required reading

my most recent required (& not) reading. 

I am in the middle of a thousand books, a thousand nonfiction pieces, a thousand tasks, a thousand conversations--c'est la vie, non? I can't decide if I would rather the next two weeks before graduation slow way down or speed way up; it doesn't matter either way, since time will proceed as it pleases. What a strange, strange time in my life. All I can do is put my heart into everything I do, and know that the future will unfold exactly as it is supposed to. And, perhaps, finish a few books. xoxo!

shirt, hat, & skirt: thrifted, booties: Old Navy

Spring Wishlist: Ruche

l-r, top to bottom: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9

Though it seems as if spring weather will not be approaching any time soon, I can't help but dream of spring style. I meant to do homework this afternoon, but somehow started browsing Ruche's new items instead (shocking) and am obsessed with all the beautiful colors and textures! It stays pretty chilly here until basically July, so I'm loving their sweaters in light, whimsical colors--perfect for throwing over a dress or floral skirt. I'm not normally a pink kind of girl, but I can't resist the gorgeous rose and coral shades coming up this season..one of each, please! Pleats, polka dots, bows, bring 'em on. I'm just ready to wear girly, colorful, playful pieces this spring...if it ever shows up (it's snowing as I type this). 

Now, if I could just skip paying rent this month and buy all these pieces instead...

note: I am not sponsored by or affiliated with Ruche--just a window shopper in love with their pieces. 

lately

A visit home, taking photos of an active one year old, watching old friends play music, celebrating my best friend's 21st, pesto-spinach-avocado-mozzarella grilled cheeses, a walk outside after the downpour finally stops. These are a few small things happening lately, in-between the craziness. 

easy peasy.

 My winter template for rushed mornings goes as such: dress + cardigan + scarf + tights + boots. Never fails. Comfy, while still feeling a tad put-together.

Excuse the silence the last week, but I am graduating in exactly three weeks (which is completely insane to me) and thus, life is crazy. Between finishing classes up, applying for jobs/trying to figure out what do to with my "adult" life, fundraising for my upcoming mission trip, volunteer reading for my college's literary magazine,  and the bazillion other things going on, I'm just trying to keep my eye on the ball--the ball, in this case, being a college degree proudly displayed on my wall. Between the chaotic moments, I am adoring small, quiet moments where there is no external input. Like breakfast time.

Because I firmly believe that there's nothing a good omelette can't fix. And coffee, mugs and mugs of it.

Where or when do you find small moments of peace?

dress & belt: Target, cardi & boots: thrifted, scarf: garden and sea

lace and stripes

Alright, I promise this is the last Valentine's themed post. Though Ral and I celebrated on Monday, I couldn't help wearing something pink to class on Tuesday, just to stretch out the holiday a bit--I do the same thing with  my birthday. I also spent the day eating candy from my Valentine, which included peanut m&ms (my favorite) and sour gummy worms (my other favorite), AND my homework was to read a food-blog-turned-book all afternoon. I really, really can't complain about my classes at all. Or life in general--it is so busy, but so lucky. 

ps--almost this whole outfit is thrifted. holla!

skirt, shirt, and cardigan: thrifted, boots: Forever 21

theme party: Lovers and Friends

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you might remember that my roommates & I love a good theme party (our last one was Candyland themed, and it was a blast). Obviously, we couldn't resist a Valentine's Day party! We wanted it to be celebrating all kinds of love, so we dubbed it the "Lovers and Friends" Valentine's party and told the girls to dress sweet and the boys to dress precious. We had a list of love or anti-love themed drinks to make, a playlist blasting danceable love songs all night, and lots of sweets--including my first try at cake pops! I used this tutorial from A Beautiful Mess, but with funfetti cake mix & white chocolate chips. The heart sticks are from Dollar Tree. They were kind of a pain to make, but were SUCH a hit. All our guests were raving about them, and I couldn't have been happier!

I didn't take many photos during the party, because I was too busy dancing. You know, priorities. But we had so much fun celebrating why and how we all love each other--it was a wonderful night. 

What's your favorite theme for a party? 

ready for love

Yep, I would say I'm ready for Valentine's Day. Raleigh and I are celebrating tonight, with sushi at our favorite place, a bottle of champagne, and (finally) watching Midnight in Paris. I can't resist a theme, so today's outfit has pink AND red AND a heart print skirt...really, I couldn't help it. My roommates and I threw a "Lover's and Friends" Valentine's Day party this weekend and we had the best time celebrating all kinds of love, from boyfriends to roommates to friends to sisters! I'll share pictures tomorrow. And last night was a lazy night spent with our best guy friends: Thai takeout, leftover treats from the party, the Grammys, and some Valentine crafting--our friend Victor made the card above, how sweet is it? 

What are you doing to celebrate Valentine's Day? Remember it can celebrate any kind of love, not just the kind within a relationship. xoxo!

blouse: Forever 21, skirt: Zara (seen here), shoes & belt: Target

Saturday Soup

My favorite thing to eat in the cold months is soup. Served with yummy bread, warm socks, and a good book, there's nothing better to warm you up! I saw this Pin for Cheesy Vegetable Chowder and made it on a night where I was feeling particularly Writer's Block-y: I'd been trying all afternoon to come up with something clever for a writing assignment and was getting nowhere. So I took a break to make/devour this soup, and it worked! Got it done in time and my prof loved it. The moral of the story is: eat more soup. 

I got these sweet heart-shaped measuring spoons at a garage sale--aren't they precious?  

I had the chowder with Rosemary Potato Bread and it was wonderful. Making a pot of soup is perfect for the weekend when you know you'll have a full week ahead--I had something quick and delicious to warm up after my late class that I am always starving after. Find the recipe here!

What are your favorite winter recipes? 

Rachel Zoe and Grey Goose

I'm kind of obsessed with Rachel Zoe. She's fabulous, has the most amazing collection of vintage, wears whatever she wants, always has a coffee in hand, and styles for a living. I mean, really--her life is ba-na-nas.  Now, I am a college student and, though I do usually have coffee in hand, my life hardly resembles Rachel's at all--except when I wear this jacket. I call it my Zoe jacket, because the shape/color resembles jackets I've seen her wear a thousand times. Granted, hers are all vintage Chanel, but a thrifted ByCorpus jacket is the closest I'll be getting to that anytime soon. Also I've never seen her in cut-off jean shorts, but I wouldn't hate it. 

I wanted to soften up this look with some girly nails, so I tried this look that's been going around Pinterest: you dip nails in alcohol & then lay strips of newspaper across them and the text transfers onto your nail...which explains the fifth of Grey Goose I had out at 10 in the morning. My roommate walked sleepily past me, saw the vodka and didn't even blink--mid terms are definitely here. 

loafers, jacket, shorts: thrifted, tights: Kohl's, sweater & scarf: Forever 21, necklace: UO

star bright

I'm shocked this star-print dress from H&M hasn't made it on this blog yet, because it is one of my absolute favorite pieces in my closet right now. I bought it in California in December, purchased with a lovely pink gift card (best birthday gift ever) and I have been constantly looking for new pieces to pair it with, just to have an excuse to wear it all the time. I just love that it is girly but science-y at the same time, and it feels just good to wear. Also, thank God for sunny mornings and giant coffee mugs--both things made the days so much smoother. Oh, and one more thing: I am in a blogging class right now (I love my major) and wore this dress on a day last week when I gave a presentation on the Bleubird Vintage blog. Style-wise, it was a great day. 

What's your favorite piece hanging in your closet right now? Do share!

dress: H&M, sweater, boots, and mug: thrifted, feather necklace: Zumiez

double chocolate banana muffins + garden and sea giveaway winner!

I have been craving banana chocolate chip muffins for what seems like months, so when I found this recipe (via Pinterest) for double chocolate banana muffins, I immediately bought bananas and mentally willed them to ripen so I could do some baking--three days never passed so slowly. 

These are SO GOOD. I ate some (fine, five, but they were mini!) right out of the oven with some hot coffee and it was one of the best breakfasts I've had all winter. Besides, they have bananas and applesauce in them, so I felt like I was eating a well-balanced meal. And as long as I feel like I'm being healthy, it's alllll good. I brought the little ones to a meeting (because really, who doesn't love tiny desserts?) and everyone loved them. And that, my friends, is how you woo people: small chocolate things that give the illusion of nutrition. Find the recipe here & see for yourself!

Now I am stoked to announce the winner of the garden and sea giveaway! These gorgeous crochet accessories are going to...

#8, Rose of La Boutique Verte! 

Congratulations! I will be emailing you shortly to work out details. Thank you to all who entered and make sure to check out the garden and sea etsy for lovely winter/spring accessories.