DIY Is Never Easy.

I finally started "decorating" my room!

After almost a year and a half of living there I drove to IKEA to grab a few things.

The first, curtains, which I swear will be the death of me!

For over an hour I put hole after hold after hole into my wall above and around the window and could not get away from the studs! Who does that? Who puts studs all around a window?

I can see where the person before me put their curtain rod, and after attempting to put mine in the same place, found that my rod is not long enough! Luckily, Ryan is on his way here today and I was nice enough to let him know that a project is awaiting him the moment he arrives.  I have lined up all the tools at his convenience.

Hopefully he can turn my disaster into a success!



startingoutsavvy.com

This here is what I'm aiming for. Maybe I didn't screw the holders in high enough....good to know.

I also bought picture frames....that are to big for the pictures I bought a year ago.  So instead of returning them for a smaller size, I kept them and taped the pictures to white printing paper! Some may call this 'thinking on ones toes' or some may call it what it really is, to lazy to return to the store and exchange for proper sizes.

I was so excited to get a jump start on making my room more like me and wound up finding that everything I bought is far to small...I guess my room is like me.

It will all come together, I just know it. And once it's finished, not going to lie, I'm going to show off my new and improved room! Who knows maybe some painting will happen too...or maybe I won't...till next time.



zoomdoggle.com



This place reminds me of Santa's Workshop! Except it smells like mushrooms and everyone looks like they want to hurt me. -Buddy

Merry Christmas!

Hello Cold Weather..I Mean Warm...I mean Cool...

Since Mother Nature cannot decide whether to give us fall, winter, or sometimes spring some days, I like to be prepared. I love wearing scarves and am usually wearing them the same old tired way over and over again. Loving the look I get from the infinity scarf, I would like to give my other scarves some attention also.

For those that are tired of wearing their scarves the same way day after day, here are 6 different ways to wear a scarf!

I can't wait to try them all, although a few do look challenging.



http://capitolhillstyle.squarespace.com/capitol/2011/9/21/tips-for-wearing-a-scarf.html



Do you have other ways to wear a scarf that is not listed here?

A Fun Start To A Fun Night.

Happy December!

With the fall semester finally over, all I can think about is the free time I will acquire, having Tuesdays and Thursdays open for the next few weeks! I'm ready to catch up with my friends and celebrate the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012!

Yes, I know Christmas is right around the corner, and so I found these cute appetizer ideas one can use for a fun Christmas party or better yet, New Years Eve party!

Who wouldn't want to nibble on a small stack of pancakes followed by milk and a cookie!

http://pinterest.com/pin/193443746463966364/

It's fun taking an idea and putting a festive spin on it!

I can't wait for what's to come!

Future Thinking.

As my friend Monica would say, "Don't plan to far ahead because you never know how it's going to turn out" maybe not in those exact words but fairly close.

But, I really can't help but plan for the future!  As Ryan's graduation date approaches nearer and mine soon to follow, I am all about what we are going to do next.

I have sent my cover letter and resume to a different magazine for my next internship and as I am waiting for the reply, I can't help but think of 2012.

I have so many ideas and am not real sure what to do with them.

Right now, I am all about finding something I love, and making the impossible, possible through DIY projects.

I don't have many things right now to fill a home, but I have the inspiration to make it happen.

One idea I have in mind is finding a few old chairs, sanding them to perfection, repainting them to my desired color and reupholstering the seats with my choice in fabric.  You can find how it's done here.



http://www.charlottemagazine.com/

I love the cottage chic look I found in Charlotte Magazine, the antique table gives the room an edgier look while all the other pieces in the room are softer. 

Those chairs actually used to brown!  I love that she repainted them white and reupholstered the seats to a powder blue!

What I'd give to get started today!

Missing My Mom.

Whenever I miss my mom, I love when the holidays come around because I know all I have to do is turn on the tv and hope for the target commercial to air.

This is seriously my mother when the holiday seasons start.

Makes me smile everytime.

I love you mom!

Can't wait to run on Black Friday with you!

*Video from Youtube.

As My Fashion Begins To Evolve.

Happy November!

I know it's been far to long, but with school work coming due as the end of the school year approaches, and a much needed trip last weekend to Wilmington to see Ryan, I am finally back on schedule.

As I was searching the internet for fun vintage items that I can add to my ever growing wardrobe, I stumbled upon ModCloth.

Expressing yourself through fun, unique pieces makes getting dressed in the morning fun, not to mention offers up the sweet chance to show off your new find!

Soft colors and floral prints have been catching my eye lately.

Next up on my wish list of buys, just a few simple things that can be worn both in the office or out.

I have to add this jacket in as well, everyone is always in need of a beautiful fall jacket.

Isn't it gorgeous?

ModCloth houses more than just clothing, they also offer decor for the home or office, toys, and pet leashes and collars.

Be sure to check out their website here and don't miss out on all the advice and DIY projects on their blog.

Enjoy!

*All pictures found on the ModCloth site.

The Makings Of Deliciousness.

I have for you, thanks to Lisa, a way to successfully recreate

Chai Tea

It is the closest recreation that I have ever tasted without being expensive or impossible to find the ingredients.

The steps are as follows:

1. Heat water.

2. Place tea bag into cup and pour in water.

Let the bag seep in the water for Four minutes.

3. Take out tea bag scoop in desired amount

of sugar.

4. Pour desired amount of milk.

5. Stir and top with whipped cream and cinnamon.

(1) I use a tea pot so it's only a matter of minutes before my pot is screaming that the water is ready.

(2) Seriously, if you let it seep for too long there's a bite from the spice and if you don't let it sit long enough you wont taste the chai tea at all.

(3) I usually do about a tablespoon and a half.

(4) I use either skim or organic milk.  It gives it a sweeter taste.

I'm not kidding as close as I've ever gotten and it's simple!

Manageable Chaos.

Like I have stated before, Moms are awesome!

A few weeks ago I took the girls I babysit out to CiCi's for dinner while their parents finished packing their old house.

I was excited to get the chance to go out to eat, but, I wasn't thinking about feeding four girls, having to run back and forth from the booth to the line to grab them more slices, making sure they didn't get anything on their cute winter dresses, as well as feeding myself.

Almost impossible!

Luckily these girls are a lot of fun and always know how to make something that can be super stress full into something very entertaining.

I can take these girls anywhere and know we will come out alive and laughing.

Of course this was the highlight of the night!

The girls loved the cinnamon rolls but the gooey, hardly cooked, brownie is what we kept returning to the counter for.

A Brewery You Can't Say No To.

Just as promised!

Today's brewery:

beerreviewdude.com

 "Good People Drink Good Beer" - Hunter S. Thompson

Although I love Rogue, you really cannot go wrong with a Flying Dog beer.

Every beer that I have ever tried from this brewery I have loved.

They all encompass the smoothness that one would normally look for in a beer, yet they don't always finish off smooth, which is a nice surprise if you ask me.

thebeerista.wordpress.com

George Stranahan

Founder of Flying Dog.

The mastermind behind it all.

By simply noticing a picture of a flying dog that just didn't seem to fit, Stranahan did what most of us wish we could do, he created an amazing company out something some people saw everyday.



 Hunter S. Thompson

An amazing man alone, played one role in Flying Dog, introducing the man above (Stranahan) to the man below (Steadman).

*Won't allow me to add. Picture via flyingdogales.com

   

zimbio.com

Ralph Steadman

Illustrator for Flying Dog.

A genius really.

Illustrated many of Thompson's articles and books.

 Road Dog Porter was the first beer label that he illustrated for Stranahan.  He added "Good Beer. No Shit." and Stranahan liked where Steadman was headed, they even fought the American Civil Liberties Union to keep the phrase on the label.

Onto the beers.

First up:

umicit.com

Gonzo
Imperial Porter.
A part of the Canis Major Line-Up.

This was the first Flying Dog beer I ever tried, thanks to my friend Amy Buechler, it was love at first taste.
Gonzo has a very bold taste with notes of chocolate, coffee, and vanilla.
Very smooth with a bite at the finish.



As most of you may know, Gonzo was made as a tribute to Hunter S. Thompson soon after he died.
For those of you who don't know who Hunter S. Thompson is, he is widely known for his story Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
The awesome, and at times confusing, story of a journalist (Thompson) and his attorney traveling to Las Vegas to cover a motorcycle race....among other things.




jandlventuresllc.com




In-Heat Wheat
Hefeweizen

Yum! I have become a big fan of hefeweizens.
You really can't go wrong if you are looking for a beer with loads of flavor.  Some may turn with disgust because of the tart/bitter taste of most hefeweizens, you will be pleasantly surprised to find that this beer is lighter than most hefeweizens and easy to drink.


To keep with the three beers a brewery that I have already done, I introduce to you another of my favorite's out of the Flying Dog selection:



clubplanet.com


Doggie Style
Classic Pale Ale
Don't let the name turn you away!

