currently

well, even though there are still a few hours left of January, I just flipped my desk calendar over to February.

this post is just going to be a bunch of random things going through my head...

why do iOS updates have to take so long? I updated my iPod software last night, and the internet decided to go out for a few minutes in the middle of it. thanks AT&T. thankfully I was able to update my phone with no problems today (:

and I finally turned iMessage off on my iPod today - it was really annoying to get messages on both my iPhone & my iPod.

I wish people would turn their headlights on when they're driving in the snow.

and since I've gotten a few hits from people searching for Red Velvet Pop-Tarts, here are a few more pictures for you guys! they're really really good!

and they actually taste like red velvet.

 toasted delicious-ness!

oh! look at what I got in the mail today!

the GIR spatula that I won over at Wifessionals! (:

we were looking at this in Restaurant Management today. so many amazing sounding restaurants! quite a few different pizza places & grilled cheese restaurants. one of the pizza places (Toppers) has a pizza topped with macaroni & cheese! Jeni's made the list too!

I'm off to work on some Valentine's!

currently listening

The End of January

How can it already be nearly a month into 2013? That's crazy!

This post is just some random ramblings and some pictures (:

I love seeing what people search to get to my blog - looks like those Pop-Tarts are pretty popular! (:

There was also a search today for "Delaney Davidson Little Heart through the snow" which I think is perfect for right now, because it has snowed all day, and the wind is blowing too!

We got this vintage Formica table a few weeks ago at work. It has matching chairs, but one of them needs to be replaced before we can put them out. The brass on the edges of the table and leafs were so tarnished and nasty, but Bar Keeper's Friend and some elbow grease cleaned 'em all up!! I wish I had taken before and after shots!

So even though it's been snowing all day, I still went over to do some office work this morning. The roads are pretty bad, and my sister's boyfriend even got in an accident on his way to work today. This week, we've actually gotten quite a bit of snow, but it melts a day or two later, since our temperatures keep fluctuating.

There will be quite a few snow pictures in Friday's January iPhone update.

After doing my office work today, I went to my favorite coffeehouse (the green one!) for a caramel crunch cocoa and some reading. Geri X's "You Can Have Me" was playing when I walked in. The snow was dripping down the windows of the coffeehouse like rain!

And I got some color in the mail today: the new Lilly Pulitzer catalog!

Twenty-Five Things About Me & Shopping

{Today I am one of the sponsors for a giveaway on Allie's blog. We're giving away a $100 gift card to the store of your choice!}

25 Things About Me:

1. music is my everything.
2. I hate sand.
3. I've never been outside of North America.
4. I have a hard time saying no - or as one of my musician friends said - I'm really good at saying yes.
5. I'm often cold.
6. I'm not a fan of dogs - although I love Boston Terriers & French Bulldogs.
7. I love to bake cupcakes.
8. my favorite color is sea glass green.
9. I spend way too much time online.
10. I almost went to college for a degree in Fashion Marketing.
11. even though I didn't play any sports in high school, I still ended up on Homecoming court senior year.
12. I love animal prints.
13. I'm supposed to be learning how to play slide guitar, but I haven't touched my Danelectro in over six months.
14. I have taken five years of French, but sadly it's slipping away.
15. I love having painted nails.
16. I love shopping.
17. I want to go to school (after getting my associate's) for photography and music business.
18. I don't know how to do hair (or makeup).
19. I hate parking next to other cars.
20. I might possibly have a shopping addiction.
21. I always ask for red velvet cake for my birthday cake.
22. I over apologize.
23. a few things you can count on me to say multiple times a day: "Okay!" "Sounds good!" "Sorry!" "I'm sorry!" "Oh my God!" "Of course!" "Seriously?!" "Can you imagine?"
24. I enjoy reading etiquette books.
25. I can't stand lateness.


*********************
I ran some errands/went shopping yesterday! I wanted to pick up some markers for making Valentines, and I saw on Instagram on Sunday night that there are red velvet Pop-Tarts, so I had to get some! I also needed jelly and I ran out of Nutella...

Two weeks ago, I decided that I couldn't go to Target until after Valentine's Day. Well, I went today and I didn't break the bank. So maybe going every other week works sometimes?

Moving on...here are some pictures of what I bought!

