twenty-four

Today I turn 24.

It's amazing to see what these past 365 days have brought me . I have already accomplished so much that I never thought imaginable; became full time employed at my work, took Brett to meet my family in Scotland, got an iPhone, went to my first basketball game, went for an all day hike through Yosemite, visited Chicago and Indiana. But what am I telling you this for? You've been sitting along side me while I blog about it all, right? :]

Even though I am working for a bit today, I will be heading off to Greece in just a few days with Brett for two whole weeks! I am beyond excited for our adventure together and to have some quality time away from everything and just enjoying all that the islands have to offer.

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having your cake.. and eating it too!

This past weekend was my daddy's birthday, well Sunday was his actual birthday but the whole weekend seemed to be preparation for the big day. Friday was a bunch of running around to get all the supplies and presents, Saturday evening was spent baking the cake and then Sunday morning was decoration time! Just wait until you see this amazing cake. I found the idea from this fabulous blog called Making Life Delicious. My dad absolutely loves m&m's and kit kat's so I knew this would be the perfect {not to mention different} cake to make for him.

The cake was relatively easy to make. I wanted to keep it on the smaller side so instead of the 9inch pans, I used {what i thought was 8} but they were actually more like 7 inches. So with a little modification I made 4 smaller 7inch cakes. {the 4th was an extra in case something went wrong!} I cut the tops off so that it was perfectly flat and then made my own frosting to put on between each layer. Then I frosted all around the edges and kind of made the frosting on the edges pretty thick to make sure the kit kat's stayed in place. Then once the kit kat's were perfectly lined up all the way around, I just put about a bag and a half of m&m's on top. This was definitely an easy and fun cake to make and I hope in the future I will have more celebrations to make this for!

Have any of you made a cake like this before, or something else different? I would love for you to share your stories!


cake posting

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easter decorations

Hello friends! Easter week is upon us so I have started to prepare some Easter decorations earlier in the week. I found some pretty amazing free print out's and got so excited with all the endless possibilities. Do you have any Easter traditions you would like to share?

I am also going to try my best and attempt to make this very festive, Easter "Peeptopiary" for the table. {wish me luck!} and make sure to check back in a few days to see how it turned out!

Easter Print Out's Here

Peep Topiary Here

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25

Today is Brett's birthday. It's also a Tuesday, which means he is at work and I am at work. Double :[ :[

Brett isn't really that into birthdays though. All month I have been asking what he wants to do for his birthday and a few 'maybe we could do this..' or 'how about we...' but nothing more came from that. I, on the other hand like a little party, a little attention and lots of fun. Maybe it's me trying to be 10 again having an awesome pool party over summer {my birthday is July... in case you forgot ;) }

However we did score some amazing tickets for the Warriors vs. Lakers basketball game tonight, so we are all trucking up to Oakland after work {probably in the rain, uhg} and watching the game. {There will definitely a post on that later!} Then maybe some cake and some cards and presents if he's lucky {he is!} and it will be a wonderful evening.

So happy birthday my quarter life century boyfriend. You're everything I always wanted. Happy Birthday

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valentine's day treats

Happy Valentine's Day to all you lovely readers out there! I just wanted to share with you the little treats I made for my friends, family and coworkers. I found these adorable themed print outs and made a couple baskets and some little bags filled with heart shaped candy. It's always nice to spread a little love, dontcha think? :]

Print out's from Little Sprout Creations!

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the sweetest of birthdays

Happy Birthday Mommy!!

 Yesterday was my Mom's birthday!!! We surprised her in the morning with her very own, brand new bike! It was so much fun to look around and shop and surf the internet until we found this amazing road bike for her. We {Brett} even found this perfect basket to mount on the front that was detachable so she can have a basket to carry around to the grocery store, or anywhere.

Then later in the evening we went out for a couple drinks, dinner and then finished it off at home with this beautiful and delicious cake that Brett's mom made. Unfortunately for you, there is no tasting option through this computer screen, but trust me when I say the Ghiradelli white chocolate frosting was the best part. I can still taste it now...

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think pink

Happy February 1st everyone... it's only two weeks until Valentine's day! While I am not a huge advocate of the V-Day and given it's trademark "Hallmark holiday" I do however, like to stay positive and celebrate the little things. It's a great excuse to spread a little cheer and make your loved ones feel special and appreciated.

I found these adorable print out's and decided to put them up around my home and office for a little extra cheer. I also got some great little ideas for DIY pillow boxes to give away little treats to your friends, family, coworkers, peers at school or whomever to spread the love!

entry table

office

office

via pizzazzerie

Valentine’s Day DIY gift ideas with free printables

 Tell me, what are some of your favorite holiday traditions? What's your favorite Valentine's day memory?

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holiday gift wrapping

It seems that wrapping presents can be a huge roadblock for people, especially during the holidays. For me - I just love to wrap and decorate presents. I love buying new wrapping paper every year and trying to find new little embellishments to add to the gifts. This year I found these amazing handwritten Christmas gift labels{found here}, so I printed them on a thick card stock like paper and cut them out. Then I bought some yarn, put a little hole through the label and tied it together onto the present! I just love little details like this to make gifts more personalized.

I have a little routine also when I do these. I try to wrap them all at once since it can be a hassle to bring all the supplies out multiple times, I really try to make sure I get everything done in one go. This year it took me a few hours but I did have quite a lot of presents to wrap. I just love to have the fire and some Christmas music on and get to work.

I would love to see or hear about how to wrap and decorate your presents! Leave a comment below and let me see them presents :)

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Holiday Gift Ideas

I am finally getting the motivation to start Christmas festivities.. by writing 'to do' lists {no seriously} I love making lists and being able to feel the gratification of crossing things off! I have a list for activities {make gingerbread house, decorate tree, go ice skating} another for gifts to buy my loved ones and of course my personal wish list for Santa :]

All these lists put me in the mood to make a list for you all!

Not sure what to get the hostess whose holiday party you will be attending? Or what to get your boyfriends' brother, or maybe even your boyfriend? What about your best friend, aka the girl who has everything? Well here it is, I have put together a collection of things I have come across that would make great gift for someone in your circle of friends & family. Best of all, all of these gifts are under $100!

1. Keel's Real Simple Diary - $15
2. Whiskey On The Rocks Set - $34
3. Juicy Couture EarMuffs w/ Headphones - $98
4. Williams Sonoma Oils Gift Set - $10 - $58
5. Steve Jobs Biography - $20
6. OPI Nail Polish - $8 each
7. Beer Making Kit - $40
8. "Please Don't Leave" Door Mat - $18
9. Starbucks Mug - $15
10. "Water Bobble" - $9 - $13

Good luck & Happy Shopping!

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