Autumn Amelia

Hello everyone!

Erik and I are facing an interesting time in our lives.

We will be married for five years this September and during those years we have gotten to experience many firsts together.

We got married.

Lived in our first apartments.

Got our first puppy.

Bought our first house.

Experienced job promotions and new jobs.
And took our first vacations.

The last few months our lives have slowed down a little and we have realized that we are kind of in limbo.

Stuck in between all those exciting firsts and what will happen next.

During this visit to limbo all of our friends and family have been experiencing their exciting firsts or their next stages in life.

Getting married, buying houses, having babies, finding new jobs.

Hello everyone!

Since it seems spring has officially arrived in Utah (Knock on wood!) I have been dreaming of getting away.

Disneyland is always at the top of my list.

Since that doesn't seem likely I decided to bring the magic of Disney here.

And what better way than with a delicious beverage that screams spring?

If you have never had the chance to try a Mint Julep in Disneyland I would suggest you grab yourself one ASAP.

Until then here is a recipe to hold you over.

You will need:

2 Cups of Water
2 Cups of Sugar
40 Mint Leaves
8 Teaspoons of Lime Juice
4 Teaspoons of Lemon Juice
4 More Cups of Water (Used later in the recipe)
Green Food Coloring
Mint for garnish
Cherries for garnish
Lemons for garnish

Combine two cups of water and sugar in a saucepan.
Place on stove and stir on medium heat until the sugar has dissolved.
Remove from heat and let cool.
Transfer the mixture evenly to two glass jars with lids and add twenty mint leaves to each.
Seal the lids and place in refrigerator.
Let sit for at least a half an hour.
The longer you let your mixture rest the more mint flavor it will gather.
I let the mixture sit overnight and it was amazing!
I recommend not letting the mixture sit for longer than 24 hours.
Otherwise, the mint leaves will start to disintegrate and we will be removing them.
Take the mixture from the refrigerator and pour through a strainer into a pitcher to catch the mint leaves.
Discard the used mint leaves.
We now have a simple syrup!
Add lime juice and lemon juice to the syrup and combine well.
Add four cups of water and stir.
The syrup will be very sweet.
Add more or less water to taste.
Add two drops of green food coloring and mix.
This will give the Mint Julep that signature Disneyland color.
Garnish with sliced lemon, cherries and a sprig of mint.
Enjoy!


This recipe is delicious and made me feel like I was back in Disneyland.
I can't wait to enjoy it throughout the spring and summer.
What are some of your favorite drinks to enjoy during the warm weather?

All my love,
Autumn



If you need me I will be here stalking Disneyland drinking my Mint Julep...

Hello everyone!

Over the weekend Erik and I attended our first gem fair.

We have been trying to be more creative with our time together.
It only cost two dollars for us both to go, so we thought "Why not?"

A lot of people were confused as to why we were going.
It's not something we had expressed interest in before and gem fair people didn't seem like our kind of people?

But Erik and I had so much fun!

We got to see so many amazing things that come from our Earth.
We learned a whole lot.

And we got to see people in their element and hear them talk about their passion.

Erik and I love to listen to people talk about what they are passionate about.

They talk with such fire and intensity that you can't help but catch a little bit of their energy.

We left feeling uplifted by our new found energy and we felt close after spending some quality time together. 

As I have gotten older I have learned the less I take myself seriously and learn to embrace things instead of judge them, the more opportunities and experiences I have. 

I know that it is so easy to put things down when it makes you uncomfortable or it's something you don't understand. 

If we go into situations with a positive attitude and an open heart we will come out with a higher understanding and a better perspective.

Plus, what's the worse that can happen?

You discover that something isn't meant for you and move on.

As boss babe Amy Poehler said "Good for her! Not for me."


The next time someone asks you to partake in something new I hope you will take them up on it.
You never know.
You might just find your new passion.

All my love,
Autumn

Hello everyone!

You may not know I am what some people might call a pack rat.

I hold onto everything...

Receipts, concert tickets, confetti, play programs, you name it.

I have been collecting these for years.

I have always had the intention of doing something with all of these keepsakes and finally found the time.
I decided to create my own keepsake journals.

A few months ago I dug out my storage bin of all of the keepsakes I had kept and started to organize them.

I decided the best way to organize everything would be by year.

I created scratch pieces of paper, added the years 2000 -2018 on them and sorted everything into the corresponding piles.

It took a few days...

Then the real fun began!

I picked out these journals and started to add my memories to them.

To make it simpler I tried to keep everything in chronological order.
It was pretty easy adding all the keepsakes to the journals.

I added little touches such as stickers, Washi Tape, or things I wanted to remember.

I think they turned out so cute!

I like the minimalistic look of doodles and thought they would be the perfect fit to label the cover of these kraft journals.

The best part is that these journals hardly take up any room.

I have them displayed in my office on my bookshelf.

Now I can easily grab them and share my memories.
No more going to the basement, lugging up the heavy box and digging through everything to find one item.

This project was a little time consuming but I definitely think it was worth it.
They are already so much fun to look through and I know I will enjoy reliving the memories for years to come. 

