Super delayed post, incoming! Ha ha. After our last trip in September 2022 (when our annual passes expired) we said we were going to "take a year off" Disney. Fast forward to March when Christian had to go to Orlando for work and they offered to fly me down too so we could do a day at Disney before he had to work (they know I'm obsessed.) We flew with Avelo airlines and discovered how easy it was to fly from New Haven vs Hartford so Christian "joked" that we should just take random trips to Disney on the weekend with the $50 and under flights.
Next my friend convinced me to do the Wine & Dine 5K this November so we planned on doing that as a quick weekend trip with minimal park days. THEN when annual passes went back on sale in April Christian and I said screw it, bought them and planned a Labor Day weekend trip the same day. So technically we did take a year off official Disney trips, just not all of 2023. Finally, I have a December trip planned so Christian can see Disney decorated for the holidays! That trip is still up in the air as I may have a conflict for the days we booked (I have a backup hotel booked for a couple weekends later, but we'll see.)
TLDR; Christian and I weren't going to go to Disney this year, but then we threw that out the window and planned 3 trips from September - December, haha! Technically we did take a year off, our last official trip was September 2022.
I've recently bought some PowerStep ankle compression sleeves for walks with Christian in the morning. I also have some of their insoles that I use on my less-supportive sneakers. We are in the middle of "training" for the runDisney Wine & Dine 5K so my legs are getting a little more exercise than they've been used to these past few years. The Cubii seated elliptical I have been using since March was step one in my newfound fitness routine. Step two is getting outdoors on a more regular basis to walk, almost every morning.
I use the word training lightly because it's not too extensive. We walk every day but on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays we are following Jeff Galloway's 5K program which slowly ramps us up to do a 5K with a run/walk method.We started the official schedule at the end of August and will continue until our run in November.
I have never been a runner so this has definitely been a learning experience for me. I said to myself that I wasn't going to buy any special running gear but I ended up buying a pair of running shoes and a few different pairs of running socks to test out (PowerStep also carries taller compression socks!) At least once the 5K is over I can continue to use the shoes as walking shoes. But who knows, maybe I'll learn to enjoy running.
(ignore if I have bad form, running for a camera is weird, haha!)
Lots of new and interesting bakes in this roundup! I made some classics as well as a movie-inspired cake and some fun jam cookies. I was most excited about the latest bake - a vanilla bean pound cake - because I was using actual vanilla beans! WOO! Can't wait to they them in another recipe, just have to find the perfect one.
Vanilla Bean Pound Cake
Native Vanilla sent me some of their Organic Madacascar Vanilla Beans and I thought this pound cake by Zoë François would be the perfect way to highlight the vanilla-ey goodness! I've been a fan of Zoë since first watching her show on Magnolia Network, so talented! I was a little late to the game as she's been blogging for quite a while. The recipe was pretty easy, with a fun added step of whipping up eggs, I could definitely tell they helped the cake to rise with all that added air! The vanilla flavor was really highlighted with this simple cake, the perfect showcase! This was my first time using full vanilla beans and it was fun to finally be able to cut them open and scrape out the seeds like all the fancy bakers.
Matilda-Inspired Chocolate Cake
Christian wanted a chocolate cake for his birthday so I took the opportunity to make Jenna of Butternut Bakery's Matilda-inspired chocolate cake. 90s kids will know what I'm talking about, but for the uninitiated, there's a famous scene in Matilda where a student gets accused of stealing the principal's cake and she makes him eat an entire (kind of disgusting) chocolate cake in front of the whole school. Obviously this cake has no "sweat and blood" in it. Soooo airy and delicious!
Strawberry Jam Sugar Cookies
When I made my strawberry galette in July I had to buy a little bit of strawberry jam to glaze it. I knew I wouldn't need much of the jam but decided to get some fancy Bonne Maman preserves so I could make these strawberry jam cookies with the leftover! I only did a half batch because I wanted to make sure we liked them before "wasting" another stick of butter and more jam. I knew I didn't need to worry, but you never know, haha! However, I did go against my better judgement and baked too many at once so they all spread and touched each other, bye bye pretty photo!
Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread
If you can believe it, this was my first time baking with zucchini. I've eaten stuff but never made it myself. For this first time I used a huge zucchini we grew in the garden and made double chocolate zucchini bread. I almost made chocolate chip zucchini bread but we didn't have sour cream. We also were low on honey, which this recipe calls for, so I just used 1 cup of brown sugar instead, it worked perfectly and was a hit at our weekend gathering.
King Arthur Baking - Favorite Sandwich Bread (part Whole Wheat)
This is our usual sandwich bread but this time I used half whole wheat instead of fully all purpose. It did affect the rise a little bit with the loaf flattening out instead of puffing up at the top, but it still tasted great and toasted up wonderfully. It's such an easy recipe and takes no time at all to make (unless you could the two hours of rising.)
