It's supposed to reach a balmy 91 degrees here in PA today, the kind of weather that makes you wish you had left shorts in the dresser drawers and doesn't particularly put you in the mood for a rustic apple tart, pumpkin bread and a steaming mug of mulled apple cider. All of these things were on my 'to enjoy' list for this coming week-- So, I'm going to have to press the pause button of those ideas for another week because all of those treats call for crisp air and no humidity. I'll have to tackle the mountain of dirty clothes covering the laundry room floor instead. The guys are about to start their second round of chopping corn silage tomorrow so I'm gearing up to not see Aaron in the daylight hours until Sunday afternoon- when it rains..(I bought a box of wine, so I'm feeling prepared). He worked most of this past weekend also but we were able to snag a bit of time with him Saturday night as we were invited to a friends home for dinner and a football game. And then again on Sunday evening, we were able to carve out from family time which resulted in an ATV ride around the farm, the fields, looking for deer, visiting the horses, a stop at our favorite spot along the stream, and finishing it off with a pie of pizza at our local pizzeria.

Weekends like this, even the busy ones in busy season, with the small stolen family moments give me just enough of what I need to fill up my love tank to make it through the week. When you're a farm wife and basically a single parent during harvest time you tend to feel stretched thin, I don't have farm tasks or responsibilities, my job is the children, the meals and everything pertaining to the homefront. And right now with 3 of them, ages 5 and under I have to remind myself to slow down, calm down and give myself grace because I am NOT superwomen and as long as everyone is fed, dressed (usually) and occasionally happy then I'm doing an okay job. If you can relate then just know that you are not alone, I feel you, friend and you got this! 

Happy Friday Friends!

I don't know about everyone else out there but I'm not strong in my 'laundry' game and believe me there is plenty to go around in this house- farm clothes, kids clothes, baby clothes, etc... But, folks; laundry has always been a struggle for me because I put it in the washer, add detergent (the fun part) and then get distracted by a child or another household task and forget the load for about half a day and then it's (drumroll) TOO LATE! That smell, we all know it- has started to set in. I usually always have a million excuses but it really just comes down to forgetfulness and hating the task of laundry. I'm telling you, this is my kryptonite. So here are some tips of how to save your load of laundry and infuse a good smell instead of a musty one!!

My favorite oil to use for stunk up laundry is- Purify! Purify is a combination of Lemon, Lime, Pine, Citronella, Melaleuca, and Cilantro essential oils. When diffused, Purify Cleansing Blend can help eliminate odors from pets, cigarettes, mildew, trash, food, and much more.

 Spotlight: Purify

Above is a link to a spotlight post on Purify if you're interested in knowing what else this amazing oil can do.

Want more info on essential oils? Find it here.

Disclaimer: I only advise using 100% pure, therapeutic grade oils. Read all labels and do your research.

Lately I've noticed that my weekly grocery bill has been on a bit of a roller coaster, some weeks I'm great with planning and using coupons, deals, and featured products at the stores where we shop and other weeks I'm just all over the place which results in a bigger bill and somehow not enough of what we need. So I then end up making several miscellaneous trips through out the week.

It's nice to start the week off with a plan and I enjoy it when I make the time to put the effort in. I've been contemplating trying a 'no spend' month for a while now but I don't know if I can pull the trigger on that just yet. So, this week I decided to challenge myself to a grocery bill no larger than $60, to make a weekly meal plan using most of what we already have in the freezer, fridge, and pantry and only buy to fill in the gaps. We are a household of 2 adults, 2 children, and a baby on solids. Disclaimer: I'm no expert, I'm just giving this a try and bringing you along for the ride.

First, I went through and 'shopped my kitchen'-- making a list of everything I already had on hand. 

After that was completed I got started making up my grocery list, working hard to keep it at $60. My kids are serial snackers so I had to think hard about what snacks I could make myself to have on hand for them. Like making Mini Pumpkin Muffins instead of buying Annie's cookies, Oatmeal Energy Balls instead of buying Clif Kidz bars, Micro Popcorn instead of Pirates booty (I was personally sad about that one), using Orange Juice to make Homemade Gatorade which doubles the life of the OJ bottle in our house and Watermelon, Feta and Mint salad for myself since I already had the feta and mint on hand!

 My grand total came in at $62 and since this was my first go at trying the 'slashing the grocery bill challenge' I'm going to consider it an accomplishment. Our weekly bill usually comes in at around $140-150 dollars. Also, if you have Peapod grocery delivery and pick up in your area they offered $20 off of a purchase of paper towels and bathroom tissue if you choose an on-site pickup. I did that this week instead of having them delivered to the house and basically stocked up (on those products) for the month while saving big time.

