We like to take pictures!!

That's all there is to it

A big open field

is all it took to make this photoshoot look

more professional than some

teenagers and a camera

There would have been a lot more to show for this shoot

 if we hadn't been

sooooo awkward for the first two hundred frames

Hey, maybe we are just awkward people...

Atleast these ones turned out super cute

according to us that is...

“A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery while on a detour”

Style Watch

                               This spring has brought the prettiest

                           of the palettes.

                              Light nail polishes are perfect for any skin tone

                            and go great with this springs

                       hottest looks

                                  I can't wait to go get mine done right now...

                          yes

                            this instant...

                              Light Nails aren't the only thing to interest me this 

                              season though

                               Light hair is always a spring must for me as well

                                 I love love love these three colors

Who do you Appreciate?

With Mother's Day creeping up quick

I've been thinking of all of the wonderful things

my mom has done for me over the years.

I wish I could buy her the most

extravagant gift

With a college student budget however,

that seems to be out of the

question.

If you too are like me,

a low budget, but a grade A(+) mom

You can say it all with a simple gift from Dogeared Jewels

Last year for my mom's birthday,
 I bought her a pretty necklace from this website.

Needless to say, it was a tear jerker

All I had to say was right in the necklace

It's simple and elegant
an easy way to show your mom some
love

Bows Knows

The best part about going to England is

the shopping I've been doing beforehand.

Not only have I found great deals,

But I just keep picturing what it will be like

to wear theminfront of pretty palaces.

Today, I'm inspired by bows.

I've just bought those cute gray shorts

from American Eagle and all of

a sudden, my thoughts are directed toward the

extra femine touch something so simple as a bow adds.

I can't wait to pair them with a pretty top

and

snap some shots :)

Easter Fail

So...this Easter break was about spending time with my family

and trying the recipes I've shared with all of you

If I expect you to try them, I might as well try them myself first

Step 1: Gather Ingredients

Ok, so this was easy

Nailed It!!

Step 2: Preheat Oven

So far so good

Step 3: Mix Ingredients, Fill Cupcake Tins

Smooth Sailing

so far

Step 4: Remove From Oven

Funfetti Cupcakes- sooo yummyyy

Up to this point, I thought I'd been doing well

I mean nothing had caught on fire

All I had left to do was frost them and decorate...

Step 5: SHEEP!!

Ok, so maybe I was being a bit ambitious when I thought I could handle

these "simple" cupcakes

I had to have people guess what they were

Yeah, not once did someone say sheep

....FAIL

SOOO, I had to try and spare the rest of my creative dignity

five jelly beans and a flower was born

Clearly flowers are my specialty

and

sheep are sadly not :(

Tonight though,

 I did retaliate and conquer a cake

I won't be brought down by baked goods

Woohooo 

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy

or strawberry in this case

My dad approved

I can go to bed feeling accomplished

And at Easter dinner, I did have a four year old tell me how "cool" and "pretty"

my cupcakes were.

Sounds like a success to me :)

coloRADo

Rad- (adj.) Slang for excellent or wonderful

Today I get to head home!

It's so nice flying from Lincoln to Denver

I depart at 7:15 and land at 7:45

Got to love time zones

except on the way back

I depart at 3:45 but dont land until 6:15

booooo

Oh well, i don't have to start worrying about that until Monday

with a whole (almost) five days at home

I don't even know what I'm going to do...

Maybe i'll make my newly licensed brother drive me around

It's like my very own personal chauffeur

that sounds nice!! 

or

Maybe I'll surprise him with a cookie from the airport

He used to love them

we both did

Story time:

When we were younger my dad used to travel all of the time

Everytime we would pick him up from the airport, he would be so kind as to bring us both a cookie

one time he didn't realize i would be coming with so he only brought my brother one

well, being the nice boy he is, he shared.

