Thinking Out Loud: Summer, Pups, and More!

June 24, 2015 by Christine Skari

It’s been a hot second since I’ve participated in the lovely Amanda’s Thinking Out Loud, but I’m feeling chatty today and thought I would throw it back to an old favorite.

Let’s jump right into it!

1. SUMMMMMER!

Anyone else all caught up in the summer joy? It’s been a beautiful one so far and the sunshine, blue skies, and warm evening breeze make for my own personal heaven. I know that in comparison to most other places, California doesn’t really have seasons, but summer is special and this native can tell a big difference 😉 . Don’t judge!

Along with the weather, I’m also in love with the slow-paced life that summer brings with it. Well, at least for another year since by then I’ll be out of school and working like a real-person. Summer break at UCSB is about 3 months long, so I have plenty of time to concentrate on making up on lost sleep from the exhausting school year and really do what makes my soul happy. Likeeee taking the extra time to fix myself a beautiful + nutritious breakfast in the morning to enjoy with a homemade latte.

…

Thinking Out Loud

December 4, 2014 by Christine Skari

Haiii there, friends! Can we take a hot minute to talk about how it’s already Thursday?

WHAT.

Where is this week going? If someone finds it, please let me know since I don’t have enough hours in a day to get all the work I have done. While we’re getting closer and closer to the weekend, we’re also getting closer and closer (gulp) to my approaching finals. Judgement week begins on the 15th and it’s not going to be a fun intellectual journey to get to where I want to be in terms of preperation for them. Someone hold me 😯 .

But enough of that. Let’s get on to more fun things! Random musings, here we gooooo! As always, thanks to the lovely Amanda for hosting this edition of Thinking Out Loud. You’re a gem <3.

First off, how cool is Kelty?

Kelty is one of my most colorful friends (in more ways than one) and I miss her like CRAZY. She’s off studying abroad for the quarter, but will be back after winter break . You might recognize her from the Never Merely Pretty post she wrote for my site. Anyways, she’s been doing all sorts of fun things to her hair since our freshman year of college, but recently went brunette. How does she pull everything off so well?!

Andddd here’s Martha!

Let me introduce you to Martha: one of my roommates, closest friends, and diva extraordinaire 😉 . She expressed some jealousy to me after noticing she hasn’t made an appearance on the blog yet, so I thought today would be the perfect time for her grand debut! Here she is in a picture I took over her and her boyfriend for their 1 year anniversary. So much cuteness <3.

This cinnamon sugar grinder…

Found it at Trader Joe’s and couldn’t say no to buying it. Forget that I can just sprinkle normal cinnamon and sugar on my food, that just wouldn’t do when I know that something like this exists. So cute and satisfying to twist. Pshhh…. the things I spend my money on.

Oh! And on the topic of sweet things, you guys are the sweetest!

Super loose connection there, but I want to thank you guys for all of your positive feedback and support for my November Income Report. Not only do those monster posts take absolutely forever to write, so it’s nice to know that they’re helpful, but I’m always nervous about hitting the publish button for fear of sounding insincere about blogging. I blog because I 100% love the community, friends I’ve made, creative release it gives me, etc. You guys are the best.

Cold weather is finally starting to hit California!

We had an insanely rainy day and, since then, the weather has started to get a little chillier. I took this photo today (after the big rain pour we had the day before) from our oceanside balcony (wow, do I sound spoiled saying that hahah) and couldn’t get over how stormy everything was.

Via a friend’s Facebook status…. So true. I love my school.

CHRISTMAS TREE!

One of my housemates went out the other day and picked up/decorated a tree for the house. This is a big deal for us since most of the time, we don’t get to have much holiday cheer until we head back to our hometowns for Christmas break. I can’t even how express how nice it is to wake up early in the morning and sip on some coffee with the glowing lights and sound of crashing waves. Heaven.

Want to know the best thing I’ve eaten this month?

THESE.

Decadent S’mores Cupcakes.

