Winter Beauty

Good morning! It has been absolutely freezing cold the past few days, but at the same time I can't help but marvel at the beauty of the winter weather here in Cleveland. While it's way colder than Cincinnati, I think Cleveland seasons are way prettier, especially the fall and winter. In fall, the trees' leaves turn vibrant reds, yellows, and oranges. In the Cincinnati area, the trees' leaves are mostly brownish. And in the winter, there isn't a lot of snow in Cincinnati so mostly what you see are the brown dead grass and the brown dead trees :/. Occasionally there is a snow storm that makes all the trees beautiful and the ground smooth and white, but it tends to melt after a week or two. Once the snow comes to Cleveland, it stays in Cleveland until the spring. The whiteness of it adds some color and brightness outside. The rivers also become partially frozen and icicles are commonly seen hanging from rocks on cliffs or houses. It's a really pretty scene. I tried to photograph this for you a few days ago. I didn't capture the beauty of it in the picture like it was in person, but maybe you can still see something of where I live :). Winter really can be beautiful, although I do wish it was a bit warmer haha.

Hugs <3

Lululemon and Smoothie

Hey there! So this morning I went to yoga because I like yoga, and the past few days my back has been killing me! Ugh it was so uncomfortable I couldn't sleep a few nights ago :/. It's probably to be blamed on my bad posture haha. Now I'm feeling all stretched out and refreshed :). The teacher took an extra long time in shavasana today. It felt so good. I love just laying there after a yoga practice. It just allows to you relax for a few minutes and center your mind. A little mediation for my morning. I wish I had time to do that every day, but I'm just a busy person, so I enjoy what I can get. After yoga today I made a really yummy smoothie. I managed to get the perfect ratio of fruits to get everything to blend together nicely. Goal accomplished!!! I'm one of those people who never measures their fruit when making a smoothie so getting the right blend so all the flavors mesh together can be challenging haha. Do any of you do that?? A lot of the time I find my smoothies end up tasting mostly like banana. Which I don't mind because I am obsessed with bananas, but sometimes you just want to switch it up ya know? Today I used one banana, a large handful of pineapple chunks, a handful of frozen mango, some of my left over coconut water (probably about a tablespoon), soy milk (enough so it would blend smoothly), and four ice cubes. I hope those measurements aren't too vague haha. After I topped it with some shredded coconut. YUMMM!!! I found a super cute mason jar to put it in too. Mason jars are just an adorable way to make your breakfast feel like you're living in a tumblr picture haha.

Apparel is all from Lululemon.

Hugs <3

Love, Honor,Truth Canvas

Calling all sorority girls! Haha. So I was telling you how I made a canvas for my future 'Little' yesterday. Annddd here it is! I thought it turned out really nice. I basically copied the design from Pinterest, but I changed the color scheme from blues and greens to purples. I also added a little glitter glue which I thought was fun :). A little sparkle never hurt anybody right?? It was super simple to make. The hardest part was the quatrefoil and the writing. First I painted the entire canvas a solid color. Then I took a piece of printer paper and folded it in half longways and short ways, so that the folds made a cross. I took a ruler and put two dots 8 inches apart on the lines that were created from the folding. I then measured the points of the quatrefoil using the ruler. I made each 1 inch and tried to make the angles as even as possible. I then connected the points with the rounded parts. I eyeballed that as best I could, and if you look closely you can tell they aren't exactly even. I then cut out the quatrefoil and traced it with pencil on the dry canvas. I then put the general form of the words inside the quatrefoil with pencil. Ad just painted over the pencil. After that, the dots were really easy. I took a small paint brush and made rows of dots in different shades all around the quatrefoil. I also made one row glitter dots with some glitter glue. I hope this wasn't too confusing! If you have any questions, please comment below :).

I wanted to make the background of the canvas nice and simple, but the colors got washed out a bit. The one below is how it really looks.

