Hello friends! This post is a bit overdue, but the last few weeks of winter were uber busy for me, so writing this was kind of on the back burner. Regardless, I still loved some new things this winter that I wanted to share with you:
- Bobble Hats - I have to say, I'm kind of sad this winter was so mild that I rarely got to pull out my bobble hats (you know, the beanies with giant pom poms on the top), but I still loved every minute I got to wear them.
- Tunics with Leggings - This favorite hasn't been put to much use yet, but winter is the perfect time to buy tunics to wear in the spring and summer because they're not that expensive in the off-season. I love them paired with leggings because I have super long legs and quite the bum, so it's hard finding dresses and things that are long enough to cover all of me, and these work great.
- STOK Cold Brew Coffee - Surprise, surprise, I have another coffee favorite. This coffee is a bottles cold brew that's found by the orange juice at my grocery store, and let me tell you, it's delicious. I hate bitter coffee, and this is the "Not Too Sweet" version, so it's super smooth and doesn't need any sweetener. I add a little half and half or milk and I'm good to go.
- Contigo Shake & Go Tumbler Cups - These cups are great because they have a spring-loaded tab on the inside of the lid that only opens with the straw, so when I fill the cup with my coffee and milk, I screw the lid on, shake it up, and then put the straw in. There's no mess, and no need to stir the coffee with anything else. They're also dishwasher-safe, which is a huge plus.
- Oversized Sweaters - In the winter, I like to be as comfy and cozy as possible. Enter the oversized sweater: I look like a box with legs, but I'm warm and comfy, and that's all I really care about.
- The Fosters - The Fosters is a drama on Freeform (formerly ABCFamily) about an adopted family. The second half of season 4 just started back up, and I marathoner the first 3 1/2 in preparation. It was intense, holy cow.
- Chocolate Cupcakes - Guys, I finally found the perfect chocolate cupcake recipe, and it's delicious. That's really all I have to say.
- OKbaby - OKbaby is a YouTube channel that follows a young family, and they had their second child in February. They're just so cute and it's such a sweet channel, I just love watching them.
- Ed Sheehan - Holy cow, this new album is incredible. I know the album came out in March, but the singles released in the beginning of the year had me hooked.
- Jane.com - Jane.com is like a mix of Easy and ModCloth: it's made up up small shops and retailers, but the stock changed daily. Everything is very reasonable priced, and I love that they carry a variety of clothing for women and kids, as well as home decor and accessories. I bought some prints for my bakery (sort of to solidify my goal, I'll talk about that in another post) and a gorgeous watercolor floral skirt, and everything is amazing quality. 10/10, would recommend.
I wish you all the best,
Erin
Hello friends! As it is currently snowing outside and I am freezing, even under four layers of clothes and blankets, I figured it's about time to put these fall favorites away and start up a new round for winter. These are the things I've been loving throughout fall:
- Blankets - I recently ordered a new blanket my bed, because the one I had and loved so much was falling apart and I was holding it together with duct tape. I'll link the one I found below, because everyone needs a warm, cozy blanket for winter.
- Sugar Cookie Coffee Creamer - We all know how much I love my coffee, and one of the seasonal creamers that's out right now is sugar cookie flavored, and it's amazing.
- Worst Bakers in America - This is a show on Food Network, and, being a baker, I found it to be the cringiest, but funniest, food show. Those people were so bad, but I couldn't watching it.
- Christmas Music - Honesty hour: I've been listening to Christmas music since August. And I have no shame. My favorite albums at the moment are all the Pentatonix albums, Peter Hollens, Damian McGinty (especially if you like Michael Buble), and Home Free. They're all amazing.
- Target Tumbler Cups - Around September, Target had tumbler cups in their dollar section (technically the cups were $3 each, but still), and I love them for my iced coffee. They're a good size, and didn't cost me an arm and a leg like any other cup would.
- Singing - When I'm not listening to Christmas music, I'm listening to showtunes, and more than likely singing along, loudly. I've been singing and in choirs since I was little, but haven't done it in a while, so it feels great to be back at it again.
