Follow Friday!

Syracuse is getting some of that east coast storm that's all over the news and it's making it so hard to get motivated and dress cute! So I'm turning to these ladies for some inspiration of how to look nice when the weather isn't so great.

Cats & Rocking Chairs

I love everything about these pictures - the hair, the oversized sweater, and the way the light hits the snow! I've been following a lot of blogs from the UK and it really makes me miss Primark!

Kenzie Faith

I wish I could look so cute & sassy while out in the snow! I really enjoy Kenzie's blog because she really knows how to showcase every little piece of her outfits in her pictures with different angles and accessories.

Tasty Thursday!

I'm seriously failing at my new year's dieting resolution, but I can't help it when I find yummy recipes like this!

Crispy, Creamy Avocado Fries

Ingredients

• Canola oil for frying
• 1/4  cup  flour
• About 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 2  large eggs, beaten to blend
• 1 1/4  cups  panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
• 2  firm-ripe medium avocados, pitted, peeled, and sliced into 1/2-in. wedges

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 200°. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 1/2 in. oil until it registers 375° on a deep-fry thermometer.

2. Meanwhile, mix flour with 1/4 tsp. salt in a shallow plate. Put eggs and panko in separate shallow plates. Dip avocado in flour, shaking off excess. Dip in egg, then panko to coat. Set on 2 plates in a single layer.

3. Fry a quarter of avocado slices at a time until deep golden, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer slices to a plate lined with paper towels. Keep warm in oven while cooking remaining avocados. Sprinkle with salt to taste.

Tuesday trends

The temps dipped into the negatives here yesterday and are supposed to stay low all week which has me shivering already. I love wearing hats but hate that I then have hat hair for the rest of the day at classes. These adorable crochet headbands are perfect for keeping ears warm during the cold without the hassle of yucky hat hair.

I picked mine up at Forever 21 but they're sold out on the website!

 

There are so many places to get these awesome accessories on Etsy - here are a few of my favorites. 

Sweet Kiwi Crochet

mclaughlin designs

Susannah Bean

my "new" place

I'm finally all moved into the apartment in my mom's house. I wish I had taken "before" pictures so you could've seen how much it changed. I've lived in this house my whole life and for as long as I can remember, my mom only used this apartment for storage and for hiding presents at Christmas-time. It has a downstairs livingroom area but my mom has so much junk that I'm just keeping to myself in the upstairs part (can't complain!). It's just enough space for me and Rocko.

I still need to put up some posters and pictures (The walls look so bare!)

Another lazy sunday

I ate WAY too much today but I just can't help it when my wonderful grandma cooks so much delicious food. Rocko is so lazy when I take him in the car - he just lays down and sleeps the whole way.

I finished moving everything into my "apartment" yesterday; the only thing I really need to get is a mini-fridge. It's kind of awkward waking up in the morning and having to go to the other side of my house for a bowl of cereal haha Pictures soon!

Follow Friday

I'll keep this post somewhat short since I'm on my way out the door for work!
Even though school started this week, I still put in some hours on the weekends (gotta support my shopping habit you know!)

I'm finding major inspiration this week from these ladies!

devore le beau monstre

I bought a poncho from work last year but have never actually worn it outside of my house - I almost use it like a snuggy! But thanks to this lovely lady, I've got some idea of how to make it work! She's also got a fun giveaway going on here!

Jasifers Lions Club

Hello gorgeous! I think Jennifer is just stunning and I love the way she layers and utilizes basics.

 

a roller coaster ride

Many apologies for slacking on updates. The last few days have been like a crazy roller coaster - so many ups, yet so many downs.

School started on Tuesday and I was so happy to see everyone! My friends mean a lot to me and I was really happy to get back into the swing of things and start my last semester of my college career! After swapping around some classes, I'm content with my schedule and the courses I'm taking.

Unfortunately, Tuesday went downhill when the boy that I hold so close to my heart told me that he wants to start seeing someone else. What we have/had was tricky business and complicated both of our lives for the last 3 and a half years, and I guess he just wasn't happy anymore. I was completely blindsided at the news and it wiped me out for the rest of the day.

I was honestly amazed at how fast I bounced back into being in a good mood and I think it's because I get to spend 99% of my time with Rocko! Everything he does (besides having accidents, of course) makes me laugh and just enjoy that I have him as a companion. 

