Even Me: Sunday Seven 9/30/12

SUNDAY 7

Hey there friends.
How has your week been?
It is full-on fall here in Iowa.
And...I. Love. It.
Cool mornings. Crunchy leaves. Dirty Chais & Mexican Hot Chocolate for everyone.

Last week I forgot to do a Sunday Seven.
Which is weird because I really thought I did...and was convinced for about 10 minutes that blogger deleted my post.
Then I started this Sunday and got bogged down this week with stuff and am just now finishing it.
I seriously have issues.

Anyhoo...this is what has been going the past couple of weeks:

1 Road Trip

Last Monday (well 2 weeks ago), I spent the day in Iowa City with my dear friend Jane.

It was an awesome day. I drove to IA City in the AM and we had lunch at this farm to table place called Her Soup Kitchen.

I had the portabella sandwich and the carrot-ginger soup- check out the cream design!

Then we hit up a bunch of little shops and thrift/vintage stores before spending the afternoon chatting at Jane's favorite coffee shop.

I had a DELICIOUS pour over and macadamia nut cookie while we chatted and caught up on life.

Then we walked to grab dinner with her boyfriend at the local pub (I can't remember the name!) The food was great, baked brie app and some spicy cilantro olive pizza.

I found this hot pink waterproof trench from the 60's for $20!

And I LOVE this hand painted throw pillow. Pink guns on one side and artsy purple design on the other.

Perfect with my gray couch!

Both the jacket and the pillow came from White Rabbit in Iowa City, check out their Etsy shop here.

It was an amazing day- I love spending time catching up with Jane. We always can just pick up wherever we left off. It's awesome.

2 Concerts

We also saw Mute Math in concert on Tuesday at Woolys. They were AWESOME.

Maybe one of my favorite shows ever.

The same night, we left one show and went to another.... Silversun Pickups at Hoyt Sherman.

They were also very good...but a little different to come from such a high energy concert to something in a venue that is much more structured and relaxed.

All in all, a great night! (ignore my really wide eyes in this pic...it was dark so I had to use flash and apparently I surprised myself.)

3 Homemade Dinners

Something about cooler weather and the approaching short days and long nights makes me want to cook.

I've been baking and cooking up a storm. Some of my fall favorites this year:

Moroccan Stuffed Acorn Squash

I served mine up with some Kale and red onion I sauteed in coconut oil. It was very fall and very yummy for not a lot of calories!

Roasted Red Pepper Spaghetti

At the suggestion of Dirt Farmer Larry, I roasted several peppers from his farm.

I then chopped them in the ninja and cooked on the stove with some chopped tomatoes and garlic.

I served it over wheat linguine with a side of garlic bread. Simple, fresh, cheap and tasty!

Cuban Black Bean & Cheddar Goat Cheese quesadillas

I'll be honest, this was a random meal...and pretty much all commercial bought items- but it was simple and turned out great for entertaining.

Cuban black beans, corn tortillas and cheddar goat cheese from Trader Joe's. Threw on some chili powder, cumin and Garlic Garlic from tastefully simple. Baked at 350 till cheese was melty. Sliced into wedges for finger food.

4 Steps to Pumpkin Oatmeal

I borrowed this recipe from Naptime Diaries. She posted a pic on instagram with a recipe that looked so delicious so I gave it a go:

Who doesn't love pumpkin everything in the fall?

Step 1: Measure your ingredients and dump into a saucepan.

Step 2: Cook until desired consistency and temperature. (I simmered for 15 minutes or so- liquids absorbed and oats cooked.)

Step 3: Add your delicious toppings (For me- that was a drizzle of honey, butterscotch peanut butter (1/2 tbsp) and a pinch of chia seeds) and watch it cool in the fall morning light.

