holy romance, batman

nope. don't know them. yep. i think they're adorable.

the lovely list. part three.

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1. encouraging Scripture. this verse calms me down when i am feeling the chaos build up in my life.

2. we had a houseguest staying with us this past week. when she left, she gave me a sweet candle (from anthro!) and a cute card. why can't all guests be this sweet and thoughtful?

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3. this stuff. i eat it on veggies. i eat it on chicken. i use it as salad dressing. i dip my finger in it and lick it right off. this move is especially sexy if boys are over. find me one boy who doesn't find a girl eating mustard off her finger to be sexy. also, it's only $1.50.

4. my friend chelsea got a swank new job in uptown charlotte! head over to her blog, and give her some love. she will be working right next to a dean and deluca. she lives a hard life.

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5. cropped cowboy boots. i bought these a while ago at ross. actually, it was labor day, and they were playing christmas music. i knew i liked ross.

6. working five 12 hour days in a row is not lovely, but my paycheck will be. i was in need of extra cash, and the Lord gave me an opportunity to work overtime. thankyouverymuch.

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7. coming home after a looong day at work to delicious homemade dinner and dessert. i. love. my. roommate.

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8. mindy kaling (kelly kapoor on the office) is one hilarious human being. lucky for me, she has a website and book. dear santa, all i want for christmas is a meet and greet with mindy. if you can't make that happen, i'll settle with a signed copy of her new book. if you can't make that happen, i don't believe in you anymore.

9. animals with british voices. trust me.

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10. crazy awesome decorated pumpkins. i do not have the time nor the patience to do this myself, but i really like admiring them.

friendship bracelets

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when you were younger, did you go crazy for friendship bracelets? like, you went to the craft store and bought 3 lbs of embroidery floss and then made 415 friendship bracelets in the span of one afternoon? of course you did.

i was around 10 years old when i discovered friendship bracelets (and cross stitching which, shut the front door, used the same embroidery floss! double craft for the win!) i don't know why some childhood memories are more vivid than others, but walking into michael's craft store and spending a good 45 minutes pouring over which colors to pick out is one of mine. it was an especially good day when the floss was on super sale-five for $1. my allowance allowed for 15 bundles.

i had the klutz book. this very one. i knew the chevron, the diagonal, the basic, the whirly gig, and the double balloon barrel roll. i just made up those last two, but if they existed, i'd know them.

i couldn't be happier that friendship bracelets are back "in vogue" as my mama would say.

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i like the addition of the big, gold charm in the middle. it changes the look from "camp craft" to "camp craft with a big, gold charm." 

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cutie pie brown. i just bought some cheap fabric at the scrap exchange, but since i can't sew a straight line, i think i have a new use for my pretty fabric. 

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tough and cute. just like me. well, i think "scrappy" is the word people have used before. whatevs. i'll take it. 

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look how high she can jump with her friendship bracelet on!

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i just found this wicked cool DIY tutorial combining string and hex nuts to make the fanciest friendship bracelet you've ever seen. my younger self wouldn't have known what to do with herself. actually, i know my younger self better than anyone. she would have smiled, giggled excitedly, and pushed her bright red glasses further up on her nose. she also would have been wearing a turtle necklace and an oversized sunflower t-shirt. i've been making these bracelets nonstop. if you get these as gifts for the next five years, don't be surprised. and, please, be grateful. 

did you have a favorite childhood craft? am i the only one who actually liked to cross stitch? i'm talking, other than your grandma and her friends.

her morning elegance

i love this song because i feel like it describes my life more often than not. i live the day-to-day like a champ but, at times, feel overlooked, lonely, bored, ancy, invisible, ready for change, tired of routine.

and she fights for her life

as she puts on her coat

and she fights for her life on the train

she looks at the rain as it pours

and she fights for her life as she goes in a store

with a thought she has caught by a thread

she pays for the bread and she goes

nobody knows
-her morning elegance by oren lavie

i know i'm not alone. i know it's a common problem to feel bored with where you are and with what you're doing. even if i lived in california on a freaking beach, i'd still battle this problem. why does it feel so overwhelming, though? like the song says, sometimes it really does feel like i'm fighting for my life.

it's been a long time since i've been really, really excited about something. in college, we had spring formal dances. it was kind of like prom but different because we were older and so much cooler. (totes obvs.) i remember getting so excited about this one night because you got to put on a fancy dress, do your hair all snazzy, go out to eat with your date and your friends, and then dance, dance, dance!

perhaps a super lame example, but i've been craving that kind of anticipation. when is something exciting going to happen around here?

pumpkin butterscotch cookies

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two recipe posts in a row? whaaat. it's been a while since i've done a cookie post. like a good three weeks. which is weird because, in the past three weeks, i've eaten cookies probably every day. my priorities are in tip-top shape.

priority list

1. the baking and consuming of cookies

2. making friends with people who own washers/dryers 

(proud to say i haven't paid for a load in months.)

3. brushing my hair

i found this recipe in midtown magazine. it's a pretty high society magazine. 80% of the advertisements are for plastic surgery. the other 20%, for clothing boutiques that cater to women who weigh 95 lbs or less. i don't know how it ended up in my hands. i'm just glad it did. 

i made the first batch for my small group, and the girls loved them. sure, they're pretty tasty just by themselves, but do you know what makes every cookie 100 times better? being calorie free? duh! second best? frosting in the middle!

lately, i have a weird obsession with turning every cookie into a sandwich cookie. i can't help it. if i have cookies in the house, i look for some kind of frosting or jam to put in between to make my sugar rush all the more intense. cookies make me ca-razay. the recipe for the pumpkin dip didn't come from midtown magazine. you think rich people eat instant pudding mix? i found it somewhere on the web, and i promise it wasn't pinterest. ok, maybe it was.

cookie ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 bag butterscotch chips

cookie preparation
cream together the butter and sugar. add the egg, vanilla and pumpkin puree. stir in flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. add butterscotch chips. drop tablespoon sized cookie dough onto ungreased cookie sheet. bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

pumpkin dip ingredients
1 box instant vanilla pudding mix
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
1 tub cool whip

pumpkin dip preparation
combine vanilla pudding mix, pumpkin puree, and cool whip together. enjoy immediately or chill before serving.

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 oh, glorious can-o-pumpkin. you are a true gem.

white chicken chili

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last winter, i had a craving for a good old-fashioned crockpot chili recipe. the crockpot is the best invention since electricity. which makes sense. eating chili in the dark would be weird. not to mention, your chili would be raw.

i found a standard recipe online, and, with a few minor tweaks, made it for my roommate and i. verdict? baller good.

ingredients
1 1/2 lbs chix breast
1 cup chopped white or yellow onion (half of a medium sized onion)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or two teaspoons pre-minced garlic
1 can chix broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon tabasco-or more! adds flava flav. (not this guy, silly.)
2 cans great white northern beans or cannelloni beans
1 can corn, drained
1/2 red pepper, chopped

preparation
in a crockpot (magic word),

mix onion,

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garlic,

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chix broth,

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cumin, oregano, salt, tabasco,

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and chix breast.

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cover and cook on low for 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 hours.

remove chix and chop or shred. by this point, the meat will be very tender. it will practically fall apart. if it doesn't, you did something wrong. might as well go ahead and order takeout. 

return chix to crockpot.

stir in beans, 

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corn,

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and red pepper.

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cook on low for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. EAT.

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so, there you have it! white chicken chili. it's really easy. unless you take pictures of each ingredient like i did. but really, would you have even considered making this if i hadn't photographed the red pepper in afternoon sunlight? it's all for you, readers. it's all for you.

p.s. both times i have made this, i've served it with roasted potatoes/sweet potatoes and bread. starchfest is the best kind of fest. 

the lovely list. part two.

what's lovely this week? let's talk.

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1. this bag. sadly, we can only be together via the world wide web. it is far, far too high maintenance for me. the $195 price tag tipped me off. (it does make me wonder when cotton became so expensive?)

2. white chicken chili and sweet potato fries that i made from scratch last night. shut the front door. martha stewart who?

3. the fact that i've had the last three days off, and i've been a super crafty mama. tons of cute cards to show for it.

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4. kendi everyday. i've been following this girl's blog for a while now. she's dang awesome, and i am more than slightly jealous of her style. i can't decide if i want to run her foot over with a bike accidentally on purpose (tee-hee) or give her half of a bff necklace. the other half is already around my neck. duh.

5. parks and rec on hulu. omg. lolz. rofl.

6. the opportunity i had yesterday to talk to a discipleship figure from my church about certain fears, doubts, and insecurities i've been having. she encouraged me and prayed with me on the spot about them. so thankful that we don't live life alone.

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7. this girl who rides her pink bike around paris, delivering homemade sandwiches and cakes from a sweet, white suitcase. i'm sure she's got killer legs.

8. when you try your best, but you don't succeed
when you get what you want but not what you need
when you feel so tired but you can't sleep
stuck in reverse...
lights will guide you home
and ignite your bones
and i will try to fix you.

what's lovely, y'all?

to be with you

why i love this video...

* i used to work in a library, and i get a little swoony when i walk into one. they're romantic.

* treasure map. 

* white dress and dark tights. money maker.

* a small, cute tent magically turns into a big, cute tent with paper butterflies hanging down.

* again, paper butterflies hanging down. 

* they're in the woods then suddenly in the desert and then on the beach. what!

* this kid is wearing suspenders and a bow tie. if you can pull that off, you can do anything.

* oh yeah, and, "oh i'd wait for the seas to part to be with you..."

october mix

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mmm this is a good month already. the temp hasn't been above 70 degrees since saturday. kick rocks, summer! right now, i have the windows in our apartment flung wide open and our porch sliding door is all the way open. this is a perfect set-up for a bad man/serial killer to scale our apartment building and get right in. come on in! everything is unlocked, and i'm sitting here in my pajamas!

i realize i've been talking a lot a lot about the weather. i think the past four or five posts have mentioned something about the fact that i love fall. too much? should i curb my enthusiasm? actually, it doesn't really matter what you think. i was just asking to be polite. on this side of my computer, i just rolled my eyes at you. onward to the music!

* october mix *

the wolves : ben howard

beautiful goodbye : drew holcomb and the neighbors

haunted : leagues

chairlift : bruises

dead hearts : stars

lovesick : sweet talk radio

mississippi : train

off we go : trent dabbs

sleep : daniella mason

autumn fallin' : jaymay

elephant gun : beirut

the getaway : athlete

obey your guns : matrimony

happy listening! if you open the windows in your house to let the cool air in, just make sure you have something to protect yourself with. like a cup of scalding hot coffee. burglars hate hot coffee in the eyes.

who says you can't go home?

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oh my. what a wonderful weekend at home. 

a fun (but cold) 5k race.

post-race coffee at swank.

autumnfest festivities in downtown southern pines. 

teriyaki chicken on a stick for a mere $3.

 shopping and sbux with ames.

homemade grilled pizzas and chocolate mess birthday cake.

 new nail polish and diy manicures.

pictionary madness.

smores over an open flame.

good friends.

family. 

and all of this was enjoyed in delicious 60 degree weather. 

can it be friday again so we can do it all over? 

how was your weekend? were you busy with plans or 

did you get a chance to lounge around in your bathrobe? 

i'm lounging in mine right now. it's very fluffy and very pink.

naptime.