If you want to check out what Peapod is all about and if they are delivering to your area here is a link for you --> Save $25 on Each of Your First Two Orders and Free Delivery For 60 Days with code AUTUMN50 at Peapod.com! $50 off promotion includes $25 off each of your first two $100 orders. Valid until 11/18/17.


So, friends, are you challenged to slash your bill? What's your game plan? Be sure to come back and share your before-and-after. I bet you’ll have something to say!

I'm not a fan of hot drinks, there are only two things that I can stand to drink warm- herbal tea and cider. So on the mornings when I need a caffeine wake up (which has been most mornings over the past 7.5 months) I will drink an iced coffee. Now, I can't just drink black coffee- it has to be flavored. I made this caramel sauce to top a batch of pumpkin muffins last weekend and I just happened to be drinking my coffee and thought (light bulb moment) maybe I should put some of this in my drink and WOW it was amazing. Literally, I thought I heard angels singing and the heavens opened up. So naturally, I thought I should share this sweet recipe and idea with you all.

First of all, I have a few homemade 'Cold Brew' recipes pinned to try but until I master that my favorite brand to buy is STōK. The low and slow un-sweet black cold brew to be exact. 

Caramel Recipe:

1½ cups Sugar

⅓ cup Water

6 Tablespoons Butter

1 cup Heavy Cream

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat sugar and water over medium-high heat, whisking constantly to dissolve sugar. Once the mixture reaches a boil, stop whisking. Watch carefully as it transitions from white to light amber color. This is an important step to ensure that it doesn't burn. Once the mixture reaches a medium amber color, add butter and whisk until butter is melted. If you own a candy thermometer, it usually turns the perfect amber color at approximately 250 degrees.

Once it's melted, immediately remove the pan from heat. Wait 10 seconds and then add heavy cream. Whisk well to combine until glossy and smooth. Allow caramel to cool for several minutes and then place in jar and place in the refrigerator to cool.
{side note: mine never turned the perfect amber color but it still tastes amazing!}

Once the caramel sauce is made then just mix up your iced coffee to your personal liking. For me, I usually top ice with 6 oz of cold brew, 1-2 tsp of caramel sauce and 1 oz heavy cream (shameless plug: support those dairy farmers) and my favorite stainless steel straws. You can find them here. ENJOY!

Good morning friends!

It's no lie, I love fashion. I went to art school and I have a fashion marketing degree. Alas, now I am a stay-at-home mom (who wears yoga pants most days and the shirt that I slept in the night before) and the only people I get to style is my family. But someone once told me that your child is your best accessory so I try and make sure they at least look presentable. So, I thought I would round up a few shoes that have caught my eye for the upcoming change in weather. With the rainy and chilly mornings, that we have been having Ava has already broken out her rain boots. And I can't stop thinking of chubby baby feet in moccasins...it gives me all of the heart eyes!

Minnetonka Strap Bootie || Free Range Mama We Are Family Bootie || Camo Print Suede Moccasin || Mary Jane Moccasin || Solvi Low Cuff Bootie ||

Nina Zoe Strappy Low Bootie || 'Jane' Mary Jane Flat || Monaco Water Repellent Sneaker || Superstar C Sneaker || 'Original Glitter' Rain Boot ||

Women's Celeste Prow Bootie || Sperry 'Saltwater' Waterproof Rainboot || Keds
|| Embroidered Smoking Slipper ||

What's your favorite fall shoe? Tried and true trainers? Warm and sturdy boots? Timeless flats?

* this post may contain affiliate links*
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 xo- Tiffany

We are back from our weekend and it was a good one, full of absolutely nothing but hanging out and enjoying each others company. We had Aarons full attention for 48 hours and it was glorious. It rained most of our time there so it was movies, popcorn and a couple hands of the card game "7s" after the kiddos were tucked in for the night. Aaron packed leftover molasses feed & corn and then picked apples from the apple tree on the property; he took the girls out once the rain stopped and they placed it all over for the deer. It resulted in a doe making its way into the side yard and giving us a glimpse of her from the kitchen windows.

I've had quite a few asking where my shirt is from so I decided to link it up for you, they offer many unique sayings and quite a few have to do with the mountains, which is right in our wheel house! I'll also link a few other "mountain" themed items that we love. Including my beloved Yeti 10oz low ball that is great for coffee (...and wine or whiskey). And I'm totally craving fall weather so I can break out the sweatshirt listed below. 

Count Me In Tee || It's All Good in the Woods || Camping Gear, Bacon & Beer || Clear Skies, Wool Socks || Yeti Duacoat 10oz Lowball

{BONUS: LookHuman is offering free shipping today with the code: SHIPSFREE}

Happy Labor Day friends!

xo- Tiffany