my fair lady.

in bloom

2011-05-10T17:17:00.003-04:00

A picture with the pretty flowers, pictures of the pretty flowers, and let's throw some yummy ripe strawberries in for good measure.

the air smells sweet

2011-05-02T15:49:00.004-04:00

I know. I was kinda skeptical about the Hello Kitty perfume at first too. Well, let me tell ya...you shouldn't be!!! I'm pretty sure this is my new favorite scent that's out right now. I also think it's perfect for the Spring and Summer months. With notes like cassis sorbet, Italian mandarin, apple, magnolia blossom, freesia, orange flower, tonka bean, vanilla, and musk you get a little bit of floral, fruity, and smooth vanilla all in one. It's the best of all worlds if you ask me. Plus, the bottle is adorable! On another sweet note - I'm getting my hair did tomorrow. Hello ombre hair...I will get to meet you atlast.

in the flesh pt. II

2011-04-26T23:33:00.002-04:00

aaand another!

in the flesh

2011-04-25T17:26:00.003-04:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! I made crepes with our new de Buyer Crepe kit [which is awesome btw!] and some super yummy braised garlic chicken. Nom nom! Then Chris made me take a picture. The end.

we all scream for ice cream

2011-04-12T12:59:00.003-04:00

I bet these 3 little films are going to be cute. Rachel, I'm all for indulging too!!!

P.S. Rachel you will always be Summer to me!

spring flowers

2011-04-11T18:42:00.003-04:00

I'm so ready for the nice Spring weather! Today it was in the 80's and it wasn't humid at all[thanks goodness!!!]. It seems like around this time of year my plant collection starts to grow. Last week I bought two white orchids and a Lady Jane. I'm trying my best not to accidentally murder the orchids!!! I've also been eyeballing some air plants recently so hopefully I'll add some of those to my ever growing collection too. Oh, and I would like to get an aloe plant. Everyone needs an aloe plant!

vanilla orange blossom

2011-03-20T16:03:00.005-04:00

So in the passed week I've made about 3 batches of macarons. The first two were vanilla and the third was a vanilla orange mix. I'm slowly dipping my toes in the crazy taste combinations.

ORANGE BLOSSOM MACARONS WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE VANILLA CREAM

Let's start with making the cream since you have to refrigerate it for quite some time.

125 grams heavy cream
60 grams white chocolate
1 vanilla bean, split and seeded or 1 teaspoon of a good vanilla extract

1. Chop the white chocolate into a bowl. In a saucepan, boil the cream and the vanilla bean/extract and pour over the chocolate. Let it sit for a minute and stir until the chocolate is completely melted.

2. Let it sit in the refrigerator overnight and whip the next day until a thick cream is formed.

* After the macaron shells are made and have finished cooling you can pipe the cream onto the shells.

Ok and now for the macarons...

1 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup almond flour
2 large egg whites, room temperature
Pinch of cream of tartar
1/4 cup superfine sugar
1/2 teaspoon orange blossom extract

1. Pulse confectioners' sugar and almond flour in a food processor until combined. Sift mixture two times.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk whites with a mixer on medium speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and extract, then whisk until soft peaks form. Reduce speed to low, then add superfine sugar. Increase speed to high, and whisk until stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes. Sift flour mixture over whites, and fold until mixture is smooth and shiny.

3. Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip, and pipe 3/4-inch rounds 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets, dragging pastry tip to the side of rounds rather than forming peaks. Tap bottom of each sheet on work surface to release trapped air. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake 1 sheet at a time for about 10 minutes. After each batch, increase oven temperature to 375 degrees, heat for 5 minutes, then reduce to 325 degrees.

4. Let macarons cool on sheets for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. (If macarons stick, spray water underneath parchment on hot sheet. The steam will help release macarons.)

5. Sandwich 2 same-size macarons with the white chocolate vanilla cream. Serve immediately, or stack between layers of parchment, wrap in plastic, and freeze for up to 3 months

6. As you can see...I added a little bit of orange zest on top of my macaron shell for decoration and taste. I didn't have any food coloring on hand so I thought this would be a good idea. Both ideas are optional though!

That's about it everyone. These recipes seem to work really well for me! Does anyone else have any over flavored recipes they want to share???

nilla bean

2011-03-14T17:46:00.006-04:00

Ahh! I keep getting caught up in the crazy whirlwind of life. Please forgive me once again for my flaky posting. Lemme catch you up on some things with a little picture show.

out and about in D.C

Chris' mother sent us some macarons when she went to NYC. Before Chris devoured them all I snuck myself 3.

Spring flowers

I actually went to NYC myself for the IBS hair show. I'm not sure why I only took pictures of the city and not any of cool hairstyles. Silly me.

Watching Iron Chef has got me more into cooking lately. It's resulted in me spending a chunk of my tax return on new tools [like my new Staub dutch oven!!!] for my little kitchen. One of my new toys is a digital kitchen scale. I bought this specifically for making macarons of course! We [thanks Chris for all that sifting you did!] made these vanilla ones on Friday. They turned out pretty good especially for us first timers. We are going to make more tonight!