Step 4: Eat it. :)

5 Outfits

I've been trying to mix it up with my existing wardrobe and not buy too many new items this fall. I've also been trying to document my stylings with pictures so I have inspiration when I'm feeling bored and too lazy to figure out an outfit:

“Boyfriend”

BR button up, Target crewneck sweater, Target skinny jeans and Charlotte Russe flats

“Workster”

Target cords, Screen printed tee, Gap sweater, Market scarf, Target flats

“Rockster”

Same Target cords, Target tank, Gap cardigan, black flats

“Montana Biz Liz”

BR pencil skirt, Short sleeve button up, Target v neck sweater, Gap yellow skinny belt, Target boots

**I have never been to Montana. But I have a friend, Liz, who lives there and I like to think that it's chilly and fallish there often in the mountains and that to look the mountainy/business part this is what she would wear.**

“City Noir”
Gap leggings, J Crew shirt dress, BR sweater vest, Born boots

I'm enjoying mixing and matching the clothes that I've gotten at sales over the seasons and wasn't sure what to do with. Sometimes summer pieces can still work for fall and I'm loving pairing neutrals with the bright colors in vogue this season.

6 Sweets

What can I say? I have a sugar problem

Green Mint Latte from Mars Cafe

Snickerdoodle ice cream sandwich from Thelma's Treats

Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls from Eat Live Run

Butterscotch Peanut Butter Dough Balls from Mama Pea

White Chocolate Pudding cookie from my co-worker. Who doesn't love cookies with pudding in the mix and sprinkles?

Bowl of Orangeleaf yogurt: red velvet, coffee, vanilla, topped with cookie dough, strawberries and graham cracker dust.

7 Events

I have had the opportunity to be involved or invited to some pretty amazing events these past couple of weeks:

Our work area put on a United Way fundraiser called 'Caffeine for a Cause.' We were a simulated coffee shop complete with made-to-order lattes, hot coffees and a variety of baked goods. I pushed a cart around in the afternoon to sell treats...I may have found my calling. We raised almost $500 in one day!

A gal from my church helped bring this amazing documentary to the local college campus. Nefarious: Merchant of Souls is a documentary about human trafficking, specifically female sex trafficking across the globe. This movie changed my life.

My church, The Gateway Church, moved locations to our new Sunday spot in Central Campus downtown. We have a LOT of space and we are building some great relationships with our downtown neighbors. I feel so blessed to be part of such an amazing, hope-giving community.

Speaking of Central Campus, our church also had the opportunity to plan and produce an event for the Gateway Middle School located inside the campus. It was my first oversight of an event and it was pretty successful! The parents and kids had an amazing time and we all felt so grateful to share with in the fun.

I ran the Capital Striders Capital Pursuit race two weeks ago this Sunday.

I had signed up (or so I thought) months ago.

I walk to the start and my name is not on the list to get a packet.

So, with 20 minutes to race time, I return home (just a few blocks away) to get a credit card. When I return, the race volunteers inform me that it's cash only. At this point, I'm borderline about to cry. Race starts in less than 10 minutes- I have no packet and no cash. So...I ran anyway. Yep- I'm a bandit. I didn't get a medal and I didn't have any free food at the end so it was basically a normal run for me that I just happen to run with friends. It wasn't chip timed and only the first 850 entrants got a shirt so I didn't feel so bad for just tagging along. I was pretty pleased with my time too. T took the Instagram picture of me speed walking back to the start to buy a packet...only to discover I had no cash.

Still a pretty cool picture though. :)

Just this last Sunday, I went with my mom, sister and niece on the Sherman Hill Tour of Homes.
Sherman Hill is this amazing neighborhood just east of downtown that I hope to live in someday! We got to see some amazing places.

This light fixture was so cool. From one of my favorite houses on the tour- a little bungalow renovated with green and reclaimed materials. ALSO- completely decorated by a man...and it was awesome. I was impressed actually.
The picture on the right is artwork by my friend Anna Frederick. It was in this guys house and I recognized her handwriting. :)

There was also a church being renovated and it had so much intricate stained glass. An iPhone picture doesn't do it justice.

I took the most pictures in one of the last houses on the tour. This woman had so much stuff. It was a little cluttered for my tastes but much of it really beautiful. I especially loved the tin ceiling in the kitchen and fireplace built into the side wall!