Lucky Friday 13th

Despite my spooky picture, I actually love Friday 13th because I was born on the 13th and have had many birthdays fall on a Friday which means reverse bad luck for me! Well at least that's always been my twist on things.

Other than closing a pretty big deal at work and ordering our Holiday photo cards (Thanks Kerry for the recommendation), this week was pretty uneventful so I'm going to get right into some randoms.

ONE:
K was traveling for work at the beginning of the week so I had my hands full with Lola who requires all your attention. Forget about using a computer or phone in her presence.



K bought me a cute gift from IHeartDogs.com which seems to suggest otherwise. Of course I love my Lola but I am a blogger and need contact with technology in the evenings since early mornings aren't my thing. The drinking wine part is true though.

TWO:
With Thanksgiving coming up, I'm always scrambling to find new dishes for the potluck at work, our family Thanksgiving dinner and sometimes even "Friendsgiving" get-togethers. One of my favorite side dishes around the holidays is broccoli casserole although I've never attempted to make it myself.  This Broccoli & Cauliflower Casserole recipe looks a great side dish for the holidays.

THREE:
I had to buy this song on iTunes and have listened to is a gazillion times cause I just love her voice.

FOUR:
I finally found the secret to amazing smelling laundry ~ Snuggles Scent Boosters.

I've always used good quality detergent (usually Tide or Gain) along with laundry softener and I also clean my washing machine often yet my laundry would still come out smelling just okay...clean of course but just not fresh smelling after all the expensive products I'm using. Not anymore though. My laundry smells amazing after using these scent pacs, especially for sheets and bath towels.

FIVE:
I haven't shopped online in a long time (other than for the Holiday photo cards if that even counts) but I can picture this being me around the holidays. I haven't even started shopping for Christmas gifts.

Happy weekend everyone!

My Role Model

November has always been extra special because it's the month we've always celebrated my grandmother's birthday. I don't talk about my her often enough even though I think about her almost everyday and still follow her words of guidance. She was my role model and there's no doubt I am who I am today mainly because of her. She just understood me and we had this incredible bond I've never had with anyone else.

Even though she left us 5 years ago, I can't let November come and go without honoring and remembering my forever best friend and role model.

Some random memories and things Granny Helen taught me:

~ that ice cream is much better topped with chocolate chips, sprinkles, coconut flakes (basically any of her random baking ingredients).

~ how to give a good back massage or scratch while we watch movies during one of my many sleepovers.

~ how to be empathetic, loyal and loving and the importance of helping those in need.

~ how to host a "high tea" party. She hosted tea parties for her group of lady friends up until her last days. I would often help assist with odds and ends.

~ my love of accessories and dressing up every outfit with different earrings or necklaces is definitely because of her.

~ to have a sense of humor and be silly sometimes. You can see her trying to get the last drop of eggnog in the photo below just to make us laugh. 

My favorite memories of my Granny could go on forever but I'm not a mushy person so those things stay in my heart. The holidays will never be the same without her though. She made it special.

xoxo

Wanderlust Wednesdays: Barbados

Last week I recapped my trip to Barbados which was full of wedding fun and festivities but we also had a couple days to play tourist and explore the island so I have some must-dos to share for anyone thinking of visiting Barbados in the future. 

Cool Runnings Catamaran Cruise

This daytime lunch cruise on the Cool Runnings catamaran is a must! We started at 9:30 am and cruised along Barbados' coast stopping off to snorkel and swim. We explored a ship wreck, saw lots of colorful fish and swam with turtles. The staff were extremely friendly and knowledgeable and provided great entertainment throughout the day. We also had a lunch buffet which was amazing and drinks kept flowing throughout the day. The rum punch was exceptional!

The Crane Beach Resort

The Crane looks like something out of a magazine. We visited this world famous resort to have lunch at the poolside restaurant and to explore the beautiful property and scenery.

Bathsheba Beach

Bathsheba sits on the east coast of Barbados and is popular among surfers for the nice waves especially in the "Soup Bowl" which brings surfers from around the world. As a visitor, it's a nice view and place to relax to take in the views.

Tapas Restaurant

We enjoyed an ocean-front dinner with friends at Tapas. The Spanish style tapas menu didn't disappoint and the service was exceptional. Although it was too dark outside to enjoy the oceanfront scenery, the sound of the waves crashing made for a good ambiance.

Accra Beach

Accra Deck Restaurant

We enjoyed an amazing Sunday breakfast buffet over looking the beach and ocean at the Accra Deck located at the Accra Beach Hotel.

I can't wait to return to Barbados in the future. It's seriously a gorgeous island with lots of Caribbean charm, good food, and friendly locals.

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Fall Ground Turkey and Pumpkin Chili

Chili is not the prettiest food but it was very tasty and a great warm meal for Fall that also goes a long way. This recipe was adapted from Trader Joe's Turkey Chili with Pumpkin recipe. The original recipe calls for 2 cans of Pumpkin but I had some fresh pumpkin at home that I wanted to incorporate it into the recipe so I used only 1 can of pumpkin.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1/2 White Onion, diced

2 cloves Garlic, minced

1.5 lbs Ground Turkey

1 can Diced & No Salt Added Tomatoes

 2 cans 100% pure Pumpkin or
4-5 cups cubed fresh Pumpkin

1 can Kidney Beans, drained

1/2 can Whole Kernel Corn, drained

1 Orange Bell Pepper, diced

Ground Black Pepper (to taste)

Cayenne Pepper (to taste)

Optional Toppings:

Sour Cream

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

What To Do:

If you are using fresh pumpkin, preheat oven to 400 degrees F and bake the cubed pumpkin on a greased baking sheet for 25 minutes. Heat olive oil in a skillet and saute diced bell pepper and onion for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add in garlic and cook for only 1-2 minutes before adding the ground turkey. Cook turkey mixture until browned, approximately 8 minutes.

Transfer turkey mixture to a large pot and stir in pumpkin, kidney beans, corn, diced tomatoes along with black pepper and cayenne to taste. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. I added 1/2 cup water since the consistency seemed thick. Cook for 20 minutes on low stirring occasionally.

Garnish with toppings of your choice. I used light sour cream.

Enjoy!

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Weekend: Blogger Happy Hour & Sunday Brunch

I'm ready to tackle this week after a fun yet relaxing weekend spent in and around town. On Friday, Pinky was in town so we organized a blogger happy hour with Kerri, Pamela and I at Carmel Cafe & Wine Bar. We had a blast meeting Pinky in person and sipping on some martinis and wine!

Saturday was all about relaxing and getting stuff done around the house plus some blogging and cooking powered by the aroma of pumpkin candles and Lola snuggles.

K and I went out for a sushi lunch date but that was the extent of leaving the house.

On Sunday a friend hosted a brunch at her condo downtown so we started off at her place for a Latino style brunch and Bloody Mary's before heading over to the Fiesta in the Park around Lake Eola to walk around and check out all the local art, entertainment and food vendors.

 Quick reminder that our Kendra Scott + Sephora giveaway ends tomorrow...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Joining the lovely B for her Weekending linkup.