Wednesday, June 28, 2017

4th of July Rice Krispies

Happy Wednesday! I am so happy to be in my bed right now! I was up for a solid 20 hours yesterday! I woke up at 5:30 to go to work and then had a bible study and then a late night work party! It was such a fun day but I am happy to have little planned today. That is definitely the homebody speaking. :) 
I went today to my college orientation and I am so happy with the classes I am taking in the Fall and my schedule. I am sad that summer is coming to an end but I am SO excited to start chasing my dream of becoming a teacher!

Today I am sharing a cute and simple recipe for your 4th of July festivities. Rice Krispies are always my favorite dessert and you can mix in different candies or top with different frosting's to make them perfect for any occasion.


Ingredients:
3 tbsp butter
1 package (10 oz,) mini marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

For the Frosting:
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons of milk
food coloring of choice

Directions:
In a large pot on low heat, melt the butter. Add the mini marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Move the pot off of the heat and then stir in the cereal. Press into a pan and let cool.

For the Frosting:
In a standing electric mixer, beat the softened butter on low speed for 1-2 minutes. Slowly add the powdered sugar and then the vanilla extract. Stir to combine. Add in 1 tablespoon of milk and stir to combine. If the frosting needs to be thinner slowly add more milk. Separate into separate bowls to dye with food coloring of choice. Frost cooled rice krispies and enjoy!


There you go! Easy peasy! I hope you can recreate this treat and send my pictures! 

Have a great rest of your week! Talk to you soon!

xoxo
Monday, June 26, 2017

Winter Park OOTD + 5 Reasons I love Central Florida

Happy Monday everyone! Today has slipped from me so fast! I have gotten a lot done that I needed to get done, and am ready to tackle a very crazy busy next couple of days! 
Today I am sharing pictures from Saturday. My bff, Lauren and I headed out to explore some of Winter Park, Florida. Y'all probably know (from this post & this post) that I love this area of Central Florida. A lot of these pictures were taken at Rollins College which is absolutely stunning. It has a historic and timeless feel and is filled with classic and beautiful architecture. I also realized I have such a love for colored tiles!! Read until the end to understand 5 reasons I love living in Central Florida.
  
  
  
  
  

We had the absolute best day! We browsed around the empty campus, perused the lively farmers market, blotted sweat continuously, and enjoyed a nice lunch and sweet treat! Good friends are hard to find, and this girl just gets me!

Having fun weekends isn't hard either when you live in the best place EVER! Here are 5 reasons I love living in Central Florida!

1. It is the best location! You are a quick drive to many parts of Florida! I can pretty quickly get to downtown Orlando, Winter Park, any beach, St. Augustine, Mt. Dora, etc.. Central Florida has a very welcoming neighborhood vibe but isn't far from everything this state has to offer!

2. The people! Florida is such a melting pot of cultures and I am so blessed to have been raised in this state for that reason. When I visit family in the southern states I realize how alike so many of the people are there, and how narrow minded some people there can be. I love that I have grown up viewing everyone alike because I am surrounded by people who speak all different languages everywhere I go. I feel that the people here are so accepting to every type of culture and it is how the rest of the country should be too.

3. The weather! It isn't called the Sunshine State for nothin'! Now not everyone appreciates that we don't have four seasons, but I for one know I can't handle the cold after living here for so long. I love being able to go to the beach in the middle of December while everyone else is trapped in snow! A few cold days a year is just fine with me! :) Because of the weather, it is so common for people to have pools here, something that is so strange for people in other states to comprehend. Everyone either has a pool of their own, or has a neighbor who does. It's just so hot you have to be in water!

4. Being active! This may also be in part to the weather, but I love how active of a community Central Florida is. I love that at all times of the day there are tons of people out biking, walking their dogs, roller skating, etc... When I go to other states, it is weird not sharing the roads with bicyclers all the time. I love how the weather here promotes such activity and we Floridians love to be outdoors.

5. FUN!! I mean, there just isn't a place that is so stinkin' fun and full of entertainment like Central Florida! Orlando is the top tourism location in the country and for good reason. With Disney World, Universal Studios, water parks, and I-Drive being full of museums and other fun activities, you could never do it all! Not to mention it is a close drive to Gatorland, Busch Gardens, Miami, more beaches, cruise ports, sporting events, a nice theater, etc.. It isn't always cheap, but it sure is F.U.N!!!


I think it is needless to say that I love where I live and never plan on leaving! Central Florida is the BESTEST! If you are thinking about coming to visit the Central Florida area I would love to give you recommendations! Why do you love where you live? Get out with a bestie and explore this week :)

Talk to you soon!
xoxo
Friday, June 23, 2017

Spontaneous Miscellaneous

Hi everyone! Happy Friday! This week has felt so weird. Do you ever just have a week where the earth feels off it's axis and you have no clue what day it is ever or what is going on. That was me this week. I just wasn't with it. I did however fill out my planner for the following week and am READY for a more productive awesome week!! Are you ready to see some of my favorites??

My Favorite Things This Week:

Planning Planning Planning...
Speaking of planners... y'all know I purchased this planner a while back along with these stickers from an amazing etsy shop and Y'ALL I am pumped about this new little hobby of mine. I have always been a planner kind of girl, but this takes it to an all new level!

Duolingo
So this app is a new love for me, I have been doing about 5 minutes every night of french. I took two years of french in high school but never stayed committed to it or memorized much past the test date. I wanted to refresh my memory and this app is awesome. There are a ton of different languages you can learn on it too. I have to be a pro before I go to Paris one day! Speaking of Paris...

I have a thing for coffee table books. Any kind about any topic, I just love them. This coffee table book about a bunch of different spots in Paris has kept me daydreaming this past week. I love exploring through this book and have read through almost all of it and feel as though I could be an official tour guide now :)

I briefly talked about this site on my Instagram story a few days ago, and had a few questions. This is a website where they try to make the bible easier to understand. They have bible reading plans and make videos summarizing chapters and connecting the themes. As many of you already know, I am reading through the One Year Bible right now, and have found that The Bible Project videos have been fascinating to watch along with reading the chapters split up for me each day. You have to check them out if you have ever wanted to understand the bible more or read through it.

The Best Announcement Ever
RIVERDALE SEASON TWO IS RETURNING TO NETFLIX IN OCTOBER. Okay I'm happy. bye.


My Favorite Moments This Week:

Probably seeing my sister at her new job! She is the cutest!

Along with doing several lunches through out the week. There is nothing better than sitting down at a table over food and catching up on everything with a good friend.


My Favorite Fashion Finds This Week:

I have a crazy obsession with all the earring trends right now!! I mean...
(Click the images to shop)
No earrings too crazy girl!!


What have you been obsessed with this week? Comment below and let me know!

Talk to you very soon!

xoxo
Saturday, June 17, 2017

Spontaneous Miscellaneous

Happy Saturday everyone! WOW has it been a week! This week I taught 3rd graders every day at my church's Vacation Bible School and although it was AWESOME it was very tiring. It was so worth it though because several of the kids in my class came to know Christ and asked to become Christians at the end. Praise God! I have loved my group of kids, (seriously, they were so fun) and have loved seeing them ask questions about God and church. Such a rewarding week. Thank you for all of your sweet messages regarding this week and your prayers. It means SO SO much and clearly had an impact! Yesterday was our last day, and I went straight from taking down our room to going to a lady's house to babysit 4 kids and 4 toddlers, and went straight from there to the parent night at church where the kids preform for their parents! :) Needless to say, today is going to be a day full of swimming, reading, and relaxing.

Now here are my favorite things, moments, and fashion finds from this past week!!

My Favorite Things This Week:

"The Hopefuls" by: Jennifer Close
I did a full review on this book in Wednesday's post, but I have mostly enjoyed having time to read this week each night before bed.

