Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is such a fun holiday! My family doesn't really do anything for Thanksgiving anymore since some of us live pretty far away, so instead of celebrating with my family, I have dinner with Brandon's family, and a group of their friends. It's always a lot of fun, with tons of good food, and competitive board games.
This year I decided that I wanted to contribute to the meal, but I didn't have a lot of time between work, so I decided to make a very simple (yet delicious) broccoli salad.

Yum! I used this recipe from Jam Hands, which includes broccoli, cheese, onion, dried cranberries, and bacon mixed together in a dressing. Instead of cooking my own bacon (since I don't currently have a stove) I just used Oscar Meyers Real Bacon Bits, and I also added sliced almonds to the mixture. Gotta say, it was a big hit. I didn't come home with any left overs. 

As proof once again that I have too much free time, I also painted my nails for Thanksgiving using a white base coat, and about 6 other colors. I didn't have a toothpick at the time, so I used a hair pin to make the zigzags. I finished it off with a matte top coat, just because I love how the matte makes the colors look.

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving too!

Cats are taking over the world..

So I think there's something that needs to be addressed. Over the last year, there are a few trends that have become quite popular, and I think it's time to talk about them. If you know my sense of humor at all, you won't be the least bit surprised at this one...

yep. You guessed it.

Weird cat trends.




The first to appear was the Inbread Cat. This fad is a little confusing, but admittedly a clever pun.

 

 

Next, came the Cat Beard. A little bit funnier, still just as strange.

 

 

 

And that brings us to the most current Weird Cat Trend. Cats in Tights. I have to admit. This one made me laugh...a lot. Like a crazy person.

 

 

 

Seriously, who thinks up these things? Clearly these people have way too much time on their hands, and for that, I thank them.

 

 

City of Brotherly Love

So it's been a few days since I've posted, and here's why... I went on a little mini-vacation with my boyfriend's family to Philadelphia! It was an awesome weekend. We stayed Monday and Tuesday nights with his brother in Binghamton, and while we where there we celebrated his nephew's 1st birthday. (So adorable) Then on Tuesday, we drove into Philadelphia, did some brief sight-seeing to the Liberty Bell, and then went over to the Wells Fargo Center for a Flyers game! It was so much fun. They killed it, by the way. Flyers beat Ottawa 5-2 (yay!) So anyway, it was a very nice getaway (even though we spent a collective 16 hours in the car) Here are some little snippets of the trip.

One Crafty Lady

A while back, a family friend of mine made a gift for me, and I've decided that it is absolutely far too stunning not to share. Now I have to be honest, this woman is the craftiest, most creative lady I know, not to mention, incredibly talented. I've known her my whole life, and even though we're not really related, my brother and I grew up calling her Aunt Kathy.

So, this lovely lady took a completely ordinary box, and turned it into a gorgeous, personalized chest.

On the front, she used a wood burner to carve in my name, birth date, and a phrase that represents my life (look familiar? lol)

Notice all of the floral designs on the bottom and between the text. All of this was done freehand-no stencils, because she's just that amazing. Also note the edges of the box, which she also burned. Don't the little details just make it that much more beautiful?

In order to make it more personal, on one side she carved both of my parents' names and their wedding date, along with my full name. On the other side she put a quote:

"Learn to Love

Learn to be Patient

Learn to be Disciplined

Learn to Forgive,

And to Love Again"

I'm so in love with this gift, and I can't wait to put it in the Old House. I just think it'll look so perfect in that house.

Very long couple of days...

In addition to my full-time job, and my classes...and my part-time job..I've been working out at the Old House a bit the last couple of days. I'm not going to go into it a lot right now because, as I've said, it's been a very long day and my bed is calling my name, but I promise you will have a much more detailed update very soon!

So to summarize..

We've mostly been doing a lot of painting this week..

Staying at the house long after the sun has decided to sleep

But I really think it's coming together, don't you?

You may have also noticed that my blog got a bit of a makeover as well. Nothing has changed really, except the look. You can still follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter using the icons on the right hand side >

Or if you would prefer, you can get email updates when I post (also on the right > over there >>)

And now...

Goodnight :)

Just one quick thing..

I can't even begin to pretend like I deserve your trust, as I have said this a million times before, and then clearly failed.

But as of today, I am re-committing myself to blogging on a regular basis. There are quite a few things being put into motion soon that I would love to share with you guys..but in the meantime, here are just a couple of things that speak to me, and remind me that a completely beautiful life takes time...but we should enjoy each day along the way.

 

And finally, something I'm sure we all need to remember at times.

Have a good night!