Gift Guide: Fashionista

The fashionista in your life would be thrilled to unwrap any of these pretties on Christmas morning. (The Target boots have been a personal favorite of mine this season!)

1. Knit Scarf 2. ASOS Clutch 3. Marc by Marc Jacobs Classic Marc Cluster Pony 4. Ray-Ban Wayfarers 5. La Mer Wrap Watch 6. Striped Tee 7. ASOS Cocktail Ring 8. Alexander Mcqueen: Savage Beauty 9. Rebecca Minkoff Wallet 10. J. Crew Glitter iPhone Case 11. Target Flat Boots

Candy Buckeyes

Buckeyes are pure Ohio culture. We grew up learning about buckeyes, rooting for the Bucks, and making a candy version during the holidays. This recipe is always a crowd pleaser. Even if you aren't an Ohioan, make these for your next get together. Dip them all the way and you have a truffle!

Buckeyes:

Yield: about 50-60 balls

Ingredients: 

1 stick of butter at room temperature

3 cups of powdered sugar

2 cups creamy peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

Baking chocolate for dipping 

Directions:

1. Cream butter, peanut butter, and vanilla together in a mixing bowl. Slowly add in powdered sugar until incorporated, and the dough sticks together nicely.
2. Form dough into one inch balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with wax freezer. Pop in the freezer until firm.
3. Melt baking chocolate in the microwave for 30 second increments until smooth.
4. Dip peanut butter balls into the chocolate using a toothpick, leaving a small portion of the peanut butter uncovered. Let excess chocolate drip off and place back on the wax paper. Allow chocolate to firm and refrigerate your buckeyes in a covered container. 

Gift Guide: Traveler

My favorite thing about Christmas is hunting for the perfect present. Over the next few weeks I'll be posting a few gift guides for some inspiration! These are my tried and true traveling favorites, as well as a few wishes. Perfect for someone with a bad case of wanderlust. 

1. Travel Journal 2.Travel Brushes 3. Wool Socks 4. Scratch Map 5. Silk Wrap 6. Foldable Flats 7. Patent Pouch 8. Rosebud Salve 9. Luggage Tag 10. Leather Weekender 11. Passport Cover

Thanksgiving

Just wanted to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. Here's hoping your day is filled with great family, friends, and LOTS of good food! Calories don't count on Thanksgiving :)

A New Old Classic

I've been looking for a nice winter boot that has both comfort and style. Enter the Sorel caribou, an old classic I found once again flipping through the J Crew catalog. Take note Santa.

To those who live in cold climates, what is your go-to winter boot?

Give Thanks

Just a few little things I'm thankful for: 

green tea

flannel sheets

ugg slippers

hand cream

instagram

library books

funny students

earmuffs

pumpkin flavored desserts

the thrill of finding the perfect present for people you love

my 32 oz camelbak

a five day weekend

crock pot dinners

holiday playlists

dates with my favorite boy

oversized sweaters

fresh note pads for lists

What are you thankful for?

Late to the Party

I finally got an iPhone and am totally overwhelmed with apps. What are your favorite? Help!

Fill in the Blank Friday

1.   A nervous habit I have is     picking my nails...although I conquered that (finally) last year. I just have to keep my nails constantly manicured. Problem solved!

2.   Something that makes me sad is   people who don't enjoy reading.

3.  Today I am thankful for    having a closetful of coats to choose from and mittens for my hands.

4. My favorite room in my house is   our bedroom, even though it's not quite finished yet.

5.  I can't stand    people who are late.

6.  If I had an extra $100 to spend on whatever I wanted today I would    probably buy a lot of little things for the apartment. 

7.  The last person I hung out with was    my best friend Melissa. We had a dinner and shopping date last night.

TGIF!

