OCTOBER IS HERE

It's that time of the year again where our weekends consist of comfy sweaters, warm drinks and pumpkin everything. With the rare occurrence of Ray & A getting together lately, it was great to catch up eating brunch at our favorite hometown cafe and picking up some apples, gourds and of course fresh baked goods at our local farm. We're sharing some of our favorite October activities below!

A P P L E   P I C K I N G

Going to pick our own apples at an orchard definitely beats waxy apples at a grocery store any day. It's even cheaper as well! We're all about fresh and healthy, besides the occasional Chick-fil-A, which is essential to our diet.


C A M P F I R E S

Cool, fall nights are perfect for sitting by the campfire under the stars. Campfires are also the best time to stuff our faces with s'mores and other roasted goodies (we're healthy, remember?) Going to bed with that smoky smell signifies a great night by the fire.


R E A D I N G

Since weekends are our lounge days we're ready to dig into new reads and dive into another world. Ray highly recommends The Fault in Our Stars and Looking for Alaska, obviously a John Green fan. A wishes she had books to rave about, but doesn't read as much as a cultured adult should, so help her out and send some recommendations her way.


K N I T T I N G

Yarn, yarn and more yarn. Tis the season for knitting and crocheting! A actually just did a mega yarn haul at JoAnn and is ready for some Netflix and knit. If you're looking for some cool patterns, Pinterest is our go to for inspiration and how-to's!


What are your favorite fall activities? Share below or comment on our Instagram @rayandablog

#haveagourdfall

Fall Picks

I hope this post finds you sipping some iced coffee and not a PSL (pumpkin spice latte, for you coffee amateurs out there), but we admit, we’re as excited for fall as the next person in line behind you at Starbucks.

Summer was kind of a blur between work, weekend outings, and planning for Ray’s wedding (which is in THREE DAYS!!!) Though we’re still trying to squeeze out the last few moments of summer, we’re already looking forward to some fun fall activities. We’ll share some of our top picks with you:

1. Apple picking! Pumpkins get all the credit this season, but don’t forget about the apples! Apple picking is just as fun and rewarding as rolling that big ‘ol pumpkin down a hill, and many local farms and orchards have festivals this time of season. Last year we headed to Tabora Farms to get our apple fix, and we definitely plan on heading back this year!
   
   
2. Fall Mountain Getaway We do love a good city adventure, but we’re country girls through-and-through. There’s nothing quite like being in the mountains during the fall season, surrounded by millions of shades of red and orange. Oh yeah, and campfires with lots of s’mores!
   
   
3. PSE (Pumpkin Spice Everything) I mean, we can’t resist, so might as well give in to the popular culture on this one. Grandma’s pumpkin pie will always beat that latte, so no worries Grandma.
   
   
4. Get our your Knitting Needles! Let’s face it, all season is knitting season, but there’s something about knitting under your cozy blanket (that you knit last year) with a cup of hot tea while streaming Netflix. Join a knitting circle, find some new patterns, and indulge on some new yarn, because ‘tis the season!
   
   
5. Harry Potter Festival (right here in Philly!) Septa will be transforming into the Hogwarts Express to take guests into the Chestnut Hill section of Philly for a weekend of Potter-themed festivities, including a Quidditch tournament.

To get you in the spirit of autumn, here's a free printable for you, or set is as your wallpaper. Did any of your top picks make our list? Got some more? We’d love to hear them– comment below and let us know how you’ll be kicking off your fall season!

#fallingforfall

DRAFT LATTE REVIEW

This week has been crazy busy, and we can’t believe it’s already MARCH. As hectic as life is day-to-day, we all need a little caffeine in our lives, and thankfully La Colombe gave us a little Christmas miracle smack in the middle of the winter that definitely gives us a little pep in our step. It’s called the Draft Latte. **WARNING:** Recovering coffee addicts, this post is definitely not for you.

Back in 2015, La Colombe’s CEO dreamt a wonderful dream to make the smoothest, most frothy latte but from a keg. We’re not talking beer, we’re talking huge coffee innovation here people. Rachel and I couldn’t contain our excitement to try them for ourselves, so we conducted a highly scientific, separated taste test…

RAY

Smell: The scent of freshly brewed coffee. Drank mine straight from the can, after it exploded all over my desk. That woke me up. Good morning to me! 
Taste: Literally tastes like a freshly made latte right out of the coffee shop. At first you taste the coffee with a slight touch of cocoa and then BAM espresso.  
Texture: Rich and smooth. Followed by lovely latte froth

Overall Rating: 9/10. Very, very enjoyable. A perfect morning pick-me-up. Dare I say this was my first La Colombe experience? Definitely heading to their shop with A sometime in the near future!

A

Smell: Heavenly. Pour it out of the can and into a glass unless you're into the metallic smell of aluminum cans...

Taste: BEYOND WORDS. It's got the slightest hint of chocolatey-sweetness, quickly followed by a strong bit of espresso, and it's from the tap, so it's ever so slightly bubbly. 

Texture: Smoother than the creamiest milkshake you've ever had. 

Overall Rating: 10/10. This is definitely my new preferred drink of choice, and it's even more dangerous it comes in little, pack-able cans because I can literally carry them anywhere. It's like being able to have your favorite little coffee house experience wherever you go, it tastes just as good! La Colombe, you're doing it oh, so right.  

*Alisa has indeed had a draft latte prior to this tasting, but the results are not skewed, it’s still as delicious, and rich in the can as it is straight from the tap. I NEVER lie about my coffee.

**This post was not sponsored or endorsed in any way, we just love coffee and love taking photos of it!

#itscoffeeoclock

(So over this) Snow

So over here on the east coast we have been experiencing quite a bit of snow ever since winter storm Jonas decided to roll in... 

Though we’re grateful for having four seasons, we’re a bit excited to wake up to the sun shining and warm weather to get out and explore once again.

GARDEN CAFES 

Since everything’s been covered in snow lately, we’re really missing green, so naturally we’re dreaming of brunch at Terrain’s Garden Cafe. What’s not to love… fresh, organic ingredients, tons of natural lighting, and being surrounded by plants while you eat? UM, sign us up.

CITY STREETS 

Spring also means snow and ice-free sidewalks… perfect for exploring little city streets! We think the best way to explore is to do it without an itinerary! No stress, no schedule, just a good pair of walking shoes and a “so what if we get lost a few times” attitude. Some of the best places we’ve been to have been from exploring “on accident!”

STATIONARY SHOPS

The fresh smell of paper, the beautiful writing utensils and straight up bangin’ designs. We’re suckers for a quality stationery shop and can spend hours admiring it all.

  

We'll be counting down the days until spring. What are you most looking forward to doing once all the winter weather leaves us?

#dreamingofspring

Photos: 

1. https://www.instagram.com/p/4X7Y11QOk0/ 

2. https://www.instagram.com/p/78GXO3ySmU/ 

3. https://www.instagram.com/p/BBYrCGFi0YC/)