Peppermint Essential Oil Cookies

Who doesn't love chocolate peppermint anything? We can't get enough of it, especially during the holiday season! I decided I wanted to try out baking with my peppermint essential oil from doTERRA® for the first time and it turned out SO well! I highly recommend this super easy recipe - it's cute, simple, and absolutely delicious!

To make these cookies, I purchased a pre-made sugar cookie mix from Betty Crocker, followed the instructions to a tee, and then mixed in 5 drops of doTERRA's peppermint essential oil. I rolled each cookie into a one-inch circle and baked as directed. The small amount of peppermint oil added huge flavor to the cookies - Tim and I both definitely overindulged. ;) Once they came out of the oven, I let them cool a bit and then placed candy cane Hershey's Kisses in the center of each one. Warning: allow the cookies to cool completely before trying to move them or you'll have melted candy cane kisses spread across the batch.

Full disclosure: I made two batches of these because the first ones didn't turn out so well! I took the first batch out of the oven, immediately placed the candy cane Hershey's kisses in the middle of each, and then left them on top of the hot oven while we were cooking dinner. I quickly found out that's a no-no ;) The kisses melted all over the cookies and ruined what I thought was going to be quite the photogenic batch. Luckily the second batch turned out much better!

If you try out this recipe, let me know what you think! Make sure to bake extra because they'll go fast. ;)

A Love Letter to Fall

If you know me, you know fall is my favorite time of year. And unlike what we're used to in our hometown, Portland knows how to do fall. We experience all of the seasons, complete with snow some years and, with all of the trees in the city, fall is absolutely gorgeous. Last year I felt like we were robbed of fall because we had this crazy windstorm that ripped most of the colorful leaves off the trees prematurely. But this year we've had more than our fair share - and I'm not complaining. <3

One of the best things about fall? All the amazing fragrances - pumpkin spice, cinnamon, and everything nice ;) To celebrate, here are a few of my favorite fall diffuser blends. If you try them out, let me know what you think!

Adventures // Tofino BC Canada

Tofino BC is where Tim and I left our hearts this summer <3 It's a perfectly situated beach town at the tip of Vancouver Island where we spent our most perfect first wedding anniversary. We stayed at the Wickaninnish Inn for a relaxing spa-, yoga- and gourmet food-filled time. It was amazing beyond words.

There wasn't any need to leave the resort, but we did a few times to explore the cute beach town and local shops. Otherwise we lounged on the beach, read in our room, and indulged in room service or at the delicious restaurants.

One of my favorite times of day while we were there was morning because of the heavy fog that rolled past the resort. It made everything even more magical. I hope you enjoy these beautiful photos from our amazing anniversary trip: