Spotted

Spotted on the Pitt campus, Blair Waldorf and Serena van der Woodsen popping champagne to commemorate their final college Halloweekend. Chuck and Lonely Boy no where to be found. What fun lies in store for these Upper East Siders? I'll never tell. xoxo Gossip Girl

That's right! Happy Halloween everybody! Last night was full of fun times and great costumes. My friend and I went as Blair and Serena from Gossip Girl. This was a natural pick for us since we OBSESS over the show. I was Blair...because of course. It was great to step out dressed as TV's best dressed duo; everyone else's costumes of course paled in comparison to ours. :)

<3 Ashley

How are you dressing up for Halloween?

Sunday Brunch: Pumpkin Pancakes

Well well well...here we find ourselves enjoying yet another lazy Sunday morning. I really hope these never end. I need my sanity days. Now, my intention was to post this on Friday (really!) but that clearly never happened. So welcome to an actual Sunday Sunday Brunch brunch post. See what I did there? Low-cal calzone zone, anybody?

Anyway. I mentioned early in the week how I am basically obsessing over all things pumpkin and one of the newest and most frequent fixtures in my diet are pumpkin pancakes. Sometimes these appear with chocolate chips, sometimes they fly solo. The recipe is super easy and is actually the recipe that I posted before for single serving whole wheat pancakes, just with pumpkin and spices added!

Ingredients:
- 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- a few shakes of cinnamon and nutmeg
- 1/3 c. milk
- 1 egg
- 2 tsps. maple syrup
- 3 tbsps. pumpkin puree

What to do:
- Mix up your dry ingredients first. Then add in the rest. When it comes to the spices, you are free to do as you please. This was an experimentation for me one morning so I do not actually have measurements for you.

- I usually add about 3 tbsps of pumpkin puree to my mixture because I am only doing the single serving amount. You should probably adjust accordingly if you are making more. Also, the pumpkin will make the batter a little bit thicker so I pour in a touch more milk at the end to thin it a bit.

- Ladle batter onto hot skillet (medium low heat) and let brown on each side. Add chocolate chips at your discretion ;)

- Serve with butter and maple syrup. Enjoy!

<3 Ashley

What are your favorite pumpkin recipes? Share below!

All Night

This is what last night's study session looked like. At least I cram in style!

One of the trademarks of college that people always warned me about was exhausting all-nighter. You know, the fabled study sesh that you mentally and physically have to prepare yourself for. Typically happens when you have procrastinated far too much and the deadlines have stacked up on you or when finals hit and you hunker down in the library with a blanket and gallon of coffee. This is the part of college that I was not looking for as a young freshman-to-be. Having to commit yourself so hard to your studies that you lose sleep? I'm all about being a good student and working hard, but that just seems like too much!

Typing this as a senior I can tell you that...I have not had to do this even once. There was the one time that I really thought I was going to have to! I had a history paper due and a philosophy exam on the same day. I put my PJs on, grabbed my work, draped a blanket around my shoulders, snagged some snacks and made my way to the upstairs lounge--dorm living!! In reality...I was done and back in bed by 2 AM. In my defense, it did feel like an all nighter because my history class was at 8 AM.

This year already there have been a few times where I probably could have repeated this (last night, for example!) My tip to my fellow collegiates: just prioritize and focus. Honestly, you cannot afford to lose sleep in college. You need so many hours of sleep to help you store the information for that exam that you have put off studying for. You also need that sleep to maintain a halfway friendly demeanor and positive relationships...at least I do!

<3 Ashley

Have you been known to pull an all-nighter or seven? How were able to be a functioning human? (serious inquiry)

Photo Diary: Embracing the Fall

Delicious Pumpkin Spice Sugar donut!

I'm writing to you from the couch in my living room today...notice how I am not frantically getting ready for class. It's Fall Break (aka...a three day weekend!) Instead I am lounging in our actually kind cold house, wrapped in a fleece, sipping on coffee, and enjoying a plate of pumpkin pancakes--recipe coming later this week!

This past weekend has been a blessed on, which I spent with friends and family. On Saturday, one of my friends and I took a half hour drive to Wexford, PA to spend the day at Soergel's Orchard. Let me tell you it was the BEST day to be there. Perfect weather + Amish donuts + all of the apples, pumpkin and cider a girl could dream for = a very contented Ashley. I got to show off my very impressive apple and pumpkin picking skills and we even took some cute snaps throughout the day.

One thing that we were sure not to leave without was our own bottles of the orchard's apple wine--sampled that night...it was very crisp!

Sunday I spent the (very cold) day with my dad at the Steelers v. Cardinals game. Thank the Lord we won that game despite a very depressing start. I don't know how this city would be consoled otherwise. Haha!

With the weekend fun winding down, today will be spent doing all the work that I should have maybe started earlier. This will be done a lot easier now that I am in the early stages of a cold and refuse to leave this house! >.<

<3 Ashley

What did you do this weekend? Have you fully embraced the season?

