Advent day 14

Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum?

YUM YUM YUM!!!
I'm eating one right now! Candy Canes are my all time favourite, there is no better candy, or ice cream, or scent, or taste. Come to think of it, I really want peppermint ice cream now...

I go through so many boxes of candy canes every winter, I'd tell you how many but I haven't kept count, also I've had too many to really know!

Nothing makes the christmas season like hundreds upon hundreds upon thousands of Candy Canes! If you haven't had any yet, I suggest going and getting some right now. There is no reason to wait on this, Christmas will not continue with out Candy Canes.

                                                               xoxo Lauryn

Advent: Day 13

Real tree, fake tree, or no tree? 

Every year I have had a real tree, except this year.... I love real trees, I would have a real tree every year if it was up to me! I love walking I to my house and being bombarded by the wonderful smell! I think they look fantastic as well! Unfortunately this year my parents stopped giving into my lust for real trees and bought a fake one :((( 

One of my favorite Christmas memories is going to the Christmas tree farm and picking a tree and chopping it down with my papa. We did that when I was little and I love that I have that memory. It is really satisfactory to not only pick your own tree but cut it down! Granted I was little so there was super cute pretending to cut pictures when it was really my papa cutting it down. Whatever you deside about a tree I hope it brings you joy! Merry Christmas! 

Xoxo Tessa

Advent: Day 9

Combat boots or Uggs? 

Combat boots or Uggs is a serious shoe question, I mean it is quite mind boggling for me! I wear both types of boots all the time. They both have pros and cons but I think over all I am going to have to go with Uggs. I'm going with Uggs because of the coziness factor. They are so warm and comfy it's like a nice warm hug for your feet! I wear my Uggs as soon as the temperature drops just a tad haha the are a perfect winter shoe in that my feet have never been cold while wearing them! Merry Christmas! 

Xoxo Tessa

Advent:Day 7

What is your most worn sweater? 

My most worn sweater is this Texas A&M sweatshirt! I am an Aggie supporter! I got this sweatshirt in the airport on one of my many trips to Texas and I wear it constantly! I love this color first off so it's a go to for me and it reminds me of Texas. And let's be honest Texas makes me feel all warm and cozy so what better quality for a sweatshirt to have. It is also extra big so it's nice to cuddle up in. I have had it for many years and don't know what I would do with out it! 

Merry Christmas! 

Xoxo Tessa 

Day 6 of the Christmas Advent!

What is winter weather like where you live?

Cold! So cold! That is unless you have lived anywhere else in the world where it gets colder than 25 degrees Fahrenheit. Today the low is 32, my windshield had frost on it this morning. This is not what I've ever pictured for a white christmas. Frost on the grass instead of snow everywhere. My town has not seen snow in 15 years, it's snowed 48 times in the past 107 years. 

We have the possibility for snow tomorrow, although I doubt it, snow has been predicted nearly every winter. Of course, every year I hope for snow, but I also don't know how to act in snow or dress for snow. 

While snow would be great, the area I live in is highly populated by citrus fruit. Who doesn't love an orange in their stocking? Well, this promised cold is not good for those of us who actually like getting citrus on christmas.

photo from invisible5.org

My winter is more prone to fog, yes, fog. Fog so thick you can't see across the rode, forget about being able to see the end of your car. Nearly everyone drives super slow with their windows down. 

And yes, I do wear shorts and short sleeves year round, sometimes I put on a light jacket! Although, a sweatshirt is generally what I wear with some sort of jean or legging tucked into boots.

xoxo Lauryn

Advent: Day 5

What is your favorite Christmas food? 

(Picture from www.picstopin.com) 

My favorite Christmas food hands down, 100% is candy canes!!!!! I LOVE candy canes they are my favorite candy in the world. I eat way too many at any chance I get. I go to the grocery store and scope them out before the holidays just waiting for them to magically appear. I have always loves candy canes and my infatuation has only grown over the years. I stock pile them at the end of the holiday season when they go on sale just to try and preserve the holidays a bit longer. 

