skating down the mountain, skyline in our rear view mirror.

Wednesday

black friday.

Well, the day has come and gone, and most have moved on past Cyber Monday, or skipped the whole hurrah altogether and gone straight to the Christmas tree farm...but I'm still stuck in overwhelming amazement with myself that I actually participated this year. Now that's rare. Don't get me wrong, I'm actually somewhat of a fan of large crowds of people who seem to have lost their minds...but only when they are dancing - not bargain hunting - for that is a completely different cookie. 
This outrageous chartreuse cape is what I found on super sale! And I insist it's the coziest of them all. Now I'm just hoping this cape trend doesn't vanish fast, 'cause, as you can see, I'm stockin' up!
anthro cape, modcloth dress, modcloth flats, rustic roots (no longer in business) bracelet

-christen

Photos by Mindi Harkless. Find her here or here.

Tuesday

neato!

I made it onto the ModCloth blog yesterday! Read the quick blurb on what I have to say about the peep of shoes you can see in the above photo, and on my all time favorite way to dress - in earth tones - here


-christen

Monday

seriously scrumptious stuff.

'Twas a busy kitchen the morning of Thanksgiving, but it wasn't bustling with basters and butternut squash; instead, my branch of the family was responsible for the dessert table this year, and indeed, we took it quite seriously! 
No bellies were left unsatisfied with the world's best apple pie recipe, which I nabbed from The Pioneer Woman's wonderful cooking blog, and modified ever so slightly, making them 'mini' to satisfy my love for crust (which, everyone knows, makes your hair curly)! Here's how to make your peeps happy:
1. Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees. 
2. Peel 4-5 Granny Smith apples (^the men in my family have a knack for getting their hands dirty in the kitchen - my brother was a big help!).
3. Slice those babies super thin. If you're making mini pies, chopping the slices in half may be beneficial, but I didn't, to save time.
4. In a large bowl, mix together 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 cup heavy cream, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 1 Tablespoon flour, and some cinnamon. Then add it to the apples.
5. Take a large glass (or, if you happen to have one lying around, the lid to a 40-oz jar of peanut butter is the perfect sized cutter for your crust to fit into a muffin tin) and cut out your crusts. If I had woken up earlier, I would've made the crust from scratch, but I found that the Pillsbury refrigerated crusts taste great, too! 
6. Gently push the dough circles into your muffin tin.
7. Fill your dough cups with as much apple mixture that will fit. Don't be afraid to use your fingers - you won't regret that you did when it comes time for finger lickin'!
8. In a separate bowl, create a crumbly topping for the pies by mixing 7 Tablespoons (just under a full stick) butter, 3/4 cups flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup chopped pecans (more to taste), dash of salt. If you have a food processor, that may make this process go a bit more quickly. Sprinkle this generously on top of each pie.
9. Bake for approx. 20-25 minutes. You'll know when it's done, when the tops are bubbly and golden brown.
Mmm :) These are definitely something you will make again. I think between my mum and I, we've make them three times in the past two weeks! And as if that wasn't bad enough for our waistlines, my dad has honed his Banana Cake baking skills, and upgraded to trying a two-layer cake, as you can see below. Delish!
What was your favorite dessert this Thanksgiving?

-christen

Find the official Dreamy Apple Pie recipe, complete with more pictures and details on baking instructions, here

Thursday

gobble gobble.

pinterest
Have a marvelous day!

Love,
                         A baked corn lover
              and
                                             An out-of-the-bird stuffing lover

(can you guess who's who?!)

Wednesday

two trick pony.

While I wish I was cool enough to only have one trick, I found a sidekick for the first. Meet ModCloth and Anthropologie - they're the duo that have created the love child that is this outfit. Initially, that may seem pretty pretentious of me to admit, until you realize that a vast majority of the garments clothing me today were bought at too-good-to-be-true sale prices. The kind that you always hear about other people finding, but you never seem to find yourself, until one magical day. When you look at it that way, I'm no different than an ultra girly hobo.
modcloth dress, modcloth tutu, anthropologie sweater, modcloth necklace, modcloth boots, anthropologie ribbon-rhinestone bracelet, cookie lee wrap bracelet
Maybe one day I'll be lucky enough to meet that one with the shotgun! If I knew it would increase my chances, I would wear this outfit...every day.

-christen

Photos by Mindi Harkless, who, in ways I cannot comprehend, made this horribly ugly scenery look rather charming! Find her here or here.

Tuesday

inspiration.

Today let us celebrate this breathtaking and truly masterful artwork by photographer Chris Kotsiopoulos!
In the artist's words: 
"After wondering for some time whether it was possible to image the sky from one morning to the next where I live in Athens Greece, I decided to give it a try. After hours of planning and preparation, and a full day of shooting, the image above is the result of this labor of love. It took me about 12 hours to pull together and process a single image that included over 500 star trails, 35 shots of the Sun and 25 landscape pictures." 
Read more on the process here.

Visit Chris' site to see more phenomenal photographs!

Who are some artists you have found to be inspiring to your life and creativity?

Friday

mom day.

No, this isn't the same as Mothers Day. This is an occasion that should ideally occur much, much less than annually, but somehow has been sneaking its way into this year more than planned. Mom Day is the day when I wake up and dress myself as normal, go on with my day, and then suddenly it hits me...that I kind of look like a mom. Are you seeing it? That thing tight around my neck? That's the dead giveaway!
american apparel sweater dress, modcloth poncho sweater, handmade tie necklace (gift from brother), martin + osa bracelet, 80%20 wedges c/o modcloth
It took a bit of coaxing, but my friends (and to some degree, my own turtleneck-defending mother) managed to convince me that my look was not matronly. Although perhaps a bit vegan, coconut water-drinking, holistic healing, city-dwelling half-hippie. And that, I am a-OK with. 
Minus the fact that I could never be vegan solely because I can't imagine giving up eating cookie dough just because it has raw eggs in it. Too, too good to boot the bird from my diet. Who's with me?

