Oh Wonder ft. Kevin Garrett

Cool venue, insane amounts of talent, and an overall amazing atmosphere, the Oh Wonder concert featuring Kevin Garrett at The Granada was a night to remember.  After a bit of a rough start to the evening (we didn’t actually have the tickets like we thought we did :/ ), I was a little worried that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the concert as much as I wanted to, but as soon as Oh Wonder’s opening act-Kevin Garrett sang his first note, I knew I wouldn’t regret the amount of sleep I was going to lose for that night.

The concert venue was very simple, but had a “hipster” vibe to it. The lighting and just general closeness of the whole area made the concert even more special. With a capacity of only 1,700 (and that’s pushing it) it really felt like we were RIGHT next to the artists.

The opening act was Kevin Garrett, and as soon as I got out of the concert, I downloaded his EP Mellow Drama. He is insanely talented, and knew how to work a stage well. His style of music was PERFECT to open up for Oh Wonder, and he was really good about interacting with the crowd. If I ever have a chance, I would go to one of his concerts in a heartbeat.

Even after a grand total of almost 3 and a half hours of waiting, Oh Wonder did nothing less than perfect. This duo sounded even better live than they did on their album, and they were so much fun to watch perform. Josephine was so quirky and happy through the whole performance, and Anthony just kept smiling and jamming out on his guitar.  They opened up with their single Livewire and the lighting throughout the song pulsed with every beat. It was amazing both visually, and musically, I was very impressed. If you ever have the opportunity to watch these two insanely talented humans perform live, I promise you it is worth every penny. Raw talent, with an amazing ability to run a stage with only two, it was an amazing show. 

If you ever have the opportunity to watch these two insanely talented humans perform live, I promise you it is worth every penny. Raw talent, with an amazing ability to run a stage with only two, it was an amazing show.

"Pumpkins for Sale!"

It’s the staple of all autumn festivities, and honestly one of the cutest things that this world has to offer---pumpkins. They come in all shapes and sizes, and all different colors ranging from a brilliant orange to stark white. But, there is definitely something special about pumpkins, when you know that they were grown in your town.

I am blessed to live in a community where the small town vibe is very evident, and we are surrounded with hometown farmers who every year do their part in turning their small farmhouses into the cutest, and quirkiest mini pumpkin patches. I’m talking rustic craft projects, homegrown pumpkins, and even a family dog to greet you the entire time you choose the perfect pumpkin. I recently was able to drive the whopping five minutes it takes to get to one of these hidden hometown treasures, and thankfully was able to capture a few photographs of these adorable patches.

Enjoy.

The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider

It’s been awhile since I’ve recommended a book to you, so why not tell you about one of my new favorites! I recently went to Barnes and Noble (aka the store that I could spend hours in) and randomly picked the book “The Beginning of Everything” by Robyn Schneider up. I was blown away with how well the story line was laid out, and how easy it was to fall in love with the characters. This is a story of teen romance, told from a very philosophical perspective.

The whole story is based upon the idea that every human on Earth will get a tragedy. Whether you like it or not, you will have a tragedy, and it will change your life. I love that, like a lot. I love how the entirety of this book is based upon that sad truth. Schneider is able to twirl this idea into a hard to put down novel. You get the chance to meet the characters Ezra and Cassidy along with all of their friends and classmates, and how life gets flipped upside down when Ezra finally gets his long awaited tragedy. You get to see how not only relationships, but friendships are contorted into entirely new creatures when tragedy hits.

            It had been a long time since I had read a book this well written, to the point where I didn’t ever want it to end! If you are like me, and you have a deep love for John Green, then trust me when I say you will LOVE this book. It is comparably witty, and just as heartbreaking with a whole new perspective than Green’s books.

This is a must read.

The Perfect Scents for Autumn

Friends, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. The best part of autumn is the smell, and don’t argue with me on this one. Whether it’s a sickeningly sweet pumpkin aroma, or the tang of spicy cinnamon, the scent of fall is fantastic. For me personally, when I look back on memories through this season, it’s as if they are stained with the remarkable scents. Not a distinct smell, but a smell that is recognizably “fall-ish”. When I was younger, my mom always had this candle she burned throughout the house that was called “heirloom pumpkin” and IT WAS THE BEST SMELL EVER. To me, it was the smell of coming home to freshly made pumpkin bread, it’s the smell of running through the rain after getting off the school bus and coming inside to a warm house where my mom was there to greet us with hugs. I’m telling you guys, memories have a scent. Okay, so maybe it’s the other way around, but you know what I mean.

