Birthday Invitations!

So I'm a little behind schedule planning Lyla's 1st birthday.  I got so involved with Thanksgiving, and Christmas, my brain just skipped right over her birthday.  Parent fail?  I think so.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies!

Alright, so I just couldn't wait until after Thanksgiving to share this one with you because it's SO delicious.

I have to give credit where credit is due.  I got this recipe over at Dreamy Desserts, and let me just tell you, she hit the nail on the head with this one!  As someone who grew up in the north east, home of the whoopie pie, I was hesitant at first to derive from its initial awesomeness.  But, being a fan of all things fall, pumpkin, and cream cheese...how could I say no?

Because I can't just leave well enough alone, I was determined to make these guys in little pumpkin shapes.  At first I busted out my cookie press and the pumpkin disc.  However, it would seem that whoopie pie batter is not a friend to the cookie press.  BIG mess in the making.

Posts to come, I promise, I'm not slacking!!!

I know I'm slacking in posting, but seriously, life is busy this time of year!!!

I'm getting my butt BACK to the gym since October was scratched.  Unforeseen surgeries tend to put a damper on that momentum.  I'm finding that I actually prefer to double up my routines and get 2 done in 1 day.  It's probably not the completely right answer, but it makes my half hour drive to the gym far more worth it.  Granted a single routine takes 45 minutes to an hour, however a double only adds on an extra half hour so it just seems to make sense.  And, courtesy of my planet fitness membership, I can also get in a tanning session!  Twice a week to get all my routines in and KNOWING I can make it, and then going randomly in the week if I have time or putting in a Zumba work out is way easier with our schedule, and an almost 1 year old, than trying to get to the gym 4 times a week after 6 pm once the hubs is home.

White Hot Chocolate

Alright, so I foolishly bought one of those pre packaged white hot chocolate mixes. The other day when we finally had some crisp enough fall whether I had my heart set on a nice big mug. And you know what, it tasted like CRAP. It tasted like regular hot chocolate, just white in color. For someone who LOVES white chocolate, it made for a huge disappointment. So, I thought perhaps I could make some myself with the white chocolate chips I already had. We don't, however, usually carry regular milk in the house unless it's for the little one. I did, however, have a nice big carton of vanilla almond milk. Let me just tell you, the MOST AMAZING HOT CHOCOLATE EVER... well, white hot chocolate.