I love these measuring spoons! My mom put them in my Christmas stocking a few years back and every time I pull them out, I'm reminded of her. I'm so glad she taught me some basics about cooking and always let me make a mess when I was working on my latest baking project. She even helped me and my sisters film our own "cooking show" once!
Like so many of my girlfriends, I tuned in to watch the Academy Awards last night. For the most part, I thought the show was boring and dragged on a lot longer than necessary. The best part for me was watching the red carpet arrivals and picking apart all of the outfits. There were some highlights, like Mila Kunis, who looked romantic and glamorous in Elie Saab. I thought her whole look was flawless. I'd die to own a dress like that. There were far too many low points to mention (Nicole Kidman's atrocious kimono getup, Gwyneth Paltrow's sub-par musical performance, and whatever was going on with James Franco). Other notables: lots of big, colorful jewels, Justin Timberlake in Tom Ford, Anne Hathaway's custom Louboutins, and the performance by the PS22 chorus. Amazing!
What did you enjoy most/least about the show?
Dragged my bf to a spot on the east side tonight that has the best salads. Ever. Pretty much anything topped with a slab of feta is good with me though.
Obsessed.
I've been perusing my gym's group class offerings to try and switch up my routine a little. Is it just me, or are all of the fun/productive classes offered during the week while I'm at work? I think I'm going to try zumba toning tomorrow morning. Seems like a fun way to kick off my Sunday!
Do you have a favorite group class?
Thanks to Tiane's tweet earlier today, I finally scored this perfect little orb of lip balm. Twitter is good for something! Turns out, it's been right under my nose (or at CVS two blocks away) this entire time and not at my local Target (7 miles away) like I thought. And, if that's not enough, it was also on sale. What a nice way to head into the weekend!
I went to a Providence College men's basketball game tonight! It was a lot of fun and something out of my usual weeknight routine, which is always a good thing. The Friars lost to Notre Dame, but their star senior, Marshon Brooks, set a Big East scoring record with 52 points! Quite an accomplishment! I hope he makes it to the NBA. Side note: the friar mascot is terrifying, especially if you went to Catholic school most of your life (like me).
I really want to go to another game before the season ends!
Inspired by Ali's post, I reorganized and cleaned out my spice shelf while dinner was simmering on the stove. I'm really on a cleaning spree! It's so much less daunting when entire rooms are broken down into little ten minute projects, don't you think?
I've been a busy cleaning bee all morning, but had to take a quick break and share this lovely outfit (and blog) with you! The styling is complete perfection and her blog, Atlantic-Pacific, is fabulous as well. Thanks to my little sister for pointing me in the right direction on this one. It was a nice reprieve from all the sorting and folding of this monstrosity.
Does anyone know if Louis Vuitton still makes a bag/cosmetic case/dopp kit in that style? I have a major crush on it and want to make it mine.
That's right, folks. I admit to being somewhat of a grown-up now because I'm doing the responsible thing and brewing my own cup of morning coffee at home. No more daily jaunts to the local coffee shop that run me two dollars and change every visit. I enjoyed my first cup of homemade coffee today while reading some of my favorite blogs and, although my brewing needs some tinkering, it felt rather good.
I can't believe I'm even posting this picture. It makes me cringe!
I'm planning on tackling the tornado that's hit my room over the past week. It's giving me anxiety and I don't want to end up on an episode of Hoarders. The local Salvation Army can expect a truckload of clothes, old purses, and general odds and ends sometime tomorrow afternoon (after copious amounts of coffee and no less than three phone calls to my mom for moral support). Out with the old means more room for the new, right?
Wish me luck!
I've been reading way too many food blogs lately. My new favorites are Joy the Baker and Slow Like Honey. I especially like looking at their step-by-step photo process and how the final product is styled with various food props. I was inspired by their methods (and my nagging sweet tooth) to whip up a batch of cupcakes that I first spotted while on the treadmill. Ironic, right? The good news is these are really figure-friendly and definitely satisfied my craving for something sweet.
It all started with this recipe in Shape magazine:
I dusted off my KitchenAid mixer and put together the batter in no time.
Naked chocolate cupcakes!
Beating together all the ingredients for marshmallow frosting (aka fluff).
The final product.
Delicious!
I forgot how much fun baking can be, especially when you make some healthy substitutions. The final verdict? The cake was light, flavorful, and could have passed for a regular cupcake at any local shop. The frosting wasn't my favorite, but that's probably because I'm not a huge marshmallow lover. I might substitute a flavored cool whip next time. Honestly, is there really such thing as a bad cupcake?
Do you have any favorite cooking or baking blogs that I should be following?
