Farrow & Ball

I was reading a blog that I happily follow, The City Stage, and the latest post was about Farrow & Ball. The new colors that they came out with are gorgeous! I love the gray palate that they are using. I especially love the greens that they use as well - just what I was thinking for the new apartment! You can see their whole collection here.

 

Aren't they just lovely? It makes me want to go out and start painting right this minute.

Love,
Miranda

Blissful Yesterday

So yesterday was the first day in three or so weeks that I missed posting. I almost had a panic attack - but then I reminded myself that I have a life other than blogging. :)

So...you want to know what I did with those 24 hours?

I cleaned the apartment from top to bottom, went grocery shopping, made dinner in the crock pot while I baked a cake, and watched a few movies. I count this as a very productive day!

The really yummy carrot cake!

My beautiful clean workspace, with a Thoroughly Modern Millie record playing.

Stickman saying "Hi"!

Since I made a few modifications to the recipe that I used, I thought I would post the carrot cake recipe here. Ian and I are trying to cut back on un-healthy foods (so I make cake. Ha.) so when I made the cake, I substituted most of the oil in it for applesauce, and cut the sugar down significantly. It turned out great! Still really moist and sweet. I had the texture of banana bread. So...here it is!

• Carrot Cake: 2 cups all purpose flour
  2 tsp. baking soda
  2 tsp. baking powder
  1/2 tsp. salt
  3 tsp. ground cinnamon
  1/2 tsp. nutmeg
  4 eggs
  1/2 cup oil
  3/4 cup apple sauce
  1/2 cup granulated white sugar
  1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  2 tsp. vanilla
  3 cups grated carrots
  1 cup nuts (pecans or walnuts) optional - I did not use nuts
  1 cup raisins (optional)
  
• Cream Cheese Frosting: 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  1/2 cup butter, softened
  2 cups confectioners’ sugar
  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare two 9” pans or one 12” cake pan or one 9”x 13” sheet pan by lining with parchment or wax paper.
2. Mix together in a bowl together flour,baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
3. In a bigger bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, sugars, and vanilla for about minute or so.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix for about 2 minutes more.
5. Add the grated carrots. Then add nuts and raisins if desired.
6. Pour batter in prepared cake pans and bake for approx. 45 to 50 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a skewer, it should be dry when taken out. Cool then fill and frost with cream cheese frosting. Garnish with more nuts.
7. To make the cream cheese frosting: a bowl beat together cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add in icing sugar and beat for a minute. Add vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for another minute.

I hope that you had a productive day as well! :)

Love,
Miranda

Summer Shoes

Who doesn't like shoes? I always feel dressed up, no matter what else I am wearing, with a great pair of shoes. I found some shoes that I am desiring for spring/summer at one of my favorite stores, Forever 21. Not only do they have great, cheap shoes...but they have super cute dresses and tops! I could easily spend my whole clothes budget there. And that, my friends, is why there is a budget in the first place. So I don't spend too much!

But....back to shoes. :)

Aren't they all beautiful? I think I'm in love. And speaking of budget...the last pair is less than $15! Talk about a steal!

Love,
Miranda

The Tea Garden

I love the Tea Garden. I come here when I want to listen to good music, explore artists in the area, and relax with a Tea Latte (Today it is a guava jasmine tea latte! Yum!). I love the Tea Garden so much that Ian and I had a afternoon tea for the reception at our wedding - where we served tea from here, and gave it away as favors (with cute little tea spoons that my Mom found online.)

Well...I am at the Tea Garden now....obviously doing homework. :)

Uptown Minneapolis

My Guava Jasmine Tea Latte

The Tea Garden

 Here is to getting my paper done!

Love,
Miranda

More Ups than Downs

Today was an OK day. It had good points and bad points. Let me list a few:

Bad Points:

1. I woke up later than I wanted to.
2. You know those jeans that I REALLY wanted? And was REALLY excited about? Well...they didn't fit.. So, I sent them back. Oh well...moving on!
3. Dinner tonight was a bust. Culinary failure. I decided to try Maccaroni and Cheese with Quinoa, but the sauce was too cheesy (if that even makes sense), and as it turns out, Ian doesn't like Quinoa.

Well....you live and you learn!

Good Points:

1. Because the jeans didn't fit, I can resume shopping online to look for a new pair that does! :)
2. I slept in this morning.
3. It was a gorgeous day, and I really enjoyed walking outside.
4. I looked really cute today! :)
5. Ian was really sweet today. (Sweeter than normal, if you can imagine that!)
6. I got everything done today that I needed to!

See...today wasn't that bad after all. :)

I hope your day was more ups than downs too.

Love,
Miranda

Little Things

So, today, we had our last show for this week of Our Town. Best performance yet. But what I am most excited about was that when I came home, Ian had cleaned most of the apartment...and was listening to Vinyls (The Doobie Brothers) on our record player. What a wonderful thing to come home to. :)

So, here is what I am going to dedicate this evening/late afternoon to:

Homework...

Tea...

...and records. (Unlike Ian, and I will be listening to Disney music. I'm going to let out my inner Princess!)

 And also, because I promised...I will vacuum and clean a little too. After all, I am the other half that lives in this apartment. I can't be doted upon ALL the time. :)

Also, I have had Pomplamoose stuck in my head for the last two days, and have been listening to them every spare minute, and thought I would share my favorite song of theirs. I hereby dedicate this song to Ian. :)

Love,
Miranda

*all photos were off of Google.

