monthly macaroni 3

i am beginning to sound like a broken record in that every time i write about a macaroni and cheese the only word i can think of to describe it is absolutely amazing, and i am about to do it again!

i realized a week or so ago that it was nearing the end of the month and i had yet to even think about which macaroni and cheese i was going to make or when would be the best time to make it. that is when i decided to get down to business and narrowed it down to the one entitled creamy macaroni and cheese with spinach. it calls for using gruyere and parmesan cheeses and lots of spinach so it looked very promising. it was not until i began cooking the onion and its sweet carmelized smell filled the kitchen that i knew i would love it. i instantly began anticipating its first taste! (i contemplated just eating the onions out of the pan, but refrained so that i wouldnt mess up the entire dish i was slaving over)

the sauce is very thick, which for me is a good thing because i would gobble down the entire casserole dish if it wasnt. if you are turned off by thicker sauces, this may not be the best recipe for you, but i still feel like everyone should try it because i absolutely loved it!

i ended up eating two servings of it before i was absolutely stuffed and opted for going on an extremely short bike ride to work off a bit of the heaviness and check the mail at the same time.

overall, this may be my favorite macaroni thus far. i know i say that every time and i will probably continue to say it. it just feels absolutely impossible to decide on one! the onion added the absolute perfect flavor that i wanted and the amount of spinach is perfect to break up the noodles. it's a good thing i am looking forward to eating it some more because there is an entire casserole dish sitting in my refrigerator waiting for me! (well, hopefully i will still have some left because i keep nibbling at the leftovers when i walk past)

love.

wind will rush through my hair

back in the dreary month of january, allie and i made plans for the first possible free weekend to reward ourselves for surviving school by finally finding our long awaited bikes. we have been counting down to this day that has been on our calendar for months and i am very excited to announce that on april 15th we traveled up to tulsa and found our bikes!

we went to the most awesome bike shop ever called g. oscars (i am so upset with myself for not taking a single picture of the place). the guy who owns it finds old bikes and fixes them up so that they run well and then sells them.  seriously though, if you need a bike and can make it to tulsa, you definitely should go! just remember to bring cash or check because he doesnt take credit. 

we ran out of gas on the way back. it was a bit amusing, but also added some to my stress level since it caused me to be late to a meeting. i enjoyed that it gave us some time to cruise around a parking lot on our bikes until someone was able to pick us up and take me back to allies though.

and here she is, the lovely penelope! i love her. i fought the intense wind and hills the other day and took her on a ride to campus corner. the first part of the trip was really difficult, but the second half was a breeze. anyone want to meet up at the library for some happy hour beers so i can take her on another trip?

she has a cute little white stripe on the back.

and there you have it. one of my main goals has been achieved! all i need to find is a super cute basket!

love.

you have to be willing...

...to get happy about nothing. -andy warhol

what is something i love more than anything? going to the modern art museum of course! what makes it the best ever? when you get to eat by the reflection pool and see the lovely works of andy warhol!

my sister and i had been looking forward to this exhibit for months and we were lucky enough to go with our mom over spring break in celebration of my sisters birthday! it was perfect.

we began by eating some delicious food outside by the pool. the cafe puts interesting twists on some of your more typical foods, such as putting apples on grilled cheese. let me tell you, it's amazing!

it was very sunny and a bit more windy than desireable that day, but i enjoyed being able to sit outside and absorb some vitamin D. it had been awhile.

after making sure our bellies were full, we headed into the exhibit. it included his works from the last decade of his life and it was very interesting. there were so many pieces i had never seen before even though i always flip through an andy warhol book every single time i go to any museum without fail. my favorite is still one of his self portraits that is green. it has been my favorite for my entire life and will most likely remain my favorite forever.

what a perfect day!

love.

not much a baby anymore

a few weekends ago was the twins birthday! naturally, i had to make them hair flowers as their gift. it ended up being a bit complicated because i wanted to keep some for myself. i then wondered if it was weird for me to be wanting to keep something that i am making for two year olds. sometimes i still wonder about this, but usually decide that it's not problem in any way.

i guess i didnt take a picture of the ones i actually ended up giving to them, but here are the ones i kept for myself! haha (excuse how creepy this picture is, i am going to blame it on callie because i was using photobooth to show her what i had made. and to help me to decide which ones i definitely needed for myself haha)

i ended up using fabric that is green with a purple paisley print that callie used on her lapboard and the fabric i used on one of my coffee table stools that is a pink and purple leaf print. they were super cute and perfect for little two year olds.

i also loved how i ended up wrapping them! it was hard for me to decide because i dont have any actual wrapping supplies unless you count saved tissue paper, which has worked very well for me thus far. (excuse the awful lighting. i cant wait to move for this reason)

ever since they were born, tori's color has been purple and toni's color pink, so i used purple and pink tissue paper and tied bows around them out of random ribbons i found in a drawer. i punched holes in the coordinating cards (that i happened to find in another drawer) so i could string them onto the ribbon. i think they turned out pretty cute!

hopefully they wont be too terrible during their terrible twos! i dont think they will though. i love them! and that of course makes all the difference...

love.

you always end up just where you need to be

i feel that this is completely true. at least i tell myself that it's true when i think about how scared i am of the future. 

i went to a meeting the other day that scared me to death about the future. i dont have a plan and apparently i need at least three. and if my first plan doesnt work out i will only have hours to put the following two into action. i cant even believe it.  it freaks. me. out. 

i am hoping that i will figure it all out in six months because that is all the time i have. definitely NOT enough! here is my main goal: move back to texas and hopefully be able to live with my friend molly. we have had this planned for a long time (since thanksgiving i think?) and now i am very afraid that it wont happen. all i can do is try my hardest, and that is what i will do.

i took this polaroid a few weeks ago (yes, i finally took out my polaroid camera!) and love it sooo very much! i was very excited to find this beautiful fence when i was driving to study one day. i cant wait to have a fence of my own so that i can leave something just as beautiful to be inspirational to others.

i feel like i smile most of my day, but it makes me feel much better when i come home freaked/stressed out about the things i need to figure out and see it hanging above my bed. it's so true. everything is lovely. smile more.

and with that, i will leave you with my favorite buddha quote:

"when you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt you head back and laugh at the sky."

love.

some loves of spring

i know easter has been over for quite awhile, but the other day i finished off the last of my peeps (bailey was awesome and gave me all of her rejects and i must say, they were amazing!). i am a bit sad about them all being gone (especially since i gobbled about five down in 30 seconds), but it only makes me look forward to eating some more next easter!

you can also see my absolute favorite nail polish color that i had been waiting since january to debut! my mom found it for me over christmas and it was an even better find because it was on sale! it's so beautiful! and my fingers looked super cute while eating pastel colored/easter peanut m&m's. i love the colors of spring. so lovely!

ps. its called mint candy apple by essie

love.

the great things patience brings

i have been waiting for the perfect white dress to find its way to me, along with brown heels. well, a few fridays ago, my dress found me! and it was at forever21 so it was completely affordable! perfect shopping.

i then needed something to wear to cylens birthday celebration that night. i really wanted to wear one of my new pairs of thigh high socks, so i tore my closet apart trying on what felt like millions of outfits to find what would work. bailey was the hugest help i could ever ask for! i began to get worried that i would have to settle for tights or bare legs, but what we found last was perfect! and now considered to be my absolute favorite outfit in my closet! it is exactly what i was aiming for.

since i found this outfit i have found my very needed brown heels! if i had them only about a week earlier i would not have had such an intense fashion show for bailey the other night. they go with EVERYTHING! and also allow me to wear my new awesome thigh high socks that i bought over spring break. i cant wait to show you a picture of them!

love.