Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Pray For Boston



What happened in Boston yesterday left me sick to my stomach. Any time a violent and senseless act is committed my heart aches for those affected. I woke up today with my family and my friends as well as my arms and legs all in tact, in one piece. So many in Boston woke up to a different reality.  

Immediately the phrase "PRAY FOR BOSTON" began to spread like wildfire, especially across social media. As I sat at work trying to read news articles about what had actually happened (I heard about it in the car on my way to work), I couldn't help reading the comments below each one. Some people were in positive spirits expressing an attitude of pure gratefulness that they and their loved ones were ok. Others were just downright angry and wanted to literally go out and kill whoever was responsible. Who can blame them? And many didn't have words. What can you really say about such a tragedy? All they could type was "praying for Boston." But what surprised me was the amount of people reacting to that simple phrase. Many were questioning why God allowed this to happen. Where was He? Why would you pray to a God who would let people suffer? Why pray at all??? 

Being a Christian and someone who loves God so much, it hurts my heart to know that people actually think that God allows or, even worse, inspires these things to take place. But considering they don't know God I can see where they're coming from. Why would we pray? Will it bring back those who lost their lives? Will it grow back the leg that was blown off? Will it turn back time? Although anything is possible to the one who created the universe, most likely, no. So, why pray? 

Prayer doesn't always give you the answer. And many times when it does it gives you the exact opposite answer you wanted. But I've found that I don't pray for answers, although it's AMAZING when I get them. Especially the the answer I was hoping for! But overall I pray because it brings peace. When you have pure, uninterrupted peace, nothing can compare. When you have peace, it means your mind is clear. It's not racing with terrible thoughts and scenarios and countless "what ifs?" Peace is all you need in the midst of chaos. Going a million miles an hour in a beautiful sports car won't stop your mind from going a million miles an hour. The biggest, most impressive mansion in the Hollywood hills won't have enough rooms for you to escape the thoughts in your mind. We've all been there. But praying confidently to a God who I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, is going to work everything out, gets me through.

So although I can't explain the tragedy that occurred, and I can't undo what's been done, I will still pray for those going through what has to be unimaginable pain. Not because it will turn back the clock, but because it brings peace.  



Sunday, April 14, 2013

Rainbow Bright!

Spring has sprung! Kind of. Today was a tad doom and gloom but I think that's just a direct result from Kobe's torn Achilles :( Poor guy. 
Anyways, despite the high of only 65 degrees, I had neon fever and was just feeling fun. When the sunshine is hiding behind the clouds why not make your own?






Considering the amount of color I had going on, I wanted to keep the jewelry simple. This is everyday life after all. 

Neon pink/peach sweater- clearance (of course) Target, Electric blue skinnies and wedges- Kohl's, Necklace- Forever 21, Bracelet- Heirloom from my Great Aunt.




Friday, April 5, 2013

A Few of My Fave Fashion Blogs

One of my favorite past times has always been looking at fashion magazines. From Nylon to Elle to Vogue (and countless others) I can easily spend hours getting lost in their pages full of the latest collections, beautiful editorials and endless beauty tips. And although nothing can compare to the smell of a fresh, new fashion magazine, I find that I get equally as much satisfaction and inspiration from my favorite fashion blogs. 
These girls are awesome and each bring something new and fresh to the table which their distinctively unique style.


 Sincerely, Jules is a Cali girl after my own heart. I love her carefree style, the way she mixes comfy with classy and her use of textures. 



Seriously, how adorable is she?


My day-to-day style is usually very simple, very easy, very SoCal. But whenever I need a little inspo to jazz it up a bit, I go to Atlantic-Pacific. She's always mixing unexpected pieces and textures and colors that flow perfectly. Her signature pop of bold color, is something that is super easy to pull off on your own.





What can I say about fashiontoast. This girl is gorg. And any name that makes me think of fashion and toast (I have an unhealthy obsession with bread) I know I'm gonna be a fan. 








Thursday, April 4, 2013

Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Bites with Greek Yogurt Bleu Cheese Dip



Ok. These things are RIDICULOUS. I was feeling (boys close your eyes) super PMS-y today and was in need of some comfort food. These bites are so easy to make and so delicious. Original recipe here

Ingredients:
·                  1 cup cooked quinoa
·                  1 cup shredded chicken
·                  1/4 cup goat cheese
·                  1/4 cup sharp cheddar
·                  1/4 cup buffalo sauce
·                  1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
·                  1 large egg, beaten
·                  2 TBSP whole wheat flour
·                  Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
(Dip)
·                  1 cup Greek yogurt
·                  1/4 cup blue cheese
·                  1/2 tsp garlic powder
·                  1/2 tsp dried dill
·                  1/2 tsp dried parsley
·                  Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste


Combine all the dip ingredients and mix together.

I used the back of a spoon to flatten some of the larger bleu cheese chunks. Nothing worse that a mouth full of bleu cheese! Put in the fridge to keep cool until serving.

Combine the rest of the ingredients together in a bowl.

It should all bind together to form a sticky, doughy ball. 

Grease a mini muffin/cupcake tin. Use a spoon (and your hands!) to form the mixture into 1-1 1/2 tbs balls.

The recipe calls for a mini muffin tin, which I don't have, so I used just a regular cupcake tin and they turned out totally fine. Bake on 350 for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown and set.


Eat immediately! Why would you want to wait anyway? I probably had 7 before I made myself stop!