Home Wishlist

1.{Pillow} 2.{Throw} 3.{Vase} 4.{Mirror}

1.{Bowls} 2.{Glass} 3.{Silverware} 4.{Measuring spoons}

Happy Halloween!

We will be spending our day at Reese' great parents house.

xoxo

Simple Pumpkin Recipes

I am an avid reader of Parenting magazine.

I used to get so excited to check the mail every month to see if my Vogue was in, as soon as I received my first subscription of Parenting... everything changed!

This last months issue had an article on new ways use pumpkin.

I made Reese pumpkin purees which he loved and I can also use these purees in simple recipes!

 Here are a few of my favorites.

Sugar and Spice Pumpkin Seeds

Add pumpkin seeds into melted butter, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes or until seeds are golden brown.

Pumpkin Yogurt

Stir in one cup of pumpkin puree into vanilla yogurt.

Top with granola.

Pumpkin Pancakes

Add 1/2 a cup of pumpkin puree, 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice to pancake batter

Cook pancakes as normal.

Top with whipped cream.

Homemade Pumpkin Cream Cheese

Stir 1/2 a cup of pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice into the cream cheese of your choice. (I prefer Philadelphia whipped cream cheese) spread on to toast or bagel.

Enjoy!

Which of these recipes do you prefer?

xoxo

Mad for Plaid

1.{Dress} 2.{Blouse} 3.{Scarf} 4.{Coat} 5.{Bag} 6.{Heel}

I've been buying lots of plaid this season.

What is your favorite seasonal print?

xoxo

Weekend Adventures

Last week we decided to book a hotel room in Santa Monica for the weekend.

It was such a good time that was spent mainly eating (like 10 times a day) and walking.

My jeans will not forgive me :(

On Friday night we took Reese down to the pier to see the bright lights, he could hardly contain himself even if it was past his bed time.

The next day we clocked in miles at third street promenade where we had crepes and lattes for breakfast and wandered back to the carousel so that Reese could have his first ride. (Too bad we forgot to go to the ATM and neither of us had cash...) So instead we had egg creams and decided to go to Border Grill and of course ate tons of mini cupcakes afterwards.

 How was your weekend?

xoxo

GD Faves

Currently I am reading 'Travels with Charley in Search of America' by Steinbeck (This is my fifth time reading it and is my favorite book)

Listening to Hearts and Unicorns by Giant Drag.

Wearing Payton vegan boots.

Wanting this antique sapphire ring from Etsy and watching season three of Parenthood.

I can't wait for tomorrow evening, we booked a two night stay at the beach for a small getaway close to home.

What are your weekend plans?

xoxo

What to Wear {Gypsy Window Coin Necklace}

{one, two, three, four, five}

xoxo

Q&A

I've recently received a couple of questions that I thought I would reply to on here as well:

Are you in any way affiliated with Anthropologie because you post links to their clothes often:

 -No, I am not affiliated with Anthropologie, they have no idea who I am. The reason I post so many links to their clothing and accessories is because it is where 98% of my wardrobe comes from and I normally purchase all items that are linked.

How old is your son:

-He turned 9 months old on the 17th.

Where does Nicole Emerald come from:

- ;) surprisingly I get this often.... It's my first and middle name.

Do you get paid to blog:

-Yes, but this was not the case when I started.

If you did not make your son's baby food, what brand would you feed him:

-I've given him Earth's Best jars about 4-5 times and he really enjoyed them.

I also buy Earth's best letter cookies and crackers.

 What program do you use to edit pictures:

-Adobe Illustrator CS6, Thanks to my wonderful brother! I used Snagit previously.

Thank those of you that send me emails with these questions, and thanks a million for reading :)

Feel free to send me any additional questions at:

gypsydenbynicole@gmail.com

xoxo

A Cup of Thankful

I decided to start a weekly post about the things that I am thankful for during the week.

By mid-week I normally get lost in all of the things that need to get done and I forget to sit back and realize how lucky I am to have what I do.

This week I am thankful for:

Having breakfast with Reese early in the morning, we sit and giggle like crazy people while eating our breakfast.

 He is just too sweet.

My boy saying "Mama" and looking at me for my reaction, I normally respond with, "yes, baby" and he smiles and shows me what ever it is that he wants me to see.

 Organic olive oil popcorn

Such a good snack.