First stop: grocery store, aisle two! I couldn't remember if I had strawberry jam or strawberry jelly at home, so I was comparing labels when I noticed that both had high fructose corn syrup {which I'm sure I get more than enough of}, so I grabbed this one instead! Also, I wanted to try this Jif faux-Nutella to see if it's smoother than Nutella.

I then went next door to Wal-Mart for these markers, which I got a good deal on.

Yay! Almost missed the red velvet Pop-Tarts on the bottom shelf. They were next to these marshmallow hot chocolate ones that I had to try too! (;

My mom wanted to venture out of the house in the afternoon...even though it was 0* outside. {Side note: the high for today is 1* and the low is -9*!!} I had these as a snack with a Gala apple when I returned home. Yum!

I found some cute notecards in the dollar spot at Target {8 for $1} and another roll of cupcake wrapping paper!

This super soft black v-neck cardigan was $6 {70% off} so I had to get it! The buttons are so pretty! And I bought a belt for the first time ever! It's mint green, but the flash made it look white. It matches Luna! (:

Remember my Fred & Friends Matryoshka kitchen stuff? The items that Target carries are on clearance! Of course I had to get the salt & pepper shaker! (: {I'm just missing the timer I think.}

There is a large shopping bag filled with cute kitchen stuff in my bedroom haha.

Have a wonderful Tuesday {stay warm!} and don't forget to enter the giveaway!!!

It's January Twenty-fifth.

Today is the twenty-fifth of January. And if you don't know what that means to me, I'll tell you.

Two years ago, I dropped off the GTI at my dad's office like any other morning and walked across the street to school. I came back to his office after school and he said, "You can take the pretty car."

Wait. Let me back up.

On the eighteenth of December, 2010, one of our family friends traded in his Volkswagen Beetle (after a few years of touring the U.S. and Canada) for a van more suitable for a life on the road. I wanted the Beetle before it even got here. I remember excitedly telling my friends about it at lunch one day after it got here. After extensive cleaning, sticker removing, and a windshield replacement (thank you, thank you, thank you Brian!), the Beetle was finally ready for me.

So, that Tuesday, I drove the Beetle home and exchanged my school bag for my purse, and I made my first trip over the steel bridge (we have three bridges in our tiny town that connect the island [technically] to the mainland of Wisconsin) to the green coffeehouse where I treated myself to a strawberry smoothie.

It was the first time in about seven months that I had driven a car with an automatic transmission, so it was a little weird at first.

That night was the boys' last home swim meet {I was one of the managers of the boy's swim team my senior year hahaha} and therefore it was parents' night. It was the only home meet they won that year.

And those are my recollections of that very first day.

25 January 2011

The notes that I have about last year include going back to the green coffeehouse for a strawberry smoothie, a consultation for getting my wisdom teeth removed, and watching the Help at my aunt & uncle's house! (:

25 January 2012

And while there won't be a trip to the coffeehouse for a smoothie this year (I have to work in two hours and it's snowing, ergo I'm not leaving until I have to leave), there will be a steering wheel picture.

For the record - I did put more than 2.5k miles on Luna this year. haha.

Adventures in Driving Manual & Other Ramblings

My sister's first car was a little red Acura with manual transmission. Her second car also was manual transmission. My mom took the test to get her driver's license in a limited edition Volkswagen Beetle convertible (baby blue; 1970's?). It was stick shift. And my dad? Well, he learned to drive before he was sixteen.

And then there's me. I didn't learn how to drive stick until months after I had my driver's license.

Here's the whole story.

I started driver's ed about two months before I turned sixteen. It was June of 2009 and I was stuck in a classroom for a few hours a day, four days a week for four weeks - with a bunch of underclassmen. I was going to be a junior in the fall. Needless to say, I was rather annoyed by this.

Anyway, I got my temps on the twenty-fifth of June, 2009. In Wisconsin, this means that I could first take the test for my actual license on Christmas (obviously the DMV would be closed that day). I took the test on January twenty-seventh, 2010. I passed! But, since our DMV only prints cards (IDs, licenses, etc.) on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I had to wait until the next day to actually get my license.

Now, unlike my sister, I did not buy a car while in high school. I'm not really sure why, but I'm glad things happened the way they did. The side story here is that my parents own an automotive business, and in addition to fixing and selling cars, they also rent cars. So I would just walk across the street after school on Fridays and borrow a rental for the weekend to get to work and religious ed, and then I would drop it off on Mondays before school. I drove quite a few Ford Tauruses that spring! haha.

