party rock is in the house tonight

Happy Sunday! I can't believe I only have three more Sunday mornings to spend in my house before I leave for school! My sister's wedding shower and bachelorette party day was yesterday, and I must say everything went along beautifully. Sadly, I didn't have a chance to snap any photos at the shower, but I did take some great ones at the bachelorette party, so enjoy!

 To go with the luau theme we hung colored lanterns and bulbs around the edges of the tent. For a fun bachelorette touch, bright pairs of underwear were hung.

 So fun!

 My mom found this adorable sign; it lights up!

 My sisters and I obviously had to take a silly shot

We took a limo out after the little backyard luau, a great way to celebrate the beautiful bachelorette!

i hope that your heart is always warm

Now, it's no secret that I love all things related to s'mores (I've made s'more desserts here and here). In a random fit of boredom last night, I decided to whip up a s'more cake/brownie/cookie. It was so easy, and definitely tastes just like summer, exactly what I needed.

 I started with a box of chocolate cake mix, and I combined it with one egg and a stick of softened butter.  Once mixed, I added in a generous amount of semi-sweet chocolate chips and then I placed it in a greased glass pan.

 Next, I crumbled graham crackers on top.

 I then added another generous amount of chocolate chips, and then I drizzled on about 3/4 of a 14 oz can of condensed milk. The dessert was then placed in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

 Once it looked to be baked to perfection, I took it out of the oven and added marshmallow pieces on top (mini marshmallows would have worked the best, but I only had the giant ones that I had to break into small pieces)

I then placed it under the broiler on high for 2 minutes, until the marshmallows were golden brown and melty. This might have been one of the greatest desserts I have ever made, if I do say so myself - absolutely delicious!

honey and the moon

I was recently helping my sister search for a song for her first dance at my wedding, and honestly I found a large number of songs that I loved for the occasion (she didn't necessarily love all of my choices). I've now compiled a list of some of my favorite love songs, perfect for weddings, or any other loving moment.

Always Be My Baby, Mariah Carey
The Right Way, Ron Pope
Just a Kiss, Lady Antebellum
Anywhere Place, Katie Costello
Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe, Barry White
Wonderful Tonight, Eric Clapton
Sunrise, Norah Jones
Just the Way You Are, Boyce Avenue
Beautiful Girl, William Fitzsimmons
Thinking of You, Katy Perry
That's How Strong My Love Is, Otis Redding
Closing Time, Semisonic
She, Cam Nacson
You and I Both, Jason Mraz
Stay Where I Can See You, The Starting Line
You and Me, Dave Matthews Band
When I Look At You, Miley Cyrus
Paperweight, Joshua Radin and Schyler Fisk
Simply Beautiful, Al Green
Honey and the Moon, Joseph Arthur
Tiny Dancer, Ben Folds
Don't You Wanna Stay, Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson

painting the town your favorite color

 I can't believe it's already almost August! I move in to school in less than five weeks... eeeee! I had a pretty busy weekend, filled with lots of work, and a little bit of play time. Here's a peek into my weekend:

 I find it weirdly ironic how "control" and "option" are placed next to each other on the keyboard, especially now with the college life rapidly approaching, when I feel like I actually now do have the option to control my life.

 I recently purchased myself a copy of All the King's Men, so I have just started to reread it and rekindle my love for the novel

I've had this cross necklace for quite some time now, but up until this weekend I hadn't really worn it much. On Friday evening for my trip to the Ann Arbor Art Fair, I dressed up a shorts and shirt outfit by adding this necklace.

 My sister's bachelorette party is this upcoming Saturday, so in preparation for the luau themed event, shell necklaces were dug out for an added touch to the party.

 Also for party decoration, empty coconut shells were found to hold candles.

 This shell wind chime was hung on my back patio today. Now I can't wait to sit outside and read, and hear the breeze gently blow it.

 The hydrangeas in my yard in in bloom. How beautiful do they look!?

 The lavender ones are obviously my favorite.

never mind, i'll find someone like you

For my required summer reading for MSU I have been reading Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. I admit, I did sort of cringe when I found out that I had to do some summer reading, but this book is honestly one of my favorites. It tells the story of a young boy dealing with the death of his father from September 11, yet it focuses much more on the lives of others and how it brought the boy's life to be what it is. With this subject matter, it's obvious that the book is sad in most parts, but Foer adds in the perfect amount of humor that I have actually laughed out loud numerous times. Needless to say, I am most definitely in love with this novel, and I have found numerous quotes that I love love love, especially these two:

"you cannot protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from happiness"

"so many people enter and leave your life... you have to leave the door open so they can come in, but it also means that you have to let them go"

"I thought about all of the things that everyone ever says to each other, and how everyone is going to die, whether it's in a millisecond, or days, or months, or 76.5 years, if you were just born. Everything that's been born has to die, which means our lives are like skyscrapers. The smoke rises at different speeds, but they're all on fire, and we're all trapped."

i can feel a hot one

It's extremely hot here in the mitten, and when I say that there is no exaggeration. As a way to beat the heat, I made myself a banana split as a little evening dessert. I must say it was absolutely delicious; I devoured every last bite, and it kept me nice and cool.

Banana splits are obviously only top notch when they are made in the actual dishes, and I just happen to have a set that used to be my grandma's.

I had one banana left, and it was the perfect ripeness.

 My sister had just made banana ice cream, so I added one scoop of that to my treat.

 For my second scoop, I added chocolate ice cream.

 YUM

 Next, I added dark chocolate syrup over the ice cream.

 One strawberry added the perfect amount of sourness to the sundae.

 I sliced it into a few small pieces.

 To top it off, I sprinkled the top with coconut.

The end result: the perfect treat for a scorching evening.

always be my baby

I feel like a proud mother right now, but how adorable are my sister and her fiance in their engagement photos? When I first saw them I literally was saying "awwww" with every single photo. I'd have to say my favorites are the Eskimo kissing one and the one where they are laying in the grass. I love to see my sister and her fiance as happy as they are in these photos. Their wedding is in September in Petoskey, MI, with their ceremony taking place on Lake Michigan and the reception at the Perry Hotel. I'm so excited to be a part of their wedding, and I can't wait to get my new brother come September. Love is in the air!

nicest thing

My sister is currently reading The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, one of my all time favorite books. When she cracked it open, I started to refresh my memory of some of my favorite passages and chapters of the novel so I can discuss them with her as she gets to them. Although I read it last summer, the story seems so fresh in my mind. The words that Kingsolver weaves in the novel are effortless, and they truly last in your mind once they are absorbed. My favorite passage (or maybe top five) from the novel is as follows:

"Don’t expect God’s protection in places beyond God’s dominion. It will only make you feel punished....when things go badly, you will blame yourself....Don’t try to make life a mathematics problem with yourself in the center and everything coming out equal. When you are good, bad things can still happen. And if you are bad, you can still be lucky" The Poisonwood Bible

glitter in the air

Summer is in full swing, so I've been trying to take advantage of the wardrobe appropriate for warm weather as much as possible. Today I went for a semi nautical and preppy look, with a hint of American pride, but spiced up with a little indie flare, as seen below:

 My nails are painted a bright orange-red color, with gold sparkles added on to the corner of each ring finger.

 I layered two necklaces, including the "Libra" necklace that I received as a birthday gift from my sister.

 The sparkles on the shoulder of this classic navy and white striped tee add just the right amount of pizazz.

 This skirt, which I got for insane sale a few weeks ago, is perfectly feminine with the ruffled edge, but the stretchy material makes it casual enough for a day of shopping. 

The look was completed with a gold ring, to bring together my nails and necklaces.

couldn't ever figure out how to love

My new obsession that is currently taking over the majority of my time spent on my computer: browsing the different shops on Etsy. I look at literally all the different types of shops, from ones selling flower hair accessories, to handmade pottery, to abstract drawings of celebrities. Here are some of my current covets:

1. A flower band that I could use first for my sister's wedding in September, and then for a special occasion in the early spring. The shop that this comes from, called which goose, has tons of adorable floral accessories, all of which I am dying to have.

2. The digital drawings from atpalicis are all so whimsical and cute, I just am dying to order one to hang in my dorm room. I am leaning towards that one especially, because it is just nerdy enough for my taste. It would add just the right amount of art and happiness to my walls.

3. This tulle skirt, although a tad outrageous (and expensive), is slightly reminiscent of the one that Carrie Bradshaw wears in the opening scenes of Sex and the City. I know there aren't many occasions when a tulle skirt is appropriate, but if that occasion did somehow arise, I would love to be prepared with this little number. Once again, everything from this shop, Ouma, I would die to have in my closet.

4. I'm currently searching for a new pair of glasses, and Vintage 50s Eyeware has some adorable frame choices, although probably also not the most practical.

5. Also for my dorm, I'm in search of a desk chair, and I can't help but see myself spending late nights studying at this one. It has the perfect balance between comfortable and cute.

6. Okay, and not that I have absolutely any need for outdoor lighting, I can't help but be enamored with these. So cute, and recycled! It could be really cute in my dorm...

heavy mitted love

"our love is a star
sure some hazardry
for the light before and after most indefinitely

danger has been stole away"
-Bon Iver, Beth/Rest


It's not often that i become completely obsessed with an entire album, but for Bon Iver's new self titled album, it's obvious why I am obsessed with it. It's been out for a few weeks, and I strangely enough hadn't gotten it until today. The flow between the tracks is effortless, yet each of the songs has its own beautiful story. I'm in love with "Michicant" and "Beth/Rest", although it's safe to say im in love with all of the tracks on the album. This is definitely one of my favorite albums of the year. You must buy it now.

You're a true friend

I've had these graduation gifts for my best friends completed for over two weeks, and I've been waiting to blog about them until I actually gave them their presents, but with our constant busy schedules, I hadn't found the opportunity to do so until last night, and even with that I still haven't given one away yet. I decided to make a collage for each of my best friends to take to school with them. I bought the mattes and used some lavender scrapbook paper at the background. The photos are ones that I have taken from our times together, and I then added in a vintage postcard, fortunes and some magazine clippings.

 This one, made for my friend Natalie, has a vintage postcard of the New York Public Library, because Natalie loves New York City, and she is going to school in New York. The magazine clipping says "put on your happy feet" which will hopefully brighten her days during the tough school year. The upper photo is of a church from Madrid, and the lower photo is of the Royal Palace in Madrid as well. To finish this one off, the fortune says "Don't be afraid to take that big step", an encouraging fortune for the new times ahead.

 This next one was made for my friend Meredith. The postcard is of the Martha Cook dorm at the University of Michigan, which is the school that she will be attending in the fall. The upper photo was taken on the beach from our trip to the Dominican Republic, and the lower photo is of Toledo, Spain, which we visited together. I chose a magazine clipping for this one that says "Let love shine". The fortune says "You do not have to know where you are going to be headed in the right direction", a very true statement, especially during the years in college where everything is new.

 For my friend Ally, I chose a postcard that says "Greetings from Michigan" because she is going to school out of state, so it will remind her of her wonderful home state. The upper photo is the same photo from Meredith's, of the view of Toledo, Spain. The lower photo is of a a red Vespa, also taken on our trip to Spain last summer. The fortune says "Do not give up, the beginning is always the hardest"; hopefully it will be an encouraging little note, even though I know Ally would never give up.

The last one is for my friend Olivia. The postcard on this one makes me laugh every time I see it. It says "Guess I'll be a darned old maid", because we always joke that we will one day become old maids. The upper photo was taken on our trip to Spain, of cute potted plants. The lower photo is from our trip to the Dominican Republic, looking up to beaded t-shirts. The upper fortune says "Luck helps those who help themselves" and the bottom one says "An hour with one friend is worth more than ten with strangers".

I'm so thrilled with how these turned out, and I'm excited for my best friends to be able to put them up in their dorm rooms, all at different colleges might I add, to add a little artsy touch and to make their room feel more like home.

I can't take my mind off of you

Happy Sunday! It's been a relaxing weekend for me, filled with the Plymouth Art Fair, a little bit of work, meals with my family, and maybe a few naps. On So You Think You Can Dance this week the boys did a dance to "Prague" by Damien Rice (it was amazing!), and now it rekindled my love for his music. One of my all time favorite songs is his song, "The Blower's Daughter". I just put it back into my sleep playlist, which is coming into its own with my new laptop. I've had it on repeat all night, and I just love the heartfelt lyrics of the song, especially my favorite part, the first few lines of the song:

And so it is
Just like you said it would be
Life goes easy on me
Most of the time
And so it is
The shorter story
No love, no glory
No hero in her sky

Just stay right where I can see you

I went to the mall for a shopping trip for the first time since April (yes, that's true...), and obviously i enjoyed browsing all of the pre-fall merchandise. I can't wait to buy some new items for my fall wardrobe at school, including lots of cozy layers and woven accessories. Here are some of my current items that I am lusting over:

1. I tried on a skirt similar to this at Urban Outfitters in cream. I love how floaty the fabric feels, and I can definitely see myself throwing one like it on in the fall with a slip underneath and a chunky knit.
2. To spice up my workout wear for the fall, I recently added in a crop top and a pair of yoga shorts to my collection to make going to the gym a little bit more fun.
3. A few new dresses, especially one like this, to put on with some boots and a printed rust colored scarf for the warmer days in September.
4. I've been searching all over for a robe, similar to this one (although it's a bit out of my price range). I'm hoping some will come out sometime in the next month so I can have it before I leave for school.
5.  Some cute, comfortable shoes to go with skirts, dresses, shorts, or pants, because I never know what Michigan weather might throw at me.
6. New earrings, such as these, to add a little spice to my outfits, and I might even let myself wear these now.

& I'll be wearing white

This is NOT new

Happy 4th of July weekend! This is most definitely one of my favorite holiday; I love being able to celebrate our wonderful country with my friends and family. Last summer, my family spent the weekend in northern Michigan, the best way to spend this holiday weekend. Although this year we aren't making the same trip to the north, here are some of my favorite ways to pay tribute to the beautiful USA during this weekend:

1. Wear a bit of red, white and blue all weekend
2. Attend a parade on the 4th
3. Cuddle up with your favorite American classic movie, even if what constitutes as an American classic means My Best Friend's Wedding
4. Catch fireflies in an old Mason jar
5. Cool off with a red, white and blue Popsicle
6. Decorate your desserts with mini American flags (cupcakes, brownie bites, etc)
7. Listen to country music nonstop
8. Search for some American treasures at at an antique fair (there's always a great one in Petoskey, MI over this weekend, which I am depressed that I am missing)
9. Go for a drive with your windows down
10. Hit up a diner for some late night favorites, including those french fries you always crave but never let yourself order
11. Have a water fight on the warmest day of the weekend
12. Indulge in a s'more
13. Say "God bless America" as many times as possible, and truly mean it.