Friday is the Best.

So this morning was very fun.
My sister and I visited some friends of ours, Robby and Debby. They are the coolest couple and such wonderful people. They took us out to Pacific Whey, one of the best cafes for an amazing cup of chai tea. My sister and I also had a sweet treat from their bakery and relaxed on the leather couches. I still feel stuffed from my cream cheese danish and a white ceramic mug of tea. After, we just kinda frolicked about in the mall for a short time and I went into the Paper Source, one of my all time favorite craft stores. :)
Did I mention that our friends have a mini cooper? It was the first time for me and my sister to ever ride in one of those cars, and it was so fun. It is my new dream car- cute, small, but really fast!
It was a really enjoyable morning with friends.
Later I will be going over to my friends house to hang out with her. She is having a high school dance tomorrow that is New York City themed. So there will be lots of lights and stuff. Isn't that a cool theme? :) I am also looking forward to seeing her beautiful dress she got.
So what's new with you guys?
I hope you are having a wonderful Friday! And I'm sure you are excited for the weekend. (Like me!)

P.S. I will soon be purchasing a digital camera to take pictures of family, friends, daily pieces of excitement. I need to make this blog more exciting! I just gotta find the right one. Oh-decisions, decisions

Not Much to Blog About.

Well, I oddly do not have much to blog about. Although I have had a really nice week so far.

Yesterday, I visited my high school campus to attend an Earth science support class. I met up with some friends and we tried to help one another out. The classes are all brand new, so we are trying to get the hang of this science class that has "home labs." We were pretty much struggling to understand what the teacher was wanting us to do with this home lab and science notebook and such. She seemed to make the situation even more confusing for the 3 of us. She is a fairly new teacher and you could say she is a little different. She leads the EAC(Environmental Awareness Club) at our school and is VERY hyper. Anyways... we had some good laughs trying to work through our misunderstandings of this assignment. It just reminded me how much I love good company. There is truly nothing like friends. Especially ones who make you laugh and put a smile on your face. I am really blessed with special people in my life. And I'm not really stressing about the science class. :)

Today I spent some time with my mom at Cost Plus World Market. I LOVE this place! And I always find neat trinkets and things there. My favorite is their tea selection and just the fun foreign stuff they have.

Then we went to Urban Outfitters for a bit with my sister. We actually spent about 2 hours I think. They have such cute things and it's fun to go through the sale racks.

And on our way home we stopped by Del Taco and I had some french fries. Which were okay, but a little too crispy. haha.

Oh... I also went to Target and got some Valentine Dot candy. Have you tried the season's dots? They are so good!

I hope you are having a great week full of little blessings. I know for me, having a low-key week

can actually be really enjoyable. :)

Now time for bed.

Lunch and Tea

Today my friend Brooke and I, whom I do not get to see often, got lunch at Panera Bread.

It was really yummy and I was happy to catch up on her life for the past 2 months. I have been friends with her since 6th grade and it is just so funny to see the changes in one another.

Panera seemed extra cozy today since the rain keeps visiting us along with the chilly winds.

After, we took a walk to the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and I got a chai tea latte. You can never go wrong with one of those. We had some discussion about current movies, interesting classes, and people.

It was great to get together and spend time with her.

Tomorrow is Elizabeth's birthday! She will be turning 15! :) A big happy birthday to Elizabeth! I know she will have a blast with her family tomorrow.

Organize.

CountryHome.com
So today I was thinking of how I want to start this new semester off right. I definitely learned some tough time management lessons the past two quarters. I know that with some effort, those things can turn around.

I really want to become more organized.

I need too. I feel like I get things in order, but it just turns into one big disaster again. I think that's because I don't put much effort into keeping things orderly in my own space, or my house in general.

I really believe that when I get my things organized and neat, I will be able to be focused more on the important assignments I have to accomplish each week rather than being scattered in every direction.

I love my school and the freedom that independent study gives me, but I need to spend my time more wisely and become more disciplined.

Organization is the first step.

Scones For Dinner

Today was another rainy day in Southern California. Pretty much all California is getting soaked I think. It is a blessing, but this rain has been very harsh, causing mud slides and flooding. I do have to admit, it is nice to finally have some gloomy weather in "the Golden State."

My mother and I ran some errands today this afternoon, and it was fun being out in the crazy weather. I do love the feeling of returning to my snugly home though!

While the rain continued to pour and my sister and I were just hanging around the house, I decided that I wanted a warm, flaky scone. So, I went on the search for the perfect recipe. It seems that none of our cookbooks include even one scone recipe! But I found a great recipe online for cinnamon scones. They were so easy to make and they were a great addition to this frigid day.

My sister and I had the scones for dinner, right out of the oven. I of course couldn't eat one without a cup of steaming earl grey tea by my side. :)

That has been my day. Very simple, but enjoyable also. It seems like I have been spending a lot of my time in the kitchen cooking and baking. I think I may want to pick up a new hobby for a bit, before I turn into a huge ball of cookie dough!

The Perfect Chili for a Chilly Day

Tonight, my mother and I used a recipe from Trader Joe's, using trader Joe ingredients. It's such an easy chili recipe with only 5 ingredients!! Can you believe it?! It calls for ground turkey, and usually my family and I go for the beef instead-but this turkey works perfectly!