After slaving away in the kitchen Chris thought it would be a good idea to make me take a picture.

aaaand that's about it.

meet panda-chan!

2011-02-11T12:20:00.003-05:00

Say "Hello!" to my newest addiction to Land of Cuteseas *drumroll please*...Panda-Chan! Panda-Chan was ordered for a friend of mine for Valentines Day so I hope she loves it! Speaking of Valentines Day...does anyone have any special plans? Tonight we are doing our special Valentines Day dinner and the one and only L'Auberge Chez Francois. I can't wait to stuff my face with authentic delicious French cuisine. Yum!

Oh, I also wanted to share some tunes for your listening pleasure. Bon appetit!

Air Waves - Knockout from MAGIC CHILL on Vimeo.

panda chan

2011-02-03T14:48:00.004-05:00

My new work in progress!

to sum it all up

2011-01-31T19:11:00.005-05:00

My weekend consisted of:

picking out new fabric for a new plush

snuggling and taking naps with my boops

going to class

making cookies and eating yummy food

traveling to enchanted snowy parks to take pictures with the boyfriend

and etc. etc.

outside

2011-01-27T15:33:00.007-05:00

Here are 2 new pics from the boyfriend. We tried to take pictures out at this bridge, but I just couldn't do it in 20 degrees freezing ice cold weather wearing ONLY a dress, tights and shoes. So in the car it was!

Oh! Last night we had a snow storm come and visit us and this is what I woke up too! Beautiful right?! I love it! I even had fun digging out our cars from all the snow. I'm also deciding that it's too dangerous for me to drive to school! It's not playing hookie if it's not safe to drive right???

maco-nut

2011-01-23T20:47:00.004-05:00

Lately I've been feeling like I need to bake something every week. This week it was white chocolate macadamia nut cookies.

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1 (6.5 ounce) jar macadamia nuts, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt, stir into the creamed mixture. Finally, stir in the white chocolate and nuts. Drop cookies by heaping teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.

3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks. When cool, store in an airtight container.

Enjoy these babies. They are delishhh.

all around and away we go

2011-01-23T01:55:00.002-05:00

I can't get enough of this song/band.

say hello

2011-01-21T16:21:00.004-05:00

to Ellie the elephant. You like?

Nadal for Armani

2011-01-21T14:32:00.006-05:00

I need more. Pleaseeeeee. *swoon*

blue valentine

2011-01-20T12:23:00.002-05:00

Saw this trailer today and it gave me goose bumpies. Can't wait for it to come out.

ellie

2011-01-09T16:47:00.004-05:00

I've been busy with school, work, taking care of the pets & slaving away for the boyfriend. Oh, I've also been busy making this little fella too. What do you think?

holiday yum yums

2011-01-02T12:54:00.004-05:00

One of the best things about the holidays is the goodies that you get. Here are some of the goodies I got in my stocking this year. Ritter chocolate with cornflakes...should be tasty! I'm going to try my best not to eat all of them today.

Look at this little beggar....tisk tisk.

par-tay

2011-01-01T16:58:00.006-05:00

How was everyone's night? Mine was pretty awesome. Happy New Year everyone!

happy new year

2010-12-31T18:18:00.005-05:00

Chris & I decided to take our last pictures of the year today. I finally was able to wear my winter shorts since the weather was decent today [thank goodness!]. I can't believe it's been a whole year already! I've been thinking about my resolutions for 2011 and I haven't came up with many. So far I have :

1. Work out. My tiny little self isn't going to stay this way forever ya know?! I got to start thinking ahead for the future.

2. Go the extra mile in school. I already work hard studying and what not, but I want to be the best!

3. Try to make more time for creative endeavors.

Anyone else have any resolutions they want to share?

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p.s. I hope everyone has a wonderful time tonight! Happy New Year!

cookie yum yums

2010-12-30T14:11:00.008-05:00

Since we didn't get to bake cookies on Christmas[we were out of town and I have this "thing" about cooking in other peoples kitchens] I thought it would be good to bake cookies this past Tuesday at 10 o'clock at night. Random? Not if you are me.

Black & white hot chocolate to wash the sugar cookies down!

*I found this recipe in my Betty Crocker.

SOFT NO-ROLL SUGAR COOKIES

makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup veggie oil
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 large eggs
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour [don't use self-rising flour!]
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar

1. In large bowl, beat 1 cup granulated sugar, powdered sugar, butter, oil, milk, vanilla and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed. Stir in flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours or until firm.

2. Heat oven to 350F.

3. Shape dough into 1 1/2-inch balls. Place 1/2 cup granulated sugar in small bowl. Roll balls in sugar. On ungreased cookie sheet, place balls about 3 inches apart. Press bottom of drinking glass on each ball until about 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle with a little more sugar.

4. Bake 13-15 minutes or until set and edges just begin to turn brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

ENJOY!

last minute

2010-12-23T12:58:00.003-05:00

For all you slackers out there that need an extra stocking stuffer or a little gift, you should check out the body washes from Philosophy. A friend bought be the strawberry ice cream and vanilla birthday cake ones for my birthday and they are amazing! They make my skin super soft and they are great to use for shaving. Plus, they smell super good! They also have Christmas scents too. I bought my Christmas ones a couple weeks ago and I love them.

