Can't Get Enough - blogs, blogs, blogs!

This edition of "Can't Get Enough" is all about blogs! I am a fashion, design and DIY junkie, so the world of blogging makes me feel like a kid in a candy store. I get entirely too excited (and, unfortunately, addicted) when I find a blog that I love. Here are two blogs that I literally CAN'T GET ENOUGH of:

Pink Peonies:

Pink Peonies is an awesome fashion blog. I mean, just look at the photos above!! These are her last three posts... UH-MAZING! I know. The brains behind this cyber success is 22-year-old fashionista, Rachel Parcell. Yes, I did say 22. (Incredible, right!) This young and successful woman is stationed right outside of Salt Lake City and has a passion for fashion.

When asked why she started a fashion blog, Rachel replied, "I've always had a love for fashion, ask anyone who knew me growing up. I was always the outlandish dresser (sometimes good, sometimes bad). I danced in high school and in college and always ended up designing costumes or being involved in the fashion side of dance, I guess I gravitate towards it. When I got married I started a 'journal blog' to document our first year of marriage. We went on a vacation to Greece in May of '10, when we returned home, I blogged about it and began receiving comments from women I didn't know, asking me to post where I got my outfits. That sparked the idea to begin what is now Pink Peonies!"

Click here to check out Pink Peonies. Follow Rachel on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest!
All photos were borrowed from www.thepinkpeonies.com.

Being the DIY enthusiast that I am, the next blog that I am going to highlight has a ton of great DIY projects and tutorials.

Young House Love:



Country chic is totally my style and I can't get enough of the interior design of Young House Love contributors John and Sherry's cozy home. On their blog, they provide all the information you need to make your house look just as welcoming as theirs does. Being that they are a young, newly married couple, they save some money by doing a lot of the projects themselves - and they share all their secrets with you! How nice?! The couple also released a book in November of 2012 appropriately titled Young House Love.

Learn how to make the clothespin light here. (picture 2)
Learn how to paint furniture, like the table in picture 3, here.

A quote from the fixer-uppers: "Our obsession with DIY & all things home started back in 2007, when we got married in the backyard of our first house. Then we turned our attention to the house itself, and four and a half years later the dust cleared and it was totally transformed, which meant it was time to move and start all over again. Especially because our family grew to include the best DIY project we’ve tackled to date: a sweet little bean girl named Clara (who made a pretty dramatic entrance into the world) and a cute pooch named Burger."

The duo is now in their third home and are sharing with all their followers their journey of renovating yet another house into a warm and welcoming home.

Click here to check out Young House Love. Follow them on Twitter and Pinterest!
All photos were borrowed from www.younghouselove.com.

I hope these blogs inspire you like they do me!
ENJOY!

-ck.

Peanut Butter & Dark Chocolate Drizzle Cookies

Peanut butter and chocolate go together like a pool and a hot summer day, Monday nights and the Bachelorette, or Butler students and Broad Ripple. It just makes sense! So, I have taken the classic "peanut butter blossom" and put my own twist on it.

ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter - unsalted, room temperature
• 3/4 cup peanut butter - chunky or creamy (I used chunky)
•  1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 Tbsp milk (I used fat free milk)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup Nestle Dark Chocolate morsels 

directions:

First, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. It will take you approximately 10-15 minutes to prepare the peanut butter dough, so you want the oven to be ready whenever you are finished. 

Step 1: Mix all of the ingredients together - minus the chocolate chips, obviously. 

Step 2: Take approximately a tablespoon of dough in your hands and roll into a ball - about the size of a large gum ball. Don't forget to spray your cookie sheet with non-stick spray!

Step 3: Bake the cookies for about 10-12 minutes or until they are a light shade of brown. Remove and put on wax paper to cool.

Step 4: The chocolate! Put about 3/4 cup of morsels in a microwavable dish and heat the chips, stirring periodically, until all are melted. If you are like me and don't own an icing bag, you can make your own using a Ziplock baggie. Place the melted chocolate in the baggie and cut a very small snip off the corner. Use this as you would an icing bag, squeezing the baggie and coating the cookies with melted dark chocolate. Cover the cookies to your preference. (I made these for some of my co-workers, so I did varying chocolate amounts. Some have lots of chocolate and some only have a little. It's up to you!)

 

If you are not planning on serving this delicious treat right away, let the melted chocolate harden before placing them in any sort of container. This will help the cookies not stick together. If you don't have time to wait for the chocolate to cool down and harden, you can always put them in the refrigerator to quicken the process.

suggested serving: 

With a tall glass of milk!

This is a recipe that your family, friends, neighbors, book club members, boyfriend, co-workers and Santa will be extremely happy that you stumbled upon!

ENJOY!

-ck.

inspired by : http://www.kaceyskitchen.com/2009/11/peanut-butter-blossoms.html 

Weekly Outings - Team Trivia!

