An Introvert's Heart Wants What It Wants

So perfect. I love the Bay of Magazines, always and forever.

 

Via Postsecret

One Teen Story Mention

So the One Teen Story blog mentioned one of my short stories today. Actually, an entire paragraph from my story "Thank You, Cleveland" is posted on there right now. No big deal (!) but check it out if you get a minute. Seriously, it's really exciting to have my words on this site. xo



Beautiful photo courtesy of  We the People

The Smushiness Factor

I'm not really on top of trends, food or otherwise, but every single day for the past two weeks, I have come across some awesome article or recipe for s'mores. Why is this makeshift camp dessert so popular right now? Since it's such a basic treat, it's pretty easy to throw in your own twists. No matter what, I think the real attraction is that melted chocolate with warm marshmallows always looks and tastes amazing.

For me, the smushiness of the s'more itself is really the essence of the dessert. The warm, gooey, slightly charred marshmallow enhances the flavors of both the graham crackers and milk chocolate.  Burnt sugar is truly the flavor of summer.

With no campfire in sight, I decided to make my own s'mores bars at home. I bravely turned on the oven in our hot apartment and had Anthony pick up a jar of Fluff. I'd never actually tasted Fluff before and it's much sweeter, and stickier, than I expected.  Our graham crackers were semi-stale but I crushed them up and used them anyway. The directions tell you to wait until completely cool to cut and eat, but seriously, how can you eat a cold s'more? That's a step to be ignored for sure.

The results weren't beautiful but these bars are still tasty.  I immediately thought that the pan looked like a Frankenstein dessert for some reason though. It reminded me of a cartoon mummy with the warm oozing Fluff popping through the cookie crust.  You can't tell me that you don't see it too.

However, this is the one variation that I keep coming back to:

Martha Stewart's Hazelnut S'mores recipe calls for grilled french bread as a base instead of cookies. It's like she has a window that looks straight into my heart.  And I bet the smushiness factor is off the charts. xo




Recipe adapted from Lovin' In the Oven; Hazelnut S'more recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart.

The Search for New Glasses

I've been wearing glasses since I was eleven years old.  My first pair had huge round frames in a speckled pink-and-white pattern and covered the entire top half of my face.  I thought they were so cool and instead of wearing them just to see the blackboard, I wore them all the time.  This might have contributed to how horrible my vision is today. At this point, if I don't have my contacts in, I probably could not distinguish between my mother or my male boss standing in front of me.

I've had the same pair of glasses for eight years, and even though I have yearly eye exams, I actually never update the lenses.  The last time I drove with my glasses on, I decided that it was finally time to replace the old prescription.  And why not get new frames at the same time?

I've been looking at Warby Parker glasses for a while and decided to go ahead and take advantage of their try-on program.  All I did was pick five pairs that I really liked and Warby Parker sent them to me to sample for a few days.  That way, I can wear them around the apartment and see what they really look like on.  It was so exciting to receive the box in the mail.  I would highly recommend doing this.  I was really hesitant about ordering glasses online but Warby Parker does everything to make sure that you love the glasses that you wind up purchasing. 

After much consideration, I decided on Fitz in Whiskey Tortoise.  They are similar to the frames I have now but a little larger and bolder.  And finally, I can see clearly. xo

Get Baking: What Sounds More Delicious Than Something Called Cookie Butter?

I hadn't heard of cookie butter until a few months ago.  I was aimlessly walking around Trader Joe's one night and decided to buy a jar just to see what it would taste like because it sounded so delicious.  In case you've never had it, cookie butter is the consistency of peanut butter but tastes like gingersnaps and graham crackers (or the Belgium cookie speculoos).  It's the kind of thing you can eat little by little by chipping away at it a spoonful at a time.

Last Sunday was unofficially bar-dessert day.  I not only made a batch of peach crumb bars but I also used the cookie butter to make frosted speculoos bars with this great recipe from Butter Me Up, Brooklyn. 

Note: I was going to substitute in nectarines for these peach bars, but for some reason, the nectarines were all moldy inside.  Inside and around the pit.  Fruit can be unpredictable, even if you did just buy it (thanks, Stop & Shop!) so I improvised and used apricot preserves.  If I were to make these again, I'd make sure the layer of preserves was thicker, but I loved the crust and the crumble on top, which are coincidentally the same dough.

                                    Yup, here I am letting all of the hot air from the oven escape while I take a photo.

The speculoos bars wound up being a hybrid blondie-gingerbread cake concoction. Somehow, I baked them too long. I think they were a bit dry but they paired perfectly with a cup of coffee.

