a week of getting into the summer rhythm...
Wednesday 18 June // day one hundred sixty-nine :: this was the first day in a very, very long time that I didn't have plans! I stayed in my apartment all day and just hung out and relaxed. I made the moistest very vanilla mug cake from Table for Two, but it didn't turn out very well for me. It was spongey and didn't have a lot of flavor.
Thursday 19 June // day one hundred seventy :: NatureBox arrival day!! {see what I got here}
Friday 20 June // day one hundred seventy-one :: this squirrel friend was just hanging out on the railing of my balcony.
Saturday 21 June // day one hundred seventy-two :: I love trying to match my socks to the rest of my outfit, and my favorite kind of socks are animal print! (:
Sunday 22 June // day one hundred seventy-three :: sometimes I don't like to put my shoes away.
Monday 23 June // day one hundred seventy-four :: it's been pretty rainy the past few days, but it cleared up today, and I took this picture shortly after the rain stopped this morning.
Tuesday 24 June // day one hundred seventy-five :: having a snack between jobs. {and yes, the plate is in focus, not the apple or the knife...}
xoxo.
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
NatureBox :: June 2014
I am always anticipating the arrival of my NatureBox! On Thursday, I was sitting at my
I dug right in and started photographing and snacking. Let's see what I got!
Whole Wheat Strawberry Figgy Bars :: I always enjoy their figgy bars. These ones didn't have a distinct strawberry taste to me though. They taste pretty much the same as the apple pie ones. They're still good though. And the fact that they are whole wheat makes me feel like I'm eating so much healthier. (;
Chocolate Quinoa Granola :: I am a total sucker for granola, and I think that chocolate granola is my favorite. Yum! This one is light and crunchy. The ingredients label says that there are freeze-dried blueberries in here, but you can't even taste them.
Chia Seed Crackers :: Chia seeds are supposed to be healthy, right? I've been putting some raw chia seeds in my smoothies, but now I ran out so I'll have to find some more. I actually originally bought them at Home Goods (TJ Maxx)! These crackers contain sesame seeds (not my favorite) as well, but you can't really taste them. I don't really know how to describe these crackers. For some reason, I thought that they were going to be cheese-flavored, but they're not. They're just crackers.
Big Island Pineapple :: I'm really weird about pineapple. It's because there was this one time when I was at an airport, and I got breakfast from Starbucks. I got a fruit cup and a croissant, but there was just way too much pineapple in the fruit cup, and I think that was the last time I ate fresh pineapple like that. These dried pineapple rings are great! They're really sweet and chewy.
Sea Salt Pop Pops :: My first thought about these was disappointment because I had just bought and opened a bag of Boom Chicka Pop (which is really delicious popcorn). Then I read the description on the bag and was confused, thinking that these were popcorn kernels, as in those super hard unpopped things at the bottom of a bag of popcorn. I think that they should change that description to "sea salted popped corn kernels." These are super delicious, light and sweet slightly salted popped corn kernels. They're just as good as Boom Chicka Pop, but very different.
xoxo.
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Volkswagen Problems
Let's just take one brief moment to appreciate my outfit choice (circa March 2009). I hated those Transition lenses and that coat, but I thought that my shoes and my Vera Bradley tote were so cool. {This photo was taken at the Jelly Belly Factory in Pleasant Prairie, WI.}
Moving on.
Don't get me wrong, I love my Luna, and the GTI before her, but there are just some things about Volkswagens that you have to be prepared for if you are looking to purchase one.
{Please note that all statements in this post and on this blog are my personal opinions and experiences.}
#vwproblems
1. In order to actually lock all of the doors, the driver door must be closed. I guess that's supposed to be a safety feature so that you don't accidentally lock your keys in the car by locking the car with the button on the inside of the door when you get out.
2. That said, if you don't start your car soon enough after unlocking it, it will lock again. Okay, let me try to explain that better. Often when I go shopping, I will unlock my car and put my purse and groceries or whatever I bought at Target on the passenger seat. When I close the door, I need to make sure that I have my keys in my hand, because often times it will lock, and I don't want to lock my keys in my car!
