Short & Sweet - Halloween Decor (Apartment Style)

There's no doubt about it...one of my favorite holidays has to be Halloween!  I love it all - the decorations, the candy, the movies and TV shows.  Everyone knows I live all year for the day Hocus Pocus comes on TV!  Even though I have it on DVD, there's something about watching it on TV with a cup of hot apple cider.

I think one of the most important aspects of living in an apartment is making it feel like a home.  One of the ways I try to accomplish this is by decorating for each holiday that I can.  I've tried to make our little apartment as cute and comfortable as possible.  Since I made these banners last year for a Halloween party we were planning to throw, I knew I had to use them somehow in our apartment.  After receiving a little inspiration from none other than Pinterest, I figured out the perfect place for them.  While I would love to also have garland around our front door and a pumpkin topiary on the porch, those hopes just aren't realistic when we share a common space with our neighbors.

After having the Happy Halloween one up for a couple days, Chris and I have decided it would be nice to have one for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Looks like I have a few more crafting weekends in my future!  If anyone has any cute Thanksgiving decoration ideas - please share with me!  Before we know it, it'll be November and time to circulate out the apartment decor.

Short & Sweet - My Favorite Season

It's hard to believe that October is already upon us.  With October comes all sorts of goodness - PSL at Starbucks, decorating for fall, Halloween, colder weather.  These are just a few reasons why fall is my favorite season of the year!  The days when you can enjoy a nice brisk walk outside, slightly bundled in one of your favorite sweatshirts, admiring the beautiful colors of the changing trees...these are the days I look forward to year round!

I spent last Saturday decorating for fall in our apartment.  All sorts of goodies made their yearly appearance - the colorful front door wreath, a centerpiece for the coffee table, and a few knick knacks.  I've decided to make homemade Halloween cards this year.  Yes, I am one of those people who sends cards for each holiday that Target stocks a seasonal shelf for.  After stocking up on a few supplies at Michaels, I couldn't help myself in waiting to make them.  So below is a preview of a few of my Halloween cards this year!

I hope everyone has had a great start to their October and enjoy the beautiful weather this time of the year brings us!

Short & Sweet - DIY Coasters

I've been neglecting this blog of mine lately - wrapped up with work and Chris starting his internal medicine rotation.  I hope everyone has had a great start to fall so far!  We are officially 5 days into the best season of all in my mind!  What's not to love about pumpkins, Halloween movies, hot apple cider, and layers of cute, warm clothes?

My friend Courtney recently moved into a house and started to unpack and decorate.  While you're taking a break from your busy day catching up on my blog, head on over and take a peek at her blog, A Little Bit Moore.  She recently posted a house tour and I have to say, it looks precious!  I can't wait to have a house and put our personal touch on each room.

As a housewarming gift, I decided to DIY a little something for her :)  These adorable cork coasters are so easy to make and add a personal touch to any living space.  All it takes is a little acrylic paint and pre-cut cork coasters and you have yourself a homemade personalized seat for your drink!

I hope everyone has a great weekend and enjoys this beautiful fall weather :)

Vacationing in the Lowcountry of Hilton Head Island

What does Labor Day mean to you?  To me, it's usually an excuse for a day off work and my birthday weekend!  This year, it was also the last big trip to top off this summer.

Chris and I were planning on spending a week during his online rotation month up in Connecticut and New York, but it didn't work out to make the trip this month.  Instead, we started to search for RCI properties, that his parents are members of, that had last minute openings for a week over Labor Day.

We stumbled upon Hilton Head Island and thought we'd look a bit more into the available properties (very few) and see what the island had to offer.  I had been to HHI once before, but only for a day trip when my friend Brittany lived in nearby Savannah, GA.  After finally reserving a spot and getting my time off approved at work, it was time to pack our bags and venture 6 hours south to the gorgeous Hilton Head Island!

Hilton Head Island definitely has some of the best seafood I've ever had and many delectable restaurants which we highly recommend.  We had lunch at Robert Irvine's restaurant Nosh one day, which I would highly recommend to anyone visiting the area.  It's basically a burger and sandwich joint, but Robert Irvine somehow converted me and I now love blue cheese and pickled onions.  The Salty Dog Cafe is another original to Hilton Head Island.  Perched on South Beach, you can enjoy fresh seafood as you overlook the marshlands.

Of course we had to go big for my birthday!  We were also celebrating Chris' birthday as it was the week before we left for vacation.  The Old Oyster Factory was by far the best meal we had down there!  Amazing calamari as an appetizer, a seafood platter for Chris (top left) and crab cake dinner (bottom middle) for me.  We enjoyed a nice relaxing dinner on the outside deck that overlooked the marsh and watched the sunset.

