from me to you

A small preview of my recent holiday adventures. Can you believe this year is over? I have grown so much this year & I am so thankful to God for his provision for me this past year. How has God blessed you this year?

well ta-ta for now. Off to celebrate & welcome in the new year! Have a safe & happy New Years!

lots of lovee

Merry Christmas to you!

Merry Christmas, my lovely readers! I hope all is well and you are taking this holiday season as a chance to spend quality time with friends & family. Amongst all the crazy last-minute shopping, gift wrapping, and feasting (i'm already stuffed!) lets not forget the real reason for this season.

And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. ” - Luke 1:30-31

lots of lovee

attack the senses..revamp

After much thought I concluded that this segment of my blog: weekly installment of 'attack the senses', was pure inspiration as it has always been but the name can be misleading? Perhaps this is just in my mind. I meant for this as a space to share my latest inspirations, things on my mind, and just photos that I think are provoking. This week on my mind: holiday nail designs, missing those summer fruits, and the smallest details that make an outfit unique.

Enough about me, have a happy monday! :)

I've been watching too much Modern Family

lots of lovee

(creds: Pintrest, tumblrz)

s n i c k e r d o o d l e s

Nothing says "celebrate the end of exams" like a fresh batch of cookies...particularly snickerdoodles.

I adapted my recipe from this recipe from Kevin of Closet Cooking:

ingredients:
-1/2 cup butter, softened
-3/4 cup sugar
-1 egg
-1 tsp. vanilla
-1 1/4 cup flour
-1 tsp. baking powder
- pinch salt
(*outer coating*)
-2 tbsp sugar
-1 tbsp. cinnamon

I followed the directions as he did except for a few things. **Using softened butter was easier for creaming it with my sugar by hand. I also, personally, love cinnamon and that slightly spicy kick that it gives, so with the outer coating I added 1 tbsp instead of 2 tsp as he calls for, and then added a little bit of the mixture into the dough while mixing in the dry ingredients before rolling it in more cinnamon/sugar. Lastly if you are lazy like me or just dont have unsalted butter in the house, no worries! That just means that later in the recipe only add a pinch of salt instead of 1/4 tsp.

Well I am off to take my homemade cheezit-like crackers out of the oven :) coming soon...

lots of lovee

eat with me.

No matter what is happening in my life there is one thing that will always stay constant: love for food. My tastes have changed a lot since I was little & to avoid becoming a porker/moon-child again I watch what I eat more. However this has allowed to me develop a love for different foods as well as healthier choices when dining out & when cooking. Here are 2 places that I have recently come to love:

First off for the healthier choices spectrum: Tender Greens! I went to the one in Pasadena for dinner after hearing reviews from my staffer, and I must say she was spot on! I ordered the simple baby spinach salad (which included goat cheese, walnuts, &dried cranberries) with the barbequed chipotle chicken (soooo tender&juicy!) and a side soup of the day (it was butternut squash yums). The salads come with two buttered crostini which came to around $10.50, which I would normally consider a lot but it was enough for 2 full meals after I took half home. WORTH IT!

The second destination is of Indonesian inspiration: Wong Java House! After talking with my friend from Indonesia I was curious as to if I had ever had indo-cuisine before, so after scouring I found this quaint little spot on Valley between Atlantic &Fremont (aka so close!). Once I finished my last final Tuesday night my mom & I were able to try it out and we loved it! Everything I wanted: cheap, tasty, and super filling with leftovers to spare :) We ordered beef rendang, lontong, and gado-gado (pictured above ^). If you are adventurist and in the area check it out!

Well that's all for now my hungry friends :) I am now officially on holiday, so relaxation here I come!

lots of lovee

on my mind...

Thinking about Fall colors; reminded of the names of God; plaid, draping/capelet, loafers all rolled into one; 

& finally outfit ideas for new years?

Dream with me as this uni semester is coming to it's end

lots of lovee

(creds: me, Ellie&Eri, LF boutique)

s p a c e s

One final down! This constitutes some celebratory combing of my fave blogs for inspiration. :)

Inspiration came my way through fresh home & their investigation of the way people have taken advantages of their attic spaces and turned it into an amazing little space. Take a look and dream with me...

For all of you out there with potential attics & an amazing view, TAKE NOTE!

well I digress. Off to my chemistry notes...

lots of lovee

(creds: freshhome.com)

moments away.

EL OLAM.


Yahweh Jireh.
Yahweh Ro'i. 
Elohim. <3



Delivering applications is putting my future into the hands of a stranger. This thought always haunts me, but this past week I have discovered that really my future has always been in the hands of God the Father. As I was writing my personal statements this past week I took a break and my thoughts wandered to the names that we give God, and as I looked into this I found this list. Doesn't that just make you feel  so much peace in your heart about the future? :)

God is sooo good.

lots of lovee

take me there

Do you  ever wish you were somewhere else other than where you're at? Im fighting my brain writing papers non-stop for uni, but all I really want to do is go travel to a far off place with a beautiful scenery and a great hike.

The Travel Passion is my new obsession. She travels to such amazing places like unknown areas  of Africa and the cliffs of Sicily!

Ashi Lake, Japan

One of the most beautiful lake sceneries that I have seen in a while, compliments of Honestly...WTF.