3. After market alarm systems. Ugh. The GTI had an after market alarm system, which caused a couple problems, one of which was obviously my fault. I killed the battery a few times by accidentally leaving the lights on when it was still kind of light out because it wouldn't ding to remind me. The other problem was that sometimes if I got in the car and made a phone call or something before turning the car on, the alarm would go off. That was crazy and really annoying.
4. Also related to the battery killing, if the key was left in the ignition, the radio would stay on, which was unnoticeable since I would just listen to my iPod, without it being plugged into anything. This is the same for my Beetle, which still has the original radio and alarm system.
5. People punch each other when you drive by. Okay, I honestly find this hilarious.
The saddest part of this picture is that I actually traced these; they weren't drawn by hand. This was for a project in French IV three years ago.
All in all, I love my VW and the only non-Volkswagen car I could see myself driving is a Mini Cooper. I love parking next to other Beetles at any chance that I get, and flashing peace signs at other Beetles on the road.
xoxo.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
24/52 2014
wow. what a week. lots of craziness and lots of stress, but lots of fun and music too. I'm glad that the stress is over, but I wish that my friends were still here.
Wednesday 11 June // day one hundred sixty-two :: this is Charlie. he's working on writing a chord chart.
Thursday 12 June // day one hundred sixty-three :: typical DanO.
Friday 13 June // day one hundred sixty-four :: Party on the Bridge Tonight! (:
Saturday 14 June // day one hundred sixty-five :: Monument gave me the chills big time.
Sunday 15 June // day one hundred sixty-six :: remember Vee, who I gave a Cinderella bandaid to when he broke his nail? he put it on his guitar head! {original picture in this post}
Monday 16 June // day one hundred sixty-seven :: this Boom Chicka Pop is addicting!
Tuesday 17 June // day one hundred sixty-eight :: this banana is ready for a smoothie, and I am ready for some photo inspiration!
xoxo.
Wednesday 11 June // day one hundred sixty-two :: this is Charlie. he's working on writing a chord chart.
Thursday 12 June // day one hundred sixty-three :: typical DanO.
Friday 13 June // day one hundred sixty-four :: Party on the Bridge Tonight! (:
Saturday 14 June // day one hundred sixty-five :: Monument gave me the chills big time.
Sunday 15 June // day one hundred sixty-six :: remember Vee, who I gave a Cinderella bandaid to when he broke his nail? he put it on his guitar head! {original picture in this post}
Monday 16 June // day one hundred sixty-seven :: this Boom Chicka Pop is addicting!
Tuesday 17 June // day one hundred sixty-eight :: this banana is ready for a smoothie, and I am ready for some photo inspiration!
xoxo.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
23/52 2014
The pictures are kind of big this week because sometimes I forget to change the size in photoshop...
An average week merges into event week, and things become crazy. I would be lying if I said I didn't love it.
Wednesday 4 June // day one hundred fifty-five :: nail painting time! that's Casino Royale (:
Thursday 5 June // day one hundred fifty-six :: I have a weakness for buying fun and unnecessary ice cream at the grocery store. case in point: Classic Chocolate Cupcake (Kemps)
Friday 6 June // day one hundred fifty-seven :: watching old episodes of the Amazing Race before work!
Saturday 7 June // day one hundred fifty-eight :: high school graduation present from three years ago. time really flies. I don't wear a lot of perfume because sometimes it gives me a headache, but the bottle is so adorable.
Sunday 8 June // day one hundred fifty-nine :: this is Tilly. her people are on the left. (:
Monday 9 June // day one hundred sixty :: this is Susan and Eric, and they are rehearsing a song.
Tuesday 10 June // day one hundred sixty-one :: looks like Geri and Meaghan are telling secrets (:
xoxo.
An average week merges into event week, and things become crazy. I would be lying if I said I didn't love it.
Wednesday 4 June // day one hundred fifty-five :: nail painting time! that's Casino Royale (:
Thursday 5 June // day one hundred fifty-six :: I have a weakness for buying fun and unnecessary ice cream at the grocery store. case in point: Classic Chocolate Cupcake (Kemps)
Friday 6 June // day one hundred fifty-seven :: watching old episodes of the Amazing Race before work!
