rain, rain, come to stay.

We've been having some rainy weather recently. My absolute favorite. Problem is, it makes me start thinking about weather related clothing. And then this happens:

 Besides the fact that oxfords are some of the cutest shoes around, these will be super practical for the upcoming school year. And really, how can you turn these down at only 15.00? I know they don't really have a ton to do with rain, but how cute would they look with a trench coat?

Colonial Williamsburg is one of my favorite places to visit, but it always seems to be raining. And heavily, too. Who wants to walk around a pretty historical site looking like a drowned rat? Not, I.

Everyone needs a good pair of rain boots. And if cute falls under your category of "good" these fit the bill.

(all images courtesy of Target.com)

twos

Recently, twos have been catching my fancy...

Two pairs of shoes for the approaching summer:

Black classic TOMS. I would prefer real espadrilles, except I've had a problem finding them. But, I guess for donating a pair of shoes to someone in need and being too darn cute is as good as any substitute.

 You know, the whole sneaker things hasn't ever really caught me. I only own one pair of sneakers, those are for running, but mostly I wear open and loose shoes. But I think these Keds just made me succumb.

And two songs from one really cool band:



(video from StinkUp)



(video from ajy1)

i-can't-believe-this-is-sugar-free hot chocolate

Finally.

So, here's what you'll need to start:

 

Agave nectar, vanilla, instant coffee, cocoa, and milk (which I totally forgot to photograph.)

Before I heard of Babycakes NYC, I had absolutely no idea what Agave nectar was. I still can't explain it very well, so I'll let Wikipedia tell you: "Agave nectar (also called agave syrup) is a sweetener commercially produced in Mexico from several species of agave, including the Blue Agave (Agave tequilana), Salmiana Agave (Agave salmiana), Green Agave, Grey Agave, Thorny Agave, and Rainbow Agave.^[1][2] Agave nectar is sweeter than honey, though less viscous."

Agave nectar is low glycemic, so it's great for diabetics. Also, it's sweeter than sugar so you can use less sweetener in your recipes. It dissolves very quickly in both hot and cold beverages. Most recipes call for light agave nectar, but you can also buy dark.

So, ready to start? Let's go!

 

  First, heat a cup of milk over the stove on low heat. While this heats up, make the chocolate syrup:

 In a small bowl, combine two tablespoons of cocoa powder, 1-2 tablespoons of Agave nectar (depends on how sweet you like your hot chocolate,) a pinch of instant coffee, and a splash of vanilla. Stir until smooth.

Over the stove, stir the syrup into the milk until totally combined. Pour into a mug and enjoy!

spring wishes--again.

 ::I know, I know, this was supposed to be a post about hot chocolate. That's coming tonight. I promise!::

It snowed here. Again. I'm sorry but isn't it March? Funny I thought spring started around this time. Silly me.

Anyways, the foul weather hasn't stopped me from more springtime wardrobe planning. Here are my latest ideas:

 A cheery nail polish that will brighten up even the cloudiest day. I love the color--so fifties!

Black espadrilles for those days where you need some effortless but stylish shoes. I never really paid attention to them before, but I think they could really make an outfit.

 A cute skirt to dress up or down. I would prefer a floral (duh,) but I couldn't find one that looked more fifties than eighties.

 

Some days you just need something to throw on, but you still want to look cute. Dresses are absolutely perfect for that. Throw it on and you look like you spent a lot of time on your outfit, but no one knows you rolled out of bed five minutes ago. Plus, dresses are the best thing for extremely hot days. Not like we'll have those here though...::sigh::

Now for my laugh-at-myself-later picks. I LOVE owls. Seriously. But any necklace (owls or not) can really dress up and outfit and make it look like you put a lot more effort into it. Just like a dress.

Now, I know these are slightly ridiculous, but I like them. The only problem (this might be a blessing, actually) is that I can't find a cheap alternative to these blue ray bans. I just don't want to spend 100 dollars on a pair of sunglasses. That's besides the fact that I have no money.

So, those are my picks. Now if the weather would cooperate, I could just start wearing all of this.

(image sources: sally beauty supply, china glaze, espadrillesetc.com, nordstrom, forever 21, altrec.com)

next post...

Yummy sugar-free hot chocolate. It's gonna be good!

what a lovely day for a book

By now, everyone and their grandmother should know of my love of anything that comes out of an Anthropologie store. These are no different. When we visited an Anthropologie a few weeks ago, I found these Penguin classics.

These are my favorite covers. Don't they make you want to wait for the next rainy day, grab a copy, and sit by the fire reading while munching on a few cookies?  Would you like to try to diagram that last sentence? :)

Anyways, you can find them on the Anthropologie website and store, or you can search DealOz or Amazon for some less-expensive ones.  At Anthropologie, they're twenty dollars, thirteen at Amazon, and about eleven when you search DealOz. With savings like that you could definitely get a few more!

what?!

Wait, you mean it actually is snowing outside? No! Let me go check...

It is snowing!

You know, when I heard it
s supposed to snow like crazy today, I seriously doubted it. The last time it was supposed to snow, everything closed down. All schools, businesses, and everything. We waited. And Waited. Not. a. single. flake. I was expecting that for this time too.

Imagine my surprise when everything outside was cloaked in a six inch layer! I'll be back later with pictures...