Sweet Dreams

I found some beautfiul pictures of bedrooms this morning. I thought I would share!

You can find more pictures where I got these...here!

For the bedroom in the new apartment, I am thinking light green, gray, and white. Clean lines. Lots of pillows. I want it to feel ethereal and misty....like morning fog. Mmmm. That makes me want to go back to bed. :)

Also - last night went well! It was opening night after all, so we expected some things to go wrong - and they did; but as far as opening nights go, this one was on the better side. I did FANTASTIC. (I am so humble, aren't I?) We have another show tonight, and one on Sunday too....and then I get a whole week off before we do it again. Yay!

Love,
Miranda

Skirts, Anyone?

Good Morning!

So far the day has started off fabulously. I was able to sleep in (thanks to my professor canceling class), and I finally got some pictures of the skirts I made! There is still one in progress that I will post later. You must forgive the quality of the pictures - I was 1) taking them of myself (which always proves to be difficult), and 2) don't know where my blow dryer is...and so my hair is wet. Oh well!

Worst facial expression ever. But....for the skirt, I posted the picture. Ha.

So....what do you think? I made them myself, and I tried two different styles. I don't really have any other tops that go with the skirts, except for a white tee. Any suggestions would be great! I always love an excuse to go shopping. :)

On another hand...today is opening night for Our Town! I am excited, and nervous. Yes...even a veteran actress like me. Ha. (Ok....veteran is a slight exaggeration.) I'm going to post pictures of my costume though, because it is an adorable vintage dress that I love! So cute.

And....one last random thing...

I had to post a good picture of my face, to make up for the last one. :)

Love,
Miranda

My Latest Mind Child

I want to make a another skirt. A jean skirt, with an attachable pinafore top. Wouldn't that be adorable? I think so. Something like this...

Yes, I drew this myself.

As for the inspiration part, here are some awesome pictures of pinafores!

The Purple Pinafore

Pinafore Inspiration

Life Magazine

Foundations of America

Pinafore Inspiration

The Age.com

Wouldn't a pinafore skirt be so fun to wear, over a blouse or white tee, on a warm spring day? Now if only Mother Nature would work on the warm spring day part, I'll get to work on the skirt part. :)

Love,
Miranda

Life Updated

This week is very busy for me. I am playing Mrs. Webb in the North Central University production of Our Town, and this week is Tech week. On top of that, I have written two papers, taken a test, sewed and apron, made dinner almost every night, and have cleaned most of the apartment - and managed only to skip one class: my Developmental Psychology class this morning. I consider this a triumph. :)

On another note, I checked the tracking number for my jeans....and they will arrive six days! I am so excited. I will definitely take a whole bunch of pictures. Also, although it snowed again (welcome to Minnesota), the day is sunny and beautiful. Maybe it will get warm enough to melt the snow for ever! Please, understand. I have nothing against snow....I just would prefer to wait for at least six months before I see it again.

Today, I finally have some time that I can do what I want to do. I need to practice piano, but other than that...I think I am going to bake. I can't wait! Also, Ian and I are going on a lunch date. I am very much looking forward to going out with him, and leaving our worries behind us. It is going to be so relaxing.

I hope you have a wonderful day, whoever you are!

My scones. I don't think I'll make scones, but I'll makes something good!

Love,
Miranda

Wonderful World of Color

I was reading on of my favorite blogs this morning, Apartment Therapy, and they highlighted another blogger, Design Seeds. The blog is dedicated to pulling color schemes from beautiful color photography. I thought I would pull a few and share what I was thinking for the new apartment.

For the Kitchen:

For the Living Room:

For the Bedroom:

 

As you can see, gray is still the running color. I just adore the feeling these color schemes give me: quiet, calm, and....morning like. Like walking through a forest just after the sun rises. Perfect.

Love,
Miranda

My Sweet Husband

This post is dedicated to my Ian, who has been awfully wonderful in my time of stress and business.

He got me beautiful flowers....

He made me a wonderful peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch, after I woke up from my power nap.

(Sorry it's a little blurry) Isn't he darling?

Yes, indeed. I am in love!

Love,
Miranda

I Did It!

I bought the jeans from Gap. I love the vintage look to them, the flattering flare lines (that will help even out my behind), and the length. All too often I find jeans that are not long enough to wear high heels with. I ordered the jeans online, so when they arrive I will udate and share how they actually look, and if they live up to my hopes. I am so excited though!

See...aren't they lovely? I plan on acquiring a pair of summery sandal wedges to wear with them. :) I love the fact that these jeans will go not only with my cardigans, but with a plain T-shirt, or a flowy blouse. They are so versatile and flattering!

I also found an article in Marie Claire, in March's issue, with a feel that I love. I adore the fact that the clothes have a vintage feel, but are modern and feel so fresh. The look is very feminine, classy, and fun and flirty. I also love the seventies vibes - as mentioned in my previous posts. Here are the looks:

All photos taken from Marie Claire's article. The Model is Clemence Poesy.

Aren't they great? I certainly thought so. I am aiming at channeling these looks in my daily wardrobe. Especially when I recieve those jeans. :) I should get them in about two weeks. Can you tell that I am excited?

Love,
Miranda