A oui bit of Paris

The French have a term, "Je ne sais quoi" which literally means "I don't know what." It is used to describe that certain something that catches eyes and turns heads. "She had a certain je ne sais quoi..." Goodness, the French are so divinely romantic. 


Have you ever been to Paris? I am dying to go. I just think the Eiffel Tower would be so beautiful, especially at night. 

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There is something about stripes that makes me feel so Parisian. Although the masses hail them the most unflattering of patterns, I tend to disagree. I have a special place in my heart for stripes. I guess it is just a product of my secret longing to be French.  

I got this shirt at Gap this weekend and cannot wait to wear it!

 Here are a few more cute ones from Gap... all on sale!

Can't you just picture them with skinny jeans, cheery flats, and bright red lips? A messy top not, French braid, or beret would be the perfect finishing touch. Can't you just picture yourself sitting in an adorable cafe eating a buttery, flaky croissant? Au revoir!

(Links to tops: 1 2 3 and 4.)

Happy Birthday...

…to the only woman I can shop with, whose opinion I value above anyone else, who is patient, dedicated, and whose strength truly amazes me. To the woman who told me to act like a lady, but still taught me to be tough. Who raised me to be fearless, but is still the first person I call whenever I am afraid. Who is a picture of unconditional love and devotion and truly inspires the people around her. 

In hopes that I may someday be half the woman you are today. All my love on your special day. 

on a roll

I woke up to the intoxicating aroma of cinnamon rolls yesterday morning. And I’m not talking Grands. Delicious, made-from-scratch Cinnamon-Pecan Rolls fresh from the oven. My mom found this recipe in Southern Living and decided to give it a try. Admittedly, she did doctor the recipe a bit, but the results were absolutely delicious. Honestly, the best cinnamon rolls I have ever had (and I’m no stranger to this delicious danish). The iron skillet gave them the most perfect crunch on the bottom without drying them out or making them too chewy. My dedicated mother has to dash off to the gym, leaving me to whip up the icing. Taylor photodocumented (mainly out of amusement at how good my hair was looking...not) while he sipped his latte (that I graciously made for him.) We could not get over how badly little Yoshi wanted one! (Unfortunately they were too good to share with the sweet pup)

"Did someone say cinnamon rolls?"

Taylor kept referring to me as Ke$ha, because evidently when your hair looks like mine and you wear an oversized tie dye t-shirt and ripped pajama shorts you join the ranks of delinquent pop divas. 

As I added the finishing touch...

Yoshi begged. (I told you they smelled delicious.)

He was persistent...

...but do you blame me for not sharing?!

Guilt-free Friday!

It's fall break! Looking forward to a relaxing few days and I am beyond excited to see my family. Hope your weekend is relaxing too! Until next time...


Hey it's ok...


if sometimes it seems the only constant in your life is coffee


to occasionally feel like college is one perpetual vacation. With tests thrown in along the way. 


if rainstorms mandate Chinese take-out. Always. (Monsoon Rangoon, anyone?)

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peace

 Don’t worry about anything; 

instead, pray about everything. 

Tell God what you need, 

and thank him for all he has done. 

Then you will experience God’s peace, 

which exceeds anything we can understand.

His peace will guard your hearts and minds 

as you live in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)

It is so easy to get overwhelmed and frustrated when things don't go our way. Or when we have a lot on our plates. Or when we don't have a definite plan to follow. 

But his mercies are new every morning. And today I woke up with this verse in my mind and God's peace in my heart. It is easy to wish that God's plans were the same as mine, but in the long run I have found that He usually has much better ideas than I could ever imagine. (At least he hasn't let me down yet, and I don't see that happening anytime in the future.)

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Nostalgia

"Nostalgia - it's delicate, but potent. Teddy told me that in Greek, "nostalgia" literally means "the pain from an old wound." It's a twinge in your heart far more powerful than memory alone." 

-Don Draper, Mad Men

I watched this clip from Mad Men in one of my classes last week and I was struck by how true it is. (You should watch it if you haven't seen it... I don't watch Mad Men but I got a little misty-eyed... it's always embarrassing when you are emotionally affected by a video used during a group presentation...) 


Oh nostalgia...


Most people will agree that I am painfully nostalgic. Practically to a fault. I over-romanticize everything and I am excessively sentimental. I often joke that when I am a mother I will cry the day my kids learn to tie their shoes or tell me they don't need help my help going to the bathroom anymore. In reality, I will probably be more than grateful that I am done wiping bottoms and that the days of tangled laces are a thing of the past, but for now I cherish the thought that I will look at most motherly tasks with particular fondness. (Ok, maybe not wiping bottoms so much)


Rainy days like today always have a way of taking my nostalgia to new heights. Things of old that I am longing for now? An afternoon nap on the bus ride home from school and a big pot of my mom's spaghetti sauce simmering away on the stove.   

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Creation

 I have always longed to be the kind of cook who can just go in the kitchen and create. I strive to be able to take an amalgamation of ingredients and turn it into something beautiful and delicious. But I get overwhelmed and my Type A personality craves direction, so I always pander to recipes, preferably ones with pictures. That was until last week. Finally, I did it. I created something. Without a recipe. Without some sort of guide to follow. I just created. And it was delightful.


I started with some orzo, cooked al dente, and added some chopped baby spinach, diced tomatoes, pesto, and mozzarella pearls. I topped it off with some ground pepper and parmesan. (Ok, so it was basically a hybrid of a Caresse salad)   

It was ready in a flash and so easy. A drizzle of balsamic would have been a lovelt touch but we were hungry and that whole hierarchy of needs takes over. We were so hungry, in fact, that I didn't even think to take a picture. But I will definitely be doing more "creating" in the future. It was strangely exhilerating and rewarding. Kind of how I think bungee jumping or sky diving would feel, but with food, so that makes it 100 times better.