//FALL FAVORITES//

As part of the Blogtember Challenge, today my dear friend Jessica has taken over my blog for this guest post. Since I never posted my fall favorites, she’s showing us hers, and I could not agree more with her. She has her own blog, but hasn’t made it public yet, or else I’d give you a link to read more. Maybe we can all convince her to show us more 😉

Take it away, Jess.

---

Light jackets, scarves, and leggings, the smell of Starbucks brewing their seasonal signature drinks, and the trees changing colors can only mean one thing, fall has arrived y’all.

If you know me, then you know that I’m a HUGE sucker for the fall season and EVERYTHING that comes along with it. My poor boyfriend even gets to experience me turning into a little kid, excited as can be at the sight of cooler weather.

Today I’m gonna take you through some of my favorite things about this season, so fall back into your comfy chair and enjoy!

I know I will be judged when I type this next statement out but here it goes… I Jessica, do not like pumpkin spice lattes, there I said it! My favorite Starbucks drink is actually their Cinnamon Dolce Latte by a long shot, and it doesn’t hurt that it’s available throughout the whole year!

Desserts, Desserts, Desserts!

During this time of the year I start channeling my inner Betty Crocker and baking becomes second nature to me! I just love spending my time in the kitchen making homemade pies, cookies, and anything that makes my apartment feel warm and comfy.

Fall Fashion to me is my absolute favorite! The word COMFY always comes to mind when I’m picking out my outfits at this time of the year. Pair some leggings/jeans with a comfy sweater, cute riding boots and BAM you have an effortless yet flawless outfit. I’m also really digging vests for the fall this year especially these from J.Crew. Uhmm can I please have all of them in my closet?!?!

BOLD lips are a must! This is the time of the year when I pull out my favorite Fall Lipstick “Dark Side” made by MAC Cosmetics. It’s a little vampy, a bit darker, yet the perfect color for this season.

Now growing up in Dallas TX this time of the year always meant ONE thing to me, and that was THE TEXAS STATE FAIR! That’s right, the one place where it’s totally acceptable to stuff your face with fried food, ride the HUGE Ferris Wheel a couple of times, and pose for a picture in front of a giant Cowboy named Big Tex (because lets face it, everything is bigger in Texas and we’re very proud of that) who greets everyone with a good ole “HOWDY FOLKS.”

I might not live in the Dallas area anymore but that is not stopping this gal from going to the fair! My AMAZING boyfriend is actually taking me tomorrow for our 3 year anniversary and I’m very
excited!

“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.”
― Lauren DeStefano

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post, time is very precious so thank you for giving me yours.

xoxo Jess

Living is Eating in Austin, TX

Did you know Austin, TX looks like this? I bet it isn’t what your mind pictures when this well-known city comes to mind. This image depicts my very favorite area of Austin- the northwest section. There are rolling hills, trees galore, quirky houses, fancy houses, and plenty of fun places to visit. Beside all that, it’s close to most other areas of Austin, including downtown.

Now, when you think about visiting a new city, what is that stands out as the most important area in which you need guidance? For me, it’s the food. I’m always looking for my new local favorite. So, in this mini guide to Austin, TX I present to you some of my favorite dining places.

• Kerbey Lane Cafe: the cutest and most comfy diner/cafeteria style place, featuring many organic, local, vegan, or gluten-free options. There are several locations so you’re never too far from one. If you make it there, order the Kerbey Queso and/or the Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes.
• Craig-O’s: the best classic pizza place. Nothing is fancy or amazing but it’s darn good pizza.
• Hopdoddy: the most indescribably delicious gourmet burger place. But it’s not just the burgers that are good- truffle/parmesan fries, mean margaritas and other delectable drinks.
• Lupe Tortilla: I have just two words here- margaritas and fajitas.
• Mighty Fine: another burger place, but more of a classic style burger, with typical ingredients and toppings and a side of crinkle-cut fries. Also strawberry lemonade and milkshakes. So much good here. The thing that makes this place stand out beside the taste is its cleanliness and transparency. Literally, you can watch patties being made through a glass window.
• Ka-Prow Thai Bistro: this is the place where I learned to love sushi. I always thought it was so disgusting, but after having had the fried rice and a few other dishes from this restaurant, Chance convinced me to try his sushi, and wow. I now crave sushi from time to time. The best part about this place is that it’s a 2 minute drive from my apartment. Score. But apart from that, everything is just done well- the food, the atmosphere, the service, everything.
• Pho Hoang: a hole-in-the-wall pho place, always fresh and delicious. Perfect for a rainy day, and always cheap.
• Lick Ice Creams: fresh, homemade, unique ice cream, made with interesting ingredients like goat cheese, beets, cilantro & lime.

