Grammar Rules (To Avoid)

Happy Tuesday everyone! I will never forget the day when I was walking to the post office to mail off some stuff before work when a very chipper guy selling newspapers said, "Happy Tuesday! Almost the the weekend!" And I thought, are you kidding? We're no where near the weekend! Unless you count the past weekend. Anyways. Happy Tuesday! Almost halfway through the week!

I found this list on the Pioneer Woman's Homeschooling section and while ago, and I felt that I must share.



Also avoid wearing outfits like this.

 Grammar Rules (To Avoid)

1. Verbs has to agree with their subjects.
2. Remember to never split an infinitive.
3. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are (usually) unnecessary.
4. Never use a big word when a diminutive one would suffice.
5. Use words correctly, irregardless of how others elude to them.
6. Use the apostrophe in it’s proper place and omit it when its not needed.
7. Eliminate unnecessary references. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “I hate quotations.”
8. Who needs rhetorical questions?
9. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
10. Last but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.

I'm going to ignore numbers 3, 8 and 9. I'm constantly using parentheses, rhetorical questions and exaggerations. And you can't make me stop!

Anyways.

Enjoy your Tuesday and use proper grammar!

It's Friday!

Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Filling and Meringue Frosting

I need to make these. Right. Now.

Salted Chocolate and Pecan Cake Bars

And these.

That is all.

TGIF!

I ♥ Ikea

Oh, how I miss Ikea. I absolutely love Ikea. I love how affordable their stuff is (very important for a poor graduate student like myself). And I always get so inspired just walking around the store. Since moving from my hometown, Ikea is sadly no longer a 10 minute drive from my house. I haven't been to Ikea since, well, before I moved! It's been way too long.

And now Ikea is coming out with fun, new spring/summer items with bright, fantastic colors, and Ireallywanttogo. Now.

Here are some of my favorite picks!

GRÖNSKA Cushion

$9.99

I LOVE these! They're so bright and fun and colorful! The perfect pop of color.

SOLVINDEN Solar-powered Lighting

$9.99

I think that is SO fantastic that these are solar-powered! How awesome is that? Ikea has a lot of new outdoor lighting, and it's all solar powered. That's pretty awesome.

ROXÖ Stool

$9.99

Aren't these stools so cute? And you can't beat that price. Gotta love Ikea.

SKYN Serving bowl

$9.99

I love the shape of this serving bowl.

GODIS MIX Glass

$6.99 / 6 pack

One word -- ADORABLE.

GRÖNSKA BLOM Fabric

$3.99/yd

This pattern is so pretty! I want to make pillows now. Or curtains.

TRIPP Storage tin with lid

Set of 3 $5.99

Love these tins. Storage can be cute and pretty!

LÄCKÖ Chair

$29.99

This chair is so cute. I want it. But first I need a patio for it. Sigh.

RAST 3 drawer chest

$29.99

Okay, so this isn't new, nor is it very pretty. However, imagine the possibilities with this piece! With its unfinished wood and simple structure, you could customize the heck out of it! Paint it, stencil it, add new funky knobs! And for only $29.99 (!!!), this piece is a steal. Just add a little creativity and some elbow grease, and you could have a masterpiece!

DRÖMMAR Pastry cutter

Set of 6 $3.99

These aren't new either, but I had to add them. I really love the hedgehog cookie cutter.

So, if you're anywhere near to an Ikea, go! Now! Please! I must live vicariously through others until I find a way to get to my Ikea (being car-less now puts me at a disadvantage here. Sigh).

"I'll always prize this clock as a trophy of my first venture as a detective."

I've always loved Nancy Drew. I remember discovering the Nancy Drew books in the library as a kid -- I still remember exactly where they were located too. I read every Nancy Drew book the library owned -- twice. 

It's been a really long time since I read Nancy Drew. I think one of the last times I read a one was sometime in high school when I couldn't sleep and decided to read my Nancy Drew books until 4 am. Recently (well, not exactly so recently, probably in the past couple of years) discovering that somehow I lost the books I owned as a kid (I have NO idea where they went. Sort of ironic -- my mystery books mysteriously went missing!), I decided to collect as many Nancy Drew books as possible, my goal being to have at least a book or two from each decade.

I think I have four books so far.

Yeah, this might take a while.

But here are some fun facts about the teenage detective from my 80th anniversary limited edition of The Secret of the Old Clock:

1) The first three books in the series, The Secret of the Old Clock, The Hidden Staircase and The Bungalow Mystery all debuted on April 3, 1930.
2) Since 1930, Nancy Drew has solved over 500 cases.
3) Nancy never takes money for her detective work.
4) Nancy's favorite color is blue.
5) Besides blue, Nancy's car has been yellow, green and maroon. Her car, originally a Roadster, changed to maroon in 1932, green in 1933, and by 1934, it was back to blue. In the '50s, Nancy's car switched from a Roadster to a convertible. In the '80s, she drove a Mustang. And now? Nancy drives an eco-friendly hybrid!
6) Nancy carries a handy overnight bag in her car -- complete with pajamas, a robe, two changes of clothes, toiletries, and if it's in season, a bathing suit.
7) Nancy first met her boyfriend Ned Nickerson in book #7, The Clue in the Diary.
8) Nancy has traveled to other countries to solve mysteries including Kenya, Scotland, Turkey, Mexico, France Canada, and Japan.
9) Some of Nancy's hobbies that have come in handy while solving cases include painting, dancing, acting, speaking foreign languages, gardening, sewing, and playing the piano.

