Graduation Gift

{tote, monogrammed reversible cozy, shoe clips}

My friend Katie who I've been friends with since 1st grade, just graduated from college this past semester. This made me realize that I am not looking forward to my own graduation and figuring out gifts for all my SLU friends because it is impossible to find/make something that is worthy of such a momentous occasion, especially considering college graduation means that we will all be going different places and directions.
Because I believe no one can have too many totes, especially ones that can double a reusable grocery bags, I made Katie a monogrammed tote, a coffee cozy (staying with the green theme!), and shoe clips. I discovered the idea of shoe clips while I was looking around Etsy one day, and I am rather obsessed now. Instead of buying multiple shoes like these and these, shoe clips let you switch the bloom or gems on the top of your flats or heels. Ingenious, right? I just made a couple fabric flowers and attached craft section hair pins to the back with some glue and stitches.

{doily tote - simple instructions by Ashley Ann}

{6 cream silk circles cinched with stitches in the middle, pearls added}

{2 sets, creamy and navy (modeled after Heart of Light's lovely headbands)}

Listening to: "Your Love is My Drug" Kesha
Thought of the Day: "The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and let it come in." Morrie Schwartz

Winter Blossoms

{Teacher Clothes Part 2: EmersonMade Blooms}

{I want this dress}

{simple and chic, love her heels}

Easy Embellishments

{Teacher Clothes Part 1: J. Crew}

{love the ruffles and layered necklaces}

{for an important day}

{add a grey blazer}

{I can't wait to try out my two new blazers!}

Coming Up Fast

I can't believe this is my last weekend of Christmas break. It feels like it has been ages since I was at school and I can't wait to be back but then again, this semester is going to be filled with so many firsts and lasts. Some examples:
Firsts:
- teaching full time (student teaching, but still, I just received an e-mail from my cooperating teacher telling me that I will be taking over the class after MLK day... aka,
- going to Mississippi
- applying to post college stuff (ex: Jesuit Volunteer Corps, grad school(s), jobs (?)...)
- dressing professional on a daily basis
- receiving a degree (!!!!)
Lasts:
- sorority events
- getting graded (maybe)
- living within 2 blocks of my friends
- perhaps the last time I'll live in St. Louis (emphasis on the perhaps)

I am so excited to start this year, but it's still very odd. As I was thinking about my goals for the year, I realized that as I make this list next New Year, I will be in a completely different part of my life. All these things that are stressors right now, such as applications and the FUTURE, will be forgotten. That is such a weird thought.

I digress. My point was that I get to (everything is better with a positive spin!) dress professionally this semester for student teaching and I am really excited. I'm going to be in a St. Louis City public school which is a much different environment than my years of Catholic schooling. I think behavior management is going to be my biggest challenge, especially because I'm a college kid still. In the books I have been reading to prep myself, there is a lot of talk about looking the part or "fake it 'til you make it" attitude. I also read that kids like you more if you have variety in your wardrobe because it gives them something more interesting that khakis and a polo to look at everyday. And because I am a planner, I've been collecting some outfit ideas that would allow for mixing and matching (I'm still on a student's budget!) and in my next couple posts, I'm going to highlight some faves. Sadly I don't think the chunky, holiday "teacher" sweaters (you know, the ones with the pompoms and bells) made the cut. I'm heartbroken about this, if you couldn't tell.

Listening to: Switchfoot "This is Your Life"
Thought of the day: "Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the thousand small uncaring ways." -Stephen Vincent Benét

{Images via I heart Stolen Images, ImageKind}

Winter Salad

After seeing this delicious looking salad over on Cupcakes and Cashmere this morning, I decided to try my hand at a fennel winter salad for dinner. I didn't find any arugula at the grocery store, so I tried this recipe from Cooking Light instead. Despite having to make some alterations (spring greens for watercress, clementines for blood oranges), the combination of sweet pomegranate seeds, tart lemon juice, and spicy greens was perfect.

Fennel, Clementine, and Mixed Greens Salad
adapted from Cooking Light
serves 2

1 thinly sliced fennel bulb
2 cups mixed spring greens
1 clementine, sectioned
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds (here's great instructions for prepping a pomegranate)
juice of 1/2 lemon
pinch of salt
1/4 garlic clove
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine first four ingredients in bowls. Combine next 3 in a small bowl and drizzle mixture over salads. Season with pepper.

{sounds funny, but this smelled great on my drive home from the store!}

{refreshingly colorful during the bleakness of winter}

Listening to: Maxwell "Pretty Wings"
Thought of the Day: "All great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope." -Winston Churchill

Meow.

Being home has made me miss Lucy so much more than usual. It was nice to be distracted by these adorable cats on my grandparents' farm during our visit. If only I could have taken one home!




Listening to: "God Love Her" Toby Keith
Thought of the Day: "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone." -Neale Donald Walsch

Thoughts for 2010

Words to Live 2010 by:

{image via quotable cards}

{image via etsy}

Listening to: "Dream Big" Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband