Homemade Ice Cream

I went to visit one of my good friends last night and was treated to some yummy homemade ice cream! For her most recent birthday she received an ice cream maker...how many twenty year olds have ice cream makers? Probably not too many, usually such culinary appliances aren't on the top of a twenty year old's wish list! Regardless, she would be one of the few, and that's what makes her so wonderful! Her boy friend suggested peanut butter ice cream and it was DIVINE! She also had tiny pieces of reeses cups in the ice cream to make it extra wonderful.

 So despite the frigid temperatures in Cincinnati, I can't stop thinking about ice cream!

Here is a receipe for you to make your own!!

Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream



Day at the Art Museum

I am off to spend a day at the Cincinnati Art Museum! The museum is one of Cincinnati's biggest attractions and is located in Mount Adams, next to Eden Park. About a decade ago a couple donated a large amount of money to the Cincinnati Art Museum, allowing for a zero entry fee. This has been such a treat! A few days over the summer I take the family I nanny to the museum. These are called "culture days". Luckily, the museum creates a monthly scavenger hunt for kids. The scavenger hunt ranges from different theme...provides you a close up of the picture and tells you the gallery the painting is located. Once you find the piece of art, there is a question that you have to answer. The kids love this and it allows me to still have time to look at the beautiful paintings!

One well known part of the Cincinnati art Muesum is its dramatic entrance with the following sculpture hanging from the ceiling. The glass fixture is beautiful and makes a lovely "centerpiece" to night festivities and galas that are hosted in the museum's lobby.

 The Museum has an wonderful collection of art work and has several famous pieces, ranging in different eras and styles. 

 I am very interested to see the exhibition on wedding dresses that the museum is hosting. The exhibit will only be in Cincinnati for a short period, so I am happy it is at a point when I am back from school. Supposedly, the exhibit showcases wedding dresses throughout history, some of them being over a century old!

So let's go dive into the Cincinnati Art Museum!

Lunch with the Lovely Ladies

Getting ready to go out to lunch with the lovely ladies in my life! My mom, grandma, and aunt...A nice little catch-up before I head back to school next week.

Spend sometime with special people in your life today and make sure to look extra fabulous!!

Shopping outfit for chilly weather

Looking chic while shopping in the blustery temperatures. Make sure to always add a splash of color!

Emma Watson

Next semester I am taking a Directed Reading on Harry Potter. I am so excited to take the class; the only downside seems to be that I have to read all 7 books prior to returning to school. I decided to make my life a little easier and just read the last three. I have read 1, 2, 3, and 4 COUNTLESS times (I could give you low downs on complete plot lines) and so I thought reading the last three would be a good "refresh" to the world of Harry Potter. AND I love curling up in my bed on a cold day getting lost in the world of Hogwarts. The only problem is that I seem to not have loved reading Harry Potter as much as I thought I would. I started on Book 5 and sadly, am still on Book 5...although I am making progress. I am simply telling myself that the only reason I am being delinquent on my readings is because the timeless saying is true; "reading is no fun when you HAVE to do it...like for school." I can understand that being said for the classic works you are forced to read in high school, ranging from Macbeth to The Great Gatsby. But is it possible that Harry Potter, the phenomenal fantasy fiction series can have the same effect??? For Clare Whitaker during Christmas break, it seems so.

To keep me motivated (the things I do…) I found style inspirations from Hermione herself, Ms Emma Watson. Emma Watson has grown out of her "frizzy haired" Hermione days into a beautiful young actress. She has such poise and grace...a good lesson that no matter our age, we can carry ourselves with the right accord. So here is to getting Harry Potter reading complete!

    

Firework

This might seem a little off theme for my blog, but sometimes pop music and culture inspires all of us! I know I am a little behind the curve in Katy Perry's latest hit, but a couple of weeks ago I saw her music video of her chart topping song, Firework. The song itself is incredibly catchy, but her music video is fabulous. It showcases her lyrics in a completely different light...an inspiring light. I am posting her music video below. The message seems appropriate for the new year.

Let your colors burst !

Firework

New Year's Resolutions

As you start your New Year off, possibly with a cup of coffee in a quaint little coffee shop...you might be pondering your New Year's Resolutions.

In so many ways we try to change the things we dislike ourselves, so we go off in the New Year with a negative attitude and bad taste in our mouth of what we no longer can do. For example, "I am trying to lose weight so I can't eat that, drink that, I have to do this", ect.

Why not try a resolution to make you more fufilled and happy? My resolutions are never ending, but the foundation of them all is to be the best person I can be. That pretty much encompasses all of one's personal goals. And who doesn't feel good trying to be the best they can be?

And because "she believed she could, so she did..." She had the greatest year yet! So here is to a promising 2011 of being the best people that we can be!!

And off we leap...