the 10th month.

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i love warm weather, tulips, cookouts, sandy beaches & flip flops, but . . .

i also love crisp air, cool breezes, cardigan sweaters, dark nail polish & pumpkins.

it's fall, y'all. 

to say this is my most favorite time of the year is a big understatement. i love all things fall. well, except for the scary movies & ghost stories that go hand-in-hand with halloween. mama doesn't do scary, y'all. 

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oktoberfest-related beers. pumpkin everything. cooler weather.
early sunsets. dark mornings. falling leaves.
hearty stews. changing colors. mums.
scarecrows. halloween candy. jackets & windbreakers.
pumpkin spice lattes. apple everything. the scent of cinnamon & cloves.

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what do you love about the fall?

pillows of pumpkiny love.

or, how to undo your workout/diet in 10 easy steps.

really, y'all, if you like pumpkin, chocolate & easy-peasy baking all rolled into one, then this recipe is for you. i can't take credit for it. i owe my undying love for these pumpkin puff balls to the shabby princess. it's all her fault.

seriously, though. this is the perfect bite of comfort, especially once the weather gets a bit cooler, you need a quick snack or you're just feeling sorry for yourself & are craving something loaded with carbs & chocolate {totally my reason for baking them today}.

that's all you need. three ingredients: a box of spice cake mix, a can {15 ounces} of pumpkin - NOT the pie filling - and some chocolate chips. before you start, just preheat your oven to 350 degrees {i have a gas oven & this temperature seems to work best for me}.

combine your ingredients into a bowl. i don't measure the chocolate chips...i just dump. and, if you can't tell from the picture, i used a combination of milk chocolate morsels & semi-sweet morsels. some of the milk chocolate morsels melted so they clumped together...bonus! {for what it's worth, i prefer semi-sweet over milk chocolate any day.}

mix, mix, mix. stir, stir, stir. the pumpkin filling will work its magic with the cake mix. you don't need oil, butter, eggs, applesauce, sour cream, mayonnaise or anything thing else that you might put into a cake. really, you don't.

drop them onto ungreased baking sheets. you can use a tablespoon, but i use a cookie scoop. also, i don't flatten them. i leave them mounded. and, i apologize now for my dirty oven.

bake them at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. your oven might require you to bake these little gems a bit longer. once baked, transfer them to a cooling rack. but, don't wait for them to cool. they are so damn good enjoyed warm & fresh from the oven.

seriously, they are gooey, moist & soft. oh, and don't be surprised if they disappear quickly. you really can't just east one.

falling for...fall!

i don't know about y'all, but i'm crazy for fall.  

i love summer, but i love fall even more.  

why?  i'll show you why:

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pumpkin spice lattes, changing leaves, the harvest moon, seasonal brews, candy corn & all things pumpkin are just a few of the reasons why i love fall.

what do you love about fall?

Desperately Seeking Autumn

I am over the excessive heat.
I am over the ridiculous humidity.
I am over the influx of flies & other annoying bugs.
I am over sweaty pits (ew!).
I am over having to shave my legs all. the. time.
I am over running the air conditioner.
I am over {what seem like} never-ending days.
I am over the heat sucking the life out of anyone & anything.
I am over the traffic.
I am over the tourists.
I am over summer vacation {no, the kids aren't back in school...yet}.

While I will miss the impromptu cookouts, carefree schedules, camping trips & other random family fun, I am definitely READY for a change of seasons {a big change from this past February when I was ready for summer}.

I am ready for cooler weather.
I am ready to open the windows.
I am ready to put on a pair of socks.
I am ready to smell the crisp, autumn air.
I am ready to see the leaves change colors.
I am ready to go to the pumpkin patch.
I am ready for crock pot cooking.
I am ready for earlier sunsets.
I am ready to 'fall back.'
I am ready to put mums out on the front porch.
I am ready for nights by the fire pit.

I am desperately seeking autumn.

I realize there's still over a month of summer left, but I really hope we transition straight into autumn without any of the "Indian summer" ridiculousness.