The Curse of the Jeggings

When I first discovered Gap denim leggings, it was like making a new best friend. They were so comfortable, yet still polished. Who needed regular jeans? Skip ahead months later, when all my beloved jeggings are dirty and I try to squeeze into my old favorites. Uh oh, they must have shrunk in the wash right? Hmm, my shirts also seemed to have that problem lately. Enter a scale. Gulp. But my jeggings still fit! Surely I didn't gain that much weight. Hah, I wish. Lesson learned: it's stretch-less jeans from here on out. Yes, I realize it wasn't just my beloved jeggings fault. I'm looking at you too, cookies and pizza :)

Let me tell you ladies, trying to lost weight during the holiday season...NOT fun! Advice? 

Mash-Up

I can't stop singing this at the top of my lungs. Leave it to Adele to make Glee interesting again.

Fill in the Blank Friday

1.   My favorite new blog of the moment is   I Heart Organizing .

2.   Something I am thankful for is   having a job    .

3.  Something that made me laugh this week was    my students constantly messing up my last name. I swear sometimes I wish I was born a Smith .

4. An item that is currently on my wish list is    this gray knit pouf .

5.  I am excited about    Holiday season coming up and having a few days off for Thanksgiving!

6.  If I were a color I would be     blue, because every shade of blue is unique .

7.  My favorite way to spend a chilly fall day is by    baking yummy treats or spending the day at the mall .

Happy Veteran's Day! Hope you all enjoy your weekend!

A Note to Anthropologie

Dear Anthropologie,

Why must you lure me in with your great window displays? Why do your variety of colors and textures make me want to buy everything in sight? But most importantly, why did you make me fall in love with a one hundred dollar wreath? I don't even like wreaths! And you, Anthropologie, have me brainstorming ways to save up a hundred dollars. For. a. WREATH. How about we just call it a day and you put in on clearance now?

Yours Truly,

Lindsay

PS.... Feel free to mark the stockings down too. 

Lovely Loafers

Loafers have established themselves as the hot shoe of the season. I think these are a great alternative to ballet flats, and I love how you can dress them up or down. 

What are your thoughts? Love 'em or hate 'em?

Pumpkin Bread

I've wanted to try my hand at pumpkin bread for a long time. After doing some research I decided to try out Paula Deen's recipe, which did not disappoint. The recipe took just minutes to whip together, and the result was a super moist bread with the perfect blend of spices. I will definitely be making this again before fall is over. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Bread: Adapted from Paula Deen Magazine

Yield: 2 loaves

Ingredients: 

1 15 oz. can pumpkin

1 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup water

4 large eggs

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

3 cups sugar

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease 2 (8x5-inch) loaf pans. In a medium bowl, beat pumpkin, oil, water, and eggs at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.
2. In a separate medium bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Gradually add to pumpkin mixture, stirring to combine.
3. Pour into pans, and bake for 1 hour, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

Weekend Snaps

Nothing beats homemade french toast...

especially when someone else makes it for you :)

Oh Charles Shaw...the second man in my life

 Rimmel nail polish is slowly stealing my heart. I love their wands. Foolproof. 

Stilletto Red is a great shade too. 

I hope you all enjoyed your extra hour of sleep this weekend!

Fill in the Blank Friday

1.   My favorite thing about this week was/is     I finally started working with students. No more evaluating data!

2.   Colder weather makes me   want to throw on lots of layers and whip up some comfort food .

3.  Three things that make me terribly happy as of late are    having a job, working out again, and putting the finishing touches on the apartment (who knew it would take so long?) .

4. If I could only wear one kind of shoe for the rest of my life, I'd choose    flat boots for the winter, wedges for the summer. Ballet flats would definitely need to be involved too.

5.  My personality type is    all over the board. I can be a bit of everything at times. Mostly I try to have a positive attitude and be happy.

6.  I have a serious problem resisting     chocolate, cookies, pizza, or ice cream. Movie theater popcorn, and Starbucks come in a close second. I wish I had a veggie tooth instead of a sweet tooth.

7.  My favorite color to wear is    neutrals. White, navy, black, grey, various shades of brown, khaki, army green. 

New Fall TV

I had high hopes for this season's new shows, but only Hart of Dixie and Revenge have kept my interest. Hart of Dixie is delightfully cheesy while Revenge is more suspenseful and dramatic.

 Have you gotten hooked on any of the new shows?