Argh. Drooling. *cue me passing out*

So since that basically leaves me as a salivating mess on the floor, I guess I’ll seeya guys tomorrow with another recipe that you won’t want to miss 😉 . It involves mini cast iron skillets, so you know it’s gotta be good!

Peace out, home skillets.

(sorry I’m so painfully awkward sometimes)

Thinking Out Loud

November 19, 2014 by Christine Skari

Words are failing me as I try to write a clever and creative intro. Let’s just jump right into things! A big thanks to the lovely Amanda for hosting Thinking Out Loud!

1. Fall is coming! I think… Since it was a frigid 55 degrees yesterday morning, I wore one of my first sweater/boots outfits of the season. The boots are from Hautelook and are absolutely gorgeous, but I have to literally wrestle them to get the zipper up and over my muscular calves. They’re comfy and not overly tight when they’re on, but man, it’s like having an extra workout in the morning. The sweater is from Forever21 (like $15 bucks!) and is one comfy mofo.

Can we get an amen for that price? LESS THAN $40 PEEPS.

2. Also, throwback to a few weeks ago when I got my hair colored. I’ve never done anything like it in a salon with it before, so I was a little immature when they put my head in this spaceship helmet thing. What does it even do 😯 ?!

3. This music video. Taylor Swift is crazy and I love her for it. Also, that guy… hubba hubba 😯 . His glance at 19-21 seconds… *pass out*.

4. You know those recipes that are extra delicious because of the nostalgia you have over them? This lasagna fits right into that category! The recipe is from my Obachan (Japanese for grandma) and one that my mom grew up eating. It’s funny because it is the best “Italian” lasagna I’ve ever had, but it comes from a tiny asian woman and the secret ingredient is taco seasoning. Go figure.

5. Speaking of food, check out my new recipe on Savory Style! This one is for No-Bake Salted Caramel PopCorn, and it is to die for. My friend, Darinne, is making a huge batch of it sometime this week to hand out for some project she’s doing for our student health organization and you better believe I’m snagging 30 a handful 😉 .

Andddddd that’s all for now! I’m off to reply to some emails and study for a neurobiology midterm I have coming up on Monday. See all you beautiful babes later!

Thinking Out Loud

October 15, 2014 by Christine Skari

Woweee. I’m spent. I don’t know what it is about this week, but I’ve been perpetually tired from the minute I wake up to the second I go to bed. Scratch that, I always seem to get a second wind around 11-12 o’clock at night which makes me stay up later than I probably should. I guess I’m simultaneously turning into a night owl and a morning bird, which ends up leaving me feeling tired all day. Blah. Anyways, I skipped one of my classes today (something I never do) to give me more time in the morning to rest a little bit, so I’m feeling more energetic and ready to take on another hot library date with Kyle tonight. Since this post is already getting a bit rambly, I’m going to jump straight into my latest edition of Thinking Out Loud, brought to you by the lovely Amanda from Running with Spoons!

1. This Ed Sheeran song.

I hate to use it, but I think the hashtag #dying is necessary here. I first heard it when Kyle’s stepbrother’s daughter shared it on facebook and I can now officially say that I’m obsessed with it.

2. Speaking of music, I’m a little mad at John Mayer right now.

He has adorable songs titled “Something Like Olivia” and “Dear Marie” (my close cousin and sister’s names) but doesn’t have anything for me. WHAT GIVES. I think I should write a strongly worded letter to him and let him know that if he doesn’t immediately compose/record/market a love song with my name in it, I will no longer continue to buy his music. That’ll show him. Take that.

3. Every Fall I buy a new pair of riding boots to get me through the colder weather.

My foot attire for the next few months basically only include boots and my tennis shoes, so I usually wear them down pretty quickly. Meet my newest pair! Bought off the Nordstrom rack iPhone app Hautelook for only $40. *happy dance* I really love a rich dark brown for them since it pairs with any sort of outfit. Now I just need the weather to cooperate so I can start wearing leggings, slouchy sweaters, and boots 24/7. 4. This lil’ piggy, Nuff’ said. LOOK AT THAT OINKER. Anddd that’s all I really have for you guys 😯 . I’ve been so busy with life lately that I haven’t had much time to let my mind wander and the random thought accumulate. Maybe next week!