Saturday 7 June // day one hundred fifty-eight :: high school graduation present from three years ago. time really flies. I don't wear a lot of perfume because sometimes it gives me a headache, but the bottle is so adorable.
Sunday 8 June // day one hundred fifty-nine :: this is Tilly. her people are on the left. (:
Monday 9 June // day one hundred sixty :: this is Susan and Eric, and they are rehearsing a song.
Tuesday 10 June // day one hundred sixty-one :: looks like Geri and Meaghan are telling secrets (:
xoxo.
Monday, June 9, 2014
Apartment Tour
If I waited until everything looks just the way I want it to look, I knew that I would never end up taking any pictures. I just moved the clutter out of the way (except for the dishes in the sink, oops.). It's not much, but it's all mine.
The first thing you see upon entering is this painting that my aunt painted for me for my sixteenth birthday. The bathroom is straight ahead, bedrooms are to the right, and the kitchen, living room, dining room, and laundry room are to the left.
I'm not sure why this light switch next to the door has a different plate on it, but it's cuter than the other boring yellowish ones!
This is my coat closet. Since I don't have a garage, this is where my car paint and bicycle and motorcycle helmets get to hang out as well. The bag to the left has some winter hats, gloves and scarves in it, but most of my scarves are in the closet in my bedroom. It's so weird for me to have all of my shoes in one place! I used to have most of my shoes in my bedroom, and a few pairs down in the dining room. {My old house was built in the early 1900's and there were no built in closets.}
Here is a closeup of the painting and you can see the bedroom doors there.
There are some random things in the dresser, and then on top are a couple pieces of pottery that I painted years ago, a wooden cross, a piece of pottery that my aunt made, and some flowers from my babysitter's wedding a few years ago.
There are a few concert posters on the wall, and the candle was made by my cousin. I painted the chair in the corner a few years ago, and the bag on it has some random stuff that I never got around to unpacking. haha. Otherwise, this room is pretty bare.
{square pillow + pillowcover - IKEA // cupcake sheets - ShopKo? (a few years ago) // shelf headboard - Verlo // poster frames - Target // posters - signed by the artists themselves (: // candle - Whiteout Wicks // dresser - made by my great-grandfather? I've had it as long as I can remember}
My bedroom is on the corner of the building (I live upstairs in a four-plex.), so it's much quieter than when I was sleeping in the guest room for the first week before my bed arrived. The cube bookshelf on the left has CDs, cookbooks, yearbooks, a few journals, my Children's Liturgy of the Word book and notebook, and a few knick knacks. The other bookshelf has my French, restaurant, and hotel textbooks and work and then the rest of my books. My dresser has a few fun things hiding behind those pictures. There's another candle (but it's in a holiday glass), a Vintage Avon cologne bottle shaped like a Volkswagen Beetle, and a few animal print Victoria's Secret PINK dogs. There's also a ceramic T and a bottle of Marc Jacobs' Daisy, which was a high school graduation gift.
{bookshelves - Target (cubes // 3-shelf) // frames - Target (not sure about silver one) // sheets, comforter, pink pillow - Target // square pillow + pillow cover - IKEA // sheepskin rug - IKEA // bed frame - Verlo // dresser - was once my dad's // The Happiness Project journal - amazon // cigar box "purse" (contains some stationery, stamps, stickers, etc. - gift from a friend}
I'm not a big fan of chevron, but I liked those colors, and I needed a shower curtain and it was on clearance. The matching hand towels were also on clearance, and they are thicker than the other cute rose-print ones that I wanted. I keep my daily essentials on the counter, and everything else is stored either below the sink or in the cabinets to the right. In addition to a bobby pin, the little tray usually has a hair tie and my ring on it.
{shower curtain + hooks - Target // hand towels - Target // bath towel - Lands' End // bathmat - Target // candle - Whiteout Wicks // melamine berry basket - World Market // toothbrush holder - Target // ring tray - Mexico (gift) // Vitabath lotion - Influenster}
Let's pretend that the frame and the wall are straight, because the frame has now been straightened. All of the postcards here are from Door County, and with the exception of the map one in the lower right, they're all vintage. The frame I took from my mom (it used to hang in our living room with pictures from 2006), and I think it's from Wal-Mart.
{that's washi tape, not painter's tape. it looks kind of trashy in a photo, but much better in person.}
This is the view of the kitchen from the dining room. It's pretty small, and there isn't a whole lot of storage space. There's a dishwasher, but I don't use it, and I would honestly prefer that there was another cabinet there instead.
The kitchen looks into the living room. My landlord calls it an open plan, but I think that the kitchen seems a little more separate.
{Audrey Hepburn calendar - Graphique from World Market // washi tape - Scotch Expressions from Target // KitchenAid Classic stand mixer // cupcake dish towel - Wal-Mart // hot pink knife block and knives/scissors - Farberware from Gordmans // Dr. Seuss printables // Lalaloopsy printables // USA map printable (I colored in the states that I've visited) // circular photo magnets - Social Print Studio}
The living room is empty right now, but I'm hoping to turn this into an office. I'd like to get a desk to go in that corner. The living room and dining room are all one space, so when I wasn't sure if the dining room table was going to fit in the dining room, I was considering putting it in the living room somewhere. My modem and router for internet sit on the bottom part of the end table below the printer.
{Canon PIXMA MG5422 printer - Sam's Club // end table - my mom via my uncle // Fellowes P-12C paper shredder}
I have tried multiple times to get the table cloth to stay flat, but there's some really dried out tape on the table protector that should be retaped. The laundry room is attached to the dining room, which is convenient since I use my computer at the table since that's the only flat surface here right now, and I can work on stuff while I'm waiting for the laundry to be done. The space is also going to be used as a pantry. I bought a shelving unit not too long ago because I was tired of having to reach so high to get stuff from off the shelf. The seahorse really belongs in the bathroom (it was in my great-grandmother's bathroom, and then in the bathroom at my house), but I'm trying to figure out how to hang it with Command strips, since I can't put a nail in the wall. I found a couple nails in the laundry room, so that's how it ended up there.
{sunrise picture - taken by my dad // frame - Target // dining room table and tablecloth - no idea // dining room chairs - Target years ago // washer and dryer - Frigidaire // shelving unit - ShopKo Hometown // seahorse - made in Florida}
The walls were painted right before I moved in, and my landlord said that she thought the color was called Summer Moon, which is a Behr color. The tiling in the entryway and the carpeting in my bedroom are also brand new, in addition to the kitchen faucet.
xoxo.
The first thing you see upon entering is this painting that my aunt painted for me for my sixteenth birthday. The bathroom is straight ahead, bedrooms are to the right, and the kitchen, living room, dining room, and laundry room are to the left.
I'm not sure why this light switch next to the door has a different plate on it, but it's cuter than the other boring yellowish ones!
This is my coat closet. Since I don't have a garage, this is where my car paint and bicycle and motorcycle helmets get to hang out as well. The bag to the left has some winter hats, gloves and scarves in it, but most of my scarves are in the closet in my bedroom. It's so weird for me to have all of my shoes in one place! I used to have most of my shoes in my bedroom, and a few pairs down in the dining room. {My old house was built in the early 1900's and there were no built in closets.}
Here is a closeup of the painting and you can see the bedroom doors there.
There are some random things in the dresser, and then on top are a couple pieces of pottery that I painted years ago, a wooden cross, a piece of pottery that my aunt made, and some flowers from my babysitter's wedding a few years ago.
There are a few concert posters on the wall, and the candle was made by my cousin. I painted the chair in the corner a few years ago, and the bag on it has some random stuff that I never got around to unpacking. haha. Otherwise, this room is pretty bare.
{square pillow + pillowcover - IKEA // cupcake sheets - ShopKo? (a few years ago) // shelf headboard - Verlo // poster frames - Target // posters - signed by the artists themselves (: // candle - Whiteout Wicks // dresser - made by my great-grandfather? I've had it as long as I can remember}
My bedroom is on the corner of the building (I live upstairs in a four-plex.), so it's much quieter than when I was sleeping in the guest room for the first week before my bed arrived. The cube bookshelf on the left has CDs, cookbooks, yearbooks, a few journals, my Children's Liturgy of the Word book and notebook, and a few knick knacks. The other bookshelf has my French, restaurant, and hotel textbooks and work and then the rest of my books. My dresser has a few fun things hiding behind those pictures. There's another candle (but it's in a holiday glass), a Vintage Avon cologne bottle shaped like a Volkswagen Beetle, and a few animal print Victoria's Secret PINK dogs. There's also a ceramic T and a bottle of Marc Jacobs' Daisy, which was a high school graduation gift.
{bookshelves - Target (cubes // 3-shelf) // frames - Target (not sure about silver one) // sheets, comforter, pink pillow - Target // square pillow + pillow cover - IKEA // sheepskin rug - IKEA // bed frame - Verlo // dresser - was once my dad's // The Happiness Project journal - amazon // cigar box "purse" (contains some stationery, stamps, stickers, etc. - gift from a friend}
I'm not a big fan of chevron, but I liked those colors, and I needed a shower curtain and it was on clearance. The matching hand towels were also on clearance, and they are thicker than the other cute rose-print ones that I wanted. I keep my daily essentials on the counter, and everything else is stored either below the sink or in the cabinets to the right. In addition to a bobby pin, the little tray usually has a hair tie and my ring on it.
{shower curtain + hooks - Target // hand towels - Target // bath towel - Lands' End // bathmat - Target // candle - Whiteout Wicks // melamine berry basket - World Market // toothbrush holder - Target // ring tray - Mexico (gift) // Vitabath lotion - Influenster}
Let's pretend that the frame and the wall are straight, because the frame has now been straightened. All of the postcards here are from Door County, and with the exception of the map one in the lower right, they're all vintage. The frame I took from my mom (it used to hang in our living room with pictures from 2006), and I think it's from Wal-Mart.
{that's washi tape, not painter's tape. it looks kind of trashy in a photo, but much better in person.}
This is the view of the kitchen from the dining room. It's pretty small, and there isn't a whole lot of storage space. There's a dishwasher, but I don't use it, and I would honestly prefer that there was another cabinet there instead.
The kitchen looks into the living room. My landlord calls it an open plan, but I think that the kitchen seems a little more separate.
{Audrey Hepburn calendar - Graphique from World Market // washi tape - Scotch Expressions from Target // KitchenAid Classic stand mixer // cupcake dish towel - Wal-Mart // hot pink knife block and knives/scissors - Farberware from Gordmans // Dr. Seuss printables // Lalaloopsy printables // USA map printable (I colored in the states that I've visited) // circular photo magnets - Social Print Studio}
The living room is empty right now, but I'm hoping to turn this into an office. I'd like to get a desk to go in that corner. The living room and dining room are all one space, so when I wasn't sure if the dining room table was going to fit in the dining room, I was considering putting it in the living room somewhere. My modem and router for internet sit on the bottom part of the end table below the printer.
{Canon PIXMA MG5422 printer - Sam's Club // end table - my mom via my uncle // Fellowes P-12C paper shredder}
I have tried multiple times to get the table cloth to stay flat, but there's some really dried out tape on the table protector that should be retaped. The laundry room is attached to the dining room, which is convenient since I use my computer at the table since that's the only flat surface here right now, and I can work on stuff while I'm waiting for the laundry to be done. The space is also going to be used as a pantry. I bought a shelving unit not too long ago because I was tired of having to reach so high to get stuff from off the shelf. The seahorse really belongs in the bathroom (it was in my great-grandmother's bathroom, and then in the bathroom at my house), but I'm trying to figure out how to hang it with Command strips, since I can't put a nail in the wall. I found a couple nails in the laundry room, so that's how it ended up there.
{sunrise picture - taken by my dad // frame - Target // dining room table and tablecloth - no idea // dining room chairs - Target years ago // washer and dryer - Frigidaire // shelving unit - ShopKo Hometown // seahorse - made in Florida}
The walls were painted right before I moved in, and my landlord said that she thought the color was called Summer Moon, which is a Behr color. The tiling in the entryway and the carpeting in my bedroom are also brand new, in addition to the kitchen faucet.
xoxo.
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