5 Simple Pumpkin Recipes to Sweeten Your Fall!

Hello everyone! How's your first week of fall been? Can you feel the weather changing and have you had your fair share or PSL (Pumpkin Spice Lattes) yet? I sure hope so because hot weather is out and pumpkin everything is in! I don't know about you guys, but fall is the season for baking warm goodies with friends and for snuggling up all cozy at home. I've been looking for some pumpkin oriented recipes to try out this year and here's what I've found!

1. Pumpkin Pie Roll-Ups

This one is provided by Buzzfeed Food so you know it's gotta be good, right?!
With just 3 ingredients, I've already bought the supplies for this one and am ready to go! Think of all the pumpkin and marshmallow goodness inside. Mmmm..!





Recipe link here: https://www.facebook.com/BuzzFeedFood/videos/1116216855058206/

2. Libby's Pumpkin Roll

Now this one, I've personally never tried, but it was recommended by a friend. She said she makes it every year and it's a hit at every family party! Looking at the picture and ingredients, I bet it's as delicious as it sounds. Ground cinnamon, pumpkin, and cream cheese..comfort food at it's finest! Also, the reviews for this are fantastic.

To try this recipe: https://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/32372/libbys-pumpkin-roll/

3. Pumpkin Pancakes

Okay, so if you're one of those people that makes pancakes every Saturday (slowly raises hand) but wants something pumpkin flavored and still healthy, then this one is for you! Seriously considering making this one this morning as we speak...the main ingredients are flour, pumpkin puree, and spices!

For this recipe, go here:
http://www.yummyhealthyeasy.com/2013/10/skinny-pumpkin-pancakes_31.html








4. Mini Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls!

First of all, can we all acknowledge that these look mouth-watering! Second of all, they're incredibly easy to make! It's a win-win! Pumpkin butter, a crescent roll sheet, and brown sugar. That's basically it people.

Here's the recipe: http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/easy-mini-pumpkin-cinnamon-rolls/







5. Crock Pot Pumpkin Spice Latte

Of course, what list would be complete without at least mentioning the famous PSL. I'm not a huge fan of coffee (shocker, I know) but these recipe is so simple and easy I had to mention it! I'm even thinking of tweaking it for non-coffee drinkers and seeing how it tastes. But to all you coffee drinkers, enjoy!!

The recipe: http://thrivinghomeblog.com/2013/09/crock-pot-pumpkin-spiced-latte/



That's it for now! I've officially got to go to the store to get more pumpkin and start baking. I hope you all get to test out one of these recipes and I can't wait to hear how it goes! So have you guys ever tried one of these recipes?? How did it go?? I'd love to know in the comments!

Once again, Happy Fall Y'all ;)
-G

P.S. All photos and recipes are not my own, but property of the bloggers used in this article.

10 Simple Ways To Clean House Using Natural Ingredients

Happy first week of fall, y'all!

This week I'm going to talk about something I'm passionate about-incorporating natural ingredients into everyday life. I try to look for natural solutions for everything from shampoo, to produce, to cleaning supplies. I believe what we put into the environment affects us in more ways than we know. Even though everyone talks about spring cleaning...what about fall cleaning?? The weather is perfect and it's an ideal time to clean out the house before it gets too cold and before the start of a new year! What could be better than cleaning the mess in your house without harming yourself or others while getting ready for wintertime?

As far as finding more natural solutions for everyday problems, here's what I've found to work best. Also, I think you'll be amazed at how many uses vinegar can have!

For the bathroom:

1. For a dirty mirror, use equal parts water and vinegar to wipe down mirror. Wipe with microfiber cloth or newspaper.

2. For a dirty shower head, pour clear vinegar into a plastic baggy, place on shower head with a rubber band and leave on overnight. Take off the next morning and ta-da!

3. For grout cleaner, mix equal parts baking soda and equal parts hydrogen peroxide until it makes a paste. Place on grout for a while, then brush away with a rag and warm water.

4. For a dirty toilet, use 2-3 cups of apple cider vinegar and leave overnight.

5. For a shower cleaner, use equal parts of Dawn soap and hot vinegar, use gripper sponge to scrub on shower. Let sit and then rinse.

For the kitchen:

6. For a clogged sink or drain, use 1 cup of vinegar and 1 cup of baking soda. Wait until it stops bubbling (could be anywhere from 10-45 minutes) and then rinse with boiling hot water.

