Word Vomit.

I want to blog about something, but I'm not sure what. Could be the half-written posts about my new house, my old house, my brother, pictures of bar carts or holiday scenes. But I just don't feel like it. I'm exhausted. And creatively-drained. Staring at my inbox is brutal. Staring at the boxes and dishes and clothes scattered throughout my un-unpacked house is a bore. I'm distracted. I keep making lists - for this trip, for the house, for clients, for life, for this blog, for groceries - but can't seem to cross anything off.

Life. It'll get you sometimes.

Vacay! St. Petersburg, Florida

We're heading to St. Petersburg on Saturday for a little four-day getaway and staying on a sailboat! On my agenda:

• a day at the beach
• wine on the deck of the boat
• coffee on the deck of the boat
• deep sea fishing at Hubbard's Marina
• grilled steak dinner on our dock
• quality time with my BFF Karyn (she lives in Orlando)
• any one of the restaurants pinned on my 'gulfing' Pinterest board
• perhaps a massage at the Vinoy? bike riding on the beach? parasailing?

Have you been to St Petersburg? Any tips?

images 1, 2, 3

How I Packed for LA

In October, I went to LA for four days for a conference -

(Sorry I didn't tell you about it before... it was rather uneventful, and all the pictures were dark/blurry. However, I did get to visit the Eames House which was awesome, and I highly recommend eating/drinking at Beer Belly, Baco Mercat and Wurstkuche if you ever get the chance.)

- and I have to say, I've impressed myself with my light packing yet again (Check out how well I packed last year for a conference in Baltimore and for my two-week trip to Rome and Morocco).

The List: 

• 3 bottoms (regular skinny jeans, oxblood skinny jeans, black pencil skirt)
• 1 black/white printed dress
• 3 tops (grey v-neck tee, navy/white striped tee, black/white polka dot blouse)
• 1 mustard cardigan
• 2 blazers (one striped, one oxblood)
• 2 pairs of flats (tan, grey) 
• 1 black scarf
• Assorted gold accessories

Add to that my one quart bag of toiletries, my CHI straightener and my laptop and that's it. All in a small black duffel bag (that still zipped easily, might I add). 

Also, notice a color scheme here? Looks like I stuck to my fall shopping list!

Easy White Chicken Chili

If you're looking for an easy chili recipe that is easy on the spice (I think Taco Bell sauce is spicy.) then look no further - Easy White Chicken Chili. This has been my go-to chili recipe for the last couple years, ever since a friend of mine made it for a Mizzou tailgate. 

Ingredients

• two 16 oz cans of canned white beans 
• 2 large onions, chopped 
• 1 stick unsalted butter 
• 1/4 c all-purpose flour 
• 3/4 c chicken broth 
• 2 cups half and half 
• Tabasco, chili powder, ground cumin, salt and pepper 
• 5 boneless skinless chicken breasts 
• 2 c grated Monterrey Jack 
• 1/2 c sour cream 
• Chopped peppers - any kind you like! I just use 1 red and 1 green pepper. 

Directions

• Heat a large skillet over moderately high heat and add butter and olive oil. 
• Coat your chicken with salt, pepper and chili powder. Put them in the skillet and resist the urge to turn them over. Leave them for five minutes, or until nicely browned, then flip them. Flip them every few minutes until they are done. 
• Remove the chicken from the pan. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it (with your fingers or chop it with a knife) and set aside. 
• While waiting for chicken to cool, cook the onions in the same pan with 2 tbs of butter until softened. 
• In a heavy pot, large enough to hold all the ingredients, melt remaining 6 tbs of butter over moderately low heat and whisk in flour. Cook the roux, whisking constantly, for three minutes.
• Stir in the onion and gradually add the broth and half and half, whisking the whole time. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes, or until thickened.
• Stir in tabasco, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. 
• Add beans, chilies, chicken and cheese, and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. 
• Add sour cream. 

Lazy Girl's Fall Decor: Painted Pumpkins

This is the simple, non-crafty alternative to actually carving pumpkins... because I suck at that. Painting pumpkins requires very limited supplies and it means you don't have to gut them - because, let's face it, that's a pain in the ass. (Although, I did see a neat trick on Conan last night to suck the guts out with a vacuum. Genius!)

I did two pumpkins - one in polka dots and one in chevron. You'll need -

• Pumpkins. I used medium-sized pumpkins, about the size of a volleyball. Less to paint, lighter to carry. 
• White acrylic paint
• Paint brushes or sponges (a makeup sponge works great for the polka dots!)
• Tape. I used masking tape, but wish I would have used painter's tape. I think it would have given me cleaner lines, with less bleed. 
• Newspapers, paper plates - just to work with the paint on and not get it all over the floor. 

For the chevron pumpkin, just tape a zigzag pattern around the whole pumpkin making it as thin or thick as you like. I started with the middle line, and then decided to paint the whole top white too. I like the way it looks with the stem painted.

The nice thing about the acryllic paint is that it dries pretty quickly. I did two coats of the white and let it sit overnight. Then, I peeled the tape off. Be careful though! Pulling it off too quickly may rip some paint off with it.

For the polka dot pumpkin, I dipped a round makeup sponge in paint and just started stamping away starting at the top row. Be conscious of how you're spacing your dots so that it evens out as you make your way around the pumpkin. (I guess I could have measured or something... but that takes way too much work.)

Make sure you press each dot down gently enough that it doesn't just smear, but hard enough to make an imprint - think of it like applying an instant tattoo!

Place on the front porch with some fall flowers and bam! domestic goddess. 

Standing Guard

via Buzzfeed

This means more to me than ever right now, with my little brother in OCS at Quantico. Stay strong, Will!

Alton Brown's Whole Pumpkin Pie Soup

Hi. Can we talk for a sec about this pumpkin goodness? And how my boyfriend is the best cook ever? I don't even like pumpkin (or at least, didn't think I did) and this was amazeballs. 

Recipe via Alton Brown

Ingredients 

• 1 whole baking pumpkin, approximately 4 pounds, rinsed (We got ours at the Tower Grove Farmers Market)
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil 
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 
• 1/2 small yellow onion, diced 
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1 clove garlic, minced 
• 1 small apple, peeled, cored, and diced 
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth 
• 1/2 cup heavy cream 
• 2 ounces goat cheese 
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves 

Directions 

• Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. 
• Make a lid on the top of the pumpkin by cutting around the stem at a 45 degree angle. Make sure the opening is large enough to work within. Remove the seeds and fibers with a metal spoon or ice cream scoop and kitchen shears. Reserve the seeds for another use (We toast them with some salt and they taste like popcorn!). Brush the exterior of the pumpkin and the lid with vegetable oil. 
• Oil a round casserole dish large enough to hold the pumpkin and place the pumpkin inside. 
• Combine the butter, onion, salt, garlic, apples, chicken broth, and heavy cream in the hollow pumpkin. Replace the lid of the pumpkin to cover. 
• Bake for 1 1/2 hours. 
• Remove the lid. Add the goat cheese and thyme and bake an additional 30 minutes, uncovered.
• Remove the pumpkin from the oven. You can gently scrape some of the flesh into the soup mixture and puree with an immersion blender to desired consistency, or just scrape the sides as you eat it (that's what I did).