august faves

this time for my favorites I'm switching it up and doing some of my favorites that I have, not that I want. I'm getting in all of my summer shopping and sun and all that good summery air that won't be here in a few weeks. :( anyways...

three strap birkenstock knockoffs

I love these! they're a cute alterative to flip-flops and they go with everything.

ruffle basic tee

unfortunately, I don't have a link for these. they were on groopdealz.com which is a temporary sale clothing website. so, the clothes only have the good deal for a couple days. but I love the idea of having these cute, low price ($8.00 each!) basic tees with a few ruffle-y details.

succulents and cacti

they're not on the website, but I got these at home depot (thanks to my friend who gave me a gift card!) for about $6. there are also a lot of cute small ones for about $3 each, and I love my windowsill of plants. :)

prints

I want a whole wall full of these cute prints! I'm slowly filling up a small portion of my wall with these and this one is super cute.

geo necklace

this is a cute addition to any outfit. it's low-cost (don't be expecting amazing quality though) and cute and will last through the trend, which is perfect. forever21 is my favorite place for jewelry right now, because of the great prices.

too-short dress refashion

this super cute dress is actually out of stock right now, but I'm still posting it because I love that I  could make my dress long enough! I mostly own maxis, because most dresses are too short for me to feel comfortable in. so I found this refashion tutorial on an adorable blog, and promptly tried it out on an Old Navy dress. I love how it turned out! I use it a lot for a coverup.

joggers

cute. comfy. nothing else to say.

mmm...

even more mmm... ( pink lemonade ice cream pie)

also mmm... (mini bundt cakes)

well that about sums it up! I'm loving life and summer and everything. :)

july faves

I know... I post a lot of favorites. they're kinda the only thing I can commit to write a whole post about, especially in the summer. here goes...

loose fitting pants

I love my new pants from Forever 21! btw, online shopping is the way to go when it comes to Forever 21. You've got wayyy more time to sift through tons of weird stuff and you find the best clothes/accessories. anyway, loose, airy pants are the way to go when summer heat is just too much for your favorite pair of jeans. (those high waisted ones at the top are my current favorites! they're out of stock though :/)

accessories

right now, I'm loving the simple jewelry and round sunglasses and basically any other cute little accessories. Forever 21 (seeing a pattern here? I was given a gift card and also bought a bunch of gifts for friends ahead of time) has cheap but adorable accessories, which is exactly I look for in necklaces, sunglasses, etc. since I don't have a lot of $$$ to spend. (necklaces for $3.90! sunglasses for $5.00!)

glofish

I'm getting fishies for my birthday, and I decided on these! I found an inexpensive tank at Wal-Mart and I'm getting the fish at a pet store. I can't wait to have these cuties in my room (they really glow!)

plants

this cool plant tile (I'm still not really sure what type of plants they are) I bought to plant in the pots I bought online actually cracked the pots, apparently the pots aren't supposed to have water in them. so we just painted some terra-cotta pots with some acrylic paints and metallic markers and the plants looked really cute in the terra cotta pots instead! I also am into succulents right now, and I was given a Home Depot gift card-- can't wait to go get some!

Vacuum Cleaner Cookies

I know, quite an appetizing name, huh?

They don't look too exciting either.

Well this is one of those recipes that you gotta remember the saying "Don't judge a book by it's cover" because these are ah-maaaz-ing.
Pam-I-Am on Food.com says, "This recipe was originally in the LA Times. The story is that they are so good that they get sucked up like a vacuum cleaner! My neighbor brought some over to us and they were so rich, delicious and different, that I had to have the recipe. You make them like a bar cookie."

First you make a simple cookie crust out of cake mix, an egg, and butter. It calls for an 18.5 oz box of cake mix, but I'm guessing most people are in the position I'm in with the ever-decreasing sizes of cake mixes. So you're going to want two 16.5 (or two of whatever size you have) boxes. Not because you're going to need two whole ones, it's just one isn't enough. (don't risk it. I did, and the dough was so wet it just slid around on the pan and wouldn't spread at all. I just scraped as much as I could out of the pan and wiped the remnant out with paper towels, re-sprayed the pan, and called it good. Then I fixed the dough and put it back in.) Just add the whole first box, mix, and start adding some of the second one in about 1/2 cup amounts. Tie up the rest of the bag of cake mix and save it for the next time you make these-- you will want to!

Then you pop it in the oven for 10 min.

