Good Things for September (2010)

It's September!

School is just around the corner, the summer weather is going to start to cool down, and by the end of the month we'll likely be seeing the beautiful colours of autumn as the leaves start to turn shades of yellow, red, and orange.

I find September a hard month to pick seasonal 'Good Things' for because it's that month sandwiched perfectly between the end of summer and the start of autumn so while I try to stay away from warm weather items, I also don't want to only feature things like knit sweaters and autumn harvest vegetables (those'll be for next month).

So - here are some things I'm excited for this month

'Good Things' for September

1. Revlon Nail Polish in 'Make Mine Mango' (number 920)

My mom accidently bought two of these (she liked it THAT much!) so she kindly sent one my way. I quickly fell in love with this shade! It's not quite pink, not quite orange, but a wonderful combination of the two. I find it to be a bright, happy shade but it's also a flattering colour that I think most people will be able to wear.

2. Silk Light Vanilla Soy Milk

I bought this for the first time a few weeks ago and really like it. It's a bit thicker than regular milk and I like the light vanilla taste. Because it's made from soy, I assumed there would be more protein but surprisingly a cup of 1% milk has 3 g more protein than a cup of Silk does. Weird. Silk does have more iron though, if that counts for anything. It's lactose-free so it's good for those who are lactose intollerant. It's tasty and I like it.

3. Lattes

Who doesn't love a warm steaming cup of coffee especially on a chilly morning? And sometimes, but not too often, it's nice to treat yourself to a latte. My personal favourites (from Starbucks because I always seem to get gift cards to Starbucks and I like to use them to get myself fancier drinks) are the Skinny Vanilla Latte and, when I'm feeling a bit more liberal with my calorie spending, the Chai Tea Latte. The approach of Autumn also means the return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte!
If you want to make your own (less expensive) version, I found a recipe by a woman named Jeannie, which I've made a few of my own changes to
(recipe from http://www.recipecircus.com/recipes/Joy/BEVERAGES/Pumpkin_Pie_Latte_by_Jeannie.html):

1. In a small saucepan, stir 3 heaping tbsp pumpkin puree into 1 cup light vanilla soy milk. Add 2 tbsp maple syrup (*Jeannie recommends adding vanilla syrup but I think maple syrup compliments pumpkin pie flavour*) and 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice. Heat gently, continuing to stirring occasionally just until steaming and foam begins to appear.
2. Pour pumpkin flavored milk into a tall mug and pour 1-2 shots of espresso over. Top with whip cream and a dash of pumpkin pie spice.
Note: If you like it slightly sweeter add some vanilla flavored coffee cream.


4. Corn

Whether you're wrapping in bacon and throwing it on the BBQ, boiling it and rubbing it with a pat of butter, or cutting it off the cob to add to any number of dishes, corn is one of those vegetables that taste so much better in the summer sunshine.
Never tried wrapping your corn in bacon and BBQ-ing it?
Well friends, boil your corn for about 5 minutes of until you can fairly easily poke the kernels with a fork. Remove from the boiling water and wrap a slice or two of bacon around that corn-on-the-cob, securing the ends with a toothpick. Place on the BBQ for a few minutes until the bacon is cooked then serve and enjoy. Don't forget to remind your guests that there are toothpicks in their corn, unless you remove them yourself before serving.


5. The Alexa bag from Mulberry



The bag is called the 'Alexa' because it was inspired by the woman holding the bag in the picture above, Alexa Chung. She's a British model turned MTV VJ turned fashionista. I like her style.
And I love this bag.
There's no way in H-E-double hockey sticks I'll be able to afford this bag unless I win the lottery so I'll just have to keep my eye out for similar-looking satchels.
Side note: does everyone else automatically think of THIS when they hear the word satchel?



6. Denim Shirts

A la Ashley Olsen.

I realize I'm a little late on the denim-shirt trend but I feel like they make better fall shirts than summer. Especially considering we're not done with the 30+ temperatures just yet. And while I like to look nice and in fashion, there's no way I'm going to sweat it out in a denim shirt just to look stylish.

I'm going to look for sales at the Gap.

All from the Gap, all potential candidates: 1. Boys Blue Chambray shirt (being able to still sometimes buy children's clothes is one of the perks of being on the smaller end of the size spectrum), 2. Womens chambray tunic top, 3. Single-pocket boyfriend shirt.

I think I like the first 2 the best though.


Well that's that!

If you have your own 'Good Things' you think should be included in September's list please feel free to add them in the comments section!