my new plant

Today I planted my very first vegetable. I plan on growing this baby all on my own until I can eat it. It's a Kohlrabi and I'm absolutely in love with these things. I usually stock up in the summer when all the farmer markets are going and they're always so delicious! I can't wait for this guy to get huge!!

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They look like this when they are fully grown but mine is going to look like this....

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I just know it....

cupcakes

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I wanna be able to make cupcakes like this one day. Work was very slow the other day, so I did what I always do on slow days and grabbed a stack of the cooking magazines. I grabbed one that was all about cupcakes and instantly got the urge to make some. While flipping through the pages and seeing all the gorgeously made cupcakes, I was imagining myself sitting in my bakery frosting each cupcake making it a work of art and being the best damn cupcake baker out there.

I then remembered the last time I tried to make cupcakes from scratch and that image vanished quite quickly. Brown stone like cake really isn't that appetizing. I have a long way to go until  I get to my dream....

Friday's Letter

check out the cat man here!

Dear myself, you will someday become the best cupcake baker ever. It may take forever, but just keep your head up high and you will be able to make a cupcake soon. Dear slippers, I love putting you on after a long morning of running around. Dear school, why does it seem like everything is all of sudden pilling up? I could of swore I didn't procrastinate that much. Finals, go easy on me please! Dear day off, I hope you are filled with countless activities to keep me busy today. Dear TJMaxx, I think you need to lock your doors when you see me coming. I have visited you for the past 4 days for no reason and always come out with things I do not need. This solution would greatly help my shopping addiction. Thank you. Dear Ranger and Titan (friend's cat), get ready for the best Saturday night ever!! Since your parents are gone and I have to clean up after you, we're definitely having a party afterwards! p.s. Bria if you're reading this, I promise to keep them under control :)

HAPPY WEEKEND EVERYONE!

sleepy kitty

 

As I said in yesterday's post, my cat is my first love, grilled cheeses being the second, yum! Patches is a weird cat and if you have ever had the pleasure of meeting him, you will quickly figure that out. I was looking through the millions of pictures that I take of him, because that's what cat people like me do and I saw a pattern in the way that he sleeps. He either curls up into a ball with his leg kicked out, or he does what he's doing in the above pictures. He'll stretch his whole body out and curl up his paws. And every time I wake him up or say his name, he'll do this head tilt and open only one eye like he's saying to me "why the hell are you waking me up woman!"

While writing this post, he sits next to me in this same position and it makes me laugh. It's crazy how much love one can develop for their pets and the love they get in return from them. I don't even know how Patches became "my cat" seeing as when we picked him up from my Grandma's, we were getting him for my little sister. Sometimes I think he latched onto me because he was trying to get away from her dragging him around the house by the back legs (she was only 5, so I forgive her).

I have since then, became the owner of a cat who believes I gave birth to him and should cater to his every need, no matter what time of day it is. He's spoil rotten and he definitely knows it. And even though those long hours of just staring at me from across the bed creep me out a little, I can't help but to love him unconditionally.

Like I said, I have a weird cat.

Are you a cat lover too? or a dog lover? I wanna see pictures!!

grilled cheese

It's National Grilled Cheese Month. Was anyone aware of this? Because I wasn't and finding out this morning seriously made my whole day. Let's just say, grilled cheeses are my second love (my cat being the first). There's just something about slices of cheese in between two pieces of bread that is so mouth watering delicious. Whoever thought of this wonderful creation, I need to marry. He or she can make me all the grilled cheese in the world. Oh, how great that would be.

Anywho, I wanted to celebrate this cheesy month (hehe) with a few of my favorite recipes for grilled cheeses. Of course they're all super simple and take little to no time, because that's what we're all about here. 

1. The Original Grilled Cheese 

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This one is probably my all time fav. You can't go wrong with this and it's the perfect lunch sandwich. I'm actually munching on right now, no lie. 

Ingredients:

Cheddar cheese

Bread

Butter

1. Put them together and fry. mmm mmm good

2. The Jalapeno Grilled Cheese

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This one takes the original to the next step. I'm all about adding flavor to my food and adding jalapenos is perfect for getting some spice. Cheese and jalapenos are another fabulous duo that you just can't go wrong with.  If you're not a fan of hot hot hotness, keep moving on to the third sandwich. 

Ingredients:

Cheese

Bread

Butter

Jalapenos!!!

1. Put them all together and fry. mmm mmm yummy

3. The Kinda Healthy for you Grilled Cheese

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This sandwich has quickly became a favorite snack of mine and adding chucks of broccoli to it kinda makes you feel like you're eating something good for you. Who cares if you pair it with a bag of chips (I won't tell). 

Ingredients:

Cheese

Bread

Butter

Ham

Broccoli

1. Put them all together and fry. (are you catching on yet?)

So drop what you are doing (unless you're eating a grilled cheese) and go and celebrate National Grilled Cheese Month. This is epic. Now excuse me while I finish my sandwich. :)

Happy Wednesday everyone!

love.

Grab a box of tissues and watch. 

