Fall Décor- Hawley Style

How was your Halloween? Did y’all have a lot of trick~or~treaters? Hopefully you had more treats than tricks ;-)

I figured that since today was the first day of November, and my fall decorations have been up for over a month now, that it was probably time to show y’all our fall home.

I went a little more low key this year; I think mostly because it was harder for me to decorate the new house than I thought. I know I said that that was something I was super excited about (and I still am) but I think it began to overwhelm me. So instead of getting stressed I just put a few touches here and there to make our home feel more like fall.
I think our mantle is the focal point of decorations

That’s all the creativity I have for this fall.  I admit that I’m already ready to decorate for Christmas!!!! Happy weekend sweet friends!!

What I'm Lovin' Wednesday: Fall Temps

I am an easy to please lady these days. It really doesn't take too much to make me smile, especially with the temperatures dropping in Houston lately. Last night the Mr. and I went on our walk with the dogs and it was perfect. Neither one of us even broke a sweat!  That is a win in my book lol I am loving this relief from the heat that we are getting, and it is finally starting to feel more like fall in Houston. Now if I could only get the temps a little bit lower and I can bust out my boots and scarves ;-) I know that below it doesn't seem like fall weather, but this is a lot cooler than it was this summer! PRAISE THE LORD!

Happy Halloween Eve friends!!!

It’s Fall…..Fur babies

…hehe did you get that? It’s Fall For Babies, and It’s Fall Fur Babies?!?! hahahaha I crack myself up!

While most of you will probably be linking up cute fall activities/fashion with your 2-legged babies (which is totally fine!), I will be focusing on the 4-legged babies.  Since the Mr. and I have two of the cutest 4-legged versions, it’s been fun to rejuvenate our Halloween spirit through dressing them for Halloween.  All four of us have had so much fun with their costumes each year.  Check out my sweet babies:

Here are some other fun pet Halloween costume ideas (some of these are just plain hilarious!):

all costumes can be found here

If this is your first week, check out the inspiration from It’s Fall Life and It’s Fall Style!

Ok it’s your turn!!!! Grab the button below for your post and link up friends!  Be sure to click around and see what great ideas everyone shares!

Don’t forget to visit the co-hosts, Baby Bound and The Bradleys!

<a border="0" href="http://lifewiththehawleys.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1127.photobucket.com/albums/l640/Dhawley1207/ItsFallThelinkup.jpg"></a>

Off to NOLA

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you already know that my sister is in Houston right now.  This is the first time I have seen her in over a year and it is simply AWESOME!  Her work sent her to Houston for a week, and then next week she is working in New Orleans.  So this weekend I am going to hitch a ride with her and keep her company in New Orleans for a sisters weekend!  We are so excited!  What fun we are going to have :-)

And what good food we are going to eat :-)

images here and here.

Be sure to follow along with us on our trip via Twitter and Instagram!

Oh and don’t forget to enter the Etsy Gift Card drawing.

Oh, and also, Monday is the last day for the It’s Fall Link-Up, and we’re talking about babies (2-legged and 4-legged)! Check out the fall fashions posted this week!

Ok that was the last reminder lol

Have a great weekend friends!

What I'm Lovin' Wednesday: Coffee- The Antagonist

Earlier in the semester I posted to my work blog about how I was a Brain Lady, and I directed you to my work website.

It's my turn to post again this week so I composed a short post on how coffee works in the brain....uh because who doesn't love coffee?!?!  Check me out here!!!! Just as a common courtesy reminder: the blog I am referring you to is conducted through my professional institution; please keep your comments professional.  If you would like to bash me, please do so here :-)

Etsy Giveaway!!!

Several of us bloggers got together to giveaway a $50 gift card to Etsy, to celebrate Bree reaching her 300th post!!!! 

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So just recently I hit my 300th post! Crazy! I was really excited and asked a few of my friends to help me celebrate.

I love the handmade community, and try to buy handmade as much as possible. Especially with the holidays coming up, I am always on the lookout for handmade items I can purchase as gifts for my family.

So to help you with the upcoming holidays, or if you want to do a little shopping for yourself, I asked some of my friends to join me in a $50 Etsy Gift-Card Giveaway!! Here are the awesome ladies that are giving this to one lucky reader!

You can click on their picture to go straight to their blog!!

Bree ~ Bre ~ Bri ~ Darby ~ Deidre ~ Elise ~ Jenn ~ Meg ~ Sarah 

The Giveaway will close on October 30th and we will announce the winners on Halloween. :)

Good Luck!

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It’s Fall…..Let’s Get Stylish {Link-Up}

Happy Monday!!!  I completely enjoyed all of your fall lifestyle linkups last Monday.  I hope you had as much fun as I did clicking through everyone’s ideas.  Today is all about STYLE!!! Who doesn’t love fall fashion, right?!

Over the weekend I got my hair done, and I have to say I am gah-gah for all of these fall hair styles!  The darker colors and the big waves are to die for!  Here are some hair dos, I will be rocking this season…..if I can match theses awesome pictures of course lol

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As I was thinking about all of these gorgeous locks, I came across an old LWTH tutorial for how to curl your hair with a flat iron, check it out here:

Ok it’s your turn!!!! Grab the button below for your post and link up friends!  Be sure to click around and see what great ideas everyone shares!

Don’t forget to visit the co-hosts, Baby Bound and The Bradleys!