My mom told him how nice it was for him to be sharing his cookie with me

his reply: "yeah and don't worry, I licked off all my germs before i gave it to her"

atleast he was trying to be health conscious right?

Oh how i can't wait to see him tonight!!

He misses me too, i know it...

We've Found a Home

Yes its true,

as of yesterday the deposit is down and the apartment is looking good.

Kylie (my roomie) and I have found a home!

So of course, my time today has been spent looking for ways to decorate it

I am drawn to the classic and polished look of these pieces.

I think it's my England search overload that has me enticed by such elegant style

The colors are so simple and I love the combination.

Although my heart breaks knowing these are out of my league 

(as far as funiture can be)

I can't help but be hopeful I'll find something similar to fill our rooms!

If only June would come sooner

See something you like? (me too!)

Get it here

Sumatra Blue Cermaic Plates

Delilah Green Plate

White Porcelain Appetizer Plates

Rowe Green Gibson Sofa

Wisteria Carved Laurel Armoire

Grandrich Table Lamp

Antique Turquoise Picture Frame

Who's Birthday?

Only the Greatest Dad in the WORLD!!

"I like it when you call me BIG PAPA"

ok so I have never once in my life called him that

Biggie just provoked my thoughts for a second...

Yes that's him, and my beautiful Mother

aren't they precious (and tan!)

You know why they are so happy?

Because I am taking the picture...you can tell from the amazing work with the sunlight...

and the shadow covering their faces (oopsie)

What a happy family :)

(reppin the big N, as usual)

Oh how I love my father. He has always been there for me, and will continue to be until the

end of time...as far as I know that is.

But, unfortunately I can't be home for his big day, so I'm trying to decide something extra special

to do when I arrive in coloRADo. (yes it's rad)

Since his favorite cake is Angel food cake with whip cream and strawberries,

we make him one every year.  

It looks a little something like this...

Ok so maybe this is an exaggeration.

I should rephrase that, "I wished it looked a little something like this"

So here is what it really looks like

What a work of art...

The whip cream is perfectly distributed and the strawberries are placed so strategically.

Should have been a culinary major

Apart from the fact that I did not make that cake and I wish I made that cake, I am still stuck

trying to figure out what to do for my dad

Hopefully I come up with something good before the weekend

and even when I do, I'm not going to share it and spoil the surprise...I know you read this blog Dad.

Sneakyyy

Buy these lovely pieces here :)

Ray Ban Sunglasses
Fedora Hat
Striped Scarf
Aphrodite Necklace
Sony Alpha Camera
JCrew Bhati Beads Bracelet
Birkenstock Sandals

Bake Bake Bake

Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow marshmallows!

Aren't these cupcakes absolutely adorable?

I wish I had the time and means to bake these delectible delights.

Unfortunately living in a dorm inhibits the foods you can make

If and oven was allowed, I would have taken the one from my house and drove it all the way here

but sadly it's against the rules...fire hazzard or something...

though, my hopes are high that while I'm home this weekend for some good old fashioned 

family lovin' Easter Sunday festivites my mom just might

want to bake these with me, we'll see!! 

i've got my finger (toes, eyes, arms, legs and whatever other body part is crossable) crossed :)

Ingredients

1 vanilla cupcake, taken out of the paper, recipe follows

About 1 cup White Fluff Frosting, recipe follows

1 large marshmallow

2 white candy eyes

1 purple jujube candy

1 short 1/4 inch and 1 long piece 2 inch black string licorice

35 mini-marshmallows

4 purple and 2 pink jelly beans

Directions

Frost cupcakes. Place the large marshmallow in the center. Lightly frost candy eyes and press onto the marshmallow. Frost the back of the jujube candy and put below eyes to for a nose. Frost the short piece of licorice lightly and press underneath the nose to make the mouth. Press mini-marshmallows all around the cupcakes and the face to make the lambs coat. Frost the tips of the pink jelly beans to make ears. Stick the purple jelly beans in the front and back of the cupcake for feet. Curl the long piece of licorice and press into frosting to make the lamb's tail.

