Tis The Season for fall foliage!

Family movies, Hot chocolate, Egg Nog, Fires, Decor, deadlines ,New beginnings and so many more things encompass the last 3 months of the year. My Christmas tree was up and decorated the second week of October (No judging)! I only just lit it last week though, so that counts right? There is something about the cold weather, color changing of the trees and carolers that makes everyone seem a bit more chipper.

Yes, That's a hanging Plant as a topper.

I always carve a pumpkin whether I am by myself or with friends. This year I had the extreme pleasure of helping someone Carve their first ever pumpkin! It was filled with music, Candy corn and of course Wine! I have an easy way of carving that entails printing out a silhouette of your favorite picture (Made for less detailed carving) and taping or tacking it to the desired area on your favorite shaped gourd. Use a sharp object (I used a push pin) to safely poke holes along the outside of the picture and when done, take a large cutting tool and cut along the holes you have made! Its so easy, especially for those of us who aren’t on the free hand drawing spectrum. This year I did an outline of a Tarantula with it’s Pedipalps (Front arm like legs) extended, to commemorate the 3 that I have. I think it turned out pretty neat even though I almost took a leg off.

Look at that lil leg!

Even though I am always taking photos of nature during the year, Its a different level of photo taking during the Fall/Winter months. It usually takes zero to little editing on my part for a perfect photo. While walking the campus I work at to get a coffee, I was stopped in my tracks as I noticed that the leaves were extra vibrant! I’ve learned to take my Canon SX730 HS every where I go and instantly took it out to snap some photos of the foliage and set up a mini shoot with my coffee cup. I was amazed at how crisp the photos came out and how beautiful the colors were! I should’ve known it’s power, because I can see the craters on the moon with this camera! The photos are so crisp that I and a few friends use them as screensavers for our phones.

Look at those colors!

So many textures!

I made the photos brighter because of the clouds. Still beautiful!

Who can forget the delicacies that arise during the holidays?! Do you have a certain food or drink that’s a must have during the holidays? Mine is Hot Chocolate and I make a MEAN one! Also beautiful! Topped off with a dairy-free whipped cream, Cinnamon stick and a square of Ghirardelli dark chocolate, this drink is sure to put you in holiday heaven! I love to set the perfect mood by lighting a candle, turning the lights on my tree on and enjoy my cup by reflecting on the day and just relaxing. Since I love you’ll so much, I’ll share my recipe (Originally tweaked by Hershey’s ) below and feel free to substitute ingredients with whatever suits your taste.

Ali’s Blissful Concoction (1 Serving)

1 Cup Almond milk or whatever milk you’d like

1/4 TSP Vanilla Extract

2 TB of Cocoa Powder Unsweetened

Dash of Salt

Dash of Cinnamon

2 TB of Sugar

Dairy- Free Whipped Cream

Chocolate Square for topping

Cinnamon stick for Topping

Chocolate syrup

Caramel Syrup

Directions

Grab your favorite mug and mix in the Cocoa Powder, Salt, Sugar and Cinnamon.

In a heat safe container, heat up Almond milk for a minute or until warm.

Pour Almond milk and Vanilla extract into mug and mix until smooth.

Top with whipped cream (Tons!!!), Syrups and Place chocolate square and cinnamon stick in.

Enjoy the delicacy that you just made and Thank me later!

Let me know if you’ve tried it and what you think. Send your tweaks my way to try as well! Comment below and lets chat.

Yumminess!

#Fall #Georgia #newbeginnings #Christmas #Holidays #hotchocolate #Canonsx730 #blog