Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Favorite Food Instas

I adore food, but I like more than just in terms of eating. I love looking at pictures of food and creating different recipes at my house. This whole love of food comes together through Instagram. I have a variety of accounts that I follow. Some are just pictures, some are restaurants, and others are chefs. I always feel inspired (and hungry) after seeing these pictures. 

 Infatuation has a great series of accounts. There is one for almost every major city. They share pictures of local foods and do a little review on it. I follow the one for Chicago since I actually have a change in being able to try these foods. The pictures are always really good and I like how they post about a variety of foods. 


This account is run by at girl living in Madison, Wi. She does not post as often as I would like, but they are always good when she does. She also takes pictures of a variety of food groups, but my favorites are always that of dessert and breakfast foods. 

Even though I will probably never get to go the Black, I love following this account. Waffles are one of my favorite foods so it gives me some inspiration for what to put on mine. Each time they post a picture, it makes me want to find a way to get to Minnesota. 


Dominique Ansel is the chef for Dominique Ansel Bakery. this is the place with the famous cronut. He mainly focuses on pastries, but this is his personal chef account so there are other foods represented. You can always count on his pictures to look amazing and to make your mouth water. 

I follow almost all of the Spoon University Instagram's for the colleges I applied to.  I really like UW Madison's account because they post a lot. The pictures are always fun. I really like this particular image since I went to the bakery and it was so cute! You can see a little bit about it in this post

Do you have any particular Instagrams you like to follow?

xoxo,
Maddie

Saturday, February 25, 2017

Spring Break Wishlist

We are officially one month away from spring break and I am getting so excited. I am going to Florida with my sister to visit my grandparents. This will be a much needed break before all of the craziness of soccer and AP testing starts. Even though I really don't need anything, I keep coming up with idea of things I'd like for Florida. I am so excited to finally be able to wear shorts and not have to wear a parka! 

Obviously I won't get all of this for break. What I want the most is the swimsuit. One of mine is getting old so I need a new one anyway.  I also really like the off the shoulder trend. The only thing is that I am not allowed to wear shirts like that to school so I don't know if it would be practical to buy. I know I will shop when I am in Florida so we'll see what I get there as well. 

Are you going anywhere for break?
xoxo,
Maddie

Thursday, February 23, 2017

Thursday Three

This week was a great week. The weekend had such nice weather that I was able to spend all of my time outside, so much so that my freckles popped out! It was also really great to have a four day weekend. I was able to a lot of things that I don't normally do. Here was my week!

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Like I said above, the weather was amazing this weekend. It was 50 degrees everyday which is really rare for February. I was able to go on runs and walks each day. Over the four days I went 17+ miles! Being outside makes me so happy. If it wasn't for the nice weather I would have had no idea what to do with myself. 

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Along the lines of how nice it was outside, it was so great to be able to break out my pocket tees again. I typically don't wear them in winter since it is so cold out, but this week had the perfect weather. I always to feel bad about spending money on nice t-shirts and then not wearing them so I really enjoyed being able to!

|3|
It was my mom's birthday this week so that means cake! Normally she makes the cakes for birthday's but on hers we get her one. This is from my favorite local bakery. Every year I look forward to her birthday because the cake is just that good!

Have a great week!
xoxo,
Maddie

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

A Comfy, Cozy Day







| Sweater (On Sale!) | Leggings | Socks (On Sale!) | Bralette
     We all have those days where all we want to do is relax. Lately, I have been loving to curl up in a chair and read a good book. A Nicolas Sparks book is always a great go to read. Adding a cup of tea makes it the perfect way to spend my days. 
     I love putting on a comfy sweater on days like these. This one is from American Eagle, and it is so soft. The sweater has the perfect fit, a little over sized but nothing to crazy. For any comfy, cozy day, a pair of socks is necessary. I love wool socks and Eddie Bauer makes the best ones. The colors are pretty neutral so they go with everything. I would totally recommend picking up a pair now that they are on sale! 
xoxo,
Maddie

Sunday, February 19, 2017

Easy Breakfast Ideas



There is so much truth in the saying that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. No matter how busy I am in the morning I make sure to have something filling. If I don't have breakfast, I am in a bad mood for the rest of the day. Since I have started to sleep in more and more, I have found some quick breakfasts to make. Added to each of these meals is a glass of orange juice and cup of coffee. Each of these idea are healthy, filling, and inexpensive to make. 



I have always loved oatmeal. In the past I used to just have it with brown sugar, but I am now making it a little healthier by adding flax seed, granola, dried cranberries and then a little brown sugar. I also add a touch of milk just to make sure that it doesn't get too thick. 

This is a super easy breakfast to make. I just used some granola that I picked up at the store and added milk. I also toasted a mini bagel and added homemade raspberry jam. I like having a breakfast like this since it uses smaller portions, but two things so I think I am eating more. 

This breakfast is very similar to the one above. Instead I used Go Lean Crunch granola (one of my favorites). I always add flax seed to my granola for a nutty flavor. I also had a muffin from the store to add some sweetness into the meal. 

Most breakfasts I really want something sweet but not always. When this happens I have peanut butter on half a bagel, and jelly on the other. This time I also added some grapes because I am never one to turn down fresh fruit. 

Finally, this breakfast is my most common one. It is just granola (Go Lean Crunch), flax seed and bananas. It is the fastest one to make and there is no way to mess it up. I typically do not use the whole banana so the rest of it I just eat plain on the side. 

What do you like for breakfast?
xoxo,
Maddie

Thursday, February 16, 2017

Thursday Three

This was another typical week. There most eventful thing has been the weather. It has been usually warm to the point where most of the snow is gone. I am just looking forward to the weekend at this point since there is a four day weekend! Here is what occurred this week:

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I had to go to Marquette this past weekend to take a scholarship test. It was really boring since I had to drive a total of four hours to take a one hour test. What was nice was that I got to meet up with a friend who goes there so at least something good came out of it!

|2|
Valentine's Day this week! My school always uses it as an excuse for a spirit week. We had various dress up days and a pep rally. I wore this super cute Shep Shirt for Red, White and Pink Day. It was really nice to have an easy way to show school spirit. 

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Speaking of Valentine's Day, my family has a super cute tradition involving a Valentine Fairy. Each child has a little gift on their spot at the dinner table. This year we each got a chocolate bar from a local candy store. Mine was a toffee almond bar and it is amazing!
xoxo,
Maddie

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Winter Outfit Inspiration

Every year it is about Mid-February where I begin to tire of everything winter. It becomes the most noticeable when I am trying to decide what to wear. I find myself sticking to the same old outfit every time and then I get really bored of it. I have found myself spending more and more time on pinterest looking for inspiration. I know I can't be the only person that goes through this so I rounded up a few of my favorite outfit to share. 


Each year, I always struggle to figure out what to wear. Mainly because I want to be able to wear my Lilly Pulitzer shorts and my favorite tees. Right now the weather is being a tease- it will be 50 degrees this weekend, but I know winter isn't even close to over. When you can't seem to find anything to wear, what do you do?

xoxo,
Maddie

Saturday, February 11, 2017

5 ways to #treatyourself

Valentine's Day is coming up. There is so much of a focus on doing things with other people such as going out with a significant other or even something with friends for "Galentine's Day". Valentine's Day could also be used a great excuse to spend sometime on yourself. I've thought of some ways that you can take some "me" time. Of course these can also be done with a bunch of friends just for any occasion as well! 


| Brunch | 
I can't think of a better way to start a day than to have brunch so of course any day all about me involves it! I love perusing menus online before I go out to make sure that I find the perfect place. Right now, that is anything that involves heart shaped pancakes like these

| Have a Spa Day | 
No  day about treating yourself could be complete with out at least doing your nails. Why not make part of the day a spa day while you're at it! A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about how to have a spa day at home. Check it out here

| See a Movie |
I love watching movies, but I do prefer watching them at home. With that being said there are some great movies out that I can not wait to see! I think that Hidden Figures looks so good. I will probably wait until it comes out on Red Box to watch it, but going out to movies is a great way to spend Valentine's. 

| Make Valentine Cookies |
All of the cooking magazines that we get at my house have been writing about the cutest little heart sugar cookies, but it was Carly's post (here) that was the best of them all. Making cookies is such a fun thing to do either alone or with friends. Just make sure to save some cookie dough for the actual cookies!

| Buy Some Flowers |
Is it the middle of winter? Yes. Are flowers really overpriced right now? Yes. Does this matter? Nope. Get yourself some pretty flowers from your florist or grocery store, it really doesn't matter where. Use them to spruce up your bedroom or kitchen to add a cheery little decoration. 

