Skin Savior: DIY Mint Cucumber and Green Grapes Facial Scrub

My skin just seems to automatically know when September is here and summer is ending. I start to see large flaky patches on my chin, nose, and between my eyebrows. Let me tell you, it is not attractive at all.

Luckily for me, I've discovered this miracle skin scrub to keep my face as smooth as a baby's bottom.

Walworth County Fair

In my family, we have our traditions, like Christmas Eve at my Aunt Ellen's house and going to the Zoo Lights at Lincoln Park Zoo every year, and then we have our "traditions". By "traditions", I mean we do something once and then claim it as a tradition from that point on like we've been doing it for decades.

Take in point, the Walworth County Fair. Last year on Labor Day, we were lounging around home doing a whole lotta nothing until someone suggested we try going to the fair. So once Labor Day rolled around again this year, what's a family supposed to do but keep up with "tradition" and go to the fair again!

Pies Pies Pies Part 2: Peach Blueberry Crumble Pie

My original plan for my grandpa's Labor Day Bash was to just make two Apple Crumble Pies, but gramps recently saw some movie that talked about a peach and blueberry pie and made a request that I try it.

Pies Pies Pies Part 1: Apple Crumble Pie

Every year since I can remember, my grandparents have had a big labor day bash down by the beach but for the past few years, they've stopped hosting this end of summer shindig. 

Out of the blue a few weeks ago, my grandfather announced that he was bringing back the celebration! Who am I to say no to a party? 

To make the day even better, I decided to make not one but two delicious pies. And luckily for you, I am going to share the super simple recipes...

Hubbard Inn

I've been a bad blogger lately and not posting as regularly as I should :/ I found all these photos on my camera and computer from the past 2 months of things I've done, places I've been, and yummies I've eaten. So for the next few posts, I will be playing catch up. I hope that's okay with all of you ;)

When I returned from Boston, a much needed catch up session with my cousin, aunt, and grandma was called for. Brunch was the perfect opportunity. With the sun shining bright in the sky and a cool breeze drifting between the skyscrapers, we all met for brunch at Hubbard Inn.

Dinner with a View: Top of the Hub

For my last night, I wanted to go somewhere where I could see all of Boston for the last time. It wasn't hard to pick a place. Top of the Hub is 52 floors above Boston with 360 degree views of the city.

Restaurant Week Round Dos: T.W. Food

Restaurant Week is one of my favorite times of the year. All over the city, restaurants create three course menus at fairly reasonable prices that allow you to try places you've always wanted to go to.

On Thursday night, a few friends and I decided to try out T.W. Food in Cambridge.

Oishii

I was in Boston for a few days last week to help a friend move and, luckily, it just so happened to also be restaurant week. So what would any girl in my size 7 shoes do?

Tropical Green Smoothie

Whenever I'm not in the mood to eat a full breakfast or I'm pressed for time or not feeling very hungry, I'll replace a meal with a green smoothie.

Swimsuit Hunt

Next week I leave for my annual family vacation to the Ozarks and I've spent the past 2 months trying to find a one-piece. It has definitely been tough. I don't want something that makes me feel like I'm an old lady or something that's just too boring. Here are just a few of the possibilities I've found...

Jo Malone White Jasmine & Mint Cologne

I've been faithful to my Chanel Chance eau de tendre since I was a freshman in high school. Over the years, I've gone through countless bottles, but a few months ago I finished mine and didn't immediately go out and buy a new one.

I don't know what it was but something was telling me to try something new.

For the past few months, I've had my eye on Jo Malone perfumes. Every time I walk by the counter, I can't resist smelling every scent but I always manage to pry myself away without buying anything. On a trip to New York to visit my friend Selena, my shopping enabler,  I finally gave in to my temptation.

#TacoTuesday on a Wednesday Night: Pineapple Mango Salsa

Since I was in a salsa making mood this week, I decided that I would quickly whip up some pineapple mango salsa. And instead of keeping this little gem of a recipe to myself, I thought I would share it with all of you. Afterall, sharing is caring :)

Baseball and Embarrassing Cousins

Over the weekend, my not-so-little little cousin had a baseball tournament in town. A few of us decided to go and cheer him on for the day but I didn't want to settle for just sitting in the bleachers cheering. So what would any family member do in my position? I brought out the baby pictures and got to crafting.

Workout Wardrobe

Since I've been doing the 30 Day Abs Challenge and started my cardio routine, I've lacked a little motivation but new clothes always helps me get in the right mindset.  Here are a few things that have helped made working out for me easier...

Comfort Food: Eggs and Tomatoes

As a kid, I didn't have the typical American staples all the time. A lot of my meals were classic chinese dishes. One of my favorites growing up was tomato and eggs. And the ingredients are already staples found in your fridge, so you'll have no excuse not to try this!

Post Wedding Boating

After a week of hectic last minute wedding prep (I was my cousin's wedding coordinator) and a night full of drinking and dancing, a day out on the boat was exactly what I needed to recover from wedding madness.

There was a pretty large group of us so we split up into two boat. 

