What is up, lovelies? Kali here, finally getting around to a little nail art tutorial! My inspiration? The Superbowl. If you know me, this may be shocking, because I am in no way interested in sports, and am usually pretty ignorant to them. I am going to blame a combination of the fact that I live in Boston (the Patriots are in the Superbowl, in case you're as uninterested as I am), and my co-worker Anna challenging me to try some Patriots nails! I very confidently responded to her "I can totally do that", and once I got home from work tonight, got down to business. So here I am, jumping on that Pats bandwagon!
I try to pull all of the colors I need before I get started, so I am not trying to reach into my bin of nail polish with wet nails. In baking/cooking, I would equate this to getting my mise en place! I always use: nail polish remover, cotton swabs, a cuticle tool, cuticle helper, a nail file, base coat, and top coat. You can get all of the tools I listed above, at your local CVS or Walgreens.
My most recent discovery in the world of nails, is making sure to use a base coat. I was having trouble getting my nails to stay in tact for more than a couple of days, and once I realized I could use this base to keep everything in place, I could get them to stay for at least a week! Double Duty from Sally Hansen works as a base coat, and a top coat (I only use it for the base), and is currently my go-to.
After applying my base coat, I decide what color I want each nail to be, and go ahead and paint them! I always go back and do a second coat, even if the polish is pretty thick. The colors I used today are: Essie- Aruba Blue, Essie- Shake Your $$ Maker, and Cover Girl- Toasted Almond. (Don't mind my Valentine's day newspaper ads that I am using to protect my dining table from getting polish all over it!)
People ask me all of the time "how did you do that?", when I show them my nails. Here is the secret weapon! I found these Stripe Rite polishes at Sally's Beauty Supply a couple of years ago, and they are the only way I could ever do any designs on my nails! I have probably 8 different colors, and the brush is so tiny, that I am able to do very specific details. I'm telling you, go buy these now, they're my savior.
So, I started with my green pinky nails, and used my white striper to create the look of the yard lines on a football field (no one correct me on my poor use of sport's terms). Since my pinky is so tiny, there was not much room for any other details here. If you were using a larger nail (like your thumb), you could have actually included the numbers that mark the yard lines.
Next, using the same white striper, I hit the nails I painted brown, and with some very simple lines, made them resemble footballs. To me, nails that have a more basic design, but are super easy to identify, are the best ones! There is no mistaking that these babies are footballs!
Here comes the tricky part, and where I used my life mantra, 'fake it 'til you make it'. To attempt this Patriots logo, I started with the white striper, and painted an outline of the whole thing. Then I went back with the other colors (red, blue, silver), and painted the details of the face, or at least I tried to! I went back with the white again, and touched up the edges. As long as your design has the general shape and color scheme of what you're trying to achieve, it does not have to look picture perfect for you to get your point across. Personally, I think Bostonians will recognize these Pats logos from a mile away!
Finally, I decided to just hit my thumb nail with some silver glitter, the one I used was Essie- Set in Stones. Before I go back over with my top coat, I always make sure EVERYTHING is dry. The white striper always gets me, and if you paint a top coat over it before it is fully dry, the white will smear, and all of your beautiful work will be ruined. I have been burnt many times by the white striper, don't let it happen to you! Be patient, and once you are confident everything is dry, apply your top coat. I just started using Sally Hansen- Miracle Gel Top Coat, which does not need to be used with another Miracle Gel polish! They sell it as a two-step process, but all you really need to get your new manicure to last is the top coat. You can always do two coats of your top coat for good measure, and once that is dry, you're finished!
Now you can all enjoy your favorite football teams, with some adorable nails at the same time! (Or you can just sit around in your pajamas, watching Modern Family, which is what I am doing above.) Who would have thought these two hobbies could go hand in hand? I really hope that this tutorial was helpful, and would love your feedback! Let me know what you think, and I will keep these little nail lessons coming on a weekly basis. Happy nail painting, ladies!
Hello, ladies! Bekah here, with my first wedding planning post! I wrote a post a few nights ago and I really didn't like the tone of it. I found myself writing at my most negative point of wedding planning. After a few deep breaths and few glasses of wine I am now reassured that everything’s going to be just fine. With that being said, today I had a GREAT day taking care of some wedding things. Two words…. LIPSTICK SHOPPING!
I have been on the hunt for the perfect red lipstick for months. After reading hundreds of reviews and blogs, today my makeup artist/bridesmaid and I went out and finally found the perfect lipstick. I wear a red lip at least 3 days a week, so I’m very comfortable with a bold statement and I already know what color works for my skin tone. This is half the battle ladies. Anyone can wear red lipstick ,you just have to find the right shade.
My checklist was kind of long so here were the top three things I was looking for; Matte, Long wearing, and most importantly Kissable. Lets be honest a girl can never have too many lipsticks, however I don’t think I will need to buy red lipstick for a few years. Big makeup stores can be very overwhelming so I suggest doing some research before you go.I bought a wide price range of lipsticks and all of them were actually great.I am not much of an impulse buyer so if I don’t go in with a clear plan I will just leave extremely frustrated and empty handed. Hopefully someone will find this lipstick review helpful.
NYX Matte Lipstick 07 Alabama: very matte, great pigment, wears a little too heavy and will clump up if your lips are dry. $5.99 (Ulta)
NYX Simply Red lip cream 02/ NYX soft matte lip cream 01 amsterdam: smooth velvety matte application, great pigment, doesn't feel heavy, easy blending, long lasting with very little touch ups throughout the day, very little came off for the kiss test. They wear great separate but I mixed these two for the right shade and my lips were a little chapped. $5.99 each (Ulta)
Rimmel London Kate Moss collection 111 Kiss of life: Matte finish was ok, easy to apply, color was better than I expected, not long lasting, many touch ups though out the day. This is a good lipstick for a yoga pant and ponytail kind of day. $3.99 (Ulta)
OCC Lip Tar Matte Vintage: I actually got a sample of this color from Sephora (just ask, they give them to you). If it ever runs out I will buy this color. All of their colors are very vibrant, application looks glossy but dries matte, a little bit goes a long way.. seriously! If you use too much it will be a disaster, stains perfectly so I prefer to use this to build up my color to help last all day. $18 (Sephora)
Sephora Cream Lip Stain 01 Red: This stuff is amazing. I was talked into getting this to use as a layer over a lipstick. The sales girl said she had to use makeup remover to get this stuff off. It dries on the matte side and last forever. $13 (Sephora)
Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil Cruella: LOVE LOVE LOVE this color, very smooth, matte, rich pigment, easy to apply, light wearing, long lasting. This stuff doesn't move. $25 (Sephora)
So the color I will be saying “I DO” in is.....
The Sephora lip stain and Nars Pencil. I have been wearing this color all day. I can't believe it still looks great even after eating dinner and giving my man lots of kisses. First layer was Nars then Sephora lip stain on top. Worth every penny and I can't wait to wear this on the big day.
Remember my last post where I pep talked you all out of being depressed during the winter? Well, I almost immediately fell into a black hole of despair after I wrote that, not taking any of my own advice! (Easier said than done, huh?) I had zero motivation to do anything, even less than before, & I did a lot of whining, & some crying, & wah wah wah'ed my way through the weekend. Then I decided to pull my head out of my ass, & try a little bit to not hate everything so much. My main focus for the past couple of days was trying some new recipes, so Eddy & I don't get bored with our bread-free/dairy-free/delicious food-free diet. I did a little Pinteret hunting, & chose a bunch of stuff that sounded delicious, with the hopes of having fun in the kitchen again! The first thing I tried was a Cucumber Dill Hummus, which isn't exactly a meal, but who cares?
So I will say, that I was not 100% sure about this recipe. I am not a huge fan of cucumbers, and at first taste, I thought I was going to have to let Eddy eat all of it himself. But, after I busted out the black bean chips, I couldn't stop scooping up this surprisingly refreshing snack! It was super easy, & it cost around $5.00 for all of the ingredients, making about 3x the amount of hummus you would get in a normal container at the grocery store.
