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Bloggers Who Brunch



It's no secret that every blogger out there is guilty of going to brunch far too often, taking too many pictures of their food, Instagramming it, and then later posting the outfit they wore to brunch too, making a whole event out of their morning. I must say, brunching is definitely in my top 3 things to do just in life in general. After all, I'm a self proclaimed brunch addict.

Today, Caroline, Sammy, Renee, PJ, Meg, JessicaMacy and I are all sharing our favorite local brunch spots and what we wear to brunch!

Festival Style

Yesterday was such a fun day. I spent the whole day outside,starting with a two hour drive to go cliff jumping and hiking at one of the coolest parks in Wisconsin, and then my boyfriend and I drove back and went on such a nice walk on the beach last night. Yesterday's weather was gorgeous, and hopefully it will continue this way! Especially because Summerfest starts tomorrow, it would be so nice to enjoy some of my favorite artists on nice summer nights.

For graduation my mom got my tickets to see my absolute favorite band, Alabama Shakes. The concert is Saturday and I couldn't be more excited! I plan to go to Summerfest probably 4-5 other times too, and the one thing I always stress about is what to wear. If we are being honest, I just don't have too many "chill" clothes in my closet! Here's what I'd love to be wearing:
top // necklace // cut-offs // orange bracelets // gold bangle // sandals

xoxo

Summer Bucket List

This weekend was the first time that it really hit me that it's summer. I spent all day Saturday having a picnic at the beach, Saturday night Carin and I went to watch the bike races and stopped at a music festival, and yesterday I went to Strawberry fest and went on a hike. It just hit me though how little time I have left to soak it all in, and I want to make the most of this summer!

In the spirit of going cliff jumping today (!!!), I wanted to share a few more fun things I hope to do this summer:

I've already crossed some things off, so those few adventures didn't make the cut... like riding out of the top of Carin's Jeep (so fun having people watch in amazement as you cruise by), blasting country music everywhere I go, hitting the beach, going on hikes, making s'mores and having a bonfire, etc. 

I even booked a fun weekend trip with one of my best friends coming soon, and Summerfest starts this week. I'm especially excited for today in particular because I'm going cliff jumping with my boyfriend at this really cool park a couple hours away. We went hiking there back in February, but it'll be super fun to cliff jump and see the park in the summer.

What's on your summer bucket list?
xoxo

My Healthy Snapchat Pancake Recipe

I had a friend sleep over on Friday night and we woke on Saturday craving something delicious for breakfast, but still healthy! We decided to make a healthy pancake recipe from Pinterest, similar to this recipe I posted a few months ago.

Our recipe took a bit of a "fall-ish" turn once we realized all of the berries at my house had already been eaten and we were left with only apples and bananas to work with. We ended up making banana oat pancakes with an apple-cinnamon topping, and it was delicious. You might've seen the pics on my snapchat story ;)



For the pancakes:
2 bananas
2 eggs
1/2 cup oats
1/2 tsp baking powder
dash of vanilla extract
dash of cinnamon

Just put all ingredients in the blender, grease your griddle/skillet/pan, and pour the pancakes on, one at a time. Cook over medium heat and flip once you see bubbles on one side. We made one giant pancake and 3 medium pancakes, which is an equivalent of roughly 6 small/medium sized pancakes.

For the apples+cinnamon:
1 apple
cinnamon to taste
brown sugar
1-2 tbsp butter

Cut up your apple into small cube-sized pieces and toss in a pan over medium heat with a tablespoon of butter. Once the apples and butter start to mix and get a little mushy, toss in some cinnamon and brown sugar (more cinnamon, just a little sugar, but it just depends on preference!). We sautéed our apples until the mixture was warm and mushy and flavorful, with a strong cinnamon aroma.

Serve the pancakes with warm sautéed apples on top and you're good to go! The whole recipe is pretty healthy and seriously delicious, and the perfect portion size for two people, too.

Have you tried any healthy breakfast recipes lately? I'm also super into smoothie bowls right now too! I'm excited to head to "Strawberry Fest" this morning with my boyfriend, my friend, and her boyfriend for strawberry pancakes!
xoxo

Packed Party



One thing I am horrible at is staying in touch with people. I'm not sure why, but it's something that no matter how hard I try, I always feel like there friends I am forgetting to text back, people I'm forgetting to see, and relationships I need to put a little more work into to stay connected. So, when Packed Party reached out to me, I was immediately excited! What's more fun than staying in touch than by surprising someone with a little party right at their front door?