 

Hailey Haugen on Vimeo

Have you guys ever seen a couple and just instantly fallen love with them? Maybe I'm just a pro creep, but it happens to me all the time. I'm a hopeless romantic so it doesn't take much to steal my heart. I've been a fan of stumbling through videos on Vimeo lately and I recently came across this beautiful couple. The above video is the first one I watched and not only was it filmed beautifully, it also made me ball my eyes out which means it was awesome. 

I got hooked on these guys and continued to watch the short films that Hailey made of their relationship. He proposed to her and they are now getting married. Seriously, it's like watching a fairy tale.

meet the sponsors

It's time to meet those wonderful gals that you've been seeing over in my sidebar. Maybe you've already checked them out, maybe you haven't. Well today, I'm forcing you. Check out my three lovely sponsors and hopefully you'll love them just as much as I do. 

Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest 

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest

Blog

I also want to note, Allison probably said one of the sweetest things to me the other day....


"It's hard to believe that Kelly Elizabeth is only 19 years old!  She is one of my go-to-blogs for recipes, crafts, and amazing views of Wisconsin.  I can assure you that I was not as ambitious as this young lady at 19...she has a sensational hunger for life and I promise that your time reading her blog will be time well spent."


Now how wonderful is that? That pretty much made my day, thank you Allison!! 


So definitely go check out these little ladies, they offer some really great stuff. And if you would like to swap in the future head on over to this page to check out my options!


Happy weekend everyone!


xo, k 

just breath

Today is National Stress Awareness Day, who knew?! A day dedicated to relieving this big box of crazy inside me. I already feel better. 

Here's some relaxing photos to relieve all that stress you've gathered in the last couple of days, enjoy!

 

Happy day everyone, relieve that stress away!

Also, Chris' family dog, Madison, passed away today. Keep her in your prayers, she was a fabulous dog. For the little time that I knew her, I fell in love and she'll greatly be missed. 

<3

xo, k

Friday's Letter

Dear Friday night, I'm glad you're here and I'm going to spend all of you in my bed watching Netflix. Dear UGGs, you always keep my feet so comfy, even after a year of wearing you out. Dear McDonalds, I'm sorry I've given you a bad wrap. You have one mighty fine chicken ceasar salad. Dear my favorite pen, where the hell did you go? Dear Sam and Dean, I'll never get bored of watching of you two. Dear bedroom, why can't you ever stay clean for more than a day? Dear sunshine and warm weather, please come back, I miss you. Dear summer, why do you seem so far away? Come quickly. Dear Patches, you are one crazy feline. Lay off the catnip for a while. Dear gas, why?!? Why are you even close to being $4, that's not acceptable and paying almost $60 to fill up my tiny car is not acceptable either. 

Penne Arrabiata Recipe

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The other day I posted about this wonderful pasta dish I made for Chris and I Easter weekend. It was really simple and turned out great and is even better when you eat it for leftovers the next day. I found the recipe via foodgawker, though I ended up losing the original recipe throughout the weekend so I apologize for that. But there are a million recipes for this dish I just tweaked the recipe I looked at a little to make it more for my liking. So feel free to tweak it even more!  

Ingredients:

-pasta of choice (I used penne)

-14oz can of chopped tomatoes

-1 can of marinara sauce

-2 Tbl. olive oil

-1/2 chopped onion

-1-2 tsp. minced garlic

-1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper 

-2-3 pinches of dried basil

-salt and pepper 

-1 pinch of sugar

-1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Cook the onion and garlic in the olive oil in a large pan. I let Chris cut the onion, because I couldn't stop crying and snot was pouring out of my nose. Okay! moving on....

2. Once the onions look cooked throw in the tomatoes (with the juice), cayenne pepper, sugar, basil, and can of sauce. Season with salt and pepper and let simmer for about 25-30min until sauce becomes thick.

3. In the meantime, cook the pasta to al dente and then add to the sauce when done. 

4. Give it a good stir to mix everyone together and top off with all the cheese you want! 

4 steps to a quick and easy pasta dish, you can't get any better than that! Again, it turned out amazing and maybe next time I make it, I might add some chicken strips to make it even more hearty. 

Happy Wednesday everyone!!

xo, k

my FIRST blog award

Yeah, you heard right. This little gal here got her first blog award. I never thought I would get an award for my blog, so when the fabulous Rachel from Along The Way With Rae nominated me, I was ever so thrilled! Check her out and see who the other fabulous girls she nominated. 

I was awarded the Liebster Blog Award the other day by Rachel. This award is for upcoming bloggers (200 followers or less) that you think deserve recognition for their wonderful blogs. I think this is a great way to show love for some of your favorite "newer" bloggers out there that are just getting started. Thank you again Rachel for giving me this, it really makes me feel good about writing my blog. :)

Rules for each nominee:

1. Choose five up and coming blogs to give the Liebster Award to. Each blog should have less than 200 followers.

2. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.