Peanut Butter Cookies
Another Handle the Heat Monthly Challenge recipe! I always forget how much I enjoy peanut butter cookies until I make them. They're just so soft and tasty! Tessa's recipe doesn't disappoint, as with all her other's I've tried.
Wow, September went by super fast!! I had a couple trips this month so I wasn't home enough to do any clothes shopping damage, haha! Next month is my birthday month, so maybe I'll allow myself a splurge - we'll see!
THE (modified) RULES
- Be mindful of purchases
- Quality over quantity
- Basics are best
MY PROGRESS
Clothes:
- VERMONT Sweatshirt in light gray via the Weston Village Store ($20, retail $50)
- Nicole Miller abstract floral print shorts ($4 via Marshalls, retail $30?)
Basics:
- C&C California Grey Shorts ($6 via Marshalls, retail $30?)
Shoes:
- None yet
Handbags:
- None yet
Accessories:
- Apple Watch 8 Midnight Aluminum Case with Elderberry Sport Band (gift from Christian)
- Aurate Pearl Lariat Necklace (won a gift card on Instagram)
Activewear/Swimwear:
- None yet
Gifted from Brands:
- Aetrex Maui Orthotic Flip Flops in Matte Black
- Aurate Crossover Ring in Yellow Gold
- Aurate Toi et Moi Gemstone Mini Vintage Ring in Yellow Gold with Amethyst and Citrine
- Aurate Birthstone Baguette Studs in London Blue Topaz
- Day Owl "The Backpack" in Jam Red
- Day Owl "The Cord Pouch" in Nocturnal Black
Spent in September: $0
Spent in 2023: $30
Spent in 2023 - counting ad money: $30
I wore this last month for a drive up to Litchfield and Torrington. Christian was helping a friend get some drone shots of an event in the evening in Torrington so we used it as an opportunity to finally explore Litchfield like we've been meaning to do for a few years. We'd love to move up there one day, but it's a little out of our budget when we look at the acreage we want.
For the Litchfield portion of the day we started off at White Flower Farm followed by the White Memorial Conservation Center and finally Topsmead State Forest. We also finally went to Pizzeria Marzano in Torrington. I've had them on my list for a while thanks to Instagram. The pizza was so delicious, I can't wait until we take a trip back up there again! We hope to spend a weekend up in the area to see how it feels for locals and find other fun places to visit.
For the occasion I decided on elevated basics - jeans with gold embellished leopard and a gold sweater tank full of sparkle! Even my sandals were sparkly gold. I've had this sweater for a looooong time and it doesn't get as much wear as it should for being such a simple piece. I used to wear it a lot for work, but not as much for casual outfits. I think that may be changing now! It first appeared on the blog in a January 2012 "This Week in Fashion" post, so I assume I got it for Christmas? It's first full outfit post was with a gorgeous velvet blazer.
We were too busy having fun so we forgot about outfit pictures until it was too late, so I rewore it for these photos, ha ha!
Gold Sweater Tank: Willi Smith (TJ Maxx)
Jeans: Stella McCartney Wild Cat Skinny Ankle Jeans (eBay - linked pair is more of a straight leg)
Bag: Purple Prada Cahier in Viola (Rebag via Vestiaire Collective)
Sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals 'Kore of Berlin' Embroidery Sandal - 10th Anniversary Collection (Shopbop)
Another month, another roundup. (I feel like I always start these recaps in the same way, ha ha) We've mix of purchases and gifted items this month. I won a giveaway and got a new Aurate necklace and received a bag from a brand I am now an affiliate for. I also fell victim to the Marshalls clearance section when my mom wanted to quickly stop in. Grabbed a couple pairs of shorts for $10. I wore one pair this past weekend and the other pair is coming with me to Disney!
THE (modified) RULES
- Be mindful of purchases
- Quality over quantity
- Basics are best
MY PROGRESS
Clothes:
- VERMONT Sweatshirt in light gray via the Weston Village Store ($20, retail $50)
- *NEW!* Nicole Miller abstract floral print shorts ($4 via Marshalls, retail $30?)
Basics:
- *NEW!* C&C California Grey Shorts ($6 via Marshalls, retail $30?)
