first roll of color diana f+ film

i couldn't not share.

the beautiful thing about diana photos is that even the nonperfect photo are beautiful and unique.

(home)

(bestfirends)

(franklin park conservatory)

(february 2010: in a nutshell)

(beauty)

i love where this is going.

fiesta chicken

this year for christmas i got my very own crockpot and am officially obsessed with this mexican dish i've created. the thing i love about anything you make in a crockpot is you really don't have to do anything. just throw everything you need into it and let it go.

i let mine go over night because i feel lightweight uncomfortable leaving it go while at work. i think that is just something i have been conditioned to be nervous about. growing up my mom double-triple checked everything before walking out of the house and now, as an adult, i do the EXACT same thing. better safe than sorry, eh?

what you need:

1 medium onion diced

2 tomatoes diced

2 chicken breasts cubed

1 can black beans

1 can white beans

1 can salsa

dump in, stir up and plug in!

let go for about 8 hours on low.

I'll admit that it doesn't look all that appetizing just sitting in a crockpot, but trust me, once it is done, the flavors are explosive.

i put it over brown rice and bring to work for about three days in a row. its that good.

ole!

happy birthday deanna!

my beautiful friend deanna is turning 24 today.

im so lucky she works at a&f with me so i am able to

bake her some goodies and bring them to work.

she has always, always been there for me and i appreciate her friendship so much.

(picture taken last summer right after we both moved to columbus)

love you deedee.

happy birthday.

welcome march.

february 2010 was the worse february in 100 years.

that being said, i couldn't be happier that it is finally march.

i thought i would celebrate by sharing 10 things that make me terribly happy.

1. cup of coffee, driving to work with the music on as loud as it can possibly be.

2. lots an lots of candles.

3. summer evenings with the air off and all my windows open listening to the city.

4. long drives with my bestfriend kayla.

5. the house made ranch at the cafe with baby carrots.

6. sharing a pillow with my kitten zoey.

7. a good shower soundtrack.

8. watching the world go by on a beautiful night.

9. the first hints of spring in the air.

10. the moment you realize the leaves are back on the trees.

happy march!

old time pottery

saturday, i took kayla and emily to Old Time Pottery. I completely forgot how amazing this place is for random things. I'm pretty sure this place has anything that you would ever want or need to decorate your apartment with. we honestly spent a good 2 hours getting lost in the endless rows of ceramic figurines and "fine" china.

i walked away with a good number of candles, a pizza cutter, and an oversized spatula, amongst other random things i needed to do the projects i have planned out for the week.

i will cook you in my wok.

i bought a wok from ikea quite a while ago and rediscovered it as i was putting dishes away, so i made the executive and decided to break it in and make stir fry for dinner.

i put on A Fine Frenzy Bomb in a Birdcage, poured a cheap glass of shiraz, and relaxed while i chopped the vegetables and watched my rice ready.

(onion, green pepper, carrot, garlic, broccoli)

(pile in the wok - add olive oil and chicken)

(add stir fry sauce)

serve over brown rice and voila! - perfect monday night dinner for one. i had the pleasure of eating it out of one of the bowls my brother and sister got me for christmas.

miss you guys.

weekend

every saturday morning my girlfriends and i go to the free yoga class at Lululemon thats right around the corner, get a coffee at Impero Coffee, and go to breakfast which almost always includes bloody marys.

kayla and em and still in the slow process of decorating and we have been going to ever antique shop in the greater columbus area every weekend for a while now.

so we had to hit up the antique roadshow at the columbus expo center and i found some gems.

(vintage floral picture frame)

(jewelery box key)

(perfect large ball jar to match my little one that is now my cotton ball jar)

(diana f+)

I took diana out and played. i am experimenting with color film now and i can not wait to get the film in.

hope you had an equally beautiful weekend.

cocktails at franklin park conservatory

cocktails at the conservatory is exactly what i needed to get out of my winter slump. thursday night my girlfriends and i went to cocktails at the conservatory at franklin park conservatory. the exhibit was "winter escape" and between the orchids and the chihuly glass exhibition, i dont think it could have been more perfect.