After driving a few miles through beautiful scenery, we were ready to conquer Harbour Town.  Harbour Town boasts the landmark of Hilton Head Island, the Harbour Town Lighthouse.  The top of the lighthouse overlooks HHI's only PGA Tour golf course.  

As Savannah, GA is only an hour south of Hilton Head Island, we decided it would be well worth it to make the drive and explore what the city had to offer.  We were right - this city is full of history and charm.  In my opinion, the best way to see any city in a day is to hop on board a trolley tour.  This may be because I'm the daughter of the vacation planning queen, but I've always enjoyed these tours.  They have the best tour guides who know details and secrets about the city that you just can't find anywhere else.

What's a vacation without a few tourist shots and selfies??

I have to say that I've never visited anywhere that is more biker-friendly than Hilton Head Island.  Not only were there sidewalks, but there were bike paths leading everywhere.  You could get around the whole island without ever biking on the main road.  We were fortunate that the unit we stayed in provided us with 2 free bikes for our stay.  We took advantage of them and biked around the community a few days.

All in all, it was a great vacation which provided much needed rest and relaxation!  We will definitely be returning to Hilton Head Island in the future and highly recommend a visit to all our friends and family!

Short & Sweet - My Wish List

So I'll be honest...I've splurged a bit lately.  Last week I bought a pair of Hunter rain boots and two beautiful pictures of lighthouses for the walls in our bedroom.  Since I'm trying to save money, I figured it was time I wrote down an official wish list of items I've had my eye on for quite some time. My birthday is coming up soon...(hint hint).

1. Taylor Swift's Champion Bow Stripe Keds - I don't know whether it's my love of Taylor Swift or my love of comfort...but these are just so cute!

2. Opposite Attract ring by Pandora - I stopped wearing the ring on my right hand about 3 months ago.  It just got to be a little too wide for everyday wear.  This ring is the perfect width and beautifully mixes yellow and white gold.

3. Bose SIE2i Sport Headphones - I seem to be the most productive at work when I can listen to music.  Even though I have an office, I still like to use headphones in case the people around me don't like to listen to Glee soundtracks or Michael Bublé.  I think everyone can admit that the in-ear headphones that come with your Apple device are not the most comfortable for long-term use.  Although I haven't had the opportunity to try these on, I have never been disappointed by any Bose product I've owned.

Short & Sweet - My Morning Essentials

I am by no means considered to be a morning person, so anything that can help wake me up and make me look more alive is considered an essential in my book.

Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Foaming Scrub is the best facial scrub for the mornings.  The scent wakes me up instantly and the scrubbing beads exfoliate my face for a light flush.

In the past 10 years, I have purchased who knows how many concealers trying to find the one that covers those pesky under-eye dark circles.  Bobbi Brown's Creamy Concealer Kit is by far the best concealer I've ever owned.  I don't plan on buying anything but this for years to come.

For those mornings when you don't feel like putting multiple layers of make-up on, a nice all-over bronzer is all you need.  The Warmth All-Over Face Color from Bare Minerals is my favorite.  A little bit really does go a long way.  Shake less than a pea-size into the cap, buff on with a brush, and you're ready to go!

I have recently discovered dry shampoo.  I know I'm a little behind the curve on this one but I am in love!  We all have mornings whether we are running behind or just don't feel like messing with the whole process of shampoo, condition, blow dry, style...dry shampoo is my hero these mornings!  Pantene Pro-V Blowout Extend Dry Shampoo is great!  It doesn't leave any residue behind and brushes in nice and evenly.

Short & Sweet - Aquí Vamos

"Aquí Vamos" is translated in Spanish as "Here We Go."  Well, here we go for my new adventure - learning Spanish!

After traveling to the Dominican Republic twice in the last two years and my overabundance of love for Mexican food - I've decided to learn Spanish through Rosetta Stone.  I absolutely loved Spanish when I took two years in high school, I even got the award of Most Improved Student from our Spanish teacher.  Working in the world in Human Resources also means communicating with individuals from different backgrounds, some of which may speak Spanish as their primary language.

Rosetta Stone ended their summer sale of 46% off any set yesterday.  I have been thinking of buying a package for months now and finally pulled the trigger yesterday and purchased my set of Spanish - Latin America learning package!

As of right now, my Spanish vocabulary basically consists of hola, gracias, de nada, me llamo, and baño.  You know, the basics of introduction and bathroom - very important when in a foreign Spanish-speaking country.

I'm so excited to start this new project and see where it takes me!