This pale ale is neither heavy nor light but does lean more towards the thicker side.  Contains a sweeter beginning that leads into a slightly bitter finish. 
I'm not usually a fan of beers that have a citrus flavor in the mix but it doesn't stand out as much which is nice.

Great beer to order if you're looking to try something new that's darker than the go-to lager.

*Background Information Found at Flying Dog Ales.

A Kiss. Some Laughs. And Food I Did Not Make.

Alright so here comes the part where I admit a fail from this weekend:

I did not cook at all!

Oops!

And now, here comes the part where I come up with excuses why, although I think they are good:

1. Ryan did not show up to my apartment until 12am Sunday night/Monday morning (depending on how you read the time.  I believe it is the later.)  So all I wanted to do at that time was sleep.

2.  I didn't cook for myself because my old roommate, Amber, was in town and we all decided to go out to eat for dinner.

3.  I worked till about 4pm on Monday and then had agreed to meet at my old roommates, Christina and Alex's house (you remember them from before? They just got married!), for a cookout.

4.  I was at my internship till 12pm on Tuesday and we met with Ryan's mom and grandpa for lunch!

and last but not least,

5.  Ryan left around 5:30pm, which was not long after we went to lunch.

So yes, I fail. But there will be many other opportunities so "to be continued" on the previous post.

........................................................................................................

We did, however, take the opportunity to try out an abundance of different beers while he was here.

Monday, after I returned home from work, changed, and caught up on some homework, I decided to show Ryan the new Taco Mac on University.

Can you guess which is mine?

We stopped long enough to grab a plate of their fiesta chicken nachos and a beer before running over to Total Wine & More, building our own

6-pack, and driving to the Boyd's home.

It was great to hang out with old friends, try new beers, and spend the time that Ryan and I had together.

There will be more and I promise I won't fail (or lie rather) again!

Which Which Will It Be. Peek At The Next Brewery.

Happy Saturday!

Apparently when I talk about weddings to much it begins a frenzy of questioning so I am going to talk about something that won't get me into trouble:

Food.

Ryan is coming tomorrow and who else better is there to try my cooking on!

I have decided that as I said before I will try to attempt the bruschetta!

I will definitely let you know how that turns out!

But

I have more than one night to cook and so,

I have decided I am going to cook one of the four variations of sloppy joe's I have picked out for Ryan to choose from.

www.food.com/recipe/taco-joes

www.squidoo.com/sloppy-joe-recipe

http://www.grilledcheesesocial.com/

http://lacucinadilauren.blogspot.com/

I hate sloppy joe's, always have, but I'm willing to try it either taco, philly cheese steak, grilled cheese, or a very close version to the original, style.

One of these has to be good right?

I will be sure to let you know which which he chooses and how the process went.

I'm a little scared but excited all in same!

....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

 I will also be picking a few beers for my attempts at being a chef this weekend.

There are no questions here as to what I will pick, only Ryan will be venturing out from his usual Yuengling and trying something a little different!

Hopefully he likes it!

Ryan's Beer:

Flying Dog 

http://www.blogbier.com/

We will discuss Flying Dog later this week!

Ande's Beer:

Rogue



http://www.aleheads.com/



My Wedding Inspiration.

Ever since I randomly fell upon this song a few days ago I just can't get enough of it!

For those of you that don't know me, I am not a fan of country but for some reason The Band Perry is an exception.

Their song all your life depicts exactly the type of theme I want at my wedding and the words are to sweet to ignore.

Don't you agree?

I love the idea of a photo booth so everyone can goof off and remind us (and themselves later on) what a great time I hope they'll have.

Not to mention the various vintage items;

I find it beautiful.

I absolutely love this line:

I just want to be the only girl, you love all your life.

Gets me every time.

What is inspiration, or had inspired you, for your wedding?

Do You Take This Man? This Woman? I Do.

About a week and a half ago I drove out to Wilmington to attend Christina and Alex's, my old roommates, wedding.

I arrived to Ryan's (my boyfriend) house Thursday night, beat from a full day of work, school, and driving.  So once Ava arrived about an hour later we decided to stay in and watch a movie.

Friday night Ava, Ryan, and I met up with my old boss Jessica Chandler, her husband and Ava's friend Elizabeth, at El Cerro.

After turning 21, I don't believe I have ever gone to eat at El Cerro without ordering a Margarita Pitcher, so of course that's what we did.

Once we went home to change we all met up again downtown and that's where I found my all time love, Pabst Blue Ribbon.

 Don't we look good together?

A few drinks and a bar or two later, we ended up at Level 5 where we danced the night away.