(megan, emily and kayla)

we then went the bettys for a late dinner which is when and where i had the best grilled cheese, tomato and pesto sandwich of my life.

valentines day

(vintage valentines i sent my bestfriends)

don't believe that valentines day should be the only day of the year that you let someone know how much they mean to you. given the circumstance, it has made me think of the things i do love.

i love my parents.
they are the coolest people i have ever known. my mom is one of my bestfriends and my dad is one of the best people to sit in the garage, have a couple beers and talk about life with. they love me unconditionally, no matter what.

i love my brother and sister.
they are so full of life and energy it is contagious.

i love my friends.
i have the best. i don't know where i would be without them.

i love zoey.
no matter how mad i get at her for all the trouble she causes, i love her, and she loves me. which is always nice.

i love columbus.
there are so many beautiful things about living in the state capital. i can't get enough.

i love where i'm at in life.
i have never believed in time as much as i do right now.

i love peanut butter and jelly, stirred up in a cup, eaten with a spoon.
so weird. but so good.

so, happy valentines day.

snowed in

i cant remember the last time i have seen this much snow piled up. so i took the advantage of the fact that i didn't feel like leaving my apartment after i was in it for the night and started a project.

i recently got my Diana F+ film developed, and have been wanting to use chalkboard paint on something for forever now so i had an idea.

i was going to find some clipboard, paint chalkboard paint on them and use them as a neat way to put up my pictures in my room.

i put on Shout Out Louds' "Our Ill Wills" album and went to town.

(zoey helped - not)

(quote by anne frank)

spring is coming, and we will be alright.

i spent all day sunday with kayla and darren, two of my best friends. we sat in a vespa cafe and got coffee and tea, roamed antique stores in search of a mirror for kayla and i continued my search for run of the mill clipboards. darren and i played with our diana f+'s. had drinks and appitizers at bodega followed by dinner at bar louie for the superbowl.


its two friends like them that make life so great.

hope you had a wonderful weekend too.

german village antiques

browsing antique stores is seriously one of my favorite things to do on the weekend.

something about slowing wandering through rooms of stuff from other time really just calms and clears my head.

i spent saturday afternoon with my manager laura. we meandered the book loft and she took me to german village antiques. i originally went looking for a couple specific things but came across these gems.

(brass leaves that make beautiful earring holders)

(turquoise ball jar which makes a PERFECT q-tip holder)

the perfect saturday morning

i have been on a quest for creating the perfect banana muffin recipe and after many trials i believe i have finally crafted a recipe that is perfect and semi healthy.

step 1: brew some coffee.

step 2: put on some chill out music.

my personal suggestion is something like stars, pete yorn, barcelona, or the temper trap.

step 3: light a candle.

you will need the following ingredients :

- an oven at 350 degrees

- 4 browning bananas

it is seriously best if these bananas are on the brink of going bad.

- 1 cup whole wheat flour

- 1 cup all purpose flour

-1/4 butter

-2 eggs

-vanilla

-1/4 tsp baking soda

-1 1/4 baking power

- 1/2 cup splenda

-1/2 cup brown sugar

-cinnamon and nutmeg

start by mashing the bananas in a bowl with a fork. i like to leave them kind of chunky but you can mash them till the are smooth too.

add the eggs, butter and vanilla.

there really isnt a given measurement for the vanilla. if i had to give a measurement i would say a tablespoon. My mom always said just to add a splash more that whats called for, so I have just grown to eyeball the amount.

in a separate bowl mix both flours, sugars, baking soda and powder.

next add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and fold together with a spoon.

once that is all mixed together this is the point where i lightly cover the surface of the batter with cinnamon and nutmeg. honestly, i dont think i could add enough cinnamon, but i do keep it within reason.

now the batter is ready to be spooned into a muffin pan and ready for the crumbly topping.

in a tiny bowl, mix together:

1 tablespoon of all purpose flour, cinnamon and brown sugar and butter (in stick form cut up)

after batter is spooned into the pan, sprinkle crumble toping on and stick it in the oven.

bake for about 20-25 min and repeat until batter is gone.

at the end of this, i have had the perfect saturday morning.

a little bit of creativity never felt so good.

my life in columbus is very nice. i live in between my handsome significant other and two of my closest friends from college, both around an 8 block walk away. kayla and emily moved into their new apartment this past weekend and for their christmas/housewarming present i thought it would be cool to buy some run-of-the-mill wine glasses and paint on them with glass paint.

this is how they turned out!