I have quite a bit of fun over on Twitter! I love finding new people to follow, so I would love it if you would follow me and let me know you found me through my blog and I will be sure to follow back!!



I love sharing interesting articles, motivating quotes, pretty and/or funny pictures, and just other generally great stuff!

However, I know some people don't have time for all that twittering or just don't get it, so I thought I would share the best tweets from the month on my blog as well!

This month has been lots of job searching - but I'm trying not to let it get me down!! I've hosted a wine club event at a local gallery (it was crowded!), attended a mac and cheese themed birthday party (and now I am intent on making the ultimate mac and cheese), and I've done about enough yoga classes to make my head explode (21 classes as of today!). I also started volunteering with my local Italian Greyhound rescue group - Dogtoberfest is tomorrow!

So what have I been tweeting about? Oh, you know, the usual...



Have you seen any links you really liked this month? Anything interesting going on with you? Leave a comment and let me know!

Since I'm unemployed and I barely ever put on real clothes at all, I thought I would post this lovely outfit I wore to our wine club event the other night - including my favorite kelly green cardigan....


Tulle dress, J Crew cardigan, thrifted necklace, Guess shoes

that is actually my little sisters. I need one!! So sorry for the goofer face, I am waaaay out of practice on these. If you want to see a happy one that is even goofier, be my guest.

I have been feeling totally uninspired to wear any sort of outfit. Mostly I just wear PJs or yoga clothes all day. Lame (but comfortable), I know. So I felt pretty dressed up in this outfit! Usually I don't wear this necklace a lot (even though my blog may look otherwise), but I got a lot of compliments on it. Awesome for something that was free!

  

Also, I am absolutely in love with these Sally Hansen nail strip things. I got the gold glitter (LOVE) and put it on my toes. I'm pretty much obsessed.

In other news, can you tell my hair is much darker than normal? Yeah, I went with a new box shade this time and I am still not sure if I think it's too dark or what. Last time it came out pretty red-y which I was also on the fence about. Thoughts?

Oh, and also. I figure out that my self-timer will not let me pre-focus the picture to what I want. It will not take unless it gets to focus on what it wants. Must look into this more because I am tired of my camera picking the trees over me.

I am on a mission... to find the perfect macaroni and cheese recipe.



I have baked far too many so-called "best mac and cheeses" that are sub-par and gone to too many restaurants preparing myself for the ultimate mac and cheese experience only to be disappointed.

I have not-so-secretly thought a lot about opening a cheese themed restaurant featuring varieties of mac and cheese, grilled cheeses, and other various cheesey items. Oh, and wine of course! (Duh)

Anyway, I thought, this is all well and good, and I can make a mean grilled cheese, but the mac and cheese recipe? Not so much.

So, I decided it's time to get to work!



Tonight I began my perfect mac and cheese quest with a recipe for one of my favorite mac and cheeses ever: Panera's Signature Mac and Cheese.(Other favorites: Macs Speedshop in Charlotte, Stouffers microwave - what?, J Alexander's Not Your Ordinary Mac & Cheese) I like a creamy mac and cheese (no eggs - yuck!) with a good crusty topping. Serve it to me in an individual ramekin and I'll be yours forever.

I found this great recipe online: macaroni and cheese – panera style

It's fairly simple and involves making your roux in the microwave! Plus I really like that all the ingredients, while fatty and delicious, are all real.



I subbed orange american and cheddar for the white (cause that's what my grocery store had), added a few spices (ground mustard, nutmeg, and cayenne), and also baked it with bread crumbs (because it's not a real mac and cheese unless it is baked with an amazing bread crumby cheesy crust amiright?).

Well, it came out pretty amazing. Before the baking and bread crumbs bit which was very disappointing. So good before the oven. I think if I made this one again I may try to add more liquid cause it wasn't cheesy enough? Not sure. Also, note to self: must get some panko bread crumbs for next attempt. And maybe cheese topping before bread crumbs?

