In an effort to keep the content of this blog a little more organized, yet still personal, I have decided to incorporate a "view from my lens post" (similar to this post last year) at the end of each month to recap life and other happenings. I'm a little behind with these updates, so this month will have some August and September tossed in as well.
I hope you enjoy these little snaps from my phone as much as I do.
Back in September, N and I bought season pool passes on the last day it was open. Win!

Our first experience at Diana's Bath in Bartlett, NH!

A fun little selfie to commemorate our first last day of school. The finish line is in sight!

Lazy weekend mornings call for brownies for breakfast in bed!

I chopped my hair off in September to a long bob and I'm thrilled!

We spent a few weekends fair hopping around New Hampshire!

 Taking in the gorgeous views of Castle in the Clouds.

 Hiked my butt up Mount Washington and checked another thing off of my 30 x 30 list!

Carved some beautiful fall pumpkins... only to have them rot and mold 3 days later. :(

 Only because this pictures kills me... my one and only playing sick. Drama. Queen.

How was your October!?
I hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween!!

Weekend Life and Links

HELLO EVERYONE!!

I hope everyone is getting their daily dose of fall in because a week from today is HALLOWEEN!! I tried to decorate the apartment a little bit, however we just don't have many fall decorations to do that. A few lights, a sign and pumpkins will have to do. I wanted to swing by and share with you a few things that caught my eye this week! 

• These boots have been on my need list for a couple years now. I just can't justify a $600+ price tag though. Maybe later :(

• I just opened an Etsy shop (like 5 minutes ago, what!?), I'll be filling you in later on in the week about that adventure!

• I cut my hair to a long bob a month ago and think it's a style I'm going to stick with, look how fun all these long bobs are!

• I would like to create a post based around this same concept, but in the meantime... 25 top stocking stuffers! Have you started shopping? ;)

• I am definitely jumping the gun here, but isn't this stencil genius!?

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

the PUMPKIN COOKIE

It occurred to me the other day, that the most fall-esque activity that we have done all season was go to a couple fairs and eat some apple crisp. It's OCT 22nd people, and that's all that I have documented. In an effort to have some more fall fun, L and I picked some pumpkins up from Prince Postale the other day to carve, and whipped up a delicious batch (same recipe as last year) of our favorite pumpkin cookies!
INGREDIENTS:
Cookies:

• 2.5 cups unbleached white flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 0.5 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 0.5 teaspoon salt
• 1.5 cups granulated sugar
• 1 stick of butter, softened
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 4 tablespoons of butter
• 2.25 cups powdered sugar
• 0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

Cookies:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. 
3. In a large bowl, beat the sugar and butter until well blended. Slowly beat in the pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth.
4. Gradually beat in the flour mixture.
5. Place round scoops of batter onto a baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper.
6. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the edges are firm. Let cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:

1. In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese and butter together until smooth.
2. Add the powdered sugar, ground cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Beat until full and fluffy.
3. Refrigerate any leftovers. 

SO DELICIOUS!! THE CINNAMON FROSTING IS EVERYTHING!

A little documentation of our carving extravaganza! Currently sitting pretty in our window sill would be the scariest of jack O' lanterns and the creepiest of cats!

How are your fall and Halloween activities going??

Hiked it, Liked it!

Over three years ago while hiking in the White Mountains with my mom and sister, we stopped by the Pinkham Notch visitors center, and I found myself really wanting to buy an "I hiked Mount Washington" bumper sticker? So random, but I wanted one. Hiking it that week wasn't in the picture since it was only May (and I may have been a wimpy kitty baby whiner when it came to hiking) and the summit was still covered in snow. I added it to my 30 x 30 list, and was determined to hike that beautiful and rigorous mountain some day! This past March, Dad and I hiked up the first 2.4 miles of Tuckerman Ravine, and ended up turning around at the caretakers cabin. Thanks to this most recent three day weekend (last week), Mom, Dad, and I were able to coordinate a trip up North to hike and play in the mountains.
Arriving approximately two hours later than we should have, we started our hike at the Pinkham Notch visitors center around 10:30 am (yes, an absolutely terrible time to start a 9+ hour hike). Beginning on the Tuckerman Ravine trail, we went up the South side of the ravine and took the Boott Spurr trail (5.4 miles), which starts in the woods, and then eventually opens up to gorgeous views above the tree line. 

We stopped at a lookout that features quite possibly the most beautiful views of Tuckerman Ravine. Opposite of this, we also scored a gorgeous view of Wildcat mountain! After our mini stop, we continued to climb up to a point where we were officially above the tree line -- what an incredible experience! As the elevation (and we) climbed, we eventually reached the top of Boott Spur, which led us to the Lawn around Mount Washington. This somewhat flatter terrain was much appreciated as we continued on our route! 

The size of some of these cairns was insane!

All in all, it took us around five hours to hike up to the summit, including breaks and lunch. It was extremely clear at the top and offered miles of views. Surprisingly, it wasn't too chilly, however we did throw on some extra layers. We explored the museum and the tip-top house, and then found ourselves noshing on some delicious pizza in the cafeteria. I really, really wanted to take a picture with the summit sign, however, there was a line to Jupiter of people waiting (busy weekend!), and we had to start our hike back down to get in as much day hiking as possible. So this pretty picture in front of the Cog Railway will have to do (:

Descending the mountain, as expected, was quite a bit more difficult. All of the trails are completely rock, and very steep! We originally planned to take Lion's Head down, but decided last minute that Tuckerman Ravine (4.1 miles) would be a better option due to the lack of daylight. Hiking down the bowl was tricky, however once we hit the tree line, it flattened out a little making it much less rigorous.

We did eventually run out of sunlight and hiked the last hour and a half (2.4 miles) in the dark back to Pinkham's notch. All in all it took us 3.5 hours to descend.

Fortunately, we hit the jackpot when it came to weather. Known as the most dangerous small mountain, it isn't uncommon for weather to drastically change leaving hikers in a lurch. Thankfully, it was a sunny, comfortable, and clear 55 degree day, possibly being one of the best days all year to hike.

If you're sitting on the edge of your seat wondering if I bought my bumper sticker, the answer is yet - I DID get my "I CLIMBED MT. WASHINGTON" bumper sticker immediately afterwards to add to the car that I don't have anymore because we live in the city now ;)
P.S. Laugh all you want, but I wore my run swiftly long sleeves top, and bottoms the ENTIRE time and was EXTREMELY comfortable. I know it's not your ideal hiking attire, but it's all I had and it was the bomb when it came to quick dry and not chafing or smelling.

Macy Cat knows best!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MyCatMyMuse #CollectiveBias 

I know that this probably goes without saying, but if you haven't figured it out by now, I am in the beginning stages of becoming a crazy cat lady. While I only have one, Macy Cat rules this kingdom and really, truly is our fur-child. As we creep up to our two year "Macyversary" since we adopted her, it only seems appropriate to put the spotlight on her for once the 300th time. So get your notepads out and get ready to take some exciting notes on our recent experience with Purina Muse Natural Cat Food!
While you may not be able to tell by her "extra fluffy" looking appearance she may go down in history as one of the pickiest eaters known to cat-kind. She refuses to eat anything and everything that we give to her, including broccoli, candy, ice cream, spam, etc. I kid! But really, this princess does turn her nose up to a lot of tasty, cat appropriate, treats. She makes it very clear to us that she will only eat cat food and cat food only (so long as it's not diet food, generic, triangle shaped...this chick won't even eat shredded cheese!? -sometimes I doubt if she really is a cat).      While she has made it very clear that she will only eat cat food (in all fairness, she is a cat), I felt inspired by her picky palette to put her tastebuds to the test and offer her the ultimate challenge - the cat food challenge!

While shopping for munchies for Macy Cat, it took an incredible amount of self control to prevent myself from walking out of PetSmart with another kitty, a jazzy new collar, all the catnip toys, and a new Halloween costume for her. Nonetheless, I made it out with no extra fur-children and practically every single flavor of cat chow that Muse offered. No, I couldn't pick just three or four, I came home with six, and then another three. Exclusively available at PetSmart, Purina Muse was easy to locate, situated on the corner of the natural cat food aisle making it easy to spot when browsing by. 

Excited by the abundant amount of flavors, I settled on just six!

While on the train ride home, I kept thinking of ways I could put Macy Cat to the challenge, and ultimately decided on setting up a buffet of food for her to choose from. I filled three bowls up, all with a separate type and brand of cat food. 

• Bowl #1 was filled with your typical dry cat food.
• Bowl #2 was filled with Purina Muse natural cat food.
• Bowl #3 was filled with a moist/wet cat food. 

Macy Cat, being the healthy girl that she was born to be, of course went for the food with the most natural nutrition, and licked her plate clean! She barely glanced at the dry cat food, and didn't even give the wet cat food the time of day. I now know what's on the menu for dinner, grocery shopping for her just got a heck of a lot easier!
I'm no cat food scientist of any kind, and I certainly don't speak cat, so I can't tell you the exact reasoning behind her choice... however I do know that the natural product has more flavor, which is what made it a tastier choice. It is also grain free, with no added artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. Not to mention, it is made up of real fish and poultry! Win, win! With Muse you don't have to choose between natural nutrition and food that tastes great. Your cat can have both when you choose Muse.  
What a delicious, and quality dinner for her! She licked her plate clean and is ready for round two!