Hugs <3

Gloomy Days and Messy Hair

Hello! I meant to post this earlier today, but I was having issues getting my laptop to connect to the internet all day. It happens sometimes here. The wifi was never meant to hold as many devices as it now is with my sister an I home. So it's a struggle sometimes haha. Today was a pretty lazy day. It was snowing and freezing, and an all round gloomy day. I actually love this kind of weather when I can stay warm inside. It makes for a super cozy day! I love wearing comfy clothes and snuggling up with a super soft blanket. We had a warm fire going almost all day. The dogs were sleeping around the living room all day, and they were just so cute. I only ventured outside the house to go to Pat Catan's to get some supplies for crafting. It was a nice rest day :). There is something about Sundays being a day for comfy clothes and taking some time for yourself. And I accomplished both of those today. I painted a canvas for my future sorority 'Little'. I'm really happy with it! I'll show you a picture tomorrow because the only one I had wasn't very good quality. I cannot wait until Big/Little Reveal in a little over a month so I can give it to her!

Hugs <3

Best Sushi

Hello! Long time, no blog :'(. But I'm back finally, and I'm going to share some pictures from my dinner date last night with my sister, Alyssa. We made the journey back to Strongsville because my mom recently moved to another suburb of Cleveland, and there are no sushi restaurants here that compare to Shinto in Strongsville :/. I really miss having Shinto so close to my house. We used to order a huge platter of takeout sushi and split it between my mom, sister, and I. Those were some of my favorite nights because they usually included a movie or a few episodes of Criminal Minds after. Now we have to drive twenty minutes to get the same sushi, but we can't take it back home anymore. I guess it makes eating sushi a little more of a treat, but still missing the convenience. Last night's treat was definitely needed though! The sushi in Oxford (Ohio) is pretty good, but they just don't have my favorite rolls. So I always look forward to coming home to my favorite. And I must say, Shinto did not disappoint! The rolls are just soo good!! I ate so much I had the worst stomach ache after, but it was completely worth it :). Gosh I think I could eat sushi everyday and not get sick of it haha. If you ever are looking for good Sushi, Shinto is my recommendation!

We ordered the Jimmy #30 and the Miso Surprise with a side of fried rice!

Hugs <3

Grey Turtleneck and First Snowfall!

Hi there! It started snowing like crazy this morning! So of course once the ground had enough of the fluffy white stuff to cover it, I had to take a picture. The snow makes for such pretty back drop! I can't think of a better combination than snow and a cozy turtleneck. This one is new and is from Banana Republic. It was on a crazy sale! The sweater was originally around $90, but i got it for a little over $10. How crazy is that?! It's super comfortable and cozy. I've been wearing it for about an hour, and I don't have any itchiness. If there is one thing you should spend the money on for really good quality, it's a turtle neck. If the quality isn't good, your neck is going to be super itchy and uncomfortable. That's why I used to hate them as a child. But now that I can get the good stuff, I've started to love them more :).

The struggle of having dogs who always want to be in your pictures haha. I love them :)

Hugs <3

Dreaming of Summer

Good morning everyone! Today I was reading Kristine Ullebø's blog, and she had a post about summer and beaches. It really made me wish for summer again. I am completely in my element in the warm sun with a dark tan and a cold drink in hand. My favorite drink this past summer was lemon water. I miss having fresh lemons in the house all the time. They definitely make water much more enjoyable to drink. I mean, sometimes it can be pretty bland. And laying by the pool or beach in a bikini...I don't think it gets better than that. God I miss it! I completely idolize summer, but not without reason. Some of my favorite memories are from summer. There is so much time to spend with friends and family and do things you normally wouldn't be able to during the school year. I am definitely a summer girl haha. Hair get lighter, skin gets darker, days get longer, nights get warmer. All of my favorite things :). At least summer is only a few months away! Before we know it, it will be spring, and then summer is just around the corner! The months go by so fast now. I'm already halfway done with my sophomore year of college. That is crazy!! Only a few more years and hopefully I'll be in medical school (hopefully). Then, I cannot wait until I am done with school and can move to a place that is warmer and near a beach. Florida maybe? Or LA?? Ahh the options are endless!! How time flies...

Hugs <3