Dreaming of #BlogHer13

Maybe I've just needed motivation to cook and be crafty again. My lack of passion for creating has been pathetic. I blame it on "being tired" from work, but is that really an excuse?

However, my passion for reading blogs never ended. I've been called a blogger stalker or obsessed with mom blogs, so how can I not have a steady blog myself. Again, no excuse.

I'm hoping that the thought (really distant possibility) of attending #BlogHer13 and hearing the one and only, Brit Morin, speak.....LIVE, in person, sparks that creativity in me.

Let's see if I can keep this up for a week. .

Cheers to bloggin'
xoxo Sara

TV Junkie

While many 21 year-olds say things like "I don't even have cable" or "I don't really watch TV", I am not ashamed to admit that I am a TV junkie. Thankfully, fall TV has started, and I couldn't be happier. I try to multi-task while watching TV because then I don't feel so bad about it.

Don't judge me, but here are the shows that I am currently tuning in to:

Monday: Gossip Girl & How I Met Your Mother
Tuesday: New Girl & Parenthood
Wednesday: going to start watching Nashville
Thursday: Grey's Anatomy

Also, since discovering I have OnDemand, I've been staying current with Glee, and the new show Guys with Kids.

What are your favorite TV guilty pleasures?

Living for the Weekends

There's nothing like making it through the work week especially when you have exciting weekend plans. On the agenda for this weekend, was a day trip to Seaside, Fl with my best friends. A fabulous yard sale with one of my favorite bloggers in attendance was the initial reason for the trip, but it turned into so much more.

Jordan, Erika of Urban Grace Interiors, and I at the Seaside Yard Sale.
So glad I got to meet such a sweet, blog friend. 

Road trip buddies. The top photo is from our trip to Birmingham, AL in February
and the bottom photo is from this weekend in Seaside, FL 

After exploring the yard sale, we made our way to the food trucks for lunch. You can never go wrong with grilled cheese, but this grilled cheese truck is still no match for my beloved, Sir Cheezy of Tallahassee. My friend, Jordan, has wonderful cousins who happen to have a house minutes away from Seaside, so after lunch and exploring some shops, we headed to their quaint, canal-front home. It was nice to relax, watch football, and go fishing (just kidding). Then we headed to Local Catch for delicious shrimp tacos.

The catch of the day. 

The drive home was spend listening to FSU football on the radio, only to make it home to watch us lose the game. An escape from Tallahassee was just what the doctor ordered, and I couldn't think of anyone else to spend a spur of the moment road-trip with.

Seeing the definition of "Gators wear jorts" helped ease the pain of the Noles losing. 

After an exciting Saturday, I spent Sunday cleaning my house, watching HGTV, and then I pretended I was on HGTV and finally hung up my DIY drop cloth curtains.

Curtains made from Home Depot drop cloths and a little spray adhesive. 

It's already Tuesday, and I am REALLY looking forward to this weekend because Friday I head to Pennsylvania to celebrate the wedding of my cousin, Sally. I'm excited for fall temperatures, foliage, and family time.

xoxo Sara

Sunday Soul

Summer Recap

I know I have been a stranger, but despite all the blog ideas I have spinning around in my head, I haven't taken the time to sit down and blog. I figured a good way to start back up in this transition from summer to fall was to share about my summer.

This was the first time I spent a summer in Tallahassee, and I had no clue what to expect. I discovered that Tallahassee in the summer is not too bad. In the first week after graduation, I realized that hydrangeas were blooming all over town and nothing could make me happier. 

The first exciting adventure of the summer was heading to Los Angeles with my mom. It was a mix of sightseeing and family time. Although I love New England and the East Coast, the humidity free air of California is very tempting. Here are some photos from California: 

Hopping off the plane at LAX

Sitting on the couch from the set of Friends at WB Studios

Warner Bros. Studio Tour

Lunch on the patio at Joan's on Third 

Mario Lopez filming Extra at The Grove

Harry Potter cast hand/foot prints at Grauman's Chinese Theatre

Look to the left and we see the Hollywood sign

Cheering on my cousins.

The next great (and stressful) adventure was finding a home. After a month of House Hunters: Tallahassee Apartment Edition, I found this lovely gem of a house in the woods. I now love living here, but it definitely has made me a stronger person who is now able to kill a cockroach. The only thing that would make this the perfect place to live is if there were no frogs.

My humble abode. 

Next, I headed to Rhode Island to spend a beautiful week at the beach with my family. And many of y'all know that this is my absolute favorite week of the year. The highlights were meeting my new cousin Maxyn, early morning walks on the beach, tie dying, and of course a sunset picnic dinner at the beach. 

Majority of The Blakeslee Family 

Cousins. 

Hi Mom! 

I was somehow appointed "Queen of Tie Dye" 

To wrap up the summer, I headed to Orlando to celebrate Alana's 21st Birthday. It was just a quick trip, but it was so special to be able to spend 20 hours with my best friends. 

Birthday girl. 

Best Friends.  

Well, I think I hit the high points of my summer, but I can't leave out all of the times I spent crafting, exploring, and relaxing in Tallahassee with my friend Jess. Both recent grads, we're just getting the hang of "grown up life" and whether we were laughing in the aisles of Target, reading magazines while watching Gossip Girl,  cooking, or crafting, we had a great time. 

If you made it through this whole post, I'm impressed. I'm supprisingly excited to be in Tallahassee still, and can't wait to cherish these next few months while all of my college friends are close. College football, fall weather, and just quality friend time are all on the agenda, and I am grateful for these times. 

xoxo Sara

Making Improvements

The Good News:
     -running water
     -working sewer/septic
     -a couch
     -wifi and cable
     -a bed (with cute bedding, of course)

My new bed! Now all I need is a cute DIY headboard!

One of the best parts of night 1 = Harry Potter on tv (Should be upgrading to a flat screen sometime this weekend!)

The Bad News:
     -bugs galore
     -washer and dryer not working


I'm sure there is more, but all I can think about is bugs crawling all over me when I sleep. I am going to start comparing my living arrangements to glorified camping.

*Hint Hint* If anyone wants to get me a housewarming gift. 

Just learning the differences between termites and flying ants, NBD! 

Hopefully, when my parents come into town this weekend I can erase the bad news and only have good news!

Sweet Potato Chips

Last week I discovered a delicious recipe for sweet potato chips on Pinterest (of course). I was a little intimidated with the thought of making chips, but decided it was worth it to try it out.


Here is the original recipe via Sweet Pea's Kitchen:

Ingredients:

• 5 large sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced thin (about ⅛ inch thick)
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1/4 cup canola oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Combine all seasonings with oil in a large bowl. Add sliced sweet potatoes tossing to coat the potatoes well.
3. Divide sweet potatoes between 2 rimmed baking sheets, arranging them in a single layer.
4. Bake, flipping once, until centers are soft and edges are crisp, 22 to 24 minutes. Sprinkle with additional salt if desired and serve.

Yields: 10 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Bake Time: 24 minutes

Here are my chips!

What I did differently is cut down the recipe for just one person. So I used 1-2 sweet potatoes and just 2 tablespoons of canola oil. Also, being a recent college grad trying to save money I just used similar spices that I already had such as ground red pepper, paprika, cumin, and salt & pepper. 

When I made these the first time I sliced the potato by hand which was kind of a pain, but they were so good I made them again, still slicing them. However, this weekend I made it a priority to purchase a mandolin slicer which will provide me with even slices and more even crispiness. I CAN'T WAIT TO TRY IT. 

xoxo Sara