too much fashion and oreos

I'm just going to cut to the chase and tell everyone that I've wasted a HUGE portion of my last two days messing with Polyvore. Although it's not new to the internet, it's new to me, and it's become my new favorite way to waste time! (What? How did you guess that I've got a couple of big school projects looming in my near future?)

For anyone who doesn't know, Polyvore is a website that allows you to create outfits creatively. I would explain better but it's 3 am, and I don't want to. Just go look at the website.

Whenever I find something I like, I tend to exhaust myself with it to the point of obsession. Case in point, when I ate an entire package of Mint Double Stuff Oreos (but frozen, because they taste even better that way) last weekend...by myself. Is this behavior healthy? No. Will I do it again if I get another craving for those little cookies? Quite possibly. So I guess Polyvore has become my new Oreo.

Since I've been dreaming of cold weather, here's my cold (but stylish!) winter outfit:

Items in this set:
KAIN t shirt, $95
Net-a-porter.com jacket, $1,295
Seven For All Mankind jeans, $198
Chloé boots, 490 GBP
Chloé shoulder bag, $1,720

And there's a lot more where that came from, so blog, I hope you're ready for some cute outfits.

bring on that cold weather

It's hard to believe that it's November already...I wore shorts today, for crying out loud! How are we supposed to get excited about Thanksgiving if the weather feels more appropriate for bbq-ing the turkey than roasting it?

This afternoon, as a way of tricking my brain into thinking it's scarf-weather outside, I made steel-cut oats for the first time. My mom suggested them to me a while back, and I've wanted to try them ever since. So I picked up some oats at Trader Joe's and got to cookin'.

(Bytheway, how cute is this can of oats?! It looks like it jumped right out of a 1930s' Irish cupboard...you know...because I'm so familiar with 1930s' Ireland.)

Let me tell you, these are not your normal oats. They took a good half an hour to cook fully, and that's not including the time it took me to clean up the messy aftermath of the pot boiling over. But, I cooked a big batch which should last me for a while, and from the little I tried this afternoon, I think I'm going to like them. It's grainier and harder than the oatmeal that I'm used to, and they're gonna taste amazing with some brown sugar and dried cranberries on a cold day...

So come on, weather. Just cool down a little so I can fully appreciate these oats!

Grizzly Bear follow-up

They were haunting, stunning, and a little creepy. Simply put, they were amazing. Despite the fact that there was a couple making out right next to my butt for a good portion of the night, it was one of the best (early) birthday gifts I've ever received...thanks Sara!

Plus, eating breakfast food at midnight with good friends was a pretty good way to end the night.

sister

I miss this girl A LOT. She's starring in a play and applying for colleges and taking a million classes all at once, and I have no idea how she does it. She's amazing, and I can't wait to see her this weekend!

Less than a week!

That's right. Six days from now, I will be hanging out with three of my favorite people in the world (I'm talking to you Sara, Phil, and Noah), AND I'll be watching Grizzly Bear perform. How did I get so lucky??

And it just so happens that they are the perfect music to fit this rainy, gray weather.

What's that you ask?

What else have I been listening to lately?

Great question!

(Gloomy)* Rainy Day Playlist:

Deep Blue Sea (Grizzly Bear)

Fake Empire (The National)

Cello Song (Nick Drake)

Jesus, Etc. (Wilco)

Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want (The Smiths)

These Days (Nico)

Brackett, WI (Bon Iver)

The Dress Looks Nice On You (Sufjan Stevens)

Say Yes (Elliott Smith)

Girl From The North Country (Bob Dylan)

*Sometimes, it's fun to have music fit the mood of the weather outside. But other times, I like listening to something to contrast it. In the near future, I might be making an upbeat rainy day mix....hold on to your butts.

changes

I’m sick and tired of being a Christian in name only.

For a while, I’ve been afraid to follow God - to really and truly follow Him. Observing the world for the first time has made me very aware of the way Christians are viewed, and I’ve been oh-so-careful not to slip into that mold that others have created. For a long time, I was so vigilant about being the “right kind of Christian” that I forgot what I really believed in. I became this watered-down and lukewarm believer that I would have been disgusted with, not long ago.

Tonight, I came across Galatians 1:10, where Paul says, “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God?...If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

As God tends to do, He used those words to get into my little brain and and reinforce the message that I've needed to hear for a long time: you are not living for the world!

If I'm going to be a follower of Jesus, as I say I am, I want to follow Him body, mind, and soul. There are things in my life that need to change, and it’s time I not only listen to God, but time I actually start obeying. It's a scary thought. I have no idea what this could entail, but I've selfishly lived for myself long enough to know that I'm nothing without God.

What I'm trying to say is that I can no longer be afraid to live openly for Christ. If that means being viewed as a religious nut, so be it. I just pray the Lord starts working in me as only He can, and that I may be an honest example of His love.

colors and flow...

I'm still in love with this spread from V magazine I saw months and months ago.

There's just something about flowy colorful fabric that makes me want to be 8 years old again, if only to spin around my living room singing Disney princess songs.