- Christmas Shopping - Guess whose Christmas shopping is done! I went hardcore this year, and I love that I don't have to fight crowds or worry about shipments coming in time. I can just enjoy December now.
- Nameberry.com - I recently made an account there, and the forums are just so much fun. I like the advice giving, but I really love it for the tags and games.
- Chestnut Praline Lattes & Hot Chocolate - 'TIS THE SEASON!!! Starbucks' Chestnut Praline flavor is my absolute favorite, and it's back. I love it.
- Christmas Decorations - And of course, I can't do this post without talking about Christmas decorating. My family does it the Friday after Thanksgiving every year, and now my house is festive and I live for it.
My fluffy blanket: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002KFZ4GS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
*Sorry for the lack of pictures this time, I only have a few tangible favorites that aren't very exciting to look at.
I wish you all the best,
Erin
Hello friends! As I've mentioned before, I commute to school, so I'm constantly spending time waiting around in train stations, coffee shops, campus buildings, etc., and it can be really tedious and boring if I'm not careful. Here are the things I love to make my commute better:
- Music- I' surprised my earbuds aren't stuck in my ears forever for the amount I use them. I have music on all the time, so I made sure I have a long playlist(s) with music I love and that keeps me energized. I'll list my absolute favorites as well as the albums they belong to (I'm an album kind of girl- I have to have it all).
- Tori Kelly // Unbreakable Smile // "Nobody Love" "Should've Been Us" "City Dove" "Art of Letting You Go" "Something Beautiful
- Tori Kelly // Foreword-EP // "Rocket" "Dear No One"
- Tori Kelly // Handmade Songs by Tori Kelly-EP // "Celestial" "Confetti (Remastered)"
- Avalon Young // Redline-EP // "Atmosphere"
- Avalon Young // Drowning in You-EP // all four are great
- Matt Kearney // Young Love // "Ships in the Night"
- MacKenzie Bourg // Everyone's Got a Story-Single
- MacKenzie Bourg // Heartbeat-Single
- Bea Miller // Not an Apology // "Fire N Gold" "Young Blood" "Force of Nature" "I Dare You"
- Pentatonix // Pentatonix // "Misbehavin'" "Ref" "Cracked" "New Year's Day"
- Pentatonix // PTX Vol. I // "Show You How to Love" "Love You Long Time"
- Pentatonix // PTX Vol. II // "Natural Disaster" "Love Again" "I Need Your Love"
- Pentatonix // PTX Vol. III // "On My Way Home" "See Through"
- Apps- I do everything from the apps on my phone; one has my train tickets, I have two for coffee shops, and I also live for BuzzFeed articles to kill time because they're so diverse and entertaining.
- Aslo wifi. I live for wifi.
- Coffee shops- I joke all the time that my new favorite hobby is sitting in coffee shops, but sitting in the same one can be dull. I love that big cities have coffee shops around every corner, so I like to pick different ones to just sit, read, or people watch. Changing up the environment can be a huge help in varying the commuter routine.
- I've made a challenge for myself- I see which is the best coffee shop by ordering the same things at every one I go to; I get hot chocolate in the colder months and an iced mocha in the warmer months. It's just something else to do.
- Books- Holy guacamole, have I gone through more books in the past two months that I think I have in the past five years. I definitely have a certain style that I gravitate toward, that being light-hearted YA books that I can completely lose myself in, and I specifically love John Green. After I finished his books, I looked up authors similar to him, and I'm just making my way through them. I'll leave my favorites below.
- John Green & David Levithan Will Grayson, Will Grayson
- Robyn Schneider The Beginning of Everything
- A.J. Betts Zac & Mia
- Layers- Spring weather is ridiculously unpredictable, so I dress for all seasons. I typically wear jeans or leggings that I can roll, a light sweater with a scarf for easy options, and I constantly have an umbrella, tough-screen gloves, and ear muffs on me at all times. You just never know, and nothing makes a commute more miserable than not being ready for the weather.
I wish you all the best,
Erin
