Good morning! I'll be in Miami for the week, sorry for the lack of posts (midterms were killing my soul)! 

     This week has been filled with studying and midterms, so I haven't had a lot of time to update. But I just finished my last exam for the week! Only one more day until spring break. I won't be needing this dress in Miami, but the lace accents and cream color are great for the transition to spring.

     Cat-eye sunglasses? These were made for me.

     Whyyyy do these have to be so much money? Hopefully Forever 21 gets on their version of these A.S.A.P.

P.S. Don't forget that you can click on any daily wishlist image to buy the item!

     Starting today, I'm going to feature a nonprofit every Friday. Giving back has been a huge part of my life for long time, and there are a lot of really great nonprofits that help a variety of people. Even if you can't donate your money, you can always donate your time or offer to help an organization in other ways.
     The first nonprofit I'd like to introduce is Art for a Cause based out of Birmingham, Michigan. My roommate gave me a gift from Art for a Cause for my birthday - they focus on "employing people with special needs; cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, cancer survivors, and a variety of cognitive challenges." They sell "tools to mend the world," ranging from kitchen utensils to gardening and hardware tools.
     Check out their website - www.artforacause.com - or email them at talk2us@artforacause.com if you're interested in purchasing their CuteTools! -- they make for great gifts! I have the wine opener and it's adorable.

     When I first saw these shoes, I was kind of confused. But the more that I look at them, the more they're growing on me. The natural leather version is definitely the cutest of the three options, and if styled right (boyfriend jeans, cargo jacket) they could be pretty fierce.

     Perfect for spring with dresses. It's not too harsh, the right mix of girly and masculine, and the color goes with just about everything. I'd love to wear this with my jean leggings (I refuse to call them jeggings) I got a while back!

     As my love for candy begins to take over my life (thank you to my roomie who put not one, but two bowls of candy out on the table last night), I am continually grateful to have a boyfriend who loves dessert and candy as much as me because he keeps me from eating it all myself. So for Valentine's Day, I thought I'd try out this recipe for one of my favorite candies turned dessert - Brown Eyed Baker's Peanut Butter Cup Bars. After quite a bit of backtracking, I found that it's been passed around the blogosphere but originated from allrecipes.com. Anyways, they are AMAZING. I hope you like peanut butter and calories. Definitely try them! You can always make them for someone else and then save one for yourself :)


P.S. They're no-bake! That's the best part. 


Peanut Butter Cup Bars

½ cup unsalted butter
1¾ cups powdered sugar
1 cup smooth peanut butter
¾ cup graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup unsalted butter
½ cup milk chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate)

1. Line an 8×8-inch square pan with foil, leaving enough to hang over the sides, then butter the foil. Set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan, melt the ½ cup of butter over low heat. Once melted, remove from heat and stir in the powdered sugar until smooth. Stir in the peanut butter and graham cracker crumbs until completely combined and smooth. Spread the peanut butter mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

3. In the now-empty saucepan, melt the ¼ cup unsalted butter. Add the chocolate and stir until almost completely melted. Remove from heat and continue stirring until completely melted. Pour the melted chocolate over the peanut butter layer and smooth into an even layer.

4. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to set. Remove from the pan using the foil overhangs and place on a cutting board. Use a pizza cutter to slice into 16 bars. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

     I've been looking for a more elegant watch lately, but I like the fact that it's still a bold. I'll be posting about what I made for my valentine later tonight!

     Oh heyyy cute dress, you're perfect for spring. And so cheap!

     Happy Valentine's Day, dears! Since I pretty much shoved everyone's least favorite holiday down your throats last week, I'll leave it be until next year. Now on to the daily wishlist item... This week's items will all be under $100, because if you're anything like me, you're on the struggle bus right now in terms of making money and keeping it in your wallets.

     I love everything about this dress. It's strapless (my favorite), girly, and has lace. Too bad I have no money and no where to wear it!