-christen

PS- is anyone else even remotely as ecstatic as I am about these new wedges? Super comfy! Instant favorites. 

Photos by Julie O'Boyle of Orchid Grey.

Wednesday

coat thief.

You know that dress or those boots you have that is 'so you' it's hard to imagine anyone else in the world owning it, or looking even remotely as awesome in it as you do? It sounds totally snobby to say, but I know you know what I'm talking about. Well, meet that coat. This is the Tularosa Coat in Afternoon and as far as I'm concerned, it's mine all mine. 
modcloth coat, anthropologie sweater, my mom's old belt (below), h&m pants, modcloth shoes, martin + osa bracelet (below)
Until suddenly I started getting texts and tweets wondering why I didn't turn around and come kamikazeing toward my friends when they yelled my name louder than appropriate...turns out some mysterious character who lives near my stomping grounds owns this coat AND the same backpack as I do. What!? Seriously. Total look lifter.
So, total Look Lifter, wherever you are, I want you to know that I come in peace. And that actually, while for a moment I admittedly wanted to dump a bucket of paint on your coat, I now realize that this could be the opportunity of a lifetime for us...
I've always wanted to Parent Trap someone...you in?!

-christen

Photos by Julie O'Boyle of Orchid Grey, who also owns this coat, which earns her 35 extra cool points and an opportunity to be a triplet in the Trap. 

Monday

a guarantee.

You need to know that every single time I wear rainboots, it stops raining. Without fail. I'm not joking around. This morning was one of those raining-so-hard-you-have-to-drive-25-mph-on-the-highway-with-your-blinkers-on downpours, but since I was wearing these boots, you better believe it swiftly ceased.
tj maxx dress, modcloth scarf (gift from grandparents), ann taylor loft belt, hunter rainboots, elle earrings (gift from parents)
Then. My coworker feverishly shared with those of us who were getting ready to leave work this evening, that there was a tornado nearby, and that we should be very careful driving home because it's headed our way. This is it! I thought, I've finally outsmarted Mother Nature! I win! But then I stepped outside only to find that the weather was beautiful! And this made me mad. Which was extreme trickery on the outdoors' part, because, really...who gets mad about it being 75 degrees in November?
Only me. The one who's in a never ending argument with the rain...or lack thereof. Hmph!

And so, I make you this guarantee. If ever you suspect you're in the same city as me, and desperately need - or even casually want - the showers to disappear, please do drop me a line. I'd like to think my rainboots serve some function.

-christen

Photos by Mandy Fierens of The Curvy Model

Sunday

from last to first.

Just before autumn fell, Hags and I fit in one last bare-legged afternoon, which I remember quite fondly for just that reason - the fact that it was bare-legged. Although I do love wearing sweaters and scarves almost as much as I love my dog, which is saying a lot for inanimate objects.
my mama's banana republic shirt, j.crew shorts, j.crew flats, vintage necklace, american eagle aviators
I find that with a 'last' always comes a 'first', and while I won't be shufflin' the streets in my favorite olive green shorts, and Haggies won't be waddlin' around in her spiffed out studded sandals for a solid few months, I will now be relying heavily on my mother's closet to clothe me when I get itchy over my own things. Definitely not the first tee I've borrowed from mi madre, but it's always a beautiful epiphany the day that you realize your wardrobe has suddenly doubled, whether it be thanks to a sister, a roommate, or a super stylish mama.
target dress, forever 21 belt, blowfish gladdies, premier designs necklace
Catch ya later, summer clothes!
-christen

Photos by Lindsay Hagerty. 

Friday

afraid to leave the stoop.

Hey, look at that! Me bummin' around on a fire escape, what are the chances? I swear some variation of 'Beloved Stoop Kid' will end up on my grave...and I can't honestly say I hate the idea of that. 
This is what we've donned our 'porch' at Shane's apartment, and since it's really not too roomy, we had to get creative in our photo-taking. Y'all ready for this?
target blouse, old navy sweater, target shorts, american apparel opaque yellow tights, j.crew riding boots
that would be my embarrassing attempt to mimic a[n adorable] little bunny. haha, yeah...
This was the first time I'd ever worn tights with shorts. I definitely like the trend, but vertically challenged people need to pick and choose which trends they pursue more than the average fashionista, so I wasn't sure how it would go. Overall, I felt pretty decent, but that could very well be due to the fact that I didn't look in a full length mirror once that day. Looking back, I may try it with heels or platforms next time. What do you folks think? 

-christen

PS- Happy Armistice Day! And thank you to all the courageous guys and girls who are responsible for the comfort of freedom we enjoy daily!

Tuesday

frocktober.

Just as we were beginning to sizzle out of your memory, here we are! Back again! And this time with some very worthwhile subject matter! That subject matter being this dress...
8,000 nerves dress c/o modcloth, h&m knee highs, i.n.c. shoes c/o macy's, american eagle jacket (below)
Other than the fact that it's probably my favorite dress that I've ever owned, it was purchased in part to support Ovarian Cancer Research! Three cheers and one big, blue heart for that!
We have lots of catching up to do, don't we? Expect to see more of us coming up, as an awesome co-worker of mine, Mandy, will be stepping in to dazzle us with her lovely photo-taking talents like she did today!*

-christen 8-)



*I don't remember ever hating daylight savings as much as I do this year...dark at 5:30? Not cool, kids, not cool. Needless to say, it's tough for Shane and I to get together and fit a solid shoot in before it gets dark. Enter Mandy! She rocks!