Recipe for Pumpkin Spice Cheerio Bars, pairs great with leggings and slippers and oversized shirts.

Imagine this. It’s mid-August and your Pinterest home feed is starting to fill up with orange-y fall vibes. Lots of pictures of fashion bloggers in those thigh high boots and corduroy skirts. Leaves. Coffee cups with leaves. Girls with pretty hair holding a coffee cup standing in leaves. You get what I’m going at, right?

Okay now that we’re there, imagine that someone mentions PUMPKIN SPICE CHEERIOS to you and your head begins to spin because what could be more delicious than that? Without having ever tasted a bite of them, you take advantage of the grocery store’s 4 for $4 sale on Cheerios and you buy BOXES of Pumpkin Spice Cheerios, only to find out…

What you were REALLY jonesing for were Trader Joe’s Pumpkin O’s. The O’s are bigger and crispier and destroy the roof of your mouth LIKE ALL GOOD CEREAL DOES (lookin’ at you, Cap’n Crunch).

You force yourself to finish at least a box before you cave and buy the Pumpkin O’s. But now the problem is you have BOXES of Pumpkin Spice Cheerios. Whatever shall you do?

If you happen to relate really deeply to this, then you’re not alone because it is EXACTLY what happened to me.

I stared at the Cheerios for awhile and then a lightbulb went off. I’d try something. Rice Krispie Treats, BUT WITH PUMPKIN SPICE CHEERIOS. Maybe out of a bowl they wouldn’t be as disappointing.

Man, was I right. and I’m here to pass my right-ness on to any of you looking to sprinkle a little more pumpkin spice into your life (and if that’s not you, bye for now).

PUMPKIN SPICE CHEERIO BARS

Ingredients:

• 4 cups mini mallows
• 4 cups Pumpkin Spice Cheerios
• 3 tbsp butter

ONE // Grease a dish for holding your PSC bars. I have this cute one I found at Goodwill with a cute design on the edges. I just used Trader Joe’s Coconut oil spray.

TWO // Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large pot over medium heat.

THREE // Add in 4 cups of mini marshmallows and stir constantly until the mallows become all melted with the butter and becomes a fluffy, sticky paste-type thing.

FOUR // Pour 4 cups of Pumpkin Spice Cheerios into the marshmallow mixture and stir very well, coating all of the cheerios.

FIVE // Pour the cheerio mallow mixture into the greased pan. Pour is a loose term. You’re mostly just scooping it out, then press it down as flat as you can. Press it real good so it all sticks together.

SIX (Optional) // if you have chocolate chips, go ahead and sprinkle some on top before it cools. Great for people like me who want to sprinkle chocolate chips on top of basically everything.

Let it cool for awhile, then cut it into whatever size squares you feel are acceptable (I’m not gonna judge).

Also speaking of not judging, I figured since I’d never actually tried this recipe I should probably test it before I posted it. If you’re wondering what I thought of it, check out this photo I realized showed the damage I did to this pan of tasty treat:

In case you can’t tell, I ate a whole bunch of it…. for research. also for motivation to get out of bed and feed the baby again. I mean, I would have fed her no matter what but this made it a little easier.

Y’all are so welcome 🙂

Maybe it’s nesting (probably) but on the first chilly Saturday of post-Labor Day, I went on a cleaning frenzy. We’re talking emptying out/wiping down cabinets, re-organizing under the sink, and FINALLY hanging up a clock in our kitchen (that we never look at, lol). We’re all aware of Spring Cleaning, but let’s look at the other side of the coin and get down on some FALL CLEANING. Sharing a Fall Cleaning List with y’all today!

Put some chili in a crockpot, diffuse some spicy oils, put on your cozy socks and tackle some of these cleaning projects!

FALL CLEANING LIST: KITCHEN

• Take out everything from your cabinets, check the expiration date, and then deep clean the shelves
• Replace your dish towels to some festive fall ones (here are some cute ones i’ve found!)

• Do a thorough cleaning of your coffee pot. If you have a coffee station of any sort, add some seasonal syrups (like this Monin mini-pack!)
• Straighten/organize your pots and pans and lids.
• Buy yourself a label maker and go to town, ESPECIALLY on baking products because y’all know it’s baking season!