(In order to recall dates and such, I've been looking through old journals from high school. I had thought that Dad started to teach me how to drive stick in April, but apparently, it was January.)

So, that winter/spring, there was a Jeep at my Dad's that was for sale. Manual transmission. What a perfect way to teach me to drive stick! Yeah, it didn't work too well. I just drove in circles so I didn't have to shift! haha. Once he did make me drive on the road, I stalled at a stop sign probably five times. It was quite embarrassing.

Scion xB {2004 Hot Lava edition} - September 2012

Sometime before June, I practiced driving manual with my mom and sister, because in mid-June, I had the 1999 Volkswagen Golf GTI. It was pretty much mine the summer of 2010, as I had something going on every day of the week. (Sunday: Mass with the parents at 10, candy store 12-6 / Monday: TumbleBugs at the Y [4:30-6?] / Tuesday: candy store 9-2, peer ministry at church 5:30-8 / Wednesday: motel 4-9 / Thursday: Tiny Trekkers at the Y 9-12 / Friday: candy store 9-1, motel 3-9 / Saturday: candy store 9-2, motel 5-9)

There was one evening I remember quite well. I was driving home from the motel, and I kept stalling out on my way home. I was crying and frustrated, and when I was trying to maneuver to park correctly in the driveway at home, I kept stalling out. I was so frustrated! But not too long later, I went months without stalling.

1999 Volkswagen GTI

When I started my senior year in September, I would drop off the GTI in the mornings, and pick it up after school. It was like having my own car, but I didn't have to pay for anything! (:

It was really great to drive stick in the snow because it seemed so much smoother (it could have been snow tires or something, who knows).

Another thing I loved about the GTI was the gas mileage. I only went to a gas station once that summer. Even though I wasn't paying for the fuel, it was still awesome!

first day of senior year - rocking Delaney Davidson & Vera Bradley // photo by my mom

I am so glad I learned how to drive manual, even though I didn't want to in the first place! Sometimes I even miss it! When I first drove the Beetle in January 2011, I was slightly confused as to what to do with my left foot! haha.

 Oh and one thing I learned while driving stick? How to steer with only my left hand - and I still do {for the most part}.

sisters! <3 - Helga & Luna {January 2011}

{Not sure why I thought the GTI should be Helga - isn't that a Swedish name?}

Little Heart

little heart, go slow
I'm already here, you know
over the lake you see the wind blow
through the trees, and through the snow
winter comes around
the heart gets slow, the senses all shut down
resistance in the coil
the teacup waits, as the water starts to boil
live according to the seasons
in the home where I was born
things have gotta have a reason
the sun don't come before the dawn
the little man must go
choke the business down, the river thick and slow
a dirty meddling hand
will drive the value down and buy up all the land
see the head, the head is floating
the body sits there all alone
grandpa, see, the world is changing
the little boy has left the home

Little Heart written and performed by Delaney Davidson, with melaniejane on cello

Delaney's words on the song: "little heart, politics and generation gaps can separate families, random beliefs or beliefs in beliefs, drawing lines that shouldn't exist.. when does the beauty of conviction become a pompous alienating conceit, and when does love step in to erase the barriers that separate us... Age, Money, Status, Persuasion..."

(all information above from the liner notes of Self Decapitation)

liner notes from Self Decapitation

I absolutely love this song. Not only is this the second to last song that I listen to every night, but I've actually listened to this song over a thousand times. It's best live of course!

Delaney himself is a pretty incredible man. I am so glad that I have had the chance to not only meet him {in the summer of 2009}, but I have also had the chance to see him perform live five times. He was even a guest at my seventeenth birthday party, and at my grandparents' house on Independence Day for a fish boil!

I have had a few interesting conversations with him too. Maybe it's just because I love listening to his accent... {he's from New Zealand}

my seventeenth birthday - with pat mAcdonald, melaniejane, & Delaney Davidson // photo by my mom

{I must admit that I am forever envious of pat's shirt}

I love this action shot I got of him in June!