Now go and pick up a Nancy Drew book!

You don't really have to.

But you don't know what you're missing out on if you don't!

A Tuesday List

It's Tuesday. It's windy, damp and icky out.

And it still doesn't feel quite like spring. Sure, it's getting up to about 60 degrees today, which is better than what we've had. But, it's cloudy, gray and rainy. I'm ready for sunshine, barbeques and sitting out on the porch drinking iced tea. I am so ready for warm weather and the food that comes with it. Here is a list of spring and summer food to help me pretend that it's not disgusting out:

1. Peach Crunch Cake: This is a different take on the peach cobbler -- a version with more oomph, if you will. Looks delicious to me.
2. Blueberry Pomegranate Granita: Two of my favorite flavors: blueberry and pomegranate!
3. Lemon Triangles: Nothing says summer quite like lemons.
4. Blueberry Lemon Buttermilk Cake: I made this the other day and I'm in love.
5. Fruit Salad with Honey Mint Lime Dressing: It just sounds so fresh and so spring-ish!

1. Citrus Marinated Jerk Chicken with Mango Salsa: Mmm. I love anything with mango salsa. And this looks so yummy!
2. Spinach Feta Turkey Burgers: LOVE LOVE LOVE turkey burgers.
3. Grilled Pineapple Mango Salmon: When I think of spring and summer, I think of grilling. And I think of fish. Delish.
4. Fish Tacos: You cannot possibly have summer without fish tacos.
5. Grilled Zucchini Fries: Because I love zucchini. And see #3.

1. Sunshine Nectar: I could go for some sunshine nectar right about now.
2. Just Peachy Lemonade: Peach lemonade? I'm in.
3. Blackberry Iced Tea: There will be summer evenings spent sitting on the patio, sipping blackberry iced tea.
4. Montgomery Mint Tea: A Southern classic! I vote to bring it up North.


Now, I am starving. And I want to be on a sunny patio sitting in a rocking chair sipping iced tea. Instead, I will be sitting in my cubicle, sipping my Nantucket Nectars Half Lemonade Half Iced Tea. It's close, right? Well. I'm pretending it's close.

It's Monday

And it's one of those typical, dreary Mondays. It's cold. It's cloudy. It's supposed to rain. It's supposed to rain all week. Argh.

So, because of this lovely April weather we're having, I'm posting photos from my trip to Savannah.

These are long overdue.

Happy warm weather thoughts, everyone!

More to come later!

Weddings, weddings, weddings

Okay. I'm going to say it. I love weddings. I do -- it's true. It all started with my roommate and very good friend from college. It was her dream to be a wedding planner, and I think all of the wedding talk rubbed off on to me.

Now, three of my friends are getting married, one of them I'm photographing (eeee!!!) So, with all this going on, I'm becoming obsessed with weddings. I've been buying wedding and bridal magazines and ooing and aahing over all the gorgeous dresses, cakes, and venues. I've been reading wedding blogs, becoming immsersed in wedding photography sites (this I can defend -- I do want to photograph weddings, after all).

It's research. For my career. Really.

Anyways. Due to my brain in wedding la-la land, this post will be dedicated to wedding dresses. Here are some of my favorites:

Anthropolgie recently launched their own wedding line, BHLDN. Okay, I love Anthropologie, but the majority of their wedding dress are, well, weird. However, there are two exceptions. One would be the above dress, the Ribboned Silk Gown. I LOVE the texture and the draping. It's so different. If (and hopefully when) I get married, I want a dress like this. I want it to be a little different, a little quirky. But not too outrageous. I think this hits the nail on the head for different-quirky-but-not-too-out-there.

This is the second dress that I LOVE from BHLDN, the Cascading Goddess Gown. It's so soft and feminine. Very ethereal. I love love love the structured bodice and then the flowy, freeform skirt. B-e-a-u-tiful. I even don't mind the giant flower on the waist. I thought that I would, but it actually kind of works. Again, it adds that sense of whimsy and quirkiness to the dress.

Vera Wang. How can you go wrong with Vera Wang? Answer: you can't. And this beauty, the Satin Faced Organza Fit and Flare Gown, is actually available at David's Bridal. Hm. I see a theme here with my dress picks so far -- I'm really into the layering of fabric and different textural qualities. It gives so much depth and dimension to a dress -- stunning, really.

Another Vera Wang from David's Bridal -- Soft Net Gown with Delicately Draped Bodice. How beautiful. How delicate. I would totally be afraid of ripping this gorgeous gown.

This little number by Monique Lhuillier is ADORABLE. This beautiful ballet length dress is part of their 2011 Bliss collection. The embroidery on the bodice is lovely. And I love that the tulle skirt doesn't poof out TOO much -- just enough. Or else you really would look like a ballerina.

Now, I had to add in the ULTIMATE bridal gown. This Galina Signature Organza Tiered Ball Gown from David' Bridal takes the cake. So dramatic! So...bridal! But in a modern, funky way. I love the organaza material -- it brings edginess to this otherwise traditional ball gown. Gorgeous.


And one dress you would never see me in:

Um, no thank you St. Pucchi. It's like they started out with a beautiful dress (the beading on the bodice is lovely), but then they thought, "How can we ruin this? Let's add a band at a really awkward spot and bunch up the dress right at the knees, making it look even more awkward! BRILLIANT!"

Now sadly I must exit wedding la-la land and return back to office cubicle reality. But, TGIF everyone!!