I even take candy canes to a whole new level! I have candy cane scented candles, lotion, body spray, Chapstick, and wall plug-in for my room. Without candy canes I just don't feel Christmas would be the same. I hope you all enjoy a few during the holiday season!! 

Xoxo Tessa 

Advent: Day 4

What is the best fragrance for winter?

(Photo from www.bathandbodyworks.com) 

Peppermint, peppermint, peppermint! Peppermint everything! If it's not peppermint, it's not winter. There is no other answer for this question. I love everything about it, the smell, the memories, eating it, drinking it in almost everything! 
The colours of peppermint, the crunch of the candy, the taste, the perfection! Thinking about the name though, peppermint should be completely different. It should be a combination of pepper and spearmint, or winter mint, or  whatever other mint there is. 
Peppermint happens to be the only "mint" that I like, actually I love it. I really, really love it! Where as I greatly dislike all the other mints. Only peppermint will do, and only peppermint I shall have!

Xoxo Lauryn

Advent: Day 3

What is the best winter memory you have? 

(From Georgegray.com I am so sad I don't have any pictures from the houses we looked at) 

I have always loved the holidays, especially Christmas! One of my favorite winter memories was during December when I was younger, about 11. My cousins and I were super close, they were like my brothers and sisters. I would often go to their house to hang out and play. As I have said I am very festive and love all things merry, so it was quite a treat that the street next to my cousins house was always shining bright with extravagant lights during the holiday season. Every single house was dressed up with lights and blow up figures and so much more! I loved going and just being in awe of it all. I remember one night my aunt, uncle, all my cousins, my mom and I set out and walked around the tiny street and it was as if I had walked into the North Pole. It was absolutely fabulous and it is one of my favorite winter memories! 

Xoxo Tessa 

Advent Day 2!

 Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?

While I am not a fan of chocolate, I do on occasion enjoy a nice hot cup of cocoa. However, my love of coffees and teas will not be denied, I have multiple blends of several christmasy drinks. I look forwards to these every year, my favourite wintery tea being peppermint. There is just something about drinking a candy cane that I find to be incredibly inviting.

One christmas season several years ago, I can no longer remember, my family and I went to pick out a christmas tree. They had big ones, smaller ones, fat, skinny, and of course the flocked ones. What more could my small Central Valley town need

Image from porkandplants.com/

than fake snow on their trees? I believe this was the year my family got our first flocked tree, which also happened to be our last flocked tree. While completely inaccurate, the tree was gorgeous, there is almost nothing better than a Christmas tree with snow on it, it made me feel as though I lived where it actually snowed.

This particular year my family went to a family owned diner/restaurant in my town, we all ordered hot chocolate and sat at the table talking and laughing and feeling the special magic of christmas.

xoxo Lauryn

Advent: Day 1

What is your favorite candle scent for the holidays? 

(Picture is from bathandbodyworks.com)

My favorite holiday scent for the holidays is "Tis the Season" by Bath and Body Works! It is a strong scent but not over powering. It smells so great, I am personally not a fan of sweet smells they make me nauseous so this one is right up my ally! It is like Christmas in a candle. The pine and spice are such a treat for my nose. The instant I get the opportunity I start lighting my holiday scents. Smell is a something that really connects to the holidays for me. I love the smell of peppermint and Christmas tress too!  It makes me giddy and excited. The candles give me feel a sense peacefulness. "Tis the Season" is currently on my nightstand ready for action. It is fantastic and I highly recommend you guys check it out! 

Xoxo Tessa

Christmas, please come early!

Yesterday, while shopping for yarn to make my christmas presents with I got stuck in the Seasonal Aisle of Walmart. I was stuck there for a good twenty minutes, walking up and down the christmas aisle, staring at the vats of caramel corn, the tins of cookies, the multi packets of hot chocolate, and the abundance of chocolate in different forms. My favourite forms were the santa claus and of course the reindeer. This adventure down christmas aisle is not unusual, in fact it happens to me every time I go to Walmart. The unusual part is that thanksgiving hasn't even happened.

