Life Laid Bear

want vs. need (car edition)

I have mentioned a couple times over the past months that our household is car shopping (we are a one car family at the moment). Well that wasn't really true, I was actually being stubborn. Yes, I said it. I was being stubborn. Copy it, save it, print it out. You won't see it again. I was actually telling myself that I wanted a certain kind of car, and that I was not going to look at anything else. That was foolish of me. I now see that. You ask why? Well because five months later I am still without a car. So for the past two weeks I have been kicking myself. It is one of those "Oh, I have seen it and now I don't want anything else" hissy fits that I know everyone has. 

Need - something you have to have 

Want - something you would like to have that your brain tells you that you need

Those definitions sometimes get tangled in my head. Especially when we are talking about car shopping. When I started looking around I pictured a newer midsize SUV with navigation (you need it to get around), sunroof (you need it to get a tan while driving), leather (you need it because it is pretty) and low mileage. Of course, I didn't think this would be difficult to find in our price range. Boy was I wrong! I could have easily told Kyle that we would work it out, and we could afford the more expensive car, that we could give up some of the other things fluff things in our budget. But instead of over extending ourselves into a car payment we aren't comfortable with I began to scale down my picture perfect car. 

This brings us to real time and the issue of having to wrap my head around being an adult and giving up some of those expensive luxuries. My husband knows my weakness when it comes to money, when I hesitate to buy something, he always asks would you rather have the money or the item. So I am trying to bring that thought process to this gruesome situation. Who else out there dislikes car shopping? I sure do. 

Does that mean that I should only buy a junker of a car? No, I still need something automatic because well I can't drive manuel. Life is meant to be lived, not survived. I believe you should treat yourself to some wants along the way, but do it to the point you can afford it and still enjoy it. 

The question I get to now ask myself is "would I rather have a top of the line vehicle or spend that money on my family and our experiences together?" When you look back, will you remember what you drove or that fantastic vacation to Bora Bora (I wish). 

Anyone else have any situations that require you to think about it being a want versus a need? I would love to hear how you handled it. 

 

Floridians and cold weather

 I cannot speak for the other 19 million people in Florida but in my neck of the woods when the cold hits, it is a lot like what I would expect a zombie apocalypse to be like. The stores are stocked with cold weather items and people stock up on scarfs, coats, boots and socks. The heat goes on, coffee sales go up, and it looks like we live in the Arctic.

I am no exception to this rule.  I wore boots for the first time yesterday, turned my heated mattress pad on, and even decided to invest in a small space heater for the bathroom. It's sad I know, but so true. I am not ashamed.

When the weather shifts here, it is sudden and unexpected. If I watched the news more I wouldn't be caught off guard, but what can you do. I could have sworn to you it was just 90 last week and now we are expecting nights of 30. That is a difference of 70 degrees guys. 70! 

So for those of you who are up North in the frigid cold, I commend you for doing this. My blood is too thin. 

Despite all of the complaining about the cold mornings, I am really enjoying being able to dig into my cold weather clothing and doing some night biking this weekend. We also plan to have our first fire tonight. So looking forward to all of the "firsts" of this holiday season. 

So the point is have a safe, warm and cozy weekend everyone. 

October goals

Any month that starts off with a trip to Target and a PSL is a good one to me. This month is a little crazy for us. We have two weddings, a bachelorette party in Miami, some travel, fall shows are back on and a whole lot of wedding shopping. In October my goals are fun, and I am excited to get started. Our weekends are filled, so we don't have a whole lot of time to get the important work done. By important, I mean play work. Not real work. Who does real work these days? Oh you do? Sorry about that. (Play work is stuff like sitting by the pool on Saturdays and watching True Blood marathons)

- Read as much as you can. Finish at least two books.

- Don't miss an episode of Scandal! Are you with me?

- Take the dogs for a walk atleast twice a week.

- Drink more coffee on the back patio.

- Have the first open windows night

- Get the book section up there all typed out.

- Go to bed earlier, even if it is only 10 minutes.