As I was driving home from class today I was thinking of how much the new blog title is really becoming true for me. After having some heartbreak and shedding tears, I'm keeping calm and moving on.

music monday

Happy MLK Day!

I found this band over the summer during some downtime at my internship and was really impressed that, at the time, they had only been a band for a little over a year and they already had so much under their belt. Polished tracks, huge gigs, a big fanbase - Now they've been together for almost two years and I wouldn't be surprised if big, big things keep happening for them. Jacqui's voice is really powerful and the band is solid.

Forming in March 2009, New York based My Arcadia wasted no time establishing a name for themselves. The band’s singer, Jacqui Sandell, fits the band perfectly, in an era where female-fronted groups are a rarity. Her pop melodies coalesced with intense, hard-hitting music provides a perfect blend that defines the band’s sound.

Within months of their development, My Arcadia teamed up with producer, Paul Leavitt (All Time Low, Senses Fail) in Baltimore, Maryland. The band left the studio with a solid five-track EP, “City By The Sea” which allowed them to tour the east coast region and play sold-out opening gigs, further proving their hard work and steadfast dedication. 

http://www.myspace.com/thisismyarcadia

http://www.purevolume.com/new/myarcadia

golden globe fashion

I only watched a few minutes of the actual award ceremony tonight (ie I saw that Dexter/Michael C. Hall didn't win and then turned it off) but I tried to watch most of the red carpet arrivals for the dresses!

I love love love Emma Stone and she looked phenomenal, but I kind of thought the color of her dress washed her out, especially with her blonde hair

As much as this looks like a prom dress, I think it works for Olivia.

Love, love, love this pink color.

Mila Kunis looks amazing in green. 

(and by the way the guy behind her is eye-groping, I'd say he agrees eh?)

lazy sunday

Central New York got slammed with snow last night/this morning so I had to cancel my usual Sunday lunch with my Grandma and barely made it to the  grocery store to get essentials!

 School starts this week and I've been working my butt off to try to get my "apartment" ready before then but it's just not happening. Since I was abroad during the fall, I didn't sign a lease with anyone near campus and couldn't find anything once I got back to the states, so I decided to live at home (rent free!). I'm really lucky that my mom's house was built in the 50's so she has an attached apartment that was originally used for people's in-law's to live in. It has its own kitchen, bathroom and bedroom so Rocko and I will be all set on our own over there, but I'll still be under my mom's lovely roof.

Since I didn't go to my grandma's house, I built some shelves instead while the little man snoozed the day away

I'm not sure why I didn't take any "before" pictures, but I need to take some when it's completely finished. The only thing left to do is build my futon!

follow friday

Besides my favorite reads (over to the right), here are a few of my favorite fashion related blogs!

Fashion Chalet

  I love Erika's outfit posts because she nails everything perfectly from the bag to the shoes, even down to the gloves!

 

vipxo
Even when she was sick, Victoria was still posting outfits and looking fierce. 

Selective Potential

I love Tieka's outfits because of the execution of accessories! Belts, necklaces and hats always add some ooomph to her clothes and I love it!

my new obsession

My mom got my sister & I a single-cup Keurig coffee maker for Christmas and I am seriously obsessed with it - we've already gone through an entire box of the little "K-cups"!

If you're a coffee addict like me and find yourself spending too much money on Starbucks, I'd suggest investing in a Keurig. I have a regular coffee maker and used it regularly before the Keurig, but I personally find that the Keurig coffee tastes a lot bolder and fresher. 

Tuesday Trends

I got asked to work the store's floorset this weekend and even though we had to stay until 2am Sunday & Monday, it was actually a lot of fun getting to create outfits and looks for the store.

As much as I dislike sweatpants, the sporty look is definitely a trend this spring. Last night my section was full of oversized tee's, sweatpants, tanks, sport bras and harem pants.

monday music spotlight

The Civil Wars

The Civil Wars consists of John Paul White, hailing from Florence, AL and Joy Williams, originally from Santa Cruz, CA, but now residing in East Nashville. The duo’s chance meeting a year and a half ago fueled an immediate songwriting chemistry and creative synergy. Their second show ever, performed at a sold out Eddie’s Attic, was recorded and released as a free digital album. Of the duo, Reg’s Coffee House host, Scott Register, praises, “In my 13 years on the radio, few of the artists I’ve championed had as immediate a reaction as The Civil Wars. When I first spun ‘Poison & Wine’ listeners couldn’t get enough of it and wanted to own it immediately. This band has the ‘it’ factor that you look for. Don’t miss out.”

