SOMETHING TO DO WITH BLACK & BLUE

This outfit was so perfect for exploring at the cabin! Even though it was 55º and sunny, the wind is really chilly. This vest is perfect, keeps me warm but not too hot. The boots I found at Nordstrom Rack last year, I love motorcycle boots because they give a little edge to any outfit and they can trek in the mud with me! I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful Pacific Northwest week we've had!

Vest>> Michael Kors, Nordstrom Rack, loving this one

Shirt>> JCPenny

Pants>> Rich and Skinny, TJMaxx, similar here
Scarf>> David& Young, Nordstrom, similar here

Shoes>> Steve Madden, Nordstrom Rack, loving these

Sunnies>> Ray Ban, Sunglass Hut, similar here

CABIN LIFE PART 01

This weekend I took two of my good friends Stephanie and Nic out to my family's property in Eastern Washington and it was seriously amazing! We spent most of our time lounging around just chatting, it's awesome how much fun you can have when you're surrounded by good people and adorable Italian Greyhounds. We went out on a couple adventures to explore and take photos, this is the first of two posts from our weekend. I had so many gems I didn't want to over do it! We also took tons of outfit photos so check back for those posts this week! Photo credit goes to Nic and Stephanie Foster.

p.s. Stephanie is working on her own blog and will be live soon!

Check back for updates so I can direct you to her blog :)

OLIVE VEST & BLOGLOVIN

I picked this vest up at Target the other day and already love it! I think it's going to go great in the summer with some shots, and its works with a long sleeve while its still chilly. This olive color is so cute, I think I need to pick up a pair of skinny jeans in this color too... 

On another note, I am now on Bloglovin! It's the perfect site for following blogs, especially if you don't have a blog of your own but want to keep up with some! I swear you can get so lost blogging, it's seriously addicting and I love it!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Vest>> Target

Shirt>> B.P. Nordstrom (old)

Denim>> J. Brand Nordstrom

Shoes>> Forever21 similar here

Bag>> Marc by Marc Jacobs Nordstrom

IN A PINCH

Well Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! On most Sunday's John and I go to our friends house and watch a movie, or Dexter when it's in season. Typically I bring along cupcakes, and obviously today was to be no different, except I got caught up with Dakota and forgot to make cupcakes... So, when I need to I grab a cake mix from the store.

Normally I make all of my cupcakes from scratch, but today time would not permit. To be honest, I really love Duncan Hines' cake mix, almost as much as homemade. It's delicious,

I'm not ashamed to use it.

I picked up this devil's food cake mix and a few essentials for a simple frosting. Instead of using the 1/3 cup of oil in the cake mix, I decided to use 1/3 cup of melted butter, Dakota recommended it and it makes the cupcakes very light!

Sprinkle a little green on top, and voila! St. Patty's Day cupcakes.

 Easy solution for making cupcakes in a pinch. 

Easy vanilla frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese

4 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tsp. milk

Combine and beat until creamy, adjust powdered sugar to taste

BUTTONED UP IN BLUE

Okay my first outfit post, lets see how this goes! I would have loved to take these photos outside, but a typical Pacific Northwest day left me with nothing but rain. I haven't played around in Photoshop with images for a while, so I just brightened these up a little! This outfit is comfy and little oversized, which is always perfect for long days at the office because I get uncomfortable in tight clothes for that long. The only downside was soaking-wet flats after walking all the way across campus to my car in the rain! I hope you're all having a wonderful week!

Button Down>> Forever 21

Sweater>> Forever 21 similar here

Denim>> Macy's

Flats>> Steve Madden (old) loving these

Watch>> Marc by Marc Jacobs, similar here

QUICK DESSERT

I love dessert as much as the next person, maybe even more. But when I'm trying really hard to eat healthy I know I can't go too nuts. So this was my DELICIOUS solution, a small scoop of black cherry ice cream, and a fresh kiwi. I say that's a perfect balance ;)

COOKIES & CREAM

Last summer my best friend Dakota introduced me to the most amazing cookies & cream cupcakes! I am a serious Oreo lover and will never turn down a cookies & cream anything. I have allowed Dakota to be the master of these cupcakes for a while, but this weekend I decided to try them! I got the recipe here, this lady is 100x better at presenting her cupcakes, but in the end it's all about the taste right?

My first tip: the frosting is like cement when you take it out of the fridge, you may have to warm it up for a few seconds in order to pipe it! One more tip: make these cupcakes! They are seriously so delicious, they are rich so you only need one, but you want more!

They take a little time, but I promise it is worth it!

21 & BLESSED

So this weekend I turned 21 finally! Most of my friends are over 21 and its been a long wait for this birthday. I began my morning at the DMV, obviously the place I want to be at 8:30 a.m., but a grande soy white mocha and my best friend kept me company. Next I went to Verizon to upgrade myself to an iPhone 5, and then home to do absolutely nothing! I know it's lame to not really do anything on my birthday, but I got up damn early for the DMV and knew there was a long night ahead of me! Finally we got ready and headed out to downtown Bellevue.

The night started with a good meal at Red Robin, one of my best friends isn't 21 yet so I wanted to start somewhere she could celebrate with me! After dinner we went to Earls, where more friends joined to drink and celebrate. I am already convinced that there aren't many better things in this world than good food, good drinks, and great friends all in a room together. The entire night was a huge reminder of the amazing friends I have that spoil me and love me!

As far as drinking goes, I knew going into it that I wasn't trying to get totally faced and passed out or puking! So, despite a hefty amount of alcohol, I kept it under control and thoroughly enjoyed the entire evening! Amongst all of the fun we didn't snag many photos, but apparently I was able to get a couple of my beverages haha.

Lastly, a HUGE thank you to all of my friends that came out and celebrated with me! I could not be surrounded by better people and I am so thankful every single day for this life I have been blessed with. Cheers!