How do you keep your keepsakes organized?

All my love,
Autumn

Hello everyone!

When was the last time you did something simply because you wanted to?

Not because you had to.

Not because you felt obligated to.

Simply because you wanted to.

I feel like the majority of you will agree it has been a long time.

Life is crazy.

We all have many obligations and trying to find free time in between can be difficult.

I think self care is very important.

Sometimes the best way to take care of yourself is to take some time and do exactly what you want.

Unless you run away like Princess Ann in Roman Holiday you probably aren't going to have a whole day to do whatever you wish.
Let's start small and find some time to do at least one thing you want this week.
Get some ice cream, see a movie, get your hair done, go for a vespa ride!
Find something you can fit into your schedule and do it.
Ready, set, go!

All my love,
Autumn

Friday March 23rd

Every Friday Erik and I have a date night.

For this date night we decided to enjoy a night out with dinner and arcade games.

What do you like to do for date night?

Hello everyone!

Wedding season is officially upon us.

When one of my close friends gets engaged I like to give them a little engagement basket.

Here is what I use:

A Basket

Crinkle Paper

Clear Wrap

Ribbon
Fillers

Wedding Magazines

When you are planning a wedding you need all the inspiration you can get.
Wedding Magazines have so many different styles showcased they are sure to find something they love.

Post It Flags

Notebook

Wedding Movie

You can find a lot of wedding movies for $5 or less.
The Wedding Planner, Bride Wars, My Best Friends Wedding.
Pick a movie you know they love or that goes with their personality the best.

Ring Holder

Not that they will be taking their ring off, but just in case...
They have a cute and safe place to put it.

Ring Cleaner

Because everybody is going to be looking at that ring!
It will also be nice to have on hand for years to come.

Use whatever else you think your friend would enjoy.
I have included nail polish with a wedding themed name.
Bride flip flops if their honeymoon was tropical.
A wifey mug, a candle, sparkling cider.
Get creative!

Wrap your basket with the clear wrap and finish off with a bow.
That's it!

The basket doesn't have to be anything too fancy.
It's the thought that counts after all.
What would you include in an engagement basket?

All my love,
Autumn

Hello everyone!

A few weeks ago I wrote a post for my birthday, I am 25 and have no idea what I am doing.

Something that I don't think I covered very well was that even though I am not where I thought I'd be I am proud of what I have done.

It's okay to be proud of yourself.

We often get lost in all of the things we should be doing or all of the things we thought we would do but haven't.

I think its important to realize that you are not where you were a year ago, three years ago, five years ago.

Progress takes time.

When we don't get instant results we loose our momentum.

Be patient.

If you keep working hard you will reach your goal.

Be kind to yourself.

Think of all of your accomplishments, including the small ones.

Be proud of all you have done, focus on what else you want to work towards and keep going!

What are some big and little goals you are currently working towards?

All my love, 

Autumn

Sunday April 1st

We celebrated Easter at my parents house.

We had an egg hunt, opened Hatchimals and had a confetti egg fight.

My sister also shared an exciting announcement.

How did you celebrate Easter?

Hello everybody!

Nothing says spring to me like fresh flowers and plants.

Our backyard is still under construction from when we moved in a year ago so I decided to bring a little herb garden inside using tin cans.

You will need:

Tin Cans

A Drill

Planting Soil

Herb Plants

Collect your tin cans, I used two olive cans and a diced tomato can.

Drill holes into the bottom of your cans so the soil can drain.

Remove labels, wash cans and remove any sticky debris leftover from the labels.

Dry cans thoroughly.

Add a thin layer of potting soil to the bottom of your cans.

Dampen the soil and roots of your plants so they are a little more flexible.
Gently work the plants into the cans and add another thin layer of potting soil to the top.

That's it!

Erik and I love to cook dinner together and I love to use fresh produce.

What could be more fresh than right from the dirt?

I choose three plants that I thought we would use the most.

Basil, rosemary and mint.

I am so excited to use these fresh ingredients during our cooking.

I do not have a green thumb so if I can keep these alive I will definitely be adding more!

I placed our cans in the windowsill above our sink so they can get plenty of sun light and be easy to reach.

When I water them I take them down from window sill, place them in the sink, water them and and let them drain before placing them back in the window sill.

This is a perfect way for people like us who don't have their own outdoor space to still have a small garden.

Plus it was so easy to create!

What are your favorite fresh herbs to use while cooking?

Autumn

Hello everyone!

This past week we experienced some warmer spring days here in Utah. 

It felt so good to be outside and feel the sun on my skin.

Over the Easter weekend I thought a lot about spring and its representation of new beginnings.

Winters have always been very hard for me.

This winter was especially hard after the loss of Scout.

Even though we hardly got any snow here it was the coldest winter in our home. 

We went into a deep hibernation.

The last several weeks we have been slowly coming out of our cave.

It hasn't been easy.

During these warmer springs days I have grown optimistic.

 I have realized I am ready.

I am ready for a good deep cleaning and a fresh start.

I am ready to shed my old skin and for a new beginning,

I am hopeful for what is to come.