Starting Fresh.

How is it already the new year?

I feel like I blinked & 2013 was over.

I can't stop thinking about what an amazing, fun filled year it has been.

I'm all the more excited for the memories that are ahead in 2014.

Normally, I'm not one for doing the whole New Year resolutions. I've always felt that if you want to make a new goal for yourself anytime, then there's no better time than the present. 

However, since the new year, I have felt this strong urge to make a new goal of really focusing on growing in who I am & finding my own independence this year.

I'm not quite sure what that might entail just yet, but I'm sure whatever this year may hold, it will be beautiful.

Did any of you start any New Years resolutions?

I'd love to hear about them.

Cheers!

Home Is Where The Heart Is.

Well, we are officially home from Chicago, & attempting to get back to the real world. Which seems a little harder than normal this time around.
Here's where I overload you with a ton of pictures.
I'm pretty sure I blew up my social media while I was there. However, I can't say I regret it one bit. ;)

I can't help but a leave a little piece of my heart there everytime I have to leave.

Giving everything up just to move up there is so tempting sometimes.

Why do I have to be a responsible adult again??

I'm pretty sure we ate a ridiculous amount of stuffed pizza. I did not mind one bit, though! Can you blame me?! :)

I'd also just like to say that we had the best little hotel experience at Club Quarters.. Such a nice staff (Roman took extra special care of us), beautiful view, & the perfect location for us.

This was our first music festival & I loved every single minute of it.

There were SO MANY PEOPLE. It was a little overwhelming at times.

It was definitely a sight to see thousands of people spilling out into the streets every night full of adrenaline & excitement.

We learned so many helpful tips for the future while we were there..

Like, try not to use the portipotties unless absolutely necessary (being a girl is not so easy in this case), & have a meeting spot when you split up because there is barely any cell service.

We saw some great bands: Atlas Genius, Band of Horses, The Killers, The National, Alt-J, The Cure, Pheonix, Vampire Weekend, Queens of the Stone Age, Knife Party.. & I finally got to see Mumford & Sons, you guys!! :) They lived up to everything I hoped they would be.

There were so many moments I would think to myself "I wish I could freeze this moment."
My heart felt so completely full being with some of my very favorite people in my very favorite place.
I am one blessed little girl.

Can't wait to attend again. Maybe even next year?! ;)

The Open Road.

I can't believe it's already here.. The trip I have been anticipating since March.

We are headed out on the open road today with nothing but Chicago in our sights.

Lollapalooza, here we come!! :)


Be sure to follow us along on my Instagram & Twitter so you don't miss any of the action.
See ya soon!

Festival Fashion.

I have a major issue with my wardrobe obsession.

Not only do I love buying new, pretty things, but my little world tends to revolve around what I am going to wear for certain things..

Call me crazy, but I just love being able to look perfect for whatever I'm doing.

With that said, I have been spending some spare time trying to put together what I will be wearing when I go to Chicago for Lollapalooza next week.
 
These are just some fun festival inspired looks I've found.

Hopefully I can throw together some looks as cute as this.
Happy Friday, dears! :)

Summer Lovin.

I don't know about you, but the summer is my very favorite season of all.

Maybe it started when I was a kid, having the summer off of school, no responsibilities, & the endless possibilities of freedom.

That hunger for freedom never left me, even now as an adult.

There's something about the summer that leaves so much desire for an adventure inside of me.

Even between my chaotic life of two jobs, I feel so blessed to have been able to have so many carefree, fun days with my friends. :)

Between adventures to Kansas City, endless lake days, & Eureka Springs nights, my summer has been nothing shy of perfect so far. With many more exciting adventures still planned ahead- including an awesome trip to Chicago very soon! (cue the girly scream!!!)

I hope your summer is living up to be everything you hoped for & more.
Cheers to sweet summertime. :)

Father's Day: Pumpkin Cheesecake.

I know what you're thinking...

Pumpkin in the Summer?!

Well, my sweet dad has been hinting around to get me to make him this recipe for the past few months.

So, I thought what better time to surprise him than for Father's Day!

Plus, let's just be honest & say that pumpkin is delicious anytime of year.

You can't go wrong in my book. ;)

Here's what you'll need:

Graham Cracker Crust- 2 cups crushed graham crackers / 1/4 cup sugar / 1/4 cup melted butter

Pumpkin Cheesecake- 4 8-oz packages of cream cheese (at room temperature) / 11/2 cup brown sugar / 1 can pumpkin puree / 3 large eggs / 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon / 1/4 teaspoon salt / 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

What you'll do: 

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F.

Combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, & sugar in a bowl. (A fun little mess-free tip for making graham cracker crumbs- put graham crackers in a plastic ziplock bag, & go over them with a rolling pin until they are all crushed.)

Pour the mixture into a 9" spring form pan, & press the crumbs into the bottom & a little bit up the sides.

Bake the crust for about ten minutes & let it cool to room temperature.

Next, beat the cream cheese & brown sugar in a large bowl until smooth. 

Mix in the pumpkin puree, & then the eggs one a time. 

Then, stir in the cinnamon & vanilla.

Pour the cheesecake batter into the coolest crust.

Finally, bake for about 1 1/2 hours, or until set.

You'll want to let the cheesecake cool to room temperature before putting it in the fridge overnight.

I added a little something extra & spread some caramel topping over the cheesecake (because I am the topping queen).

I love this recipe because it makes a rich & really creamy cheesecake. 

Plus, it's pretty simple to make, so that makes it even better!

I hope you enjoy it with all of your loved ones! :)

Now, I'd just like to throw some major love out there to the dearest daddy in the world. I am so incredibly thankful to have the most loving & caring man as my father. :)

Recipe revised from here. 

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Cupcakes.

It's definitely been a little bit since I've had the free time to bake up something spectacular. 

It seems like life is pulling me in about ten different directions daily, so I was really excited to have some extra time to whip up this VERY sweet recipe.

I was Pinteresting the other night and came across this recipe for some chocolate peanut butter cupcakes. It was exactly what I was looking for.

Because, let's just be honest, what's better than chocolate AND peanut butter all together, right?

You'll need:

For the cupcakes: A box of devil's food cake mix / A 5.9 ounce box of instant chocolate pudding mix / one cup of greek yogurt / one cup of oil / 4 eggs / half cup of water / 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

For the AMAZING Peanut Butter frosting: 2 sticks of softened unsalted butter / one cup of creamy peanut butter / 3 cups confectioners sugar  / 1/4 cup milk / 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

What you'll do:

Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. 

Put batter into cupcake liners- but you should already know that. ;)

Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes.

Let these delicious little guys cool off while you make the frosting.

Cream the peanut butter & butter together until it's creamy. 

Add the milk & vanilla, then blend.

Add the confectioners sugar one cup at a time until nice & fluffy.

I will warn you, This frosting is SO good. I had a hard time frosting the cupcakes because I just kept eating the frosting by itself. oops. ;)

You can feel free to frost however you want. I drizzled hot fudge and crumbled Reese's cups over the top. But it's completely up to you how you want to live your life & decorate your cupcakes. I'm a big fan of adding all those extra little goodies on top, though. Just in case you couldn't tell.

I hope you enjoy!

& please don't hold me responsible for causing you to go into a diabetic sugar coma. :)