The next recipe I chose was quinoa pizza bites, because I swear, all we see are commercials for pizza! I won't lie, I am definitely on a quinoa kick right now, and you'll be able to tell from my Pinterest board. I am sure I will be sick of it soon, but for now, QUINOA FOR EVERYTHING! Anyway, I was pretty proud of myself with this kitchen endeavor, because I decided to make the marinara sauce from scratch too. Who knows if I did it right, but it tasted good to us, and that is all that matters!
All of these ingredients look pretty disgusting right now, huh?
The recipe called for the pizza bites to be made in a muffin pan, but I think you could always bake them in a glass dish (like one you would use for brownies), and then you would have a funny little quinoa pizza loaf!
After I took them out of the oven, I sprinkled the bites with Trader Joe's Soy Cheese Blend (sorry, the internet wouldn't help me link that one for ya!), satisfying my efforts to stay dairy-free.
Voila! I threw a little of that homemade marinara on the side for dipping, and we had a pretty sweet pizza substitute. We both agreed that the recipe could use some meat, so I think next time I will mix in some ground turkey, and then they will be perfecto!
Finally, last night I decided to try this Parmesan Zucchini and Corn. Again, Eddy wanted to throw in some left over ground turkey to add some meat to the meal (he doesn't consider it dinner without meat!), and I cannot believe how tasty this was. It was by far, my favorite new thing I tried this week.
Fully equipped with a margarita, I'll say that dinner last night was just as delicious as if we had gone out to eat! Of course, even if we wanted to go somewhere yesterday, we couldn't have. I totally forgot to mention the 24" of snow that Winter Storm Juno brought us this week! The whole city had a driving ban on it yesterday, so we all got a snow day from work. You would think this would add to my winter blues, but it somehow cheered me up, and I actually thought being stuck in the house was fun. Here is a little glimpse of what we got, from my front door:
Crazy, right? Luckily, the house hadn't been cleaned since before we left on our month vacation, and I opted for staying in to clean, while Eddy shoveled our sidewalks, and both of our cars. He came inside with icicles in his beard! I did have to go back to work today, and this was the snowy mess that was once the parking lot behind my job:
I don't think I will ever get used to seeing this much snow, and the only thing I can compare it to is Blizzard Beach (you Floridians know what I'm talkin' 'bout).
That is all I have for you for today. I am hoping to try some more new dishes over this weekend, and am hoping to have a post about some new items in my Etsy shop by the end of this week too! Have you guys tried anything new in the kitchen lately? I'll take all of the new recipes I can get!
I know that I have referenced the 'winter madness' a few times, and as much as I would like to take credit for such a clever term, I stole it from the title of this 30 Rock episode. Ironically enough, the episode takes place in Boston, and even MORE ironically, the Patriots just made it to the Superbowl and this really is how their fans are! (Don't confuse me knowing something about a sports event as me caring about anything sports related. It's impossible to stay ignorant to these types of things while living in the most proud city in America.) Anyway, I love 30 Rock, hate the 'winter madness', and love to hate Boston, so I figured this little clip from the episode was fitting! Not to mention, the beginning of the episode starts with Liz proposing a trip to Miami to Jack, he agrees, but changes Miami to Boston (so he can go visit his love, Nancy Donovan). Wanted to go to Florida, but got stuck in Boston instead?! It's like they wrote an episode about my life... five years before it was happening! Whoa.
OK. I really want to talk about how you can treat 'winter madness', or at least what I do to try and keep it at bay. First, most of you might not have ever experienced this frigid, lonely state of being. If you live below North Carolina, I can almost guarantee that you haven't. I do not envy you! I would have never known this was even a real thing, if I had not experienced it myself. Basically, during the long, brutal months of winter (in New England, this can last from November-April), humans can become depressed form the lack of exposure to the sun/bright light. The technical term for 'winter madness' is Seasonal Affective Disorder (yes, the acronym is SAD! They also touch on this in 30 Rock. A coincidence? I think not.). It doesn't help that the sun is setting at around 4:30pm, and most winter days are extremely overcast, and dreary. I find that we do not see most of our friends during the winter months, because everyone is more likely to get home from work, and not leave the house again. Who wants to bundle back up to trek around in 12 degree weather? I can imagine that lack of social interaction can also contribute to SAD, turning everyone into frozen hermits.
So, what do I do?
