile coaster my husband bought Kauai that we keep in between our desks..."That's it" I said, "I'll diy her a coaster!" 

here's how I made mine:

first to gather the supplies:
1 glossy white 4" by 4" tile (I found mine at Lowes.)
1 sheet of foam paper (or felt)
the adorable image or photo printed out on regular computer paper or a pretty piece of scrapbook paper would work nicely too.
Modge Podge craft glue
Modge Podge I used the 'antique matte' kind
and Modge Podge dimensional magic

First thing I did was cut out my image to fit the coaster in my case I left a white boarder and edge of the tile exposed.

next cut the foam or felt to fit the back of the coaster.

The tile will be rough on the bottom so we will need to cover it to protect surfaces from getting scratched.Use craft glue to adhere the foam to the back of the tile. Let that dry. 

Next using a foam brush or a paint brush smear on Modge Podge (antique, matte, glossy whatever you like,I just choose antique because it went well with the vintage style image I used.) It is important to put the glue on both the front of the tile and the back of you image so that when you go to adhere the image you will be able to move it around to get it perfectly centered or exactly where you want it before it drys. One you have down where you want it smooth out all the wrinkles and bubbles so it's nice and flat. Let It dry.













Now that you've got your image glued on cover it with Modge Podge using your foam brush or paint brush. Here I used a paint brush because I liked the look of brush strokes to go with the vintage look I had going. Let that dry for another 10 to 20 mins and then do a second coat. 



Last part is to seal the coaster with Modge Podge Dimensional Magic. I just squeezed out a quarter sized puddle on top of my dry coaster and carefully spread it with my paintbrush.  

  ...as it turns out this is a pretty popular idea on Pinterest, just do a search and you'll find some more inspiration for making nifty custom coasters. 

here's a couple pics of my inspiration coaster that sits in between myself and my hubby at our computer desk. We do have a pretty sweet set up I won't lie :P 

Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

Hello friends! I'm just loving this fall! It's a wonderful time of year as it is but this year especially so since I'm newlywed to my wonderful hubby and this is our first fall married! This has been the best fall yet! We've been snuggling up together, wearing fuzzy socks, and making tons of new pumpkin creations in our very own kitchen!! Now I must confess that I'm not vegan or even vegetarian but I happened to be out of eggs and I really wanted to make pumpkin muffins for breakfast the other day so... I improvised and came out with a delicious, moist, and just so happens to be vegan pumpkin muffin!      *note: This recipe makes great pumpkin bread too :)

Here's how i did it:

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
 (or if you have it on hand you can use 1 cup regular flour and 3/4 whole wheat flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
dash of salt (preferred is sea salt or even better yet pink sea salt)
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I always use a little more just because I love cinnamon)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 tablespoons unsweetened apple sauce
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon honey
  

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, brown sugar, salt  and spices in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl mix pumpkin, coconut oil, apple sauce, maple syrup, and honey. The coconut oil will stay a solid in the liquid mix especially if your apple sauce or pumpkin were in the refrigerator but this is not a problem. Next mix the wet ingredients into the dry and work the two together into dough with a wooden spoon (i do not use a hand mixer at all for this recipe) Grease loaf pan for pumpkin bread or standard muffin pan with whatever you prefer, or you could also use muffin liners if your pan is not non-stick. I used a non-stick muffin pan and had no trouble without liners but I did grease it with coconut oil. Fill muffin pan 1/2 to 3/4 in each hole thingy :p and bake for 25 minutes. If making pumpkin bread bake it for 35 minutes. 

My baking times are approximate so be sure to keep an eye on them and when in doubt insert a tooth pick in the middle of you bread or one of your muffins. If it comes out clean then it's done if it comes out with dough still on it is not quite cooked all the way through yet.

I topped mine of with whipped cream cheese regular flavor! Oh so yummy! 

PS: Kirby liked how they smelled but he didn't get any closer than that! We're still working on keeping him off the table. Let me know what you think of my Vegan Pumpkin Muffins recipe and if you have any kitty training tips :) 

Piloxing!

Pilates and dance are the main focus of my workout routine and I aim to get at least one 25 minute or longer full steam cardio session in each week. Occasionally I get to go to a private lesson on the Pilates Reformer taught by my beautiful and extremely talented Pilates trainer. She has taught me so much about proper form which makes ALL the difference in an exercise. She recommended that I give a Piloxing class a try and today I did!!! It was a great class! 

A Piloxing class is a combination of Pilates, dance, and boxing that is cleverly put together to music and choreographed combinations. This class is packed with movement the entire time and hits up all the major muscle groups while working the core the whole way through. A good warm up...literally! I was freezing when I walked in wearing a tank, long sleeve top, and a fleece hoodie, and within 10 minutes I was looking for an opportunity to throw my hoodie off to the side :) We then worked on the upper body, arms, legs, back, abs, and we even did some balances in the mix. It really is a full body workout and it's a blast to do! My instructor did a great job at motivating the class and only a few of us were first timers so the other regulars helped to create a fun environment to dance, throw punches and work out with ;) 

So I say thumbs up for Piloxing and I look forward to the next chance I get to take a class! I hope you'll give it a go sometime too! If you like dance, Zumba, boxing, organized and structured directional classes in a group setting OR you just happen to be a gymnast-turned-dancer who also loves practicing Pilates and trying new things, like me, then you'll love it! :P