Bakin' Blondies!

But not just any blondies...SNICKERDOODLE blondies!

Can you say yum?? Got the idea from Sophie's blog {here}. Her happy place has tons of recipes that will make your tummy happy indeed! I've been drooling over them for some time now, but this was the first one I actually made. Of course, they didn't turn out as pretty as Sophie's, but no matter - they tasted great!

What you'll need:

-1 cup butter, softened

-2 eggs

-1/2 tbsp vanilla

-1 1/2 cups white sugar

-1/2 cup brown sugar

-2 cups flour

-2 tsp baking powder

-1 tsp cinnamon

-1/2 tsp salt

And for the topping:

-2 tbsp white sugar

-2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Blend the butter, eggs, sugars, and vanilla until creamy. In a seperate bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients while mixing (batter will be thick). Spread batter into a greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle on combined cinnamon-sugar topping. Bake 30 minutes.

Now, when I made these they didn't really rise like they were supposed to (which could have been my fault for opening the oven one too many times to check on them), but the next time I try this recipe (because I will definitely be making these babies again!) I might use a 9x9 pan and leave them in a little longer. We'll see! Definitely a great recipe, though! I actually ended eating so many last night I gave myself a tummy ache, so be careful, they are dangerous hahah!

Happy baking!
- Jamie

Life without Facebook

I deactivated my Facebook last night for formal recruitment for my sorority (something about preventing dirty rushing or something, I honestly never really understood). Regardless, I am a rule-follower, so away it went. And unlike most, I am not unhappy about having it gone. In fact, quite the opposite; it's a bit of a relief. I hated logging on just because I had "nothing better to do" and creeping on other people's photos or status updates simply because I was bored. I found myself judging people for what was on their wall, which is completely unfair.  And I'm sure others were doing it to me, too, so honestly I'm glad to be done with it. I don't even plan on reactivating my account when we are able. I'm sick of reading about other people's drama, and I'd rather focus on school or read a book in my free time. Even though I've been harassed plenty by my high school friends because this is our main source of communication throughout the school year, I figure if we're really friends we will find other ways to talk. That's the main reason why I started this blog. It's much more informative than a simple status update, and my hope is that friends will read it at their convenience.

That being said, I have found plenty of other (way more productive) things to do with my time today! This morning I started filling out grad school applications. The process is stressful; there are a lot of people to contact and forms to fill out. And every school is different so it's hard keeping them straight and figuring out what I need to do for each one. I'd like to say I'll be happy when it's all over, but then comes the worst part: waiting. It's gonna be a long year, haha.

And the past few days have been deliciously dangerous in terms of diet:

McDonald's Friday night...

Portillo's for lunch Saturday (although I can't say I regret this meal choice. Cake shakes and hot dogs...there is seriously nothing better!)

And a fried sampler platter for dinner yesterday haha. Boy, was everything good! We had tofu chicken nuggets, fried macaroni and cheese, mini feta cheese and onion pizzas, fried tempura vegetable cakes, and sweet potato fries!! I suggested adding the vegetables so all the bad stuff would cancel out (that's a thing right?? hahah)

So needless to say, I had a few calories to burn. I wanted to go for a little run, but my gym shoes are still packed away in my car somewhere, and I didn't feel like digging them out, so I found these kicks from my middle school years:

They were not the most comfortable. Pretty snug, and I could feel some nice blisters developing. So, a run wasn't gonna happen, but I did take a long walk. The weather was wonderful today, and with some tunes it was very enjoyable!

Now I am just watching the Olympics and waiting for the first NFL preseason game to start! The best thing about summer ending is football season starting. Can't wait!

Facebook free's the way to be!
- Jamie

Shopping Sprees and Mac and Cheese!

I ordered some stuff from American Eagle earlier this week because they were having a sale for an additional 40% off clearance all clearance (this is still going on in stores, so check it out! some good finds!) I got 3 pairs of jeans, 3 t-shirts, and some underwear for, get this...$69.33! Everything retailed for well over $200 bucks! I thought it was a pretty good deal! Although a lot of it didn't fit and I had to return it today, here's what I ended up keeping:

Cute striped crop top (with pocket!) and dark blue Artist jeans

This shirt I ordered in another color, too, but I liked this one a lot better! So bright and cheerful!