I will admit, my first year in New England, I did not have an issue with SAD. I was driving 75 miles to work (ONE WAY), and I was more concerned about not killing myself driving in the snow everyday, to be bothered with being depressed. That makes total sense, right? Thankfully that job did not last very long, and once my second winter rolled around, I couldn't understand why I was so bummed alllll of the time. Eddy figured it out pretty quick. He has been here five years longer than me, and has acclimated to the extreme condition. Once I realized what the problem was, I think I moped around for another few weeks, then decided to do something about it. I am the kind of person that can't just decide to tackle one thing at a time, I have to make a list of twelve things and then attack them all at once! I decided I was going to: learn to cook, learn to knit, craft more, take a vacation, and do my nails once a week (if not twice a week). I'm insane, I know. I feel like I half-ass did all of these things, so now I kind of know how to do it all! Here is some proof that I did all of that, this time last year:
These eggplant pizzas were one of the first Pinterest recipes that I was brave enough to try! They were delicious and easy, and how can you be sad when you have pizza that doesn't make you feel guilty?!
After I had some practice, this was one of my more daring attempts at cooking. It is a BBQ shrimp, broccoli, and cheesy quinoa bowl. Yes, it was as delicious as it sounds, and you can make it here.
We also started meal prepping for the week, so we didn't have to be worried about making our lunches every day. This helped with not being able to leave the house on Sundays (my job is closed on Sundays in the winter), because I knew I would be doing this all day. Honestly, once you figure out what you are doing in the kitchen, you'll find yourself smiling while you cook, therefore kicking SAD's butt!
See? I did teach myself to knit! This was the first functional, socially acceptable scarf that I totally constructed myself. I toyed with the idea of taking a knitting class, but ended up buying a How to Knit book instead, which proved much less expensive. This is a very simple, circle scarf, and honestly one of two things I have figured out how to knit in the past year. (The other thing are these really adorable winter headbands, that I will be showcasing later this week.) As much of a granny habit as this is, it really passed the time, and helps gives you something to look forward to finishing when you know you're going to be stuck inside.
Craft more. I am still working on making this my life mantra, and making sure I craft one thing a week (I like to aim high, we'll see how it goes). This photo is the result of a day spent at JoAnn Fabrics, when I went to buy stuff to make myself some new plugs, and ended up buying a ton of little things to also make myself some novelty brooches. All it took to construct these brooches were: pin backs (you can get them in packages at any craft store), novelty buttons of your choice, and whatever adhesive you choose to attach the buttons to the pin back. EASY PEASY. For awhile I had my own little Etsy store, where I sold similar plugs to the ones shown here, and one of my resolutions this year is to revamp it, and have more diverse product. Seriously though, how can you be sad when you have such adorable new accessories to brighten up your drab winter wear? And you made them yourself!!
Now I know not everyone can just up and take a vacation, but if you are able to go out of town, try to schedule it during those brutal months! I recommend late February-early March, when you are really ready to rip your hair out. Last year, Eddy's band was planning a tour exactly during that time, so I took that opportunity to GTFO as fast as I could. I ended up riding with the band from Boston to Providence, Providence to NYC, staying in NYC for a few days with the ever so fierce, Christopher, and flying from NYC to Orlando. I am lucky enough to have parents that live in Central Florida, so all I was concerned with money-wise was making sure I could get to Disney World and Universal Studios (which I did). I don't think I need to explain myself any further, because no one is sad when they are at Disney!
These are some of my favorite nails I did last year (I know we all love a good Clueless reference). I wanted to dig these up because lately, the madness has been getting me down, and I have zero motivation to make my hands look adorable like this again. As crazy time consuming as this looks, it doubles as meditating for me, and somehow calms me down. I know this won't work for everyone, but maybe it will help you figure out what your meditation activity is, and you can focus on that when you're freaking out because your lips are so chapped, you want to cut them off. That happened to me a lot last year, just ask Eddy. Anyway, I decided to start small tonight, and actually straight up ripped off the nails that designlovefest posted on Instagram today (thanks for that inspiration, girl!). I got some new black nail polish, a beautiful matte top coat, and whipped up these little babies right quick:
They're supposed to be pink eyelashes, which is ridiculous, but I love them. Also, I think this matte top coat alone, might be the cure to my nail creativity blockage! It made everything look so much more sleek, and smooth. I love it!
All in all, as much as I can try to steer you away from SAD, the reality is that it is already getting me! As I write this, I'm trying to motivate myself to at least make a list of things I want to do (I CAN'T EVEN MAKE A LIST). I did start looking on Pinterest today, and found a bunch of new recipes that I wanted to try, so that should count for something! Honestly, just writing these posts for the past two weeks has already made me feel happier, and has given me something to look forward to. Maybe that is why I haven't felt that motivated in other areas, because I am focusing on this too much? I'm going to have to get over that quick, or else I won't have anything to write about on here! What good will a DIY blog be, if I don't flippin' DIY anything?! I'm just kidding. I promise I will make something really awesome soon, and I will share the crap out of it with all of you beautiful people. I'll leave you with this last piece of advice, and I didn't want to include it because it involves blatantly spending money, but it is always guaranteed to work:
It doesn't have to be Lush products (but no one can be sad with Lush products!), it can be whatever will ease that cold chill of death you feel bite your face every time you step outside. NEVER BE ASHAMED TO TREAT YOSELF.
What do you all do to stay busy, and beat the 'winter madness'? Any new TV shows or movies to recommend (preferable ones that will not make me cry)? Speaking of, I am going to scour Netflix. Stay warm, my babies <3
So, I am still alive! Even with 3 straight days of work under my belt. I will admit, I was being a little over dramatic about my return to the working class. I was actually pretty stoked to see all of my co-workers, after being away for so long. It's amazing how much time you spend with the people you work with, compared to everyone else in your life. I mean, they are stuck with me (or I am stuck with them?) 40+ hours a week! I don't think I even spend that much time with Eddy, & we live together. Needless to say, I love them all, & honestly missed seeing their beautiful faces everyday. 😍
I am still trying to get back on a normal schedule, & trying to unpack, slowly but surely. My favorite part about coming back home from being away for the holidays, is unpacking all of the Christmas presents I got while I was there. I always forget every little thing I unwrapped in my stocking, so it is like Christmas all over again when we get back! Eddy shouted to me from the other room earlier, "Babe! I went through the presents your parents got me, & there's so much awesome stuff!". Like we didn't realize how awesome it was the first time around? I think Christmas is so overwhelming, that it is hard to appreciate everything all at once. I will say that we got the crap spoiled out of us while we were there, & everything we got was perfect, but I did want to highlight my top 5 faves!
First of all, I'm lumping both of these gifts together as one of my faves. Second, HOW FREAKIN' ADORABLE IS CROCHETED FOOD?!? The donut is a pin cushion (the colored sprinkles are actually pins!!), & the pizza is a brooch. My super talented friend, Jen is to blame for all of this cuteness, & you can head over to her Etsy shop here, to buy up her delicious accessories. She also has a kick-ass blog Amity Island where she talks about all things DIY, & I know this week she's constructing some beautiful lingerie pieces!
Can you tell I'm hungry? All of my favorite things revolve around food! This sweet little pack of Doughnotes comes with donut shaped note cards (perfect for any occasion), tissue paper envelopes, & To/From labels. My Wisconsin babe, Lisa gifted these to me in exchange for me knitting her a scarf for our brutal winter. I think some of my loves in different states might be getting their valentines written on these babies.
Speaking of knitting! I am a very, VERY amateur knitter, only having taught myself from a book about nine months ago, so I can use all of the help I can get. Between my mom, & Eddy's mom, I made out with about seven scanes of new yarn, & all of these books on knitting & crocheting. I won't lie, I am a little overwhelmed, & am not sure where to start, but at least I have all the materials I need once I figure it out! Last year picking up this hobby saved me from the "winter madness", & will hopefully get me through another few months of hibernation.
I love, love, LOVE to do my nails. I love it to much that it drives me insane, & they have to be perfect all of the time, but I love it nonetheless. Eddy's mom stayed with us for a few days back at Thanksgiving, got to witness me obsessively nail painting every few days, & gifted me this nifty little nail dryer. It is battery operated (so no annoying cords in the way), & came with a nail file, nail clippers, scissors, cuticle cream, & tweezers all conveniently stored in the clear top. I can't find this exact model, but I did find this adorable little pinknail dryer on Amazon for super cheap!