Some other good but not great recipes I've enjoyed:

• Paula Deen's Crockpot Mac and Cheese - this one is good for big groups (I made it for the last super bowl), but the cheese soup is full of junk ingredients
• Smitten Kitchen's Martha's Macaroni and Cheese - good but time consuming and expensive

Do you have any mac and cheese recipes I should try? I appreciate them in advance!

Sometimes it is all too easy to get down in the dumps and to just let yourself wallow there.

We begin by re-hashing things we said or did (or didn't say or do) and really start getting down on ourselves. And then we seal the deal with a quick perusal through our friends facebook or linkedin profiles just to really rub our faces in all that's wrong with our lives.

Well friends, this is not a good place to be. It's full of pain and negative self-talk. Let's stop the madness!

To really boost the positivity in your life (as I am trying to do in mine!) do these 3 things:

1. No complaining.

A lot of us fall into the habit of complaining. A lot. It becomes something easy to say in small talk and even a way to bond with people.

But it sucks! And really, no one wants to hang around with a negative Nancy because that crap rubs off!

First you need to realize that you are in fact complaining about something and then tell yourself there will be no more of it. It's no longer allowed! And if that urge continues to strike, then you need to do something about the thing that is bothering you so much. Honesty is the best policy!

2. Gratitude!

This one is something I've been working on for a loooong time. It is so easy to get sucked in by all the things/friends/jobs/lovers we don't have - when really we are forgetting everything that we do have!

A great place to start is thinking of a few things everyday that you are grateful for, holding each item in your mind for a bit and really feeling it. Also, you could participate Gala's Things I Love Thursdays or you could be like me and write them in your daily journal.

A new thing I am doing (did my first today and I am SO excited!) is writing one letter each week to someone who I am thankful for and letting them know why. It's always so awesome to receive mail - and it was equally as awesome to write it!


Source: Staley MC

3. Self-love and care.

It is really difficult to be positive in your life if you are hyper-critical of everything that you do. Just relax! And definitely don't compare yourself to others because everyone has their own path. We are who we are. All we can be is ourselves!

If you are hating yourself or taking poor care of yourself, you are pretty much guaranteed to be swimming in a big pool of the negative.

Forgive yourself. Accept yourself. Be active and eat right. Do the things you know you need to do to feel good (for me: at least 8 hours of sleep!). Treat yourself. Really. You will feel so much better.


Do you have any tips for boosting positivity? Or anything you've done to help yourself get out of the dumps?

Positivity Elsewhere:

• Hello Giggles: The Key To A Happy Life: 8 Ways to Practice Gratitude
• Davinia's Guide to Falling in Love with Yourself
• Gala's Article on Loving Yourself More
• How to Unhook Yourself from Negativity via Oprah.com

In the past I have made my yoga outfit work-appropriate by layering it under a dress, and today I made it more appropriate for running errands with a few accessories and a cardigan.

F21 cardigan, lululemon power y tank, lulu wunder unders, gifted necklace, Banana Republic belt, Naturalizer flats

I have recently been obsessed with all things ballet, so this outfit kinda falls in with that obsession. I've also been quite infatuated with yoga as of late, and I've been going almost everyday so I feel like I'm always in some variation of the power y and wunder unders.

Today it felt nice and polished with one of my favorite necklaces that was made for me by my best friend. I love it!

  

I am also pretty darn obsessed with these Naturalizer flats. I bought them because I needed something semi-comfortable for walking around when I was in Europe, and they were so comfortable I wore them almost every day there. And when I got home I went ahead and bought 2 more pairs!!

I will admit they aren't the cutest things out of the box, but when I added a bow at the vamp they became much better. If you are looking for some comfortable flats (the black are great, and I just got the mocha taupe which is awesome as well) I would highly recommend these!

Do you like comedy? Cause for the most part, I don't (I know, I'm weird). But this show? Amazing.


Source: Mile High Cinema

The show is about Ryan (Elijah Wood), a depressed and unemployed former lawyer, who begins seeing his neighbor's dog Wilfred as a person in a dog costume, rather than an actual dog. Wilfred (played by Jason Gann, who also plays Wilfred in the original Australian version) opens Ryan's eyes to living life and in the process gets him into a good bit of trouble.