7. For an all-purpose cleaner, use 2 cups of vinegar, 4 cups of water, and 1/4 lemon juice in a spray bottle.

For clothes:

8. For "pit stains" on whites, use 1/2 hydrogen peroxide, 1/2 cup baking soda, and 1 cup of water. Rub on stain with old toothbrush, old dish brush, etc and let sit til dry. Rinse thoroughly and repeat until gone. 

9. For a greener laundry detergent, I talk about how to make a 3-ingredient organic laundry detergent here....

http://glamshazam.blogspot.com/2015/06/how-to-make-organic-laundry-detergent-3.html 

For carpet stains:

10. Use 1 cup of Dawn dish soap, 1 cup of vinegar, and 2 cups of warm water mixed together. Scrub onto stain vigorously. Rinse with warm water and a rag. (I've personally used this recipe for some carpet stains at our townhome!)   

Now granted, there are PLENTY of natural recipes out there to clean you-name-it, but these are just a few from my personal collection that are simple and only have a few ingredients. If you've tried one of the recipes above or have any you'd like to share, I'd love to hear about it below in the comments! 

Happy fall cleaning, y'all.. ;)

-G 

How To Peacefully Clean & Organize Your Home When Living With Roommates

Hello readers! I'm delighted that you came to my page today!

When moving to college, or when moving to another place in general, it can be difficult to combine different lifestyles under one roof. I quickly figured this out when I moved to college as people come from all sorts of backgrounds and will have different habits. For example, some people are clean and organized, while others are not, and there will be all sorts of people in between. So from my casa to your casa, here are some tried and true tips that I've learned through the months! These tips are to help create an organized system in your household, help delegate the chores of everyday life, and to prevent arguments before they begin!

1. If dishes are a problem, then getting multiples dish boxes may be necessary.
Some roommates will be just fine with doing their own dishes and being accountable from the get-go, but some roommates will enjoy the freedom of living away from home and may not want to do dishes. To prevent a pile-up of dishes, a dish box for each roomie is necessary. At our house, we have a rule that if dishes are not put in the dish washer and/or hand washed and put up within 2 days then they go in the dish box. At that point, it is no longer anyone else's responsibility to clean it and it's a subtle hint that the person needs to wash their dishes. If it remains in the dish box for a period of time (say 2 days) then we will put the dish box by that person's bedroom door. Dish boxes cost about $1 in the kitchen section at any superstore and can be an efficient way of keeping dishes out of the sink. Although efficient, it is important to talk the rules over with the roommates first and not just throw dishes in a box and by their room as a way to be passive aggressive. This brings me to my next point of...

2. Having open communication
Before applying the rules below, it is important to have a talk with the roommates beforehand so that everyone knows what is expected of them and to consider their thoughts/suggestions. Kindness goes a long way!

3. Post rules if necessary
If you feel like you need to reinforce the rules and/or make it more official, then posting the rules in a shared space in the home will help the process. It reiterates the fact that everyone is to know what is expected of them.

4. Have everyone assigned to trash duty for a week
Unless you have a roommate who recycles absolutely everything, there will be trash involved. To solve the problem of who takes it out and when, assign a week to everyone and the turnover day when trash duty is the next person's responsibility. If someone is not taking the trash out, do like number 1 and simply put the trash bag by the person's door as a hint for them to take the trash out. Note: It is critical that everyone agrees to this concept so that it is fair game and NOT just being passive aggressive.

5. Physically separate the fridge/freezer space
 Food is a necessity, yet space is probably limited. To try to eliminate the problem, it is best to physically separate the space so everyone has an equal amount of room. We made our dividers out of closet divider material and cut them to fit. Other locker dividers may work as well. If all else fails, simply taping where the dividers should be could work as well. Also, please excuse our messy freezer! ;)

6. Switch out bathroom chores
Thankfully, each of my roommates have their own bathroom so bathroom chores are not a big deal here, but others may not have that luxury. Just like the trash duty, bathroom chores can be switched out every week. It may help to make a chart for this and to assign one person trash that week while the other person does bathroom cleaning. Whatever works best!

and last but not least....

