Comfy, Practical, and Fashionable - Toms Shoes

I have one pair of Toms. I need more. I asked for a pair for Christmas because I just liked the way they look and heard they were extremely comfortable.* And they are, indeed, extremely comfortable. People have started customizing Toms with brilliant artwork. Some are really fantastic, but usually pretty pricey. I may try to do my own eventually, but not until I get a second pair. Here are some envy-worthy options from Etsy:

Giraffe Toms (in case you didn't know I love giraffes) - $73

Paisley Toms - $82

Flying Birds Toms - $90

Galaxy Toms - $100

 

And there are so many more where these came from! Including some fantastic Hunger Games options!  

 

*While it is true that Toms do one-to-one (giving one pair of shoes to someone who needs it for each pair bought). However there are several problems with that equation that Toms keeps buried, but in summation the one-to-one, in my opinion, is mostly a publicity stunt for a for-profit business. I just wanted to clarify that I wanted a pair because of the style.

My First Meal: Chicken Stir-Fry and Crescent Rolls

It's a day of firsts for me. I worked for the first day of my full-time job, and came home to make my first real meal tonight in my first apartment! Now that I have a kitchen (after three years in the dorms) I intend to make delicious REAL meals all the time. Yes, real! As in not questionable like the fare at the dorm dining center always was.

So what did I pick for my first meal attempt? A yummy looking chicken stir-fry and crescent rolls from scratch! Both recipes I used came from the fantastic food blog Get Off Your Butt and Bake.

Crescent Rolls
That's right, homemade crescent rolls for my first real meal! With yeast, rising and everything! It was actually a lot easier to make than I thought. Though I will say I thought they tasted at least a little bland, but I think that may have had something to do with lack of extreme amounts of butter. I didn't have anything to brush butter on my dough and finished rolls with, so those few steps were a little difficult. But still, hard to go wrong with fresh from the oven rolls.

Stir-Fry
This was the first time I had ever cut chicken, and let me tell you it is not a piece of cake. Plus I was extra worried about that whole cleaning up properly because of salmonella. I also cut up carrots and the frozen broccoli I got. I even managed to steam both the carrots and broccoli together instead of attempting to do them separate AND they weren't even remotely over-cooked!

 

I will admit, making this meal took what seemed like an awfully long time. But I'm sure things will speed up the more I cook. Regardless I had a lovely meal and even had lovely company as my friend Alyssa stopped in to see my new place and shared this lovely dinner with me! 

You should absolutely check out Get Off Your Butt and Bake for fantastic and simple recipes! I'm certain I will be making many more, including loafs of bread and a beef stir fry!

Stay Lovely,

Katelin

My New Home (Sneak Peak!)

Hello m'dears! As of this past Monday I began moving into my first apartment! Awfully exciting, I know. I have been storing up ideas for this moment in my life for YEARS now, both in magazine cutouts with my "idea book" and the new and epic Pinterest (my 'ideas for my space board' for example) which has made it so much easier, as I used to just have to store pictures and links on my computer.

So anyway...I was excited! I mean tripping over myself with anticipation excited. And now I am here! It's not finished up yet, or really read to share as I still have piles of shoes and clothes on the ground, boxes to be emptied, and things to organize. BUT I wanted to share a few little sneak peaks at my new digs for your viewing pleasure. Take a gander! And if you want some even bigger peaks into my place, follow Hello Lovely on Facebook; I will be putting up a few extras there like my fantastic couch! But otherwise enjoy the preview:

 

 

Stay Lovely,
Katelin