Back Again

Dress: JC Penney; Tank: NY & Company;

Bracelets: All Gifts; Earrings: Target; Shoes: Nine West

I'm back after a busy busy weekend. My Mom was in town and we were out running errands and shopping almost every second she was here. I had to run out to campus on Friday, which is when this outfit is from, to pick up a parking permit for this semester, so we walked around campus for a while and then had lunch at a restaurant that I have been wanting to try since last Fall, and it was amazing! Then we went to a health food store that I drive past everyday on the way to and from campus, and I'll probably be spending every cent I have there on a weekly basis. 

On Saturday we did some stuff around the house, dyed our hair, went out to lunch and then did some a lot of shopping (target x2 and thrifting). We finished it all off with an amazing dinner recipe that one of her friends sent her; I'll probably be sharing that later this week. We ended the weekend with the greatest donuts ever before she had to head back to IL.

Over all, I'd say it was a pretty great weekend! Hope yours was just as fantastic!

xoxo

Wild Rice-Cranberry Soup

Happy Thursday everyone!

This past week has been a little busier than normal and I had no interest in blogging. I didn’t even open my laptop from Wednesday (of last week) through Monday afternoon.  I had a ridiculously long eye doctor appointment on Thursday. Friday morning was spent relaxing on the shores of Lake Michigan, followed by a trip to Chicago for some museum visiting and little bit of shopping, followed by more shopping on Saturday. I planned on driving back to MI on Sunday, but put it off because of some bad weather that never showed up (Thanks for the Weather Channel).

I finally got home Monday afternoon and haven’t done a whole lot since then. I made one of my favorite soups (recipe below), did a little bit of cleaning, did a lot of cursing at Jillian Michaels, and locked myself out of the house (thank goodness for neighbors with spare keys).

So, now that you know where I’ve been all week, I thought I would share this soup recipe. I know most people don’t eat soup when it is still fairly hot outside, but I’ve mentioned before that I’m not really big on seasonal eating. Soup in the Summer, popsicles in the Winter, whatever floats your boat. It isn’t the tastiest looking soup (it is actually kind of a really ugly color), but it is so good!

Wild Rice-Cranberry Soup

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups vegetable stock

1.5 cups cooked wild rice*

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 cup milk or half-and-half

2 tablespoons dry sherry (optional)

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

*To cook wild rice: Bring 2 cups water, 1/2 cup rinsed wild rice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat ; cover and simmer for 45-55 minutes. Drain well.

1. Melt the butter in a dutch oven (I don't have a dutch oven, so I just melted mine in a deep pot) over medium heat. 
2. Add carrot, celery and onion, stirring occasionally, until carrot is tender. About 8 minutes. (I recommend adding the onion about half way through otherwise it tends to burn)
3. Add the flour and stir until smooth.
4. Gradually add the vegetable stock and stir until soup is thickened, about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in the rice and cranberries.
6. Reduce heat; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries are softened and plumped, about 15 minutes.
7. Stir in all the remaining ingredients and stir occasionally until warmed through.

This soup will keep for 3 days in the fridge. It will get really chunky in the fridge, but it thins out again as soon as your heat it up. If you want it thinner just add a little more milk when you are reheating it.

Recipe taken & slightly adapted from "A Beautiful Bowl of Soup" by Paulette Mitchell

(That's the soup on the cover!)

If you make it, I'd love to know what you think of it!

xoxo

Cheating

Cardigan: Sam's; Shirt: Old Navy; Tank: NY & Company;

Jeans: Tommy Hilfiger; Earrings: The Mustard Seed; 

Bracelet: Tiffany & Co; 

Shoes: Corso Como (exact)

I wear these earrings and this bracelet all the time, 

but you can never see them well in pictures.

Hey everyone! Happy Monday! 

I know I might be sort of cheating because I've worn almost this same outfit before, but my clothes are all over the place right now while I'm sorting through my closet.

I want to fill you all in on a little discovery I made recently, the Corso Como Bellasox. For a while now, I have sworn up and down the Gap's City flats were the most comfortable and convenient flat I had ever owned. But then I came across these babies for 50% off at a sidewalk sale a week and a half ago. They may be $20 more than Gap's City flats, but they're so worth it. 

So, if you're looking for a new pair of super comfy flats, grab yourself a pair of these.

I really want the teal, violet, and blush.

Do you have a favorite shoe that I should check out? Because I could always use more shoes.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway! I mean, it's basically free money.

xoxo

Closed-Blogiversary Giveaway!

