Spring Pinterest Inspiration

Happy Monday loves. I hope wherever you are the weather is starting to feel spring-like. I adore this season when it begins to warm up and the buds on the trees begin to show. Hearing the frogs out in the woods making noises and the birds chirping reminds me that the earth is ready to come back to life after having been asleep for so many months.

Part of me becomes so inspired this time of the year while the other part just wants the allergies to subside. There’s nothing I’d love more than to sit outside in a flowing sundress with the sun in my hair, tanning my skin while I sip a smoothie and enjoy the latest issue of Vogue. Spring brings me out of hibernation. I’m sure many of you know how I feel!

I was browsing through Pinterest and came across these images that just highlighted how lovely this time of the year is. Check my pin feed to see what else I’ve been pinning! I’m loving lots of flowers right now. Design hint: A simple vase with brightly colored flowers adds warmth to your home!

Vibrant colors wake me up on Monday’s (and coffee) so my sincerest hope is that these pictures had the same effect on you. Go to my pin feed linked above and scroll down to see the original pins and where they came from. Enjoy.

Why Graduations are a Big Deal and Ideas on How to Celebrate

Yesterday, I read an article about how society makes a much bigger deal (and spends more money) on things like weddings, engagements, baby showers etc. as compared to other life events like college graduations or first jobs. While the author was a bit sarcastic in how she worded things, I generally agreed with what she had to say. All of these life events are equally important and it’s time we celebrate them equally.

The average cost of a wedding now is $20k (possibly more if people were honest). That was my college tuition for a year. It’s a heck of a lot of money to spend all in one day. The average cost for a college graduation party is $985. These numbers suggest what we tend to value more and as a soon-to-be college graduate, I definitely feel like my achievement isn’t nearly as important as other friends’ who are engaged.

Please don’t misinterpret my message. Weddings and baby showers are important events and certainly should be celebrated. However, a college graduate deserves the same treatment because frankly, in most circumstances, this achievement takes more intellect and time than the process of getting married or having a kid usually does.

I go to a small Christian school and there are two types of people that are there: the type that believes college is solely for finding a mate and the type who thinks you can do other things too. I have many fond memories of my school. Dealing with people (girls particularly) who are only after their MRS degree is not one of them. It really is the most expensive degree you can get. On the contrary, there are people such as myself who don’t mind if they meet their future spouse in college, but for them the point in going to school is to ensure they can afford a decent life afterwards.

With all of my griping you might be curious to know what ideas I have on how society can celebrate graduation in a more grandiose way. Here are a few things I thought of:

1. Buy a new dress- People spend thousands on “saying yes to the dress” for their wedding. I don’t see a problem with spending a few hundred on something fabulous to wear at your graduation. I’m eyeing a few Lilly Pulitzer dresses myself!
2. Host a dinner party- Whether you pay for it or your parents do, having a big, sit-down dinner that’s catered might be just the ticket for you to be able to savor the spotlight.
3. Send out announcements- When people get engaged, they send out save-the-dates. When graduation time roles around, send out your own announcements letting friends and family know that your “big day” is right around the corner. *Special note*: Usually when you send out these announcements people automatically assume you only want money. A great way to avoid this awkward conundrum is to make a note at the bottom saying something like “In lieu of gifts, the graduate asks that a donation be made to (insert charity name here).”
4. Have a photo session- Engaged couples get to have a special photo shoot and so should you! Hire a professional photographer or even ask a friend to spend an hour or so taking photos of you.
5. Go on a trip- Just like a honeymoon, you have to get away from it all and relax after all the festivities (and the last 4 years) are over. Go on vacation with a few of your other graduate friends and breathe a sigh of relief that it’s over and you’ll never have to study for an exam again.
6. Buy yourself pretty jewelry- If a bride gets a pretty ring, then so should a graduate. It doesn’t have to be lavish, but something to commemorate this time in your life is a really great idea. Plus, costume jewelry just doesn’t go over as well in an office setting. You might as well have something nice to wear with your business suits.

I hope I’ve given you a few ideas on how to celebrate your (or someone else’s) special day! Graduating from college is such an important and incredible time in life. It shows mental endurance, dedication, and skill. We should celebrate it!

My Christmas To-Do List

Do you ever just have those days where all you want to do is sit at home and relax? With the Christmas season upon us, I feel like this is all the time! Between homework and my part-time job, I don’t have the time to sit around and do nothing. I haven’t had time to bake any cookies or decorate my little tree. Life just gets away from me!

In an effort to enjoy these next few festive weeks, I’m making a promise to myself that I’ll take one day out of every week to enjoy the season and relax at home. I’ll drink my latte, decorate my tree, bake some sugar cookies, wrap gifts, light a candle, cuddle up under a blanket, and just enjoy the festive nature of December.

Be sure to check off these to-do’s over the next few weeks!

• Decorate a tree
• String lights on bushes outside
• Try new cocoa recipe
• Bake cookies
• Have a Christmas movie marathon
• Cut out paper snowflakes
• Hang mistletoe
• Listen to Christmas music
• Enjoy a roaring fire
• Lounge in warm Christmassy pajamas

 

Pretty Wallpaper and Big Dreams

Happy Tuesday friends. I’m feeling the November air right now and its rather brisk! I noticed Starbucks has their red cups out now signaling the start of an intense holiday season. Bring on the peppermint mocha coffee drinks. Starbucks gets way too much of my money this time of the year. Regardless, I absolutely love the little things that make each season special.

Speaking of special, when I started this blog I knew I would eventually come up with big plans for it. I didn’t know what those plans were, but I knew they would be amazing. Slowly, I’ve begun to understand what I want to do with this blog and where I want it to go. Here are 5 things I’ve been dreaming and thinking about:

1. Open an Etsy store associated with what I write and how I live
2. Do product reviews for boutiques and other companies with products I actually believe in
3. Create my own coffee mug and stationary line
4. Design a small collection of accessories
5. Become the new Lauren Conrad

Am I California dreaming? Maybe so, but it just sounds like so much fun! Girls like me have so many ideas floating around in their heads that we can’t choose one thing to do, we want to choose them all. I think the first thing I’ll start out with is an Etsy store selling cute prints of pretty things and sayings. I’m actually including this little design I configured the other day for you to save and make as desktop wallpaper (it’s super cute!) Let me know what you think of my ideas in the comments below! If you have any tips, then I would love to hear them as well!

 

3 Things I did for Halloween (and what scared the pants off me)

Happy November 1st! Hope your Halloween was fun and rain free. I woke up this morning and its pouring rain and everything is gloomy outside. I hate depressing days like this. Luckily I have enough to keep me busy that it really won’t matter how wet it is outside.

In true November 1st fashion, I believe its about that time of the year when stores go into Christmas mode and put panic in the eyes of parents all over. Before popping in my Michael Buble Christmas CD, I’ll recap my Halloween for you all while drinking my PSL (pumpkin spice latte).

Pumpkin Cookies

My mom made soft, warm pumpkin cookies! They have a thick, caramel glaze drizzled on top that hardens after a few hours. Here’s the recipe:

• 2 cups shortening
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 cups canned pumpkin
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 8 tablespoons milk
• 2 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup packed brown sugar

Directions:

1. Cream shortening, white sugar, and pumpkin. Add eggs and mix well. Sift together the baking soda, ground cinnamon, salt, and flour. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well.

2. Drop from spoon to cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

3. To make frosting: Cook butter, milk, and brown sugar until dissolved. Cool and add confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. SPread over warm cookies.

These cookies are my favorite Pinterest find to date. They are so tasty!

Mom also got a cake from the local bakery for us to dig into to. The inside was chocolate cake with a chocolate mousse filling. The outside was a hard chocolate shell with whipped icing detailing the kitty’s face. It was so rich! I could only eat a small slice. For almost every holiday my mom gets a cake or cupcakes to celebrate. My grandma did the same thing when my mom was a kid. Keeping these traditions alive is an important part of life.

Last but not least, my sister had her best friend sleep over. We ended up watching a ghost hunters type show. It scared the pants off of us. The hunters went to ancient haunted castles in Ireland. Several of these castles had druid and pagan rituals performed in them. The ghost hunters were trying to communicate with any evil spirits that still lurked in the castle. Needless to say they made contact and it scared the living tar out of them. One even claimed that something with sharp nails grabbed his ear! The man was actually crying. Upon entering a new castle another ghost hunter asked a spirit what touched the other man in the first castle. An audible voice said “Satan.” At that point my sister, her friend and I screamed and the ghost hunter proceeded to cry and then throw up. Freaky stuff! Enjoy the photo of us and be sure to tell me how your Halloween was!