Monday, July 25, 2011

Pottery Barn Beauties

Pottery Barn finds of the Day.  I am loving these items!

1.  Shayne Kitchen Table


2.  Emma Yellow Dinnerware


3.  Great White Coffee Condiment Set
1.  Shayne Kitchen Table

Friday, July 22, 2011

Baking, Reading, and DIYs

Baking...
I made a coffee cake!  I used a basic coffee cake recipe and added about 1/2 cup of sour cream to make it more creamy.  It turned out very good and the good thing was that my dad liked it probably more than all of us.  That is surprising because my dad is not one to eat homemade food.  I know, completely opposite from me, but the fact that he liked it says something!
Mixing in the sour cream


Reading...
I am still reading Spoken From The Heart!

DIYs...
#1  I needed to still unpack all of my jewelry from moving back to California.  I had nowhere to put it and it was time to figure something out.  So I found an old cork board in my sister's old closet.  I covered it with some extra white fabric I had and just tacked on the back.  The fabric was actually left over from some curtains I cut from Ikea.  So the fabric on the board matches my curtains.  I used tacks and hung my jewelry throughout the board.  I added a fabric flower I made a couple weeks ago to the corner to add some flair!  THis project only took about 30 minutes.

#2  This next project was a little more involved.  So I wanted a bedside table that would fit in my room really well, was very practical and cheap!  The cheapest one I could find that I liked was from Ikea for $40.00.  I was opposed to spending that much money but I was hoping to find something else.  I went to Micheal's and got some ideas white I was there.  This is what I came up with.
The items...
- 1 sturdy basket which was on sale and was the perfect size to store books but not big enough to get cluttered
- 1 small square piece of wood
- 2 long wood decorative border pieces
- 1 small bottle of white paint
- 1 bottle of light yellow paint
- 1 large fake decorative flower
Here is the finished project with help from my dad!

Painting the square piece

Waiting for the paint to dry

Finished project!

The beautiful flower I couldn't pass up!


Other Fun Things...
#1  Adorable new Tea Pot and matching cup from Cost Plus World Market!  


#2  To go with my new tea pot I bought some tea which should be here in the next few days.  I bought the tea online at Teavana.  I bought Cacao Mint Black Tea and Cocoa Praline Tart Rooibos Tea.  They are both dessert teas which are perfect for me and my sweet tooth!  I will let you know how they are when I get them!

#3  My to dos for the weekend...
-  Get hangers to for the rest of my clothes!  I have no where to put them and my room is too messy.
-  Bake chocolate and pecan scones
-  Wash my car
-  Finish cleaning my room
- Read, exercise, and have fun!!

My mom is in Wisconsin until tuesday and boy do I miss her!  I love her so much  :)

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Coffee House Adventures

Because I have been working at It's A Grind Coffee House for a few weeks now, I thought I should update you on how it is!  First, I must say that I love working there!  It is my favorite job I have ever had.  So a couple of mistakes/funnies I want to tell about.  One happened this morning when I opened.  I got there at 5am and It was my first time actually opening the door and dealing with the alarm.  I typed in the wrong code and set the alarm off.  My co worker said that she has never experienced it before which got me a little worried.  She said the police sometimes come and charge a big fine if they are false alarms.  Fortunately nothing happened and I certainly learned my lesson!  That will never happen again  :)
The next one involved me and another co worker.  We were cleaning the syrup bottles and one of them fell off the counter, broke and got everywhere on the floor.  Broken glass and sticky syrup!  We had to sweep and mop and then the other person had to clean on his hands and knees because it was just so sticky.  Of coarse, that one as well got fixed and everything worked out just fine.
I have experienced other mishaps as well.  Small ones like messing up a drink and having to redo it.  At the moment, it seems like a big deal but then a few minutes pass and I realize that it happens and I am still learning.  I really enjoy working with my co workers!  All of them are so nice as well as our customers.  I loved coffee shops before I started working here so I feel like this is the perfect job for me!
My favorite shift would have to be the 5 am shift.  This sounds crazy but I do really enjoy it.  I get up at 4 in the morning which I thought would be so hard and it is not my favorite thing in the world but once I get to work, I wake up, get some coffee flowing through my body and forget all about it.  I also really like how fast the shifts go by.  There are people that come in consistently throughout the shift at a pretty steady pace so there aren't moments when I am just waiting around or doing boring odd end jobs.  I get off at 1030 in the morning so I work a full shift and then come home and have the whole rest of the day to get things done that I need to!  It is really great!!
Another great thing about working here is that I absolutely love coffee.  I love espresso as well and being able to use coffee and espresso in so many different ways is so much fun!  I get a free drink while I work so free coffee or tea every day is the best!
I would have to say my favorite drink to make would have to be an Iced White Chocolate Mocha.  Their are so many aspects to making it, getting the chocolate, espresso and milk.  It is easy yet complex!  Love it  :)
Very blessed to have a job right now!  And a job that I love  <3

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Small Updates

A few things I have been doing lately.....

Finishing invitations for my cousins baby shower that I am throwing for her!

I made some wonderful scones!  I got the recipe HERE!  They are from one of my friends blog.  I used whole wheat flour and dark chocolate chips.  They turned out great!
To make them last longer, I wrapped them individually in plastic wrap and put them in the freezer.  In the mornings, I would take one out and put it in the microwave to warm in up.  That worked perfectly!
Before they go into the oven

All done and delicious!
I picked some beautiful roses from the garden!

I also noticed that my cat found a new bed in our flower pot!

Other than these things, I have just been working a lot and spending time with family and friends.  I am planning on doing some more baking this week so look for that!
Currently reading:  Spoken from the Heart(still, because it is so long) and Charlotte's Web
New fave website:  pinterest.com