I also really love his songs "I Told a Secret," "Wicked Wiggler," "In the Aisles," "Time Has Gone," "Frontseat," "Girl in White," "Poison Song," "Stone Song," "I'm a Fool," "Around the World," "In the Pines," "Lackie's Men," "Back in Hell," "Homeward Bound," "Magpie Song," "Bad Luck Man," "I'm So Depressed," "Another Man's Eyes," "You're a Loser," "So Long," "River of Misery," "It's So Good," and "Windy City." {wow that quickly turned into a long and depressing list of song titles. my apologies.}

me & Delaney; 13 June 2012 // photo by Abi

Anyway, back to the song.

It is forever etched into my heart. I love it so much, and I am forever grateful for not only this man, but the wonderful people who brought him into my life. I love you all.

and here's the official music video for Little Heart. Directed by Damien Shatford.


I must admit that Delaney with a beard totally scares me.

visit Delaney here.

baking & a little Max

Remember when I blogged about the awesome package Evani sent me? Well, last night I made cupcakes! This was the first time that I had ever used a pastry bag, so I'm too sure as to how that went...there might be a lot of filling in some of the cupcakes, because there wasn't enough frosting to frost all of the cupcakes hahaha. oops.

I had one last night and it was delicious!!

so here's what I used: Duncan Hines Decadent Red Velvet Cupcake mix, Wilton Christmas cupcake liners, and red/white/green sprinkles! (: thanks Evani!!

I just love the contrast of the white cupcake liner {you can just barely see the reindeer haha} with the ketchup-red of the batter!

pretty Christmas cupcakes (:

Did I show you my new scarf? I love it so much, and it goes so well with my new coat!!

Vera Bradley Fringe Scarf in Go Wild

And a picture from Wednesday...

Max was so tired that he fell asleep in my arms. (photo by my mom)

He used to do this all the time when he was a baby.

September 2010 - 3 months old (photo by my mom)

hahaha those photos are really unflattering

shopaholic

This past week has been filled with quite a bit of shopping! (:

I had to buy my books for this semester of college (which starts tomorrow), and I also picked up a few other things (like some unpictured Vera Wang thank you cards from TJ Maxx).

candy cane pajama pants from Old Navy! (clearance - $5)

cheetah print fleece blanket also from Old Navy (clearance - $5)

I found these at Goodwill. {they were brand new, or I wouldn't have gotten them} $4

Target/Nieman Marcus holiday items were 70% off at Target! got this MJ scarf for $21 & it's still on the hanger in my room! ha. I also got a new grey peacoat at Target for $25 (50% off).

mega clearance at Barnes & Noble got me three books (50% off + 10% of with membership) for $20!

I fell in love with these measuring cups at Target a few weeks back. I looked them up online, I found more items in the collection. measuring cups // storage containers // measuring spoons

And I finally painted my nails for the first time since October! This is OPI's Swimsuit...Nailed It! from their Miss America collection a year or two ago. There are still six unused nail colors on my bookshelf...haha.
Sorry about my thumb - got a little excited opening my Amazon package and I got stabbed my my letter opener...

After I have some lunch, I'm going to head downtown to the post office to exchange my American Eagle jeans (they changed their inseam lengths and now the longs are way way way too long!), and check out the new Vera Bradley at my retailer! I'm in love with Go Wild!

xoxo.

Liebster Award

The wonderful Miss Leah nominated me for a Liebster Award!

The Liebster award is given to new or up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers and then the award is then passed along to other bloggers in the same category to help spread the word and support one another.

Each nominated blogger must post 11 things about themselves. They then answer the 11 questions the tagger has asked. After spilling their guts, the blogger must create 11 questions and then choose 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers to nominate, link to them, and answer their questions. Sounds simple and fun.

Thank you Leah! I love how you described my blog (: {a young lady making her way through life in a Volkswagen Beetle.}

Moving on.

11 Things About Me:

1. I love sending hand written "snail mail"
2. I was so against naming my car, until I found out that its color is Luna Green, and I've been calling her Luna ever since.
3. I seriously don't know what I want to do with my life. Everything is always on two extreme ends of the spectrum: I want to move to Los Angeles, yet I don't want to quit my job.
4. My parents are both left-handed, but my sister and I are both right-handed.
5. I have green eyes, but both of my parents and my sister have blue eyes.
6. I was born on Monday, the ninth of August, 1993 at 6:20 pm.
7. I know how to correctly fold fitted sheets (and I can and will teach anyone who wants to learn!).
8. My ears are only pierced once each, and those are the only piercings I will ever get. I don't want any more. On the other hand, someday I would like a few tattoos.
9. I want to meet the Osbournes {Ozzy, Sharon, Aimee, Kelly, & Jack [and Pearl!!]}.
10. I really want to travel the world. I want to go to Europe to see England, Ireland, France, Italy, etc.; see Australia; visit my friend in New Zealand; travel around Canada; and visit all fifty states.
11. There is currently a Danelectro guitar sitting in my room that hasn't seen daylight in at least six months.