"Natural has never been so delicious. Put Muse to the test with our clean plate guarantee." 
Use this coupon to buy three and receive three free (try saying that three times fast!), I'd love to see which flavor your fur-child goes crazy for!

Weekend life and links

(last year)
Hi Friends!!
We are getting really lucky here in Boston with this beautiful, fall weather. It's cool enough to run around in long sleeves and a vest, yet still on the warmer side. I haven't had the chance to engage in any of our beloved fall activities quite yet (like pumpkin carving, apple picking, making pumpkin cookies and hot cider, enjoying the foliage, the list goes on and on - SO MUCH TO DO IN SO LITTLE TIME!), however I am making an effort to go up to North Conway on Sunday to hopefully hike Mount Washington if the weather is permitting. What does your weekend look like?
+ It occurred to me this week that my "fall clothing" was lacking, so I will quickly be adding this long cardigan in black/ivory to it. 
+ I've had the camping bug lately, and now I really, really want to go after reading all of these camping hacks!
+ Use this recipe to make your own pumpkin spiced latte at home in your crock pot!
+ A great list of 116 items you should be throwing away to help declutter your life.
+ I found these credit tips to be very informative and helpful, especially for someone who is slowly building up her credit (:

I hope your days have been beautiful and fall filled!

HOW TO: Add Social Media Icons to your Sidebar (Blogger)

I do not consider myself an expert blogger or html master by any means, however whenever I learn something new that benefits me, and I know will benefit others I do feel compelled to share so that you can give it a shot as well! 
After over two and half years of my blogging career, I have finally created and added social media icons to my sidebar!
I'm always looking to do things myself, so when I came across Emily's video from Blogoholic Designs, I quickly (as in half an hour) followed suit and created my own social media icons! Thanks Emily! In an effort to help relay the information, I have attached the link to Emily's video, as well as step by step instructions that demonstrate how I was able to create the buttons! I hope you are able to find this very helpful and informative!

ONE: SEARCH AND DOWNLOAD SOCIAL MEDIA ICONS  I searched "social media icons" on Pinterest, and decided to go with these ones from green leaf imaging. Make sure that you are legally able to download them from the designer.

TWO: RESIZE THE ICONS Once you have downloaded the icons to your computer, open the files that you would like to implement on your blog and resize them to your desired size. The original size of the icons that I used were too large so I adjusted them all to be 0.15" x 0.15" with a resolution of 180 pixels. They did appear blurry after I changed them, however they turned out fine on the blog. I double clicked on each image and used the standard mac "preview" application to adjust the size (click tools > adjust size...). Notice the significant size difference in size once it was adjusted.

THREE: GO TO YOUR BLOG AND CREATE A NEW POST VERY IMPORTANT: MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT PUBLISH THIS POST. This step was used to help create an HTML format/code for the sidebar. Emily recommended naming the post "SOCIAL MEDIA ICONS: NO NOT PUBLISH OR DELETE". 

FOUR: IMPORT EACH OF THE DESIRED SOCIAL MEDIA ICONS INTO THE NEW POST Click the "Insert Image" button and select each of the icons that you would like to use. Line the images up horizontally by backspacing in between each one, and make sure each icon is centered. I went ahead and put two spaces in between each icon. The bottom picture demonstrates how it will look on my blog.

FIVE: ADD A LINK TO EACH ICON Click on an icon and then click the "Link" button. Highlight and add the corresponding link to that button. Simply copy the link from the webpage, and paste it into the box. I like to click the "open this link in a new window" button so that my original blog page doesn't disappear. Do this with each of your icons. If you plan on using the "mail" icon and would like to connect an email address, be sure to click the "email address" button and inset your desired email address.

SIX: COPY THE HTML FORMAT INTO A NEW HTML/JAVA SCRIPT GADGET You have been working in the "compose" section, so now you need to click the HTML button and switch everything over to the HTML coding. Copy that code. Open up a new page with blogger and click on the "layout" tab. On the lower right hand side, click "Add a Gadget", and select the "HTML/JAVA SCRIPT" option. Copy your HTML code into the box and give the box a label if you would like to, some prefer not to. Click "SAVE" > "SAVE ARRANGEMENT" > "VIEW BLOG" to see the completed project.

Test the buttons out to make sure each one correlates to the appropriate link.
Good luck!
I've linked Emily's video below. If you use Wordpress, she has a tutorial here that will help!