Love is in the air

I won't be decorating or preparing for Valentine's Day in advance but I do think it can be a nice day to celebrate people you love, despite all the cheesiness. Shayne and I have never done anything extravagant, but our tradition has morphed into a relaxing night at home with a meal cooked by the chef himself every year. I'm looking forward to that again this year! Here are some fun pictures I found via Pinterest!

Unwind

This weekend was a nice and relaxing one spent with my sisters, my best friend Joel, and my niece and nephew. Adapting to a new schedule is always frantic especially when you want to continue your normal routine! This week there will be lots of cleaning, planning, cooking, and Superbowl preparation! Here are some pictures from the weekend and I hope everyone's Monday flies by fast!

I WORKOUT!

I WORKOUT! by pixelsandpumps featuring nylon handbags

NIKE long sleeve shirt
$50 - nike.com

Victoria s Secret graphic t shirt
$16 - victoriassecret.com

Nike
€110 - download.colette.fr

Old Navy capri activewear
$13 - oldnavy.gap.com

Puma nylon handbag
$34 - puma.com

Nike+ iPod Sensor
$19 - nordstrom.com

Workouts not Working Out?

Women's Health

___________________________________________

So we're all aware or fall victim to the "new year, new you" and the "start going to the gym" resolution. But, I'm a firm believer in you have to have a plan before you dive in. Luckily Shayne is a year round gym attendee, and I haven't lost touch with my high school "athletic-ness" (yet) so it's not hard to jump in (and out and in and out and in) to the gym and get a good routine going again. For the past month I've been trying Women's Health "Total Body Transformation" which lays out a 3 month plan for working out courtesy of Extreme Makeover's Chris Powell. Thanks for the recommendation, Jerica; whom I'm hoping I can get together with soon for a guest post on workouts and healthy eating!

I love these workouts because it's a good integration of strength and conditioning in addition to cardio. Despite my scrawniness, I prefer to have a healthy mix of lifting because running, cardio or any type of speed conditioning gets monotonous thanks to my Track & Field days. And girls, don't worry - you will NOT turn into Arnold from picking up weights a few days a week! The website also provides video tutorials for some of the workouts which is ALWAYS helpful.

It doesn't look this glamorous, but Hey Chris!!!

Spring Inspiration

Give  me the splendid silent sun

with all his beams full dazzling
- Walt Whitman

(From Top to Bottom)

Aldo "Cavez" rainboot
Banana Republic Domed magic ring
Gap 1969 Sexy Boyfriend jeans
JCrew Minnie pant
Madewell Bikepath tee
Old Navy Penny Loafer
Old Navy Striped Dolman-sleeve tee
BCBG Basia Pleated Color-blocked dress

Cheddar Smashed Potatoes

Prior to the start of my job, I had been become a regular living room guest on every morning TV show. When I was watching Rachel Ray one of those days, she made these recipes from her mom that looked absolutely delicious in every way possible. I haven't had a chance to try to the cider beef, but that night when I went to my sister's house in Maryland we made the Cheddar Smashed potatoes with our salmon filet. They were so rich and tasty but we all agreed that next time we make them we have to get a sharper block of cheddar cheese. Rachel swore by a certain kind that you can only find in a local deli in NY but suggested that Cabot's Razor Sharp works well too!

Messy yet delicious!

An Ode to Joe!

Although this blog has never been about football, sports, or my love for either, a legacy left us this weekend - one that I can't ignore. My entire family, including my grandparents were born and raised in Central Pennsylvania; a little over an hour down the road from State College, Pennsylvania. With that, we were all raised Penn State fans, and most importantly JoePa fans. I never really understood the enormity of the school or the team until I got older because it was always just a part of our life. My grandmother has gone to every single game, home and away, for the past 30 years of her life and not until the past few years have we realized the impact of her love for the team and how it has affected us.   My sisters and I laugh now because we catch ourselves saying things like "Well when you get married, you can't plan a fall wedding because Nanny will be at the games every Saturday", or "I don't know if I can make it, or plan something that weekend - who is Penn State playing?". Now that I don't live at home I've been trying to get home to go to more games than I ever did when I lived there - and always in anticipation of seeing Joe. In light of all this scandal, it saddens me that the greatest coach in college football history has passed during a time where many will question his motives, but for those of us that are Penn State fans, or if you were/are a student will know better to appreciate what he was as a man and not just a coach. It really is a love no one can understand unless you were born, bred, or went to school with the Penn State family. There's so many things that could be said about such a great man, father, husband and "Coach" but I'll leave it at what we all already know. Rest Easy Joe!

