why i wish i didn't rely on my car

i bought my very first 'new' car in march of last year. before that i always had cheap clunkers. it's been nice having a new car. i got a 2009 toyota corolla so it was a year old when i got it. this week it's driving me crazy. it needs a new alternator. i realize it's almost 3 years old, but i just wish nothing big would have gone wrong until at least i was done paying for it! i'm also learning that the 2009 corolla was an off year and that parts are a tad more expensive (like $400 more) than other years. NOT FUN. we're thinking of paying down our balance over this next year and then trading it in for a new car. hopefully we'll get as much for or more than we owe at that point. bleh, this is why i wish i lived close enough to walk to work. unfortunately there is no walking to where i work now. it's literally on a lonely lonely stretch of road with no housing within walking distance. and smack dab in the middle of nature reserve so it's not going to change any time soon.

other than that things are just status quo right now. kind of boring for the ole blog but it's just the way it is. we have a meeting at work at the end of the week so we're gearing up for that and i'm just pushing through other work i need to get done.

 i've had a bit of slump in cooking. we've been having a lot of simple go to meals.

we got a tease of cold weather earlier this week. i can't wait until it's back for good. today it's sunny and 85 and i really miss the 70s and cool breezes. i love getting to have the door to the porch open.

i made a wreath for my front door the other day with dollar store finds. i need to post a pic and a quick how to. it cost about $5 and took about 10 minutes to make, but it's adorable and hopefully will last for many falls to come! there is also a new craft i want to do for autumn here.

and i want to make this:
Pumpkin Spice Latte


makes 1-2 servings
Ingredients:

2 cups milk

2 tablespoons canned pumpkin OR 1 teaspoon of Torani Pumpkin Spice Syrup (your choice)

2 tablespoons sugar or sugar substitute - you can halve this amount

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1-2 shots espresso (about 1/4 cup of espresso or 1/2 cup of strong brewed coffee if you don't have an espresso machine.)

Directions:

In a saucepan combine milk, pumpkin and sugar and cook on medium heat, stirring, until steaming. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and spice, transfer to a blender and process for 15 seconds until foamy. If you don't have a blender, don't worry about it - just whisk the mixture really well with a wire whisk. add espresso to mug.

i can't find the link where i got it from :( i'll try and search. i started a list of recipes that i've been adding to and this is the only one that i forgot to add the link to.

alright this post is long and rambly enough. time to go. hope you all enjoy the rest of your Sunday! :)