me & Luna

11 Questions from Leah:

1. You can travel back in time. Where do you go?

ahh there are so many places I long to revisit: Camp U-Nah-Li-Ya those October days in middle school, seventh grade and our crazy shenanigans as a combined 7th/8th grade class of eight at a Catholic school, Halloween weekend 2010, Los Angeles vacation with my parents in March 2011, and every single concert I've ever attended.

2. How do you eat an Oreo?

Funny you should ask. We actually had to do a survey thing about this for my Race, Ethnic, and Diversity class this summer. Sometimes I just bite into it, other times I separate it and eat the part with the creme last. haha.

3. You have to give up one of your five senses. Which one goes?

Taste. Seriously weird, but true. I could not live with out touch, sight, or hearing. So that put it down to taste or smell, and I would think that if I had the sense of smell, I could at least have a sense of what I was tasting. Does that even make sense?

4. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Let's see - a ballerina, a pop star {I used to really like Brittney Spears when I was like seven}, a teacher, a fashion designer, etc.

5. If you could pick any actor/actress to play you in a movie, who would it be and why?

Ahhhh, I never have any idea how to answer this question!

6. What's your favorite breakfast food?

I typically just have cereal {usually Cinnamon Life or Chex or Honey Bunches of Oats}, but I also like muffins! (:

7. What's your worst habit?

Ummm, playing with my hair or using fillers when talking {such as um haha}.

8. What's the biggest challenge you've overcome in life?

Coming to terms with the fact that life doesn't always go the way you wanted, or planned, it to go. {That's a challenge, right?}

9. What's your favorite holiday?

I love Christmas! Our whole family gets together at my grandparents' house, and we all hang out, eat, and exchange gifts. (:

I also really like Halloween, because we always make it a lot of fun, but I am fully aware that Halloween is just a "day of observance."

10. Any pet peeves?

It annoys me when people have bad grammar.

11. It's dinner party time! Which five people do you invite over?

Ozzy, Sharon, Aimee, Kelly, and Jack {and Pearl} Osbourne! (:

Now comes the time in this post where I am supposed to tag 11 other bloggers with less than 200 followers, and ask them 11 questions. I don't know if I really follow that many blogs with less than 200 followers, so anyone who wants to answer these questions can! (:

1. What is your go-to dinner recipe?
2. Name five things that are currently in your purse.
3. What is your favorite item in your closet, and why?
4. What is the last thing you bought?
5. Any hidden talents?
6. Have you ever met a celebrity?
7. What is your dream car?
8. Where did you go on your last vacation?
9. What is your favorite gift that you have ever given to someone?
10. Any goals for the next five years?
11. Share your favorite photo with us!

The Month by iPhone: December 2012

How can it already be 2013?!? That's so crazy. I turn 20 this year! Ohhh God, I feel old. And I graduate from college in December!!!

Anyway, here are some Instagrams from this crazy month (:

{new} vintage mini silverware

birds' nest

Luna got waxed to prepare for winter! (:

un-boxing the Christmas ornaments at work

my mom made really good chocolate chip cookies!

at the ortho for the first of three times in December...

Dad's office

bracelet from The Meraki Menagerie

Space Kitty Blues!!!

historic room

pink & brown

part of my Christmas decorations at the motel (:

I really love clouds.

99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall // the complete lyrics {autographed copies}

part of my Christmas gift from my ten month old cousin - he walked around his house with this chocolate bar in his mouth! haha.

apple pie on Christmas

for Christmas a year or two ago, we received music-themed poetry magnets for the motel. my manager recently picked up the rapper edition. haha.

my manager's beautiful flowers!!

grey day.

Max is obsessed with his new mouse! thanks, Evani!!

Peachy!

Christmas present from my dad {Pancake Slim Western shirt}

I love this plate and the boomerang counter! {this photo is over-saturated}

outfit of the day for 31 December, and a photobomb by Max (: