Currently...

Reading...

A million amazing books. I just finished Eleanor & Park and Reckless. Both books were AMAZING and I can't wait to read more by their authors. 

Watching...

The first season of Once Upon A Time. The Bachelor season finale (not sure how I feel about him picking Catherine...but I couldn't be more excited for Des to be the next Bachelorette). Hopefully I'll be able to finish up the Lord of the Rings trilogy this break. 

Listening to...

Not much. I love being able to turn on the radio when I'm doing the dishes. Adam Levine and Bruno Mars won't stay out of my head. 

Working on...

My gosh darn chevron afghan. I swear that blanket is never ending. 

Wishing for...

Warm weather. For the snow to finally leave. No papers that have to be written by next Wednesday. More time to read my books. The sun to come up when it's early like it did before day lights savings. The ability to eat 5 million cookies a day without gaining weight. For summer to be here so I can finally go to London. 

Wishlist: Journal Jubilee

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8

I kind of have an obsession with journals, and I often find myself looking for new, fun journals everywhere I go. And that definitely includes on the internet! Who knew there could be so many adorable covers full of pages waiting to be filled with my ideas, projects, and thoughts? I managed to stop at the first eight I found, but there are so many more out there. 

I love the idea of a journal-a-day journal because that would really encourage me to write every day. Modcloth has some cute ones and so does Anthropology, but I never want to spend so much money on a journal. Maybe I'll make my own! Wouldn't that be fun? Hmmm, I'll have to look into some ideas and see what I can come up with. 

So I hope you enjoy the journals I found to share with you all. Do you journal very often? What are your favorite journals to fill up? 

Kitchen Krazy: Pink Vanilla Macarons

I am beyond excited to share today's post with you. I made macarons! And I am honestly in love now. I was so nervous making these because I've heard they're super hard to make, but they weren't that bad at all. And they turned out so delicious. Now, I can't wait to make as many combinations as I can!

Before I made these, I spent a long time online searching for the best method to make my macarons. There are so many different techniques and recipes, but I finally settle for the recipe from Yumsugar.com. They had great instructions, but the only problem was that there were no pictures! I was so nervous that mine would be a disaster, so I found a great picture tutorial from foodnouveau.com and it helped me so much. I added a little pink food coloring to make my macarons pink as well, which is different from what the recipe said. I think the pink makes them look absolutely perfect!

As for the filling, I wanted a simple vanilla buttercream in case the shells didn't turn out usable. So I googled recipes and found a great, simple one from Baking Bites and it turned out absolutely delicious! The filling literally took 2 minutes to make, so that was definitely the easiest part of this whole venture. 

I just love looking at them. But I have to say I love eating them even more! Haha, I was a little scared on how just a plain vanilla macaron would taste, but they're awesome. A bunch of my shells ended up coming out cracked, but I know what I did wrong based on a really helpful post about macarons. Apparently, since they were the ones on the bottom rack of the oven for the first half of baking, they were too close to the heat. Next time, I'll have to stack to cookie sheets on top of each other to prevent them from baking too fast and cracking. I also didn't leave them in long enough, so they were a bit hard to take off of the parchment paper. But all that means is I'm so prepared to make them again! Hopefully I can make these chocolate banana macarons I was eyeing earlier this week. Don't they sound delicious? 

I'm so happy I finally tried my hand at the art of macarons. They're gorgeous and delicious, so what more could you ask for? 

Journals and Macarons

For the first day of Spring Break, I have a ton planned to do. And I couldn't be more excited! There are just so many possibilities and I can't wait to see how much I can get accomplished. 

-I really want to watch Sense and Sensibility. I read the book last year and LOVED it and I've been meaning to watch the movie for forever. Mmmmm anything with Hugh Grant looks good to me!

-I got some amazing books by my favorite authors in the mail recently and all I want to do is sit down and gobble them all up. 

-These three little journals were just TOO adorable to pass up when I saw them at Target. I can't wait to fill them up with ideas for the blog, crafts, and my trip to London. 

-I'm finally going to make some maracons today! I've wanted to make them for over six months and I got this adorable macaron book for Christmas and can't wait to finally put it to the test. 

-Journaling has been put on the back burner lately, so I really want to spend some quality time with my journal today. 

-My girl scout cookies finally came! Ahhhh I can't wait to eat them all up throughout the week. 

Oh my goodness, looking over this list just makes me so excited. Macarons, journals, and Jane Austen? Where could you possible go wrong? Do you guys have any fun plans for the weekend? 

Friday's Favorites

Guess what? It's officially Spring Break! I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am that this day has finally arrived. I am looking forward to a week of relaxing at home, reading until I can't read anymore, and completely spoiling my puppy. It's so nice to get away from school and be home. I've missed it so much. I've got some papers to write that are due the week I get back, but that's all the homework I have to worry about. So I should be able to have plenty of time to just relax. Oh I can't wait. Here's what I've found in the past week that I thought I'd share with you all :)

1) This is probably the cutest Harry Potter cake ever. It looks so perfect!

2) Aaawwww I would probably cry if someone gave me this adorable mug. 

3) This rainbow cake is super cool! I'm definitely going to have to try it out sometime! And I think the mustache is the perfect finishing touch. 

4) I love this London bracelet! I would love to have one of these after I visit London this summer. 

5) Haha, Forrest Gump alarm message is the perfect motivation to wake up for a run in the mornings. 

6) This Beauty and the Beast necklace is beyond adorable. Doesn't it look so charming? 

7) This is such a cute envelope DIY. I'll have to try it out with some fun paper and send something to my sister!

8) I would love to do this heart picture frame wall in my own room. It's such a cute yet simple idea!

9) Hehe, wearing this Waldo shirt would be so much fun! 

10) With spring coming up, these floral patterned shoes are absolutely perfect!

Craft Corner: Brioche Infinity Scarf in Gold

I was so obsessed with the first Brioche Infinity Scarf that I made in gray back in January that I just had to make another one in this golden yarn I had bought over winter break. And I'm completely in love with this one too! I want to wear my two Brioche Infinity Scarves every single day. Not only are they super cute, but they're also super warm! They did take a while to make, but the pattern was really simple, so I didn't mind the time it took at all. And the outcome is so worth it!

In between knitting, I would be reading my copy of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I am in love with the story Austen created and I had such a hard time choosing between reading and knitting this scarf! Haha, story of my life. But in the end, I finished the scarf first! And now I can bundle up in my golden cowl with a hot cup of tea in one hand and my Jane Austen in the other. I'd say that sounds like a pretty good plan. 

After finishing two of these cowls, I'm already looking forward to making more in different colors. Pink? Blue? Green? Oh the possibilities! I can't wait to see how my collection will grow of these beauties. Have you ever found that one pattern you want to make over and over again? It just ends up to be so addicting and I can't seem to stop knitting! I've got to go find some new yarn fast because I'm simply dying for another one of these :)

I'll Be Seeing You...

So after receiving a free pair of glasses for review from Firmoo back in January, I have become obsessed with glasses! I can spend hours on their website just looking at all of the glasses I would love to add to my collection. I came so close to buying a couple of pairs a bunch of times, but never actually went through with it. So when Firmoo contacted me asking if I wanted another pair for reviewing my first pair, I did not hesitate one moment! And I'm absolutely in love all over again!

I am so in love with my new glasses! I wore them for the first time in public yesterday to my classes and I felt super cute and I couldn't get over how much I loved them. Haha, every time I was in the bathroom I would check out my glasses...gahhhh I'm in love! Who knew a new pair of glasses could make you feel so giddy and happy? The prescription, of course, is perfect and they fit like a dream! Not to mention they shipped super quickly. What else could I have expected from Firmoo? 

Now I have two adorable pairs of glasses from the amazing company and I still want more! Haha, now I understand why some people own so many pairs of glasses. My favorite part is how different they are from each other. I can wear whichever one I feel in the mood to wear. My next pair of glasses will hopefully be either cat-eye or a super fun color. Just imagine all of the possibilities! I think I've definitely found my newest obsession :)