Fashion notes

1. So what is the consensus on jeggings? At first, I was totally against them cause....weird...I don't want jeans printed on leggings. However, they seem like they'd be more comfy than skinny jeans. So maybe I am for them? It's hard to say. The girls in the picture below make them look cute.

2. My hair is as long as I've ever had it in my life. I have no idea how to style it. So now, it just kind of hangs there. I guess I need to practice or watch videos on youtube or something. Any advice?

3. Project Runway episodes are online! This is exciting. It's on www.mylifetime.com

4. Some of the designer girls on Project Runway wear the cutest dangly earrings, kinda like these from Forever 21. Love them. I am definitely in need of some new earrings. I seem to always loose them....

Kentucky!

A few weekends ago, I went to Wilmore, Kentucky, to visit my college friend, Sadie, who goes to school at Asbury Seminary. She lives there with her husband, who goes to UK. (Side note- I actually introduced them, not thinking they would get together or anything. I went to high school with Drew, her husband.)

We ended up going about a half hour away, to Berea, home of Berea College, a really unique college. The students work 15 hours a week on campus in exchange for a completely free tuition. They have several farms and "green" stuff going on there. I am not sure if students get in based on income or what, but I imagine it's pretty competitive.

The town is really cute too. Here's some pictures from our day.

I am making barbeque sauce now. And spelling my name different. Okay, not really, but we did see this in Berea and it has my first and middle names. (Yeah, my name is kinda of hillbilly)

This man made all these dulcimers and sells them. How awesome. Perhaps I will take up dulcimer playing?

There was a free trolley ride around Berea that day, so of course we took it. This is how I know so much about Berea college!

We also went to the Kentucky Horse Park, and it happened to be a get in free day. Score. What a cool place. We got there at the end of the day, so we couldn't do a whole lot of cool stuff, but it seemed like it would be a fun place to go and check out again.

This is the best picture I got of a horse, and I did it by sticking my camera through a fence and not even looking. Figures. haha.

and of course, there was a pink dog running around. What else would be there?

Tomato tart

I have just been biding my time until the summer tomatoes are ready to make this tart.

Doesn't that sound like the best thing to eat ever in all the land?

I also had some adorable little eggplants so I included those too. Okay, so I only bought them because they were cute, but they were a good addition.

Look! Don't they look like they belong in a fairytale?

So I didn't make the crust, I can't live a lie. Got it at Trader Joe's.

I overdid it on the mustard a bit. I have this thing where I don't really measure and sometimes it gets me into trouble.

I would recommend eating this the same day, or reheating in the oven. But it pretty much ruled.

Links of the week

This is my life....

So apparently the Elaine Benes look is in?

FAKE SCIENCE!

Grammar myths

Madewell, best store ever. Too bad the closest store is in...North Carolina? Pennsylvania? I don' t even know. I will take one in every color.

Fall wishlist #1

Is it fall yet? I am 100% ready. It's been sooooo hot the past few weeks. I want to wear sweaters, tights, scarves and boots!

Check out this super cute top. I like it in heather. The back is adorable.

First saw this here.

Movie!

I don't really like to call favorites much. Maybe I'm wishy-washy? Or I think I just like to keep things open ended.

That said, here's six of my favorite movies (why not five, you ask? I couldn't narrow it down!). I'd say they are probably in the top 20. The list is pretty fluid. Mostly I have movies I really like, movies I don't like, and movies that are okay. No #1 favorite though.

So, in no order, six movies I really like:



Anchorman

Funniest movie ever. I could watch it everyday and not get sick of it. And it's so quotable. Everyone in the movie cracks me up, Paul Rudd, Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, all hilarious. I love it. Throw any Will Ferrell movie at me and I will love it, I promise.







Pride and Prejudice

The British BBC version, thank you! :) This movie is 6 hours long, but worth every minute. Colin Firth is the ONLY Darcy in my mind. The Keira Knightly movie....eh, I'd watch it, but this is 100% times better and more true to the book.







Gone with the Wind

I didn't watch this movie until I was in college and .....oh man, I love it! The south, the costumes, the romance, the Scarlett and Rhett drama. Awesome. I also watched the sequel, Scarlett, which was good, but could never be as good as the original (Timothy Dalton as Rhett? ehh....He's no Clark Gable.).








Back to School

Alright, so this movie is absolutely ridiculous. I saw it on Comedy Central before I graduated high school and it's been a favorite ever since. I don't know why. I'm not a Rodney Dangerfield fan. It might be because of the famed triple-lindy? The movie also stars a young Robert Downey Jr. with blue hair!







Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Cheesy musical with people bellowing and dancing in unison all the time? Can't go wrong. Kidnapping, fighting, lumberjacking. I would submit this is a movie that appeals to both sexes.









Star Trek 2009 version

I couldn't leave out something from the sci-fi genre. I like lots of sci-fi that didn't make this list (no worries, I can make more movie lists!). Maybe the large cast of attractive young men is why I like this movie so much (Hellllllllo Spock!). I did like the story and the pacing. It just seemed like a really fresh look at the whole Star Trek series. I am excited for the next one.

Links of the week

faux vintage ads for techy things....cute.

There's a pop-tarts store in Times Square now? Sounds kinda gross...

This is AMAZING!

Weird gardens. (via mental_floss....yes, I don't actually read Popular Mechanics, surprisingly, haha.)

I love this girl's hair....but I could never do it.

They call me the hiphopopotamus

So call me a bit ridiculous, but if you saw this in a thrift store for $2, would you pass it up?

No, no you would not.

My friend Diana and I were killing some time, so we stopped in a thrift store yesterday, at her request. I wasn't planning on buying a thing, but when I saw this, I had to snap it up! Who wouldn't, honestly?

So now I own a hippo planter.

Hipsters

How much hipster can you pack into a Jazz? HI-LARIOUS.

Old school LOTR

I was rummaging through my parents old books this weekend. They have a giant box labeled "Sci-fi books". I would proclaim them nerds at this point, however, there were many books there that I would like to read, so I can't really call the kettle black. haha.

Anyway, I was looking because I remembered these from when I was younger:

(click to embiggen)

It's Lord of the Rings books from the 1970's. I LOVE the cover pictures. Plus! look who illustrated it?

Tolkien! So, this is obviously his vision for what Middle Earth looks like. Neat.

/end nerding out

Treat

Scene: My desk, 8:05 a.m., weekday

What is dees?

Closer...

Lynne is the best. :)

What a cute little Scottie dog.

Almost too cute to eat. Almost.

links of the week

Hello. It's almost the weekend! I'm driving to Wilmore, Kentucky on Saturday to visit my friend Sadie. Not exactly sure what we're going to do, but it's such a pretty area, so I'm excited.

Spider leg eyelashes? GROSSSSSS

Vertical succulent gardens. How cool. Too bad I can't seem to keep succulents alive. (side note- seriously? Why can't I keep a cactus alive? Who does that?)

Pizza cups. mmmmm.

and this is what my house shall look like.

Summer list of fun update

You may recall a post in May about my Summer List of Fun. Truthfully, I kind of forgot about it. However, looking back, I've actually already done a lot of what's on the list!

Here's an update:

Visit friends in NYC, Seattle (bought tickets), Columbus and Indianapolis.

Go to my friend Kramer's wedding

Take the bus more places

Ride my bike around (soo..hot...)

Visit some Adams County Amish

Have people over for dinner more often (I have a few times, but would like to more!)

Make a table cloth

Use my sewing machine more often

Watch The Wizard of Oz and listen to Dark Side of the Moon at the same time

Finish Chronicles of Narnia (working on it...)

Go to the National Underground Railroad Museum

Go camping

Grow some tomatoes and herbs

Watch a movie on Fountain Square

go canoeing


So, not bad at all! Anyone want to take a little trip to Adams County (with a website like that, you know the place has got to be good) soon? I need to see me some Amish.

Speaking of my tomato plant, my first tomato of the summer was finally ready on Saturday.

(It's a bit blurry, sorry!) Look how cute it is! It was very good :)

Banoffee pie

I had some people over for dinner on Friday, and made this British pie on recommendation from my friend Melissa, who lived in Liverpool for a year.

I was a little nervous because the recipe called for boiling cans of sweetened condensed milk, which apparently is dangerous because the cans could explode. I looked up other methods, some called for a double boiler, or putting the milk in the oven, but boiling cans seemed like the most fun method, so I stuck with it.

After the three hour boiling time, there was no explosion. However, because I am impatient, I opened a can before it was cool and there was a medium sized splat. Oops.

This was the milk. Originally white, of course, but over three hours it turned caramelly colored. mmm...I had to stop myself from eating the whole can with a spoon. (note to self- take off labels before boiling cans next time, hehe)

I am actually not a huge banana fan, but it was actually pretty hard to taste them specifically in the pie.
The whipped cream called for instant coffee, which I don't normally have on hand, and wasn't going to buy a big can for a teaspoon's worth. However, I remembered that I once got suckered into buying some Starbucks Via. It was hidden in the depth of my pantry, so problem solved. I am glad I found it too, cause that addition really added to the overall flavor of the pie.