Saturday, March 31, 2012

Rainy Weekend: NYC

A few months back we (Jacob and I) planned a trip to Ohio
to catch up with friends and spend a weekend like we were back in college.



But because of work, we couldn't go.
Bummer.

So instead, I planned a really nice weekend in the city!!
I'm ok with that :)
As I write this post, Jacob is getting ready to hop
on the train with me, coffee's and bagels in hand.
We will trek to the city come rain or some shine.
I mean we're from Oregon so it's really all the same thing.

We have a gallery walk and brunch planned followed by
an open bar after party.

This could mean trouble!

Pictures will follow tomorrow as well as a creative post!

What plans do you have this weekend??

Friday, March 30, 2012

Queen Bee

My mind has been full of ideas lately.
So full, actually, that figuring out where to begin is difficult.
I know you all know what I'm talking about.

So since my mind has been...excuse the pun..
..buzzing..
I felt the need to pay tribute to one of my favorite Spring creatures:

The Bee.


I love many things that come from or represent bees:

Burt's Bees lip balm first developed my love for bees,
that and HONEY! 
Bee's are underrated. We can't survive without them!!
So to honor the cute little guy who has a HUGE impact on our lives,
here are 5 things made by bees, about bees or representing bees that I love today!
Thanks Everywhere Mag
1. When I was a kid, my mom would shop for produce at a local produce shop called Spicer Brothers Produce. I loved being picked to go with her because at the check out sat the display of Honey Sticks. She never bought junk food, no HoHo's or Twinkies. No candy or store bought cookies. My treat was a flavored honey stick. And I love that memory. Thank you, mom and thank YOU, honey bee!

2. I found this honey bee ring and almost died. It's so simple and beautiful at the same time. So elegant! Honey bee's make such darling decorations.
Thank you Design Dazzel


3. Bumble Bee themed parties are always fun to attend! There are bee hive pinatas, fun drinks and yummy treats all bee themed! Plus, what girl doesn't enjoy a cute outfit in black and yellow?!

Brown Sugar Cake with Honey Berry Topping

  4. Who doesn't enjoy a yummy treat involving honey?! This Brown Sugar Cake not only looks phenomenal, it's easy to make AND is topped with a Honey and Berry mixture. The simple sweetness of honey combined with the tart of some barries...man I can't WAIT to make this this weekend! (Don't be jealous...you know you'll check in to see how it turns out!)




5. Lavender is said to attract bees. So I'm thinking that wherever I decide to settle in my life, I want somewhere to grow lavender. Not only does it attract those lovely little critters, but it smells out of this WORLD, can be used for many things and isn't too sore on the eyes either!!


What do you love about bees??
Do you have any favorite products??



Thursday, March 29, 2012

This is What I Wanna Do...

...RIGHT NOW.


I just want to go ride my bike. 
It's nice outside today and I want to feel the wind in my hair.


What would you be doing today if it weren't for work??

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

What UP Wednesday?!

Magnolias, so beautiful :)

Alright, how is everyone today?? Good I expect!
It's Wednesday and the week is half over, this makes me very excited :)
I have a lot on my plate for the rest of the week!

Today is usually a day filled with things I love,
things I read,
and things I've seen.
But today I'm taking a few hours to work on this here blog!
I've received some amazingly helpful pointers and advise from fellow bloggers and I want to use this time to improve my area!!

On this note, I hope you all are enjoying this week, cool weather or not.
Anyone have interesting stories??



Tuesday, March 27, 2012

French Toast Tuesday!

I have had such an issue getting out of BED these days!
Can anyone relate to that??
I think it's my lack of vacation that is getting to me.
I've been out of college now two years and I miss me some
SPRING BREAK!

As I was laying in bed this morning,
I was battling between getting up, getting dressed and going
to the gym, and making French Toast.
My inspiration?
Or rather my vice?


not your average ordinary is on my daily blog feed and I love it so!
This morning was about French Toast and I thought I'd follow suit!


