Spring Break Outfits!

Happy Friday everyone!

My Spring Break starts today (well, mine started yesterday since I don't have classes on Friday) and once I'm done working tomorrow, I'm heading home! This year I get to do something a little bit different and spending a few days in Florida with my boyfriend and his family. He and I will be there for 3 full days and we're going to be going to Disney World and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal. It's going to be much warmer in Florida than it will be in Wisconsin or Illinois so I'm pretty excited. Unfortunately there does seem to be some rain on the forecast but fingers crossed it won't be too bad. Anyways, here's what I'm planning on packing and wearing for all of the days. 

As you can see, I'm carrying on a Vera Bradley duffle and a Longchamp bag. I might throw in a sundress in case we go somewhere nice but I'm not sure I'll need it. A chambray shirt and chino shorts might make their way into my bag as well but I'll keep you posted on that! 

Do you have any favorite spots to visit in Disney World or the Harry Potter theme park? Any must-sees, must-rides, or must-eat-at restaurants? Any favorite souvenirs I should buy? Let me know! 

Edit:

I'm joining up with Lauren of Style Elixir for her weekly Style Sessions! Check out the link up and Lauren's post here.

What I'm Loving Today

These guys! 

Alternative Baking Company Phenomenal Pumpkin Spice Cookie

I might be a little out of season with the pumpkin, but I stopped at a coffee shop recently and snagged one of these cookies. I've had cookies by Alternative Baking Company before when I lived in the dorms (aka eons ago) but I had never tried the pumpkin and let me just say, I was missing out! 

These are vegetarian, dairy free, egg free, and organic! I don't have any dietary restrictions but these are a delicious snack for anyone. Just maybe don't eat the whole thing at once.... they aren't exactly super low-cal. 

What is your favorite snack lately? Any good reccomendations? 

*This is not a sponsored post, I just really love these cookies! 

Denim Recommendations/Help

As Lent draws to a close, I have been looking around online for new jeans. I am in desperate need for new ones! The jean I am looking for is super stretchy, slim fitting to the ankle (so a super skinny cut or jegging), minimal back pocket detailing, and a dark wash or rinse color.

I've heard great things about the Old Navy Rockstar jeans, and I'm going to order them in a tall size to hopefully get something more proportional for my 5' 8" body.

I've also heard good things about J.Crew Factory denim. I'm hoping to get to my local store to try them on over Spring Break. 

What are your favorite jeans? What brand and style are they?

Friday Five

Here are my favorite things this week! It was a long one thanks to a midterm and a couple of papers so I'm glad I have today off! 

1) DOWNTON ABBEY. I have been watching an episode a day to relax and unwind. Normally when I watch TV shows on my computer, I end up either browsing the internet (hi Pinterest), checking Instagram constantly, or pausing the show constantly to do something else. Not with Downton - I am glued for the whole hour. I mostly started watching it because my design studies and theatre costume professors have raved about its historical accuracy. I can't say that the costumes or the settings are bad, but I'm stuck on the plot line (well, and the probably not intended as funny one liners in season 2). 

2) Applesauce. This is probably a weird one but I have just had the biggest craving for it lately. I bought a jar two days ago and it's already gone... Oops! It has been the perfect snack lately. 

Buy this mascara here!

3) Tarte Gifted Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara. I reviewed this a few posts ago but I started a new tube last weekend and I have fallen in love again. I make sure to use this as a base mascara if I'm layering products and on its own for everyday. 

Blue is discontinued but purchase silver here!

4) Bose QuietComfort 15 Acoustic Noise Canceling Headphones. My dad got these for my sister and I for Christmas. All I can say is that these have been a godsend this past week. I have been holing myself up in my room to study and my roommates have been loud and noisy until late at night. I put these headphones on and even without music, I am in blissful solitude. Silence is golden. Seriously. 

5) NOT shopping! I'm proud of myself for not buying anything for myself during Lent. I have purchased a couple of gifts for my boyfriend, but other than grocery shopping, nothing for myself! 