I started wearing my christmas socks back in August, have never even turned off my christmas music, and my christmas jammies have become by everyday jammies. I use my christmas mugs year round, eat candy canes whenever I can, and think about ornaments at least weekly. I love christmas and that fact that it draws nearer and nearer is making me incredibly excited. Not necessarily the day, considering my family can go from picture happy to world war three fighting in three seconds flat, but the entire cheery season. I've been christmas caroling, I read christmas books, I have a list of christmas movies that i am continuously adding to and arranging the order of. 

My family has a particular way of putting up and decorating our tree. We normally have a fake plastic tree (which is NOT the same as a real tree) my younger brother sets it up (he's taller, no one else but by dad is able to do this job). I decorate the tree, it takes me a good amount of time and several walk arounds and standing at different angles in the room making sure it is perfect. I have even strung popcorn together and wrapped it around the tree, I go all out. My sister has the easiest job, she "Supervises" (similar to her idea of making dinner, i.e. Taco Bell).

So now, I am already for christmas, I'm so excited, my candy canes are open and are being eaten at a normally surprising  rate, but the problem is that It's November. Thanksgiving isn't until the week before December. I have basically gotten ready for winter, but it feels like the middle of June (really, it was nearly 80* on monday). 

In my hope to get everyone as excited I leave you with my all time favourite christmas song: Disco Christmas In Hamsterland.

Seasonal Changes

I love pumpkins. I love fall. I love crunchy leaves, baggy sweaters, and it being socially acceptable to wear tights again (even though that never really stops me). Even though there's 11 more days until fall officially starts (and it's defiantly still too hot, it was 95 at 7:30 yesterday), I still love this season.

There's just something hauntingly poetic about the crunch of dead leaves that just makes me want to jump in a big pile of them, although the actual jumping into a pile of leaves brings me back to reality. And by reality I obviously mean pretending it's fall when it's very obvious that summer is going to linger around for awhile.

Although all of this is just gearing up for the winter season, and let's not get into that I am far to excited already! There's always a certain type of magic that enters the air around these seasons, maybe it's that everything is beginning, which is actually the opposite of what nature is doing. But who actually cares about the rules that nature has set forth? If september is my season to start new projects and begin new habits why should I wait for the new year, or spring? There is no reason that I should set my schedule to the one made by the trees or popular magazines.

I've already got my fall items lined up, I've figured out the best way to make great carmel corn, have the tastiest Pumpkin Spice Latter recipe (If you want some you'll have to come over, I'm not giving it out. Actually I already have twice, so I mean you can try to find it? but you'll have to know where to look.) and I just got knew yarn that is itching to spin itself into something gorgeous, although I'm not actually working on anything yet until I finish Summer's birthday present (WHICH I AM SAYING NOTHING ABOUT UNTIL I HAVE GIVEN IT TO HER THURSDAY. SORRY, NO SPOILERS).

Last fall and this fall are already very different, in both good and bad ways. I'm really looking forwards to seeing it play out before me, I am crossing my fingers for a few things to happen, and already have things written on my calendar, such as the 5k Maddy and I are running in, on November 17th (You should join us, we'd love it if you would!! If you live near us, you can even come running with us).

But just as the season says, we'll fall, and hopefully let's catch ourselves and have as much fun as we could possibly have.

Learning to Crochet

When it comes to someone’s birthday I like to give heartfelt gifts, I always have. I think that they mean more when the gift has a personal connection. Well my mom’s birthday was last week and I wanted to of course carry on the tradition. So I thought that I would make her a mug cozy (click here for pattern). Lauryn had shown me the pattern and talked about how easy it was so I thought that it would be a breeze. Well at the beginning it wasn’t hard, I did have to learn how to use a cable needle but it was quite simple. It was a simple follow the pattern. It was time consuming but it was really coming along great. Then I got to the last row and it went DOWN HILL. I looked at it and was like they want me to do what to finish it???? 

