Lighter Fare

Sorry I've been both uninspired and depressing these last couple of days. It's completely understandable given the circumstances, but I'm not going to dwell on those things anymore. My heart goes out to Colton Tooley's family and I pray for him and them. I know something awful drove him to do this and while I don't approve or understand, I still have pity for the boy. I hope all my fellow longhorns are healing and recovering well.

That being said, I'm not entirely "over" the incident, but I'm not going to dwell on it here anymore. So let's move on to lighter fare, shall we? Mainly, the unfortunate incident tonight at HEB.

Let me first paint you a picture of me:

Marginally depressed, dealing with ferocious allergies. Hair dirty and in a messy ponytail. No makeup. Intense allergy circles under my eyes. Messy tank under an open cardi and loose trouser jeans. All that to say: NOT CUTE.

I was frowning my way through the aisles when by the deli case I see the most attractive man I've seen in a long time. He was TALL. About 6'3' and was wearing a blue plaid button down shirt, nice fitting jeans, and brown boots. He had short, clean-cut brown hair and blue eyes- a fatal combination to me.

When I saw him, my mouth might have dropped open and my heart skipped a beat. He was gorgeous. I knew right then I wanted to marry him and and have his babies. Maybe he sensed me staring, but he looked up and met my eyes. He smiled at me and the heavens parted and the angels sang. It was beautiful. He nodded at me and I smiled back.

And then I realized I looked homeless, pushed my cart as fast as I could out of his line of sight and immediately texted all of my friends about my sexy deli rendez-vous. I ran into him later and again high-tailed it out of there because I was seriously repulsive. I am only barely passable when I actually try to look good, so when I don't try, I fall into the ranks of the forgotten/ psychologically scarring.

Anyway, that should teach me to "run to the grocery store." Nothing simple is ever simple, is it? Y'all have a good day, and remember to primp if you go to HEB.

I Don't Know What to Write

Honestly.

I can't get myself together today. I'm kind of depressed and just blah. I know it has to do with yesterday but everyone else seems to have already forgotten about it. I just don't forget things like that.

I couldn't wake up this morning and slept until 12 but I'm exhausted. I skipped my classes today, but I think I'll make my way to my lab tonight because it just involves clicking on a computer and not talking to anyone.

I just want to sleep and for this week to be over. I need a break from school, but sadly, those breaks don't exist. Right in the middle of midterms. I really need to get myself together, but I can't.

Change of Plans

I pulled my previous post to update.

I woke up this morning and started the coffee pot. I stretched a little, grabbed some almonds for breakfast and opened my laptop to facebook. There, I saw a status of one of my friends that read "Gunman at 21st and Guadalupe."

I frantically searched the news sites and twitter, and it was true. There was a gunman in the PCL. As of this time, news reports are inconclusive as to if he injured anyone else, but definitively: he has shot and killed himself.

Police are now searching for a second suspect. The University is closed and all classes were cancelled.

I am safe at home, thank God.

I am in shock. I am afraid. I hear sirens and helicopters. My prayers are fervent and desperate for everyone in the UT Shooting. Things like this are difficult, but I'm grateful and thankful that I am safe and that all my friends are safe.

Also, thank God for social networking, because I would've been heading to campus without it.

Beware the Groove!

Gutentag, everyone! I hope your weekend was swell. Mine was amazing! Truly stupendous. So much so that I was beyond exhausted last night and therefore did not pre-write my Monday morning post. For shame, I know. So it's actually Monday morning as I write this. And guess what?

It is 60 degrees outside! The first day of fall in Texas! I'm so happy I could cry. That doesn't make a lot of sense. But I'm still groggy, so y'all must excuse me.

I'm sorry, did you come here looking for an actual post? Well, last Friday was Fashion Friday edition two, so go read that if you're wanting to see clothes that I want to buy. I spent actual time and effort on it. As opposed to this post which is frankly just a hindrance to me, since my real goal at this moment in time is eating my cheese stick.

Tomorrow will be a weekend recap and all will be right with the world. As for now, I'm going to go enjoy my cheese stick (confession, I initially wrote cheesecake and boy, do I wish that to be so.) and the amazing fall weather and maybe dance around my room until class throws off my groove.

Fashion Friday: Maybe They're Trendy, and Maybe I Just Want Them

Hola and welcome to another Fashion Friday! Are you guys so proud of me that I've kept up my blog schedule for a full week? That's totally fine if you're not, because I'm proud enough for all of us. I really enjoy blogging, so I'm glad I'm finally making the commitment. I end up writing so much every day between the blog, my prayer journal, any writing assignments or papers I have plus writing for fun... Why did I ever resist my future as a writer? Silly Kaitlin, stable employment is for business majors!