Parenthood on Netflix

I've watched 2 seasons in a week...

This amazing fall weather! Reese and I can finally wear our fall wardrobe without dying of heat exhaustion.

These bibs because boy oh boy does Reese know how to make a mess!

EOS, not only do they keep my lips soft and kissable but I hand them to Reese while I get ready and he plays for ever with them! 

His favorite is smacking them together or throwing them at his closet mirror in his room and laughing at the noise it makes.

Finally mastering wearing heels and balancing a 24 pound baby on one hip, what feels like a 30 pound diaper bag on my shoulder (I'm exaggerating... as usual.) and 5 bags full of groceries in one hand without calling Kye to the car for help! 

I'm a pro ;)

What are you thankful for this week?

xoxo

Closet Wishlist {Tops & Bottoms}

{one, two, three, four}

{one, two, three, four}

Happy Wednesday!

xoxo

Lesson's of a Lipstick Queen

I recently picked up new lip products to hopefully get me out of my expensive lipstick habit...

I blame my mother for all of my expensive habits...It runs deep in my blood.

I have to say with some of these products I was really shocked at how well they work!

As you can see I have a thing for pinkish shades...

{One. EOS lip balm in Pomegranate Raspberry}

{Two. Covergirl Outlast lip stain}

{Three. Revlon Lip butter in Sweet Tart}

{Four. Covergirl lipstick in Flame}

I love all except for the Covergirl lipstick... it is super cheap and does not go on well with or with out lip balm.

The lip butter and EOS (of course) are my fave!

You can find all items listed above at Target.

xoxo

Saddle Up

{one, two, three, four, five, six}

Ever since this weekend I have been thinking of horses.

They are so graceful and strong.

We've gone a couple of times with Kye's grandparents to see the horse races. 

So much fun.

I'm hoping that when Reese is older we can take him horse back riding on a regular basis... after all, the love for them runs deep in his dad's family veins.

xoxo

Pink Gradient Cake

 

Last night I decided to make a pink gradient cake.

I tried making a blue hue cake on Kye's birthday that turned into a crumbling toppling cake mess.

This time around it was perfect!

I can't even begin to tell you how proud I am of myself ;)

I used Duncan Hines cake boxes for the cake batter.

Both Kye's grandmother and I agree it is the best boxed cake mix!

For the gradient effect I use three different bowls and add two drops to the first bowl, four to the second and six to the third.

(I only used one box for the entire cake this time around and just spread the batter evenly per bowl)

For the buttercream frosting:

• 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
• 3-4 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3-4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

 Beat butter on medium speed for a couple of minutes until smooth.

Add sugar to the mix (use low speed) until sugar and butter are mixed together.

Add vanilla extract, salt and heavy cream and beat for three minutes.

If you need to thicken the frosting add the fourth cup of sugar, if you need to thin it out add the fourth cup of cream or milk (I prefer heavy cream!)

Enjoy!

xoxo

Weekend Adventures

 

This weekend was beautiful and extremely eventful.

We spent our Friday evening taking Reese to see ducks and geese at a park nearby.

He screamed and laughed almost the entire time.

On Saturday night we had a company picnic to attend to at a ranch filled with horses, goats and two tiny dogs running around.. the weather was perfect and we ate the best barbeque in the world.

 (Reese also enjoyed BBQ for the first time!)

Yesterday evening we took Reese to his Gymboree Pumpkin Patch Party.

He crawled around with his friends and played like he's never played before.

How did you spend your weekend?

xoxo

GD Faves

Lately I have been reading Faulkner's Mosquitoes, listening to Crash Into me by the Dave Matthews Bands on repeat, wearing this toggle sweater coat, wanting these brown leather boots and watching Into the Wild while Reese is in bed.

What are you favorites lately?

Have a great weekend!!

xoxo

What to Wear {Silver Turquoise Hoops}

{one, two, three, four, five}

xoxo

Around Here

Yesterday my baby boy turned nine months old! I'm trying to figure out where time went...

You really don't realize how quickly a year goes by until you have a child.

 

Lately, I've been wearing this army/ knit jacket, trying mint M&M's for the first time (so good!), wearing flower hair clips (as stated in yesterday's post, my son does not let me do my hair!) You can find similar ones on sale here.