     I used to think that coin purses were just absolutely useless (this was when I only carried bags that were bigger than my body), but since I've gotten over myself, I've found that they are actually quite handy - especially when going out for a party, or walking around Main Street - sometimes it's nice not to worry about a purse.

     I feel like this sweater was made to be worn with dark skinny jeans, flats, and a beret!

     For those of you who don't love the Valentine's Day thanks to a low-life ex-boyfriend - no worries, dears. Check out Pink Kisses, a self-help sit/blog/online store where you can get great advice about getting over your former lesser half. Ellie and Amy, the site's founders, describe themselves as "a mechanic for a broken heart." The best part - you can upload a picture of your ex and "burn" it - for free.

     You can book a session with a life coach, send a friend flowers with a pick-me-up note, or have texts sent to you about how great you are. They even offer styling services in case you're ready for a wardrobe change. It's fun and sassy, and you're guaranteed to forget why you even started dating that jerk to begin with. 

     I've been seeing this ring EVERYWHERE. It's a little pricey if you ask me, but maybe you want to splurge on yourself for Valentine's Day?

     After seeing a similar recipe on Rachel Wilkerson's blog, I had been wanting to make toscana soup. My mom ended up having a great recipe from ages ago (seriously, it was the 1997 Ladies' Home Journal recipe) and I LOVE it. I've eaten it the last four days, hah. 

Toscana Soup

1. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Bake 3 links of Italian sausage on jelly-roll pan 15 o 20 minutes. Drain on paper towels; cool. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. 

2. Cook 3/4 cup chopped onions and 1 slice bacon, diced, in a saucepan over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in 1-1/4 teaspoons minced garlic and cook 1 minute. Add 1 can (13-1/4 or 14-1/2 oz.) chicken broth, 2 cups water, and 2 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer 25 minutes until potatoes are tender. 

3. Stir in 2 cup thinly sliced fresh kale, 1/2 cup heavy or whipping cream and sausage; cook 5 minutes. 

Makes 6 servings. 

     If my valentine wanted to give these to me, I wouldn't turn them down...

     Yogamatic sells eco-friendly, hypoallergenic yoga mats in trendy and unique patterns. You can even upload your own photo and have a custom mat made. My favorite is the pink couch mat pictured above. They're a little pricey compared to a regular yoga mat, but I'd still go for one if I needed a new mat!

     This week's daily wishlist items are all going to be Valentine's Day themed. I know a lot of people hate Valentine's Day, but I love it (mostly because I like pink and sparkly things) so we're just going to have to get over that :)
     A lot of you have probably seen Taylor Swift, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Jennifer Lopez wearing this sweatshirt around lately - it's adorable and it looks so comfortable!

     These are perfect for spring weather. I love me some bows. 

     ASOS has been putting out some pretty good stuff lately; I wish I had this shift dress for Miami in a few weeks! Heads up - they currently have absolutely free shipping worldwide - no minimum spending amount! Go wild, my fashionable friends.

"If you want something you've never had, then you've got to do something you've never done."

     Today has been an experience. Like typical Michigan weather, we got way less snow than anticipated, but it's still freezing out and the wind is crazy. Like everyone else, I was hoping for a snow day but we ended up being one of the only schools around still open. Figures. 

     I've gotten back to the point where I love this blog and can't wait to work on it most days. But time just keeps slipping away, and I don't feel like I've been able to do it justice. I haven't had time to visit all of the places I've wanted, experiment with new products, make all of my bookmarked recipes, or read a book that wasn't assigned for a class. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm burnt out with everything going on in my life in general. I've hit the wall that I'm sure everyone hits during the winter, but I'm stuck. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels like this. 

     Anyways, in case anyone else is feeling like me, and/or loves Michael Jackson as much as I do, check out this video of a taxi driver who sounds EXACTY like MJ. 

     Nautical? Check. Wide leg? Check. High-waisted? Check. I wish these were in my closet.