It's Thursday {randoms}

Hey everybody! I've been literally running from place to place this week like nobody's business. I've been dog sitting for my two favorite little dogs and from going to work, to piano lessons, to babysitting, to downtown for play, it's been a busy week! But here's some random assortments of what's going on over here:

I've been taking advantage of the cable at the house I'm staying at! Episodes of Ina Garten have been on repeat! Have you seen her Barefoot in Napa episodes? She's genuis, right?

Speaking of that, her raspberry bars are one of the best desserts I've ever had!

I've been spending more time riding my bike with the warmer temps! I absolutely love my easy rider, taking it all over town. We even rode to the Baha'i Temple the other night and spent some time just sitting and reflecting. Ever visited? If you're in the North Shore, it's worth the trip!

The Blackhawks WON 4-3 in 3OT! Though I went to sleep after the second one, seeing the replay was worth staying up for the 2 other OTs!

I'm still drinking this smoothie. Seriously, I'm telling you if you haven't made it already, you're missing out. It's delicious!!

Neil Patrick Harris, I love you. I really do. I completely missed the memo on the Tony Awards last Sunday, but of course I had to catch up on the Opening Number. NPH, you never disappoint.

Peonies are back! Seriously, next to Black Eyed Susans and Sunflowers, they're one of my favorites!

What's been going on in your neck of the woods?

image found here

I didn't learn this at school!

boy I have not done a good job at this challenge! Things just get in the way! But this was a fun post to write!

Day 23: Fortunately, for me, I have been lucky to go to some pretty amazing schools, from grade school all through college. My parents truly went above and beyond to make sure that I got a great education, including amazing experiences that went along with it and I'm forever grateful for everything I learned at every school I went to. And as much as teachers try, you can't learn everything, so here's what school hasn't taught me:

...my sense of style! I went to Catholic school, so it took me until I was about 19 to really figure out what my style was and what fit my personality (let's just say that my high school sister now is way more fashion forward/stylish than I was in high school!). It took some getting used to, but now, almost five years later, I've figured it out. And I love it!

...how to master the perfect cup of coffee. Sorry Starbucks, but I think I have you beat! My hot morning cup brings a smile to my face and I learned that perfection all on my own, with lots of trials and errors of course. Oh and my number one tip, get a foamer for your milk! It's a game changer.

found here

...how to stay organized. I'm way more organized now than I was even during my college years, and even though it's taken awhile to master, I feel like I have more balance, from writing everything down, to putting my laundry away right away. I still have more to work on, but I'd say I'm getting there!

Ok, your turn! What have you not learned at school? Anything important the rest of us need to know?

10 words

So today's challenge is describing myself in 10 words or less. Here 'goes:

Smiley
Fun-loving
Driven
Caring
Musical
Filled-with-faith
Blessed
Patient
Friendly
Loving

Random Moment

So today of the BEDIM challenge is a random moment in my day.

I got glasses! It's such a change, but it's kind of fun too! I love the style, and though I'll probably eventually get contacts, it's fun having glasses for now.

Oh that and my sisters were chanting about The Great Gatsby coming into theaters in 2 hours. Typical Thursday!

Things I'm Afraid Of

Ok, I'll just put it out there. I don't like scary movies. They scare me. Even the lame ones make me jump. Does that make me a scaredy cat? Maybe, but that's ok by me. Give me a drama, or a comedy, or yes, my favorite of choice: a chick flick and I'm one satisfied gal.

I'm afraid that once I'm out on my own I won't have enough money saved. This shouldn't scare me, because I'm well on my way with a big safety net, and lots of saving in my past and present, but everyone hears horror stories of people who never saved enough money before they moved out. I don't want that to be me.And it's not that I'm afraid, I'm just worried that I won't know when I'm ready. 

That's pretty much it.

I'm not afraid of very much, though I do worry about things from time to time, I wouldn't consider myself a person who is afraid, not confident, or even shy. We all have things that we doubt over, but I wouldn't say that I fear, because I know that every day is a learning experience, and you can't be afraid to learn more.

What it is that I Do

So today's Blog Every Day in May question is if I couldn't answer with my job, what is it that I do?

Well, here's what I do:

I'm musical! I can't help it, it's in my genes and you'll find me singing all day long, playing the piano whenever I feel like it (I should be wayy better about this!), harmonizing with every song on the radio, being that loud girl behind you at church, giving piano lessons five days a week and volunteering with my musical abilities as much as I can. It's what I do for me!

I run! I started running 10 years ago, and though I go through spurts where I run more months than others, I still consider myself somewhat of a runner. It's such great exercise and I love to see myself improve, get stronger, and my strides can get a little longer.

I'm the oldest in my family. and yes, it's something I just do. I always make sure everyone's ok, I always lend an ear, and I have to know what's going on at all times. If you're the oldest, I'm sure you know what this means!

I love working with kids! Yes, in my 9 to 5 that's what I do, but when I'm off the clock I spend lots of time with kids in other ways like piano lessons or nannying. They always know how to make you laugh and it's so rewarding for me to help kids become better at something, anything!

Coffee. coffee. and more coffee.

I do Jillian Michaels workout videos. Her voice is so, so so annoying, but hey, they do the job! And I've consistently kept up with it for about 3 years now.

I love to experiment in the kitchen. I'm trying to be a better cook, but I do love to bake. Yes, I'm a chocoholic and have absolutely no problem with it at all. Anything chocolate. I'll take it.

I ride my easy rider bike. It's so cute and I feel so cute riding it all over town or down to the beach. That thing is coming with me wherever I go.

So what is it that you do?

Cabin Fever

Sorry for the radio silence! This weekend went by in a flash, like always. Though I ran around most of Saturday, it was worth it celebrating my Dad's birthday with all of our family. Those dinners are really the best and I had a great time being with all of them on a day just for my Dad. And let's talk about the cake: it was four layers with chocolate buttercream in between and 7 minute frosting on top. Delish! and before we know it, it's already Wednesday!

But with the weirdest winter weather I have ever experienced, I've been experiencing cabin fever like no other. Maybe it's just because I love to be outside, or maybe it's because I work with preschoolers who NEED to go outside to just run around and exert some energy. But it really truly has not felt like winter. I'm talking LOTS of snow for more than one day, and cold temperatures that have to be accompanied by said snow. Hasn't happened yet, but maybe today will be the day!

Source: modernhepburn.tumblr.com via Susan on Pinterest

So I'm yearning for some sun and some outdoor time! Thankfully two of my favorite ladies and I are off for a spring break cruise in the Bahamas! I'm so so so excited, because I've never been on a cruise, or to the Bahamas. Even though it's not for awhile, I'm yearning for some fun and some sun, and quality girl time too!

Are you experiencing cabin fever? Where would you run off to right now given the chance?

The Taste

Last night, my friend Katie and I watched that new show The Taste on abc. We really liked it and will definitely be keeping up with it in the weeks to come. What we didn't know was that it is a competition sort of like The Voice with four teams and each cook can only prove in a blind taste test how good their food is. The judges were very picky, as they could only have four cooks each. I thinking how hard it must be to prove that in one bite, you can cook well.

Though I am still partial to baking over cooking, I am getting better at it and keep trying to improve simple things like chopping (still working on this one. It's hard, no?) but I was thinking, if I had to prove in one bite that I make good food, I would definitely make butternut squash risotto. Creamy, flavorful and just yum! Or chocolate chip cookies. I make those pretty well, if I do say so myself! If you had to show off your skills in one bite, what would it be? Did you watch The Taste? What'd you think?

photo found

Joining the Bandwagon

So last week I watched these two adorable miniature doxens and I absolutely loved it! Growing up, we never had a dog. We had a cat that we loved, but never took the plunge to have a dog. Sometimes we regret it, but mostly, for our lifestyle when we were younger, it was nice not to have to worry about being able to take care of one. Because we were never really exposed to dogs as much, I never considered myself a dog person.

But after this weekend, I've changed my tune! We've sat for our neighbor's King Charles Spaniels and now I got to help with these adorable doxens. (they're being shy here, but really they were full of energy all weekend!) and now, I definitely could see myself with a dog (or 2 littles for that matter!). Though big dogs are fantastic, I think the littler ones are more my style. I won't be getting one in the immediate future, but hopefully someday I'll be able to have a dog as a part of my home. Do you have a dog? What breed? Or do you consider yourself more a cat person or a dog person? I still love cats, don't get me wrong!

Happy Birthday, Oreos!

Ok, so my family can attest to the fact that sometimes when I find a topic that interests me, or a single fact that I thought was interesting, I share it with just about everybody I know. More than once.

And yesterday I found out that Oreo is celebrating its 100th birthday this year!

Source: via Cloie on Pinterest

Happy Birthday Oreos! Seriously, I love these cookies. They were an after-school treat that made that glass of milk much more enjoyable. They have topped many an ice cream sundae, or my favorite use of them has to be the Oreo Ice Cream Mud Cake that my grandma makes oh so special. They've also inspired the homemade oreos and whoopie pies, and who can complain about any of those things!

So here is my tribute to America's favorite cookie (and I had to go with pins. because you'll probably want one or more of the delicious recipes. or maybe that's just me!):

Source: thekitchn.com via Timmi on Pinterest

Source: yummly.com via Pam on Pinterest

Source: tastespotting.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Sherlyn on Pinterest

Source: hiphiphoorayblog.com via Claire on Pinterest

Source: pinterest.com via Shawn on Pinterest

Ok so I probably am going to go buy some oreos. Or at least think about buying them! Here's to 100 more years!