            As I am an avid Bath and Body Works customer, I get an email any time there is a new “impossible to turn down deal”.  As I sat in study hall, I got a notification that said if I ordered RIGHT NOW, that I would get a free autumn scented candle with ANY PURCHASE. AHHHHHH!! OF COURSE, I WILL GLADLY SPEND A STUPID AMOUNT OF MONEY IN ORDER TO GET A “FREE” CANDLE! Let me tell you, it was so worth it. The two candles I have from their fall collection are the “Pumpkin Pecan Waffles, and Heirloom Pumpkin”. Both are amazing scents, and yet they are completely different.

            Pumpkin Pecan Waffles is very much as it sounds…VERY sweet. It’s the perfect amount of sweetness to fill a room with its scent without even burning the candle! Whereas the Heirloom Pumpkin is a definitely a spicy scent, filled with hints of cinnamon and clove. I have owned several Bath and Body Works candles and I have yet to be disappointed. Both are amazing, and THEY WERE BOTH A GREAT DEAL, I would definitely recommend purchasing one of their candles for this season!

My 3 Favorite Accessories

Over the years, it seems as if I have slowly started to develop my own personal “style”. *Shifts pretentious glasses higher up onto nose* WOW, so that makes me sound like I actually know what I’m doing (news flash: I DON’T). What I mean by this statement is that I have slowly began to understand what “look” I want to go for. I know what colors I love, and I know what kind of accessories make me feel like a queen. In this blog post I thought I would share my 3 favorite, simple, gold toned, jewelry pieces.

The first piece you see is the triangle necklace. I was able to pick this beautiful piece up at the boutique Florence Adams. It was only $11.00, and it has gone with almost everything! (SCORE!!) It is the perfect length to wear. It's slightly longer than a “choker” necklace, but short enough to wear you are able to see it above most t-shirts.

The second piece is a dainty bracelet from the Wet Seal. It is super cute, and so far hasn’t tarnished. AND, GUYS, IT WAS ONLY $2.00!! (Yes, I’m a geek when it comes to cheap jewelry.) My favorite part of this bracelet is the detailing on the two circles where the bracelet opens up. It’s very comfortable to wear, and easy to adjust the size of.

The final piece is the simple gold ring, and sadly I have NO IDEA where I got this ring! I must say, this was my FAVORITE ring to wear this summer. It was one of those rings that when I wore it I felt like I should be wearing giant glasses and listening to indie music, saying phrases like “don’t call me a hipster”. Please don’t question my thought process; this ring has magic powers. As autumn has rolled back into existence, I have found myself wearing it less, but it is still one of my favorites.

I'm excited to see what I can do with these pieces this fall, and to see how I can make them work with my abundance of sweaters and scarfs. Yay for neutral accessories that I can wear year around!

Heavenly Pumpkin Bread

Let’s kick off this autumn blog extravaganza with the beloved pumpkin bread. I personally had never made pumpkin bread before, but had always enjoyed eating it as a young kid. I was blown away with how easy, and delicious this recipe was, but decided to make a few changes to it. 

You will be able to tell from the photos below that I had a LOT of batter, and that was because I actually doubled the recipe. I have never made so much of one thing at a time…EVER. The recipe below is the original recipe (not doubled) and it will make 2-3 loaves of bread.

Ingredients

2 cups Canned Pumpkin

3 cups Sugar

1 cups Vegetable Oil

2/3 cup Water

4 Eggs

1 cups Whole Wheat Flour

2 1/3 cup White Flour

2 tsp. Baking Soda

1.5 tsp. Salt

2 tsp. Cinnamon

1 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree
2. Mix Pumpkin, Sugar, Oil, Water, and Eggs in a large mixing bowl
3. In a separate bowl, mix together Flour, Baking Soda, Salt, Cinnamon
4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients
5. After mixed well, divide the batter into 2-3 loaf pans
6. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until done (check with toothpick)
7. Enjoy!

I hope you all enjoyed this post, and I hope it got you in the mood to enjoy the sweet and tangy taste of pumpkin throughout this season, happy baking!