Then I went to the mall to return all that didn't work out and naturally did some more shopping while I was there...

Got this skirt and lace cami for $10 total from Charlotte Russe! It was too cute to say no haha! Also found another cami that was a v-neck on one side and scoop on the other so you could wear it both ways. Good for layering! And it was $3.99 and bright pink, so that was a no-brainer.

And when you sign up for the Vera Bradley mailing list (you might have to do this at a Vera Bradley store, I'm not sure) they send you a birthday card with a coupon for $20 off a $20 purchase, and since I have been away from a store for so long, I finally got a chance to redeem it!

So, I found this cute little cosmetic bag to use as a pencil case that should also be big enough to fit my calculator, ID, and more! And I love this pattern!! After the coupon it was only $6, what a steal! I am quite pleased with all my purchases today!

And real quick before I go, my sister and I made awesome homemade mac&cheese! Sometimes I mess it up and don't put enough cheese in or too much butter or something, but this time it really turned out good!

All you do is cook a box of pasta, strain it, then in the pot combine about 1/4 cup of milk (really just enough to keep it creamy, I just make sure it covers the bottom of the pot) with a tablespoon of butter and 8-10 slices of American cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. This macaroni is so creamy delicious! Way better than Kraft! And easy peasy! Try it!!

Lots of love,
- Jamie

Have a happy day!

In case you had any doubts today is going to rock: check this out!

And remember, it takes more muscles to frown than to smile!

Celebrate today!

Lots of smiles
- Jamie

Childhood Memories

Got an awesome blast from the past today when I went to clean my closet out. One of my friends told me she was taking some of her old clothes to donate, so I thought, "Hmm, I bet I have a bunch of junk I could get rid of..." Plus with my dad moving in about a month, it certainly wouldn't hurt to get unneeded things out. And so it began...

I made an absolute mess of my room trying to organize things into stuff to keep, stuff to throw away, and stuff to donate. But it was a pretty fun process! And I ended up finding some wonderful gems from my childhood, like:

Banana bear!

Beanie Babies!

Underwear wallet!! (Hahaha I used to love this!)

Teeny tiny barrel of monkeys!

The iBrick! (world's oldest iPod hahah) I actually used that thing!

And my beary best friends from elementary school! Haha, this brings back so many memories.  I used to take Aqua everywhere with me! My friends and I would play with these little guys all the time. So glad I found them!

And I ended up with a HUGE pile of stuff to give away.

More than three garbage bags filled with clothes, shoes, toys, and more. My room seems a lot less cluttered and it'll definitely make my dad's move easier. And it's just nice knowing that all this stuff is going to someone who actually needs it rather than sitting in my closet collecting dust. Feelin' pretty good!

And yesterday was a good day, too! I spent most of the day with some high school friends. We baked cookies and watched the Olympics and just spent some time catching up because it's been so long since we've all seen each other!  This is the recipe for the cookies we made. We wanted something simple, and they said they were the best, so we had to try them haha! And I don't know about the best but they were really good!

They were so gooey and sweet. Even this morning they were still nice and soft! We accidentally got dark chocolate chips though, which aren't my favorite, but they were still good! And it was a very easy recipe. Definitely will try them again! Maybe with M&Ms or butterscotch chips instead! Mmm

Now it's time for some supper and then getting together with the girls again for some more Olympic fun! Have a good night, everyone!

- Jamie

Sweet Home Chicago

I made it! 4 days and 630 miles later, I'm finally back in the burbs. It was a nice drive; I like road trips. But the best part of the journey up here was being able to visit my loving boyfriend for a bit before making my way home.

Patrick is the absolute best. We've been together now for almost two years, and every single day with him has been amazing. He's so wonderful and so much fun to be around. And he's a farmer! Which makes visits to his house super exciting haha and of course BEAUTIFUL!