I enjoyed a quiet morning at one of my favorite local coffee shops & bakeries, Seven Stars East.
I love the rustic feel from the exposed beams and oversized loft-style windows. It's the perfect place to enjoy an early morning cup of coffee (before the insane Saturday rush).
I love it here.
A mug of spicy/sweet Mexican hot chocolate sounds like a perfect way to start this three day weekend!
Got any fun plans?
Meet my new favorite afternoon snack. I don't know how they do it, but Whole Foods has the sweetest, juiciest, reddest ruby red grapefruit I've ever eaten.
Anyone else feel like this has been the longest. week. ever.?
I love how these Valentine's Day roses are brightening up my kitchen.
Fresh flowers make me extra happy.
I stopped into a local coffee roaster today to buy a couple of pounds of freshly roasted beans in anticipation of my new coffee pot! That's right, because my valentine knows the way to my heart isn't via chocolate, but through a great cup of joe. I hope to actually learn some more about coffee, too. I felt slightly inferior when I was asked which one of their 7 dark roasts I wanted to try. I thought there was only one dark roast: dark!
Don't worry, I'll be making latte art in no time!
looks like morning in your eyes
I snapped this picture bright and early as I was getting ready for the gym. The sun was just staring to come through the window behind me and it created an unusually clear silhouette. It reminded me of intricate silhouette portraits that we used to have done at Montessori school when I was young that would end up as Christmas or Valentine's gifts for parents. Get your own custom silhouette print here.
lyrics from Norah Jones-Sunrise
Mama said there'd be days like this, there'd be days like this my mama said.
Today was one of those days. Nothing seemed to go quite right. Usually the gym is my best bet to shrug off any stress from the day, but I was beyond exhausted when I left the office at 7. Sometimes, when I have a hectic day, it helps me to come home and do something mindless and routine, like laundry. It's oddly calming, the sorting and swapping and folding. Plus, it's productive (and fresh laundry smells good). A few other things that made my day just a little bit more bearable: my boyfriend doing most of the prep work for dinner, discovering these ruffled pants at lululemon, and finally downloading the Hipstamatic app on my iPhone (I'm still figuring out how to use it!). Another bonus? Friday is so close!
What do you do to bounce back from a rough day?
So the headline is somewhat of an exaggeration, but I was featured on Yelp's main page as having the Review of the Day for Rhode Island on Sunday (cue all the 'smallest state' jokes). Honestly, I was probably a little more excited than I should have been. I sent out a mass text to all my local friends to check it out. I just joined Yelp this past December because I visited the site so often for restaurant/salon/shopping recommendations but had yet to put my own two cents in. So far I'm loving it! I've already made some fun connections and the community seems to be very close-knit (one good thing about living in a teeny-tiny state).
Follow my reviews at tthomas.yelp.com! I'm currently trying to scope out the best New England lobstah roll for when Tiane comes to visit. It's just really hard to judge lobster rolls when you're not a fan of lobster (crazy, I know). I'm trying, though, I swear! Check it out, Tiane's yelping, too!
This little guy is such a fun addition to my kitchen counter! His face even changes as time ticks away. Get yours here.
joining millions of other football fans and tuning in to the super bowl!
who are you rooting for?
The kids I worked with today got quite a kick out of my brightly hued argyle socks! They're so warm!
like a big pizza pie, that's amore!
Behold my piping hot, fresh from the oven margherita pizza! I'm getting better at making pizza dough from scratch. This recipe is a good starting point.
This is such a healthy and refreshing drink and it tastes just like pumpkin pie! It reminded me a little bit of snow ice cream, which my dad used to make for me and my sisters when we were younger. The recipe is so simple. I just combined 3/4 cup of unsweetened almond milk, a few tablespoons of pure canned pumpkin, a capful of vanilla extract, some pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon works too) and some honey or agave nectar to sweeten it up in a blender and gave it a spin. It's perfect as a light dessert or even as a mid-afternoon snack. I only wish I had a dollop of whipped cream to top it off!
I have to admit that I'm having a little shoe crisis here. I've had me eye on these Dany platforms by Jessica Simpson for a while now and when they went on sale last week, I snatched them up in my size before they vanished (again). I've admired them on Rumi at fashiontoast and more recently on Mara (her entire outfit is gorgeous). I took the plunge, but now I'm having second thoughts. Is the platform too much? Will it make me look like an Amazon woman with its 5 inch heel and 2+ inch platform (pushing me close to 5'10")? The upside is they're surprisingly comfy thanks to the platform. I think they're kinda fun and unique and perfect for a date night or drinks with the girls. Plus, they make my legs seem to go on forever.
What would you do?
