Monday, January 26, 2015
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Jeweled Prints & Cozy Knits | H&M Haul
Hi lovely reader! I hope you had a good week and enjoy a relaxing weekend! My lack of posts is due to the fact that school has started back. I've been rather busy and focused on trying to get back into the swing of things. I did however plan a bit ahead and take pics for this post whiles still at home. I did lots of shopping over break and I'm pretty sure 90% of what I bought was on sale. All of the items I bought in this haul were due to H&M's fantastic sales!
This first sweater I got is navy with stars on it and comes from the LOGG division. It's not oversize but it's not fitted either, a bit in between which I like. I have been wearing it with skinny jeans and my brown Chelsea boots.
This next top is also from the LOGG division. It is a grey sweater but has more of the look and feel of a sweatshirt. It's a baggy through the torso and is a tad longer in the back, perfect to wear with leggings and sneakers or boots.
These leggings pose a question. They are made from a knit sweater material and are perfect for lounging around in. I still can't decide if they'll be worn out ever. (Do you think they look to much like pajamas?)
Have you got any good deals lately? Do you have any of these pieces? How do you wear them? Xx
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Delicious "California Granola" Recipe
Hey lovely reader! Today I wanted to share a recipe that I tried last week and thought was delicious. It is Bobby Flay's "California Granola". The recipe is simple and the end product is super tasty. I had said in my New Year's post that I wanted to focus on eating healthy, as many people do, so this granola is a great thing to have with breakfast in the morning or as a mid day snack!
You will need:
You will need:
- Nonstick cooking spray, for greasing
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup raw almonds, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup raw walnuts, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 pure clover honey
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin California olive oil
- 1/4 cup packed light-brown muscovado sugar
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped
- 1/4 cup raisins or dried cherries
DIRECTIONS
For the granola: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Lightly spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray or brush lightly with canola oil.
Combine the oats, almonds and walnuts in a large bowl. Combine the honey, canola oil, olive oil, sugar, syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well until combined. Turn the mixture out onto an 11- by 7-inch jelly-roll pan, and spread into an even layer.
Bake, stirring and re-spreading the mixture into an even layer every 5 minutes, until the granola is light golden brown, about 45 minutes. Immediately turn the granola out onto another jelly-roll pan to cool and stop the cooking process. Stir in the apricots and raisins and then spread the granola evenly in the pan. Set on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Loosen any dried granola with a spatulaand store in an airtight container.
Combine the oats, almonds and walnuts in a large bowl. Combine the honey, canola oil, olive oil, sugar, syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well until combined. Turn the mixture out onto an 11- by 7-inch jelly-roll pan, and spread into an even layer.
Bake, stirring and re-spreading the mixture into an even layer every 5 minutes, until the granola is light golden brown, about 45 minutes. Immediately turn the granola out onto another jelly-roll pan to cool and stop the cooking process. Stir in the apricots and raisins and then spread the granola evenly in the pan. Set on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Loosen any dried granola with a spatulaand store in an airtight container.
Did you give the recipe a try? Are there any healthier alternatives that you have been implementing into your diet? Xx
Lazy Sunday Morning & Over 3,000 Views
Hello lovely reader! "Sunday morning, rain is falling" Not the prettiest day here today but it makes a perfect reason to wake up, put on your fuzzy slippers, and stay inside all day.
I wanted to say a massive massive thank you, because just after NewYears, I logged on to see that there have been over 3,000 page views! That is absolutely insane to me! Looking back on my first ever post, I am extremely satisfied with my design to start a blog. So thank you for reading and following, and continuing to do so. It has grown faster than I could have imagined and I can't wait to see it continue to progress. I have fallen in love with blogging and the blogging community. I love reading blogs and being inspired by what other people are doing. So if you are reading this and are on the fence about whether or not you want to create a blog, as I was, do it, give it a shot! But make sure you are doing it for yourself. It is easy to get hung up on the numbers. The "Oh, only one person has read that post today" or "Why aren't I getting more followers??" is something that you can't focus on, post about what you want to post about and people will find your blog, it's amazing how quickly five followers can transform into one hundred and fifty. I really do enjoy blogging and am always trying to think of new posts so if you ever have a question or suggestion, please feel free to leave a comment or send an email! Thank you again to those who read and follow!! Mwah! Xx
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Post Christmas Sales | Haul
Hello lovely reader! How are you on this mid-week Wednesday? It is absolutely freezing where I am, so I hope you are warm wherever you are! Today's post is a roundup of the wonderful things that I bought at discounted prices (love it) for after Christmas sales. (Sales on Sales!!!)