7. Hold each other accountable!
While everyone would love to live in a perfect world where everyone gets along, I realize that these solutions may not work for everyone. If these systems don't work at first, then try again. Combining multiple lifestyles under one roof is hard work and it takes practice adjusting to everyone's differences. If some of these work for you and some of these don't, then great! Adjust as often and as necessary as you want. The most important thing is that you all find a system where you all can hold each other accountable, but in a respectful way. Having open honest communication, respect, and love towards one another can make a world of a difference!

Well, I hope you all have enjoyed these guidelines for how to have a cleaner and more peaceful household. Thankfully, our household has implemented these techniques and are much happier! What changes have you guys made to create a better living space? I would love to know in the comments below!

Have a lovely rest of the day!
-G

5 Ways To Help Get You Through College When You Feel Like Quitting

Hello again!

I hope you all have been having a lovely week. It's the beginning of a new school year and we're quickly approaching the middle of the semester again! Crazy how time flies, isn't it? Although I'm enjoying my classes this semester, there was a time (ahem, last semester) when I wasn't and had even seriously considered dropping out of college because of a lack of motivation. Ever felt that way? Now granted, there was a plethora of circumstances (transferring and moving had a lot to do with it) that led up to it, but it still happened nonetheless. Did you know transfer students have a much higher drop out rate? So what made the difference? How did I go from almost dropping out to taking the most classes I've ever taken and enjoying it? Well this is why I bring you these 5 tips!

1. TAKE A BREAK.
This can be anything from taking 3 classes instead of 4 or taking the whole semester off or just taking the summer off, but do it. Do it for your sanity because you NEED it. More than likely, if you're at the stage where you feel like you're done it's because you're burned out from working too hard. Take a break. A TRUE break. Do things that you love. See family. Be with friends. Surround yourself with their love and remind yourself why you're living in the first place.

2. Do something you're interested in!
I know this is extremely cliche, but there's a reason why. Once you've taken some time to feel rebooted it's time to slowly start over again. What made the biggest difference was changing up my classes a semester to take some electives and major classes that I WANTED to take. No more stats and random prerequisites for me! I purposely chose classes that counted toward my major but also had interesting material.

3. Consider a job (any entry level job) in the field you're interested in.
 This will not only give you motivation to strive towards your dream in the classroom, but will get your foot in the door in the industry you potentially want to work in. Plus, you have a resume builder! In my case, I chose to do an internship so not only do I get REAL LIFE experience, but upper level class credit as well. The thing about college is that it's draining...on ALL levels. You give your time, your energy, and your money without seeing ANY of the rewards yet!! That is incredibly draining mentally, physically, and emotionally. It's draining and disappointing to feel like your efforts are wasted and to keep giving without receiving anything (yet). Here is where a job is different. When you have a job you come in, do your work, and get paid after a certain amount of hours have been put into it. It may not be immediate gratification, but it's pretty close. It gives decent motivation to keep going by using a tangible reward and it makes all the difference!

4. Use your skills and/or gain new ones.
Going off of point 3, incorporating real world experience is a motivator in itself because you know what? It's NOT school, it's NOT a classroom. In the real world, you have a skill and you are hired for the skill set you provide. Go ahead, get hired somewhere, and see that your skills are valued and can be used! No matter how experienced or inexperienced you are, you will realize that you are MORE than a nameless face in a classroom and that you are capable of being compensated for your efforts. If you feel like you don't have a particular skill set yet, then pick a subject you're passionate about and start learning more about it. You'll gain confidence and hopefully gain more skills along the way! College is hard. I repeat, COLLEGE IS HARD and it's not always fair. Failing a class or bombing a test because you got a crappy professor or because the material was too hard to grasp can knock your confidence, but learning a new skill can help build it back up!

5. And last, but certainly not least, ASK for support from family, friends, a counselor, etc.
Reach out. Reaching out and letting it out are two incredibly important concepts. You'll not only feel better, but people will be able to know what's going on with you and what you're going through. Will it be uncomfortable? Possibly. Will it hurt your pride a little to ask for help? Possibly. But it's necessary. I reached out to people and it was tremendously comforting. People would tell me their stories of when they were in college and how they had similar experiences. It helps to know you're not alone and that there have been THOUSANDS of students who've felt the same way. Ask them for advice, hear their stories, and realize that it's completely normal to feel this way and use their success stories as motivation to keep going! You can do it!

*It's important to note that most colleges have a free counseling and/or mental health support system in place because they know that college is a tough transition to make. There are online resources and support groups out there that can help as well.    

I hope at least some of these tips help and remember that college is a journey!

-G