Packed Party sent me the cutest "party", the Yay, You party! Complete with candles, shot glasses, and candy (that isn't pictured because it was eaten upon arrival #noshame), I really had so much fun receiving this little gift in the mail, and I definitely want to send a few to friends! Plus, it's so easy and convenient and I know in college it will be the perfect pick me up.


How do you stay in touch with friends? Any tips for that aspect of the transition from high school to college?
xoxo

This Week's Top 10


1. I tried my first recipe "in a mug" last night, which was this 30-second brownie recipe. Omg, I'm obsessed.

2. How is it already the last week of June?! It's so crazy to think summer is already 1/3 through... Ahh!

3. This turquoise home is seriously beautiful.

4. I am in love with this drop hem dress (under $50!)

5. I tried a new taquiera near my house on Wednesday for lunch with the lady I work for (yeah, we took a taco break), and it was outstanding.




9. My latest obsession: MUSHROOMS. Hit me up with any good recipes :)

10. I'm not sure if I have mentioned that Jack, my boyfriend, is living in Door County this summer with his grandparents, so I haven't seen him a ton. Buuuut, he is coming home this weekend! I can't wait to see him tomorrow! Do you have any fun plans for the weekend?

xoxo

Lace Skirt



Do you ever put on an outfit and instantly feel like you're killing the game? For me this doesn't happen too often, but I have to admit it happened in this particular look. I wore this outfit to my best friend's graduation and felt that it was the perfectly appropriate outfit for a graduation and mini rendezvous afterwards. These shoes, which I originally purchased for prom and have since worn to baccalaureate and now to this graduation a few weeks ago, are actually super comfortable and quickly becoming a favorite, go-to pair of summer heels for me. They happen to match everything and I can't seem to stop wearing them!

Poshmark

I just wanted to pop in and announce that I am officially selling a few items from my closet on Poshmark! For those that don't know, Poshmark is a super easy-to-navigate website/app where you can sell clothes, jewelry, accessories, etc. and also shop the closets of other people!

If you're interested in shopping my closet, you can do so here. I've only sold one item so far and it's pretty exciting!! Currently I am selling items from the outfit posts below, in addition to a few other things:




Do you use Poshmark? I'd love to hear your experience with it!
xoxo

Dorm Room Inspiration

College is progressively becoming more and more real. I have been talking to my roomie a ton lately and as much as i am getting more excited, I also feel extra nervous and unprepared! My mom is booking her flights out for move-in and orientation, and my job as of right now, as far as I'm concerned, is simply to shop and prepare for decorating my dorm!


My roommate and I decided if she got our fridge, I'd get the area rug. We agreed on this one and we are both obsessed with it! Seriously, isn't it perfect?! I think we are going to do a lot of whites and turquoise, and then that pop of bright pink for the rug. All that's left is just ordering it!

Below is my bedding inspiration. The bedding I tagged above comes in quite a few colors, including a light grey and a turquoise trim. I really am torn between the two!


I'm still undecided if I think I'll want/need a headboard for my bed (I'm leaning against it), and how I want to do my wall... gallery wall, lights, photos, cork board... so many fun options!

How did you / do you plan to decorate your freshman dorm?!
xoxo

This Week's Top 10


Three blogger outfits I loved this week:

4. Seriously obsessed with this yellow top (it's under $20!)


6. This party is all of the fiesta goals and bachelorette goals


8. Cherry's are so good right now, and they're in season not just at the grocery store but at J. Crew too ;)


10. I just want to take a moment and acknowledge the tragedy of the shooting earlier this week in Orlando. It breaks my heart to hear yet another horrible event like this happen in our country, but I am always inspired by how many people are able to come together to love and support those deeply affected. #PrayersforOrlando

xoxo

How I Edit My Instagram

I've done a few posts before on how I edit my Instagram photos, one in 2014 and one in 2015, but after a few requests recently, I figured it would be a good time to update you all on my process! Consider this my 2016 guide to how I edit my Instagram :)

I usually feel like, in general, my photos are a little "over-edited", but I find that going through the same process for every photo really helps make my feed look cohesive and consistent. I guess there are pros and cons to over-editing! I use two different photo-editing apps: Snapseed and VSCO cam. In general, most of my photos are taken using the "square" camera option on my iPhone 6s!