<a border="0" href="http://lifewiththehawleys.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src=http://i1127.photobucket.com/albums/l640/Dhawley1207/ItsFallThelinkup.jpg></a>

Pot Roast Open-Faced Sandwiches

The Mr. and I went to a fall tasting here in Houston two weekends ago, and one of the things we sampled was absolutely beyond scrumptious.  We talked about it for days!!! So I decided that I had to crack the recipe so that we could have it at home.  When we first sampled this sandwich is was more like a taco, but it has since been adapted and here is my version of a pot roast open-faced sandwich.  There is a lot of room for freedom, so make this recipe your own too :-)  This is an easy recipe, that is perfect for Sunday evenings.
Ingredients:
salt & pepper
beef pot roast
mashed potatoes (how ever you typically make them)
french baguette
butter
brown gravy

Directions:

1. Salt & pepper your pot roast, and add to a heated dutch oven.  Once the edges have browned on both sides (wont take but a few minutes), add a few cups of water until the pot roast is almost covered.  Let roast on the stove at low-medium for a few hours, until is starts to fall apart.
2. Make your mashed potatoes however you normally do them, and make your brown gravy.  I like to make my gravy with some of the juice that the pot roast has cooked in.
3. Butter both sides of your sliced baguette, and toast on both sides in a skillet.
4. To plate, put several slices of bread down, top with mashed potatoes, shredded pot roast, and finally drizzled gravy.
5. Yum-O!

I told you that was simple, and plenty of room for you to add your own twist :-) Have a great weekend friends!

What I’m Lovin’ Wednesday: Summer Reading 2013 {even though it’s October}

If I’m still adding to my summer reading in October then you know it’s been busy around here.  Crazy town!  But, I’m doing the best I can and following-up with some of the last books I read this summer before the semester started. (For the other summer recaps see here and here).

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99 Problems But A Baby Ain’t One by Megan Silianoff- I started following Megan’s blog last year and finally got to meet her at the Houston Blogger Symposium last September.  When I heard that she was coming out with a book you better believe that I preordered that baby.  I love the way this book was formatted: similar to a blog, and a total page turner.  To say I loved this book would be an understatement.  Following Megan’s story is anything but sad.  One might normally think that certain struggles in life, like cancer, would be super Debbie Downers, and yea, they totally are; but, to hear/read her perspective on life and challenges is not only hilarious, but inspiring.  Megan reveals her deep thoughts as she copes through each struggle and is so genuine and authentic; that raw emotion is such a breath of fresh air.  By the end of the book I started to ration off the “chapters” because I didn’t want the story to end; I wasn’t ready for it to be over.  If you live in Houston or Chicago, you’re a blogger, woman, cancer patient/survivor, mom, or Jay-Z fan, you definitely need to read this STAT!

From the back cover:

Megan Silianoff, 28, is the girl next door assuming you live in downtown Chicago. Megan is a recruiter at a staffing firm and recently married to, Danny, who was technically a client. Oops. She shops at Urban Outfitters, gets together with college friends for book club, and watches a lot of Rachel on TV. (Rachel Zoe, Rachel Bilson, Rachel Green.) In fall of 2010 Megan goes into routine surgery for a cyst on her ovary and wakes up to learn she has ovarian cancer - possibly breast cancer too. Horrified by the way friends and family fell apart upon hearing the news; Megan innately realizes she has to keep it together for their benefit. She starts a blog about her ongoing prognosis but writes in a very irreverent, flippant, casual, and hilarious manner. Upon beating her first round of cancer, Megan and her husband move to Houston, Texas where they began pursuing domestic adoption. Though they are considered a family in waiting for almost two years, the adoption itself goes full circle in five days from meeting the birthparent, to witnessing the baby be born, to naming her after Megan s favorite rapper, Jay Z. 99 Problems but a Baby Ain't One is a fun and entertaining memoir despite traditionally somber subjects like cancer and adoption. You'll probably cry when you read it but only because you're laughing so hard.

Megans’s website

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Sparky Green Earrings by Melanie Shankle- I’m pretty sure my bestie, Joy, recommended this memoir to me, and she certainly does know me.  Melanie (even though we’ve never met, I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t mind me addressing her by her first name because she’s cool like that), shares her story on the story of motherhood with all the mommy wars and puke that comes with it.  She is a fabulous story-teller and makes you feel like your best friends sharing issues (good and bad) from the day.  Her love for her daughter is unquestionable and beautiful.  Mommies out there you’ve got to read this!

From the back cover:

“There is really no better indicator you’re a mother than acquiring the ability to catch throw-up in a plastic bag, disinfect your hands, and immediately ask your friend to pass the beef jerky as you put on another Taylor Swift song and act as if nothing has happened.” This is the type of insight Melanie Shankle offers in this quirky memoir of motherhood.  Written in the familiar, stream-of-consciousness style of her blog, Big Mama, Sparkly Green Earrings is a heartwarming and hilarious look at motherhood from someone who is still trying to figure it all out. Filled with personal stories—from the decision to become a mother to the heartbreak of miscarriage and ultimately, to the joy of raising a baby and living to tell about it—Sparkly Green Earrings will make you feel like you’re sitting across the table from your best friend. A must-read for anyone who’s ever had a child or even thought about it.

Melanie’s website

Don’t forget to link up with the It’s Fall party!!!!