{the fourth}

I hope everyone had a nice long weekend! I got so much done—I went to the movies, cleaned my whole apartment, unpacked from my trip, & threw an Independence Day shindig with my roommates! We've been wanting to throw a party in our backyard for a while, but we've never done it until now. Hopefully we won't wait too long until the next one.

We're very lucky to have a huge patio {for a city apartment}, so we invited plenty of people to fill it. I mean food, friends, & fireworks...what's better?!

^^btw...the GIRLS handled the grill the whole day & rocked it

^^confession: this was my FIRST TIME playing Flip Cup—I still haven't even played beer pong!—&

even though I was the only one who played with water {what else is new}...I was pretty good! ;)

^^this was after I spent the first 10 seconds flipping the cup the wrong way :/

^^hostesses

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Come back again this week for some posts about my trip to France & for the next edition of Working Girls!

p.s.: previous July 4th posts: 2013 {LBI <3} & 2012.

{fun wrapping idea}

One of my goals for December was to come up with a fun, creative wrapping idea... & I think I found it!

I'm a fan of using just plain butcher paper as a wrapping, but since it's so simple, I wanted to add a little somethin' somethin' to them.  This weekend I had to wrap a few gifts for my church's "giving tree", so I knew they'd be transported & shuffled around. Because I didn't want to risk them losing a bow or tag...

...I taped a ribbon!

^^blog photography at it's finest: my roommate's legs, chipped nails, & empty lemonade bottles

All I used was some washi tape, which I bought on Amazon a few weeks ago, & scissors!  Washi tape is colored, thin tape & one of the most versatile materials ever.

I'm already running out of rolls—I've been using it that much.

Just a super simple, but festive wrapping idea that I thought I'd share!

{try this: sculpted pumpkins}

I almost wrote {try this: carved pumpkins} in the title, then realized people would think... no kidding?  Ha. Then I realized "sculpted" was actually a more fitting word.

It's been a few years since I carved a pumpkin for Halloween & I was reminded last Friday about how much I love to do it.  But instead of carving something this time, my friend & I went a different route at our neighbor's pumpkin party. We... stabbed our pumpkin! We took two screwdrivers, each with a different thickness, and poked holes in its alternating creases.

It looked awesome lit up:

Unfortunately that pumpkin's story ends sadly. We kept it inside during what felt like one of hottest weekends this year & I guess it couldn't take the humidity? I noticed it wilting on our counter & when I went over to inspect, it disintegrated at my touch. It literally turned into water; it was bizarre. We were, & still are, equal parts annoyed, amused, & freaked out.

Luckily we have another pumpkin! One I am so love with. If you know me or my family, you know we're obsessed with the Peanuts gang. The comic never fails to crack my mom & I up. We also think our dog is a personified version of Snoopy. So when I found this photo online, I decided to sculpt it out of my pumpkin.

Truth be told, I didn't think it would work, so I don't have any photos of the process!  But this is a great article for reference.

The first thing I did was hollow out the pumpkin, then scraped & smoothed the inside walls. After free-handing the drawing on a piece of paper, I simply taped it to the pumpkin & poked tiny holes around the outline to map it out. Once the paper was removed, I carefully carved around the edges.  I used this tool for the whole thing.

Look how great it turned out...

The idea is to carve deep enough to let light come through, but not deep enough to puncture the skin. I may take a knife to it & thin it a little more, but the light definitely glows enough as is.

It took about three hours {!!!} in total. The more detailed the design, the harder it's going to be. Believe me – I attempted it on a smaller, tougher-skinned pumpkin & gave up in twenty minutes. But although tedious, it was a simple, fun project. 

There are so many designs you can do... you should try it before the big night!

{st. valentine cupcakes}

I was in the mood to bake…so I did!

I was fully inspired by Oh Happy Day for these cupcakes, but I decided to add my own twist.

Once you bake the {red velvet} cupcakes & frost them, all that's left are the arrows!

{to create the hearts, I did nothing fancy---I just cut the tip of an icing-filled ziploc bag}

To make the arrows, this is all you need:

^^two pieces of paper per arrow

^^voila! as you can see, not every heart or arrow needs to be perfect :)

& to answer the obvious question…they were delicious. 

Now make them!

**My cupcakes were made from Williams Sonoma's GF mix. The mixes are sadly not made anymore. UPDATE: HOLD THE PHONE. THE MIXES ARE ON SALE. BRB GOING TO BUY OUT WILLIAMS SONOMA. Cream cheese frosting is the only flavor worth a red velvet cupcake, & when I don't make my own, I am partial to Duncan Hines. 