• Wipe down all handles and knobs on appliances and cabinets.
• Clean that nasty part of the bottom cabinets.. you know, the space between the bottom of the door and the floor.
• Pour some baking soda & vinegar down the drain to give your drains a good cleaning (actual tutorial here).
• Take everything out of your fridge (EVERYTHING, you hear me??) and give it a good wipe down. Re-organize everything you put back in, and make sure to check expiration dates. If you’re living from spring cleaning to spring cleaning, then you probably have some weird stuff in there.
• Another place to take EVERYTHING OUT OF and wipe down/reorganize is under your sink.
• Clean your stove top! Take out the drip pans if you have them and give them a good scrub. Here’s a great site with info about how to clean various kinds of stovetops.
• Listen, I don’t have a microwave or a dishwasher but if you have one… you should clean them.
• Dust the top of your cabinets and appliances. Unless you’re gonna claim the dust and cobwebs as Halloween decorations in which case, carry on my friends.
• Clean out that one drawer. You know what drawer I’m talking about. YOU KNOW. Use any little boxes you have to create drawer dividers (thanks Marie Kondo! I use my old Birchboxes for drawer storage).
• While you’re at it, go through that pile of mail you’ll get to later. Go through any coupons you find and check for expiration dates, toss junk mail, file the rest.

FALL CLEANING LIST: BEDROOM

• Wash ALL OF YOUR BEDDING. If you’re blessed enough to have spare bedding, switch it out while you wash. If you’re looking to make your bedroom a little more cozy, add a nice chunky blanket to your bed!

• Take everything off of the flat surfaces in your bedroom (nightstands, dressers, bookshelves, etc) and wipe them down. Re-evaluate everything as you put it back on.
• If you have anything under your bed (we’re guilty of this because we have limited storage in our apartment), take it out and go through it. Use the opportunity to vacuum under the bed.
• Dust your blinds and wash your windows.
• Use the hose of your vacuum to dust the top edges of your room (where the walls meet the ceiling!).
• Wipe down the light fixtures.
• Depending on the weather and where you live, swap out your ultra summer clothes for your fall stuff. Re-fold your clothes (it seems like a lot of work, but it’s SO WORTH IT). I use these thin velvet hangers because they hold so much and save space.

• Throw away any single socks and ratty underwear. You know you have both.
• Dust any picture frames you have displayed.

FALL CLEANING LIST: LIVING ROOM

• Clean and dust your windows (including around the trim!).
• Just like in the bedroom, take everything off of flat surfaces and dust/clean them. Re-evaluate everything as you put it back on. This is also a great time to maybe put some seasonal decor up!
• Dust your tv. Not just the screen, but the edges.
• Take the pillows and cushions off of your couch. Use the hose on your vacuum to clean the crumbs that have fallen into the couch. Enjoy whatever food/pens/change you find in there.
• After replacing the cushions, use the hose on your vacuum on the cushions and frame of your couch.
• Swap out your throw pillows for some seasonal ones.

• Dust all of your picture frames and if you have any fall family photos, put them in front of the other ones (keep the other ones in the frames if you can that way you can easily swap them around for the season).
• Clean the baseboards around the room.
• Wipe down all door handles and switches.

FALL CLEANING LIST: BATHROOM

• Wash your shower curtain and liner.
• If you have any mats in your shower/tub, rinse them off and set them somewhere to dry (in the sink for now?)
• Use a drain snake to get any hair out of the shower and sink drains.
• Deep clean your tub. Here’s a great recipe for a DIY cleaner.
• Remove any products you have and clean where they rest. Wipe them down before replacing them.
• Clean the bathroom walls with a wet wash cloth.
• Wash out the garbage can.
• Take everything off of the sink and counter and do a deep clean of both.
• Wipe down the entire outside of your toilet (including lid and the top and underside of seat)
• Clean the inside of your toilet (here’s a great DIY toilet bowl cleaner)
• Wash and replace all towels that are out in the open. Re-fold all the other ones. Seriously, re-folding is a game-changer.
• Replace toothbrushes or toothbrush heads. You’ll need those to be on the A game to tackle the sugar bugs in the upcoming months lol.
• Go through any closets/cabinets and throw out old products.
• Dust the lights
• Wipe down door handles and light switches
• Clean the mirror

PHEW. I’m exhausted just making this list! Take advantage of the chance to do a deep clean before the weather forces you to stay inside a little bit more. Plus, if you’re having people over for the holidays, it’s not been months since a deep clean. So best of luck to y’all! You can’t tell, but I’m cheers-ing you with a pumpkin chai 🙂

Welcome to Blogtober! Sharing my 2019 Fall Bucket List with y’all today 🙂

I’ve never done this before but I realized/decided that I needed to pour my anxious energy during the last few weeks of pregnancy into SOMETHING, so here I am working on blog posts for every. single. day. of. October. Hopefully I have to end early because unexpected baby surprise. But if not… gear. up. You’re in for a treat 😉

I only chose 12 things because I don’t know what life with a newborn looks like. These seem like things I’ll want to do anyway, but lists allow you to CROSS THEM OFF, praise hands!

