Blogging from the Road

Hello! It's been awhile since I have blogged. I am currently driving back to school... well, my brother is driving :)... and I thought I should relieve some of the boredom by taking a few minutes to blog! Driving from my tiny town of Woodland Park, CO to Dubuque, IA is quite a treat! This is my 22nd journey along this same path ... *sigh*... which is equivalent to about 13 days of driving!

There are many interesting things (not just corn!) to feed your curiosity as you drive along I-80 for what feels life forever. Personally, my favorite feast for the eyes, and for your nightmares, is the life-size T-Rex statue that is nestled nicely into some grass and trees on I-80 somewhere between Lincoln and Dubuque! The first time I saw Ambrosious (that is what I named him, after the dog from Labyrinth) I almost had a heart attack! Being a fan of Jurassic Park, I have come up with some crazy scenarios about dinosaurs walking amongst mankind...but I never thought it would really happen! :) Next time you are driving along this route, keep your peepers open for Ambrosious. He will be there... ready to delight and terrify you!

Ambrosious

Another roadside attraction that when seen, is a good sign that we have put many miles behind us, is the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument in Kearney, Nebraska. Guarded by "Neverending Story" style statues on either side, this monument is magnificent in all of its glory! We pass underneath it, following in the footsteps of Atreyu himself, and hope that the eyes of the winged statues don't shoot us down. To our delight, we have always made it safely to the other side. One day, we will stop and go in! But for now, we will pass underneath, holding our breath, and saying silent prayers.

Great Platte River Road Archway Monument

Well, I am going to go take a nap! Maybe I will blog some more later about my travels, but I better rest a little before it's my turn to take over the wheel! Peace and blessings.

Getting the MOST out of your visit to the Hair Salon!

I have been getting my hair cut at salons for many years now! My mom used to take me, so the price never really occurred to me, but now that I am *cough cough* an "adult" I have been paying for it! I can't believe how expensive it is to get a decent haircut! I have found a place where I currently spend the majority of my year. It is an Aveda Salon, and I have never received a bad cut yet. I have found one stylist in particular that I really love, so now when I make my appointments I always request her. One thing that I have noticed is that they always ask me if I would like a drink while I wait....but I always decline! I don't know why, I just always say "no thank you." After being told the cost of my last haircut, I decided that I need to get the most out of my visit to the salon. Here are my ideas:

1) Find the stylist you like, and stick with them! You will be comfortable with that person cutting your hair, because they know your hair and they know how you like it!

2) When they ask you if you would like a drink, accept! It won't cost you any money and it will take care of your thirst :)

3) If they ask you if you want it styled, accept! It won't cost much more, if any, and it will teach you how to style your new cut! So pay attention, and watch how they do it!

4) If you have bangs, listen up! Did you know that it only costs between $5 and $8 to get your bangs trimmed? Don't do what I have done so many times and try to trim your own bangs! Most of the time, they will not turn out how you want them to! Getting your bangs trimmed will keep them at the perfect length while you are in-between haircuts!

I hope that these little hints are helpful!

Designer Spotlight--> Kate Spade

Kate Spade (pictured below) has been on the scene for sometime now, but I only recently discovered how fabulous she is! This picture below of her is adorable! I love her canary yellow cardigan!

Here is an adorable ad from Kate Spade's fall line last year! So cute!

Here is one of Kate Spade's storefronts!

Reasons why I love Kate Spade

1. The colors!

2. The simplicity

3. How effortless it all looks

4. How cute it looks together!

Well there you have it! A snippet of the glorious Kate Spade! Hope you enjoy!

My Favorite Brunettes :)

I have dyed my hair brown after years of being different shades of blonde!

Here are a few of my inspirations!

My all time favorite brunette is Zooey Deschanel.

Her style.

Her makeup.

Her quirky-ness!

I also love Kristen Stewart! She might not be the most amazing actress in the whole world, but she is a girl-next-door beauty! Her long dark tresses are very iconic of her most famous character Bella Swan. I really like the "undone look" she portrays!

Emily Blunt is....STUNNING! Not to mention she is married to Jim from The Office! She has a graceful presence about her. Her dark hair is a beautiful contrast to her ivory skin!

So here are a few of my favorite brunettes! They are my style icons! Hope you enjoy!

Music Spotlight-->The Civil Wars

The Civil Wars are my new music obsession! Not only do I love their music, but I love their style!

Here is the official music video for my new favorite band, The Civil Wars. They are really amazing! The band is comprised of Joy Williams and John Paul White. Their sound is hauntingly beautiful and I can't wait until they come out with their first full album! Barton Hollow is being released on February 2, 2011! SO soon! They have some free downloads available on their Myspace music page. Check it out! You won't be disappointed!

Owl Always Love You

I am not sure what is going on right now, but owls are popping up everywhere! I have seen many blogs about them as well! I like to think that I loved them first, but that's just silly! I truly have loved them for a long time! Being a lover of Harry Potter has only strengthened my love for owls. It's my turn to show off some cute owls! Some are just adorable pictures, some are things I want to buy, and others are things that I want to make!

Adorable Owl Pictures

I love all of these! The second picture posted is probably my favorite because it is the picture that is on Harry Potter's wall!

Owls I Want to Buy...Really Badly! :)

This owl clock is so cute, I can't even stand it! It would look cute in any style of room! (littlewillow.com)

Subtle owl jewelry is very fashionable right now! I have an owl ring that I just love, and and long chained owl pendent. Both are super simple, but so cute! I can wear them with every type of outfit!

(modcloth.com/urbanoutfitters.com)

Last but not least....my absolute FAVORITE owl themed item:

This owl purse (compliments of Kate Spade) is so chic and trendy! I love it! Anyone have $400 laying around? ;)

Owl Crafts

This owl pillow seems simple enough to make! Mixing up the patterns would be a fun way to make each pillow unique!

I love this homemade costume! It is simple and cute! Just a bit more fabric and you could make an adult costume!

This owl garland is perfect for any occasion!

Well there you have it...my two cents on the whole owl subject matter! Hope you enjoyed!

French Women Don't Get Fat

Hello again! It has been awhile since I have blogged...this whole blog thing is more time consuming than I thought! I am on Christmas Break now, so there seems to be an exuberant amount of time on my hands! I had an inkling tonight to make breakfast...for dinner! Being Christmas time and all, I had to add a little Christmas pizazz to whatever I was going to make! I absolutely love french toast, so I decided to make egg nog french toast! As my friend told me in high school, French women don't get fat, so you can eat as much of this as you want! ;) It was really easy, and I just made up the recipe! I would like to share it with you!

Egg Nog French Toast

Ingredients:

8 eggs

1/3 milk

2/3 egg nog

2 tsp ground cinnamon

12 pieces of Texas Toast

Crack 8 eggs into a bowl. Add 2/3 cup egg nog and 1/3 cup milk to eggs and whisk. Add the ground cinnamon and whisk until cinnamon is evenly distributed.

Now it's time for the griddle or pan! Turn on your stove top to medium (or around 3). Spray your pan lightly with a cooking spray and you are ready to make some Egg Nog French Toast! Begin by dipping each side of the bread in the egg mixture and placing on the pan. Allow 1-2 minutes per side. Once each side is golden brown and has a nice crisp to it, you are ready to plate it and eat it!

As my mother always told me...presentation is eve

rything!

Place neatly on a platter and dust lightly with powered sugar! Enjoy!