Let's use this photo as an example for how my editing process goes. This is the original picture, which was taken outside in semi-shaded/shadowy light with the square camera option on my iPhone.


The first thing I do is upload my photo to Snapseed, where I go into "Tune Image" and then mess around with all of the options until my photo looks how I want it. Generally this mess raising the brightness and contrast, adjusting highlights/shadows/saturation and occasionally the ambience, and then I typically lower the warmth. One special feature about Snapped that I actually use a ton, but just not for this particular photo, is the "selective adjust" tool which allows you to pick just a small section or area of a photo and adjust the brightness, contrast, and saturation for that area only. That is especially helpful when I post pictures where the background only or just one corner or shadow needs to be fixed, but not the whole photo.



Next, I upload the new photo to VSCO cam. My most used filter is HB2, but sometimes I will use HB1 or maybe even A6 or C1. Then, if necessary, I adjust the photo a little more to work with the filter... the filters can be pretty obvious too so I usually bring them down from 12 to 6 or 7.



Finally, I upload the photo to Instagram! Here I usually brighten the photo just a little more, adjust or rotate the photo if necessary, and usually I'll bring down the warmth just a little bit. Sometimes, too, I really like using the "lux" tool at the top!



And that's it! How do you edit your Instagram photos? Any favorite apps or tricks?
xoxo

10 Summer Tops Under $25

1: scalloped // 2: fringe // 3: gingham // 4: tassel // 5: off-shoulder
6: hot pink // 7: lace-up // 8: bows // 9: off-shoulder // 10: striped

One thing that actually motivates me to wear "real clothes" in the summer is the simple fact that working at a custom paper store making wedding invitations makes me feel like I'm doing something cute, and I like to look cute while doing cute things. Makes sense, right? When I'm getting dressed, however, I never seem to have enough cute and casual summer tops that I can just throw on with shorts and sandals and run out the door. So, for both you and I, I rounded up a bunch of fun summer tops that are all $25 or under to make a closet seem a little more full the next time you need something cute for a casual afternoon.

xoxo

White Dinner Recap

It's hard to believe that White Dinner, the final senior dance for my school, was already two weeks ago. This summer is definitely in full swing, but it still hasn't even hit me that it's actually summer! The White Dinner dance was honestly the most fun dance I've ever been to and the whole venue was so beautiful that I felt like we were really at a wedding the whole time... only adding to that was the fact that we were all in our white dresses! It's crazy to consider myself a "college" student now, but also so fun to look ahead towards all of the new adventures to come. I definitely think I finished the year in the most fun way possible, so it makes me feel so happy to have created the memories that I did!









Does your school have any fun traditions like this? You can read a little more about white dinner and my graduation recap here and graduation party recap here.

xoxo

This Week's Top 10


1. I'm not sure if I could pull off this type of necklace, but Isabella looks amazing in this outfit.

2. I bought these sandals this week (now on sale in 6 colors!), and I also love this pair and this pair.

3. This $40 off-shoulder top is essential for summer.


5. This is definitely going to come in handy.

6. Jess's bedroom tour is so pretty.

7. Speaking of bedrooms, I really want this cork board for my dorm.

8. This recipe was my greatest discovery of the week.

9. I seriously need to start doing this again.

10. This article makes me want to throw another party really badly...

I'm heading down to Chicago this afternoon to pick up my brother from school for the summer, and then the rest of my weekend is packed with graduation parties! Do you have any fun plans?
xoxo

Healthy Dessert for Breakfast: The Smoothie Bowl


So, being the dessert addict that I am, I really have no idea how I neglected to try smoothie bowls until yesterday morning. Let me just say, if you're like me and new to the smoothie bowl thing, this is a trend that you are 100% missing out on if you've never tried it. Like, once you have a smoothie you'll never go back. Oh, and the varieties are limitless. You can pretty much mix together anything and you're guaranteed success... but emphasis on the "pretty much".

Back story: yesterday for breakfast I found the fun graphic below on Pinterest and decided to whip up a smoothie bowl (I skipped the greens though). I knew I didn't have a ton of ingredients to work with because my mom hadn't been to the grocery store in a few days (lol), but I ended up making a concoction that definitely could have passed as chocolate pudding, or if I had frozen it, chocolate ice cream or gelato without a doubt. 