This show is comic genius because Wilfred does all the funny, gross, and endearing things that dogs do, but as a human wearing a dog costume, its just utterly ridiculous.


Wilfred with Giraffe, Source: Hulu

A few of my favorite tidbits:

• Wilfred becoming obsessed with humping a giraffe stuffed animal, only later to be caught watching giraffes mating on the computer.
• Wilfred declaring that signs stating "no dogs on the beach" are, in 2011, unbelievably racist.
• Wilfred possessed by Ryan's old Jack Russel, Sneakers, speaking in a high and crazy voice and doing back-flips.

Wilfred as Sneakers, Source: Hulu

Right now Wilfred is finishing up it's first season on FX - but you can watch all the Wilfred episodes on Hulu for free! {Except it won't work on Hulu Plus for Playstation, Roku, etc - only on your computer :( boo!}

Wilfred other places:

• TV Guide's 5 Things You Need Know About FX's Wilfred
• WSJ Wilfred Recaps
• The Faster Times' Wilfred Recaps {Not actually password protected, in case you were wondering}

This is a re-publishing of a post I wrote last year. I was in the process of moving from Charlotte to Pittsburgh, and thinking a lot about life. I love this post and the things I write about here are things I think about almost daily.


Source: MC Masterchef

Right now I am in limbo. No longer a part of my old life here in Charlotte: no belongings, no tasks at work, and my friends are becoming distant. But I'm also not a part of Pittsburgh yet. My stuff is there, but I don't know what it's like. I can't even remember everything about our new house. It's a life I am trying to imagine that I have yet to live. Who will be my friends? Will I find my way around? What will it be like? Will I change into a different person? How will I change?

My friend and I were talking earlier about life's many paths. We found it very interesting how life seems to present what you need at the time you really need it. If you are unhappy in a certain part of life, and you are really looking for a change, something always comes up. I am not a believer in a predestined life. I believe we each create our own paths out of the choices available. Obviously I cannot become someone totally different than who I am or force someone to give me a job or change my past, but I do not believe everything is already set and I have no freedom of choice.


Source: Carbon NYC

I like to think of life more like moving and set pieces like in the Labyrinth game; when you need something and the paths line up, you can move to the next space and go along the next path, but if you don't need it you may not even notice the new path and you will stay where you are and keep going on that path. Some pieces are set and unchangeable, but other parts constantly are moving - some by your choice and some not.

It's just amazing how it happens consistently.

For example, earlier in my life, I really wanted a relationship and suddenly one was presented. I was open to it and so I saw the opportunity. But how many times have there been other relationships presented that I never noticed or considered because I wasn't looking for the opportunity?

In the same vein, my friend was in a job that was awesome when she took it, but later became a huge source of unhappiness for her. The owner had transferred her to a part of the business she had no interest in whatsoever, when a few really great opportunities for new jobs presented themselves, and now she is very happy with her new job.

I think the key is constantly being aware of how things are going for you, and if they aren't so great, maybe it's time to at least open your mind to new things?


Source: Red Devil

I am right in the middle of a huge change in my life, and I almost feel like I am out at sea. Or like it's the calm before the storm of changes. I'm a million emotions and feelings at once. Bored, overwhelmed, scared, excited, anxious, free...

I'm on the precipice of a new adventure for sure.

This quote resonates really strongly with me this week.

I think getting busy can be the best thing in the world that you can do sometimes, rather than just sitting and ruminating.

Trying to take an active role in my life and make things happen rather than waiting for them to come to me.

Another partially borrowed outfit - "new" clothes can be so fun!


Lovely Day dress, Gap cardigan, vintage belt, Old Navy flats

I don't think I would ever buy this dress on my own; it is that very particular color of bright teal-ish green that screams girl scouts juniors to me. I loathe this color green.

But I do really like this outfit! If only the dress were a kelly green instead...

Are there any colors you can't stand? Colors of clothes you won't wear? Also, on these outfit posts, would you like to see more pics? {Sometimes I'm overwhelmed with how many times people can post basically the same picture of themselves in an outfit, I think they should just post the best one!} Let me know in the comments!