Here's my version. Not as yummy looking as Brandi's but 
DAMN it hit the SPOT!
And it was quick! And not very filling so that felt gross after!!

What's making you smile today??


Monday, March 26, 2012

Music Monday: Hot Mess

Oh, gracious! 
It has been what feels like YEARS since I've seen all your lovely faces :)
The past weekend was wonderful!
Very exhausting, yes.
But wonderful!

Spring

My weekend was full of parties, hiking, happy hour and New Jersey!
And not to forget:
THE HUNGER GAMES!
Don't worry, I'll make a post this week for my thoughts on Hunger Games :)
(Because I know how much you want to hear all my opinions!)

As you go about your day today,
I would like you to take a look at HOT MESS,
a wonderfully talented and devoted band originally from
Chico, California that has relocated to Nashville to get their sound out there.
While I've known about Hot Mess for a while, 
I only started listening to them recently!
And boy, what have I missed out on!


Check out this video and how ROCKIN they are!
Then check out THEIR WEBSITE and some 'em some love!

Have a great Monday and stay in tune with me,
we're going to be accomplishing a lot of fun things this week!!


Saturday, March 24, 2012

Weekend Warrior

 I feel my brain has gone on vacation and shall return
three weeks from yesterday Monday.


In that case, I want to take this time to continue my
day-dreamy thoughts and plan some fun activities for this weekend!


I love blue sky.


Last night, I started making a Pinata for a friends
birthday BBQ on Sunday.
I checked it this morning and it's still a bit soft
so I'm thinking a few more layers needs to go on it.
Sadly, I don't think it will be ready in time for Sunday,
but I'll still finish it!


Today, Jacob and I are heading out and about
to explore the nature that surrounds us!
I'm really excited because I miss Oregon.
You could drive 6 minutes and go hiking in Oregon.
Or to swimming.
Or biking.
Or.
Or.


Ah, Oregon. How I love you.


Tonight we're heading into Hoboken 
to visit a work buddy of Jake's.
I'm excited!
I love going on the train for any reason anything that 
doesn't involve work.
I love going to, through or around the city.
I love the vibes I get from New York.
I love the people I meet.
The places I see.
The food I eat.
It's just a pretty friggin great place.


Then TOMORROW.
Oh tomorrow, you can't come FAST ENOUGH!
Tomorrow, I'm getting together with a small group of girls
and we're going to see the 1 pm showing of...



EEEE! 
I'm so excited!!
I'm a really HUGE book hipster.
And a huge book nerd.
I love books!!!!

Anywho, I hope you lovely readers all have MARVELOUS weekends!!!
Any suggestions for next weekend?
Or any good books you think I should check out??

Tell me about your weekend!!




Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Chicken Tikka Masala

I was looking for something a bit different to
make for dinner tonight.
I was also looking for something that Jake would enjoy,
(he really enjoys ethnic foods and spicy things).
So I decided to try my hand at Indian!


I've been addicted to reading Eating Well lately, finding new
recipes and ideas for posts. 
I came across this recipe and wanted to give it a shot!
I would say it turned out really well!

Topped with a dollop of plain yogurt...YUMMO!



I tried so hard to finish the plate!

Is there a recipe that is outside your comfort zone
that you've always wanted to try???


Bloggy Blog Blog: What I'm Reading

As I work to expand my blog and my knowledge about blogging,
I do a LOT of reading.
A LOT.
I follow and read 37 blogs daily,
(Thank you Bloglovin!)
and try to keep lists and binders of inspiration!

So as I sit here catching up on some blog reading 
before I catch my train to work,
I decided that I want to post in honor of Spring this week 
and show you the 5 blogs I read that are talking about,
you guessed it,
SPRING TIME!



1. Camille Styles is everything I want to be and MORE. I don't know how I came across her blog but I am SO glad I did! Today she didn't really post about Spring necessarily but she did post about something that I noticed yesterday myself: All my friends are having babies! Check out her latest post but also stop by her inspiration section, it's wonderful there!