Oh! I also wanted to share a couple pictures from our ski/snowboarding adventure last Sunday. Good times and good eats. Cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate for dinner...yes please!

toasty

2010-12-23T09:51:00.002-05:00

Just bought this new coat! I just love how girly it is with it's ruffles and bow. Way too cute! I'm going to be living in it this winter.

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burrr

2010-12-21T23:38:00.006-05:00

Ahh it's been freezing lately! Last week it snowed and we decided to go out and play in it! Have any of you guys been blessed/cursed with snow? I personally enjoy it! There's something about it that's magical to me.

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P.S. Check out my newest little skirt. Cute right?! I love the little matryoshka dolls.

the best

2010-12-16T15:41:00.004-05:00

I just wanted to say goodbye to the best grandfather ever. I'm glad you're not in pain anymore. Tell everyone up there I said hello, I love them, and give them a big "oomna" for me. I'm going to miss you a ton.

Love,
Candace

black swan

2010-12-12T16:03:00.005-05:00

Took another picture or two the other day with Chris! I really like the first one. How was everybody's weekend? Mine was uneventful. I am real happy with myself that I was able to execute a real nice square bob in class though! Tonight Chris and I are going to meet up with some friends to see Black Swan. The trailer looks amazing! Has anyone seen it yet? What did you think?

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Christmas time is here

2010-12-10T10:27:00.003-05:00

Did a little decorating over the week! I would like to do a little more, but this all we had a chance to do so far. Have any of you ladies/gents started decorating for the holidays?

Last Saturday we had some friends over to do Christmas activities. We got a little tipsy and made the decision to make ginger bread houses at 2 a.m.. I think they came out great considering the circumstances! This one definitely beats the first one we made last year.

My best friend actually bought me this Christmas edition Alice in Wonderland tea set for my birthday! Isn't it darling?!

playing catch up

2010-12-09T11:46:00.007-05:00

Wow...It's been a while since my last post! I've been crazy busy lately with school and the day to day activities that have been thrown my way. Now the holidays are here...Lord have mercy on my soul! Here is a little picture catch up. Oh, and I'll try and be a good girl and post more often!

Halloween

In November, Deanna with Adhesive Fashion & One Stop Pin Up came to visit us! Here are some of the pictures we came up with.

Chris also wanted to take some pictures that day too...

lookbook

Other things that happened in November include: seeing The Morning Benders play at the Black Cat [ swoon times 1 million ], my 26th birthday, & visiting my family for Thanksgiving!

On to December!

Last week a fine fellow named Michael Woodward wanted to take some pictures. Here is one that we really liked from that shoot. You like???

I'll have to fill you all in on some of the goodies I've acquired in between then some other time! Anyone excited for the winter holidays? I know I am! What do you guys want for Christmas???

primed & poreless

2010-10-27T14:21:00.004-04:00

Here I am again with another product I can't live without. Why does Sephora always have to take all my money?! Anyway, I was kind of reluctant to try this product since my skin is pretty sensitive and breaks out easily. Plus, I've never really believed in face primers before[silly me!]. I'm really glad that I gave it a chance though! This primer goes on smooth and absorbs real fast into my skin and it turns my skin into a beautiful canvas for my make-up. It really does! You should try it! If I'm having a lazy day and I don't feel like wearing any make-up[oh the horror!] then I just put this on over my moisturizer and I'm good to go. My complexion looks smoother, pores are nowhere to be seen, no red spots, just fresh healthy looking skin. Gotta love it.

apple of my eye p.3

2010-10-07T12:17:00.004-04:00

Apples. Apples. Apples. I really liked this recipe. I actually pretty much ate the whole batch that I made this week all by myself. I just wanted to share it with you all since I made this on Sunday. Or maybe I'm just procrastinating to study for my hair structure exam today? Whatever the case my be, here is the recipe! Enjoy this one, because I sure did!

APPLE SQUARES

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped apple
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x9 inch pan. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, mix together melted butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup of white sugar with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture until just combined, then stir in the apples and walnuts. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. In a cup or small bowl, stir together the remaining cinnamon and sugar; sprinkle over the top of the bars.

3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in preheated oven; finished bars should spring back when lightly touched. Cool in the pan, and cut into squares.

peeling groovy

2010-10-04T15:19:00.007-04:00

Where has this serum been all my life?! This miracle serum has totally improved my skin texture, made fine lines disappear, and has done a wonderful job keeping my skin exfoliated! It's like microderm in a bottle. I tried a sample that I received and I knew after the first couple days I needed this in my life. You should try it. You will love it.

oh goodie

2010-10-03T18:18:00.003-04:00

Can you tell we have been having a sweet tooth? Yesterday, we went to the World Market by our place and stocked up on some goodies! I, of course, cannot forget my Kinder chocolate. Yummmmmm. I love Kinder Country bars and the Happy Hippos are amazing too! Who am I fooling...all Kinder chocolate is amazing. Duhhh.

sock hop

2010-10-01T18:51:00.004-04:00

So, I decided to try the shoe/sock combo I was talking about to the Stars show [they play great live btw!] I went to on Tuesday night! I LOVE IT! So cute! I also bought this blouse the same day I bought these socks and I really like it as well. I really like how flowy and girly it feels. I feel pretty!

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I hope everyone has a great weekend!

stars

2010-09-27T23:19:00.003-04:00

Going to see these guys Tuesday night! I've been wanting to see Stars for a while so this should be pretty good!

new gems

2010-09-26T18:39:00.004-04:00

Look at these cuties that I bought for myself. I thought I deserved a little somethin somethin for devoting my life to work and school all week [even though I will be doing this probably for the next two years [sheeeeshhhh]]. It is very tiring, you know!? Anyway, I'm so in love with these!

I also bought these cute little Scottie dog socks thinking they would look great with the cut outs in the new shoes.

apple of my eye p. 2

2010-09-21T23:51:00.006-04:00

I found a yummy recipe for some of my apples! Two apples gone, 50 more to get rid of. Oh boy.

P.S. I was going to take a picture of the inside, but I totally forgot once I started devouring it.

APPLE DUMPLINGS

1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls
2 medium apples, peeled and quartered
1 cup sugar
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice
a good sprinkle of pecans (optional!)

1.Unroll crescent dough and separate into eight triangles. Roll up one apple wedge in each triangle; pinch edges to seal. Place in a greased 8-in. square baking dish.

2.In a small saucepan, bring sugar, orange juice and butter to a boil. Pour over dumplings (dumplings will float to the top). Sprinkle with apple pie spice. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. If you wish, sprinkle tops of dumplings with pecans. I did (as you can see!) and it was so yummy! Serve warm.

apple of my eye p.1

2010-09-20T22:02:00.011-04:00

Saturday, Chris and I went apple picking. I've been wanting to go ever since we moved here! It was a lot of fun and we picked a ton of apples. 20 pounds to be exact. I'm totally going to need some good apple recipes to get rid of all these things! Anyway, here are some pictures of our little adventure and some of the apple aftermath. Enjoy!

P.S. Of course I had to wear my thrifted apple dress to go apple picking. I can be so silly sometimes. lookbook time.

taken by Chris

taken by moi

apple aftermath

metals

2010-09-13T16:46:00.007-04:00

I've been looking for cute transitional polishes for the fall/winter and I've decided on grays/metals. I would like a dark purple too, but I'll save that for another time. I found this real nice gray polish at Urban Outfitters. I really like this polish! It lasts a pretty long time too [no chips!]. Anyway, I painted the gray on my finger nails and I used my dark sparkly gray on my toesies. The dark gray Lippmann polish reminds me of the new Chanel Soho polish, Steel. Wouldn't you agree???

I also picked up these cute little babies at my last Sephora trip. I think they are great little basic colors for this time of year. I'm such a sucker for mini polishes.

P.S. I am now officially a student at the Graham Webb Academy! Yay!

sslyby

2010-09-09T23:40:00.002-04:00

I'm going to see these guys tomorrow. CANT WAIT!

snickerdoodles

2010-09-06T11:19:00.004-04:00

So, Chris has been asking me to make these snickerdoodle cookies for about a year now [this is kind of like how it took me 2 years to make him his beef stew]. Since I've been having this "must cook everything" phase, I thought I would take full advantage of it [plus be a good girlfriend!] and bake these delightfull cookies. We did make these together [thanks for the help babe!!!] and it was pretty easy!

[makes about 48 cookies]

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

2. Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.

3. Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.

4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets.

on the fence

2010-09-06T11:10:00.009-04:00

It's been so lovely outside lately so the boyfriend and I decided to go out and take some pictures. I'm actually wearing the thrifted button-up and belt from this post. Check it outtt.

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my dumpling

2010-09-06T10:45:00.004-04:00

So I've been a little adventurous in the kitchen lately. You can actually tell from my very high grocery bill! I really just want to learn how to make anything and everything that I find delicious. If you know me that means almost everything! Last week, I thought I would break out the crock pot and venture out of my "kitchen comfort zone" and make chicken and dumplings. It was DELISH! The only thing I would do different next time is make more dumplings. Down below is the recipe that is enough for 8 servings. Enjoy!

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons butter
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
1 onion, finely diced
2 (10 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough, torn into pieces
chicken stock
salt
pepper

1. Place the chicken, butter, soup, and onion in a slow cooker, and fill with enough chicken stock to cover. Season with the salt and pepper.

2. Cover, and cook for 5 to 6 hours on High. About 30 minutes before serving, place the torn biscuit dough in the slow cooker. Cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center.

* Since my crock pot is a fast cooker [weird right?] I only cooked my chicken on high for about 2 1/2 hours. I then took the chicken out, cut it into pieces and set it aside. Then I added the biscuit pieces in the crock pot and cooked those on high for about 1 hour. When the dumplings were done I poured the chicken back in, mixed it all together, and voila! If you don't know how your crock pot cooks, I would check it every couple hours so you don't over cook the chicken breast!

rosey posey

2010-09-04T18:22:00.005-04:00

Yay for the weekend!!! Last night the boyfriend and I decided to have a date night and it was wonderful! We went to the movies [I finally saw Scott Pilgrim vs the World], ate some delicious cheese steaks, and went shopping! My boyfriend was feeling really nice and decided to buy me the skirt I'm wearing in the photos below. I guess he really likes it because he wanted to take pictures today. So here they are! Hope you like and I hope everything is lovely for you all!