It was such a fun night and and really enforced how much I miss living in Wilmington.  But I washed my hands of that long ago.

Once Saturday had finally arrived, we took over all of the bathrooms in Ryan's apartment, getting ready, running back and forth between each bathroom, asking one another what went best with what.

It wasn't until we entered the address into the GPS that we realized it would take an hour to get to Southport, not 30 minutes like we had heard.

Although we missed the first ferry that would take us to Bald Head Island, we caught the next!

   Instead of waiting for the tram to return we decided to walk to the chapel.  We kept hearing it would be a long walk, but it really wasn't that bad. 

We showed up just in time to watch Christina and Alex say their vows and exchange their rings.

The ceremony was beautiful and the church was adorable.

Very elegant and quaint.

Afterwards we waited for a tram to take us to where the reception was to be held.  Definitely could not have walked that distance.

We had an amazing time, everything went perfectly, and I wish them all the happiness and luck as they embark on this journey together.

I love you both!

 

Once in awhile, Right in the middle of an ordinary life, Love gives us a fairy tale.- Anonymous

*Thank you Ava Gorman for the use of her photos.

Look Out October.

I woke up this morning without an alarm clock pushing me to start my day.  It was interesting not having to jump out of bed right away to get ready for work or school.  So I took that opportunity to do some laundry and change out my bed spread for something warmer.

As I'm preparing my chai tea (which I have finally perfected thanks to Lisa) I  decided it was high time to make a list of things I would like to invest in this month.

October: Out with the old, in with the New.

 

I have a super old 2-shelf bookcase right now and I feel that it's time to a little donating.

I've decided that I want my books and pictures on the wall around my windows to add a little color to my room.

I have done some research and found that by flipping shelves or coat wall hangers upside down so the support is facing up, they can also be used as dividers as shown here.

Luckily Ikea houses a wide varitey of shelves so I'll be able to mix and match as I please.

I have fallen in love with the infinity scarves! 

I owned only one last year during the spring and wore it's mint green perfection everywhere.

Since then my collection has grown and will continue to do so this month.

Now to find one in this gorgeous creamy brown color!

Now I realize that it is the wrong season to do this but, like before, I'm thinking of cutting my hair!

I'm not used to having long hair anymore and my hair is so thick that I feel this hairstyle would fit best.

Now obviously I would not tease it to be this big!  And I'd probably add bangs.

 But I love the layers and the free spirit type this style exudes.

If you will learn anything about me, it's that I change my mind often!

Just a thought. 

What are yours?

If there is one thing I want to do, it's to learn how to cook.

 I think it's high time I get into the kitchen and learn my way around it.

I love bruschetta and believe this is a good place to start.

Simple and delicious!

Now to find the time to start this new adventure and a fire exstinguisher!

 This list could continue and probably will on at a later date.

I'm so excited to evovle everything whether its my bedroom, my look, or my skills this month.

I can't help but smile at all that I expect to accoplish this month.  Now whether that smile is because I'm patting myself on the back or laughing at myself we will soon find out!

The secret of getting things done is to act.
- Dante Alighieri

Ale's For Me. Ale's For You. And A Stout Of Course.

I love going out and having a good time and I know that there are some that want to explore other beers also

so,

I thought it would be a good idea to spotlight breweries as I come across them or are told about them.

Todays brewery: 

“From man’s sweat and God’s love, beer came into the world.”

- Saint Arnold of Metz 
The Patron Saint of Brewers

All Rogue Ales are sealed in a brown glass (better shelf life) using an oxygen absorbing cap.

They also vow to never include preservatives, additives or chemicals!

Dead Guy Ale.

German Maierbock Ale.

History:

Created in the early 1990s to celebrate the Mayan Day of the Dead (Nov. 1st, All Souls Day) for Casa U Betcha in Portland, Oregon.

Absolutely delicious! One of my favorite beers and is a great gateway into darker beers.

Pumpkin  Patch Ale.

How it's made:

Using real pumpkins from a patch 77 miles away from the brewery!

Pumpkins are roasted and added to a kettle to create the batch.  Ingredients that are also included are ginger, vanilla bean, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

I can't wait to find this beer and taste it for myself! 

Chocolate Stout.

American Stout.

History:

This stout was released on Valentine's Day in 2001!

Made with natural chocolate flavoring, this beer will leave that bitter-sweet finish many of us search for in a beer.

We have this beer on tap at Taco Mac in Huntersville and I am more than excited to get my hands on it!

All Picture and Brewery Information from Rogue Ales.