My Fidget Spinner
Call me crazy but I love my pink fidget spinner! I completely understand why kids love these things! I can't watch TV now without it in my hand, and I seriously feel more focused!! :) My church gave them out for free one week and I was standing in line with a whole bunch of kids, more excited then them! I may or may not take it to work with me :)

This Etsy shop makes these beautifully themed sticker spreads for planners and I bought the tropical one for when I start my planner, and y'all... it is AMAZING! Little things really can make me happy, and apparently stickers are one of those things! I purchased the Recollections Planner which was only 18$ at Michaels (gotta love a good sale!). It is the exact same as an Erin Condren planner except WAY cuter in my opinion!

My Rocket Ship Tent and Star Projector
Y'all! My decorations this year for VBS were pretty simple and easy. I would rather spend some money to buy things on Amazon then do anything artsy so I bought this rocket tent and a star projector and DUDE they are both so cool. I have been nerding out about it all week! I wanted to keep the rocket tent SO badly but decided to be a reasonable adult and raffle it away to one of the kids at the end of the week. I also raffled off the star projector as well against my father's will. He is obsessed with it too and said he wants one for Fathers Day :)


My Favorite Moments This Week:
Pretty much all of my favorite moments from this past week involve VBS so I will just list off a bunch of funny things that happened!
1. Having an in depth conversation with a couple of the girls about what I should do with my nails!
2. When one of the little boys left his friends to move back a row in music to sit next to me so he could do the hand motions SO full out!
3. The way the kids would FREAK over the team leaders running out and doing crazy stuff!
4. The classic "Sunday School Answers" that this one boy would always say when asked any question. For example "Hey 'Bobby' what is your favorite color?" "The Holy Spirit, God, Jesus, the Church, the Trinity!!" :D
5. Seeing my kids come to me during the invitation Thursday to accept Christ as their Savior and become Christians.
6. Getting hugs from each kid as they left my class Friday!
7. Pictures to remember this week by!


My Favorite Fashion Finds This Week:

Striped and gingham EVERYTHING!


Clearly I like stripes and gingham this season, anyone else? These pieces speak to me!

On Monday I shared this Target Style post and I love every piece of it! I love even more that each piece is less than 30$! Heck YES!


I hope y'all enjoyed today's blog post! What have you been loving this week! Don't forget to tell me! Talk to you on Monday, enjoy your weekend!

xoxo
Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Book Review: The Hopefuls by: Jennifer Close

Happy Wednesday everyone! I just wanted to pop on here and share a quick book review! Once I finish all the books I have picked for the summer I will do a large recap but because I shared a large book haul on my Instagram story a while ago, I wanted to keep you updated with which books I am loving and not loving.

This book is a political fiction about a newlywed couple who moves to DC to further Beth's husband's political career. They meet another couple that they click with and quickly become friends with but jealousy starts to slowly take a toll on their relationship. 

A major reason I purchased this book is because I love any show or movie or book that has to do with DC and politics. I don't know why, but ever since I went to DC I find it so interesting. If you also love DC you might find this book interesting. However, in this book, the main character works for Obama. I found it weird sometimes that they created a fiction story surrounding a very real person. I am a republican but still fairly enjoyed this book even though the characters are democrats. 
The story is sometimes a little boring. There isn't a major point in the book when things get super exciting. It is pretty evenly exciting the whole time which makes it often times hard to stay committed to. 

Overall I would give this book a 6.5/10. It is good not great. I don't know if I would have enjoyed it if it were set anywhere other than Washington DC. It is an easy summer read if that is something you are looking for! :)

Hope y'all have a great rest of your week. Talk to you on Friday!

xoxo
Monday, June 12, 2017

Floral Top & Target Outfit


Happy Monday everyone! Is it bad that the week just started and I am already exhausted?!?! Today is was the first day of VBS at my church and I am teaching a group of 3rd graders. I can honestly say that they are perfect. I mean kids will be kids occasionally but I feel like they are pretty well behaved and really grasping the bible lessons I am teaching which is making me so happy so far! Feel free to follow along on my Instagram story to see what all is going on this week.

How awesome is this outfit? The best part is that it is all from Target and nice quality at a great price. Every single piece runs true to size which is fantastic and is super comfortable. You need girl :)

Talk to you again on Wednesday!

xoxo