Sunday, March 31, 2013

Happy Easter

Happy Easter everyone! I hope that you were able to spend it with your loved ones and enjoy a delicious meal :)


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- Jenny

Friday, March 29, 2013

Guilty Pleasures (Kristin)

Hi all! I loved Jenny's Guilty Pleasures post, so here are mine...

1) Musical Artist: Britney Spears, always and forever!


2) Song: This one is really tough! I feel like it always changes. Right now it is probably "I Knew You Were Trouble" by Taylor Swift.

3) Food: Peanut butter spoon (chocolate chips are a bonus)
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4) Movie: Clueless and Mean Girls (tie)
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5) Past time:  Reading blogs (for hours)

6) TV Show: Grey's Anatomy
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7) Book: Chelsea Handler's books


8) Candy: Gummy bears


9) Celebrity: Olga Kurylenko
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10) Restaurant: Sonic!




Bonus: Going to Target (of course).


Thursday, March 28, 2013

TBT: Easter Edition

Hola!

Since Easter Sunday is approaching I thought that I would share with you some pictures of my sister and I on Easter when we were younger (sorry I don't have more, the rest are at my parent's house).







My mother definitely liked to dress us up on Easter, adorable hats being a necessity. I am not even sure what is going on with that frilly yellow concoction that I am wearing, but I do know that when I have kids I am going to love dressing them up in adorable outfits as well!

I always loved waking up on Easter morning because my mom would set up fun scavenger hunts for my sister and I all around the house. She would start off by leaving our first clue/note on our desk, and we would continue to follow each clue (they rhymed of course) until we found our Easter baskets full of delicious goodies. I remember that one year in particular she gave me a basket full of N*SYNC school supplies, my life was complete. I love you mom!

What are some of your favorite Easter memories?

Happy almost Friday everyone!

- Jenny

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Bachelorette

My fiance started a new job recently, and his work schedule went from being pretty standard to irregular. While it sucks having less time together, it is giving me some time to catch up on Grey's Anatomy and movies that he definitely wouldn't watch, such as Bachelorette.

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Have you guys seen this yet? I feel like this movie really fell off the radar. I remember hearing about peripherally but didn't think about it again until I found this GIF and searched for the quote (because obviously that is a life motto). 

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(Only a little bit awkward when someone uses your computer and "F*ck everyone I like ice cream" is still in your search bar.)

Anyway, I loved this movie immediately. I think it got mixed reviews, but aside from being funny and having an awesome cast, it made me feel really nostalgic. It kind of felt like Mean Girls on steroids, especially since Lizzy Caplan is in both flicks. 

The basic plot is as follows: Becky (Rebel Wilson) is the first of her HS group of friends (the "B Faces") to get married, and the last one they expected. This makes the other girls jealous and a bit hatefulespecially Reagan (Kirsten Dunst), who is Becky's maid of honorbut it also makes them take stop and assess the state of their lives.

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Shenanigans ensue and there is lots of humor. Honestly, I thought the characters, though exaggerated, were accurate and relatable. I also love Kirsten Dunst and Lizzy Caplan so I might just be biased, but it was great. Adam Scott even has a small role. So ladies, if you have a night to yourself, definitely check it out. 

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In other news, I found this hot chocolate mix at Target the other day, and ohmygod is it good.


Pretty sure I'm making my design friends cringe, but I don't have a lot of tools at my disposal right now, ha. 

We're halfway through the week, hooray! 

Good night friends,

Kristin

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Guilty Pleasures

I was watching Glee the other day, don't judge me, and they were doing an episode all about their musical guilty pleasures. My favorite by far was the girls performing a song from the Spice Girls, which made my 10 year old self very happy! I really enjoyed the idea of admitting your hidden guilty pleasures, no matter how insignificant they may be, so I thought that I would create a fun list of my own guilty pleasures to share with you. Please feel free to copy my list and post your own answers in the comment section if you are up to the challenge :)

 

Guilty Pleasures:

 


1.) Musical Artist: Taylor Swift
 
 
2.) Song: Cher - Believe
 
 
3.) Food: Marshmallows (I could eat a whole bag in one sitting if no one was around)
 
 
3.) Movie: Good Burger
 
 
4.) Past-time: Playing The Sims...and realizing 5 hours later that I am still playing it 
 
 
 
5.) TV Show: Any Real Housewives reality show, and The Girls Next Door
  
 
 
6.) Book: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
 
 
7.) Candy: Watermelon Sour Patch 
8.) Celebrity: Rihanna (could she be any more perfect?)
 