Once again, I digress. Let's get to the fashion, shall we? This post is all about the trends I'm digging for fall. I've gathered the trends through various online snooping as well as reading some fashion magazines, but, be warned, it's a whole lot of "I want these things, ergo they are trendy." So take everything I say with a fashionable grain of salt.

Trend #1: Lace Detailing

Now, we all know that lace can be a little grandmother-y, but when done tastefully and sparingly, lace makes my heart sing and 21 years of girlishness come squee-ing to the forefront of my personality.

Ironically, this is Not Your Grandma's Sweater. I swear, I didn't plan my jokes to match. Anyway, I'm in love with this simple lace detail and think this sweater would be beautiful with simple jeans and boots or even a cute patterned skirt with chunky knit tights. 

Oh my word, how much do I love this smoke and mirrors dress?? Answer: A lot. You might recall how deeply I feel about gray for fall. Wouldn't this look darling with those blue suede wedges from last week? 

Trend #2: Plaid and Lumberjack

I kind of have a lumberjack fetish. I know. It's weird. I just like comfort of flannel and the masculine strength I associate with these patterns. So sue me.

How comfortable does this Lumber Jill Top look? Bonus points for the clever name. Modcloth never disappoints me there.

This J Term Tunic is a beautiful, slightly more put together plaid option. I would adore this with a cute brown belt and tall riding boots.

And how about This Rad Jacket? It looks so dang comfy! And it would be effortlessly cute on casual days. I want it. Just being honest.

Trend #3: Jewel Tones

I adore Jewel Tones and they are always in for fall, no matter what the fashion mags say. This is definitely an example of what I want to be trendy. I guess we could splenda-coat it and say I'm a trendsetter?

In case you didn't get enough adorable coats last week, I adore this Babylon Coat in this beautiful shade of emerald. Gorgeous.

How about this amazing sapphire-toned sweater? The name says it all: A Cozy Sweater Kinda Day. I would love this with some comfy jeggings and embellished ballet flats. It would be the fashionable way to basically wear pajamas to class, it would be that comfortable.

I am in deep, deep like with this Claudette Hat. The model kind of freaks me out, but I am too much in like with the hat to care.

This "dress" 1) looks suspiciously like a tunic and 2) cashes in on multiple fall trends: Jewel tones and feminine ruffles. Maybe it could be a tunic. On a good day.

Trend #4 and #5: Muted Neutrals and Feminine Ruffles

These three amazing finds just happen to all embody two trends. So deal with it.

As a coffee lover, I've been eying this Macchiato Dress ever since it appeared on Modcloth this week. So cute. It would look darling layered over a long-sleeve t-shirt in a nice jewel tone to make it more fall appropriate.

I adore this Petit Fours Glaces Dress. It would look so cute with the Claudette hat from above and maybe some pretty brown wedges.

This Smoky Eyes Dress has been toying with me for what seems like forever. It's just so beautiful and would look smashing under any pretty, feminine coat you wish to put it under.

That's all for me on this Fashion Friday! If you're craving more, head on over to my inspiration, Big Mama. Y'all have a great weekend. Go forth and be fashionable.

It's One A.M. Do You Know Where Your Cheese Is?

The title of this post has little do with the actual post and more to do with the fact that it's one in the morning while I'm writing this and I'm really hungry. Specifically for cheese. But I will not give in to cheesy temptation, no way.

Something unfortunate happened yesterday (Wednesday. I know it's confusing. Maybe only to me.) I pulled a muscle in my back. The same ding-dang muscle I initially pulled while leaving California and hauling my two 50+ pound suitcases down three flights of stairs. I did this because my dorm didn't have an elevator, not because I'm an idiot. Unless you count choosing a dorm without an elevator as grounds for idiot status. Anyway, after the stair-lugging, I had to lug them uphill about 2 blocks to my ghetto rental car.

Then I spent a night in a ritzy hotel and the bell boys did the lugging. Oh yeah. Sadly, my reprieve was short-lived as the following day I had to do massive amounts of lugging through LAX. With that dang Miley Cyrus song on repeat in my head. Dang her with her catchy music.Dang her. THRICE DANGED!

Anyway, somewhere between stupid dorm and LAX, I pulled a muscle in the middle of my back, on the right side. Kind of where my waist is. That general area. I pulled it again like... a week after that, because I didn't let it heal properly the first time. And now I've pulled it again. THRICE PULLED!

And that's about all I have to say other than that I'll be sleeping on an ice pack tonight. Which will be great, especially since I adore freezing to death. I'll be back tomorrow for Fashion Friday! Ya'll have a good day.

Somewhere, in a Distant Teepee, a Tribe is Doing a Raindance.

Greetings from Hell.

Okay, okay I'm exaggerating. Unless I was on another Caribbean cruise, because I totally went to Hell, Grand Cayman. But I digress.These might be the last words I ever write. Which is pathetic because they're awful and neither beautiful nor inspiring. Kind of they are boring.Which is a real shame.

The reason I'm going to die, you see, is because earlier Tuesday evening, the skies opened up and the heavens rained down and my shoes and jeggings got soaked. I protected my boho satchel and my choir music, but my poor, sweet Forever XXI flats might not make it. Fatality: 1

Since I was by the communications school, I ducked in to use one of the student computers and to wait for about an hour and a half until my screening. This seemed like a good plan until I discovered that it is approximately -7* in the comm school and therefore I no longer have soggy feet, but frozen, icy stumps.

And that's pretty much all I have to say about that. Other than that it's almost 1 a.m. and there are evil banshee women screaming outside. Maybe I really am in hell. Except not, because I'm pretty sure I'd be all on fire and all like afraid of Satan and stuff.

This is officially the worst post ever. Apparently the frigid a/c has frozen my brain as well. I hope you enjoyed my cookie post from yesterday. I'll see you guys upon the morrow. And by "see" I mean "write to and hope at least one of you answers."

The Carbs Are Worth It

I'm an extrovert. Really and truly I am. I delight in the attention of others. I get my kicks not on Route 66, but by making new friends and telling jokes and making people laugh. That being said, I LOATHE group assignments with a fiery, burning passion.

I wish to fling my project (and some of my group members) to the seventh circle of hell! That reminds me of a story... When my baby brother was about 5, one Sunday in Sunday School, the kids were asked to draw a picture of God beating the Devil or something like that. My little brother came home with a piece of paper where God was saying to Satan "I vanish you to heck!" Because he mistook "vanish" for "banish" and he knew "hell" was a bad word. Isn't that just one of the most precious things you've ever heard? But I digress.

Where was I? Ah, yes, righteously flinging group members to eternity in ceaseless fire. Sweet. But all this hatred for my group members doesn't mean I hate groups as a rule. Au contraire. I deeply love the Women's Chorus and wish to serve them as well as I can. I was selected as Second Soprano Section Leader and so I really feel a responsibility toward the organization. Which may or may not have lead to me baking 107 cookies at 12 a.m. on Friday night.

These cookies are my specialty. They've made me more friends than I can count. The recipe is from Paula Deen, who, as you may remember, is the Patron Saint of Desserts. They are 3 kinds of chocolatey sinfullness and topped off with some heath chips. To die for, people. To die for.

First, you begin with butter. A lot of it.

Then, when you've stared at that long enough that you feel your arteries clog; you add some shortening.

 I like to use butter flavored shortening, because... well... why stop at 2 sticks?

Next, you blend those two together until you make it light and fluffy on the outside. Inside, it is just as rich as you remember. Tricky.

Then you add helpful things like white sugar.

Then you pack ridiculous amounts of brown sugar. Confession: I loathe packing brown sugar;

But I simply adore the little sandcastle-like mound it makes when you dump it.

Then you give those sweet nothings a good beating. Then you add 3 eggs. Cage-free of course, for a clear conscience. At least as far as chickens go. You'll probably still feel guilty about abusing your waist-line, but hey, not my problem.

(P.S. Do I get bonus points for that sweet action shot?)

Then you add a teaspoon of vanilla. Wonky, awkward hand grip optional.

Then you shall lift your eyes up to the hills:

And you will see that it is good.

Then you segregate out a bunch of white powdery things that would probably really confuse Paris Hilton.

And now we can all take a moment to squee over the adorable measuring spoons my mother got me one Christmas.

Now look at the picture again, now back at me. Now back at the picture, now back at me. Well, you can't really see me, but I wanted to make an Old Spice joke. So sue me. Or, you know, gaze upon this glory:

Now, gather the troops:

The Mucinex in the top right corner is optional, but I think it gives the cookies a real kick. A lil' somethin extra.

Next begins Part 1 of what I like to call "Pour and Stir" because that's all you do.