Thinking Out Loud: Packages, Eyebrows, and Other Thoughts

April 10, 2014 by Christine Skari

Happy Thursday, everyone! It’s almost the weekend which means a little more relaxation as well as having extra time to study and get some freelance work done. It also means that it’s one of my favorite days for blogging since today is Thinking Out Loud! Hosted by my favorite utensil, Spoons! (aka Amanda from Running With Spoons)

So let the word vomit commence!

1. One thing that’s always made me giddy is receiving packages. Or any mail in general. I think it has to do with growing up in the age of technology, but getting things by snail-mail make me feel all tingly inside. Especially if it involves an adorable gift from a bloggy friend! My friend Miranda and I have been exchanging care packages, and she was so sweet to send me some huckleberry jam! Such a thoughtful gift that’s unique to where she lives. Thanks, love!

It just so happened that everything seemed to come in the mail at once, so along with Miranda’s package, I also received a box of Kind bars to review and a crock pot I had ordered. I felt like a kid on Christmas morning with all those boxes waiting to be ripped open!

Coolest packaging award goes to the people over at Kind! You open the box and everything falls out perfectly organized. The engineer in Kyle loved it and his first words when he saw it were “I appreciate that”.

I tried the dark chocolate sea salt bar and was literally (not figuratively, I was there, I swear) in heaven. SO GOOD.

The next few months for me are going to be pretty busy, so I wanted a solution on how to keep Apple of My Eye running when I’m stretched for time. I’m planning on throwing together a mess of ingredients into the slow cooker in the morning before my 8 a.m classes and being able to come back and have the food all ready for their photo shoot as well as a nice hot lunch. Confession: even though I’m a food blogger, when I’m not actually cooking for AoME, I usually just end up grazing on cereal/oatmeal/leftovers/bagels/toast/nut butter because I’m too lazy to cook for myself. Hopefully I can get myself out of that habit!

Stay tuned for a recipe for crock pot chicken caesar sandwiches and apple crisps (<—pie’s closest kin) in the near future.

2. A while back I mentioned that Kyle had helped me with a DIY project to make a faux table for my food photography. It came out wonderfully and I love how much character the wood brings to my pictures! The only real photos I’ve taken for the blog on it were for my Blueberry Pie Oatmeal, but I can already tell it’s going to be a huge asset for improving my photography :).

My favorite part would have to be the rich color and fun accents on the wood.

Kyle wrote up a step-by-step instruction post on how he made it, so if it’s something you’re potentially interested in doing yourself, look for his post tomorrow night :).

3. So this is going to be a weird statement, but I don’t really have eyebrows. I mean, I do, but they’re pretty light and definitely not defined. I guess I have to count my blessings, though, since I’m relatively hairless except for the hair on my head so I don’t need to shave my legs too often. Not that I really shave my legs for half the year anyways when it’s cold. Jeans/legging weather=mini forrest on my legs. Too much information? Yep. ANYWAYS. Going back to eyebrows. My roommate, Kelty, has the fiercest eyebrows in town and, as we like to say, “they could kill a man”. We read a Buzzfeed article together about about “14 Before and After Photos That Prove Good Eyebrows Can Change Your Entire Face” and I had her fill them in since I was too much of an eyebrow-coward to really go over them darkly since I thought it looked weird, but I like how it looks! Penciled-in eyebrows for the win!

4. Going off makeup, I’m still going strong with my obsession with red lipstick. Everyday, all day!

Annddd that’s all for now! It’s almost 1 in the morning and I really need to get to bed. Sleep tight!

Question of the Day: Could your eyebrows kill a man?