The best part?! Not only does this particular smoothie bowl taste like dessert for breakfast, but it's also so good for you. I logged the nutrition facts and my particular smoothie bowl had roughly 17 grams of fiber (that's huge... a daily intake of fiber, which most people rarely fulfill, is 20-30 grams) almost 10 grams of protein, and rounded out a little under 300 calories. The only sugar, too, comes from the fruit!


My bowl:
2 tbsp greek yogurt (my personal favorite is plain fat-free Fage-brand greek yogurt because it's super thick, high in protein, and low in sugar)
1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk 
1 tbsp chia seed
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder 
1 small frozen banana
1/2 avocado

*The chia is definitely optional, and a little note about the cocoa powder: 1 tbsp made this recipe really chocolatey. It was obviously wonderful for a chocoholic like me, but if you think you don't want it crazy-chocolatey, I'd suggest opting for a little less than a full tablespoon.

The actual process is so easy! Toss everything in the blender, and blend until everything is smoothly mixed together! I added a little bit more milk just so it wasn't too, too thick, but that's also optional based on how you prefer your bowl. You can also add fun toppings, but my options via my bare kitchen were a little skimpy, so I didn't bother! However, I definitely want to try some of the pretty smoothie bowls below, and they all look so Instagram-worthy with their arrangements.



What are your thoughts on the smoothie bowl? Any favorite concoctions you've tried? Do share!
xoxo

5 Books to Read this Summer

Every summer I set a goal to try to read more. You know, like spend less time on my phone at the beach and actually flip through a real novel. Instead, I usually find my reading material to be someone's Instagram caption or not-actually-that-funny tweet. However, I'm hoping that having found a few good books ahead of time will really help get me excited and make me want to keep turning those pages instead of staring at a screen all summer long.

Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave // Just a week before her wedding, Georgia finds out her fiance was hiding a secret. One that would change everything. She flees to her childhood home, the family vineyard, where she discovers that her fiance wasn’t the only one with secrets. (via)

Seventeenth Summer by Maureen Daly // Until the summer before college, Angie Morrow didn't really date. Her mother didin't like her to go out much. But no one, not even Angie's mother, can resist the charm of strikingly handsome Jack Duluth. His good looks grab Angies's attention from the moment in June when Jack throws Angie a smile at McKight's drugstore. It's the beginning of an unforgettable summer for Angie, full of wonder, warmth, tears, challenge, and love. (via)

Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler // Life doesn't get more hilarious than when Chelsea Handler takes aim with her irreverent wit. Who else would send all-staff emails to smoke out the dumbest people on her show? Now, in this new collection of original essays, Chelsea Handler delivers one laugh-out-loud moment after another as she sets her sights on the ridiculous side of childhood, adulthood, and daughterhood. (I've actually read this one, and it was so funny! I didn't realize how good an autobiography really could be!!) (via)

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han // Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer -- they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one wonderful and terrible summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along. (This is the first book of an amazing trilogy, and these are actually my all-time favorite books! I've reread them every single summer since freshman year and they never get old. And if we are being totally honest, I still cry every time!) (via)

Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close // Isabella, Mary, and Lauren feel like everyone they know is getting married. They wear pastel dresses and drink champagne by the case, but amid the celebration these women have their own lives to contend with: Isabella is working at a mailing-list company, dizzy with the mixed signals of a boss who claims she’s on a diet but has Isabella file all morning if she forgets to bring her a chocolate muffin. Mary thinks she might cry with happiness when she finally meets a nice guy who loves his mother, only to realize he’ll never love Mary quite as much. And Lauren, a waitress at a Midtown bar, swears up and down she won’t fall for the sleazy bartender—a promise that his dirty blond curls and perfect vodka sodas make hard to keep.  (via)

What books are on your reading list this summer?
xoxo

Graduation Party Recap


Having my graduation party on Saturday afternoon, the day following my graduation, was absolutely the best idea. Although there were quite a few other parties that day, it meant so much to celebrate while my family was all still in town! My friends stopped over, too, and the party lasted until literally 2 AM, and even then a few of my girlfriends slept over. Leave it to me to order cupcakes, accessorize them all in custom flags, and then eat like 10 of them myself.... eh, it was a celebratory occasion so #noshame. 











The party itself was incredibly fun, the food was delicious (we catered pulled pork sandwiches and also grilled kabobs), and the company was fabulous. Just being surrounded by the people I love most was enough to fill a gorgeous afternoon. I wore the same dress I wore Thursday night to baccalaureate, which I unfortunately can not find anywhere online, but you can shop similar dresses below:



xoxo