And making homemade extra cheesy pizza (sooooo good)

What have you been up to lately?

xoxo

A Cup of Thankful

Today, I took a step back from the craziness that I call my life and realized how lucky I am!

Lately I am thankful for:

-Rocket Reese, my curious, quick son! Thanks for keeping mommy on her toes, I get my work out chasing you around all day.

-These hair clips 

(I don't really have time to do my hair with said wild child that I am constantly chasing)

- Stew for dinner

-Gymboree! Thank you for letting my son burn some energy with other babies so that he (and sometimes I) can take an hour long nap afterwards.

-Silly baby costumes

(I can't wait to show you all pictures of Reese in his costume, I can't stop laughing)

- A new giant diaper bag!

-Kashi, thank you for making such delicious granola bars so I don't find the need to hit a drive thru.

Britney&baby, your filming makes me nauseous but watching your video's makes me realize that I am not crazy, and I am not the only one!
 (Even though I am not a teen mom, we all speak the same darn baby momma language!)

And last but not least Kye for being such an awesome dad to our amazing son. I couldn't do it without you!

xoxo

Anna Karenina

I took a walk around downtown Brea and saw a movie poster for Anna Karenina to be released on 11/16.

I can't even tell you how excited I am! (Almost as excited as I am for the Great Gatsby... almost!)

I've read the book a million times.

I recommend all Tolstoy in general.

Trust me, the volume of the book may turn you off but it is well worth the read.

Back to the movie.. we haven't had a chance to go out on a date alone since Reese was born, I think this may be our first outing without the little guy. 

 

Are you going to be seeing Anna Karenina?

xoxo

Dreaming in French

 

{one, two, three, four, five, six}

I've had a French obsession since I was a wee tiny little thing.

My mother had an extremely heavy influence on this, she always decorated my room in French decor and encouraged my love for anything of Paris influence... this includes putting up with a ten year old me running around reciting the French alphabet and numbers very poorly.

Every fall I get this itching feeling that I need to visit. (I've never been)

If only you all could take a peek inside my closet... the stripes and ballet flats in multiple colors would make you all wonder about my sanity.

I'm sure the French don't really wear anything that us American's visualize them wearing...

If you have been or live in France, are stripes as common as we all seem to think?

xoxo

Rosemary Beef Stew

Now that fall is here and it's starting to get so much cooler out I like to make giant pots full of stews.

When I was pregnant with Reese this was one of my go to meals.

Now that he's old enough to eat most everything, it's also one of his favorites.

I'm a proud momma ;)

 Rosemary Beef Stew:

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

2 pounds cubed beef

2 tablespoons flour

32 oz beef stock

2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

4  potatoes (cubed)

1 large zucchini squash (cubed)

2 cups baby carrots (chopped)

1/2 tomato (chopped and seeded)

4 celery stalks (chopped)

2 teaspoons fresh (or dried) rosemary

Heat oil in pot. Add flour and beef, stir beef until coated brown.

Add beef stalk, water, salt, pepper to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour

Add potatoes, zucchini, carrots, tomato, celery and rosemary to simmer for 1 hour.

Enjoy!

PS. Your house will smell delicious and feel so warm and inviting.

xoxo

Weekend Adventure

We had an eventful weekend full of family, shopping, EATING and lots of exploring!

Our original plan was to drive up to Los Rios Ranch to start our family tradition of apple picking... however, our sweet angel baby decided to sleep the entire time and wake up when we were ready to head home.

Either way I would not have changed this weekend, not one bit.

{I faced my fear of raccoons... granted it was stuffed and dead for quite some time}

How did you spend your weekend?

xoxo

GD Faves

Lately, I've been enjoying driving around aimlessly listening to Wheat and Emiliana Torrini,

reading dirty books, wearing denim motorcycle jackets and still managing to keep it classy by watching Breakfast at Tiffany's over and over.

I've also been watching documentaries, Happy and Life in a Day.
I recommend that you check both out!

Also, if you haven't already tried it, grab a cup of plain ole Starbucks coffee with steamed milk (My new fave).. I'm sure there's a fancy name for it, but I do not know it, nor do I care to ;)

I can't wait to go apple picking on Sunday!

What are your weekend plans?

xoxo

What to Wear {Glass & Ribbon Necklace}

  {one, two, three, four, five, six}

Have a great weekend!

xoxo