The frosting was very sweet, almost too sweet for me, but interestingly enough, it didn't taste that sugary when it was spread on top of the speculoos bars.  They complimented one another perfectly.

If you can, pick up a jar of cookie butter.  I'd love to try some different flavor combinations, like cookie butter smeared on celery sticks.  Thanks to Brown Eyed Baker and Butter Me Up, Brooklyn for the great recipes.  xo

Temporarily Tatted

Have you ever thought about getting a tattoo?  My brother, my sister-in-law and my best friend each have several and I've always liked the way they look.  My reservations are mostly associated with my indecisiveness.  It's hard for me to make decisions sometimes (i.e. choosing which kind of crackers I want at the grocery store) and tattoos are permanent.  If I'm going to get something permanently inked onto my skin, I want it to be meaningful.  In other words, a pink butterfly on my lower back won't cut it. 

I'm so excited to have found these fun temporary tattoos at Tattly, which was founded by Tina Roth Eisenberg, who writes swissmiss.  I've never seen such cute, authentic-looking fake tattoos.  I especially love the designs by Julia Rothman.  Here are a few of my favorites:

 

I think I'm going to buy a few of these to try, kind of like a trial tattoo (that Happy Birthday banner would look so cute on the nape of my neck!).  Which ones do you like?  xo


Images courtesy of Tattly

Pinterest is My Friend

Usually when I'm planning something, I collect ideas from magazines and websites and put it all in a folder.  I like having everything handy at all times too, but that doesn't always work with a bulky file of glossy pages.  While in the early stages of planning a wedding, which is really just the ultimate party in my opinion, it's really hard for me not to get overwhelmed by all of the options the bridal industry is throwing out there.  People expect me to be losing my mind with worry about flower arrangements and shoe colors and limo rides, and I'm just really concerned about having a great time celebrating with my family and friends and my new husband. 

So I've decided to go about narrowing down my favorites in a new way: Pinterest.  I used to love scrolling through Pinterest looking for new dinner recipes or really lavish desserts.  A few months ago, I created a new board called "Wedding" and have been posting ideas and photos of things that I can definitely picture us having at our wedding, which means I'm selective.  Scratch that, I meant to say I'm very selective.  I don't want any pins of things that I only kind of like; this is THE inspiration file.   I love that all of the original sources are right there. And the best part is that I have the ability to access the board at any time on my phone so I can show people my ideal hairstyle instead of just describing it to them.

I never thought that I would ever enjoy having an electronic scrapbook of sorts (I'm still attached to my paper calendar), but sometimes I just scroll down and look at all of these tidbits I've put together over the last six months.  I can't believe how happy that makes me.  Even if I'm not sure about the DJ or the cake flavors, I am positive that we're going to have a beautiful wedding and a wonderful life together.

Check out some of my favorite pins:

All these pins plus more can be found here

Turning Thirty: Improving

I'm turning thirty years old on July 6th so for the next five weeks, I'm embracing life and trying to do at least one new and/or enjoyable and/or spectacular thing per day. Click here for more Turning Thirty posts.

This past Thursday night, I was watching tv with Anthony and telling him about the AltSummit class that was starting at 9:00pm, the one I had been looking at for weeks but never registered.  Then, I thought to myself (or maybe these were Anthony's words...), "Why don't I just sign up for it now?"  Literally four minutes before it started, I ran to my computer, punched in my info, and entered the online classroom.  Seize the moment, right?

This was the best AltSummit class that I've taken so far (my third one overall), and I really loved Victoria from A Subtle Revelry.  She was just as fun and sweet as I thought she'd be from reading her blog, and boy, is she impressive!  She juggles like 8 calendars, many different jobs and has 3-year old twins! Victoria also does something that I do not: she utilizes several online organizing tools in order to make sure she is in top of everything.  I'm kind of ashamed to admit this but I have hundreds and hundreds of bookmarks, which are totally unorganized, and every time I see something that I love, I copy the link and email it to myself.  Disaster.  There couldn't have been a better class for me to take at this point.

As a casual but dedicated blogger, I'm excited for the opportunities that AltSummit provides, and thanks to Bing, I have the opportunity to take a couple more classes free of charge this summer.   Now, excuse me while I go and make friends with Evernote and Thoughtbox, per Victoria's suggestions.

#thanksbing


The beautiful image above is courtesy of A Subtle Revelry (I love this idea!)

The Perfect Wedding Accessory

Last week, I got something special in the mail:

It's my ila purse, which I ordered from 100 Layer Cake's Pop-Up shop in May.  It's navy blue,has just the right number of ruffles and is absolutely perfect.  I cannot WAIT to use it next April at our wedding.  xo

Big Winner!

