cozy style

30 Days Hath November
Day 18: What I wore today

I think this should probably go under the category of one of those what I really wore today posts that people do. Not that I don't love it but it's far from glamorous or styled. The focus today was comfy and warm. And I am. So I win. ;)

hoodie // american apparel
cammie // american eagle
leggings // newport news
slipper boots // urban

Today I am hiding out at Charlie's place because there's a major siding and window overhaul going on back home and it is loud. Yesterday I decided to hide out in my room with a giant cup of coffee and some Christmas movies while I watched the photo frames shake off my walls. After taking the remaining ones down, I got back to work on sketching designs for Christmas cards. It was pretty productive and I had a lot of fun doing some hand lettering which I haven't done since college days.

It's amazing how quickly you can fall behind in the blog world though, amiright? I just wanted to stop by here and give this little update but now I'm off to try and catch up on all the reading and commenting I've fallen behind on!

Have a great weekend! :)

What's your cozy style?

wordless wednesday

 

 
The beach is so different in the fall. Everything seems so freshly abandoned. The overcast sky kind of emphasized the fall feeling.

Okay so it was a nearly wordless Wednesday. ;)

Have a great week.

pride + a movie

{source}

I have tons of schoolwork I'm trying to get done today so that I can have a fun and productive week/weekend so I'm going to keep it short and sweet today with a 30 days update! But first, I will let you in on why I'm trying to clear up some space for this week. I have a few exciting things in the works!

1. A new blog design. It's almost completely finished! I just have to move from the design phase to the make-it-a-functioning-website phase. Which is the hardest part of course. I hope to unveil it by the end of the month!

2. Christmas card designs for the grand opening of my shop. I have single cards and box card designs in progress. :)

3. Jewelry and ornaments for the shop! I lump these together because the completion date is uncertain so I can't make any guarantees of what will be available this Christmas. But there shall be cards! ;)


And now for some..

30 Days Hath November

Day 13. Something I'm proud of
Speaking of school and schoolwork, that is what I am proud of. I'm proud that I'm on track with my projected graduation date and that I've been more dedicated to grad school than undergrad. Let's be honest, as an undergrad you'll skip as many classes as you can get away with. ;) I never even have the urge to skip my current classes. Of course, there's some nights I'd rather do something else, but overall I feel like I get so much out of every class that I don't want to miss any. Yep, I'm a school nerd now. ;)

Day 14. A favorite movie
Christmas movies keep popping into my head this time of year, but my favorite movie overall is Wristcutters: A Love Story. It's a hilarious and beautiful movie that Charlie and I could watch over and over without getting tired. We often quote it and talk to each other like Eugene because we are easily amused. ;) I definitely recommend giving it a watch if you haven't seen it yet.

Now back to the books! I hope you all have a great and productive week!

three deserving blogs

30 Days Hath November

I'm catching up on three days of this today but if you pay attention to anything, please look at day 12. I was actually super excited for this prompt because I immediately had three deserving blogs in my head to list. I list them because they are daily reads of mine yet I'm not sure all of my particular bloggy friends know about them yet. Maybe I'm lame and you do, I'm sorry. But go look at day 12 anyway and humor me. ;)

Day 10. What I love about my job
Technically right now I don't have a job. But I guess you could say my job is being a grad student. I'm also trying to make a job out of my art as well. So what I love about those jobs is a.) learning from some ridiculously amazing people about my future profession, and b.) getting to develop the things I love into something that some other people may love to take into their homes. ;)

Day 11. Something I've been craving
Waffles. Plain and simple. I won't even go into too much detail about this because all I want right now is a waffle slathered in butter. X)

Day 12. Three blogs I can't get enough of
The first blog I ever commented on because I related to it so much was Mrs Priss. The lovely Morgan who writes that blog is a mamma and freaking hilarious lady who will never fail to keep you interested. Whether she's telling you how to make a beautiful yarn wreath or recanting the tale of how she once cried in a grocer's arms, she will never fail to leave you entertained. If you haven't read her blog yet, GO. Immediately.

The next blog I will tell you to read is The Wannabe Country Girl. She already has me wanting to raise chickens but that's not the half of it. Her recipes are to die for and she does exactly what I love.. she has step by step photos of every part of her recipes. That way, you'll know if something doesn't look quite right or if something's not fully blended or you didn't cook it long enough. I cannot stress the importance of pictures when cooking something new. If you're a foodie in training or just looking for a great recipe - go there. Please.

The third blog that I insist you go to is Posie Gets Cozy. If you are not familiar with Alicia, she and her husband have been seeking adoption for over a year. Throughout that year+, she has been flawlessly sewing and knitting clothes for her future daughter and it has been amazing to observe. I once wrote about her in a post and have since had an overwhelming amount of traffic sources from people trying to look up whether she has adopted her baby yet or not. The community support around this woman is amazing and it is clear to see why it exists. She and her husband are both beautiful people and you can't help but be on their side. The due date of their adoptive child was 11/11/11 so many of her readers are now eagerly awaiting an announcement. It's so amazing that you can feel so much for someone you have never meant but my heart and soul goes out to Alicia Paulson and her husband at this amazing time in their lives.

That is all. Have a great weekend!! :)

butternut squash soup

This is the recipe for the butternut squash soup I made the other night. It was delicious and went perfectly with the big crusty, toasted slices of bread and salad that I made to go with it. I hope I can squeeze this recipe in a few more times during the cold weather. Ironically enough, the day I made it was the first day in a while that we had the windows open. Figures!

The butternut squash is a pretty awesome thing. It's pretty hard but not a rock like the spaghetti squash, which had to be microwaved for a few minutes before I could cut it. With a little persuading, I cut it in half, no problem.

Then just scoop out the guts, like you would a pumpkin. You can also roast the seeds just like pumpkin seeds!

Rub it with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

And in the oven it goes.

A little more soup magic and you have a delicious hearty meal perfect for warming up cold fingers. :)

I seriously thought there would be too much bread but it was the perfect accompaniment for dipping soup so everyone gobbled it up!


Butternut Squash Soup
adapted from Duhlicious

1 butternut squash
1/2 cup cream
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
1 celery stalk, diced
1/2 white onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 tsp paprika
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp + 1 tbsp olive oil


Preheat oven to 400F. Slice squash in half lengthwise, rub cut side with the tsp of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a foil lined baking sheet and bake for about an hour or until squash is fork tender. Take it out of the oven and let it cool until you're able to handle it to scoop the flesh out.

In a large pot, heat the tbsp of olive oil. Saute onion and paprika until translucent and add celery, carrots, and water and bring to a simmer. Scoop the butternut squash out of the skin and add to the soup. Discard the skin. Add the bay leaves and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and cook about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Lower the heat and temper the cream by adding a little hot soup to the cream and mix. Add the whole thing to the pot and stir. Continue to cook on low heat for five more minutes. Let the soup cool a little and either blend it up with an immersion blender or pour it into your food processor, a little at a time depending on the capacity of your robot. ;)

When it's blended up, serve with some crusty bread and a salad. I just sliced a round Italian loaf in half, spread a mixture of olive oil, garlic, and basil on top, and popped it under the broiler until it was toasty. This happens quickly so keep an eye on it!

Enjoy!


What foods are you eating to keep warm?