[click to view largerrrr]

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Coquet Coquette

2010-08-24T18:17:00.001-04:00

Of Montreal, I love you. You never disappoint!

Ugh. I know. I need to stop being a slacker.

slip away

2010-08-14T13:52:00.002-04:00

The New Pornographers are one of my favorite bands, so I was pretty excited to find out that Kathryn Calder was working on a solo project. She just released a new record called Are You My Mother and I really like it so far. Here is a video from her new album. Enjoy!

ze bleu

2010-08-10T12:38:00.008-04:00

Since Chris took me to such a wonderful dinner, I decided I would make him a little something something[don't I usually cook anyways, you ask? yes! yes! now shhhh!]. I know one of his favorite meals that I make is chicken cordon bleu, so I made that since it's been forever since the last time I made it. I follow this recipe, but I usually cut back on the salt. It's a little different, but still very tasty.

This picture right here has nothing to do with the dinner I prepared, but I did find it humorous that the banana I ate yesterday had a smiley.

*Oh! I'm going to take this off the food subject and let you all know that I set up my Etsy store [again]! I added PayPal [finally] to make it easier for everyone. So check it out here!

bon appetit!

2010-08-06T10:23:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, Chris and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary! He took me out to this super nice French restaurant in Great Falls called L'Auberge Chez Francois. I ate until my heart and stomach were content. I started off with French onion soup, cheese, tomato, and herb quiche[compliments of the chef], and a tasty Caesar salad. I cleansed my palate with homemade orange sorbet topped with a candied violet petal and dug into my main meal, which was sautéed twin Angus beef tenderloins, with wild mushrooms, asparagus and béarnaise sauce. It was amazing. I was pretty much full at this point, but I wasn't going to stop at the best part - DESSERT! The restaurant surprised us with an extra dessert, chocolate ice cream surrounded with crunchy meringue, whip cream, chocolate shavings, raspberry sauce, and mint leaves. Then we also ate baked Alaska and espresso creme brulee. By the time I was done, I just wanted to be rolled out of the restaurant. I'm pretty sure I had the biggest food baby in history after eating all that food. I had died and gone to heaven and just ate ate ate. What a great time!

me [extremely happy] and my French onion soup

my dinner - the twins

Chris' dinner - jumbo lump crab meat & lobster tail

espresso creme brulee

baked Alaska

virgins

2010-08-02T12:40:00.003-04:00

I just found out that The Morning Benders are working on a new song called Virgins. I love what I'm hearing already, but I pretty much love everything from them. I mean, how can you not with that melt your heart voice? *swoon*

gimme

2010-07-29T17:02:00.003-04:00

I need these in my life!!! Good thing my interview went pretty well today. I can't get these babies out of my mind. Cute little Madewell booties please walk into my life. PLEASE!!!

plans

2010-07-28T11:55:00.004-04:00

Chris and I went back to the beach last weekend for a wedding. It was a lovely wedding and it had an awesome photo booth thing set up. Here are the pics we took. We also have to go back to the beach next weekend to close our old apartment and get the last of our boxes. I'm so glad that it's almost done/over! I'm really loving our new condo in Fairfax. Everything is almost in it's place and I actually have a job interview tomorrow. Next week, I'm going to check out the two schools I've been looking at and I'll hopefully pick which one I want to go to. Yay for plans!

ka-pow!

2010-07-27T13:49:00.003-04:00

There is just something about Michael Cera that I just can't get enough of. I saw the trailer for Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World today and the nerdy side of me is super excited about this film. What do you all think?

angel

2010-07-20T14:06:00.005-04:00

A new one from the boyfriend and me. I really adore our new little kitchen table. The light comes in wonderful over here. I love it. What do you all think?

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yumyums

2010-07-17T20:06:00.004-04:00

Today the boyfriend bought me some goodies! I was so excited to see Kinder chocolate at Tyson's Corner today since they don't sell it back at the beach. I actually had no idea that a Kinder Joy was not the same as a Kinder Egg. Almost, but not quite. Still pretty tasty though and it still had the silly toy. Yay for goodies!

Oh, I also decided to do a new lookbook post. Check it out if you want!

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

au naturel

2010-07-16T01:26:00.006-04:00

The boyfriend and I ventured out into the city again to go to the Natural History Museum. We both had a lot of fun exploring and taking pictures. Here are some of the pictures we took!

sun kissed

2010-07-14T18:40:00.004-04:00

The boyfriend took this today in our new bedroom. We got a lot done in there today and I unpacked all my vintage perfume bottles and knickknacks. Starting to feel like home...

zoo

2010-07-12T15:40:00.014-04:00

So yesterday, Chris and I decided we would take a break from all the unpacking and head out into the city. We took a trip to the zoo and then we headed to ACKC for some macarons! Here are some picture we took from our adventure.