You mix up the filling and add the coconut and walnuts, and

the mixture's going to seem and look weird. But trust me on this one.

Spread on your cooled crust,

and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until golden.

These are not a photogenic dessert, but they are so good. They're really easy, and my extended family loves them-- they're perfect for gatherings! It's hard to explain what they taste like because they're so different (in a totally amazing way) but they are definitely buttery, and have a crispy outside and a soft yummy inside. Please try these! You won't regret it, I promise.

Vacuum cleaner cookies

(recipe adapted from food.com)
INGREDIENTS

serves36YIELD3 dozenUNITSUS

• Crust

•             1⁄2 cup butter

• 1(18 1/2 ounce) box yellow cake mix (or two boxes of a smaller size)
• 1large egg

• Top layer

• 2large eggs
• 1(8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1lb powdered sugar
• 1⁄2cup coconut, shredded
• 1⁄2cup walnuts, chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, butter and 1 egg until moistened. If you have 2  smaller cake mixes, add the first one in, combine, and add the 2nd one in 1/2 cup additions until you have a soft dough that doesn't stick to your hands and forms a ball.
3. Pat mixture into a 15 x 10-inch greased jelly roll pan.
4. Bake for 10 minutes.
5. Remove and cool while you make the top layer.
6. In large bowl, beat 2 eggs lightly.
7. Beat in cream cheese and powdered sugar.
8. Add coconut and nuts.
9. Spread mixture evenly over crust in pan.
10. Bake at 325° for 40-50 minutes or until golden.
11. Cool in pan on a rack until room temperature.
12. Cut into small squares or bars.

may faves

I've been lovin the spring rain and summer sun and a few other things. some of them are things I own and love, and others are things I think are utterly adorable.

lace socks

these are the cutest. I was actually in american eagle when I saw these and put them with my other finds, but somehow dropped them on the way to the cashier. I have regretted not purchasing them ever since! socks are super trendy w/ sandals (strange trend but equally strangely cute) or pjs. these lavender socks from ae (a bit spendy though) are a great find. (top ones are from topshop)

calligraphy set

I've been doodling constantly, and someone commented that my abundance of quotes in cursive looked like calligraphy. ever since I've been looking for a good set and this one seems professional. If you have one that you've liked, please comment a link! super great way to personalize envelopes or design your own prints!

overalls

YES! reasonably priced overalls. I've been looking for some overalls these but they're all for people who have a lot of money to spend. these are even on sale!! ordering!

color-block peplum tankini top

another YES! this shop has the cutest modest swimsuits! it's so hard to find good ones anywhere. they are great quality, and they have such great customer service. I just got mine yesterday, and I love it! the shipping estimate was 4-9 days. I ordered mine on Thursday, and got it on Friday! and to think I was worried that it wouldn't come by Friday next week. (I love the high neck and that the boy shorts have good coverage. the print is a bit more green in real life though)

frosted lemonade

if Chick-fil-A didn't already make my mouth water every time I think about it, I would totally go just for this. It's creamy and lemony and summery and everything you would want in a shake. please go try one! (I may have to try a homemade version very soon... 2 ingredients! 2!)

mason jar "aquarium"

I found this new website that has really great DIYs. you just find the one you want to make and the supplies are all included in your package! so all you have to do is order and then start right as you receive the package, rather than having a sort of scavenger hunt to find all the supplies. this one's especially cute, because it's in a blue jar with seashells and cute plants that almost look like seaweed.

elastic sandals

these look so cute! since they're made out of elastic, they'd probably be really comfortable. I'm hoping to buy these soon!

hoping your shopping experiences are as successful as mine were, 

Julia 

Happiness

I have a new kind of post for today. (I know! Not food... Shocking!)

It's something I've been thinking about a lot lately. I've been trying my best to do the right thing all the time and to be kind and have courage (thank you if you know what movie that's from) and all that good stuff.

But sometimes trying to be perfect is tricky. It's definitely something we all strive for, but it's sure a hard thing to accomplish. So I decided that there's a good way to help balance out all of the things. It's not perfect, but it seems to work pretty darn well.

Basically, we just need to step back and realize what is important. If you're deciding between two things, think about what you will remember and have the best memories about. There probably won't always be a "good" and a "bad" choice. Sometimes it's between "good", and "better".