Have a great weekend! Enjoy your St. Patrick's Day :)

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Joining in on Lauren from Style Elixir's Blog Lovin' Blog Hop!

On this day in 1870...

The four Founders wore our badges to chapel at Indiana Asbury for the first time today in 1870. It was a big deal.

— Kappa Alpha Theta (@BettieLocke) March 14, 2013

Photo from here

"The four Founders wore their badges to chapel at Indiana Asbury for the first time on this day in 1870. This is Hannah Fitch Shaw's badge, which she wore that day. The Founders badge, which is also shown in this photo, was presented to Bettie Locke and Hannah in 1920, in honor of the Fraternity's golden anniversary. Only two exist!"

- Kappa Alpha Theta Fraternity on Facebook

Days like today, where history changed forever, make me so proud to be who I am, a member of Kappa Alpha Theta and an Art History/Material Culture major who can further appreciate these mementos of the past and the women who paved the way for me. Thank you Bettie Locke, Alice Allen, Hannah Fitch, and Bettie Tipton.

"Kappa Alpha Theta, the first Greek letter fraternity known among women." 

Makeup Favorites: Tarte Cosmetics

I visit the Sephora website at least once a week. I'm either running out of an essential product or I've been inspired by one of my favorite bloggers/Instagrammers/YouTubers to check out a new product (or three). I love their return policy, I love the free samples with every order, and I love my status as a VIB (part of their Beauty Insider rewards program, which is amazing). I couldn't even tell you where I got started with the Tarte Cosmetics line, but I can tell you now that I'm hooked! Here are my favorite products and why I love them.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage Foundation SPF 15 & the Airbrush Finish Bamboo Foundation Brush

These products were my absolute favorites during the summer months! I have skin that gets oily all over after a few hours and as the oil increases, the amount of makeup I have on (primer, foundation, powder, bronzer - you name it!) decreases. This foundation is amazing because not only does it cover all of my skin imperfections (acne, uneven spots, dark circles, etc), it stays on my face for ages! I use it with this foundation brush and the combination is great. The foundation is a creamy formula that soaks up oil and dries to a silky smooth finish. 

Tarte Maracuja Miracle 12 Hour Broad Spectrum SPF 15 Foundation

This foundation is the one I have been using since it got cold out. My face, while still oily, was drying out from the cold and the Amazonian Clay foundation wasn't working for me anymore! I stopped in to Sephora on a trip home, tested out this foundation (which I believe was new at the time) and felt that it's liquid consistency would be just what my dried out skin needed for the winter. This one also has great staying power but is less full-coverage than the Amazonian Clay, sometimes requiring a second go at any trouble spots. I also use a Beauty Blender foam sponge and a Sephora brand makeup brush to apply this foundation. 

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush 

This is another item from the Amazonian Clay line that I love! I rarely use a pink blush but I bought this color after recommendations by several YouTube bloggers. On days that I want a rosy, pinky cheek, this is the blush I go for! This blush has great pigmentation and also stays put for hours. Once I run out of Nars Orgasm Blush, I'm going to be picking up a peachy color for everyday! 

Tarte Gifted Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara

I originally bought this mascara to replace my tube of Urban Decay Lush Lash Mascara (I was out of that specific mascara and it was sold out online! Worst ever). I was looking for something to use as a base layer of mascara on nights out that would provide me with lash-improving benefits. I ended up liking this mascara more because this mascara gives volume on top of length and lash health benefits, making it one of my favorites to swipe on for going to class or a low-maintenance makeup day! It also layers really nicely with other mascaras, which is a must for me on nights out. 

Looking for a way to try these products without committing to the full size? I would recommend this kit by Tarte to test things out, but there are tons of other great options too! 

Have you tried any of these products? What did you think? If you haven't, which ones would you like to try? Do you have any other product recommendations? 

*This is not a sponsored post - I have purchased all of these products on my own and genuinely love all of them!

Weekend Recap (Link Up!)

Well. My weekend was an interesting one to say the least. Believe me, it was fun, but it was definitely a lot of new experiences for me! Here's why:

So I'm a girl originally from a Chicago suburb. I currently go to school in Wisconsin, America's Dairyland. I love it and it may or may not be related to my passion for all things cheesy (and to a lesser extent, dairy-y in general. Yogurt, milk, cottage cheese, ice cream... it's all good.). Basically, what it boils down to is that I am more of a "city girl" than a country girl and I'm a lot a little out of my element when I'm faced with.... nature-y things. So imagine the surprise of all of my friends and loved ones when I tell them I am dating...... a dairy farmer. Most people are kind of in disbelief when I first tell them (I'm an Art History and Material Culture major and obsessed with anything design related - fashion, interiors, architecture, you name it - for reference) but then they realize how I could happily eat cheese for every meal of every day and it all seems to make sense. Now, my boyfriend is a great guy. I am a very happy girl with him. He wooed me on the night we met by telling me about his summer abroad in Europe and discussing European architecture with me. Plus he's all smart about dairy things, like cheese. Sold. Anyways, since he's a dairy farmer he was selling a heifer in a university dairy dale and I got to accompany him to see firsthand what happens at one of these events.

The boyfriend got into town on Friday night and he picked me up to go check out the cattle at the sale. I'm not sure what I was checking out exactly, so there's some room for progress in that area. We walked around, talked to some people, and decided we were starving so we headed to dinner. I am loving that we do fish frys every Friday - I can't get enough. Pretty much every one we've gone to has been delicious, but I have to say I'm partial to frys that have a very battered fish. I've been trying to establish a baseline for the frys by getting cod every time, but I have been told that I have to try a new type of fish next Friday (Well, okay then Mr. Bossypants). Everything after dinner was a low-key night, so I'll get to the exciting part: the sale!

Saturday was devoted to all things bovine. We got to the sale in the late morning and stayed there until the mid afternoon. It was the first time I've ever seen an auction, and it was definitely something else. A whole new way to shop, as I kept joking throughout the day (I hope that is as funny to everyone else as it was to me... Oops). I mostly followed the boyfriend around all day and tried not to get underfoot under-hoof (ha!). I did want to pet all of the cows for sale, but I figured that would totally mark me as a newbie so I kept my hands to myself. After the sale, we went out to eat with his friends and hit up the after party at a local restaurant. I'd say that considering both my boyfriend and I were buzzing around separately talking to people by the end of the night was a pretty big deal. Guess I can hold my own in a crowd :) Also, we totally failed to get a picture at any point of the day (even though we are making an effort to take more pictures together). I even went so far as to making sure we were color coordinated for maximum couple-y-ness. Gah. Maybe another time.

Sunday.... Sunday was recovery day. I got to sleep in (hooray for not opening at work!) and then went to work in the afternoon. Once I got home I ate a copious amount of mac & cheese and proceeded to fall into a cheese-induced coma. All in all, it was a pretty good day.

So - hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into the life of the girl behind the blog! Like I mentioned earlier, I sucked at taking pictures (even on Instagram). Well, I guess I took a picture of a martini and my stack from Thursday night but that doesn't really fit in with the theme of the post... I'll do better next week, promise!

Thursday Treat

Hi friends! 

Sorry for the hiccup in posting - midterms are upon me! Unfortunately (or, in some ways, fortunately) all of my exams are spread out in these few weeks prior to spring break. There's at least one every week, plus papers and regular assignments. Guess that just means I have to do some planning ahead! 

Since it is midterms and getting close to spring break for some of us, I wanted to share a little treat I've been loving lately - at home iced chai tea lattes! 

Easy At-Home Iced Chai Tea Latte

Don't mind all of the "A"s on my food - apartment life = communal fridge!

What you'll need:

Ice

1 cup milk, soymilk, or almond milk 

1/2 cup chai Tea Latte Concentrate

Cinnamon

A glass or reusable tumbler

Long spoon for stirring

What to do:

1. Pour the milk into the glass or tumbler.
2. Pour the chai into the glass or tumbler.
3. Sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon into the glass or tumbler.
4. Stir well! 
5. Add ice to the cup or tumbler (I always do this last because otherwise I can't stick my straw back into the tumbler properly!). 
6. Give it another stir, sip, and enjoy! 

I like to drink mine out of my reusable Lilly Pulitzer tumblers! I'm loving the chai lattes lately because coffee has been unappetizing considering how much I've been drinking it. 

Buy here! Available in select sorority prints and more! 

*Recipe inspired by Taralynn of Undressed Skeleton.

Weekend Shenanigans Link Up

When my boyfriend and I first started dating, one of our first jokes was the word "shenanigans" because it's a word I use on a daily basis. He always uses "shenanigans" in coversations with his friends, family, and coworkers and he tells me every time he says it, they all look at him like he's crazy. With my friends, it's totally normal. Ha ha! Anyways, I couldn't resist this link up by Sami of Sami's Shenanigans!

Friday: Woke up early and went to yoga and the gym with my friend Anna. I slept through my workout on Thursday (oops) so I wanted to make up for it - only three weeks till spring break, ugh! yay! (?) After we worked out we went on a little adventure off campus to Target... and by adventure I mean we used the city buses, which I have been reluctant to use for the past oh, FOUR YEARS of college (okay, 3.5 years but who's counting). I have sworn that I will never use the bus again unless I'm going with her because knowing me I would get lost and end up walking back to campus. Yikes. Back to Target - it was a true test for my Lenten shopping ban. I saw adorable espadrilles, cute bikinis, and an awesome pair of cropped pants - they were almost identical to the J.Crew Minnie pant but in a light coral-y/salmon color, and $7. I almost couldn't resist. They were the only pair and in my size. Thankfully, I resisted and instead devoted my shopping to buying lots of good-for-me foods. Only one box of mac & cheese made it into my cart, which was cray. I only did it to save myself the quarter when I would want to buy it on campus (it's Lent! I need meat free foods for Fridays!). Fast forward to the evening - the boyfriend came to town and we hit up a local fish fry, which seems to be turning into our Friday tradition (I don't hate it. My family doesn't do fish frys. Blame it on a picky sister and father).  After that, we decided to head out for a couple drinks with friends from out of town.... and that quickly turned into a couple more drinks than we were planning on. Oops.

Saturday: I had to get up way too early to open the store I work at. It was a slooooow sales day, most of which I spent trying to brainstorm ways to get more shoppers in the store for spring break clothes! Highlight of my day was stopping at a coffeehouse to get a snack on my break. I had the most delish raspberry cream cheese croissant and coffee that was surprisingly better than I anticipated - while I was sold on this spot for snacks and a bite to eat, the coffee was good enough (and cheap enough) that I'm going to start making it a study spot. Yum. After work, I came home and relaxed for a while before going out to eat with my roommates. Burgers and a sampler basket of deep fried goodies was probably not the best idea for a spring break body, but it was definitely delicious and fun. Once we got home we decided to have a movie night and watched Taken 2 and Flight. Flight was good - terrifying at the beginning, but so good in the end.

Sunday: Another chill day. I woke up and the sun was shining, a nice change from the cold and clouds. I did a lot of reorganizing and cleaning up on my Pinterest, watched an episode or two of Smash and Nikita, and tidied up my room. My boyfriend stopped by after work and we went out to dinner (Buffalo Wild Wings, you are delicious but not helpful to my spring break body). Someone ended up falling asleep promptly after dinner and I took some time to catch up on J.Crew's spring offerings... I'm proud to say I was only minimally tempted to add some things to my shopping cart, but hopefully anything I want will still be available later in the month for my birthday!

So - all in all I suppose my weekend wasn't the most productive, but it was enjoyable. Next weekend will be interesting because I'm going to be accompanying my boyfriend to an event in his field of work.... to say I am completely uneducated in the area is an understatement. More to come next week! :)