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

Vegan Banana Pancakes

Hi there! This morning I felt like making something for breakfast, and not just eating cereal or yogurt or soothing like that. I've really wanted to try banana pancakes for awhile because I love bananas and pancakes. So what's better than combining the two?! I should probably have turned into a monkey with how many bananas I normally eat haha. I went on Pinterest, which is my favorite place to find new recipes, and searched vegan banana pancakes. After looking through a few of them, I decided to try this recipe http://www.sprinklewithsalt.com/2015/01/25/banana-pancakes/.

1 cup ground oats (I used flour)
1 smashed banana
1/4 cup milk or non-dairy milk of your choice
1 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp baking powder

It had more ingredients than some of the others, but the cinnamon, vanilla, and maple syrup really made a difference. The pancakes were sweet and you could definitely taste the cinnamon. The cinnamon and banana really go nicely together. Instead of the ground oats, I used flower because I don't have a food processor. I needed to add about an extra 1/4 cup of soy milk and another tablespoon of maple syrup because the batter was too thick. I'm guessing it was because I used regular flour. Then you cook them in a skillet like normal pancakes, and you have breakfast! The banana pancakes were a bit chewier than regular pancakes, but that might've been because the batter was thicker. I think you could thin out the batter by adding more liquid and not affect anything. They tasted great anyway :).

I topped mine with maple syrup and fruit, but you can use whatever your favorite topping is!

Hugs <3

Homemade Smoothie Bowl

This morning I made my first smoothie bowl. I was trying to make a fun blogger breakfast, and hoping it would taste good too haha. I will admit, it looks pretty plain. I wish I had more fruit, granola, or seeds to put on top, but I don't think it turned out too bad for a first try. It did taste really yummy! I used a banana, some frozen mango, frozen peaches, and a little soy milk. I threw it all in a blender and blended it until it was smooth. Then I just pored it into a bowl and decorated the top. I topped it with sliced kiwifruit and shredded coconut. It wasn't the most artistic smoothie bowl. But it tasted like summer when I would have fresh mango with pineapple and banana in my smoothies. Those were really good! It's weird how eating something or smelling something can take you right back to a specific place. I can't wait to experiment more with smoothie bowls and decorating them in the next few weeks! I'm sure you'll see the results.

Hugs <3

New Year's Day

Here are some pictures from the first party I went to on New Year's Day. It was an Ohio State party at one of my mom's friend's house. It was really funny watching the game with a bunch of loud adults haha. Oh my gosh they were yelling and swearing at the TV when Joey Bosa got kicked out of the game. It was so funny I had to take a Snapchat video, and I usually always forget to snapchat things haha. I was comfy in my own chair curled up with my blanket scarf. One of the best things about blanket scarves is that they can actually double as a blanket. It was so cozy I almost fell asleep haha. The food at the party was absolutely amazing! There was so much! It all looked so pretty, I had to take some pictures. The first picture is of this huge plate of nachos! I don't know if you can see the size from the picture, but trust me, it was huge. The second is a plate of Ukrainian sandwiches. They have a butter/cream cheese sauce, cucumber, radish, hard boiled egg, tomato, ham, and cheese. According to one of the adults they taste amazing when you are drunk haha. I was laughing at that. And finally, look at the cute minion I found!! I just had to take a picture with him! The rest of the day we went to another party, and finally my grandparents' for New Year's Day dinner.

Hugs <3