November 29, 2011

mi hermana.

study day with hannah.
i know we don't look too much alike, but i promise we're sisters.
starbucks studying and lunch date!
hope you are having a great tuesday!

November 28, 2011

whoops.

so maybe i was supposed to be studying and i got a little side-tracked and found some christmas inspiration. but can you blame me? its frank sinatra, dean martin, and bing crosby's fault.
left-to-right and top-then-bottom
1. dyi advent calendar
2. herbal homemade fire starters
3. perfect christmas sugar cookies
4. rosemary wreath
5. cranberry scones
6. kitchen rosemary trees
7. homemade marshmallows 
8. diy craft tape stocking and tree cards
9. diy glittered decorative stars
10. salted caramels and perfect packaging 

(all found on my pinterest)
happy decorating/crafting/baking/holidaying!

sick day.

today i am hanging out with mr. kleenex and cup o' tea.
got a cold thing going on and i'm parked on my couch.

listening to pandora christmas music- frank sinatra "have yourself a merry little christmas' to be exact.
just ordered 11, yes 11 christmas presents- thank you cyber/free shipping monday.
perusing san fran apartments- ah so excited!
listing christmas craft to do's and presents- one of my favorite things to do.
so much emt studying for all of my finals- i can assist in emergency childbirth now, kinda cool.

considering heading to starbucks for a nice hot one in a red cup to do more emt studying.
worth the risk of infecting the poor person sitting next to me? i think so.

November 27, 2011

some BIG news.

you know its serious when i bring out the capital letters...

I'M GOING TO GRAD SCHOOL!
WAHOO!
the day after thanksgiving i was accepted to university of san francisco (my top choice) and i will start my masters in nursing at the end of january.

COULD NOT BE MORE EXCITED!
so, so, so thankful.

November 23, 2011

thanksgiving.

happy early thanksgiving to my blog readers!
i hope your day is filled with family, friends, gratitude, and more food!

(pictures from my pinterest, real simple, whole living, foodgawker, and sunset)

November 22, 2011

coronado island.

on saturday B and i took a day trip to visit friends on coronado island and celebrate our friends completion of 'hell week' in navy seal training (go dave- you are a stud!). it was a great day full of friends, adventures, and celebration. we went to this great restaurant called 'the tractor room' which i highly suggest for brunch, drove around the island, walked along the beach and hotel del coronado, and got to enjoy each others company in a setting other than studying. needless to say- it was a great getaway and coronado was beautiful!
had my camera handy on the beach walk as some stealth fighter jetish aircraft came flying in. im pretty sure i have never seen B so excited in his entire life. got a little glimpse of what christmas morning four year old B's face looked like. great day! 

November 19, 2011

this guy.

spending a day with this guy in san diego. 
life is good.
enjoy your saturday!

November 18, 2011

weekender.

since i have moved down to LA i have been traveling on the weekends quite a lot. and by quite a lot i mean almost every weekend that i have been here. nothing too far, just a little hop over to B's or home up north but none the less living out of a suitcase, school backpack, and toiletry bag. then i found this little gem.
i know that you are shocked that i like this cause i never wear black, solid neutrals, brown leather, animal prints, or stripes (thats a joke) but you'd be surprised how far this has got me.

off to another weekend away-
B's, san diego day trip, EMT ride-along, grad school interview, back to LA, and then home for thanksgiving break!
wish me luck!

November 17, 2011

bar carts.

two things bring me to post on this topic...
a. today is thursday and i think thursdays are the best day to 'beverage'
b. holidays are approaching and i would say that holidays are better with a little 'cheer'

if you disagree will you humor me and let me introduce you to bar carts. i absolutely love the design and concept of a bar cart. its simple, decorative, entertaining, and i am loving these ones. hoping to find an old, tattered one that i can transform in some fun way for my poor grad student apartment. i feel like my four stemless wine glasses, miniature bottle of argentinean wine, and 'i heart slo' shot glass are enough to start me off.
how great are these?
and how great is it to treat yourself to a nice gin and tonic?

i'll leave you with this recent family quote...
my sister: "our family has never really had a drunk holiday."
my aunt: "ha oh hannah, you just never knew."

