One Lovely Blog Award

Posted by yanti on Monday, September 29, 2014


OneLovelyBlog

I am so, so excited to have been nominated for the One Lovely Blog Award by Dani from Dani Dearest, which is a super precious blog on Wordpress! Some of my very favorite things are her goals page { might just have to steal that idea ;) }, this paint swatch wall, and this motivation wall {which I�m totally looking around for a place to do in my home as I�m writing this}! Definitely check her blog out because it is full of creative awesomeness! And creativity. And cute ideas. And other great things!


Here are the rules for this award...

- Thank the person who nominated you & include a link to their blog 
- List the rules & display the award 
- List seven facts about yourself 
- Nominate another blogger(s) {as many as you want!} & let them know they have been nominated 
- Follow the blogger who nominated you 

And here are the 7 facts about me...


1. I hate e-mail.
If e-mail were magically �uninvented� tomorrow, it would be one of the happiest days of my life. I am one of those people who opens e-mails (and texts), reads them, responds mentally, and goes along with my life. I have literally had the same e-mail sitting in my inbox for 19 days because so much time has gone by that at this point, it�s just awkward. I�m like, should I just pretend I never got it or should I respond and have that person know that it actually took me 20 days to respond to an e-mail?! Maybe I can set up an automated message that says: "Just tweet me�? That would be totally professional, right?




2. I love penguins and turtles.
These two completely random animals are definitely my faves. The penguins probably because they�re adorable. And they mate for life. And Happy Feet. You know, all the normal reasons. Turtles because they�re just so cute and slow and always needing help crossing the street! Nothing breaks my heart more than the fact that Turtle Soup is a thing. PLUS, the week we got engaged in Puerto Vallarta, Derek and I released baby sea turtles! I named mine Warrior. He named his Tiger Shark Bait. Typical.



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3. I�m like the real-life Cady Heron.
The first day of Ninth Grade? Yep, totally my first day of school ever. I had to get Kindergarten shots before I went. I was home schooled from pre-k all the way through middle school. And I just wanted to be around people and get up early and take notes and complain about mean teachers (that were not my mom) and do all the things that all of my friends got to do! I loved the idea of school and the back to school shopping (obviously, I still do) and the rules and the sneaking to pass notes in class and having a consistent schedule every day! I was so happy when I finally started high school! School is so fetch!




4. I�m a vegetarian. 
Well, actually Pescetarian but vegetarian is easier to explain. I don�t eat meat that isn�t fish. I think I stopped eating red meat around 10 years ago. Slowly, I kind of just started to lose my desire for eating any white meat except chicken (because it�s nearly impossible to live in the South and not eat chicken). But then� my parents got Jane, Lizzie, and Mrs. Bennett� pet chickens! So one night at their house, they served BBQ chicken for dinner, and that was just the last straw for me. #barbarians 




5. New Orleans is my happy place.
Well, NOLA and the beach. And Italy. I have a lot of happy places, but New Orleans is the most accessible. It is my favorite of all places. It�s where I had my super-spectuacular bachelorette party! Right now, we live right next to the Memphis train station and every morning at 6:15 the train stops to pick people up on its way to the Big Easy� and I just want to be on that train! The music, the food, the architecture, the people, the shopping, the culture, the drinks! There is just no place else like it! We are planning a trip for my birthday weekend in November and I am so, so, so, so, so, so excited! Yaaaaaay!




6. When I was little, I wanted to be an architect.
Or a Marine Biologist. Or both, if my schedule allowed it (it didn�t� either did the geography). I used to spend hours of my life drawing floor plans of houses, drawing furniture into books of floor plans of houses, and best of all? Model homes! Gah, what an exciting childhood, right? It�s like I was 12 going on 40. I don�t know what it is but I still totally enjoy floor plans, and maps, and globes. Maybe because they look so organized? Or maybe it�s because they�re like new calendars: full of possibility! 




7. I have the coolest "baby brother" ever.
My brother is the best. No, really. His personality is like a mixture of Bill Murray and Kramer from Seinfeld. He recently moved to Flagstaff. to volunteer with the American Conservation Experience for 6 months� they�ve camped in Utah and California. Let me tell you this, if there was ever an antithesis of me, it�s this kid. I like the outdoors in small doses, preferably followed by a 45-minute shower. And you�ve seen the daily prioritized study list that fills up my academic planner, right? He literally wrote things like: �HIST: Start giving a s--- about this class�. Except he never leaves any letters out. 