Then you have to chop those cute little bittersweet squares.

And then comes Part 2 of Pour and Stir.

And after you think your arm is going to fall off and your spoon is going to break, you get this:

And it is glorious.

So then you ignore the recipe when it says to make 1/4 cup cookies. (Seriously, they're unmanageable.)

Then you bake them a minute or two less than the recipe calls for; you'll have to monitor for your oven/ how large you choose to make them.

And eventually, you'll get this:

And then you'll, of course, want to use the most precious, amazing spatula ever that your bestie gave you last year for Christmas:

And then you'll repeat until you have this:

Seriously, y'all? They're so good.

Here's the recipe!

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 3/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels
• 1 cup milk chocolate morsels
• 3 (1-ounce) squares bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup almond brickle chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease baking sheets.

With an electric mixer, beat butter and shortening at medium speed until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, beating well.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Stir in chocolate morsels and almond brickle chips. Drop cookies by 1/4 cupfuls about 3-inches apart onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool for 2 minutes on baking sheets. Remove to wire racks to cool.

And here's the direct link, just in case you want to print, etc.: 

Three Chocolate Cookies

Y'all have a great day, and I hope you try these cookies soon! Or come visit me and I'll bake them for you. Either way, we'll all be getting fatter.

Well, No One Told Me to be Quiet...

Guten tag everyone! I hope your weekend was swell. I had a great weekend, truly, but I have no idea where all the time went. I swear it was just Friday and now it's late Sunday night (remember, I write in advance now. Because I'm all like responsible and adult-like and stuff.) and I still haven't done much in the way of schoolwork. Oh well, guess tomorrow is another little-sleep kind of day. Just means I'll have to drink coffee again tomorrow morning. Oh no, how awful. However will I survive being forced to drink the most delicious thing ever to come in contact with my tastebuds?

I'm actually rather good at living and surviving on little sleep. I guess part of it is that I'm so much healthier now that I've changed my diet for how I need to eat and so I have a lot more energy. I'm not addicted to caffeine anymore, even though I still use coffee as the occasional pick me up. And because I love it. (See above: most delicious thing.) I'm completely off of diet cokes (I know, shocker.) And I'm just generally much healthier. So maybe that's why I've been able to deal with little sleep so effectively?

On Thursday night, I only got 5 hours of sleep, but I made it to the gym at a little after 8, worked out, and then showered and changed and drove to San Marcos to have lunch with an old friend. She drove up from San Antonio, so we were meeting half way and it was amazing. :) I've missed her so much, even though we try to keep in touch via phone calls, there's nothing like seeing her beautiful, smiling face. We have plans again for October 1st. I'm so excited!

After lunch I boogied my way back to Austin. That's a lie. I drove, like a normal person. I really need to work on my word choice. And also embracing the concept of editing. I had a little down time and so I did my quiet time and that was pretty much the last time I was quiet for two days, because then I went to the first leg of our Men's and Women's Chorus "Retreat." It's not a real retreat because really we all just take the Forty Acres bus to the music school. But I digress.

It was rather fun. I made a lot of new friends and got all SUPER! HYPER! because being in social situations like that turns me into a ham and I just feel the need to be the center of attention and tell all the funny jokes and then I'm like supercharged and have zillions of new best friends. It was funny because all the boys lined up on one side of the room and all the girls on another. Just like a junior high dance. I wouldn't expect choir geeks to be very adept in navigating social landscapes, though. Especially when those landscapes are ridden with *gasp!* the opposite sex. 


We played a few silly games and some of the social barriers began to fall down. Then we went outside and a mass amount of men and women played capture the flag. Those of us that were too smart- I mean tired- to play in the 9 billion degree weather stood on the sidelines and bonded over our mutual detest for most physical activity. It was a great time.

Then I went to the grocery store with Kendall and then came home and baked cookies until all hours of the night. 105 of them. Tomorrow I'm going to do a picture post with the recipe so you can all have hunger pangs and sugar cravings. You're welcome. After baking, I finished re-writing a scene for my screenwriting class, emailed it to my class, and then fell into bed a little after 4 a.m.

Saturday morning, I woke up at 8. That means I got a little under 4 hours of sleep. Let that sink in. And yet, I made it to day two of the retreat without coffee or any form of caffeine. We sang for 2 hours, took a cookie break (the cookies were a huge hit, as they always are) and sang for another hour. We were in this amazing old concert hall tucked back in what was the original music school on campus. The acoustics were stellar. You might not know this about me because, well, this is a blog and therefore there are no sounds, but I can sing. Loudly. I swear, I heard myself over the entire choir a few times.