 
I don't generally consider myself to be a winner; I don't have the best luck in the world.  So you can imagine my surprise and amazement when I received not only one, but TWO emails in the past month telling me that I won books just from leaving comments on a couple of my favorite blogs!

From Chick Lit Central, I received Allison Winn Scotch's The Song Remains the Same, and from Chronicle Books, I received Nichole Robertson's Paris in Color.  I'm a fan of both Allison (she has such great advice for writers, which she generously shares on her blog) and Nichole (Little Brown Pen is one of my favorite blogs and I even have her Pink photo series hanging in our living room).  I'm beyond excited to be the owner of these two gorgeous books!

Thanks to Chronicle Books and Chick Lit Central for being so generous.  I can't wait to spend an afternoon with my prizes! xo

AltSummit Class: Round One

So in January, I realized that all of the blogs that I read were posting about AltSummit, with accompanying pictures of adorable ladies, cute hair buns, awesome photobooths and glittery decorations.  Where were they and why wasn't I there too?

It turns out that AltSummit is a conference held in Utah, which is for bloggers and social media peeps.  And I wanted to attend every class on the itinerary.  Growing readership?  Creative content?  Every session sounded wonderful, and I was envious of everyone there and their fabulous wardrobes (totally a reason I can't go to AltSummit anyway: I'll never look half as lovely as any of the attendees there and will stick out like a sore thumb, in the worst way). 

Great news, though: AltSummit started offering online classes, one-hour webinars taught by popular bloggers who are more than willing to share lots of blogging wisdom for a very low fee.  Yesterday was my first class, and I really enjoyed learning about "Bringing Home the Bacon When Your Blog Isn't Huge" with Melanie Blodgett of You Are My Fave.  She was honest and extremely sweet, and so willing to help that she provided her email address several times for leftover questions.  I definitely think I will take another one of these classes in the future.

My blog isn't large, nor does it have a huge following, but I really love it.  I post about things that I think are important or fun or exciting (sometimes all three!) and my favorite part is that it's all mine.  I closed out of Melanie's class yesterday and was extremely inspired to writewritewrite.  Mission accomplished. 



Alt logo courtesy of Altitude Design Summit blog

Chubby Hearts

I was so excited when I saw the felt project that Liz from Say Yes to Hoboken posted last week that I went to the craft store and bought a myriad of colors to make my own rainbow heart garland.  Of course, I ran out of time before Valentine's Day but was able to make a bunch of small red and pink hearts to glue onto magnets and add to cards for my family.  I can't wait to make the garland with all eight colors so that I can hang it in the apartment year-round.

There's really nothing that makes me happier than crafts and chubby hearts.

Thanks to Liz for sharing this adorable project. xo

Plugging In

This weekend, I officially jumped on the iPhone bandwagon and turned in my 5-year old flip phone with the broken screen.  I also opened my own Pinterest account so that I can stop lurking on the boards without being able to pin my own images.  I'm excited to now be able to tweet and blog from wherever I am, but I'm feeling a bit cautious too.  I don't like being attached to my phone, and I hate the idea of being 'too plugged in.' 

But for now, I'm embracing this technology upgrade and learning to adapt to my new phone, truly a lifeline to the real world.  It's a far cry from the mustard yellow rotary phone that my grandparents used to have until just a few years ago, but it'll work.  xo



Image via Forever Young

Gift Guide Adoration

The end of the year means it's time to start buying Christmas presents.  It also means that some of my favorite sites and blogs (like Design*Sponge and Cup of Jo, etc., etc.) start posting gift guides.  These bloggers and writers always have the best taste and find the most creative things to feature.  More often than not though, the things on these lists are items that I love and want to buy for myself, but that I don't think I can give to anyone on my list (like I can't think of any friend or family member who would want this awesome wood wall art but I'd love it for our apartment!)

Below is my own amateur attempt at a round-up of great stocking stuffers I've seen online the last couple of weeks.  What's been your favorite purchase so far? Mine is a cookbook for one of my bosses called All Cakes Considered by NPR's Melissa Gray, which I found at Chronicle Books. 

Little crocheted monsters via Etsy

Adorable dog balloon animal ornament via Urban Outfitters

Felt zipper pouch with bunting via Etsy

Mixed tape stamp kit via Yellow Owl Workshop

Star stud earrings via Etsy

Pet Prints

I just finished the cutest post on dog and cat prints for the Best Buddy Biscuit blog.  Check out some of these very stylish, pet-related posters that I compiled from Etsy.  Which one is your favorite?