Jelly Belly Palooza

Tis the Easter Season 

and you know what that means...

Easter Bunny > Easter Eggs > Jelly Beans

Yes, I Madeline am afraid I can't get enough jelly beans.

Not just the regular ones though, I am a Harry Potter fanatic, 

also why I am pumped to be heading to England!!

(that's besided the point)

Which brings me to Bertie Botts Every Flavor Jelly Beans

yes they are absolutely repulsive, but throw Harry Potter on something

SOLD to the girl in blue!

if you don't believe me, read them for yourself

I mean come on, Ear Wax, Sardine, Spinach?

I don't even like regular spinach, why would I beg my mom 

to buy me it in jelly bean form...

but I just had to have them, and you know how many I actually ate?

I would have to guess about 10. 

Cinammon and green apple, thats all I like

You can bet your bottom dollar (whatever that means, Annie)

my mom was not happy when she found out i threw the rest away

Needless to say, I never once touched another bag of Bertie Botts jelly beans,

although I dreamed endlessly about them, mainly because I knew somewhere, Harry was eating them too.

It would be the only thing that connected us, and my mom took that away.

but thankfully I recovered quickly (or so she thinks).

These days, I like to think of myself as more of an adult

I've moved on from my old ways, now

I stick to Jelly Bellys (real mature, I know)

but don't these just look more appealing?

Happy Hunting!!

143

 As you've guessed, this is my absolute best friend Hannah Mary

She is also the lovely owner of 17 Inch Heart blog.

(she is brilliant, you would love her blog!)

Since I am new to all of this blogging stuff, she is my go to girl.

She's helped me design absolutely everything, and has responded to every one of my texts

no matter how dumb it may be (talk about customer service!)

Apart from thinking about England, I am also thinking about her because

14 days after I arrive in Europe...I will be departing (tear)* 

right for her house!! (insert smiley face)

Even though my blog is about my European excursion, 

I can't help but thank the girl whose helped me start it off!

Start countdown numba two:

36 days 13 hours 41 minutes

Who Knew??

While I was doing research for my European escapade I decided I would install a currency converter to my lovely iphone 4. (I hear they are coming out with a 5th one in july so I'd recommend waiting if it's on your list of things to get.) Anyways, while I was getting my recommended daily dose of England, I became quickly annoyed when I found out 1 US dollar only amounts to 0.614155 Pounds. Who Knew? I mean I always knew it wasn't worth as much, but almost a whole 40 "cents" less, come on!! So instead of getting myself all worked up I reverted my thoughts back to (yep you guess it)...fashion. Considering the fact that I will be taking a million pictures, its only fair that I try to look as good as the architecture I'm capturing. I've been super obsessed with stripes this season and I'm willing to pair them with anything, so of course I turn to JCrew for my inspiration...(although everything must match my new sandals!!)...

I thought, I need something simple, why not jean shorts a Costline Striped Pullover?!

It's sad I needed JCrew to help me come up with this one...

I love the casual look the stripes and Canteen Shorts bring in, but I especially 

love the classic look of of a blazer.

So I then thought, why not bring both with this Martime Striped Blazer. Paired with

jeans, or shorts, it's got the perfect European touch! 

Shop Here :)

• Coastline Stripe Pullover
• Canteen Shorts
• Martime Striped Blazer

Ahhh yes, the London Bridge...I wish I could say I took this, but in approximately 22 days 6 hours and 45 minutes I will be well on my way to this magnifect architectural structure. Not only have I been counting down the days to a T, but I have been planning out every outfit I will be wearing while playing tourist for 2 weeks! When I say tourist, I mean camera glued to my hip, and the newest addition to my wardrobe, my birkenstock gizeh sandals, firmly on my feet. There is no palace, tower, or garden that can escape the wrath of my flash!!

• Birkenstock Sandals