And those are my 7! :)



I nominate Michelle from Restoration Spring!

�which is a blog all about fresh starts, makeovers, and second chances. It�s also written by the totally crazy, beekeeping, composting, gardening, hippie mother. Or as I like to call her, Kiki :)
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I'm Back!

Posted by yanti on Thursday, September 25, 2014

I'm back!  We just spent the last two and a half weeks traveling around Europe on vacation!  I long overdue time off from work (last PTO day was around Christmas)... and the trip was exhausting...  I just didn't want to stop seeing and experiencing... and eating... 

The next couple posts won't be recipes, since I haven't been cooking, I'm still trying to adjust back to non-vacay mode, and the next two weeks will be super busy and will only involve super quick cooking.  I'll be sharing some about the food we ate (which I'll try to recreate and post recipes later), some tips for traveling in Europe, and a review or two.  But before that!  Here is a little summary of our vacation with a few (or more) of my favorite photos.

Our first stop was Rome!  Everywhere you turn there is some structure or column from thousands of years ago.  It's hard to believe people were able to build these architectural feats without modern cranes or trucks.  We stayed close to the Pantheon and saw it every day... and every time... I just looked at it in awe.  The food was delicious, of course.  And then the country within the city, the Vatican, was decked out floor to ceiling with art from famous painters, sculptors, and other artists... just amazing!

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Next on our trip was Switzerland.  We spent a night in Zurich and two days in Lucern.  While Zurich has a lot of modern vibes, Lucern is almost the opposite, seemingly stuck in the Renaissance period which made it seem fairytale-like.  We got on a ferry and then on an old cog train to the top of Mount Pilatus... the views of the Swiss Alps were breath-taking.
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Of course the City of Light was on our vacation agenda.  It was pretty neat to use the Eiffel Tower as our landmark to know which way was "home" since we were staying only two blocks away from it.  We went to the Louvre and probably walked 10 miles inside the building (phew).  Fashion Night Out was happening, so of course we joined in and saw French models and some designers in the streets of Paris and purchased some wearable souvenirs!
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London was our final destination and we had lots planned!  We went to a couple of Jamie Oliver's restaurants.  We saw a Comedy of Errors at the third Globe theater (the first two burned down centuries ago), two shows at London Fashion Week, and an English Premiere League football match (Tottenham verses West Brom).  The weather was actually nice and mostly warm, which we hear is rare there.
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Certainly more to come and recipes and menus will return soon!
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Style Essentials for the Fall Semester

Posted by yanti on Monday, September 22, 2014


So, we announced the winner of the Chloe Grace Crochet Giveaway this morning! And even if you didn�t win, it would still be an adorable (and inexpensive) addition to your fall wardrobe! And speaking of fall wardrobes, here are some other essentials totally worth investing in for those upcoming busy and chilly fall walks across campus!  


Boots
Boots are one of those things that you can just never have enough of� right? Wear them with jeans when it�s cold, wear them with dresses when it�s warm. They instantly make your outfit look pulled together yet functional. They are 100% perfect for campus on cold or rainy days!

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Crossbody Bag
These are so perfect for college (or actually, just life in general). Clutches and totes are so cute but also SO annoying to try to carry around all day. Crossbody bags are perfect, stylish, and super functional for the times when you have coffee in one hand and books in the other!

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Leather Jacket
My �leather� jacket (that�s in quotations because it�s really just from Target) is one of my biggest go-to�s during the fall semester! I LOVE that it gives me an alternative to my denim jacket! It also looks adorable with dresses, boots, flats, jeans, t-shirts� basically anything!

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Overcoat
You want to make sure that you don�t freeze to death or anything in those bone-chilling winds of November and December. Having something big enough to throw on over your jacket will really save the day when the temps drop towards the end of the fall semester! 

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Skinny Jeans
I am so obsessed with skinny jeans and I am SO HAPPY that it�s finally fall so I can spend more time in them! These are perfect because they can be dressed down with a pair of Converse or boots for class in the morning. And they can be dressed up with heels and a cute top for going out at night!

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Stylish Flats
And finally, you know that you really cannot have enough flats. When it comes to changing up your daily look, it�s all about the accessories! I literally clear out Target�s shoe department every year because I wear these for school and work (day after day after day�). 

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Happy Fall, y�all! :)

How would you wear this bow scarf?! What are some of your favorite parts of fall? 
What is on your wish list this season? 
More aboutStyle Essentials for the Fall Semester