Image via Wallfry

Cloud Cookies

I've been looking for a cloud cookie cutter for about two years.  Every time I'm in a kitchen store or a craft store, I'm fumbling among the cookie cutters looking for just the right one.  This past week in Vermont, it seemed like there were racks of cutters in almost every store we entered, but alas, no clouds (I did buy an adorable mini mitten cutter for winter though!). 

It's like it was meant to be that I came across Forty-sixth and Grace's Ice Cream Cloud tutorial yesterday.  Not only is the idea adorable but I love the detailed instructions that Nikole included, complete with perfect illustrations by Melinda Josie. It's so pretty that I kind of want to print it out and hang it on the refrigerator for inspiration!

Now, all I need is the cloud cookie cutter...


Image courtesy of Forty-Sixth at Grace

Blogging at BestBuddyBiscuits.com

A few years ago, my parents started Best Buddy Biscuits, an all-natural dog and cat treat bakery.  Every Saturday (except during in the colder weather when it's every other Saturday), they sell a large variety of dog biscuits, cat treats and beef jerky at the CitySeed Farmer's Market at Wooster Square in New Haven, Connecticut.  In the summer months, Best Buddy Biscuits participates in fairs, pet adoption events and kennel clubs events, and in the winter months, holiday festivals. 

With a growing customer base, my parents decided that they needed a new website as well as a blog and events calendar so that people can find Best Buddy Biscuits.  Almost a year ago, I volunteered to maintain the blog so that the website stays up-to-date.  I've been posting biweekly and in addition to Best Buddy Biscuit news, I also feature any entertaining, funny and/or interesting pet news that I read on the web on in newspapers. 

It's been fun so far and I hope that people are checking it out and enjoying what they read.  If you are interested, check out the blog here and let me know what you think.  And if you are ever in New Haven on a Saturday morning, stop by and check out the fresh flowers, vegetables, honey, bread, fruit and, of course, pet treats at Wooster Square.

NYC in Motion

New York is one of the greatest cities in the world, and it's one of my favorite places.  This time-lapse video from filmmaker Josh Owens is spectacular. So much happens on such a small island and Owens catches the beauty in all of the small things that make Manhattan great.  I especially love the traffic as it funnels in and out of the streets.  What's your favorite part?

Mindrelic - Manhattan in motion from Mindrelic on Vimeo.

Via Gawker, via New York magazine

White Walls No More

Growing up, my room was plastered with posters.  Any picture or card that I liked was attached to the wall with some kind of tape, and it basically stayed there until I moved out after college.  My dorm room walls in college were covered too.  The Muppet posters and certificates from elementary school were replaced by postcards and author quotes.  Since I've always decorated in some way, it's weird to think that the apartment that I just moved from, the one I lived in for four years, had nothing on the walls.

At first, I was too busy.  I wasn't able to take time off from work when I moved initially so I wound up unpacking at night and on weekends.  I put a few things aside that needed frames before they could be hung, but I never got around to buying any.  Then, for some irrational reason, I was worried about putting holes in the walls and getting charged for it by the landlord.  And now, I'm in a new place, an adult apartment, and I plan to actually follow through this time.

I've been collecting postcards for years, back to when I was eight or nine years old and bought a few in a hippie/bead store in Brattleboro, Vermont one weekend (yay, Beadniks!).  I have this idea of creating awesome collages with the mostly black-and-white postcards, along with framing some pictures of my family and Anthony.  And I have some photos from past vacations that might look nice if they were enlarged.  The goal is to make sure that people know that Anthony and I live in this place, and to make sure it reflects our personalities and the things we love at least a little bit.

I've had my eye on these Paris pictures for a long time.  I love Nichole Robertson's blog, Little Brown Pen, and her posts are always so wonderful, whether about France, traveling, her family or cheese (one of my favorite topics!).  Her photos focus on the little things that I love, the details not everyone notices but that add character and make a place special, like chairs, bicycles, sidewalks, coffee cups.  Now that her shop has these color collections in postcard-size, I think it's time to go ahead and buy them for our new home.  They remind me of the three days I spent in Paris and how, even though it was snowing and freezing, everything I saw was beautiful.  If you have time, check out Nichole's blog--it'll truly make you want to visit Paris.

 
Images of Color Postcard Collection from Little Brown Pen

Butter-Making Tutorial

 
Ummmm, I wrote about making butter last month and today, Design*Sponge has a post on homemade butter.  Does this mean that I'm actually trendy, current, hip, cool, with the times?! Yeah, I think it's a coincidence too. 

This piece by Ashley English is really great with tons of helpful details.  Try it out if you have some time this weekend.  I might try it again, too.  I also might check out one of her awesome-looking Homemade Living books.  I'd be beyond thrilled if I could make cheese from scratch and have it come out halfway edible. 




Image courtesy of Design*Sponge