Last year, we planted some daffodils in our front yard near the sidewalk. I'm glad to see that they finally bloomed! 

What I'm not so glad about is these pear trees, which collect so much pollen and make my allergies worse! They are beautiful nonetheless.

On a random note, I found a new favorite snack: dried carrots! I found them at my local organic and fresh produce market that carries a huge variety of unique healthy snacks. They even have peanut butter dispensers that customers can get peanut butter from.

Enjoy this weather!

Personalized Glass Mug

I've always loved the idea of drinking out of a mason jar. It just seems so much cooler than using a plastic water bottle. Although, I do know that it is much less practical since they break so easily. I found a mason jar with a handle at the craft store, and immediately thought about all the yogurt parfaits and fruit drinks I could put into it. Here's a cute way to personalize your mason jar:

Simply take out the metal circle piece from the lid and trace that circle on a piece of scrapbooking paper. Then draw your first initial letter (or anything else) onto another piece of patterned paper. Cut these shapes out. Glue the initial to the circle and "laminate" with packing tape on both sides. Cut the tape so there is a small circle border around the shape. Then, simply insert the circle on top of the metal circle and place inside the lid. Screw the lid on to make the paper keep its shape.

Store fruit or a parfait to go!

DIY Boutonniere for Prom!

If you're a senior in high school like me, I can almost guarantee that you're excited for prom. If not, then get excited! But even though prom is super fun, it can be extremely expensive! Girls have to get a dress (which aren't cheap!), boutonniere for a date, and perhaps a ticket and meal too. Why buy a boutonniere, which is basically just a small bundle of flowers, for $20 or more when you can DIY it?!

Materials:
Flowers, one main color (to match dress) and smaller accent flowers--these can be fresh flowers or fake ones; I chose fake because I'm making this far in advance to prom and don't want the flowers to die.
Tape, floral or masking (doesn't matter what color, we'll cover it up!)
Straight pins
Ribbon
Scissors

Here are the steps, in pictures:

Keep reading to finish the tutorial!

Snow Cones for Spring

...Wow, that was a great unexpected alliteration. Anyway, it was a great nostalgic moment when my friend and I saw a snow cone truck pulled up on the side of a neighborhood road. We instantly stopped the car and ran out to see what they were selling. It turns out, they were selling snow cones and you got to pick your own flavors to put onto the ice! The owners of the truck were extremely nice as well.

What a great way to enjoy this 70-degree weather!

DIY Spring Tank from Old T-Shirt

With spring here (or coming and going in intervals), I've been starting to think about more summery and hot weather outfits to wear. Recently, I've bought a circle skirt, maxi dress, and spring shirts to wear. But as always, I still have a ton of old t-shirts that I'm not particularly eager to wear. That's why I've been researching ways to refashion old shirts into more attractive spring/summer clothes. Here's an idea for turning an old t-shirt into a tank!

Simply find an old t-shirt with a design you don't mind wearing, and cut off parts of the collar, sleeves, and bottom hem.

I achieved the final product through a lot of trial and error, and you may have to do that too since everyone's body shape is different and different cuts may look good on different people. 

Barbeque Pulled Pork Avocado Sandwich

I think I'm becoming an expert at sandwich-making. :)
I present to you...my recipe for a Barbeque Pulled Pork Sandwich with avocado in it (of course!).

1. Slice some avocado the long way.

2. In a small pan, drizzle some olive oil and heat it up. Place a slice of bread in the pan and let cook until it is brown (to your taste). Repeat with the next slice.
3. When cooking the second slice of bread, stack pulled pork on it, then layer avocado slices on top.

4. Drizzle some barbeque sauce on top.

5. When ready to serve, place the other slice of bread on top and enjoy!

Delicious!

Spring Break in St. Louis

I just finished Spring Break, and I had the pleasure of making a four-day trip to St. Louis, Missouri. I got to go to so many great restaurants and iconic locations. The only bad thing? The weather felt like fall in St. Louis!

We went to a restaurant called Bailey's Range, where I tried my first bison burger. I didn't know such a thing existed, but I'm always up for trying new food. To my untrained taste buds, the bison burger tasted very similar to a normal beef patty. It was delicious! Bailey's Range also makes homemade milkshakes and ice cream (I got coconut crunch ice cream) and carries a whole page full of sodas that I had never seen before.

Below: "Smoke bomb" burger with bison patty

I'm also excited that I got to see Walk the Moon! They played a great outdoor concert.

An awesomely nerdy (yet not really nerdy) restaurant we went to was called Pi Pizza. Everything was decked out in Pi and the pizzas were named after areas in St. Louis. They toppings were gourmet and the combinations very unique.