P.S. The move has been moving along very well! We are about 85% done unpacking and we have put together massive amounts of IKEA furniture. Moving is sooo exhausting! Oh, I was curious if any of you ladies or gents are from the DC/NOVA area and if you are...what are some good places to go to for food/shopping/fun?

the untold crime

2010-07-01T14:18:00.003-04:00

Terry did this one?! No way. I totally dig it. I really love the old school 70's vibe and the clothes for this edi. Good job guys.

more

P.S. I'm totally in love with that black feather bag.

lola

2010-06-30T18:52:00.003-04:00

I just finished this little lady today! Now I am free to pack up my sewing desk! What do you all think of Miss Lola?

turquoise

2010-06-29T22:17:00.003-04:00

Today is my second day being unemployed. It's ok for right now! I went and had my hair done. I just got the norm, but it feels nice to have all the dead ends off and new color. Here's a picture before my appointment! I was excited to wear these turquoise shorts! They were actually jeans that had been sitting in my closet for a while, so I decided they needed to be turned into shorts since it was burning hot outside.

How is everybody's week going so far? Everyone staying out of the heat? I have so much packing to do since Chris and I are moving to the DC area this weekend!

more more more

living proof

2010-06-28T22:36:00.007-04:00

When it comes to hair products, especially hairspray, I'm the person to come to. I've only had two favorite hairsprays in the last five years and now I have found my third favorite. I give you Living Proof Hold Flexible Hairspray! It's never stiff, protects against humidity, fights the frizzies, and has a great hold. This super awesome Living Proof spray will now be replacing my beloved Pureology hairspray.

My favorite 3.

1. Living Proof Hold Flexible Hairspray

2. Pureology InCharge Plus Hairspray

3. Big Sexy Spray and Play Harder Hairspray

Since I'm on the subject, I'm getting my hair done tomorrow and I have no idea what I want to do! Danggg. I guess we will see!

date night

2010-06-26T05:58:00.006-04:00

So yesterday was my last day of work. Apparently, when you are leaving a company you have been with for a while they like to shower you with plants! My boyfriend is like "Where are all these plants coming from?!" So, my tiny collection has expanded quite a bit! Yay!

On another note, I've decided to start a lookbook. Let's see how this goes over.

[of course I gotta take one with Aida]

my lookbook

whoopie!

2010-06-21T20:48:00.006-04:00

I treated myself to some whoopie pies for all my hard work these past few weeks! Yum! Unfortunately, there is still this never ending pile of work that needs to be done. Bummer. Atleast I have whoopie pies to put smiles on my face until this work dies down.

Oh! I almost forgot! Here are some pictures Chris took of me that I haven't posted on here yet. I thought that maybe you all might want to take a look too!

Meet Clops!

2010-06-18T08:41:00.003-04:00

Clops is finally here! I think he is probably one of my favorites out of all the plushes I've made. What do you guys think? Now that he is finished this means I have 2 more plushes to make and then I can start packing to move into our new place! [spoiler alert! haha] I have way too much to do by the end of June!

more of my plushes here

sass

2010-06-16T14:19:00.008-04:00

The other day I was having music flashbacks and I really wanted to listen to this soul/electronica group called Owusu & Hannibal. I first heard about them a few years ago on a sample cd from Ubiquity Records and I loved them! Well, I searched here and there and I found their myspace page that sadly only lets you play one song and it wasn't exactly the song I was looking for. I continued my search over at lastfm and I had the same misfortune there. After my unsuccessful search, I found out that Robin Hannibal is now working with the very talented Coco in a group called Quadron. You should definitely check them out. They work very well together musically. I posted two videos below because I couldn't decide which one I actually liked better! Enjoy!

work in progress

2010-06-15T08:06:00.005-04:00

I'm in the middle of giving birth to this guy right here. Hopefully sometime this week I'll be able to add teeth and stuff him all up!

new addition

2010-06-13T22:55:00.004-04:00

The "green thumb" continues! Look at my new addition to my little indoor garden. I heard Lucky Bamboo was pretty easy to take care of, so I snatched this up when I saw this little thing was only 6 bucks. Does anyone know any other good and easy house plants to add to my tiny collection?

goddess

2010-06-11T14:17:00.004-04:00

This is the only picture that stood out to me in this edi, but I wanted to post it because it's just gorgeous. She looks kind of like a Greek Goddess! Wouldn't you agree?

On another note...I just put my two weeks in today at my current job. This is the beginning to that fresh start I was sorta telling you all about!

I hope you all have a great weekend!

laying around

2010-06-10T06:53:00.006-04:00

Here is a picture the boyfriend and I decided to take after work yesterday. I really like the tones, colors, and simplicity of it. What do you think? I hope everyone is having a great week!

P.S. I went and looked at 2 rolls of negatives yesterday. I should have some lomo for you all soon.

the honey trees

2010-06-09T10:26:00.003-04:00

This is what I have been listening to lately. She has such a lovely voice. This is my favorite from their EP. Give it a listen.

greenery

2010-06-03T22:39:00.007-04:00

This week I have had sort of a green thumb. Yesterday, I decided to buy a lovely jade plant. Then on Wednesday, my friend, Lara, came over to show me how to make terrariums. Here are some pictures!

[do you see the heart shaped leaf in there?]

Here is the terrarium I made with Lara. I planted strawberry clover and asylum in mine. I can't wait for it to sprout! I keep checking it almost every hour to see if it somehow magically grew already.

These I have had for quite some time. I snip off a bit of plant and put them in empty diffuser bottles with water. I just started that little one in the middle last week.

photo adventure

2010-05-31T14:01:00.006-04:00

Saturday, Chris and I decided to go wander around in First Landing State Park. I took some pictures. He took some pictures. We had a fun time and we walked a very very long ways! I got a couple mosquito bites too...blechh. Anyway, here are some of the pictures that are from his camera. I'll be dropping off my roll of film this week, so we will be able to see what I captured within the next couple of weeks!

[what Chris took and edited]

[what I took on his cam & played with]

[some that he took & I played around with]

one of my "new" vintage hats, h&m dress, my lovely lady diana

[one I took of Aida after the adventure!]

cherry on top

2010-05-27T23:36:00.010-04:00

Yesterday, I scored big time on some vintage hats. I'm so excited to be adding these to my collection!!!

1. my "Arabian Nights" hat [it's hard to explain, but you get my point.]

* Please excuse our very messy office. Offices are supposed to be messy right???

2. navy blue wide brim hat that I've designated for my bathing suit outfit

3. little black hat

treasures

2010-05-27T20:46:00.005-04:00

Monday, I decided to go thrifting on my lunch break. I didn't think I would find much in my 45 minutes to search through all those overfilled racks, but I came out with some wins. I bought myself a jean jacket, long black velvet skirt, a red wool pencil skirt, a black pencil skirt, and the darling red skirt below. The gold buttons button all the way to the bottom. I was thinking about hemming it up to my knees? I haven't decided yet though! Hmmm...

berry good

2010-05-27T09:16:00.004-04:00

Taking a break at work to indulge in some very yummy organic vanilla Greek yogurt topped with mixed berry granola with a side of blackberries. Mmm...breakfast!

dramatics

2010-05-26T10:31:00.004-04:00

I adore this little film by Poppy De Villeneuve. Maybe you will too?

empty clouds

2010-05-25T08:52:00.006-04:00

Doesn't she just have a lovely voice? I think Courier News is going to be my new favorite band of the week.

*Sorry about the video not being a "real" music video. This is all I could find!

sweet delights

2010-05-25T08:24:00.005-04:00

I had the chance to satisfy my crepe addiction this weekend. Oh happy days! This one is actually from Bakers Crust, but my favorite place around here for crepes would have to be Confetti Caffe [formally known as Melt]. Do any of you ladies/gents have any addictions to any foods? I have atleast 10, if not more [sushi, macarons, crepes, fruit...the list goes on].

order up

2010-05-20T18:25:00.005-04:00

Last weekend I decided to FINALLY * try my hand at making beef stew. I decided to go with a basic recipe that I tweaked just a little to my liking. The outcome was pretty tasty, but I would like to take an hour off my cooking time my next try. I think my crock pot is just a little bit on the speedy side. I ended up serving it with rice and a piece or two of fresh french bread. Yum!

*Finally because I have been saying for almost 3 years that I would!

On another note, I would like to proudly say that I have accomplished #4 on my New Years resolutions list! Go me!

play a little tune for me

2010-05-15T13:40:00.001-04:00

Thinking about a Summer play list. Anyone have any suggestions?

she's a rainbow

2010-05-14T11:17:00.007-04:00

I think I have found another edi to add to my favs list. The color is just magnificent in this one! It's lovely in it's own way and it kind of reminds me a little bit of Rainbow Bright. I love it!

Full Credits:
Photographer – Elias Wessel
Model – Lydia Hearst @ Wilhelmina Models
Stylist – Storm Pedersen
Art Direction – Sophy Holland
Hair – Charley Brown
Make Up – Yadim
Manicurist – Kris Kiss for Red Stylists
Photo Assistant – Heinrich Zimmermann
Styling Assistant – Adrian Diaz

see more here

king of the cookies!

2010-05-14T08:24:00.003-04:00

I just wanted to share a picture of the biggest cookie I've ever seen. It's bigger than my head! I think I could get a food baby just from eating this alone. I'm gonna be needing one big glass of milk!

*Note - That is my crazy pup trying to steal this bad boy away from me!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

red/black

2010-05-11T19:12:00.003-04:00

I just love everything down to her luxurious red cotton candy hair, porcelain skin, and amazing make-up. Oh and don't forget the accessories! Love it! Love it! Love it!

more more more

whatta tease

2010-05-11T14:24:00.004-04:00

I'm super excited about the new album from Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin that comes out in August. Here is a little teaser they put out this week.

Speaking of being a tease...I think I might work a little bit on a cyclops I just started. Maybe I'll have some pictures of how it's going by the end of the week.

yum

2010-05-02T22:56:00.005-04:00

My mother was in town this weekend and she offered to take me shopping. I gladly accepted her offer and I automatically started getting super excited thinking about all the new clothes I could get. Saturday comes, and I can't find a damn thing. No good clothes anywhere to be found. So, I thought I would settle for the next best thing. Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking books 1 & 2 are now part of my slowly growing cookbook collection.