01. Go to a pumpkin patch
02. Make pumpkin chili
03. Make a meal out of food from the Farmer’s Market
04. Bake a pie
05. Bake apple crisp
06. Watch a spooky movie
07. Take a fall family photo
08. Make a stovetop simmer scent
09. Spend a rainy day doing a puzzle
10. Watch Harry Potter
11. Make soup
12. Take a bunch of pictures of fall
13. Make apple cider

This year I’ve been anticipating fall more than any other year (hello Baby M) but you cannot deny how great it feels to get cozy on a dreary day with a good book and hot beverage. oh, and fuzzy socks.

IDEAS FOR YOUR 2019 FALL BUCKET LIST:

• Go apple picking
• Visit a corn maze
• Have a bonfire
• Carve a pumpkin
• Rake leaves for someone who is unable to do it themselves
• Attend a Halloween party
• Roast S’mores
• Attend a football game
• Make DIY Halloween Costumes
• Collect leaves for a fall craft
• Try a new pumpkin recipe
• Make pinecone bird feeders
• Take a scenic drive
• Host a scary movie night
• Buy a new cardigan
• Set end of the year goals for yourself
• Jump in a pile of leaves
• Roast Pumpkin seeds
• Visit a haunted house

What’s on your Fall bucket list?

One thing people ask me when we’re catching up is “how is Poshmark going?”

Normally, my response is “really great!” or “slow and steady!” or something like that.

The past few weeks, my response has been, “well, if I wasn’t about to have a baby I’d be looking for a job.” because it has been slow minus the steady.

Let me put this month in context.

At the end of June, I treated myself to a proper no-work vacation. Right before the summer slowdown. Since I’m gearing up for a baby, I figured I should work my butt off in July to pick up the momentum from my vacation and get things moving so I could slow down the closer we got to meeting our baby. Of course, I did that DURING summer slowdown.

For weeks, I worked pretty full days, sourcing clothes and photographing and listing and…. well, not really shipping because sales stalled. I found myself with bags of clothes to sell…  with nowhere to put them. Seriously, the back seat of my car has bags of clothes listed for sale on Poshmark, with NOWHERE TO GO.

So I stopped working. I didn’t know what else to do. I felt like I was literally drowning in clothes and was really discouraged. It didn’t make sense to make the problem worse, so I decided to just back off for a little bit.

It’s one thing if you’re not working hard but you’re still making some money. It’s a completely other thing if you’re not working hard AND you’re not making some money. That’s where I’ve been.

You know how you avoid your bank account when you’re scared to see what is or isn’t in it? I avoided looking at my monthly profit on Self-Employed by Quickbooks because I didn’t want to see how bad things were. Then I decided to just face the facts and I was FLOORED.

Things really aren’t as bad as I thought. I’m not sure where that money came from, where it went, etc. but it’s been showing up.

Faced with the numbers, I realized that I’ve been operating on my feelings towards my Poshmark business. My feelings have been discouraged, overwhelmed, burned out, doubtful, frustrated, worthless. The FACTS state a completely different story. Last month’s hard work has been paying off. I’ve made nearly twice as much as I did last month. I’ve made more this month than I have all summer.

I personally tend to operate in response to feelings as opposed to facts. I FEEL like I’m not making money (I’ve been transferring money to savings which is probably why I FEEL like I’ve brought in less money – I see less of it), but I AM making money. I FEEL like my hard work isn’t paying off, but I AM seeing the rewards of my labor.

Not just with stuff like Poshmark, but also in other things. Like days when I feel unloved, alone, unimportant, unworthy, etc. It’s so much easier to rely on how I FEEL instead of facing the FACTS, which often contradict what I’m feeling.

Just a friendly reminder to plant your feelings in facts. 🙂