This year I'm having a love/hate relationship with Thanksgiving. I typically love Thanksgiving although it's a holiday everyone else would rather skip over in order to get right to Christmas. I think my love of Thanksgiving stems from when I was a kid because when Thanksgiving was finally here so was Christmas. But now Christmas pretty much starts in July essentially ruining the season by the time Christmas actually comes around. But I digress. I think this year's Thanksgiving is upsetting to me because the year is almost over, and I just don't feel like I've accomplished anything I truly wanted to do.

It's my favorite mix of the year just in time for Halloween weekend. Let's get spooky. 

If loving pumpkin makes me basic then so be it. I love it all. My hand soap smells like pumpkin. My coffee creamer is pumpkin spice flavored. I'm counting down the days until Thanksgiving because I just really can't wait to consume more pumpkin pie than humanly possible. Why wait till Thanksgiving? Cause I have to practice self-control. I have to set limits.  

It feels like the last week of September moved slower than usual. Even with everything insane happening in the world and on the news, it felt like moving in slow motion. Maybe that is just how I felt. But I'm excited it's October. Time to get spooky. I'm really looking forward to it not being 100+ degrees and it finally raining again. I am in a very melancholy mood so bring on the rain. I do love October. I get to watch scary movies and go to ghoulish parties. Plus I get to work on my favorite playlist of the year: Halloween.

I kind of really love fall. Arizona doesn't have a typical fall. Leaves don't really change. The weather isn't crisp. It just kinda stops being 100+ every day (which is a treat). BUT everything tastes and smells like pumpkin. Halloween decorations are everywhere. Horror movies start playing on television. And, most importantly, I finally get to wear clothing that suits my style much more. I'm just not really that good at shorts and tank tops. I just really love not looking like a sweaty tomato after stepping outside for 6 seconds. That said, I have a few fall go-to's which can always use a little updating. They are certified Nicole classics. Tried and true.

I don't think anyone who's followed this blog for a while, or maybe even recently stumbled along it, would be surprised to find out how excited I was to find out Chrissy Teigen was working on a follow up to Cravings. I've been steadily cooking my way through it for the last two years much to the enjoyment of everyone I know (at least I think it's enjoyable). But I was not expecting to get an entire cookware and tableware collection with this new cookbook. The second I found out I could only imagine what my credit card balance would look like after just one trip to Target. I haven't even bought the Cravings Hungry for More yet. Forgive me. 

By now everyone has at least heard of Goop. But in case you haven't, Goop is a lifestyle brand started by Gwyneth Paltrow. Goop focuses on wellness, women's health, fashion, travel, and design. Goop has a reputation for recommending some pretty strange health advice and recommending products that cost more than my car over the last few years. So when I heard about this collaboration with CB2, I was a little skeptical

When Target first announced they would be doing a collection with Magnolia & Joanna Gaines, I didn't think I would be this into it. Of course, I casually checked out all of the options available. I even picked out a few that I thought were the best of the best. The products I would 100% put into my own home and show off to anyone who would listen. Cut to about a year later, and this entire collection has been my go-to nearly any time I need something to spice up my kitchen or home.

I will be the first to admit, as a child I took having a fully stocked kitchen for granted. There was always a variety of fruits, vegetables, and snacks at the ready. As an adult, stocking a kitchen for myself, I find myself in a constant struggle between "I want that" and "Oh, I don't actually have that." It's a dance where I am juggling shopping lists, new recipes, and forgetting what I already have. How many containers of cayenne pepper do I currently have? Three. Yes, three. See what I mean?