Live @ Eddie's Attic Download

http://www.myspace.com/thecivilwars

Tasty Thursday!

My freezer is still loaded with food that I forgot to make for family over Christmas and New Years. My mom always seems to buy too much of everything and then forgets to make a lot of it on the actual holiday. So after going to the gym, I wanted to make something that was filling and (somewhat) healthy. 

I had a huge bag of precooked, frozen shrimp in the freezer and a bag of steamable vegetables & potatoes.

I put the shrimp into a small skillet pan and let them heat up for a few minutes without any sauces because since they were frozen, they were holding a lot of water. Once they were heated enough to lose most of their extra water, I drained it out and put it back on the stove. Then I added a few tablespoons of sesame teriyaki sauce and let it simmer for about 5minutes on each side.

While the shrimp was simmering, I heated up a bag of steamable vegetables. These are my favorite easy side-dishes to add to a meal because the whole bag is only 100-150 calories, they taste really good, and they only take 5minutes to make in the microwave! Since I was using teriyaki sauce, I probably should've made some sort of rice dish, but for some reason I was craving potatoes.

When the vegetables were hot and the shrimp had simmered on both sides, I slid the shrimp and sauce on top of the vegetables.

Rocko's modern life

 I wasn't scheduled too many hours at work this week so I've been able to spend lots of time with my little man.

Tuesday Trends

I've been back at work for almost 2 weeks now and being around all the clothes again is pure heaven. Back when I was living in the city over the summer, I randomly found some dolman-style tops in the Union Square store and loved the loose fit of them, but then I couldn't find them again - until now!

Lucky for me, the trend for this season is definitely the oversized Dolman style shirt.

The loose fit is perfect for simple hangouts, yet they're easy to dress-up with accessories when going out.

1: Forever 21 Cable Striped Top $24.80

2: Forever 21 Striped Knit Top $15.80

3: Zappos Alternative Apparel Dolman Sleeve Top

4: Gap Dolman Hardware T $19.50

monday music spotlight

I found this musician while reading some blogs a few weeks ago (when I was still in London) and recently put his songs on my workout playlists. I'm a sucker for pop-punk that just sounds fun so this was just the kind of band I needed to get me motivated to move & have a good time.

http://www.facebook.com/staygoldenofficial
http://www.myspace.com/staygoldenofficial/

"Stay Golden" is the brainchild of singer/songwriter Matt Ayo. Ayo previously played in multiple bands in New York City and Tampa, FL. "I never really wanted the project to be labeled as anything other than Pop or Rock genre-wise," Ayo says... "I just want the overall vibe to be that of fun. I want people to come to our shows and just have a good time and let loose! Not worry about how 'cool' or 'hip' they look...and just let the music speak for itself without any gimmicks." Matt talks about the recording process : "I was very fortunate to be directed to an incredibly talented musician and producer (Russ Miller) to record the EP. Russ has pushed me in ways I've never known before and we were able to get the perfect sounds for each track and take; truly a wonderful experience." "Stay Golden" is a fresh new sound that brings back the roots of what Pop and even Pop influenced Punk has become today and is definitely a name you should be getting familiar with, especially if you live in their home-base of Chicago, IL. Expect the full lineup to be playing out at the end of Summer 2010 and look for free downloads! The band is poised for greatness and will be releasing an EP independently on Amazon, Itunes and other digital distribution outlets. 

Resolutions

It's that time again - time to make a list of resolutions for the new year!

Last year I made the resolution to try and (if I liked it) stick with the special K diet. The first couple weeks were tough, but a year later I'm about 15 pounds lighter. Now, no this isn't a lot to lose in an entire year, but I think the more important aspect of losing weight is keeping it off. I think I read somewhere that if you can keep it off for seven months, than you're a lot less likely to gain it back so easily.

So my #1 resolution is to lose another 15 pounds!

What are your resolutions?