PS. If you double the butter amount by mistake…like I did…they taste just as good. Maybe better.

{2013 holiday gift guide: for your dad}

1. For his grill // here
2. For his gadgets // here
3. For his game // here
4. For his suitcase // here
5. For his feet // here

{2013 holiday gift guide: for your mom}

1. For her feet // here 

2. For her desk // here

3. For her neck // here

4. For her skin // here

5. For her kitchen // here

{thanksgiving photos + gf apple crisp}

The day before Thanksgiving, we walked around Laguna Beach for a bit.

The weather was 70 & sunny. Oh, it was amazing. 

Thanksgiving day was low key & perfect.

In the morning I went for a long run & then went swimming!  {a Thanksgiving first for me.}

In the afternoon we watched football, finished cooking, 

& engaged in a photo war with the rest of the family on the East Coast. 

It was hilarious & epic & a great way to feel like we were all together.

Our pretty table:

The spread! 

{minus a few key entrées...}

^^Brussel sprouts are probably my favorite food. I'm obsessed. 

These were roasted with a little lemon & honey. SO GOOD.

^^My apple crisp before it went in the oven. Look at all that topping. Yum.

^^Baked to perfection!

This was one of the easiest desserts I've ever baked, 

& one of the most delicious. 

I'm not a baked fruit/pie/crumb/crisp person…

but this was unreal.

It was also voted the best dessert of the night…by every single person.

& they don't even have Celiac. 

Let that sink in for a second.

BONUS--there was no sugar added! {besides a bunch of honey, but let's not count that.}

Here's how to make it.

Two musts: 

1) Serve it with vanilla ice cream. 

2) Eat the leftovers for breakfast.

I'll be making it again for Christmas, so East Coast folks…get ready!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

{what i'm thankful for}

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm down in Southern California with my uncle & grandparents this year.

 It's my first west coast Thanksgiving! 

And although I really miss being home with the rest of my family, 

& the cozy, cold weather, 

& our dog, 

& seeing my friends...

Where I am today is not too shabby.

On my run this morning, I reflected on all that I am thankful for this year,

& to be honest... I'm a little overwhelmed. 

Blessed is an understatement.

Here's my list, so I can look back on it in years to come...

1. My parents

I really don't know how I got lucky enough to get them as parents, 

but I will never stop being grateful for the fact that I did.

2. Dylan

I love & miss her so much. 

Her support these past few months has been unwavering,

& so appreciated. 

She's just the best.

3. My sibs

All of them. Being their sister is such a privilege.

4. My job

It's stable, I can support myself, the company is fantastic, 

& my co-workers are amazing. 

5. My uncle

He's let me live with him for two months! 

He should really be #1 this year ;)

6. New creative opportunities

My six months of job-hunting turned out to be an unexpected season of taking chances...

& people taking chances on me. 

7. My health

Besides Celiac Disease, which is minor in the grand scheme of things, I am healthy. 

To have an able, working body is something I'm so grateful for.

8. The good health of my family

Let's keep it that way :)

9. Personal growth

Mentally & emotionally, this year has been full of growth for me.

I am more secure about who I am more than ever before. It's a nice change.

10. A new place to live

I found an apartment! More on that soon.

11. All of you

I am so grateful for everyone who reads the blog--wherever you are in the world, 

no matter who you are. 

Thank you.

^^From my run. 

Dinner is being served....so that's all for today. 

More photos coming soon!

{& I'll tell ya about the gluten-free apple crisp I made, too. let's hope it's good!}

{girls weekend & the fourth}

This weekend was one for the books. Good food. Great friends. Lots of sand.

Dylan became besties with these girls in Rome last year &, since then, I've had the pleasure of joining in their little group. They're all amazing. Each of them. I've said it before, but I think it's so cool that even though my sister & I went to separate colleges, in different states...we're friends with each other's friends. A dream, I tell you.

It's a shame we don't all live in the same city.  Because then weekends like this one would happen often. But that's okay, since we've already decided that this will be an annual thing. Someone threw out Cabo, but I'm thinking we should just go back to the city where they all became a sisterhood. Roma, anyone? :)

Here's a photo recap of girls weekend & the fourth. Hope you all had an equally wonderful holiday! More on those shirts this week...

Miss you girls already! xo.