Shoes:
- None yet
Handbags:
- None yet
Accessories:
- Apple Watch 8 Midnight Aluminum Case with Elderberry Sport Band (gift from Christian)
- *NEW!* Aurate Pearl Lariat Necklace (won a gift card on Instagram)
Activewear/Swimwear:
- None yet
Gifted from Brands:
- Aetrex Maui Orthotic Flip Flops in Matte Black
- Aurate Crossover Ring in Yellow Gold
- Aurate Toi et Moi Gemstone Mini Vintage Ring in Yellow Gold with Amethyst and Citrine
- Aurate Birthstone Baguette Studs in London Blue Topaz
- *NEW!* Day Owl "The Backpack" in Jam Red
- *NEW!* Day Owl "The Cord Pouch" in Nocturnal Black
Spent in August: $10
Spent in 2023: $30
Spent in 2023 - counting ad money: $30
If I ever get to go on my dream African safari this shirt will definitely be in my suitcase. I'll probably look like a stupid tourist but I can't resist wearing leopards while keeping my eyes peeled for them on the horizon. Neutrals (khaki, brown, green) are the recommended colors for safaris, so this could potentially be a bit too bright, but if so I'll just wear it while we're not on a vehicle. Even these shorts will work, but I don't like how they look with this shirt and they always get super wrinkly. Struggles. (Look at me planning for a trip that probably won't happen for 10+ years, if ever, ha ha!)
I wore this for a day driving all over Connecticut with Christian, ha ha. We started by going to a couple bike stores (one in Milford where we took these photos) so he could see a few he's interested in in person. After that we headed to Marijane Boutique to see Lydia because it was only 10 minutes from one of the bike shops. It started to rain just as we were leaving so we didn't make any other stops.
Leopard Print Blouse: Equipment 'Reese' in Almond Floating Cheetah Print (eBay)
Shorts: Splendid Arabesque Cargo Short in Antique Military Olive (Marshalls)
Leopard Print Sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals 'Clio' leopard-print (Net-a-Porter Sale)
Italian Leather Bag: Bought in Venice
Sunglasses: Gucci Aviators (bought in Rome)
I was recently introduced to Day Owl, a sustainable company that makes bags out of recycled plastic bottles and other landfill-bound materials. In each product description you can see what sustainable materials were used to create it. Christian has been really into backpacks lately, researching pros and cons for hours, so he was excited to be able to test this out as well!
They sent me "The Backpack" which is made from waxed canvas made from 25 recycled post-consumer plastic bottles, plus 100% recycled polyester lining and trim, algae based foam, water repellent neoprene, and conflict-free metal YKK zippers. It has 18L of space, can fit up to a 16in laptop and a 750mL water bottle in a side pocket. There's even a pocket on top where you can store your phone or keys for easy access. (They also have a Slim Backpack if you want a smaller option.) Day Owl also sent over their Pouch for storing cords, electronic accessories and other small items. You can buy The Backpack + The Pouch together for only $156.40!
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| Packed with some room to spare for a couple souvenirs |
Let's use the Day Owl backpack and see what we can pack for a weekend at Walt Disney World! The bag is technically a little big to use as an Avelo personal item measurement-wise, but I may risk it! I read they don't always check the size as long as it looks like it will fit under the seat. It will definitely work for Southwest, which we fly with pretty frequently.
It fit everything I need to bring with me for our 4 days (5 if you count our departure day.) My plane outfit is jeans, a tee, sandals and a sweater that I probably won't even need. I always like to have a sweater in case the evenings get cold. I packed pretty light - 3 tees (I may buy one there,) 2 pairs of shorts, another pair of sandals and my small Mickey bag to carry around the parks. I also fit in my toiletries, makeup, other necessities and packed up The Pouch with my various charging accessories, small portable charger and airpods.
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| Packing for a long weekend at Disney in a backpack [Mickey tie-dye shirt, Sword in the Stone Tee, EPCOT Food & Wine 2022 Tee] |
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| Bottle Pocket - using for an extra pair of sandals |
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| Flat Front Pocket. Putting my toiletries in for easy access at security. |
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| The Pouch |
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| The Pouch full of phone and watch accessories. Still room to spare! |
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| Two more things to add, easy fit! |
There is a space for a laptop in the back but, since this is such a short trip, I won't be bringing mine. As seen above, I used the water bottle pocket on the side for my extra pair of shoes since I won't need a water bottle. Pretty handy! I also won't be using the luggage strap this trip, but that is another super handy feature!
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| Spill-Resistant Bottle Pocket lined with water-repellent neoprene (this is an 18oz Yeti Rambler) |
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| “it’s big enough for a wine bottle and strong enough for a wet umbrella.” |
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| Padded Laptop Pocket (fits up to 16" laptop) |
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| Luggage Strap |
A few more detail shots showing off other features of the backpack. Lots of handy nooks and crannies to use!
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| Organized Interior |
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| Cord Straps |
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| Various sleeves for organization |
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| Grab handles with button closure for easy pickup |
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| Floating Top Pocket for glasses, chapstick, etc! (my slim sunglasses storage case) |
*I was gifted the backpack & pouch but was not required to post about it. Purchases made through links in this post will earn me a small commission. My opinions are my own. *
