(New) Mexican Night

We try to have tacos/burritos every Friday or Saturday night because, luckily, I have a boyfriend who loves Mexican food almost as much as me. Last night we made burritos, guacamole and homemade chips. Here's how to make the chips:

Preheat oven to 350 (or lower- they don't take very long to crisp up.)

Cut 4 flour tortillas into 8 pieces and arrange on two sheet pans.

Make oil mixture of about a tbsp. of olive oil, a tsp of both salt and pepper and a dash of garlic powder.

Whisk together and drizzle evenly over tortillas.

Bake for 5-10 min (depends on your oven- ours runs a little hot) or until edges are golden brown.

Maybe I'll share my guacamole recipe another time... It's pretty popular (my mom usually refuses to eat tacos without it) but I can't take all the credit- living in New Mexico definitely helped, especially with my "second" family who fed me all the time (which I miss terribly). Anyway, here was my little piece of New Mexico way up here in PA.

And yes, I had two more plates that looked just like this.

Bathroom

I cleaned the bathroom this morning, and in doing so, inadvertently came up with some things for a dream bathroom checklist.

lovedotcom

I love the separate mirrors (and sinks). It defines the areas and looks so classy as well as updated.

wonderfullifee

The vanity has to be something unique and solid as well. This sheer makes an amazingly different shower curtain too. This is the work of Genevieve Gorder, one of my all-time favorite designers, and one of the first to inspire me to become so interested in interior design.

timefliestoday

Lighting is another checklist item; exposed light bulbs = ew (in most cases). I like the sconces on either side of the mirror, and the chandelier- such a small and easy way to class-up a bathroom.

abigaillx

Color is a huge factor in a bathroom- it should be something to wake up with in the morning, but wind down to in the evening. This green can be bright eye-opening enough, but in the right dimmed lighting can be plenty relaxing. The tile is amazing too.

Flowers and sunshine

Walking through inches of snow, while a few more inches accumulate on my glasses, head and jacket, and getting to see how many puddles it takes to soak my sock via a new hole in my boot make me miss spring/summer... really anytime that doesn't require layers and snow shoes. I still love the snow, but in my second year of PA winters, I'm realizing that around this time, I want my flip flops back. And the sun shining through the windows. And fresh flowers and herbs lining my windows. I suppose pictures will have to do for now.

abigaillx

we heart it

you go through life thinking

we heart it

you go through life thinking

we heart it

abigaillx

Office/Guest Room

With classes in full swing, the homework is piling up. And while working on our couch, I got to thinking how nice an office/guest room would be in our next place. It's actually something we've been planning since we started looking at places but this week has me day-dreaming about the design.

cupcakes and cashmere

 I love everything about this space- the chalkboard, the flowers, the lamps, and the raffia bows in the wall, which would be so simple to do! We have a corner desk that has so much room for storage and organization.

oh hello

My parents have two rustic desk likes this in their home and while we already have a desk, I love the antique look and simplicity of the decor. And the colors are so calming.

pinkberryy

As for the guest room aspect, I definitely want a daybed that can be used when we don't have guests. I also really like the way the frames are displayed.

you go through life thinking

The color scheme of this room is so bright and rejuvenating but calm at the same time. I love the daybed and the additional seating. We might not have room for all of this in our next place, but the bed is certainly something we could look into getting.

Lessons of the Week

This week was a particularly stressful one. The first week of school is tough for everyone, especially when it's your last one, and you're trying to get a class dropped in order to get another one, making some days 13 hours long, in order to graduate in May. Luckily, everything worked out today and I will officially be done in 4 months! With that taken care of, I can now truly stick to my resolution and actually enjoy school. All week long, my parents told me that everything would work out. But I lost sleep over it and was less than pleasant to be around at times, even after school. So-

Lessons of the week:

• Simply let things run their course. 
• Do what you can to make things happen, but then take a step back and let it be. 
• (And always listen to your parents.)
• And...

pinkberryy

 

 

Oh, and...

pink wallpaper

Happy Weekend.

Brrr, but it's okay.

In the spirit of the weekend weather reports using the words "bitterly cold" and "frigid", I thought I'd share some reasons and remind myself why I should still love winter.

weheartit

I love cuddling up under a blanket and just holding a warm cup of hot chocolate- I'm perfectly content waiting for it to cool down enough for me to drink (while the marshmallows melt, of course.)

weheartit

Even though we haven't gotten around to it this season, and I'm dangerously terrible at it, especially in comparison to my boyfriend (who's been at it since age 11), I still love snowboarding.

weheartit

I was thoroughly disappointed at the lack of snowmen around this year- they surely would have lasted around here. I'll never forget the last snowman we made before moving from PA to Florida- we dressed him in a Hawaiian shirt, sunglasses and flip flops with a sign that read "Florida or Bust!' Poor guy never made it down there, though.

52 Flea

While I normally wear (grownup) gloves, I love mittens. If only I could find a pair that weren't child-sized.

pink wallpaper

And of course, Christmas lights. I love them up during Christmas, left up after Christmas, used for things totally unrelated to Christmas, and the after Christmas deals which I use to stock up on them.