Yeah, don't try and tell me you don't wish this was your backyard haha! It's so pretty and there's so much to do! Quad riding, fishing, shooting, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun! Here's some pictures from our weekend:

And Patrick's going to be embarrassed when he finds out I'm saying this, but I out-shot him so good! I guess I'm just a natural hahah. No, but I did learn from the best!

And then we took a ride on the quad and he showed me this 10-foot high corn! It was so tall! I guess that's what happens when you don't plant anything there for 15 years; you get super-soil capable of growing ginormous crops haha.

And Patrick found this old chair for only 99 cents at a thrift store and we are working on refurbishing it for me to use as a desk chair for my new apartment! Before and after pictures will come later when it's totally finished, but this photo taken from the work in progress:

Haha, I didn't want to get any of the paint on my clothes, so I borrowed old flannel to create a faux-apron. The chair's looking so good, I can't wait to see it back at school when it's all done! And Patrick and I really enjoy fixing it up, so perhaps more of these projects to come!

And on our last night together, Patrick, Nickolas, and I went to this dirt race track in Kentucky. I really wasn't sure what to expect and didn't know if I'd like it, but we ended up having a lot of fun! There was dirt flying everywhere; you had to wear sunglasses even after it got dark just to keep it from getting in your eyes! Haha. Nickolas knew some of the drivers from work, so that was pretty cool. One of his old managers actually won $5000! And there was an 11-year old driving! I don't know how they get away with that- he could barely see over the wheel! And of course people-watching was good at a place like this haha. Oh, we had a good time.

One of the greatest things about having Patrick as a boyfriend is having his twin brother as one of my best friends. Nickolas is fun, funny, and easy to talk to. It was just as much fun being able to spend time with him this weekend as it was with Patrick! Their whole family is great - I always feel welcome when I stay with them. And their mom makes some of the best food I've ever had! It was sad to leave this morning, though I am happy to finally be back in Chicago. I can't wait to see all my friends! But first thing's first- I need a nap haha. Can't wait to crawl into my old twin sized bed and catch up on some sleep!

Lots of love from chi-city!
- Jamie

Bittersweet goodbyes

It's hard to believe these three months went by so fast! And although I am more than excited to go spend some time with Patrick and see all my friends from home, saying goodbye is always difficult. I have had such a great summer. Being able to spend this time with my mom, my step-sisters and Gregg has been amazing. Getting some OT experience has been a lot of fun, and I learned a lot more than I thought I would from it. And working at Pier 1 here has allowed me to meet some truly wonderful people.  It was my last day there today.  I walked into the back to get my apron, and I saw this lovely surprise waiting for me on the breakroom table:

This was so unexpected and soo sweet! That wrapped up thing in the corner is a candle that one of my coworkers made for me! It was so thoughtful! And she knew that I loved vanilla and the color pink, so it was just perfect! So many of these girls have given me their phone numbers and emails to keep in touch. I've just never felt this much love from any of my coworkers anywhere! I am really going to miss them. If everything works out, though, I really plan to go back, so I hope it's not goodbye forever!

And as if that wasn't enough, I came home to find this sitting on the kitchen table:

A cute goodbye cake from my mom and Gregg. Really too nice! I'm tellin' you, I am feeling the love hahah! I've really enjoyed staying with them. It's definitely hard for all of us to say goodbye! It's rough going to school so far away because visits are inconvenient. I imagine the next time I come down won't be until around Christmas. Again, it's just sad.

I'm going to miss the South in general. Everyone is so friendly down here, the weather has been nice for the most part, and it's really just beautiful!

And I am going to miss passing ponies on my way to work! And the low gas prices! And Cheerwine and Moon Pies! And the pool! The list could go on and on haha. But as much as I am going to miss everything and everyone down here, I'm still super psyched to go spend some time with my friends and loved ones up North! And before I know it I'll be back at school, and I'm excited for that too!

If all goes well (meaning if weather permits), I'll be making the trip up to Patrick tomorrow! I can't wait to see him and his family! I love staying with them on their farm. It is beautiful! I will have to take some pictures to share. But for now I should be getting to bed so I can be well-rested for the big drive tomorrow!

Lots of love!
- Jamie