Nothing's ever out of reach

The Screen Actor's Guild Awards were last night, so naturally I thoroughly enjoyed myself while watching the red carpet. As always, I had some gowns that I absolutely adored, and felt the need to go out and buy from prom, even though they are a little out of my budget. But, a girl can dream right?

At the Golden Globes, I loved January Jones's dress(seen here), and she did not fail to impress me again at the SAGs. The detailing of the lace in this gown is absolutely perfect.

Clare Danes is one of my favorite actresses, mostly because she's in two of my favorite movies(Little Women and The Family Stone), but her wardrobe choices make me like her even more! I love the rosette detailing on this gown at the top and bottom, along with the soft print of the fabric.

Lea Michelle took on a much more sophisticated look for the SAGs as opposed to her gown at the Golden Globes, but I love love love it. The dewiness of her makeup completes the look impeccably.

The bold color on Mila Kunis's dress is gorgeous The mixture of the red, white and black fabric stood out against the other dresses on the carpet. The flowy fabric and sweetheart neckline really emphasize the print, making it even better.

The ombré effect on Julia Styles's dress is gorgeous. Once again, I love the sweetheart neckline on this dress, and the flowy fabric. Her soft curls complete the look to perfection.

Searching for a heart of gold

The other day as I was riding in the car with my dad, Neil Yong's "Heart of Gold" came on the radio, and my dad told me, as he does every time we hear it, that the song was his brothers favorite song. It strikes me each time he tells me this because I can't imagine thirty years from now, driving in the car with my child and hearing a song that I would think to be my siblings' favorite, or even my favorite. I definitely have song memories with my sisters, (belting our Beyonce's "Listen" until our voices were hoarse), but I can't ever narrow down one specific song to be a favorite of theirs or mine. I've made an attempt to narrow my favorite songs down to a list of ten (in no particular order).

01. Domino, Van Morrison, it reminds me of Sunday nights when I lived in Massachusetts
02. Days Go By, Keith Urban, I can't hear this song and not want to put my "hand out the window in the wind"
03. We Get On, Kate Nash (which I blogged about here), simply because the lyrics are the greatest
04. The Best Deceptions, Dashboard Confessional, it's the first Dashboard song that I really loved, so it started my obsession
05. In Your Atmosphere, John Mayer, it's such a soothing song, yet so heartfelt
06. Skinny Love, Bon Iver, it reminds me of driving to school in the morning with my sister, where we had some of the greatest sisterly bonding moments
07. I Will Follow You Into the Dark, Death Cab for Cutie (which I blogged about here), it just a classic
08. Dear John, Taylor Swift, my best friend and I had a belt out session to this song and I will forever remember that moment with this song
09. Braille, Regina Spektor, once again, another perfectly soothing song
10. Franklin, Paramore, my favorite song by Paramore (I was half tempted to make this list all Paramore songs) mostly because the lyrics are perfect

I have loved each of these songs in some time in my life, and each of them I feel a connection to. For me, that's what a favorite song has to include. I can only that sometime in the future I might hear one of these songs, or one of my other favorites, and I can be brought back to the times in which I loved it, or hopefully, these songs will continue to be loved in my life for many years to come.

Better together

I'm officially a second semester senior! As a treat I decided to remake a dessert that I had a few weekends ago at a place in Ann Arbor, Rod's. Rod's makes a blended ice cream treat, similar to a blizzard or flurry, but they have one mix in that I have never seen at any other ice cream place: pretzels. I made a creation of twist ice cream, coffee grounds, Oreo, peanuts and the loveable pretzels. It was the perfect combination of salty and sweet. I love all of those ingredients alone, so they are obviously only better together. Today, I used those same ingredients, only I switched the twist ice cream for coffee ice cream. The result: absolutely delightful.

 Start with about ten Oreos, crushed, mixed with about 3 tablespoons of melted butter. Press the mixture into a pan (I chose a festive heart shaped one). Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees, or until it looks a little crispy.

 Once the crust is out of the oven and cooled, sprinkle in about 2 teaspoons of coffee grounds (I used hazelnut, my absolute favorite flavor of coffee).

 Use a spoon to scoop thin chunks of ice cream onto the crust. Make sure the crust is completely cool before you do this or the ice cream will melt fast!

 

 Smooth with a spatula to fill in the empty spaces. Freeze until firm.

 Flip carefully over onto a plate and place back in the freezer.

 Meanwhile, roughly chop about 3/4 of a cup of peanuts, or you can use pre-chopped nuts. I prefer mine to not be totally chopped with some nice chunks.

 Sprinkle the peanuts over the top

 Break apart pretzels over top.

 Layers of sweet, salty, crunchy, and smooth wonderfulness.

Okay, so I obviously had to sample a little bit before it could get cold enough in the freezer, so the ice cream is a little melty here. I am quite the impatient one, so I couldn't wait any longer, whoops. It was so delicious, and a perfect end of semester, or anytime, treat.

Fear is the heart of love

Finals week means half days for me, something that I love. I am all done with my finals, so I don't have anything to worry about for tomorrow school wise. I occupied my day today in the perfect way shopping, food and sleep, as seen below:

 My friends and I went out for lunch today, and then after I went to Target and bought this dress which was such a steal for only $17! I can't wait to style this dress with a bright cardi and some sandals. It just might be awhile before that happens considering we have snow on the ground still.

For a nice relaxing afternoon, I obviously always light a candle in my room. I have a slight obsession with lighting candles, sometimes I will have three lit at one time. Perhaps it might be a slight fire hazard, but they are just so cozy! I also filled up a bowl with some pretzel m&m's to munch on in my room, which was a bad idea because I'm pretty sure I ate half of them already.

I indulged in a nice stack of magazines this afternoon, and then that promptly turned into a nap once I finnished reading the new issue of Glamour. Why does that always happen to me?

I am able to blame my napping on my sleep playlist, which has a few new additions recently. These new additions include "Just Another Old Love Song" by Joe Purdy, "re:Stacks" by Bon Iver, and "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" by Death Cab For Cutie, which is making a strong comeback in my life. I used to be obsessed with this song, and I took a little break from it for the past year. I have recently reconnected with it and it's perfect to be back. It's probably the hopeless romantic in me, but I always wish to have someone serenade me with this song, and sing to me "if there's no one beside you when your soul embarks, then I'll follow you into the dark."

Making the mistake I never learned from

The past few days my song obsession has been "Fall for Your Type" by Jamie Foxx featuring Drake. Obviously a song with the mixture of Jamie Foxx's smooth voice, and Drake's wonderfulness, I have to be in love with it. I especially love singing out the lyrics, because doesn't everyone always fall for the same type of person? I've been blaring this song while studying, while also picturing what Jamie Foxx's type would wear, as follows:

1. Glamour Chunky Cocktail Ring, Forever 21
2. Pearlescent and Bugle Beaded Clutch, Forever 21
3. Gardenia Necklace, J. Crew
4. Red Strappy Cape Dress, Topshop (I'm pretty much obsessed with the back of this dress)
5. Vintage Purple Royalty Belt, Modcloth
6. Lace the Morning Blazer, Modcloth
7. Seedbead Flower Clamp, Topshop
8. Sam Edelman 'Lorissa' Peeptoe Pumps, Bloomingdales

Time is contagious

It's finally the weekend! I have finals next week at school, so this weekend I'm going to need to spend a good portion studying. I am however, going to Ann Arbor for dinner with my sisters tonight. We are having a fun sister date night, along with their boys, because my parents are in Florida. I'm hungry just thinking about it! It was quite refreshing to wake up and have the morning to myself today, I made a nice pot of coffee and got some work done. Here's what has been occupying me so far this morning:

 I buckled down and got some studying done this morning for my AP English poetry final that I have on Tuesday, but now I need to spend some time working on AP Calc, which I am not looking forward to.

 My current favorite combination of bracelets to wear (A pearl rosary bracelet that was a gift from my aunt, silver vintage cuff purchased at an antique fair in Bay Harbor, MI, and my Heart tag charm bracelet from Tiffany & Co.) has been making an appearance in my daily wardrobe, including today, even if I'm only wearing a casual outfit for studying at home.

 I'm loving the heart print on this dress that I bought on sale the other day (only $15!). I can't wait to wear it on my trip to Naples, and also in the DR. Thoughts of those vacations are what are getting my through studying!

My companion for today is my cat, Cosmo, but I don't really think she will want to study AP Calc with me. I got a nice 8 am wake up from her when she climbed on my bed to say "Wake up!"

Let's hope I can get some work done, and that I don't freeze when I go out in the arctic temperatures that are currently sitting in the mitten. Have a great weekend!

In a grey, grey room

Well, today was quite the interesting day. I was sitting in the library during 2nd hour, discussing the poems that will be on our final for AP English, loving how great my class is and how bonded we are. Then, an announcement came over the PA that we are in lockdown mode. We stayed at our spot until the severity of the lockdown was realized, and then we were instructed to go into one of the small rooms connected to the library. So, my English class of a little less than 20 kids all piled into a tiny little room, basically all cuddling on the floor. We soon find out that there was a suspected person with a gun in the school, and that the police were doing room by room searches to try and find the person. There were tons of police in the building, and all the local news stations parked out front. For the full story, you can find an article here. It was very scary to think about how I can go from having so much fun in school to having it turn into a complete nightmare. We were eventually let out, but we were only allowed to get our keys from our lockers, so I am going the night without my Blackberry (I am about to go crazy without it!). I am so thankful that nothing bad ended up happening to the students and faculty at my school, I don't know what I would have done if something did happen.

As for now, I am in great need of some retail therapy after spending all morning and part of my afternoon locked in a dark room with instructions to be quiet. I particularly want to go on a comfy clothes shopping spree after being cramped in my uncomfortable jeans all day. I've been lusting over some slouchy t-shirts (this, this or this), along with a comfy cardigan, especially this which I tried on a few months ago but never bought, which I regret because it looks so cozy! After a day like today, I could use a nice cozy sweater like that, along with a huge bowl of ice cream.

I whip my hair back and forth

I've recently become extremely lazy when it comes to doing my hair in the morning for school. Blame it on the senioritis, or maybe the cold weather, but I have been staying in bed for a few snoozes on my alarm clock every morning, which drastically cuts my getting ready time down. In my efforts to look pulled together, I have been wearing my hair in a loose, low messy bun many times in the past few weeks. I love this look for many occasions, from casual weekend outings with jeans and a sweater, to summer parties paired with a sundress. The best part: it takes longer to get dressed than it does to do your hair!

 You can start with literally any type of hair. It can be freshly washed and still wet, or a day without being washed. You can have pin straight hair, or super curly hair and it will look fabulous either way. I twist my bangs on either side and secure with a bobby pin in order to add a little bit more dimension to the look. If you don't have bangs to twist, you can still just use the hair along your hairline.

 Tease the back of your hair and along your part to add some lift and body to the look. You can use a volumizing spray or hairspray for extra hold.

 Pull your hair into a low ponytail that is slightly to one side of the back of your head.

 Twist your hair slightly and gather into a bun.

 Loosely secure with a hair elastic*. If some stray hairs fall out, you can simply just tuck them back in.

Once it's secure, pull a few pieces of hair out in the front. You'll end up with hair that looks pulled together, and little will people know it took you less than 2 minutes to do your hair! I usually pair this 'do with earrings to dress it up a bit, and also because people can really see them with my hair pulled away from my face.

*If you plan on doing some hair whipping like Willow, secure with bobby pins, but they take away from the ease of the look, so I don't use them.

I'm bad, you know it

We are a little over halfway through the first month of 2011 and I haven't done much work on my new year's resolution to step out of my box more, aka become a little more bad. My friend that I'm trying to complete the resolution with and I decided that we need to dress the part a bit more in order to really feel the part. Not that we are trying to really be bad or anything, just to want to liven up our lives. We find ourselves wearing pastels, flowers and all too much J. Crew, which most definitely wouldn't have anyone call us bad girls . I wanted my new combat boots to fit the new found image, but I find that I don't really have enough things to go with them. I just might need to go on a pre-spring shopping spree, and here are some items that would love to buy:

1. Fringe Leather Biker, Topshop
2. Sunglasses, Forever 21
3. Fingerless Driving Gloves, Metropark
4. Intergalactic Glam Top, Modcloth
5. I.D. Double Finger Ring, Topshop
6. ETA Chain Belt, PacSun
7. Modern Geo Tee, Metropark
8. Stuart Weitzman 'Kilgore' Platform Bootie, Nordstrom

In further attempts at my new year's resolution, I made a playlist with my all time favorite rock songs that make me feel like a little bit more of a rocker than I actually am, including Cute Without the 'E' (Cut From The Team) by Taking Back Sunday, The Artist in the Ambulance by Thrice, Stay Together for the Kids by Blink-182 and Birthday by Kings of Leon

Lasting Impressions

The Golden Globes were last night, and I must say the ladies sure did dazzle the red carpet! I love the awards season specifically because it is a great excuse for me to swoon over gorgeous gowns and jewels. This year, I was saw a trend in my loved ones to be in the peach and cream hues, along with lots of feminine details. Here are my favorites from this year's show:

Lea Michelle looking absolutely fabulous in a pink Oscar de la Renta gown. I love the pop of color that her cocktail ring adds too!

January Jones rocked this gorgeous Versace dress. I loved the styling she added with the perfect hair and makeup.

Emma Stone's peach dress was toned down for what I would have expected from her, but the clean lines of the look, mixed with the dramatic open back worked out perfectly.

 

I loved the sleeves on Leighton Meester's gown, and the print of the fabric adds so much to the design.

Only one word can describe Carrie Underwood's look: amazing. Maybe it's my love for everything that sparkles, but I just am in love with this dress.

Cold, cold water surrounds me now

Michigan is an all out winter wonderland lately, and even though I might be trying to add in little bits of spring into my daily outfits, I still find that I need to pull on boots every day to go out in order to keep my feet from getting hypothermia. Most mornings I longingly look at all of my pairs of flats in my closet, wishing I could just wear them, but I know that if I do I will greatly regret it once I step outside into a huge pile of snow. With this said, I would really enjoy a purchase of some new boots to spice up my wardrobe. Here are my current favorites:

1. Steve Madden 'Carlsen' Bootie, Nordstrom
2. Gathered Leatherette Ankle Bootie, Forever 21
3. Minnetonka Fringed Tall Boot, Nordstrom
4. Dr Martens 1460 Boot, Urban Outfitters
5. Goodbye Grey Skies Bootie, Modcloth
6. Western Leatherette Booties, Forever 21
7. Over The Knee Flat Lace Back Boot, Arden B.
8. Original Tall Boot, Hunter
9. Dorado Riding, Frye

I just think that we'd get on

The musical stylings of Kate Nash always draw me into a wonderful visual story upon the first note. Her lyrics are so relatable, and in all of her songs you can pull out a moment in your life that would fit perfect to it. In particular, the song "We Get On"* makes me picture the girl, and the wardrobe she might have. She would have tons of British swag, as anyone from England would naturally have. I picture her to be a little bit quirky, wearing lots neutrals mixed with muted blues. I especially have a clear vision of her at the party, where "everyone they were kinda arty" wearing a girly dress, similar to the one below. The girl who wishes that that they might get on would dress as seen,

01. Lacquered Flower Earrings, Forever 21
02. Super Eyeglasses Ciccio Frames, Madewell
03. Cream Antique Style Lace Vest, Topshop
04. DV by Dolce Vita 'Pascal' Bootie, Nordstrom
05. If You Pleats Dress, Modcloth
06. Multi-Bead Bracelet, Delia's
07. Ethnic Detail Stone Ring, Arden B.
08. Grosgrain Petal Headband, Forever 21
09. Waterfall Drape Shorts, Topshop
10. Top Choice Bow Crossbody Bag, Nordstrom

*This song also has a tendency to make me belt it out every single time, particularly "and my friends were like whatever you'll find someone better..." until the end, seeing as it is so heartfelt, you just have to sing out out

Everything is eventual

It seems that every day lately I have been asking myself the same question: "how many days until college?" I am becoming fed up with the daily trivial activities of high school, and I also am dying to figure out where I am going to be next year. I cannot wait to furnish my dorm room, but I feel like I should decide where I'm going before I go out and purchase the necessities. Every time I am out at a store I always see some sort of little knick-knack I think would be perfect to have next year. Although I don't think my mom would enjoy me filling up our storage room with all that stuff and the fact that it would just sit there for nine months. In any hoping that these days will pass quickly, here is what I would buy if I would allow myself:

Madeline Frame Collection, Etsy

Embroidered Round Pillow, Urban Outfitters

Ceramic Table Lamp, Target

Spain Poster, Borders

Raspberry Crocheted Afghan, Etsy

I won't ask for forever, forever's too long

As most of my close friends know, I have an obsessive nature to myself. When I get something in my mind I latch onto it and keep it with me until I get it. Whether it be an item of clothing, something I really want to do, or a restaurant I'm dying to visit, I usually won't stop until I get it. Here are my current obsessions:

Song: Come Over Tonight (Live) by Ron Pope, his lyrics are tantalizing and his voice is like liquid gold. Pretty much all of his songs make me melt inside. I bought this song last night, and I've already listened to it 20 times, whoops...

Purchase: Spring dresses, even thought I already own more than any girl should, but the thought of spring just makes me want to go out and buy loads and loads of them to wear on the first sight of a tulip poking from the ground. I particularly am lusting over this, this, this and this (a tad unrealistic, I know).

Upcoming event: My trip to Naples, FL in the first week of March. I can't wait to lay in the wonderful beach and soak up some of that glorious sunshine. Naples has excellent shopping, so I need to save up some cash beforehand. Also, missing a few days of school adds to the allure of the vacation as well. I find myself daydreaming about the trip, and with each day that passes I can't help it!

Food that I'm lusting over: Custard Time, the ice cream place that I work at. I am craving some delicious frozen custard recently after I just ran into my coworker the other day at Target. It got me to thinking about how much ice cream I eat over the summer, and how much I actually miss work.

Unrealistic: This dress that I have been in love with ever since I saw it on Say Yes to the Dress. I went bridal gown shopping with my sister over the weekend, and although she had no luck, I remembered how much I really, really, really want this gown. I think I have to wait a little bit for it though...

Dame lo que queiro

Tonight, straying from what I'm supposed to do for my new year's resolution, I felt like being super lazy and staying home to catch up on the episodes of Sex and the City that have been piling up on my DVR, along with finishing Inglourious Basterd, which I started the night before. The movie was quite intense, but I enjoyed the wonderful European-ness. I ended up having a major desert craving mid-movie watch, so I decided to bake myself some s'more brownies, while having a jam sesh to some wonderful Spanish music because the movie inspired me to reconnect with my love for the genre. Yes I know, I'm super cool for spending my Saturday night at home baking and rocking out, but sometimes I think I just need some of these nights to keep my sanity during the busy school week.  And, those brownies were definitely quite delightful if I do say so myself.

 The crust of these delicious s'more brownies starts with melting a stick of butter, because butter makes everything better.

 Next, mix in 4-5 graham crackers, roughly broken.

 Add in a little vanilla, along with about 3 tablespoons of brown sugar and mix.

 Spread the mixture in an 8x8 pan

 Once the mixture is spread, bake at 350 degrees

I baked the crust while making the brownie batter, plus a few extra minutes. You want it to be slightly golden, but not too dry.

 For the batter, I used a box following the directions, but I added in about a cup of mini marshmellows and 1/2 a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.

 Spread the batter over the crust to create two delightful layers.

 I baked it following the box's directions, which was for about 40 minutes.

So I had a little trouble getting the first piece out of the pan intact, but I prefer eating these brownies with a fork anyways. On cold winter days such as today, summer inspired brownies are exactly what I want.