 
9.) Restaurant: Ram's Horn, a lot of good memories were made there
 
 
10.) Your Choosing: Pretending to be asleep when I don't feel like talking to anybody



Now it is your turn :)

- Jenny




Monday, March 25, 2013

Nail art

Somehow in life, I missed the lesson on learning how to paint your nails. I try, but they also chip instantly. They also always look streaky and generally like crap, ha. I think part of it is just that I do not have the patience. I love how my nails look painted though (for about one hour, until I get first chip!).

I also hate getting manicures, so while I enjoy the end result, having them painted professionally is not worth it to me. I would honestly rather get tattooed than have that wooden stick jammed in my cuticles. Pedicures are another story -- I finally got my first one last summer and was surprised and how much I did not hate it. 

I just bought a new nail polish this weekend that lasted a full two days before it chipped, which is a new record for me. The polish came with a white base coat and then the color, and I also tried Annie's tip of submerging your nails in ice water. I forgot how long she suggested and only lasted about 20 seconds though -- I later checked and realized I was supposed to keep them in for 3 minutes (whoops!). Still, I think it might have helped. 

I got a set of the Sally Hansen nail stickers for Christmas and have been meaning to try them out. There are so many different kinds now. Those seem like they might be a good solution.

Here's a little compilation of some of the different nail art stickers available now, as well as just some awesome nail art. How do they get the polish to stay? Ladies, share your secrets!


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loooove this! (source)


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I know Jenny will like these! :)
From InspiredNails on Etsy, buy HERE.


AMAZING! via Cupcake's Clothes


I will have to settle for the sticker version!
Also from InspiredNails, buy HERE.

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Saturday Sweets: Tagalongs

Tagalongs have always been my favorite Girl Scout cookie, without question. Second place goes to Trefoils, which I consider the most underrated GS cookie. Samoas? Eck. No coconut for me. 

Enjoy this roundup of Tagalong-related recipes!

Tagalong Dip from Something Swanky

Toasted Marshmallow Tagalong Peanut Butter Cake Bars
from Picky Palate

Tagalong Bars from Cookies and Cups

Tagalong Surprise Cupcakes from The Collegiate Baker

Tagalong Peanut Butter Parfaits
from My Baking Addiction

Tagalong Cookie Cupcakes from Inside BruCrew Life

Tagalongs for life!







Friday, March 22, 2013

Street Fairs

Happy Friday! Sorry for my delayed post, yesterday my husband and I went to a craft beer tasting event after work that was held on base. We had a fantastic time! $10 for all of the beer samples and delicious appetizers you want, plus fun freebies, you don't have to ask us twice! One of my favorites from the night had to be the Sam Adams Angry Orchard Hard Cider, it tastes more like apple juice than beer but hey it is delicious! (I have been watching a lot of Duck Dynasty lately and I just feel the urge to say "hey" all of the time now, Si is the greatest)

This weekend Tucson is hosting their annual 4th Avenue Spring Street Fair, if you are in the neighborhood I definitely recommend checking it out. If you love looking at incredible and unique art, eating delicious food, spending a day enjoying the beautiful weather, and having an all around good time, this is the event for you!


 
 
I absolutely love attending art fairs like this. When I lived back in Michigan I especially loved attending Arts Beats & Eats and the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair. My sister and her fiancĂ© actually had their own booth one year at Arts Beats & Eats selling their awesome vintage clothing collection, which they also sell through Etsy. Their shop is called Thrifty Outfitters, check them out!

I am really hoping that I will get a chance this weekend to attend the Street Fair, but I have many household projects waiting to be tackled. Right now I am working on fixing up a dining room set that we bought last weekend. I will keep you updated on how that goes and hopefully post a tutorial on what I did in case anyone is interested.

Anyone have any fun weekend plans? I am sending good thoughts to all you Michiganders that spring weather visits you soon!

- Jenny

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Summer dreams

Happy first day of spring! Ha. While Jenny has already busted out her shorts and tanks, us Michiganders are still facing snow. It's been blustery and dreary here for days, and it's starting to take its toll. 

I have been trying to think warm thoughts and wanted to do a post of summer imagery, but as I was perusing Pinterest, I found the work of graphic artist Mary Kate McDevitt. Though not specifically related to summer, her bright prints definitely did the trick! 





