Dream with me of bigger, more gorgeous places while we sit at work and in class...

lots of lovee

attack the senses (THANKSGIVING STYLE)

How was your thanksgiving? :) I had a wonderfully relaxing break as I recovered from the flu-like symptoms that I contracted on monday, but despite my under the weather feelings, the food was still superbly comforting. Anyways, because I'm still feeling the slight after effects of food coma & preparing to eat leftovers for the next few weeks I thought I'd share different leftover recipes that I've found to help us all along with that mountain of partially eaten dishes in our fridges...

I wish I had tried this...

Of all of the recipes I want to try this one the most! fetette blog had the right idea with how to do thanksgiving with these little cupcake cakelettes that seem to be a smart way of controlling portion sizes while getting all the flavors one wants at the same time.

Now these next few recipes are all from one of my favorite recipe blogs, Simply Recipes:

What says post food coma more than some spicy mexican food to speed up that metabolism? Exactly why this Chipotle Turley Pozole appeals so much.

One of my favorite and most classic leftover specials is the open face turkey & gravy sandwich. My dad doesn't cook all that much on a daily basis but after thanksgiving this is his specialty. Good for any cold night while the gravy is hot & the recipe is simple.


The last one comes from the excellent, Epicurious, and relates back to that mixing of flavors with mexican styles by making Turkey Enchiladas. Cheese, enchilada sauce, and turkey? sounds super yums to me!

Hope this has been enlightening to your cooking mind & your leftovers piled in the fridge :)

lots of lovee

attack the senses

Winter months = DRY months. I am referring to our skin! Alligator skin is not attractive to anyone, am i right? yes. Included in pasty dry skin are our cuticles which seem to get semi neglected in the winter months, especially if one does a lot of dish washing after those holiday feasts...okay just me. We must protect our nails!

A little nail inspiration from Chanel :) enjoy!

lots of lovee

(creds: youtube)

j e f f r e y c a m p b e l l

Spontaneous. Just making my way through the LF boutique warehouse sale, focusing on their knits & pumps, and then I see them. Sitting there in my size waiting for me to pick them up. After much debate after realizing they fit like a glove, they finally came home with me :) The most expensive pair of shoes I have ever bought..and they were still only $40!

Now excuse me as I go do some major thrifting...

lots of lovee

plaid it up!

I don't know if it's obvious yet, but...I'm really into plaid right now. The perfect flannel has floated my way through my brother and is now a fall staple as it hangs at the forefront of my closet. There's something about flannels/ plaid pieces that makes layering THAT much easier/ enjoyable.

On another note, shopping/gift giving season is here & I am already berry excited for the Black Friday deals! Key pieces to look out for: a new camera (as my old one lost it's life kayaking), loafers, and beautiful knits!

The weekend is here!

lots of lovee

(creds: collegefashionista, tumblrz, thesartorialist)

give me that beat.

As a follow up to my post about my excitement for fall food&apparel, I thought I would share some of my favorite new jams that will be crooning me during these transition days to colder, brisker weather.

I admit that I watched the CMA's so some of these choices are a reflection of that, but believe me! they are excellent chillin' music.

lots of lovee

the w e e k e n d e r.

If you have been reading my blog for a while (..or just read my header) being in college has turned out to be a bit busier than I imagined. Having a part-time job on top of classes doesn't help either and my weekly schedule looks a lot like boot camp with barely a spare minute, so my weekends are the only things that keep me sane and semi-relaxed going into another week of school. I thought I would share what my weekends can consist of for proper de-stressing:

Every other Sunday my mom&I browse the Atwater Farmer's Market in Glendale. 

Fresh veggies+tacos/pupusas+ flowers= happy camper

  

Day trips! This past weekend it was San Marcos, San Diego to visit my cousin.
ginormous donuts+park/hikes+pollo super fries(not pictured)+delicious Phil's BBQ= a super yums trip

What do you do on your weekends to unwind?

lots of lovee

smells like...

Fall is finally here! With the coming if November means some very special events for me and my family: birthdays, birthdays, BIRTHDAYS! ; Thanksgiving (possibly the tastiest holiday) ; & Black Friday festivities!

 

Fall holidays = roasted everything just to start the oven for warmth & warm, fun family gatherings :)

 

It also means beautiful chunky knitwear, lovely tweed, and cozy layers!

After all of this I mustache you a question...

are you excited for fall yet? :)

lots of lovee



(creds: tumblrz, ShineByThree, style-arena.jp)

f o r g o t t e n. not

After days (& maybe weeks..) of un-posts, I am back! Midterms for uni are over and I am finally given a little breathing room before finals and applications are due! This excitement can only be described with the above^ picture of the most hilarious little tribal print collar that I saw at the LF warehouse sale a few weeks ago. Exciting purchase from that in a later post....

For now I thought I might share some food that has been rumbling in my tummy & making mess' in my kitchen :) *DISCLAIMER : the following pictures will be in bad quality and not of appealing looking food, but if you try them they are delish!*

It starts with a bowl. Shallow enough for non-soup items, yet deep enough to hold everything.

Next came the presence of salmon spinach pasta! Spaghetti noodles cooked to perfection and the salmon perfectly flaked. *did i not warn you about the picture quality? i did. trust.*

 The next day came the poached egg over thin toast with bacon and furikake! If you are like me and enjoy runny eggs over toast, then you would love this with the addition of a little bacon atop.

Well that is all for now I am off to San Diego today for some tassstty bbq and quality time with cousins. Have a lovely weekend!

lots of lovee