Every year after Christmas, my mom always takes me shopping to hit all of the after-Christmas sales. We were actually pretty disappointed in what was in the malls this year, & there weren't even that many great of sales out there! I don't know if I just don't like the styles out right now, or if everyone was selling down winter stuff & transitioning into spring, but it was certainly a dud... except for this bag! I will openly admit that I have a purse problem. One of the walls in our spare bedroom (*cough* my closet *cough*), is dedicated to all of my bags. I've surprisingly scaled down a LOT, & won't buy one now unless I am completely head over heels for it. Anyway, we were browsing the gigantic handbag section in JCPenney (don't judge me, it's my mom's favorite store), & I gasped when I saw this beauty. I wish you could see the color better, because it is definitely eggplant purple, & not brown like shown here. I also sprung for this little polka dotty wallet, because I had been just throwing my ID & debit card in my pocket, hoping they wouldn't get lost. The wallet is a good size, not too bulky, & can still fit in my smaller bags. I found a white version of this Lulu by Lulu Guinness bag here, & a black version of this Mundi wallet here.
That's it. I went to Orlando, & all I came back with was this lousy list of AMAZING GIFTS! What a spoiled little jerk, huh? Honestly, everything I got for Christmas was fantastic, not to mention all of the family time I got while I was down there (all right, I'll admit that was the real #1 present). What was all of your favorite gifts from the holidays?
I'm writing to you, curled up on my couch (watching the Golden Globes), counting down the hours until I have to go back to work tomorrow. I haven't been there since December 7th, & I don't even know if I remember how to get there. (Okay, that's an exaggeration, but I don't WANT to remember!) I'm not complaining about having to go back so much, as I'm more afraid that I will be totally useless once I get back in there. The most strenuous day I had on vacation, was park-hopping at Disney World, & that was just physically demanding. My brain has been on autopilot for the past month, & I am estimating that I make it 5 hours into my shift (half way), before I go cross-eyed! The past couple of days I have been slowly getting back to my normal schedule, & trying to challenge myself a little bit, so my brain isn't a complete pile of mush. Eddy & I love to cook together, & my mom got us a food processor for Christmas, so testing that out was a good way to get me out of my drawn out, vacation funk.
If you have followed my Instagram at all, you know that we eat Mexican food like four times a week, so what better than to make our own salsa? Honestly, I don't even like salsa. I usually just dip my chip in the liquid-juice part of the salsa, & leave all of the chunky parts for Eddy. I did that same thing with our homemade salsa, but was that salsa juice delicious! We chopped: garlic, red onion, cherry tomato, & seasoned with cilantro, salt, black pepper, & Adobo. It tasted SO fresh, I want to make everything from scratch at home! (Just kidding, I don't have that much time or patience.) Seriously though, it was amazing. Not a huge culinary project, but just enough for me to get some motivation to be more daring in the kitchen.
On top of being out of work for a month, I was also off track of any sort of decent diet. I will not go into the gory details of what I ate, or how many pounds have been packed on, but let's just say I THOROUGHLY enjoyed myself! Since we had been gone for so long, we had no food in the house, & basically only bought fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs, & these interesting chips in the picture shown above. Those black bean chips are apparently only made with black beans, flax, & quinoa (coulda fooled me!), not to mention they were on sale 2 for $5.00 at Star Market. We also got a Sweet Chili flavor, that are equally delicious & taste a lot like SunChips. I was pretty stoked to find a tasty, gluten free alternative snack. Don't get me wrong, I had to close my eyes walking down the bread aisle, & wept a little walking past all of the cheese, but I will feel a lot better when my jeans fit again.
So, I have been back in Boston for a little over 24 hours, and I'm already pining for that Florida sun! It was a frigid 18 degrees when we landed, and today it warmed up to a (still frigid) 30 degrees.