Boat 1:

Black and White and Mint All Over

The past two weeks have been a bit hectic and I've ignored my blogging responsibilities :( but I promise that I am getting back on track this week. To ease back into it again, I thought I would do a quick style post of an outfit I wore to a wedding last weekend.

Brown Butter Layer Cake with Bacon and Maple Buttercream

Here's a little math problem for you:

Brown Butter + Bacon + Maple = ??? 

I'll give you a hint...you won't regret it.

Maifest Fail & the Daily

My uncle turned the big 6-2 this weekend and to celebrate, we decide to go to Maifest in Lincoln Square.

Last year, my cousin went and there was just a small crowd of people, nothing too bad. That was definitely not the case this year. It. Was. Packed. 

30 Day Ab Challenge

Summer has snuck up on me. It's not a bad thing but I've definitely been putting off sticking to my workout routine. You see, working out and I have a love-hate relationship. I love how it keeps me healthy and allows me to pretty much eat whatever I want within reason, but I LOATH how I become beet red, dripping with sweat, and huffing and puffing. I am definitely not one of those girls who looks flawless after a workout with just a tiny bead of sweat on her forehead. In order to avoid becoming a sweaty beast, I've come up with every possible excuse in the proverbial book as to why I can't bring my lazy butt to the gym or go outside for a run. Well it's time for the beast to come out of hibernation.

For a while now, I've seen the 30 Day Ab Challenge going around the Internet. These fads seem to pop up every few months and I usually don't give them a lot of consideration but since I was going to start working out again, I thought I'd see what this is all about. For once, this seemed like something that was plausible for me to attempt. It doesn't start you off at a sprint. Instead the workout plan slowly starts you off at a walking pace that gradually increases everyday with rest days thrown in so you aren't working on your abs for 30 days straight. Your muscles do need a rest after all. And I managed to convince K to do this with me for added support (and to hold me accountable for following through)!

Summer Dresses

Rose from The Londoner just did a post on a few summer dresses and it has me itching to go buy some new ones. I've been scouring the Internet to do some pre-shopping before the weekend and found some amazing dresses. I have a sneaking suspicion that some of these might just wind up in my closet by Monday...

Orange Curd

I've always preferred having a curd over a jam with my toast or scones. I love tangy flavors and the way they make your mouth slightly pucker with the sourness. Usually I have a jar of lemon curd in either my cabinets or in my fridge but this week I wanted something different. 

Scouring the internet for ideas, I came across a recipe from the domestic goddess Martha Stewart and decided to use it as a base for my own recipe. 

Memorial Weekend and Old Town

Memorial weekend is here and it marks the unofficial start of summer as well as my move back to Chicago for the next few months! I've been horrible about blogging and I have no excuse besides pure laziness. Since being in Chicago is almost like being in an entirely new city (I know a few places here and there), I decided that I am going to spend this summer getting to know this city better. As part of her plan to get me to move here permanently, my cousin K thought that she would show me around parts of Chicago. After spending 45 minutes driving around Wicker Park trying to find parking to no avail, we decided we would give our parking luck a try in Old Town. Luckily the parking fairies were on our side and we found a great spot right in the middle of Wells St!

Little Black Dress

I'm off to New York next weekend to spend some much needed quality time with friends I haven't seen in ages. But whenever I'm in New York, there's always the added pressure of looking my best because you never know who you'll run into. To find some inspiration for my upcoming adventure, I dedicate this little post to one of the most reliable sartorial weapons a girl can have in her closet: the Little Black Dress.

Chocolate Nutella Mug Cake

Do you ever get a craving for cake but don't feel like taking an hour to make an entire cake or make the effort to go out and get one? That seems to be a weekly dilemma for me and most the time my tummy is left feeling sad from the lack of chocolately goodness, but not anymore! I'll let you in on a little secret, now you can have the cake you were craving in under 5 minutes without leaving the comfort of your own home. I know some of you are skeptical about it but I have the perfect recipe for a single serving of cake and all you will need is a microwave. Yes, a microwave. This recipe is perfect for students living in the dorms and its so simple even those who are baking-impaired can't fail at this. So lets get started!

Snow Day

The 52 Week Challenge

Since its officially the first day of 2014, posting about a resolution might be a bit cliche, but I'm going to argue that since it's my blog, I'm allowed. And I'm just going to apologize in advance for any other cliches you might come across while reading this post, but while you're rolling your eyes, they're cliches for a reason...okay? Okay! Here we go...

You all know that I decided to start my year off by creating a new blog. My first, well technically second, post is going to be about one of my new years resolutions: trying to save some money.

I've always been horrible about saving up. As a little kid, whenever I got my allowance, I would immediately beg my parents to take me to the mall so I could buy something shiny and new. That, coupled with my knack for somehow always liking the most expensive thing in the store, led to an embarrassingly early development of poor money saving. Now fast forward a decade and I still have the urge to spend spend spend (my closet is clearly evidence of that but old habits die hard). Since I just graduated, though, I decided that I should finally act like an adult, or attempt to be one, and give a shot at saving up. 

New Beginnings

New year, new blog. It's time for me to finally take a chance and open myself to the things I've been scared of.

Happy New Year!