Leather Look

Ted Baker Bag | Charlotte Russe Boots | H&M Pants| Chicwish Skirt |River Island Vest 

Hello and welcome to another installment of "I'm Not a Fashion Blogger, But How About An 'A' For Effort!" I'm your host, Ashley and today we are going to discuss the wonder and glory of the leather fall look. But really...it's a great look right? Now understand that by "leather" I am referring to faux, of course...I can't afford the real deal. Plus, if someone is just looking at you and not touching your outfit all over (stop them if they do because that's weird) then who will really know? 

I think that leather is just so sleek and chic especially this time of year as we begin layering and making efforts to keep the chill from directly touching our skin. Plus, how sexy is a pair of leather pants and some leather boots? Very! That is the answer. In reality, I don't own much myself. Just a few pieces with leather panels in them--which is just as great! I have found a number of pieces that I want in my closet right this second. Check 'em out! ^ 

Real or fake, you gotta get on board with this look!

<3 Ashley

Do you love the look of leather pieces like I do? What's your favorite way to wear it?

Weekend: Homecoming

Friday night fireworks and laser show to kickoff a successful homecoming!

Gooooooood morning friends! All it takes is one solid weekend and I am ready to take on the week. This past weekend was homecoming week here at Pitt and this place was packed with families and alumni. Saturday this household was up bright and early and in the parking lot the football stadium by 9:00 with containers of breakfast in hand. Side note: if you are ever in Pittsburgh, brunch at Pamela's is the way to go; their breakfast potatoes are the bomb!

Super amped to finally be able to tailgate with all of my friends before the games.

The game itself was amazing! The stadium was packed, the student section was full and loud, and we won--take that, Virginia! After the game, one of my best friends from home arrived to spend the rest of the weekend with us. We spent a lovely night out touring the bar scene around the campus. Sunday morning we took a drive down to the Strip District for brunch at Deluca's, which claims the "best breakfast in the 'Burgh." After waiting in line for a whole hour to get seats, we could verify that claim--all of our dishes were delicious! I would like to go back and try their crepes sometime since I got an omelette this time.

We also celebrated a friend's birthday last night. Per Taylor Swift, he is definitely "feeling 22!" This weekend was definitely great, however, I now have to deal with the feeling that maybe there was school work that I should have been working on! Uh oh!

<3 Ashley

How was your weekend?

Get SET

Yes, yes, yes it is that time of the year! Temps get cooler, I leave my window open just a hair to let some cool air get into my heat trap of a room, and I bust out the de la Renta set to keep me from getting too cold at night. Are there people who do not like PJ sets? Why? They are so cute and comfortable when there is a bite to the air--what is not to love? 

Over the past few years, my grandmother has become the supplier to this addiction of mine. For the past few years, a new set gets added to my collection at Christmas. Thanks, Grandma! This one, however was gifted from my parents last year. At $30 at TJ Maxx, it was the one item that was highlighted as mandatory on my wish list. 

Below are some favorites that I have stumbled across on my Internet travels. Click on the images for full size on the retailer website.

                      

Happy sleeping!

<3 Ashley

Are you a pajama set fan? What style do you tend towards?

Go Deep

We are still in the beginning stages of fall, which means I still walk outside in the morning and treat South Oakland with the excitement of being in Disney World. Spoiler alert: South Oakland is NOT Disney World. I am in the blissful stage of being thrill that temps are dropping a bit to accommodate my jeans and boots. We are getting just a little preview of fall and with that fall fashion.

One thing that I love about fall is the deep hues that tend to make an appearance. Don't get me wrong--I do love me the bright colors that spring and summer bring us. However, there is a time and place for more subdued colors and that time is now. Deep shades of red, green and even a burnt orange here and there give me life this time of year. There's just something about fall colors, right? A few of my favorites are above with links below...there are some cozy looking fall collections out there!

Long Cardigan || Forever 21

Dress || Francesca's

Knit hooded dress || H&M

'Rust' Skinny Jeans || Charlotte Russe

<3 Ashley

What colors do you sport in the fall?

First Day of October

Happy October, folks! The weather in Pittsburgh is starting to feel a lot more like autumn now! With highs in the 60s I really don't think that I could be an happier. Today was not only the first day of October, but also a day of seasonal firsts. Today was the day that I deigned to finally sample the new an improved Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte. Boy, was it good! What are your opinions on it? I can definitely tell a difference from last season--read: I like it a lot better.

Upon waking up this morning, I threw open my window to let some cool in come through to my teeny-tiny, heat trapping room. I made the mistake of looking back as I headed downstairs for breakfast and saw my warm and inviting bed beckoning me to come back. How I said no to that coziness is beyond me.

As I type this now I am in the process of freezing a batch of butternut squash, which I will likely mix up in a soup in a few weeks--once I get my hands on a nifty immersion blender. The blender we have now is just no match for soups!

Today was also the day I busted out the scarves. They are all lined up and ready to go!

<3 Ashley

Does it feel like fall where you are? What are you looking forward to this month?