Thanks for reading, as always! If you’re ever in my area I hope you’ll check some of these places out. Another thing I love about Austin- there are always more favorites to discover. This is the place where food is done the right way.

–Rachel

It Takes One to Know One

Linking up again today with the Blogtember Challenge, so I’m writing about the blogs I read most consistently. Now, I say “most consistently” because I do not always make the time to read daily. I use the Bloglovin app on my iPad to read, because everything is conveniently in one place, but I still sometimes don’t even open it or only read a couple of posts. However, I always make an effort to catch up, because I believe that reading and interacting with other blogs is key to writing a good blog yourself. this is true with everything in life, really. You’ve got to have experiences and insights to write about.

First up is A Beautiful Mess. (All of these photos are links to the sites!) While I love all of the content (from crafts to beauty to diy) from this blog, the food is what I mostly stay for. I get many of my recipes from here, most of them written by co-owner Emma Chapman. She has an easy writing style and does not over complicate recipes. I always feel excited and able to make the recipes featured here. Also, not one has failed when I attempted it- that’s seriously saying a lot!
A Practical Wedding offers advice not only for planning a wedding but for life in general. Yes, I visited this site daily when looking toward my wedding, but I’ve stayed to glean insight into things like navigating married life, family, growing up, and even sex (which is a big deal when newly married after 21 years of abstinence for both parties). I definitely recommend this no matter where you are in life- single, married, engaged, widowed, whatever. Soul food here. By the way, if you do find yourself planning a wedding, there is also a book by the same name, written by the founder Meg, and it is good.
The REWM is a personal blog run by Rachel, who is smart, insightful, and downright funny. She also lives in my home state of Texas, so I can find no faults. Here you can find tidbits of anything- food, adventures, writing, journalism, etc. I especially enjoy her insight into issues of race and women’s rights, and often find myself clicking every link she offers to glean more information.
Joy the Baker, written by Joy herself, is just the best ever blog. Despite the name, you can find more than just pastries and pies here. She also creates and blogs recipes for dinner, lunch, BRUNCH (seriously so much brunch gold), and everything in between. Joy also keeps me in touch with the world at large by posting a roundup of articles (both serious and fun in nature) and other interesting things every Sunday.
Danielle blogs at Little Bit of WoWe and man, this lady has one distinctive writing voice. She’s hilarious, intellegent, and creative with her outfits. I love seeing how a high school teacher dresses herself (and where she buys all the things) since I aspire to hold the same profession. Besides her sense of fashion, she offers glimpses into her life and times.

I hope you will consider checking out all of these great blogs! If I have to choose only a few posts to read on a given day, these are my go-to reads. Enjoy!

–Rachel

Inspiration | Insight

My man.

Happy Thursday! This evening my husband’s band/baby, Chasing Lions, is playing (probably their last) show here in Austin. Bittersweet, let me tell you. But we’ll make it as fun as possible. Then tomorrow we’re heading up to Dallas / East Texas for a family reunion on Chance’s side, so we’re in for quite a weekend over here. Anyway, below I’m leaving you with some links to great things. Enjoy!

Trying to devise a fitting blog name is hard, but this is helping.

Maybe we shouldn’t all be ignoring ebola. *Ahem, nations’ leaders.*

Rachel is hilarious but so, so accurate on Facebook profile pictures.

What do you think about test retakes in high school?

Loving this creative hair chalk ‘do and this poppy patterned shirt.

This honey mustard roasted cabbage is my jam lately. Seriously the best. I’ve also tried it sauteed with butter. MMM.

Finally, looking forward to making this salad and this hazelnut milk.

–Rachel

You’ve Got [Vlog]

Have you ever been on the phone with someone and you can hear your voice echoing every time you speak? I hate that, not only because it’s confusing, but also because I get hung up on how weird I think my voice sounds. So it makes little sense that I actually recorded a vlog (thanks to Bailey hosting the Blogtember Challenge) and am posting it here for anybody to view. But here we are! I did it! And I kind of liked it! It’s really interesting to see yourself as others see you. Apolgies: the video isn’t of the greatest quality, and I suggest turning the volume up because it’s pretty quiet and hummy.

P. S. I didn’t realize how long a 5 minute video would take to upload. Dear Lord.

–Rachel