November 15, 2011

oh, baby girl.

remember this post? well i made a version of the calzone last night and it was to-die-for. the recipe is here but i just used what i had and made-do.

mine was filled with sauteed summer squash, zucchini, onion, sweet peppers, and spinach. then added artichoke tapenade, fresh mozzarella, and goat cheese. put it in a pre-made pizza dough (because i was lazy and hungry) and baked at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. topped it with a bit of manchego and chunky tomato sauce.

oh, baby girl... so good.

November 14, 2011

avila valley barn.

took a little trip to the avila valley barn this past weekend with the friends and boyfriends.
so great and festive for fall.
picked up the most amazing olliberry cobbler.
(nom nom nom- thanks brittany:)
and enjoyed it after a great dinner at my parents house.
cutest/yummiest place.
isn't he a cutie?
the chicas... best friends ever.

hope your monday is great and your night warm, cozy, and fallish!

November 10, 2011

some fall love.

a few things im loving this fall/thanksgiving time.
especially the thanksgiving vegetable side dishes.
have the barnwood at home- just waiting for a project.
can you say 'dear santa'.
 fall nails/wardrobe colors.
shocker i like these muted neutrals, huh?
butternut squash, spinach, and winter root veggie calzone.
im down for anything with starch, cheese, and veggies.
you know how i feel about warm feet.
fabric covered buttons or vintage maybe?
puff pastry baked apple brie.
um yes please.
cozy living.
i'm thinking this is my tiny grad school apartment style.

hope this gives you a little inspiration on your fall thursday!
have a great one!

(you can find all of these on my pinterest too)

November 9, 2011

anyway.

"The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.
For you see, in the end, its between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway."
-Mother Teresa

November 8, 2011

grateful.

just arrived back in la from a weekend at home.
it was so great and in the spirit of thanksgiving,
i must say that i am incredibly grateful for my life.

mom and dad,
nights at walnut,
dinners with all of my family,
brandon,
warm fireplace nights,
real simple magazine and coffee,
time with my best friends,
downtown slo cafes,
my cozy bed,
scarf and boots weather,
dads bountiful garden harvest,
living with han,
emt class,
great calming fall-time music,
peppermint tea,
first scheduled grad school interview,
snuggle time,
tube soaks,
good health,
my support system.

so many things to be thankful for.
growing up we had 'gratitude journals' that we would write in daily at school...
what a cool idea.

(p.s. can you hear the christmas music? i think its almost time:)

***also, this is my 150th post. kinda sweet- i think!

November 3, 2011

lemon goodness.

this is the second time that i have made these
and i totally love them.

four ingredient lemon burst cookies.
1 box yellow cake mix
1 container cool-whip
1 egg
1 cup powdered sugar
mix the first three ingredients together. drop a spoonful of the dough mixture in the powdered sugar and coat the outside. cook at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. enjoy!

i highly suggest these for anyone, anytime but this batch is for the studly APU first years (aka brandon and friends) who are finishing up their hardest term ever. you guys are awesome!

ps you can check the official recipe out on my pinterest or here!

November 2, 2011

halloweenie.

hope you a had a great and spooky halloween!
as promised mine was full of fun and quite a blast!

slo was great as always and it was so fun being back after being away for two plus months
(longest time ever- crazy right?!)

party animals
 
roomie love!
round two-walnuts!
(thanks el paulo for the photos)

in addition to halloween festivities, i watched some of my sisters soccer games, had a great family bbq with all of the ucla team and the walnuts, and enjoyed the 'perfect weekend of eating'.
you know that a post wouldn't be complete without some food so had to add that in...
firestone, walnut bbq, family tritip dinner, gus's sandwich, black horse everything bagel and iced americano, moms lunch spread yummm, tb (only one night- are you proud of me?), and much more.
 needless to say, i am still full.

hope you are having a great tuesday!