a Sunny Disposition

{Dress: Kohl's, Cardigan: Hollister, Blazer: TNA via Aritzia, Shoes: vintage}

I wore this dress with the cardigan all morning and afternoon and loved how flowy it all was. I had a recognition night to attend this evening, so I traded the cardigan in for my blazer and it worked swimmingly!

Awkward:
- Having the silliest - but most realistic - nightmare that involved me getting into a whole lot of trouble at my job. $1.25 million worth of trouble. I woke up literally in fear for my job.
- When people look at me like I'm crazy when I tell them I like mini fruit marshmallows. They are so good!
- There are two girls who live in the same area as I do, who apparently look like me. They are referred to as "Karla's twins." Apparently, they look so much like me, that people often approach them creepily, or yell at them from across a common area, or sneak up to them, cover their eyes with their hands and say "guess who," only to discover that these girls are not me. I feel bad for them. And I would like to take this moment to apologize for having such creepy, awkward, and embarrassing friends. {I cannot control their actions - I swear.}
- Singing along to a little TSwift, when someone knocks on my door to ask me to sing less loud, because she's watching a movie. A Miley Cyrus movie, to be exact. I don't know who was more embarrassed at the end of that interaction.


Awesome:
- The Peanut Butter Cups I made earlier this week. I may or may not have loved them so much that I made another batch...
- The big annual intramural sports event that happens at my school at this time every year. I've come to recognize it as the beginning of summer. People sitting out on the knoll, soaking up the sunshine and watching other people exercise. Awesome.
- This dress. Who knew I would not only love, but own something Lauren Conrad designed?
- Really enjoying my classes and readings as of late, almost to the point where I don't want classes to end. Almost.
- And on that note... SUMMMMMMMMER!


Side note: I want.

Lazy Wednesday

{Button up: JCrew, Jeans: Big Blue, Belt: thrifted}

Today was alright. Yesterday, I was serenaded on stage during a male beauty pageant. So today, by comparison, didn't stand much of a chance. But it was a nice, quiet day getting through meetings and such.

This top-belt combo made me feel oddly fifties. If the belt was red, I think I would have legitimately broken into the finale number of Grease. On another note, I have been cuffing my jeans like no other as of late. I feel like it's my own attempt at getting summer to hurry up and get here! Well... that's pretty much all I had to say today - thanks for reading.

Oh, and take a gander at this lovely video:

From the Oven: Peanut Butter Cups

Today I tried out a brand new recipe: Homemade Peanut Butter Cups. I love Reese Cups, so I thought these would be a fun experiment. They were surprisingly easy to make and technically didn't even involve my oven at all. The only issue I came across was that I ran out of milk chocolate and had to switch to bittersweet chocolate part way through. If you use this recipe, as I did, I would suggest that you use 16 ounces {or two cups} of chocolate. Additionally, I chose not to add the crushed peanuts on top of the cups, as suggested by the recipe.
Other than that, I highly recommend this recipe - they are were delicious!
Recipe from Martha Stewart.

Mash-up Monday

{Cami: Garage, Crop top: Forever XXI, Jeans: Mavi, Scarf: vendor on campus, Flats: Gap}

Today was a fast-paced, great day. I learned to curl, baked cupcakes with homemade berry sauce, made significant progress in my job search, and somehow managed to attack and kill my gigantic 'to do' list. Success!
The curling expedition was... interesting. To say the least. By the end of four games I finally understood the rules AND no longer fell over when I pitched the rock. All good fun.
Since the busy day only allowed for a total of three hours of 'down' time, I was so surprised when I sat down at the end of the day and realized that my to do list was largely complete. I don't know how or when the items got checked off, but they did and I'm more than happy with taking credit for all of it.

How was your Monday?

Brunch, Cherry Blossoms, and Ligers

I had the opportunity to meet up with some friends {who I haven't seen forever} for lunch on Sunday. I brought over the Orange Cranberry Scones I made on Saturday night, along with a few other things for the potlatch-style meal and had a great time catching up.

I then took the long way home so that I could enjoy the cherry blossoms!

I was chatting with some of my friends last night, and somehow - I legitimately do not know how - the topic of Narwahls came up {try not to be too jealous of the kinds of conversations I have with my friends}. As we're all laughing about how they are the unicorns of the sea, my friend looks at her boyfriend and says, "They aren't real, right?" The room went dead as her boyfriend shook his head and told her that of course they are real.

She then responded, "But, I thought they were like ligers!" which, in itself, is a facepalm moment. Aren't Sundays fun!?

From the Oven: Orange Cranberry Scones

I'm having brunch with some old friends on Sunday, so I thought I'd whip up a batch of Orange Cranberry scones! After browsing through a few websites and making things up as I go, the recipe turned into something like this:

2 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
6 tsp. butter
1/2 c. cranberries
2 tsp. orange extract
2/3 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. sugar {to sprinkle on top}

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in cranberries and orange extract. Add buttermilk and mix until holds together. Gather dough into ball and knead together on a floured surface. Pat dough into rectangle and cut into 8 wedges. Place on greased baking sheet and sprinkle sugar on top. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden.
Enjoy warm.

Weekender

{Cami: JCrew, Button up: H&M, Jeans: Big Blue, Jacket: Le Chateau, Boots: Roberto Vianni}

My weekend has started with a bang and a number of commitments filling up my friday. Since I'm running around all day, I really needed an easy outfit today. I knew I wanted to wear this button up - mostly because I've been riding a country music wave for the last two weeks - but I chose to rough it up a bit by pairing it with black pieces, including this leather jacket. 

I'll be going out for indian food with my mom tonight - I can't wait! I haven't seen my mother, or had indian food, forever. Other Friday plans include attending two birthday celebrations, a dessert party of sorts and a mexican-themed social. On days like this, I like to quote Lorelai Gilmore in saying, "Busy, busy, busy like a really big bee."

What are your Friday night plans?

Casual Thursday

{Tshirt: American Apparel, Jeans: American Eagle, Scarf: vendor on campus, Shoes: Keds}

Thursdays are the least busy day of my week. That way I am able to properly prepare and rest up so that I can really enjoy my 'day of relaxation': Friday. Pre-rest is really important.
In view of this, I woke up this morning wanting a really chill outfit. And what's more chill than an american apparel tshirt and jeans? Nothing. Except maybe my onesie. But that's a whole other story.

Awkward:
- The fact that I just shared with you all that I own a onesie.
- Me: "How are you?" Coworker: "I'm good, how are you?" Me: "Good, good. And you? ... I mean..." Apparently I just really wanted to know how he was doing.
- Seeing your friend walk by outside, so you run to the window and yell a semi-inappropriate inside joke across the courtyard only to notice that it was not, in fact, the person you thought it was.

Awesome:
- I have less than two weeks of class left!
- I'm going curling for the first time on Monday. I'm excited. Wish me luck. {note: it's very possible that this excursion will end up belonging in the Awkward category.} I'll keep you posted.
- Killing it at a casino night I attended tonight for my job. By the end, I didn't even have to yell "Big Money, Big Money" at the top of my lungs. I was that good.
- Springtime!

From the Oven: Red Velvet Cupcakes

I made Red Velvet Cupcakes for the first time ever yesterday. It was certainly an experience, considering the strange steps involved in the recipe, but it was also a lot of fun for those same reasons. They, sadly, did not turn out as red as I had hoped... more of a pinkish brown. But I suppose that's just something to learn from for next time!
Best part of this recipe? Getting to revisit my childhood when the recipe asked me to mix baking soda and vinegar together. I definitely felt like I was working on a science fair project. So much fun!
I used Martha's recipe. I don't care if she's been in jail - that woman is my #1 celebrity hero. Hands down.

One Fine Spring Day

                   

                         

{Trench: Joe Fresh, Top: Target, Jeans: Citizens of Humanity, Necklace: The Bay, Shoes: vintage via my mother}

Today, I woke up to my very first real spring morning. It was gorgeous outside, and the beginnings of cherry blossoms have started to pop up around campus! To me, flowers blooming is hands down the best part of springtime, so I went on a little walk this afternoon to take pictures of a few of them. This lace top {from target, of all places!} paired with a feminine necklace and vintage heels was the perfect outfit to match my mood. Yes, I'm feeling frilly, feminine and vintage inside - don't judge. On another note, I've pretty much been living in this trench since I first posted about it, so I just thought I'd update that it has remained a wardrobe staple. It was such a great {and surprisingly inexpensive} find!

What is your wardrobe staple this spring?

it's a jungle out there

{Dress, cardigan, and tights: Gap, Belt: thrifted, Boots: Roberto Vianni}

There are three weeks left in this term.
That is what I realized this morning and it hit me like a truck filled with bittersweet chocolate - and bricks. I'm excited for the end of this year, but at the same time, I'm terrified and sad to leave the lifestyle I've come to know for the last four years. I have one last class to complete over the summer, so that will help me to extend my stay, but after that... who knows!
It really is such a mix of excitement and nerves. I guess a person just has to accept que sera sera.

On a somewhat {but not totally} unrelated note, how phenomenal is this? When I move into a place that I'm actually able to paint and pick out furniture for, I will fo sho be borrowing some tips on decorating with green from this DS post.

Sunshine-y Day

{Cami: The Bay, Cardigan: Gap, Jeans: Hollister, Belt: Kohl's}

I had an excellent Friday. My classes were intriguing. I went for an ice cream run that ended in mass amounts of hilarity. I had the best meeting I've ever had with a prof in the four years I've been at school which ended with him laughing and saying, "You're stellar. Let me know if you ever need a reference letter," completely out of the blue! And then I handed in some applications for jobs that I'm actually pretty excited about. Just a really great day.

How was your Friday?