Happy September!

It's September 1st! That means all the pumpkin spice, football decor, and apples are coming out whether or not the weather chooses to follow suit and cool off.

Last weekend was mainly about putting away the last bit of Summer, so the kiddos enjoyed sno-cones and pool time. From this weekend on, our focus will be on football, and I could not be more excited. Although I am not sure that the kids will be.

Last year I put up all my fall decorations on September 1st, and my mums were dead within a week. Unfortunately it's too hot for full-on fall decor, so I've decided to save myself some time and $ this year and start off with football decor.  This weekend I began to put up our red and black. I made this wreath from red burlap and a wire wreath form for about $10. You just cut the burlap into shreds and tie them around the wire wreath form. It was super easy; just make sure to not get tiny burlap fibers in your wine glass if you try making one. I think that would be the most challenging part to this craft.

Then we updated the chalkboards in the kitchen to reflect our excitement about football season. And by "we," I literally mean we. 

And "we" clearly harbor some disdain for Georgia Tech. Thanks, Bobby.

September also means I can finally bring out all the pumpkin recipes again without judgement. Fall is all about cooking. I made some awesome brownies that were the easiest and best I've ever had. 3 ingredients (well, four if you use candy corn as a topping). The caveat is that you have to like pumpkin. And chocolate. But who doesn't?

Mix Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Brownie Mix with a can of pureed pumpkin and a dash of pumpkin pie spice. Put in greased brownie pan. I topped with candy corn, but that's optional. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Thank me later.

They were dense and fudgy, almost like a flourless chocolate cake. Pumpkin-y, chocolate-y, and oh-so-decadent. And stupidly easy. That earns a check in my book.

I've also been really into overnight oats lately. I'm sure y'all have heard of this. It's not new. But I started adding pumpkin into them, and it's my favorite way to eat them yet! I really like that you can make a large batch of these at night and then store them in your fridge and eat them whenever you want. They're so easy and so good!

Add 1/2 c milk (or almond milk), 1/2 c old fashioned oats, 2 tbsp pumpkin puree, 2 tsp maple syrup, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, and a dash pumpkin pie spice in a mason jar. Combine until mixed. Put lid on and place in refrigerator overnight. Stir and eat cold or warm in microwave for a minute. Top with whipped cream and nuts, if desired (always desired:))

Do you ever just completely run out of food? I was down to just a couple of edible things in the house on Sunday, and I had to get creative with Mac n' Cheese. Or, as I like to call this, Mac n' All-the-Leftover-Cheese. Would you have ever thought goat cheese could be good on mac n' cheese? It wouldn't have been my first choice, but it was downright delicious melted with some milk, parm, and herbs de provence.

I mean, was I expecting anything with noodles and cheese to be bad?

And, in honor of September 1st and the unofficial beginning of Fall, the new Halloween bows have dropped in the Etsy shop! We've got a lot of spooky goodies, so head on over and check them out!

Happy September!