 What are you doing for Valentine's Day?
xoxo,
Maddie


Thursday, February 9, 2017

Thursday Three

Another week over! Recently there has not been anything too exciting happening for me. It has been a lot of the same things which has made it kind of a blah week. I am okay with that though since I do have some things to look forwards to in the upcoming weeks. With that here was some parts of my week!

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I mentioned last week that I have been trying new lunches, and this week I made the best one! It is a pesto grilled cheese. I used homemade pesto with mozzarella cheese. It was such a fun change from the normal grilled cheese. I'd recommend it to anyone whose looking for a change of pace. 

|2|
I started shopping for prom this week. I am really excited for prom, but I know finding a dress will take a while. I am pretty bad at making decisions and combine that with being super picky about what I wear means that this will be quite the process. 

|3|
There are specific Wednesdays at my school where we come two hours late. This week was ones of those so I treated myself for going out to a local bakery for doughnuts. I really like doughnuts but I make sure to only have them once in a while so this made more a great way to start my Wednesday. 

How was your week? 
xoxo,
Maddie

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

My Bookmarks Bar

My school issues laptops to each student for the school year, but I have found that I mainly use mine for anything that isn't school related. Not many of my teachers like using them. I find myself using mine during homeroom or on my off hours just checking out my favorite bookmarks. I have gone through many different things I like to read, but five have stuck with me the whole year. Here they are.....


If you like food, check this one out. I love reading their reviews on different brunches. They are in Chicago, New York and DC. The Chicago reviews are my favorite since I might actually visit one of those places. Each review is funny and always makes me hungry for brunch. 

The Glitter Guide is the newest thing on this list for me. I recently started reading it. The aesthetic of the webpage is what originally drew me in. The content varies on what they post, and it doesn't always apply to me, but I still enjoy checking it out. 

Spoon University takes up too much of my time. Yes, I love reading about the different food at the colleges, but I also just check out various campuses. The articles are fun to read and they always lead me to look at cute little restaurants or cafes. 

I have recently started reading Her Campus. I like looking at all of the different schools I applied to and seeing what is happening on the campus. There are always super random posts, but it certainly keeps me entertained throughout the day.

| Pinterest
Pinterest has always been my go to. No matter what mood I am in, there is always something for me to look at or read. I love finding inspiration for what I make for dessert that week or what I might wear for the next week. Check out my pinterest here

What is on your bookmark bar?
xoxo,
Maddie

Saturday, February 4, 2017

Pop of Red





| Shirt | Jeans | Boots | 

    Between Valentine's Day coming up, and the dull winter colors taking over every wardrobe, it seems like the perfect time to find ways to incorporate the color red into your outfits. This outfit is super simple and easy to wear for almost anything. The rain boots are really great since all of the snow in Wisconsin keeps melting, and then more comes so it is always wet.
      Recently I have started to try wearing turtlenecks again and I have been liking them. I love how it adds warmth around the neck without wearing a scarf. I will be honest, the reason I bought one in the first place is because I felt like a chic European (which I am definitely not). Even though my reasoning getting a turtleneck is a little weird, I have really liked wearing them in outfits like this. 

xoxo,
Maddie

Thursday, February 2, 2017

Thursday Three

You would think that by being the second semester of senior year that I would have so much less stress these days.... nope. This week was so stressful in the terms of trying to think about where I want to go to college. I haven't even heard back from half the schools I applied to so I honestly don't even know why I am doing this now. On that note, here is what happened in my week:

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This week I tried making a menu on Sunday for what I was going to eat for lunch. I come home for lunch every day I was found myself eating the same things all of the time. Some of the lunches are pretty simple like this one, and others are nicer, like a pesto grilled cheese. 

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I was so happy to be done with studying for finals that I forgot the next thing I needed to study... AP Tests. I don't really know how many i'll be taking, but it could be up to 5. I now have to set aside 10 minutes a day for studying which is definitely adding up. 

|3|
I made the yummiest Hot Chocolate this weekend: Mocha Spiced Hot Cocoa. It is the perfect mix of hot chocolate and coffee! I posted the recipe earlier this week so make you to check it out!

xoxo,
Maddie