But no one told me to be quiet, so I just sang my little heart out. I think our concert is going to be beautiful. We have some amazing music this semester. I'm very excited and blessed to be a part of a choir again. I took my first two years of college off, but now I can't imagine being without it again. No matter where I go, I'll have to find a community or church choir or SOMETHING to feed my passion.

Singing is such a gift to me. It's how I worship, it's how I work through a lot of my emotions, and it's pure joy to me. I love creating music with my voice and I especially love adding my voice together with other voices to create a choir. It's a wonderful feeling and I'm very thankful that God gave me even passable vocal talent so that I could experience all these years of choir.

Sorry this was long and blabby. Tomorrow will have a lot of pictures and a delicious recipe, so that you can take a break. Although if you take too long of a break while staring at the pictures of butter, your arteries might harden. Just a warning.

Fashion Friday: Things I Would Buy, Were I but a Billionaire or a Size Two

Happy Premiere Fashion Friday! How apropos in light of New York Fashion Week and all. This week's theme is very simple. Let's call it "Things I Want for Fall." Because that is the only unifying theme. EDIT: Themes could also include "I'm Obsessed with Modcloth" and "Shoes Are My Mistress."

1) A nice coat/ jacket. (P.S. my comments are below each item!)

I like ones that are military-inspired like this First Brass Coat from Modcloth.

Or how about this Military Jacket from Target? Oh that's right... I already have this little number sitting in my closet, waiting for the heat index to drop below 100...

I love things that are super quirky and weird like the Lady Obsidian Jacket. I have a slight obsession with all things Victorian, and this is just one of the most delightful jackets I've ever seen. Most of my friends would hate it, but I would wear it with pride.

I also love classic coats with a feminine shape like the Big City Blues Coat in Red.

 And I am very Devoted To This Coat.

But my FAVORITE kind of coat (at the moment, at least) are coats with beautiful, frilly details. In the words of Rachel Zoe, I DIE for the Go Into Detail Coat. I don't know what I love best about this coat; The frills, the double row of big buttons, or the HOT PINK LINING.

I often imagine myself in a world where I had a closet full of coats. Coats for any outfit and any mood. Jackets for when the weather permitted. Colors and textures abound! Then I remember that I live in central Texas and a closet full of coats would be the biggest waste of money imaginable. But in that dream world that flickers in my heart, this Sovereign Style Coat is the piece de resistance! The crown jewel of my collection! I love it so hard, it hurts.

2. A nice, comfy fall dress.

I adore the idea of the Pleated Jersey Dress with a bright belt and boots. I tend to choose darker pieces for fall and winter, so I will choose grey or plum for many of these dresses, even though they come in other colors. This color is called "Bear Hug" so I'm really not sure how you could not buy it.

I'm all for a good argyle and this Argyle VNeck Sweater Dress is about as good as it gets. This would be so easy to throw on over leggings with some cute ballet flats for fall or boots for winter.

I am in passionate love with this 3/4 Sleeve Ruffled Dress because I think the ruffles would be absolutely darling peeking out from underneath a coat. I could just squee thinking about it!

This Academy Days Dress in Cranberry looks so effortlessly stylish and COMFORTABLE for those winter days when you hop out of your warm bed and you want to layer up fast.

Another effortlessly chic option, I love classic dresses like this Checks Mix Dress (such clever names on Modcloth.) The belt is already there! This would be charming by itself or over tights.

Now, remember that dream world from when I fantasized over coats? Be prepared to meet the most beautiful dress I have ever seen. I lust after this dress. I need to call on the name of Jesus to keep me from buying this dress. It is what I would want to be buried in, if only because that's probably the only way I can afford it right now. Okay, maybe I'm being a bit dramatic. Judge for yourselves as I present to you the Deep Within the Armoire dress!

3. I am obsessed with shoes. Here are some I would love for fall:

I basically love these Teacher's Pet Oxfrord Heels more than life itself.

And the Blue Button Beauty Boot plays into my love of all things Victorian, despite its unfortunate and rather annoying name.

I find these Get Your Kicks Wedges a delightful way to add comfortable height and a great pop of color in the fall. Side Note:  Do these count as blue suede shoes?

And, to end with some beautiful boots, I think these Kagome Western Boots are wonderfully slouchy and are a steal at thirty dollars!


That's all for the first edition of Fashion Friday! I hope you all enjoyed it and I'll be back come Monday!