So being the perfectionist that I am and not knowing how to do it I just hid it in my closet because in there it would obviously fix its self. Well a few weeks past and well it’s now the night of August 16^th my mom’s birthday is the 17^th so I should really figure out what I am going to do. So I call Lauryn while at my wits end to talk me through how to finish this cozy. Well to finish it you have to crochet. This would be no big deal IF I KNEW HOW TO CROCHET! So I’m thinking many …colorful… words. Lauryn sent me the link to this truly awesome tumbler site (click here to go to it) so I could learn the basics a.s.a.p. Between the lovely internet, Lauryns fabulous direction over facetime and a pattern I finally got the tea cozy complete at about 2:30am on the 17^th. I was a complete mess trying to learn how to crochet. But it gets better. 

This past weekend I took a spur of the moment trip up to Reedley to visit all of my friends up there that I was missing SO MUCH. Lauryn of course being one of those friends, when we visited she taught me how to crochet much better and several different stitches that I didn’t know.  Crocheting is something that I have given many minimal effort attempts at learning over the years and just never really accomplished anything but how to avoid projects that required it. Now having practiced and actually given an effort to learn it I like it a lot! I’m very excited to see what project doors my new skill will open. I can’t wait to start a crochet project! If you don’t know how to do something like certain stitch or skill don’t just avoid projects with them like I did. You are just limiting yourself! Find help and learn it! It will be worth it I promise!

P.S. My mom LOVED the mug cozy!

 xoxo Tessa 

Back to School Mug Cozy!

That's right, it's that time again, school is starting! While you are getting your new binders and folders be sure to pick up some new yarn (my local Walmart carries Simply Soft- one of my favourite brands). You can browse Ravelry (be sure to add me!!) or google for something neat to make. This pattern is one of my favourites to make, it only takes a few hours and it looks adorable.

also look at the adorable pincushion I made

       



















This pattern is pretty simple although it looks challenging. Just read the instructions and go slowly, you will impress your friends and families and they make great gifts for anyone who uses a mug and either doesn't want to burn their hands or wants to show off adorable things.

We Can't Stop

Recently I've grown obsessed with the case of "The Bling Ring" as it is currently known as (past names have included: The Hollywood Hills Burglars, and The Burglar Bunch). The Bling Ring was a group of kids in their late teens robbing celebrities houses in from October 2008 to August 2009, the most famous member is Alexis Neiers. At the time of her arrest she was filming a reality tv show on E! called "Pretty Wild" the show stared her and her sisters Tess Taylor and Gabby Neiers. 

Since then, Alexis had served 29 days in prison, then a year in a drug rehab clinic and is now completely sober and a wonderful wife and mother. She took a terrible situation where her life could go very bad, very fast and climbed out of the hole she was in and is now stronger for it. I am proud to look up to Alexis and I am so ready to see how she'll continue the rest of her life, knowing that she still has the rest of her life.

I confess here and now that I have seen all nine episodes of the show, am buying the book (The Bling Ring written by Nancy Jo Sales), and am impatiently awaiting the movie of the same name. I have listened to Miley Cyrus' new single (We Can't Stop) far too many times too count, she has become a fashion icon to me, and I aspire to be as confidant and strong as she is. 

Strength doesn't end with Miley, there are so many women in today's society hotspots making choices that they believe in and holdfast, even when they are mocked and have others trying to knock them down. From Demi Lovato (speaking of Demi, have you heard her new album?! It's great!!) to Taylor Swift,  the girls who used to be shot down for being "silly" or "just another disney princess" have proved to the world that the titles they have been given are so much less than what they are. 

In the british magazine "Company"'s June issue which featured Demi on the cover included several great feminist and empowering pieces, but in the midst of them sat an incredibly triggering article about staying skinny (scans of the article can be found here, BUT I AM ISSUING A HUGE WARNING, DO NOT READ IT IF YOU THINK YOU WILL GET TRIGGERED, IF YOU ARE TRIGGERED PLEASE REACH OUT FOR HELP, YOU ARE NOT ALONE! also Rosianna made a great video about the company magazine thing!!!!!). This seems like a large slap in the face to the actress who has been very public about her own eating disorder and her stay in a treatment facility.

