Disneyland at Halloweentime 2015 // Anaheim, CA

I looooove Disneyland. I'm no expert, but I'm hoping to be on that level some day! I've gone twice in 4 months, so I guess that's a start!

I recently went to Disneyland while it was decorated for Halloween. You can read all about my experience at Mickey's Halloween Party here. This year was a unique year to go because it's also the 60th anniversary. This was my first time going in September. (I heard this year is less Halloweeny then usual because of the anniversary, but I couldn't tell you!)

this is in California Adventure

The Halloween + 60th decorations were so pretty/cute/lovely. It was balls hot though! (I'm a lady, I swear.)

I wanted to share all the photos I took, so even if you can't make it to the park this year, you'll still get to enjoy the decorations!

Let the photo dump commence! (again with the I'm a lady thing)

this adorably delicious cake pop

These Disney pumpkins adorn the gates right before you enter Disneyland! 

those leaves are her bow. i die.

that diamond anniversary castle though!!!

even the lamps are all decked out! 

That giant pumpkin on Main Street was almost too much for me to handle! It was like a real life Halloweentown. (my second favorite Halloween movie ever)


What's your favorite time of the year to visit Disneyland or Disney World? I'm thinking I need to make a Christmas trip next year.

Mickey's Halloween Party // Disneyland 2015

loved the way the castle looked!

For those of you who aren't Disney fanatics or just don't know what this lovely party is all about, here's the DL on DL: (get it, get it???)

• tickets start at $69 - the closer you get to Halloween, the higher the price
• the event is from 6pm-11pm or 7pm-12am. if you don't have a Halloween party ticket, you will be asked to leave the park (so exclusive ;) )
• costumes are allowed and encouraged
• trick or treating is available for all ages 

I had the pleasure of attending Mickey's Halloween Party on September 28th. I went with my dad, little sister, and best friend. None of us had ever been to the park during Halloween time and we had no idea what to expect!

IT WAS SO MUCH FUN. From the very second you walk in, to the very second you leave you are surrounded by all things Halloween. The crowds are fairly small. The villains are out for pictures ALL NIGHT LONG.

The lines for rides are non existent. We walked straight on to every ride. Everybody is in costume and everyone is so friendly! Even the employees wear special Halloween outfits. There are trick or treat "paths" that you walk along. Kids and grown ups alike get tons of candy, apples, carrots and craisins! I thought that was really cool.

Spooky Tom Sawyer's island!

I think walking onto rides without having to wait in line is worth the $69 in itself. However, everything about the event was perfection. It seems like you're at a giant block party with all your friends. Music is blaring throughout the park and spooky projections are all over the walls of the buildings.

night parties = terrible picture quality

Beth (my bff) and I dressed up like Mike and Sully from Monsters Inc. Our costumes are homemade and I'll share how we made them later this week!

Maddie, my dad, me!

If you ever have the chance to go, DO IT. Dress up. Grab a free trick or treat bag and enjoy the fun.

Have you ever been? If so, in California or Florida?? I would love to hear about your experience! 

Bacon Wrapped Tater Tots Recipe!

In my defense, this post is not my fault. When your boyfriend goes to the store and brings home ingredients to make this, you shrug you shoulders and secretly jump for joy! If you're on a diet/going paleo/trying to not suffer from high cholesterol, you should just skip this post. It would be for the best. If you're like me and consider this covering your main food groups - protein, vegetables, and dairy - then read on my friends!

These are easy, delicious and pretty outrageous.

Ingredients:

• frozen tater tots 
•  your choice of bacon
• shredded cheese - we used sharp cheddar

 What To Do:

• preheat your oven to 400 degrees
• let your tater tots come to room temperature - or pretty close
• line a casserole dish or baking pan with foil
• start by laying your first bacon piece flat. put a tater tot on one end. wrap the bacon around your tot until it's completely covered - you can totally do this without laying the bacon down - I was trying to be as basic as possible
• leave a little extra bacon and cut the excess - we were reminded that bacon shrinks, so a lot of ours came undone as you'll see a little further down
• use the excess bacon to wrap another tot and repeat 

• place these in the oven for 20 minutes

• if your bacon isn't crisp enough, feel free to broil for a minute or two
• take your tots out of the oven - we gathered ours in a pile - and sprinkle with cheese

•  pop back in the oven until the cheese is melty and delicious about 3-5 minutes
• ENJOY!

We served ours with a side of sour cream. These were so good. Four of us shared them straight out of the baking dish! These are perfect for a snack, a treat, a party, or just because!

Tilly Puppy is 6!

I haven't mentioned my sweet pup in awhile, but today is her birthday and it's time to celebrate!

Here's a little backstory:

We got Tilly in January of 2010. She was born in September of 2009. My little sister and I had managed to convince my dad to stop at the Pet Co Adopt a Dog day and well...we walked out with a dog! She is a Brittany Spaniel, Australian Shepard mix.

her car ride to her new home!

I call it fate. We wanted to name our dog Tilly and the dog we wanted was already named Matilda. Meant. To. Be. If you ask me! (her full name is Matilda Bartholomew) She's fancy!