3. Post the award on your blog.

4. List the bloggers and their links. Leave a comment on their blogs to let them know they've received the award.

5. Share five random facts about yourself!

my 5 random facts:

1. It freaks the bajeezes out of me how HUGE whales are. 

2. I've never tried the cinnamon challenge and probably never will.

3. I'm still waiting for my letter to Hogwarts. 

4. I'm a obsessive cleaner.

5. I wanted to be Britney Spears when I was younger. Glad I kicked that dream out the window...

Here are my fabulous picks for this award:
You better go check them out, because all of these gals are fantastic!

Amanda @ Anthropomorphity

Samantha @ Petite Femme Jolie

Chelsea @ The Collegebook
Tights and tea @ Tights and Tea
Callie @ You Don't Even Know

 xo, k

weekend in pictures

This past weekend I went to visit that wonderful man of mine. It was a fabulous weekend full of sunshine and laziness. My family wasn't doing much for Easter Sunday so I said it was alright to skip out on it and stay an extra day with Chris. I got there Friday afternoon after my morning classes and dragged Chris along to the Wildlife Sanctuary. It's the only thing I wanted to accomplish for the weekend, because I absolutely love this place. Walking through the trails with the trees just barely budding and having the sunshine peeking through the branches really made for a relaxing afternoon. I was snapping pictures of everything while Chris rolled his eyes and mumbled "bloggers" under his breath. It's just what I have to do. The geese were very anal that day also, not cool. 

Saturday we went to go see the Hunger Games, which really surprised me that it was a really good movie. I was in this huge "I don't understand the hype about that movie" phase and I finally broke out of it and we went. While driving home Chris and I discussed if we'd survive in the games. Conclusion: he'd just keep running and I'd go hide in a cave and cry. So no, we would probably not survive. I also made a really simple pasta dish that turned out really great! Chris loved it and I was very happy with the result. Burning 3 of my fingers in the process? not so much. 

I'll post the recipe soon if your interested!

Sunday was a lazy sit on your ass kind of day. After running to the grocery store to buy our Easter breakfast (doughnuts and oj) we pretty much just sat in the living room. Chris watched his golf and did some homework and I, naturally, sat on the internet accomplishing nothing. It was a wonderful day, which was ruined by having to leave. But he comes home in 2 weeks, so I think I can handle myself. 

How was your weekend? 

Have a great Monday!

xo, k

Happy Easter!

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For those of you who celebrate, Happy Easter! I hope all the egg hunting and ham eating do you well. For me, I'm spending the end of this fabulous weekend with Chris and we'll probably just be bumming inside watching movies and eating leftovers all day. 

have a great Easter, tall to you soon! 

xo, k

Friday's Letters

Wildlife Sanctuary Spring 2012 

Dear Chai tea, thank you for making my throat feel better, it's been a pretty rough week. Dear sun, you made a Friday afternoon wonderful. Dear Wildlife Sanctuary, it was so good to be back to see all the wonderful things you offer. Though the ducks weren't as hungry as they usually are, now I have 2 bags of corn. Dear Mr. Porcupine, I think I like you better when you're dancing around instead of taking a little snooze. But you're still my favorite. Dear boyfriend (like always), you need to eat bigger and more frequent meals during he day, enough said. Dear pasta dinner, I can't wait to make you tomorrow night and devour you until everything is gone! Dear computer, I'm not happy with you right now. What's up with you being all weird, uhh? I'm not a part of the Geek Squad, I don't know what to do!! 

Happy weekend and happy Easter!!!

xo, k

tangled

I've been cleaning my room very thoroughly today and found the box that I've been keeping my jubilee of  tangled necklaces in. I've been holding off venturing into that box, because untangling necklaces is probably one of the things I hate most. My friend Nikki would always be the gal I'd run to when this sort of crises happened, but she's in Japan and that just wasn't going to happen. So, I had to do it myself. 

I opened the cover and there they were. I threw them on the floor and got to work. Some people would probably laugh at this situation, seeing as there was probably only about 7 necklaces in that pile, but to me that's like 700. Patches thought it would be a great idea to try and "help me" by pouncing onto the pile. He looked up at me like, "Well isn't that the reason you put them there in the first place?" That cat is something. 

After 25 minutes of swearing and wanting to give up, I did it. I pushed through like a warrior and kick that entanglement of necklaces' ass. Everything is good again. 

 xo, k

i whip my hair back and forth

I love the feeling of just cut hair. Walking out of the hair salon knowing there's no split ends making your hair frizzing is the best darn feeling ever. Maybe not ever, but pretty darn close. I just got a very much needed hair cut today and I'm so happy with the results. 

It's not very drastic, but I just wanted something that would really lighten it up for the summer months about to come. I had the nice lady who cut my hair put it a few a LOT of layers and take off about an inch or 2 off the bottom. I love the result, I can't stop running my fingers through my hair. 

Sorry for all the low quality webcam pictures. Truthfully, I'm to lazy to pull out my camera and take nice pictures like the more professional bloggers out there. Yepp, not me. 

and I also recently stumble upon some other Wisconsin bloggers that I was so very happy to meet. There's not a lot of us out there so I just wanted to show the love. Check um out!

Rachel, Samantha, and Callie. :)