And what I've realized is, when you're switching to an eternal perspective, it's the "little" things that seem to matter the most. The moments when you're not worrying about anything-- from spontaneous dance parties to painting your little sister's nails are usually fonder and better remembered memories than the things that seem to be the "most" important. (Prioritizing well is key.)

Yes, studying for the "big test" is important. And so are sport tournaments and competitions. But it's when that crosses over the smaller things, and they get ignored as the "not important enough" category, that it gets stressful. You're trying to hard to do everything sometimes. It's good to occasionally take a walk, or sit outside and listen to the rain, or look for a rainbow when the sun comes out. It sure helps me clear my mind of all earthly distractions and just think about things that are important-- both kinds of important.

Whether you realize it or not, something you do (even if it's very small) can impact someone else's life very greatly. Recently someone said something quite nice to me. Even though it was short and they probably didn't remember it afterward, it made me feel so loved. I go through the day when I'm laying in bed or taking a shower, and sometimes I'll be smiling so hard in the dark because of something someone said or did to me. I wrote a note to my mom recently, and she wrote one back. When I received her note back, I felt all warm and cozy and loved. I didn't realize that my note could have had that impact on my mom-- the small things really count.

And sometimes you need to take a break. For yourself. If you have been trying too hard to get everything done and are starting to stress, that's when you need it. It might seem weird to some people to not ever take a break for yourself, and weird to others to be doing something that isn't to help someone else. But you need to let yourself calm down and take a breather. (Baths, walks, a good book, a movie with a blankets and popcorn, and writing a letter to someone are always very good options. Try not to let your phone get involved).

"Life by the yard is hard;
by an inch it's a cinch."
Take everything a day at a time-- and sometimes the little things matter most.

Fresh Raspberry Buttercream

We've had a lot of raspberries lately (as you can tell from my recipes) and I've been able to experiment with them much more than usual, since they're so expensive normally. (We got close to 30 cartons for $1 each!) Mmm mmm yeah.

I just used a box cake mix for this recipe, since the buttercream was the for suuuure best part of the cupcake. 

Blend up some raspberries (we seem to be doing a lot of that lately...) and press through a fine mesh sieve. I used a cheesecloth, because we don't have a sieve.

Blend 2 sticks of softened butter (just soft enough that you can smoosh it easily, but it's not melted, don't set the microwave for a long time just because you want it done fast, you'll regret it later. Plus patience is a virtue...) until light and fluffy and add the vanilla and raspberry juice. 

It will look all gross and separated but keep blending. Trust me, it will look better later. Patience is a... ok I'll stop now.

Add your powdered sugar (either put the lid on or blend very slowly bc this stuff is messsssy-- personal experience) and blend until fluffy.

And you've got beautiful, velvety, perfectly pink raspberry buttercream. It almost looks like there's food coloring in there. But nooo, it's all natural, folks! (at least I think so... don't quote me on that)

Spread/pipe it on some vanilla cupcakes (use your favorite recipe!) and take a big ol' bite. Make sure you put a raspberry on, too!

(snarfs the whole thing .00426785 seconds after taking the picture)

And yes, that is my foot. Don't judge.

Go eat your delicious cupcake (or whatever else your heart desires that you slather this frosting on, graham crackers are never a bad idea for leftover frosting) and go outside (even if it's raining. Rain is good for the soul.) A fun experiment would be to practice piping cupcakes, but I still haven't bought a 1M tip, so that's an adventure for another day.

(I'm trying out new fonts and editing websites, thoughts? I'm deciding if it's easy enough to do for every recipe.) 

Raspberry Buttercream

(adapted from sweetpeasandsaffron.com)

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter (226g; at room temperature)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup raspberries (at room temperature)
• 3 cups powdered sugar (360g)

Directions

1. Using a mesh strainer and a spoon, mash raspberries against strainer until only seeds remain, collecting raspberry juice below in a bowl. Discard solids and set raspberry juice aside.
2. Using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk, beat the butter on medium high until light and fluffy. 
3. Beat in vanilla and raspberry juice. *your buttercream may look broken but it needs to be beaten for several minutes to completely incorporate the raspberries*
4. Beat in the powdered sugar, starting on low and increasing speed to medium once sugar begins to become incorporated. Beat for 2 or so minutes until the sugar and butter mixture is well combined.
5. Beat on medium-high for one minute; scrape sides of bowl with spatula and repeat until the color of buttercream is uniformly pink and smooth.
6. Frost your cupcakes! (Use a knife or a piping bag.)