I mentioned yesterday that I would be back with a little giveaway for all of you lovelies! I just thought it would be a nice way to acknowledge all of you and let you know how much I appreciate each and every one of you! Your comments and sweet emails always make my day! Thanks for making this a great first year of blogging!

To enter you must:

1. Be a follower through Google Friend Connect
2. Comment below, letting me know which gift card you would chose if you win and an email address if yours isn't easy to find.

Extra Entries:

• For one extra entry, follow me on twitter and comment below letting me know.
• For five extra entries, add my blog to your blog roll and comment with the link.
• For two extra entries, blog or tweet about this giveaway and leave a link to it in the comments.     Feel free to copy this tweet: 

         @Browniesandbows is giving away a gift card to a store of your choosing! http://bit.ly/pOsP39

This giveaway will remain open until Friday, August 12 at 10:00 PM EST.

xoxo

Blogiversary!

image

Today is this little blog's first birthday!

I'm so happy that my sister suggested that we start blogs and that I went along with her idea. I thought that I would post a recipe or two and then I would forget about it, and I'm so glad that didn't happen! I have made some amazing blogger friends and found a lot of amazing inspiration throughout this past year. 

I've got a giveaway coming up to celebrate making it through the first year. I'll be announcing it tomorrow, so make sure to check back in!

I can't wait to see what the next year brings!

Hope you're all having a good Friday!

xoxo

P.S. My sister's blog had it's first birthday yesterday! So make sure you stop by and check out some of her amazing recipes!

Bambi

Shirt: Old Navy; Shorts: Target;

Shoes: Target

So, to start with, these shorts used to be a romper. But then I realized how ridiculous I looked in it (before I had worn it in public, luckily), so I ripped it up and now I have shorts and a skirt. And these shorts are really stinkin' comfortable, so I'm glad I did it.

In other news, I almost had a mini heart attack last night. I heard something banging on the house right by my bedroom. At first I figured it was one of my neighbors friends who had probably had a little too much to drink because they were partying it up over there. Yea, on a Wednesday. They have a lot of parties (like the almost every night kind of a lot). After a few minutes of it I started to freak out a little bit. So, I finally got the lady balls to go look out the window and when I lifted up the shade there was a giant freakin deer standing there staring at me. I was totally prepared to see a creepy middle aged man standing there trying to break in, but a deer?! Right up at the window?! I was in no way prepared for that. I think it was more freaked out than I was since I had pretty much just blinded the poor thing with my flash light. There was also a baby bunny in my yard last night and all day today. So together they might be remaking Bambi, I don't really know. But I would prefer they do it at some other time of the day, and not so close to my window.

Room Redo pt. 1

In case I haven't mentioned it enough already, I'm really excited about redoing my bedroom and getting it super organized for the first time since I moved to MI almost a year ago.

Here are the pieces that will soon be taking up residence in my room:

Micke Desk in White/Birch

Laver Chair in White/Silver

Lack Side Table in Birch(x2) 

Malm Dresser in White 

Basisk Table Lamp in Birch

I'll make sure to take pictures once I've got everything finished and (hopefully) looking good. 

Who wants to guess how long it's going to take me to put all of this stuff together by myself?

I'm hoping it won't take too long. But, I'm pretty sure that is just wishful thinking.

Have any of you put together Ikea furniture by yourself before? I've gotten mixed reviews about how much of a pain it is.

xoxo

30 for 30 Recap

I'm so excited to be finished with the 30 for 30. It definitely served it purpose of teaching me new ways to wear some of the things in my closet. It made me think of combinations that I never would of before, like my tomato red skirt and neon pink shirt, and it made me fall in love with a previously unworn white blazer. It also taught me that I shouldn't buy any more striped tops for a while (that isn't going to happen though), that my denim skirt will look a lot better once I lose a few pounds, that that striped tank top is bad news, and that I should be more consistent with my bronzer usage.

I have a few outfits that I will most certainly be wearing again (7, 8, 13, 28) and a few that I won't even think about wearing ever again (12, 19, 20, 22). All in all, I'm glad I took part in this 30 for 30. I think the Fall or Winter one would have been a lot easier for me, but overall, I guess I'm pretty pleased with this one. Except for outfit 22. Lets wipe that out of our memories and pretend it never happened, okay? Thanks.

If you've ever taken part in the 30 for 30 what were your final thoughts about it? Are you glad you did it or did you hate every moment of it?

xoxo