Despite already feeling like I have the 'winter madness', I have some exciting (well, at least exciting to me) news! My beautiful, talented friend Bekah will be sharing this blog with me, & adding her own little vintage flair to Short Stacks! She resides in Central Florida, so I will be living vicariously through her, during our brutal, New England winter. We still have a ton of work to do with customizing the blog, so bear with us, while we pretend to know what we are doing. I'm going to shut up now, go warm up with some green tea, & let Bekah give you a little introduction!
Greetings, dolls!
The name’s Bekah Booya, Kali and I have been friends now for 7 years. When we met we instantly clicked over our love of the 3 B’s: Boys, Booze, and BackBooth (a local watering hole, where we would get our dance on).
Over the years our taste has changed (thank god!), and now you can find us gabbing over anything vintage, yummy foods, beauty, and our latest thrift store finds.
Fun Facts about yours truly: I am a hairstylist in Orlando, a true Floridian, obsessed with my dog April, I am a first time homeowner, oh and I'M GETTING MARRIED IN 40 SOMETHING DAYS!!!
So you can all guess what topics I will be writing about. Hope you’re ready!
Since we have been on vacation for so long, I figured I would put together a little photo montage with all the highlights over the past five weeks. Honestly, this is so I can relive all of these memories, & delay the inevitable plunge back into reality.
The first week of our trip, was a mini road trip from Boston to Orlando. Traveling in a 1988 Shasta RV, is way more challenging than I expected! Two hours into the journey, we hit a patch of ice & skidded into a guard rail. Luckily, we were able to continue without much damage, or any injuries! We drove 22 hours (which should have been a 14 hour drive) & stopped in Asheville, NC, camped at their Bear Creek Campground, & froze our butts off! The heater in our camper broke after our first night, which called for heated blankets, a heat fan, & three sleeping bags. It was an adventure, to say the least.
Our second stop was in Savannah, GA, where we camped at Red Gate RV Resort. Unfortunately, we didn't get to spend too much time in Savannah, but we did get to see our beautiful friends Amber & Silas get married!
We definitely had a blast traveling just in that first week alone! We ate an absurd amount of delicious food, & drank our weight in beer, but what else is vacation for? I'll touch on the rest of the trip later, because this blogging stuff takes way longer than I imagined. So really, this is just a mini-montage, & I should probably go back & change the name of this post.
Welp, here I am, doing something I've been wanting to do for a few years now. Even if no one reads what I write, I'm going to go ahead & pat myself on the back, for this valiant effort! First things first, I'm Kali (pronounced Kay-lee). The name "short stacks" can be relevant to my 4'10" stature, the very short stacks of money that I currently have, & my Leslie Knope love of pancakes. I have been living in the greater Boston area for the past two and a half years, but was born & raised in Kissimmee, Florida (yep, I basically grew up at Disney World). I haven't decided how I feel about living in New England quite yet, especially since I am writing to you from the sunny living room in my parent's Florida home. (My boyfriend & I have been vacationing in Florida for the past four weeks, but I will save those details for another post.) Whether I like it or not, we will be heading home in a few days, & I will be going back to work after having a whopping 36 days off! I work at a custom cake shop/full service bakery/party store, and it is a glorious one-stop shop for all of your party needs. I believe my official title is "Cake Consultant", and my job consists of helping customers design their wedding/birthday/bar mitzvah/anniversary/retirement/holiday cakes. Once in a while I am lucky enough to get to work in the decorating kitchen, which has given me more confidence than I've ever had, to even attempt to be artistic. When I'm not slaving away at the cake shop, I (surprisingly) love to bake & cook at home. Up until last year, I was determined to stay ignorant to cooking, & only even attempted grilled cheese, pasta, & ramen noodles. Thanks to the Pinterest gods, I found several recipes that didn't scare me out of the kitchen, & for that my boyfriend is very thankful. I also enjoy doing my own nails, maybe even a little too much. I will limit myself to one nail post a week, but the reality of the situation is that I paint them like every three days. My other hobbies include: trying to knit things for my friends, shamelessly filling up shopping carts on all of my favorite internet stores (but never buying anything), DIYing the crap out of everything, & teaching myself how to sew. I also watch too much terrible reality television, & 90's chick flicks. This blog will touch on all of these areas of my life, & hopefully I dont bore you to death!
