Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Wednesday, November 22 • california, cooking, diy, how to, quick guide, recipe, san diego, san diego blogger
Pumpkin Pie
1 can of pumpkin (15 oz)
1 can of sweetened condensed milk (14oz)
2 large eggs
1 and 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (plus a little extra because I spilt it in the mix lol)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pillsbury pie crust (no, I didn't make my own crust)
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1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Whisk together the pumpkin, condensed milk and eggs (it is very easy if you throw it all into your Kitchen Aid on level 3, like I did).
3. Stir in the spices - you can add more if you want your pie to taste a certain way.
4. Lay pie crust in the dish and pinch sides to create the crust design.
5. Pour pumpkin mixture into crust.
6. Bake at 425 for 15 min. Then, lower temperature to 350 and bake for another 30 min or until the pie is baked all the way through.
7. Serve with a dollop of cool whip on the top and a glass of milk on the side!
I hope you all have an amazing Thanksgiving full of happiness!
October Faves
Friday, November 3 • about me, beauty, california, fashion, girly, quick guide, round up, san diego blogger
Rimmel London 107 Lipstick - I love this perfect fall color! Even though the lipstick tends to come off quickly, it has been my favorite color lately. Added bonus: it was only $5 at Target! Head over to my Instagram to see what the color looks like on.
Jergens Natural Glow - With the change in weather, I usually lose my summer sun-kissed skin (aka my still pale completion since I wear tons of sunscreen). But, with this after shower moisturizer I can keep that summer glow year round! My only complaint is when I first started using it, it looked blotchy until I used it enough to build up full coverage.
Backpack Purses - I have never ever liked backpack purses. I always thought backpacks were meant for school, not shopping... but boy was I wrong! I picked up a backpack purse for our trip to LA last weekend and I seriously love it! It is perfect to hold all of my stuff and it takes the weight off of just one shoulder. I think I might actually purchase another backpack purse in the future.
London Fog Lattes - When the seasons start to change, I find that my morning drink starts to change as well. I usually transition from coffee to tea for the fall. My go-to Starbucks drink is now a London Fog Latte! A London Fog is earl grey tea, steamed milk and vanilla syrup. If you haven't tried one yet, I highly recommend it.
Apple Watch - I finally picked up an Apple Watch for my birthday and I love it! I was pretty iffy on getting one because I already had a Fitbit; but after talking to my friend and trying her's on, I decided I really wanted to get one. It is really nice to see your notifications and be able to text people back from your watch. I also love using the "breathe" function twice a day and the fitness apps work great. I am still trying to figure out all of the functions but so far it is an amazing little wearable device!
Honorable Mentions:
Shows - Stranger Things and Riverdale
Food - candy corn, apple pie and soup
Adventure is Out There: San Diego Edition
Friday, October 27 • adventure, advice, california, hiking, quick guide, round up, san diego, san diego blogger, travel
About six months ago, my husband and I moved to San Diego and have been exploring something new whenever we have the chance! So, in today’s post I want to share a few tourist things I have done recently that have been a lot of fun.
One of the best things about moving around is all the new experiences and adventures you get to go on. I can’t stress enough how you need to get out of your comfort zone and explore the world around you. It will definitely give you a new perspective and change your life. Moving to San Diego was quite a drastic change from our little town of Milton, FL and it was really hard to adapt to the change at first. We didn’t know what to do on the weekends or where to get our groceries, and we were definitely not used to the “Cali lifestyle.” So, we got out and we explored! We have already made so many new memories and are determined to leave here saying "wow, San Diego was great!"
So without further adu, here are 4 things to do while visiting San Diego:
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| Enjoying Disneyland with my amazing friends Katie and Jill while they visited from Washington. |
Disneyland – Okay, so I know this one isn’t in San Diego but its my favorite place on Earth! It is about an hour and a half drive up to Anaheim from San Diego so it isn’t too bad for a day trip. Usually I try to get there 30 min before the park opens and stay to watch World of Color or the fireworks and then head home. It does make for a long day but it is 100% worth it.
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| Biking riding and getting smoothies with Ryan, Hannah and Daniel while Ryan and Hannah were visiting over Spring Break. |
Bike Riding on Coronado Island – This is an activity that I have actually done three times now because I love it so much. My favorite place to rent bikes is Kruiser King in downtown Coronado. Their beach bike rental is $7 per hour or $20 per day. I really love renting bikes because you can ride them down to the Hotel Del Coronado and then along the beach, or you can ride through the neighborhoods and see the beautiful houses. As some of you know, I’m obsessed with HGTV so riding around and looking at houses is the highlight of my day!
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| Enjoyed a delicious meal at Cafe Gratitude with my Military Spouse friends. |
Eat – There are soooooo many good places to eat here! I could make a whole post on my favorite places to eat here but I’ll try to keep it to my top 3 (that I have tried so far). In no particular order, I have loved eating at: Buon Appetito in Little Italy, Café Gratitude in Little Italy and Havana Grill in Clairemont. Each restaurant is quite different so it really depends on the type of food you're looking for; but they are all delicious!
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| Hanging out on Potato Chip Rock with my friend Rachel when she was visiting from Pensacola. |
Hike - San Diego has some great trails to hike! There are trails for everything from a nice walk along the cliffs to a 7 mile trek up the mountains. For beginners, Torrey Pines is great! It offers beautiful views while not being too challenging of a hike. On the other hand, Potato Chip Rock is pretty tough. If you do the backside of the hike you gain about 2,000 ft in elevation in just 2-3 miles (it was killer on the legs)! My personal favorite hike is Cowles Mountain. It is a good workout while not being too strenuous; and offers beautiful views of the entire city at the top. I think no matter what trail you do, you won't be disappointed by hiking in San Diego!
I’m know there are more places that I haven’t explored yet, so I’ll keep you all updated as I explore more! Next on my list to do here is Balboa Park, the Zoo, skiing and camping!
What to Wear - Navy Ceremonies
Monday, September 25 • attire, fashion, girly, milso, quick guide, san diego blogger
Its that time of year again.... Ball Season!! I am a total sucker for a reason to get dressed up (sometimes I dress up just to go out to dinner with my hubby) so when ball season comes around I get really excited!
I remember Roxy (from Army Wives) being worried about the "dress code" she would have to abide by after Trevor went to OCS. I found this part of the show funny because there isn't really a dress code for spouses on a normal day. I have definitely shown up to spouse meetings in my Navy sweatshirt and leggings but have also show up in a preppy Lilly dress so I personally think anything goes. However, when it comes to events and balls, there is definitely an unspoken dress code. From what I've experienced, it is best to wear modest clothes but still show off you sense of style - you can do this by wearing a chunky necklace or some adorable peep-toe heels!
I wanted to share some of the outfits I have worn to Navy ceremonies since Daniel has been in. Also, I am the kind of person who doesn't want to spend a ton on formal clothes since I don't really get a chance to wear them that often. So, all of the dresses I listed below are $80 and under!
OCS Dinner - The OCS dinner was more on the formal side so I opted to wear this red dress that I picked up from H&M almost a year prior. I didn't have a good sweater to wear so I paired it with my professional blazer to give the dress a professional/formal look.
OCS Graduation - OCS graduation was a little on the less formal side. It was in an auditorium and was a short ceremony so I didn't dress up too much. I ordered this dress from Red Dress Boutique about a month before heading to Rhode Island. I knew it was going to be chilly there so I made sure to pick up a cute oversized scarf to wear with it. If I could change one thing about this outfit, I would ditch the heels. We did a lot of walking and heels weren't really the best choice for shoes.
Merlot Dress (linked similar) // Heels
Navy Ball - This was my first ball so I had no idea what to wear! I went shopping with my gal-pal who had been to a Marine Ball before and she helped me pick out this dress. I originally found a dress similar to it at the mall but didn't want to pay over $200 for a dress I would wear once. So I headed over to Lulu's online and found this perfect dress for the perfect price! A simple yet elegant dress is always a good option for the ball. However, I did see some cinderella style dresses that had sequins and I also saw 3-5 ladies wearing short dresses. So I guess it is whatever you feel most comfortable in!
Wining Ceremony - Again, I had no idea what to wear for the winging ceremony! A couple senior spouses had told me to wear nice Sunday church attire so I tried to match that. Keep in mind that you will be going on stage (above the crowd) to pin on wings; so, when finding an outfit, think about how it will look from the audiences' point of view (aka not too short). In the end, I think my simple black long sleeve dress was perfect. It wasn't too dressy but it didn't look casual either. I would recommend either a simple dress or a cute summer dress for an event like this!
I hope you all have a wonderful ball/ceremony with your military member!
Shop more ball dress styles here:
Big Bear Lake - California
Sunday, September 10 • adventure, big bear lake, california, quick guide, review, san diego, san diego blogger, travel
This past weekend Daniel and I ventured up to Big Bear Mountain to celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary and we had such a perfect weekend!
As soon as we got up there, we went to Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain. The alpine slides are really fun because you get to act like a little kid again! You get to ride the chair lift up to the top and then climb into a bright yellow sled and race down the hill. It was a blast! I also loved the view from the top of the slides. You could see the lake peeking through the trees with the bright blue sky. I wish I had gotten a better photo of it because this photo below doesn't do it justice.
After the slides, we headed down to the lake for lunch. I had packed a picnic lunch for the day so we sat and ate it under the pine trees. After lunch, we walked around the village and did a little shopping while waiting for our hotel room to be cleaned for check in. While in the village, we went to a really cute little coffee shop called The Tea and Coffee Exchange. I think we have officially earned the title of "old married couple" because we sat and played chess while enjoying our coffees!
We finally checked into our hotel (we stayed at The Lodge at Big Bear Lake) at 3pm. Our room was really cute with a fireplace and balcony. However, the room was a little on the older side and had an odd smell to it. Other than the smell, every thing was really clean and nice! The hotel was in a great location because it was only a couple blocks to the heart of the village and about four blocks away from the lake. If When we go back, we would definitely stay there again.
We took a couple hours to just relax and watch tv in the room before going to dinner since we got up pretty early that morning. Also, we were not able to have our wedding cake topper on our anniversary like tradition states - but, I was able to order these adorable sugar cookies from a local baker in San Diego (Amy's Cakery)!
We went out to dinner that night at The Peppercorn Grille. The restaurant food was okay.. it wasn't anything overly special. However, the atmosphere was perfect. It was a small place that had fire heating lamps set up on the patio - which made it feel so romantic. Also, the manager gave us a free chocolate cake (that I "accidentally" devoured before Daniel could have 3 bites LOL). After dinner we went right next door to Big Bear Lake Brewing Company. Neither of us had ever been to a brewery so it was a fun experience! We sat at the bar and ordered two flights of their house beers. My favorite was the Honey Blonde and Daniel's favorite was the Goldmine Pale Ale.
The next morning we had to head home unfortunately; but we left feeling rejuvenated after a night in the mountains! I think it is super important to spend time with the ones you love, experience new things together and most of all, cherish the little moments in life! I also HIGHLY reccomend Big Bear Mountain to those who are looking for a cute little mountain lake in California.
Thanks for reading! I hope everyone has a good week ahead!
A year in the life - Jack Edition
Friday, August 25 • cat, dogs, golden retriever, puppy, san diego blogger
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| 8 weeks old - first day we took him home |
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| 2 months old - first vet visit |
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| 3 months old - first rawhide bone |
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| 4 months old - first puppy play date |
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| 5 months old - still figuring out how to be like his sister |
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| 6 months old - he (barely) passed puppy training |
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| 7 months old - we had to pack up the house and move |
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| 8 months old - he slept through 2000+ miles in the car |
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| 9 months old - he had to celebrate Easter in the cone of shame |
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| 10 months old - his first girlfriend |
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| 11 months old - he got to be a little boy and play in the dirt at the dog park |
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| 1 year old - he recieved some birthday treats (a rubber rope, Beggin Strips and a Sprinkles Cupcake!) |
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| 5 years old - she got some birthday treats too (catnip, Kitty Cravings tuna snacks and some squishy fetch balls!) |
Well, as you can see, it has been a crazy but fun year! Jack is still learning some manners such as jumping up on people and using his mouth while playing. But other than that, he has sure made us proud! Nala has been doing her own thing but she still cuddles with me every night and loves to eat bananas! She has such a great personality for a cat and makes life more fun.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACK AND NALA :)
Hiking: Cowels Mountain
Friday, August 18 • adventure, hiking, north face, packing list, photography, quick guide, san diego, san diego blogger
This weekend Daniel and I went to Cowles Mountian for a hike! We wanted to get to the top before the clouds burnt off and the sun came out so we started our hike around 7:30am. While it was really hard to get up early, it was so worth it to watch the clouds slowly disintegrate to show the beautiful mountains. We got some beautiful photos at the top and had the chance to just sit and relax after a long week. Once we got down the mountain, it was only 10:00am so we decided to stop and grab some juice! I was never a "juice person" but since moving to San Diego I have grown to love it. Daniel got a green juice that had mango, kale, agave and some other delicious stuff and I got a pink juice that had a lot of fresh fruit in it! By the time we got home it was only about 11am and we still had the whole day to get house stuff done. Starting our Sunday morning by hiking was definitely perfect!
For hiking, I always wear my hat to keep the sun off my face! I also like to wear a tank top and bring a 1/4 zip pullover in case it is a little chilly. I recommend wearing a light pair of leggings or pants when you go hiking to protect your legs from overgrown nature! Also, the hiking boots I picked up at REI were a lifesaver! They have a lot of grip on the bottom and added ankle support so I wasn't worried about rolling my ankles on rocks (especially when going back down the mountain). I will link some of my favorite hiking attire at the end of the post if you're in the market for new gear!
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| The trail we hiked up! |
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Thanks for reading! Check back for more hiking posts in the future (since this is becoming my new favorite hobby)!
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