In Honor of a great university (back to what my blog IS about)  you can see some of my favorite Penn State gear below - brought to you by Polyvore.

We Are... PSU!

We Are... PSU! by pixelsandpumps featuring a weekender bag

American Eagle Outfitters crew neck top
$45 - ae.com

American Eagle Outfitters plunging neckline top
$30 - ae.com

Victoria s secret
$40 - victoriassecret.com

Nike
$25 - nike.com

Victoria s secret
$11 - victoriassecret.com

Victoria s Secret weekender bag
$40 - victoriassecret.com

KC Designs 14k jewelry
£345 - liberty.co.uk

Avalisa Letter - Lower Case 'p' Stretched Wall Art | All Modern
$50 - allmodern.com

Penn State Pillow Pets™ - Bed Bath & Beyond
$30 - bedbathandbeyond.com

Penn State Crest Sundress Set
$25 - babyfans.com

Rob Ryan Scrabble U Mug
£8.50 - liberty.co.uk

Penn State Pacifier & Clip
$7.95 - babyfans.com

Organization for the Weekend

On Wednesday night I posted this article by Apartment Therapy on tips to keeping your living room tidy. One of my favorite things I've come across since decorating the house - which we've lived in for a full year and I cannot believe how fast time flies - is a way to hide your TV and electronic cords. The outlet for our power strip is right in the middle of this wall but the TV and stand sit in the corner so all the cords were sitting right in the middle of the floor. I had this old Oak framed mirror from my mom that I spray painted silver, but had no idea where to put. The glass is very old and foggy so it's not exactly a well functioning mirror. I had originally read an article last year (can't remember from where) that said about leaning artwork up against your walls to cover cords so I figured it'd be the perfect spot for the mirror! I wish I would've have thought of it sooner. Next to it is a vintage water pitcher filled with hydrangeas and white branches and my magazine stand I found at Marshall's.

Here are some other articles on how to camouflage things around the house!

For Thermostats, Radiators & A/C
For Toys
For TV
For Electronics on TV stand
               - want to try this one!*
For Electronic Cords
For Medicine Cabinet

Individual Chocolate Soufflés

Butter and flour before baking

We hosted dinner at our house last weekend while my sister and nephew were in town so I knew I wanted to make a delicious dessert! I went right to my favorite baking blog Bakerella where Angie had an irresistible "I a Made soufflé the easy way" recipe. I was mostly intrigued by the idea that everyone could have their very own individual soufflé and it was finally a reason to break out my ruby red ramekins my Mom got me for Christmas! Warm them up before serving again and the melt-in-your-mouth fudge-y, chocolate-y, deliciousness will make it hard for you not to grab another - good thing they're proportioned out in individual containers so you know when to stop!

The batter will fill a little more than 1/4 of a 10 oz. ramekin - but a 6 oz. would probably be closer to halfway

The recipe calls for using 6 ounce ramekins but mine were 10 which is why they
look low but don't worry they were fluffy and light!

Put the lids on until guests are ready for dessert and they'll stay nice and warm

Top with Cool Whip and a sprinkle of cocoa and enjoy!

Warm Neutrals

Old Navy shirt, Forever 21 skirt, Gifted necklace & black diamond earrings,
Michael Kors watch, Madden girl booties

My obsession for stripes this winter has not faded as you can see in this post. I love that you can take a casual cotton shirt and pair it with jeans, leggings, or a high waisted silk skirt like I did here. The warm neutral hues are perfect for winter when paired with tights but it could work for a warm day too with some wedges. My mom got me a lot of statement pieces of jewelry (remember?) for Christmas and this necklace is probably my favorite!