I am entering October with a fresh start. I wrote about getting back to the basics this past month and I meant what I said. It is time to let all of the non-necessities go and make room for those loved items.

I made a really tough move towards this last night as I ripped through my closet and grabbed everything out that didn't fit, looked raggedy, or was not truly my favorite piece. I don't want anything that is not a basic or I can't stand to part with it. It is cluttering my life up. Who needs that? I am so excited to start fresh (as our budget will allow, of course).

I hope your month is the best yet. What are your plans?

Mini Pumpkin Pies

Mini Pumpkin Pies are most certainly my favorite thing to bake. Let me step back a little. It is among only a handful of things I can make. My guy is the chef around these parts, and a darn good one at that. I am proud to call him mine. So pumpkin pies have slowly but surely made their way into my heart over the years. I married a Northerner, so I have to make them. A little known fact is that I had never had one until I met him. I am still trying to get him to warm up to Pecan Pie. 

This recipe is very old. I got it from my grandma right before I got married and have cherished it since then. I asked her if I could have some pie recipes and she surprised me when she brought this one out (she never cooked it for me). It is pretty simple but the dough is not homemade. Sorry. I also split this pie into mini pies, because who can't resist something sweet and cute. 

Mini Pumpkin Pies, makes 24 mini pies

1 package Pillsbury pie crust (comes with two rolled up)

1 can pumpkin

1 package cream cheese

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup regular sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1/4 cup melted butter (1/2 stick)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

For the filling: In a bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer. Add in your pumpkin and beat until they are both combined. Add all sugar and salt, and beat until combined. Add the salt, eggs and melted butter. Continue to beat until combined. Last add the vanilla and cinnamon. By this time, you should be an expert at beating until combined. You should not see any lumps left. If you do, continue to beat with the hand mixer. 

For the crust: Roll out the dough, and decide what you would like to make your circle with. I think our glasses are the perfect size for these mini pies. So I go with that. 

Once you have your circles cut out, put them in a lightly oiled muffin pan. Then add your filling. Go ahead and fill almost to the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. 

* I cut the little gingerbread men out of the excess dough. Again, just for a extra cute factor. 

Let them cool and enjoy. Add some whipped cream if you are feeling festive. 

Fall all around

On Saturday I had a fall party for our friends and family, so I got the chance to decorate a whole day early! Lucky me.  I don't buy pieces for a certain season. I just can't break down and do it, so I usually have a standard piece that I am able to switch out to match the occassion. For example the round bowl has different things in it throughout the year. It just depends on how I feel, and I like to keep my house that way. I can't imagine myself pulling out the same decorations year in and year out, so I don't like to spend much on things I may not have next year. Or may not love next year.

I borrowed the decorative pumpkins from my mother in law for our outdoor table. The little white guy I found at the local market. I couldn't resist, they were so cute. The large pumpkins out right now in stores are just not pretty, I will give them a couple more weeks. 

Our mantle is huge, we actually had our tv on it for almost a year until I decided I liked the mantle better as a focal point and less for entertainment purposes. So for now, there is a large print of me and Kyle as well as a big mirror, an oversized vase, and an owl carving that a very deal friend gave me. See any patterns? The mantle is large and so all of our decorations are too. (I will post about the large prints later on, they are so cheap to make!)

Fall is so fun, the colors are warm and cozy. The clothing is warm and cozy. The tea, hot chocalate or coffee are warm and cozy. Everything is warm and cozy. How can you not love it?

Happy First Day of Fall

Today officially starts the first day of my favorite time of the year. Here in Florida, we don't really have the changing of the seasons. You just wake up one morning and it is bone chilling cold (at least for us). Northerners out there don't judge that I think 50 is frigid cold.  So right now, we have cold mornings and blistering hot afternoons followed by breezy nights. It may not be the average fall for most of you, but I wouldn't have it any other way. So here's to the official start to fall (ours may not get here until early November). I hope you had a great weekend. We had a fall party on Saturday night to ring in the impending season. 

What is your favorite time of the year?