First, are these awesome earrings. As I have stated before, I love the ear cuff trend as well as the double sided earrings. I thought these were cool and different, and would go with a lot. I got them at Nordstrom Rack.
I love a bit of sarcastic jewelry, it's subtle yet adds personality. I ordered this sassy little bangle from Nasty Gal and I freaking love it! It's not on Nasty Gal's website anymore, the Ettika website does have it, however, the price is a lot more than what I paid through Nasty Gal.
Continuing with the online shopping, I had to check out Zara's sale! I love love love Zara and especially their sales. I ended up purchasing these three tops. The first one is a casual t-shirt, I love fashion and thought it was cute and different. I also love the quote "treat everyday like it's a runway" so I had to get that shirt. Next is a nice oversized long-sleeve tshirt. I think it will be cute with black leggings and black slip on shoes or even black Nikes to make it sportier. The last top I ordered from them simply because I thought it was really cool and different. I also like it because it has a pocket in the front. Zara's sale is still going on so definitely check it out!
This top I purchased is from Urban Outfitters. I think it is so cool and again, different! It is also a tad longer in the back which is always nice.
Probably my favorite item that I purchased were these black boots! I have been looking for black ankle boots for forever and hadn't been able to find exactly what I was wanting. I got these at Saks OFF 5th and they are perfect!
Did you get any amazing after Christmas sale deals? Xx
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Looking Ahead | 2015
Well Christmas is officially over at my house, all the decorations have been put away until next year and the only trace of Christmas past is the left over cookies. It's three days into 2015 and I have been trying to reflect on what I want to get out of this year. I've thought about things I want to do, how I want to feel, and so on. Now if there is one thing that 2014 has taught me, it is to expect the unexpected, both the good and the bad. So, I am aware now, more than ever that you never know what tomorrow will bring and what the future holds. With that said, I still think that it is good to make goals and write them down so that you can see, looking back what you may have accomplished as well as be able to hold yourself accountable. So here are four things that I am striving to do in 2015!
1. Live in the moment.
I learned these two quotes last year and they have resonated with me so much. I am 100% someone who stresses out about what is to come or may come (majority of the time it's the fear of the unknown) and by doing that I ruin the present. I don't always have control over it, due to anxiety, but I want to try to do anything and everything that I can to keep myself present, and take one day at a time.
2. Eat with the 80/20 idea in mind.
I've read multiple places that it is good to eat 80% "good stuff" and if you want to eat something that's probably not the best keep it at about 20% of your diet. I like this idea because I enjoy food, especially over the past year I have become more adventurous and am willing to try new things. I love baking and am starting to like to cook more as well. I enjoy trying recipes out of magazines or blogs, especially if they are meant to be a healthier option. However, I have also found myself at times to be almost obsessing over what I eat, and whether or not it's healthy or the amount of carbs it may contain. This is not good either. Yes, it's good to be conscious of what you are eating and exercising regularly, which I try to do. However, if you want a chocolate chip cookie, eat the cookie! Obviously it's probably not best to eat loads and loads of certain things, but you should be able to enjoy food, and not feel like you have to deprive yourself. Just make sure to balance it out with exercise and such.
3. Be more confident.
This is something I definitely want to work on. For me, I feel like my confidence comes in waves, depending on the situation. (who I'm with, where, etc.) I do feel like I have lost some confidence that I had gained before, within the past couple of months. Going somewhere basically by yourself with all new people and new surroundings, has made me a bit more conscious of being self conscious. Before when I would be with my best friend, as cheesy as it sounds, she would make me feel more confident. If we were together I didn't care what other people thought as much because I had her and was content with our little world. (not sure exactly if that makes sense but hopefully you can relate) But, she moved away and so I don't necessarily have that anymore and I feel like I shouldn't have to. I know everyone has those days but I want to have the majority of the days be ones where I can be and feel confident on my own and know that the only person I should care about how they think of me is myself.
4. Do things on my own.
Also something that I have improved on within the last year and would like to continue to improve on in 2015. The other day, I went to the mall by myself and it was so nice. It may sound simple but it's something I don't normally like to do. However, I enjoyed it. I could take my time, look at what I wanted to look at, and be left to my own thoughts. Running errands by myself and just having alone time in the car is something I have grown to love. (I sing as much and as loud as I want and it feels so good, like a little escape) I also want to travel by myself. Like I said, my best friend moved away and I want to visit her. I want fly alone and have to figure it out for myself.
My full list of goals is much longer, some goals little and some big, but I thought these four were the most relatable. I read this post on World of Wanderlust and really liked it so be sure to check it out as well. If you don't already, I would highly encourage you to make a list, even if you just have one goal, if you write it down then you can go back and check it off or post it somewhere as a reminder. What are your goals for 2015? Xx
1. Live in the moment.
Made these two photos myself:)
I learned these two quotes last year and they have resonated with me so much. I am 100% someone who stresses out about what is to come or may come (majority of the time it's the fear of the unknown) and by doing that I ruin the present. I don't always have control over it, due to anxiety, but I want to try to do anything and everything that I can to keep myself present, and take one day at a time.
2. Eat with the 80/20 idea in mind.
I've read multiple places that it is good to eat 80% "good stuff" and if you want to eat something that's probably not the best keep it at about 20% of your diet. I like this idea because I enjoy food, especially over the past year I have become more adventurous and am willing to try new things. I love baking and am starting to like to cook more as well. I enjoy trying recipes out of magazines or blogs, especially if they are meant to be a healthier option. However, I have also found myself at times to be almost obsessing over what I eat, and whether or not it's healthy or the amount of carbs it may contain. This is not good either. Yes, it's good to be conscious of what you are eating and exercising regularly, which I try to do. However, if you want a chocolate chip cookie, eat the cookie! Obviously it's probably not best to eat loads and loads of certain things, but you should be able to enjoy food, and not feel like you have to deprive yourself. Just make sure to balance it out with exercise and such.
3. Be more confident.
This is something I definitely want to work on. For me, I feel like my confidence comes in waves, depending on the situation. (who I'm with, where, etc.) I do feel like I have lost some confidence that I had gained before, within the past couple of months. Going somewhere basically by yourself with all new people and new surroundings, has made me a bit more conscious of being self conscious. Before when I would be with my best friend, as cheesy as it sounds, she would make me feel more confident. If we were together I didn't care what other people thought as much because I had her and was content with our little world. (not sure exactly if that makes sense but hopefully you can relate) But, she moved away and so I don't necessarily have that anymore and I feel like I shouldn't have to. I know everyone has those days but I want to have the majority of the days be ones where I can be and feel confident on my own and know that the only person I should care about how they think of me is myself.
4. Do things on my own.
Also something that I have improved on within the last year and would like to continue to improve on in 2015. The other day, I went to the mall by myself and it was so nice. It may sound simple but it's something I don't normally like to do. However, I enjoyed it. I could take my time, look at what I wanted to look at, and be left to my own thoughts. Running errands by myself and just having alone time in the car is something I have grown to love. (I sing as much and as loud as I want and it feels so good, like a little escape) I also want to travel by myself. Like I said, my best friend moved away and I want to visit her. I want fly alone and have to figure it out for myself.
My full list of goals is much longer, some goals little and some big, but I thought these four were the most relatable. I read this post on World of Wanderlust and really liked it so be sure to check it out as well. If you don't already, I would highly encourage you to make a list, even if you just have one goal, if you write it down then you can go back and check it off or post it somewhere as a reminder. What are your goals for 2015? Xx