Birthday Shenanigans.

Happy Friday! It's been a lovely week. As it was my BIRTHDAY this week, I had the wonderful right to go out for frozen yogurt with friends! (Fruit sorbet for me of course!) After our delicious treats, we headed out to the river and enjoyed a beautiful evening with photos. Perfect birthday, I would say! Just enough celebrating for this girl. 

Tourists! Just kidding. She's a native inhabitant of this city. 

I had to include this one, because it's hilarious! (sorry jordon!)

We can be normal too. 

Thanks for making it a wonderful birthday, friends!

This weekend contains work and more birthday celebrations (continuations of mine, jordon's, my roommate's and my sister's!) June is birthday month! What does this weekend entail for you?

Enjoy!

Saturday Scenes.

It's a lovely day, this Saturday in May. The wind is a little gusty, but it was no reason not to take a bike ride down to Broadway and mow the lawn. Amongst my outdoor activities, I spent a little time indoors when the clouds rolled in. Did you spend today outdoors or indoors?

Fresh, juicy tangerines. 

Cozy nooks.

New sandals. 

Trying a new recipe. 

What has your Saturday entailed?

Enjoy!

Moving On.

Home again, home again, jiggidy jig. 

I can't recall which childhood memory that's from, but I'm home! Sort of. Today is moving day! Time to make myself a new home.

New job (goodbye Starbucks, hello local coffee shop!)
New home (ever read my sister's blog? I get to live in Bottomley cottage!)
New roommates (sister, friend, and sister's friend)

It will be an exciting week!

                                                                 Source: livethemma.ikea.se via Berber--KissKus on Pinterest

I arrived at my parents' house yesterday and what do I wake up to this morning? A stranger to me the past two weeks - RAIN. Pouring rain. Goodbye tan, it was nice knowing you for a while.

Enjoy!

Road Trip {No.4}

The road trip is nearly over. Two more days and I'll be home. This week took us to Huntington Beach, California, and Las Vegas! 

Huntington beach was beautiful! It was cloudy in the morning, but perfect for walking around. The afternoon brought the sun out, and I got a nice red-brown feather extension. I love it!

Late afternoon we headed to Las Vegas, and i saw Cirque de Soleil's Mystere! It was beautiful! At the end, I wished it was only an intermission! The live music, the fantastic colours, the tricks, it was dazzling!

This trip has been wonderful, but I'm excited to head home! Montana tomorrow, then home on Saturday!

Have you been to Huntington Beach or Las Vegas? Whats was your favourite part?

Road Trip {No.3}

If you've never had the chance to run off on a two-week road trip with seven of your closest friends, you're missing out! It's still wonderful, despite our moments of spats. We are living in very close quarters here! Here's a few more lovely moments thanks to instagram.

I am sunburnt. But Starbucks suddenly became a daily occurrence for us. Only to get out of the sun. It is a necessity, really. 

Cutest shoes at Frances. 

This suitcase has a fantastic appeal. 

Finally tried out the coffee scene of Phoenix. It served me well!

What's the weather like where you are? It's fantastically warm here. Hope it's not too unpleasant for you!

Enjoy!

Road Trip {No.2}

Day three in Arizona and I'm having a fantastic time! Yesterday, we spent an afternoon at a baseball game, and then went to Culver's for supper. Such a quaint place for burgers and shakes!

Today, I did more than my share of shopping! Hopefully I'll have some outfit posts ready soon, when I have time. The time I spend by the pool takes up the majority of my day. It's a hard life. 

I got some lovely spring clothes, including this fantastic tee.  I finally found some lovely high waisted shorts. And some coral pants! Perfect for summer!

What's your favourite for summer?

- coral ankle pants

- high waisted shorts

- tribal print

Ah Summer.

Words for summer.

1. Relaxation.

2. Sister photos.

3. Completion. (Congratulations Jenni!)

4. Sunny strolls.

5. Showing off bicycles.

6. Excitement!

(the only photo I have of me, and it's blurry. You get to enjoy lots of pictures of my sisters instead!)

What are your summer words?

Enjoy!

Cool it.

Hello! And thanks so much for continuing to read! I am so encouraged by all the comments you lovely ladies are leaving for me to read! I love to hear from you, so if you're reading, let me know your thoughts! Leave a comment if you like!

It's summer, and it's hot! What better way to beat the heat than cool treats?

Blackberry and lime sounds refreshing! Looks refreshing too!

Source: poppytalk.blogspot.com via Becky on Pinterest

Want the recipe? See it on Poppytalk here.

Oh my goodness...If i could have dairy, this is what I would be eating! Espresso buttermilk ice-cream!

Source: delectabledeliciousness.blogspot.com via Anastasia on Pinterest

She shares the recipe on her blog here.

And if you only have one ingredient on hand, try this "recipe" out!

Source: thekitchn.com via Gabby on Pinterest

How are you keeping cool this summer?

Enjoy!

Summer Treats.

Ah, Summer days, you do treat me well. I was off work today, so my sister Hannah and I ventured out onto the streets of our town for a lovely bike ride! Hannah just got her bike yesterday off of kijiji, and I have had mine for a while. See more about my beautiful bike here. I'll have you know, I took all these pictures while riding! (except for the ones where we are obviously stopped...).

Ready to roll!

No, Hannah and I did not plan our outfits to match. And yes, Hannah was obviously on a mission in this picture.

Lookin' good, Han.

After our bike ride, I made a tasty treat for myself. It's similar to the Orange Julius from Orange Julius, but obviously not quite the same. Here's the recipe! I'm not sure where my family got it originally.

6 oz. frozen Orange Juice Concentrate (this is about half of a frozen can)

1 cup water

1 cup milk (I used soy)

1/4 c. sugar (you can do less, it's plenty sweet)

1 tsp. vanilla

Blend this all up, then add about 10 ice cubes, blend again, and enjoy a refreshing treat! This makes enough for two, with excess!

Also, I'm loving the rounded corners of my photos! What do you think? I'm working on transforming a bit around the blog!

Tell me, what are your summer recipes? Any bike rides for you folk? If you're looking for something neat to wear this summer, you can win a lovely pair of vintage earrings on the Ginger Diaries here!

Enjoy!

Busy Bee.

I'm a busy bee. A busy bee I tell you! And not just because these pictures are in the garden. I'm working lots, and just put in my notice to leave good ol' Starbucks to go back to school. I am getting excited for my projects for my dorm room!

I took some pictures for a guest post on Mr. Taylor and His Lady that's coming up, but it's also going to be an outfit post for my readers for today! Double the fun!

top: bootlegger.

necklace: handmade.

belt: bluenotes.

fancy pants: Vero Moda.

shoes: Aldo.

I love these shoes! They have like a 1/4 inch heel, so they make a nice clicky sound, but are super comfortable!

These pants are fun to wear too.

Do you have any outfits that are just fun to wear? These pants and shoes are on the top of my list for sure.

Enjoy!

A Bunch of Friday things.

This is a bit of a jumble of a post. You've been fairly warned.

I liked this when I saw it. Because it is very true for me. Except for the 'many things' part. I tolerate quite a bit actually. On second thought, it's not very true. Just sort of true.

Source: annetaintor.com via Caye on Pinterest

It's the weekend! I get to work..and see friends I haven't seen in a while! What are your weekend plans? My family is off at a cabin this week, and I've been stuck at home. Wouldn't it be fun to take a little weekend trip in this?

Source: handmadecharlotte.com via Noelia on Pinterest

And TWO blog news items.

1. I will be guest posting on Mr. Taylor and His Lady in a few weeks! I'm just a tad bit excited.

2. I am going to be part of a blog tour on Elegant Musings next week! Along with lots of other bloggers, I will be sharing a collection of mine!

Here is a song for you. Though called White Winter Hymnal, Fleet Foxes will always remind me of this summer.

It's a good day! A very good, hot, summery day.

Enjoy!

July Lovelies

What does July bring to mind for you?

July reminds me of summer festivals, summer food, and summer past-times.

Festivals.

Near my home, there are quite a few summer festivals. Lots of music, food and fun at the river. There aren't a whole lot of carnivals though. Here is a dreamy picture of a cute little family at a fair I would love to be at right now.

Source: usthreebirds.blogspot.com via Bella on Pinterest

Food.

So I've been cooking a bit this week, and am being brave and sharing tonight's meal that I created, with you. Two things you should know:

1. I never cook. So this obviously won't be an elaborate creation!

2. I don't eat tons, and I was cooking only for myself (plus leftovers for tomorrows lunch).

Spicy Summer Pasta Dish for One.

2 cups pasta

1/2-3/4 cup finely diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. minced garlic or 1 clove garlic

A little oregano

Pinch of Cayenne Pepper (I used flakes)

Italian Sausage (so i didn't use this, but when I was eating it, I was thinking it would taste so good in this dish!)

Smoked Gouda Cheese (others probably work, but this tastes super good in it!) and Oregano for garnish

1. Cook up the pasta.

2. On Medium heat, heat up that olive oil and garlic, add the tomatoes. Let it all simmer together, one happy little Italian family.

3. I suppose you should probably cook the sausage at some point (I didn't, but you should!)

4. Add the Cayenne and Oregano.

5. Spoon the sauce and sauce-age (ha) onto the pasta and top with some Smoked Gouda and a dash of oregano to make it look pretty enough to eat..then do so.

If you are brave enough to try my made-up recipe out, add some new things, and let me know what they are! I would love to hear how much better you can make it. That might be a challenge. Oh my goodness. Just came up with a fantastic future post idea relating to that. More to come on that subject I'm sure.

Past-Times.

Summer brings lots of things in my family's backyard. Here's a couple.

Gardens. My mom has a large garden that she tends to, along with lots of pots of flowers. (21 on our back deck alone..I am taking care of them this week, I don't make it a habit to count otherwise). Check out this neat garden in an old palette!

Source: lifeonthebalcony.com via ampaaaro on Pinterest

Croquet. but my sisters and I don't play in white pants like these ladies and gents.

Source: darlingnotes.blogspot.com via Joe on Pinterest

What does July bring for you?

Enjoy!

Garden Party.

Isn't the sound of that just magical? That's what my younger sister Hannah and I wanted to create for my sister for her birthday. Though it threatened to rain, we set up a small party in our backyard.

The flag banner was very easy to make! Just a template, some fun patterned paper, and a team of two.

The party was complete with fruit, cheesecake, and gifts,

and some impromptu dancing!

Those wildflower bouquets? Yep, hand picked from the neighbors alleys. Jenni knows all about the art of flower stealing.

So those flag banners? Apparently, they're called pennants.

Here is a pretty display of them on Pinterest.

Any garden parties in your future?

Enjoy!

Sisters in the City.

July entered the world this year with fantastic weather. And how better to enjoy it than with a picnic with two of my sisters in the park?

Jenni enjoyed some nectarines, and Hannah enjoyed a refreshing blended strawberry lemonade.

Then we all enjoyed some photos.

The photographer, attempting to capture her muse.

She is one with the trees! Nature woman, we like to call her. Or the Organic sister.

Also, I found this neat idea on ReadyMade. I had been looking for a way to hang this piece. Isn't it a creative way to hang art?

And if you have excess wooden hangers after that project, try this out.

(found here.)

Are you enjoying sunny weather? Or are rainy days your forte?

Enjoy!