sweet and salty.

a friend at work was always bringing in these little goodies that her grandmother had made. saltine toffee chocolates. im not a fan of chocolate, unless its dark, and i've never cared for toffee, but i cant resist free treats at work so i had a little taste. once i tried these i couldn't stop. and every time she brought them in i had to try and resist them with all my will (turns out my will is very weak.) she's getting me her grandmothers recipe, because i swear grandma's always make everything best, but in the meantime i just couldn't wait and this weekend i made some from this recipe. my toffee turned out soft, (i blame it on my being first time,) but the flavor was still there...nevertheless, i'll be attempting these again.

currently loving.

happy drink-beer day!

happy st. patty's day!

in honor of the classic alcohol-induced holiday, i made a recipe that has intrigued me for quite some time: Guinness cupcakes with Baileys frosting. i used this recipe for the cupcakes and this recipe for the frosting. my first "test" bite was a little odd...but the more and more bites i took, the more and more i wanted. i made a large batch for our lil' work party yesterday and they were a hit.
i hope you all have a great weekend and pinch-free holiday!

fashion source.

whether it be a shopping spree or a specific need and/or event, there are few shops that you know you can always turn to; but jcrew is one that i know we can all agree is always a great reliable source. from casual to formal, classics to abstract, they have it all and they've always got the colors i'm lusting after. here's a few of my favorite looks they've put together for us....

birthday.

today is my birthday and, in addition to a dinner with my parents tomorrow night, we celebrated a little early with some friends by going to a Moroccan restaurant. the food was absolutely delicious but unfortunately we arrived at the end of the belly dancing - but what we saw was entertaining.
the one bad thing of the food being SO GOOD, was that i was distracted and barely took any pictures...which is a rarity for me.

jewels.

i came to this website for a specific pair of earrings and ended up staying much, MUCH longer. i have fallen deeply in love with kendra scott jewelry and plan on making some beautiful purchases in my exciting future.

aruba vice.

i'm not much of a beach person, but after nine months of planning and stressing over a wedding - a long relaxing honeymoon of doing practically nothing sounded pretty d*mn good. i'm a traveler at heart, and i love exploring ruins and new places and new cultures, so i wanted to go to a new place, a new country that i had never been before. my husband, then fiance, wanted to go to hawaii, he's talked about it ever since i've known him, but in the end he basically just wanted to go on a tropical vacation. so we compromised and ended on aruba. now, i'm also not much of an all-inclusive type girl. to me, i've always associated them with the cheesy-amateur traveler kinda vacation. but i also compromised on this and i'm so glad that i did! we ended up finding a fantastic resort that i would definitely return to! the tamarijn aruba - which combines three resorts in one. we went in expecting the all-inclusive food to be sub-par, but we couldn't get enough of it - they spared no expense! each restaurant (and there were a LOT) was delicious...and we tried them all! i also became insanely addicted to aruba vices while there (which apparently is the same as a miami vice) and drank them like water. ...i realize i am simply talking about the food now, (it was good!) but the beaches were amazing, the water a crystal blue and always a perfect temperature and there was always a thatched hut for us to lay under away from the sun (because i burn in two minutes flat.)
oh, and iguanas are like squirrels there...actually, there's more.

(i like to try and take pictures of foreign foods)

the big day.

this month will mark our six month wedding anniversary. it was one of the funnest, most tiring days of my life and we were lucky enough to have it go off with barely a hitch! we found the most perfect location, tucked in the forest and high up on a cliff, overlooking the hood canal. being in washington, we were a little worried when it rained all weekend and all morning, but the clouds parted and the rain stopped hours before the wedding and i got my outdoor walk down the "aisle" through the tall pine trees.
this was very much a DIY wedding (as i love all things craft) from the T and M "photobooth" guestbook to the table numbers to the wedding cake. we did have a caterer, though, who was so insanely incredible that i fully intend to plan a party someday in the future just so i can have their food again (i miss it so much.) and all of these photos were taken by our fantastic photographer dana pleasant.
i've realized that i have not opened up enough, personally, in this blog, and this is my start - and a reason for what kept me away for so long...our wedding:

current shopaholic.

i became weak again this weekend and after a trip to marshalls, nordstrom rack, and even a stop over at, yes, sam's club i picked up a few items. i know i made recent mention of keeping my shopping phase low key lately...but sometimes a girl just can't hold back and, hey, it all came from discount stores!
so, i'm currently addicted to all things striped and found it hard to pass up this top and jacket (i have enough black & white tops, so i opted for the coral stripes.) im constantly *needing* new and chunky necklaces and who doesn't need a nail polish in every shade of pink out there? the heels i saw two weeks ago, attempted to be strong and resist, but failed as i clearly returned (and was elated that they still had my size!) and why pay $40 for a 'fancy' white T when you can buy three in a pack for $14.95 in the men's department...always a perfect soft loose fit.
not snapped in these pics (and some of my favorites) are some polka dot tights, kate spade socks and a couple skinny belts.