cider therapy

At our "fall party" a few weeks back, husband and I were craving a good cup of spiced apple cider and we settled on this recipe:

1 (64 fluid ounce) bottle apple cider

3 cinnamon sticks

1 teaspoon allspice (whole or ground--we used ground)

1 teaspoon whole cloves (optional)

1/3 cup brown sugar

This recipe actually makes enough for 6 to 8 people so we divided everything into thirds and made just enough for the two of us.

Throw all ingredients into a pot on the stove and heat to a boil. Reduce heat, then wait for it to cool. 

[Don't forget to strain it while pouring because the cinnamon sticks and whole cloves aren't meant to be eaten--lesson learned the hard way with cloves....ick]

Enjoy a mouthful of Christmas in a cup! It is so savory, it will take your breath away.

Ok, now I hyped it up too much......forget what I said and just enjoy! It is one of our favorite and easy fall recipes, perfect when paired with snuggling under a blanket, burning a cinnamon-scented candle, and putting your feet up after a long, hard work day. HEAVEN!

destiny

So how are you guys liking my husband's photography skills? I am SUPER surprised by his abilities given the fact that before this, he has probably only taken like 5 photos in his life. He is not a picture-taking kind of guy....he is the guy in the photo who is always making the most ridiculously disturbing face ever. But I am seeing now that maybe he is meant to be behind the lens. 

Except for in this picture of us at Disneyland yesterday.....he looks pretty cute. Just pretend like I am not stepping on his foot to make him do a normal smile. 

sparkles and sunshine

So I'm not usually a sparkle-wearing kind of girl but this shirt just reached out and jumped in my bag before I could stop it. I had no choice! I actually wore this last weekend on our road trip back to LA from San Diego. It was the perfect outfit for rockin' out to Katy Perry (my guilty pleasure....don't tell) in the car for 2 straight hours....my husband loved it. This weekend, husband and I are headed to the happiest place on earth....I'm talking about Disneyland people, woot woot! Hopefully I can get some good ideas for my Halloween costume....that is on my weekend to-do list. Any ideas? 

thrifty

I am feeling very "thrifty" today. My new obsession is thrift shopping as you can tell from my outfit. I found these gems and many more from Buffalo Exchange, Goodwill, Salvation Army, Out of the Closet, and some other smaller thrift shops. It is such a good feeling when you walk out of the store with 6 or 7 items for under $50!! I also really like the adventure of searching through rows and rows of junk, hoping to find just one great skirt, and then the satisfaction of a hard day's work when you find one! Thrift stores are also perfect places to get rid of clothes that I don't want anymore, or to make room for new clothes in my closet :) Thrifting is a give and take.....ah, the wonderful circle of life. 

Unfocused

Sorry about the crappy camera quality today....we are working on the camera situation. While I would LOVE to just head down to the nearest Best Buy and purchase a beautiful state of the art camera, my husband would probably murder me in my sleep. This whole shopping addiction thing that I have going on is not helping my chances of getting a new camera any time soon either :(  Apparently patience is a virtue so I must save up and wait.......or maybe put a new camera on my Christmas list! 

Any takers???  [just kidding....sort of]

jumping right in

I love Saturdays because I get to wear whatever I want! There are no rules on the weekends....I could walk around in nothing for all I care but you wouldn't want to see that, nor would it make for a very appropriate blog posting. So I stuck with this very comfortable outfit as my husband and I went out to run errands---I was dying to wear my new scarf but So Cal obviously didn't get the memo that it's OCTOBER! We had a "fall party" Saturday night to try and take in the season anyway--pumpkin pie, butternut squash ravioli for dinner, carving pumpkins, scary movies, hot apple cider, the works. And I don't mean to brag but look at these pumpkins.....that is some serious carving right there.

day one

Since it is the birth-day of my blog (I was in labor for about 3 hours), you are probably wondering why I named it "Polka Dot Love Letters." Good question and I will break it up into 2 answers for you. The polka dot part of the name comes from the fact that I L-O-V-E polka dots! You should see my closet! Just wait...you will :) Even the bridesmaids dresses that I chose had very tasteful polka dots on them.

The love letters part comes from what this blog is all about for me.....writing about the things that I love! This will PROBABLY include really good smelling candles (like the Cinnamon Blends one that is burning as I type), the iced soy lattes from Starbucks that I can't live without, the pile of books on my shelf that I have yet to read, the outfits that I pride myself in throwing together five minutes before I walk out the door, and the experimental recipes that my husband is lucky to get for dinner. But I can't promise anything :)