Miley Cyrus has been criticized by so many people for so many different reasons some of these being: her clothes, her hair, racy pictures of her when she was young, pictures of her smoking, and her choice of guys. The other day I was talking about Miley to my sister when my brother chimed into the conversation saying "she was hot before she cut her hair. now she is a lesbian", this completely took me as ridiculous. Miley had been with Liam for over three years and the couple had been engaged for nearly a year. Cutting her hair short had been a dream of her's for years although several people have said that Liam would dump her because of it, or that she looked ugly. Neither of these things are true, in fact her hair only proves that she looks great and can pull off anything.

Even Angelina Jolie has gotten media and fan backlash after revealing her decision for having a preventive double mastectomy. Commenters on her article for The New York Times have been supportive and deconstructive. Some people have said that she did the right thing, that they are in awe of her courage; while others have called her a hypocrite for mutilating her body under the pretext of cancer prevention and have said "this op-ed piece carries the message that the only way to prevent breast cancer is to chop off your beautiful breasts".  I stopped myself from defending her in the comments, only because I was too furious and would let my anger talk for me, and being rude back to someone is never the answer.

All of this to say "HEY, I LIKE STUFF!" high school me would be so annoyed and ashamed of me now, but knowing much more now than I did then, I'm proud to look up to these wonderful women and even more just like them. I will now publicly defend them and listen to them and watch their programs and movies. All the women mentioned in this post are so strong, and I would love to be like them all, and while I technically can't be them, I can aspire to be just as powerful and loving and amazing as all of them. And so I charge on, with the world against me, but hopefully the better for it.

xoxo Lauryn

nail polish colour: Wet n Wild heatwave

A Little Piece of Texas

View from the plane

My mom and I just landed in Texas!

I am currently on vacation in Texas. I love Texas, and everything that comes with it. I get to see my family, drink sweet tea, enjoy the nice hot weather, and visit new places.  One of my favorite things about Texas is what my family likes to call the Texas chat. No matter where you are and who it is you are likely to get sucked in talking to a stranger for about 20 minutes about anything under the sun. the only part that this is menacing is when you are ready to go and you cant leave because someone in your party has been sucked into the "Texas Chat". But it can be great you get to meet new people, learn new things and spread your own knowledge, as well as disobey that great old rule of "Do Not Talk To Strangers!".

I have to study this book

There are so many great fun things that you can do in Texas, and the variations are great. There is fabulous food, exciting adventures (or terrifying if you're me), great shopping, and nice places to relax. Last night we ate at my favorite restaurant here in Texas ( Texas Boarders, their sweet tea is amazing and my favorite) they also have some to die for queso. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Today we went to Brazos State Park, it has alligators, and venomous snakes, THAT ROAM FREE.  These things were not expressed to me before our journey embarked, and let me just say that when they were figured out upon arrival there was some sever anxiety. I am an adult. And yes, yes I cried. I was oh so excited when it was time to leave and go back home. Do not get me wrong my non-terrified family loved it, and it was a gorgeous place. However, it was very hard to enjoy the scenery when you are looking for alligators and snakes that obviously mean impending death is near.     

The Brazos State Park

After the tears trying to enjoy Brazos

The menu cover of my favorite Texas Cuisine 

A couple days ago we all went to the San Jacinto Monument and the USS Texas. The monument is the tallest monument in the world and was a lot of fun to go up to the top and look around in. However, I enjoyed the USS Texas much more. It is a huge battle ship that served in both world wars and is 100 years old. We got to go all over the ship and see what life was like. It was really interesting, not to mention HOT on the lower decks. Finding my inner child and playing with the guns on the ship was a blast as well.  

View from the top of the monument

San Jacinto Monument

My Auntie and I being silly at San Jacinto

The USS Texas

Finding my inner child on the guns

Being Sailors!

In side the USS Texas on some of the beds.

My Texas Family and I (minus my uncle)

Tomorrow we are going to the beach. I am stoked for that! We will be going to the Gulf of Mexico, I have never been so it will be a first for me and I cant wait. I love the beach and I cant wait to experience it in a new atmosphere. To all traveler this summer I hope you have a great and fabulous vacation. Stay safe and live large! 


P.S. To the HOT guy that sat next to me on the plane to Texas. I love you and we should get married. 

xoxo Tessa