Oh, and these brownie pillow cookies from our local Fresh Market are just divine. Cookies and brownies all mixed into one. Genius.

dream weavin

2010-04-29T10:54:00.004-04:00

Even with work pulling on my nerves, I'm still dreaming about this pretty white sweater over at Nasty Gal. I can't stop thinking about the different ways I can wear it and how nice and comfy it would be. I think I love you pretty white sweater. I have to make you mine.

P.S. Did anyone get any of the collaboration goodies at Target? I got these Cynthia Vincent wedges. I can't wait to wear them!

xxx

2010-04-28T10:07:00.013-04:00

It's been a while, I know [tisk tisk]. I seriously can't wait til June when I will be able to get a fresh start on life! There are some great things that will be taking place during that time. I'll fill all you guys in when it's closer to the date. [Ah, the suspense, I know!] Until then, I have another review or two for you!

I'll save the best for last and start with the not so best.

Ojon Rub-Out Dry Cleanser, I really wanted to like you. You had great reviews and everything! When I used you, I still felt dirty and you made my hair all weird. I guess I will just have to give this dry shampoo a try now.

Onto the next!

I have found a replacement for the now discontinued mascara I've been loyal to for years! Bare Escentuals Buxom Lash Mascara, I LOVE you! You made my dreaded mascara search short and sweet. I even think I love you more than my old mascara. Thanks for making my lashes so long and lush with no clumpy mess or flakes. Please stay around forever.

secret garden

2010-04-15T15:58:00.006-04:00

Here are some of the latest shots from my Diana. I hope you like!

This picture is actually a "behind the scenes" of a picture my boyfriend took of me.

Creepy, huh?

sleeping in cars

2010-04-13T10:03:00.006-04:00

The boyfriend and I took another picture this weekend. He kind of sprung this idea on me when I was half asleep and in the middle of cleaning. I was a little skeptical since I thought I looked all grungy, but I really like how it came out! What do you think?

*click the pic to see it bigger!

pink flush

2010-04-12T13:23:00.005-04:00

This week I caved in and bought the Dior Addict Lip Glow lip balm. I was instantly intrigued when I read about what this balm can do! It works with the color chemistry of your lips and it gives you your own perfect pink shade. Plus, it makes your lips super soft. I've had it for only 4 days and I'm addicted! I love how it smells. I love how it makes my lips feel. I love the shade of pink it gives me. I can't think of a thing I don't love about it. You should give it a try! Everyone needs a lovely natural pink flush for Spring, right?!

easter

2010-04-05T00:31:00.002-04:00

My Easter was spent mostly in the kitchen making Julia Child's boeuf bourguignon, watching Netflix, and dying eggs with my two hunny bunnies. Even though I was in the kitchen a majority of the day, it was still a great day! Yay for holidays!

[she was fixed last week. aww]

Did any of you ladies and gents do anything special?

dots

2010-03-25T14:31:00.003-04:00

These are way too cute. I need them in my life.

p.s. I got my bralet today!

opening ceremony par robert clergerie

black and white

2010-03-23T12:46:00.007-04:00

Here are some new pictures I just got developed from my Diana F+. Some of them are from the snow storm and some of them are of me and my precious. Hope you like!

boudoir

2010-03-17T16:15:00.004-04:00

This Spring, I've decided that I'm going to be brave and try out a bralet. I can't wait! Outfits are popping in my head left and right. Hurry up and get here you hot little bralet you.

topshop

Big Echo

2010-03-16T11:02:00.003-04:00

The Morning Benders put a new album out last week. You all should check it out. It's pretty good stuff.

Yours Truly Presents: The Morning Benders "Excuses" from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

A Tight Shape

2010-03-15T08:50:00.005-04:00

Missy Rayder is in this edi too, but Eniko always has my eye. Get em' girrrl.

source

I bid adieu

2010-03-12T08:56:00.007-05:00

to this horribly stressful week. Thank you Friday for finally arriving! This weekend I plan on getting my hair done, getting my Nikon N80[!!], going to see Alice in Wonderland, playing FF13, and just a whole bunch of nothing. I can't wait for this all to start! Does anyone else have anything great planned for this weekend? Well, whatever it may be, I hope you have a wonderful time.

Before I go, let me introduce you to Poppy Pop Tart! I finally had a chance to finish him during all this craziness. He will be leaving next week to go live over in the UK.

Oh, and don't forget to check out my boyfriends new blog.

Have a great weekend!

romantic

2010-03-11T16:13:00.004-05:00

Mr. Tim Walker, you always do such beautiful work. Keep it up. It makes my mundane days a little brighter.

source

treasures

2010-03-03T23:12:00.003-05:00

Went thrifting again this week! Here is what I found...

I actually almost ordered a belt that looked just like this! I'm glad I waited!

I love these trousers! I just need to hem them up a tinsy bit and they are good to go.

I thought this button up would be great for Spring with the chambray blue and orange stripes.

clean

2010-03-03T14:20:00.006-05:00

I NEED these trousers from N21's 2010 fall show. Need. Need. Need.

I'll take you, you, you, and you too. Thank you.