The shelter that we got her from was unsure of her actual birthday, so I made it September 22nd because that's my favorite number. She was abused before she came to us, so she was verrrrrry scared at the beginning. She was not fond of men at all. She cowered in the space between our furniture and our walls for days. I bribed her with treats and we've been best friends ever since.

she sat like this for days. (look at that puppy face)

Tilly is a member of our family, not just a pet. She has come a long way since we adopted her. She can still be skittish, but she is sooooo loving. She will lick your face off if you'll let her. She loves french fries and tortilla chips, taking naps, and watching reality tv. Sooo, she's basically me.

cuddling this weekend, still my BFF

She lives with my Dad and I miss her constantly. However, I'm puppy sitting her for the next week - just in time to spoil her rotten for her birthday.

grown up Tilly! 

My coworker made fun of me for acknowledging her birthday. How do you feel about it? Do you celebrate your pet's birthday? I would love to know!

What Really Happens to Your Body After Drinking a PSL - A Response

I read Yahoo articles every day. Some are interesting, some are dumb and I skip right over them and some are so enticing that I have to share. Today is the latter.

Let me start by saying I LOVE ALL THINGS PUMPKIN. The basic white girl life is the life for me and I'm not even sorry.

The article I'm going to respond to is all about how terrible the PSL is for your body. You can read it here. Guess what? I don't care. Everything is bad for you, blah blah. Everything will give you cancer, blah blah. Don't you dare take this away from me, Yahoo!

Here is the image found in the article. This is not my own image.

 I completely disagree. They left out some very important side effects and I'm here with the truth.

Blood: I only get 1 pump of syrup and no whip in my drink, so my blood is happy and soaking up all the pumpkin goodness. Okay!?
Heart: My heart is full of happiness, cloudy weather, and piles of freshly fallen leaves. I don't have any trouble sleeping either.
Bladder: Uh hi, I pee all the time. You can't blame the PSL for that.
Liver: My liver is just glad I'm not drowning it in alcohol like most people my age.
Appetite: Caffeine is an appetite suppressant for me, so I beg to differ here.
Productivity:  I can basically conquer the world after enjoying one of these bad boys.

In conclusion, this attack on the PSL is completely irrelevant and extremely personal to me. I hope you agree with me, but it's okay if you don't. My PSL will keep me warm at night. LOL.

I'm off to go feed my addiction, bye!

:) 

Smores Dip Recipe

I'm so ready for Fall. I'm sending out all my Fall vibes and getting nothing in return. Actually, it's a little cooler today, but that's about it. (this whole last week was 100+ degrees)

I made this super easy and super delicious smores dip this weekend to share with all you lovely people who are throwing out your Fall vibes as well. Where are all my PSL'ers at???

You seriously only need three ingredients for this dessert/snack. Grab your pen and paper or get your screen shotting fingers ready!

• chocolate chips - mini or regular - milk chocolate, semi sweet, doesn't matter!
• marshmallows - regular or jumbo
• graham crackers for dipping

First things first! Preheat your oven. I chose 350 degrees. I used a little ramekin for my dish. It's oven safe, big enough for 2 people to share (or just me who am I kidding) and looks cute! Fill your ramekin 3/4 of the way with chocolate chips.

If you're using regular sized marshmallows, you can just cover the chocolate chips with them. I used the jumbo this time and cut them in half.

Once you've done that, put your ramekin on a cookie sheet and stick it in the oven! Dance around the house for 3 minutes and you're done. Seriously, that's it. The chocolate chips will be molten and your marshmallows will be gooey and toasty. You can put your oven on low broil for 30 seconds to a minute if you want those marshmallows extra toasty, but watch them closely!

You can dig right in! I used graham crackers this time. In the past, I've used cinnamon sugar chips or you could even use strawberries for a healthier twist. (all about the balance, yo!)

So make this dip and send those Fall vibes my way, okay???

PS. What's the weather like where you live? I'm hoping less than 100! 

Cupcakin' Bake Shop // Berkeley, CA

I can't remember if I ever officially announced it, but J got into UC Berkeley! This past weekend, our roommates from Monterey came to stay with us. We decided to BART over to Berkeley for the day and get an official tour from a very official student. It was game day, so there was a lot of people out and about! We spent the day walking around and eating all the food. Before we left that morning, I looked up a cupcake shop. The Yelp reviews were awesome, so I made sure we stopped.

Cupcakin' Bake Shop was everything I hoped it would be. It's located on Durant Street - a short walk from the campus. The outside was so stinking cute and welcoming. I spotted it from the other side of  the street and may have jay-walked ran across the street to get there.

The girl behind the counter was very pleasant and patient with us. Cupcakes are serious business and the flavor decision is crucial!

Beth got the summer berry, which was vanilla cake, vanilla frosting and fresh berries. Holy Cupcake, that was the best vanilla cake I have ever had. It was fluffy and moist and perfect.

I got the s'mores. I usually get some sort of chocolate cupcake from shops because I like to compare them all. Much to my surprise, there was an actual graham cracker crust on the bottom of the cupcake. That is my absolute favorite thing about s'mores cupcakes, but not all places do that. The crust was buttery, the cake was moist, and the marshmallow fluff was homemade and toasted. I mean seriously you guys. I'm so picky when it comes to cupcakes and I almost went back to tell her how amazing they were. They even had these super cute Berkeley cupcakes on display!

The blogger in me failed to get a mouth watering picture of our cupcakes unwrapped, but I can assure you, they were gone in 3 bites.