Love, Life, and Pretty Things: 5 Ingredients for a Great Day

1. The Outfit

I love this outfit. Currently in Minneapolis, we are experiencing a fall-something that is rare in our cold state. This is a great way to incorporate cute layering, fun fall shoes, and a fantastic bag. This is a perfect "class outfit" (for those of us still in college..) but is great for those who need to run some errands on a Saturday afternoon, or for meeting an old friend for a casual lunch. Everything about this works.

2. Dinner, Coconut Chicken with Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce

Recipe here.

This meal would be perfect for a night in with your significant other, or even as an appetizer at a small dinner party. The cool thing about this recipe is that I found it on a fantastic blog called Budget Bytes; armed with the slogan "on a mission to save money and eat well," it not only gives you fabulously delicious tasting recipe such as this, but budget conscious ingredients and meals.

3. Dessert, Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries.

Recipe, here.

Although initially hesitant to look at this recipe for fear of it being just way to complicated ( I am a new cook, okay?) I was pleased to see there were only 5 ingredients, and the total prep time was under ten minutes. I found it on a great blog called The Sweets Life, and it stressed not only the simplicity to prepare, but the rave reviews and immediate inhalation it received upon being served at dinner parties and events. What a perfect finger food to come after your coconut chicken! (it's a finger food type of day..)

4. A DIY project, Floor Cushions!

Find out how, here.

This is something I can do. It's as simple as sewing old pillow cases together, leaving the sides open, adding buttons and inserting pillows, and Viola! You have yourself some adorable and inexpensive floor cushions. Though the picture shows children enjoying these fabulous seats, they are so practical for young first-apartment types who don't have a ton of furniture, but have a ton of friends who sit at their house for extended periods of time ;). Another bonus, by reusing your old pillow cases that are ratty or you just got new sheets, you are being "green" and recycling your old materials! Get crafting people!

5. And last but not least, a thought for the day...