Easy Chili:

• 1 1/4 pound ground turkey
• 1 can of black beans(Don't drain)
• 1 jar roasted garlic salsa
• 1 jar chunky salsa
• 1 can marinated bean salad(Don't drain)

You cook the turkey in a skillet with a little olive oil and salt and pepper, while the bean and salsa mixture is simmering on the stove. When the turkey is cooked, you add it into the pot and let that simmer for about 10 minutes before it is served. All together, this chili took us about 35 minutes to make! We actually doubled the recipe because soup is so good to have during the week too.

Today was an amazing rainy day in California. I loved how it was pouring for so long! I love the sound of the rain hitting the streets and the gloomy cozy day. This soup was the perfect finishing touch to a relaxing holiday. And SO easy! You have to try it sometime!

Tomorrow is the first day of the new semester, the Spring semester. So I have new courses that I am taking and I don't know what exactly to expect. We will just have to see how that goes! And when I stop and think about it, the school year has flown by! I can't believe I am half way through my first year of high school. Even now, I am really starting to realize just how fast time flies before us. It just makes me remember to enjoy every day that the Lord has given us. I hope you all had a wonderful day today. I wish you all a fantastic week ahead! :)

A Little Bit of Rain...

So...there is really nothing new with me. This weekend has been a fun one and tonight my family went over to our friends house. The Edwards are a really sweet couple and they hold a Sunday group at their house for the Truth Project, by Focus on the Family. It's a great DVD study about finding what truth really is. Have you ever thought of that? What is truly TRUTH. Well, we are learning that now, and so far it is: Reality through God's eyes, because He is Truth.
Well we are into week two now, and tonight was fun. It's not only learning and growing closer to God, but also growing together as a group and praying for one another. It's really wonderful.

Now I am home and I am thinking seriously about watching a Katherine Hepburn movie I got for Christmas. It is raining outside and I think rainy weather is the perfect weather to snuggle up and watch a good classic. Plus, I have never seen a Kat Hepburn movie- so this shall be interesting. :)
So- I hope you readers have had a great weekend and have a great holiday tomorrow!

Goodbye Christmas!! Hello Valentine's Day!

Today, my mom finished the big project of taking Christmas decorations down. I know it's a little late to be taking it all down, but things have been so busy! We put up our valentines wreath on our front door yesterday, and it looks so pretty! I don't know why- but I LOVE Valentine's Day!

The cheery red, pink, and white colors are so nice. Im looking forward to making some festive heart crafts!!

I want to be like this girl above! :)

Source

Wake up and Smell the Coffee...

This week has been a little overwhelming with school assignments. I have been ready for the weekend to come, and now it is finally here!
I had a really wonderful time this morning. For me, it was the perfect ending to a busy week of hard work.
My mom and dad took me to Kean coffee shop for a cozy drink and a treat. I ordered their tasty chai tea latte and for a treat, I ordered creme brulee bread pudding. My mother recommended it to me and since I had never tried it, I decided to give it a try.
Everything was delicious! Along with my goodies I read a little too. It was simply great.
To me, there is nothing like the morning. I love the kick off to the day.
And what better company could I have than my parents and some family friends?

Now I'm off to enjoy the weekend...

Source

I Just Love Weddings!

I love weddings!

I think they are just so beautiful. Each wedding is different and unique.

I love to day dream about the day far far away when I get married...

It is a tough decision as to when to have a wedding. Summer, fall, winter, spring...?

Hmm...They could all be so gorgeous with all different colors!

I have a few ideas for my wedding...okay, I have a complete folder on my computer of wedding ideas, but these are just a few...

Spring~

I LOVE the pop of color that these bridal shoes add. Something Blue!!!

I love the detail on this cake. I probably would have it be a little less fancy, though.

Are not the colors so fun??? The blue is sensational and I love all the natural, fresh picked flowers look.

Autumn~ So here is what I am thinking. I may have cream, and all the colors in this bouquet below, but then add a nice red shoe to brighten the whole look!

I love how the rainy weather, umbrellas, and finally the crunchy colored leaves!

I think a red shoe would be great with this style/color dress for bridesmaids.

If you like weddings too, I think you would be very fond of these sites!

Sources:

The Brides Cafe.com (My personal favorite. Real wedding pictures, engagement pictures, and inspiration for every taste)

The Knot Wedding.com (A whole bunch of wedding stuff!)

Martha Stewart Weddings.com (Creative real weddings)

Green Wedding Shoes.com (For some fun wedding tips and pics)

OnceWed.com (Definitely unique, and very original style)

ENJOY!

Just For Fun...

Not much has been going on latley.

That is kinda nice though, to have really not much going on. Except I have been working on my portfolio for English. (Due when I get back from vacation) At least by next friday, I will be done and so happy!

In between time though, I have been enjoying some great things: books, crafts, fun candles.

I have been reading, I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris. It is so good! And I just love to be reading Christian books, rather than teen novels and stuff. He explains the good and bad of dating relationships, what the Lord says about Christian dating, and the way Christian dating should look like. Amazing!!

Have you ever been on Jessesteele.com? It is a really neat website with the cutest aprons, vintage inspired. I actually just recently purchased one for my friend, Elizabeth. She loves to bake and such, so I got here the cupcake print...so cute.

My mom recently recieved a package in the mail from a sweet friend of hers, Joanne. Inside the box was the cutest candle from Pier 1 Imports. It was gingerbread scent with a sweater covering the glass candle holder. It was so wintery and cozy looking! I love it!