Ahhh- I feel better.

Birthday!

My boyfriend's birthday was yesterday and we celebrated with a night together, making dinner and cake. We made spaghetti with homemade meatballs, wine, a salad with homemade croutons, garlic bread and cake. The pictures don't do it justice.

The pan really isn't dirty... it's just stained. (PS- look at my new skillet!)

Don't worry...

Keeping it simple today and offering some much needed advice that I could have used yesterday after my long first day of classes (which is much like the advice my parents gave me several times throughout the day).

weheartit

First Day of School!

Today is the first day of school of my last semester of my college career. Even though I'm a year late, it still feels like I was a clueless freshman just yesterday. The fact that this is my tenth semester doesn't ease my butterflies, but my excitement might trump it a little bit. This is a huge step towards the rest of my life. My schedule will be jammed packed and includes a 13 hour long day of classes and labs (while going back to work weekends in April), but I want to take it in and absorb all the learning that I have left. A philosophy class I took last semester began the class talking about how to take full advantage of the college experience. While I feel like I might have definitely missed out on a few things and wasted one (or two) semesters, I plan on enjoying this last one. Not many people even get to go to college and have the experiences I've had. So instead of not making it to all of my classes or dreading assignments and papers, I'm going to embrace it and get ready for the next stage of my life.
What I know I'll be missing out on this semester though are my mom's homemade cookies. She made chocolate and peanut butter chip cookies on the first day of school every year from preschool to high school and it was by far the highlight of not only the first day of school, but the majority of my public school career. Good thing my boyfriend made brownies a couple nights ago- should take my mind of the cookies...

weheartit

make me a saint

weheartit

 

 

Mr. Fuller

 Just getting it out of my system...!

Fireplace

As I'm enjoying my last couple days of winter break, I'm realizing how much I miss having a fireplace. I would love the ambiance they deliver, but could certainly use the warmth in this older building. In the next few homes we have, a fireplace is definitely something that will be on our checklist (maybe later on down the road).

house of white interiors

I love the mirrors on the mantle, and the ottoman and couches.

junk garden

How beautiful are the stones? Also love the trunk for the ottoman- something I've been antiquing for for a good while.

urban farmgirl

While I don't need a fireplace in my bedroom, it's still something to strive for, or dream about.

abigaillx

 Again, the gorgeous stones. And the seamless flow from the living space right to the outdoor space.

Orange Trees

During these winter months, the air is starting to get a little stagnant, much like the people in this little apartment. It sure makes me crave some plant life. I stumbled upon this idea and cannot wait to get one or two of my own.
Having lived in Florida for a few years, I've had the pleasure of smelling orange blossoms and can honestly say it's one of if not the most wonderful scent in the world. Imagine not only having beautiful green trees with gorgeous blossoms and such a heavenly scent wafting through the house year round. Not to mention having fresh oranges at your fingertips. I'm so looking forward to learning how to grow a couple of these multifunctional additions in our next home.

Minus the cat.      pinkwallpaper

Fragrant blossoms      state symbol

weheartit

Black and Yellow.

The Steelers have been my team since birth. I've watched them since I was placed in front of the tv every Sunday- I even had a Monday Night football dance when I was 3. Needless to say, I cannot wait for the game today. And the fact that we get to knock the Ravens out makes it even better.
My uncle works at Saint Vincent where the Steelers have training camp every year and gets to see the players quite often. He says Troy almost always skips lunch and goes to the chapel to pray with his wife and baby. He's soft spoken, gets the job done and truly loves the game, like most of the Steelers. I will proudly be wearing his jersey today while watching my team get one step closer to the Super Bowl.
I figure this will be the only Steelers post I'll do, so here's some inspiration for Steeler Nation.

tedcromwell

espn

Kitten

While at the boyfriends parents house yesterday, I got to play with this small thing. Normally, I hate cats (and the feelings' mutual) but this kitten is precious. She was so curious and playful- look at her little tongue checking out my sweater while taking a break from playing with my hair. How can you not be happy after seeing this thing?! Not to mention being fed a delicious pork chop dinner with the boyfriend's fam... I simply love life.

Nothing is stressful when you get to hold something this cute.

 Had to share- have a happy Friday!

Kitchens

While trying to simply move around (let alone cook) in our tiny kitchen, I often find myself dreaming up a larger, more efficient, elegant kitchen. My parents have had some amazing kitchens in the past, with islands, granite and stainless steel counter tops, and bars. My boyfriend's parents kitchen is gorgeous with granite counters, a fireplace and a huge island. We are definitely (eventually) looking for something like that- big enough for the family to be together, and to cook in without having to take turns to move two steps. I know that our next place won't meet all of our expectations but it's still fun to look. Here are some of our inspirations.

lets-disappear.tumblr.com

abigaillx.tumblr.com

abigaillx.tumblr.com

abigaillx.tumblr.com

glamorousxchanel.tumblr.com