2. A new blog I'm following is EatDrinkChic based out of Australia! Her page is so pleasing to the eyes and has given me lots of inspiration! Check out her post for today, it talks about Spring fashion! 


3. Kendi Everyday is slowly working it's way up on my favorite's list!
I just love her fashion! I find myself shopping at the same places as she does 
she it makes me excited that one day I can have fashion posts like hers! Today, her outfit is just too adorable!


4. City of Dionne is a place I am still exploring but the first few glaces at the page are so aesthetically pleasing, you can't help but read further!
With a post titled Colors of the Sun, I couldn't NOT mention her!! So much color! it just brightens this day!


5. Dream Delight Inspire does all three of those for me! It's so dreamy, delightful and inspirational! She has such a variety of posts that I love. Today isn't about Spring, which would be the theme of my post, but she talks about dreams, and to me, that's Spring like!

I hope you enjoy reading what I'm reading! Maybe you can see where I get some ideas and who I idolize! I love that I idolize seemingly normal and everyday people!

What do you think?
Who do YOU enjoy reading??





Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Tuesday Inspiration: Parties!


All the sunshine and warm weather posts lately
has really gotten me in the mood for a party!

There's nothing I like more then to throw a party during
the warm spring and summer months.
It's the best excuse to get friends together, eat lovely food,
drink lovely drinks and be together.

Sadly, I don't think I shall be throwing a bash anytime soon,
given the fact that Jake and I don't know many people!
But a girl sure can dream, no?!
So I did a little research.
And gathered a few pictures.
And dreamed a little more.
A Picnic Party??

Invitations!
A must.


Lovely, come nightfall!

Antipasto Kabobs!

I am so excited for warm weather and making new friends!
I want to throw a garden party so badly!
(Fingers crossed we get a place with a yard in Kansas!)
I also want an excuse to wear this:

It's adorable, huh?

What're your favorite spring and summer party ideas?
Are you as excited about warm weather as I am??










Monday, March 19, 2012

Music Monday: The Lumineers

I have the hardest time with Monday's.
After a nice weekend of relaxing and hanging out with my boyfriend,
the last thing I want to is get out of bed and start my day!
So it usually helps me to start with a wonderful song!

Brunch in April introduced me to The Lumineers.
My favorite song so far is as follows:


It's so pleasant and happy.
With such a great beat and the lyrics I love!
Don't you agree??

Since I started listening to this song, I started listening to ALL their songs!
(Thank you Youtube for being so awesome!)
Once I had listened for a few songs, I got curious about their beginning.
So I checked out their website.
A tragic start to a wonderful sound!
I even bought tickets to their show here in Fairfield! 
Check out their site and see if they're coming to a venue near you!

What do you think??
What songs help YOU get out of bed in the morning??


Saturday, March 17, 2012

Color Me ORANGE!


So today is a pretty cool day.
It's ST PATRICK'S DAY!!!
And I love GREEN as much as the next guy...
(See, I do love green!)
But I think the forgotten St Patty's Day color is ORANGE!
Alright but lets be honest. 
Orange isn't the BEST color or the most FLATTERING or colors.
Actually, I usually only associate it with Halloween and pumpkins.
But for this Saturday Color Scheme, I decided to pay tribute to the color:

ORANGE!!!
Love this orange dress!
I enjoy these...I don't know if I could pull them OFF howwever....

This cabinet would be a nice accent in a living room!

I actually love this picture and color!


Even orange food!


I thoroughly enjoy all things orange right now.
I even bought these:







What orange items do you enjoy??





Friday, March 16, 2012

Oh the place I want to GO!

I'm a dreamy person, always thinking about where ELSE I could be.
I've wanted to travel my whole life!
So I began thinking this morning about WHERE I would want to go today if I could go anywhere.
It was very clear right away!
Where could I go that is wonderfully exotic, colorful, happy and a HUGE party?
(All requirements for travel ;) )
Why, CARNIVAL!


The colors, the people, the Samba music,
it'd be the perfect vacation!
Carnival is a celebration held before Lent in
Rio de Janeiro.
The streets fill with over 2 MILLION people in wild costumes.
According to my fav reference site, Wiki,
the carnival parade is used to showcase all the Samba schools in Rio.
A Samba school could be an actually school or a neighborhood that wants to be in the parade.
Each school comes up with a theme and designs a float and elaborate costumes to best represent that theme.

Music and dancing are HUGE during Carnival.
Check out this Samba song!

 

Can you imagine wandering around the street of Rio just surrounded by drums and dancing people?
I love parades because they usually have drum lines but this would be the ULTIMATE drum line!

Check out some pictures below and let me know what you think!




It looks like Vegas on steroids!

Not to mention, Rio itself is just plain GORGEOUS! 


Would you travel to Rio for Carnival if you could?





Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Baked Parmesan Tomatoes

So we all know I love food.
I can't hide it anymore.
One of my favorite things to do is find a new recipe
and try it out.
I'm trying my best to be healthy, since I grew up in a house where butter, cream and cheese were used in every meal.
So tonight, I found something simple, delicious and quick!
I originally got the recipe from Eating Well but made some personal changes to it!


Ingredients:
4 Tomatoes
Shredded Parmesan cheese
Salt, pepper and garlic to taste
Olive Oil 
Polenta (either homemade or store bought)
Tomato Sauce (I made some from 1 can of diced tomatoes)

1. If you're making your own tomato sauce like I did, I started by heating the can of tomatoes in a pan over medium heat. I used Del Monte Garlic and Onion diced tomatoes. Then I added salt, pepper, garlic and basil. I let it simmer on the stove while I prepared the tomatoes.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

3. Cut the tomatoes into half horizontally.

4. Place each half on a cookie sheet.

5. Top each half with salt, pepper, garlic, a drizzle of olive oil and Parmesan.

6. Cut the polenta into 1/2 inch slices.

7. Place the polenta on a cookie sheet (I put the tomatoes and polenta on the same sheet) and drizzle with olive oil.

8. Bake the tomatoes and the polenta for at least 15 minutes, or until the tomatoes and soft.

TIP: I noticed that the polenta heated faster then the tomatoes. I would recommend pulling the polenta out once it's soft and lightly frying it in a pan to give it a crispy texture. 

9. Plate the polenta and tomato halves, cover the polenta with tomato sauce and a little extra cheese.

10. ENJOY!

I really enjoyed this meal. It was light and delicious. I think if I could do it over, I would add a piece of garlic bread to mop up the delicious juices from the tomatoes.
Let me know what you think!
Any suggestions??










Are you Pinterested?

If you enjoy blogging or reading blogs or DIY or just food,
you probably know Pinterest. 
I was INSTANTLY addicted.
Because there is so much to look at on Pinterest, 
I decided to narrow my current obsessions down to a few things
and share them with you!


1. My mother inspired me with this canned goods filled pantry.
One day I shall own a pantry and it shall look like this.


2. I was going to say I can't wait to have kids so it's finally acceptable to have a tree shaped bookcase, but I think I might actually look into this for my adult self.


3. I love this dresser (?). It's so beautiful! I also love the skirt she's wearing.


4. I know I shouldn't be thinking about weddings just quite yet, but thanks to my sister, I've been noticing things i'd like in a wedding since she got married last year! But I just can't forget about this beautiful black ribbon.


5. I think I might have posted about this...BUT I love, love, LOVE this pony dress DIY from A Beautiful Mess. I've been searching for a white dress now.



6. This mug would make it easier to get up in the morning.
It's just so cute!


7. The BEST idea for a condiment tray.


8. I apologize for the swearing but...lets face it....


9. This is the best mat. And it includes lots o' wine drinking!



10. I am in LOVE with HEELS these days. I'm scared that I will turn into Carrie and start buying more and more and more...I find myself seeing some and thinking "$56? That's not too bad..." When it IS! I have a problem guys.

What are some of your finds on Pinterest??