All images were found on her website. Prints for sale via her Etsy shop.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Work It

One of my goals in life is to make myself a really nice and stylish home office. As of right now my office consists of a cluttered desk (with no desk chair), a really old dresser where I keep some of my clothes and jewelry and hair supply, and the cats litter box. If it sounds like it is in need of a face-lift, then you are correct. I just truthfully don't know where to begin. Since we live in base housing I don't really want to put in too much work in it knowing that we are only going to spend another few years or so in the house. So I think that it would be best to start small. I am absolutely in love with this store called Typo that is fairly new to the mall close by our house. It is a branch of the Australian owned company Cotton On. They sell cute and unique office supplies, as well as other household accessories, and I just adore everything they sell. Yet somehow I always leave the store empty handed, it is too difficult to just pick one thing to buy.

I also really love browsing through these office supply websites as well:

See Jane Work
The Office Stylist

If you are in need of giving your work or home office a sprucing, I compiled a small collection below of some of my favorite decorating finds.



1.) Tea Cup Bookends - Typo
2.) Elk Notebook - Typo
3.) Lap it up in Luxury Laptop Case - Typo
4.) Baroque Desk Planner - Typo
5.) Alphabet Notebook - Typo
6.) Key Impression Stamps - See Jane Work
7.) Vinea Letter Holder - See Jane Work
8.) Desk Caddy - See Jane Work
9.) Ceramic Business Card Holder - The Office Stylist
10.) Jumbo Scented Erasers - Dylans Candy Bar
11.) I Fantasy Your Point Pencil Sharpener - ModCloth
12.) Wall Art - Urban Outfitters




- Jenny

Monday, March 18, 2013

GIRLS

Let's talk about HBO's GIRLS.

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The season two finale aired last night. If you don't watch the show, I don't really want to give anything away. I will just say that I was SO happy with how everything turned out. Finales are always either super frustrating (season one) or incredibly satisfying (season two).

I have had such a mixed relationship with this show. Each season is ten episodes. I didn't really starting loving it until episode seven of the first season. I'd start to get into it, and then they would just throw something totally unexpected (and uncomfortable) that would put me off it. Half the episodes made me feel like I needed a shower after they were over. But still, I kept watching, and I'm glad I did.

With the exception of maybe a few moments, I loooved this season. Loved. I think it's because I finally could relate to the characters. In the first season, I understood the characters in a peripheral sense, but aside from being a twenty-something, I couldn't draw any comparisons. This season I could relate to everyone -- Hannah, Marnie, Shoshanna (much more than I thought I could!), and even Jessa at times, although she's the most distant for me. Jessa's entertaining to watch, but not as grounded in reality (for me).

I really started to feel for Hannah toward the end of this season and especially in the finale. I'll be honest, I have trouble with her character. I initially felt like I "had" to like her, or was "supposed" to like her, because she was so different -- and honestly, I wanted to like her. But the things Hannah does ... she's just not likable a lot of the time, as Laird called her out on the finale, and I think maybe that's the point. 


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I'd be lying if I said that my desire to like Hannah had nothing to do with her appearance. Here was finally a normal-looking woman starring in a show, just being who she is. It's sad that Lena's weight even has to be noticed or commented on, but those are the constructs of our society, and  even though I felt relieved by Lena's presence on screen, I am just as guilty. As Lena bared more skin, the topic fell under more and more scrutiny. It's so silly that it's getting so much attention for being so much "out of the norm." 

I read an article the other day on Thought Catalog, titled "What’s Up With Lena Dunham?: Celebrating Women’s Bodies," that said, "Lena Dunham doesn’t have a 'bad body,' she has a human body." This made me want to hug the author. (Thank you!). As someone who is no stranger to self-criticism, this made me want to cry, "Hallelujah! We are just human." Lena is very pretty, smart, and obviously incredibly talented, and it's shameful that so much of that is lost to a perceived deviation.

I'm not innocent in this, by any means. I get the appeal of models and celebrities. Let's be honest -- I was enjoying Channing Tatum's and Joe Manganiello's performances in Magic Mike far more than Kevin Nash's (sorry dude). Yet I also don't think it follows that they should be considered the standard -- isn't that defeating the whole purpose? It's refreshing to see someone just being who they are for a change, and it makes me feel like it's okay for me to be me. And for all the critics of Lena's constant nudity -- guess what? Sometimes people get naked. 

If you watch GIRLS, what did you think of the finale? I'm dying to talk about it with someone! I think I might actually go watch it again right now, ha.

I hope everyone had a fun St. Patrick's Day! Definitely check out Jenny's post of some green treats... mmmm.