Looking for something fun to do on a week night when you aren't really feeling the wild and crazy bar scene? Try a local trivia night! I have been going to one on Wednesday nights at Tin Roof Nashville with my co-workers and it has been a blast! The one at Tin Roof is sponsored by a company called Team Trivia that sets up trivia nights at bars all over the United States. Check out the company website for a location near you!

If you are a Butler student or live in the Indianapolis area, you are lucky! I am going to do all the hard work for you and tell you all the trivia hotspots close to campus. (And there are quite a few! YAY!)

Monday:

The Mokey's Tale - 9:30 PM

925 E Westfield Blvd.

Indianapolis, IN 46220

Fox And Hound - 8:00 PM

4901 E 82nd St.

Suite 900

Indianapolis, IN 46250

Tuesday:

Old Pro's Table (OPT) - 8:00 PM

827 Broad Ripple Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 46220

Moon Dog Tavern - 7:30 PM

4825 E. 96th St.
Indianapolis, IN 46240

Wednesday:

Brother's Bar & Grill - 8:30 PM

910 Broad Ripple Ave.
Broad Ripple, IN 46220

Tin Roof - 7:30 PM

36 South Pennsylvania Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 46201

Joe's Grille - 8:00 PM

6645 East 82nd St.
Indianapolis, IN 46250

**NOTE: Notice all of the locations for Team Trivia nights are at bars, so most likely there will be a "Trivia Special" - $5 pitchers anyone? I think so!

Another great thing about Team Trivia game nights is that, most of the time, there are prizes (gift certificates, cash prizes, etc.) for places 1st-3rd. Did I mention that it is free to play? So, grab a group of friends and enjoy each other's company while exercising your brain with a friendly game of trivia - and who knows, maybe you will kick some butt and actually win something!

-ck.

Artist Spotlight - Native Run

Last night I went to a show at The High Watt in downtown Nashville and got to see and meet some pretty amazing artists. All of the performances were outstanding and I was completely surprised that I had never heard of any of them. I live in Nashville and see a lot of really good singer/songwriters that have unbelievable talent, but will never make it because they just don't have that special spark that is needed to be a big time entertainer. That being said, I do believe that the acts I saw last night do have what it takes to make it in the music industry - they honestly were just THAT good. For this post I am going to highlight a duo that was a part of the High Watt lineup known as Native Run.

Native Run, made up of Rachel Beauregard and Bryan Dawley, are new to Nashville, but that doesn't mean that they aren't getting the acknowledgment that they deserve. These Virginia natives are taking Music City by storm with their upbeat country tunes. I was so impressed by the couple's stage presence - running around, skipping and jumping - their energy was spunky and so much fun to watch! Not to mention that they both have an awesome, eccentric style - as you can tell from the photos above. Between Beauregard's vibrant red locks and Dawley's 3 inch spike, I'm not sure who would win a "best hair" competition! The duo recently signed with Creative Nation and Combustion Music and are working on their debut album. (When I find out, you find out! Promise.) 

Need more Native Run?

Don't forget to "like" them on Facebook, follow them on twitter and subscribe to their YouTube channel!

-ck.

*All photos borrowed from www.NativeRunMusic.com

DIY Magazine Strip Art

 

 

Are you a DIY enthusiast?? If so, check out my latest post on Butler U lala to find out how I made this Indiana "Home Sweet Home" Magazine Strip Art project. It was very easy to make and turned out great! It's the perfect accent piece to any home décor.

 

 

-ck.

Guilty Pleasure Gossip - Part 2

RECAP:

Last night... WHOAH!

Drew's overnight date, like their entire relationship, was just kind of boring. I think he is a sweet guy and really does "love" Des, I just don't think he is adventurous enough for her. Maybe it is his soft voice that throws me off, but he is just so boring to me.

Chris.. Where to begin? He is just such a charmer. I love that they are able to be goofy together one second and then extremely serious and passionate the next. I think Chris would be the perfect guy for anyone and Des is stupid if she doesn't realize how amazing he is. He would be a great husband and an even better father. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I love Chris and want him to come to Indianapolis and date/read me poetry, but I really hope she chooses him.


Brooks - HOLY MOLY! I don't even know what to say. I respect him for confessing that he isn't completely in love with Des. He, like everyone else, wants that crazy "I can't/don't want to live without you" love and isn't going to just settle for someone because he is on a reality dating show. That being said, I do think that Brooks liked/loved Des more than he thought because when he was "breaking up" with her and she said that she loved him, it caught him off guard - "why didn't you tell me this earlier" - ummmm, DUH BROOKS! She is the bachelorette. She cannot tell one of the guys that she is in love with him. That would completely ruin the show. Clearly you forgot that she was also supposed to be dating multiple other men. Then for the ten minutes that he was awkwardly pacing/crying/still contemplating, I really thought he was going to run back to her and apologize, but he didn't. I think he is really a goner.

NEXT WEEK:

Well, my predictions about this episode were correct, but I honestly have no idea what is going to happen in the final episode of this season. After the show last night, I was sure that she wasn't going to pick anyone and everyone was going to go home broken hearted. Then this morning on Good Morning America there was an exclusive sneak peek of next week's episode and she seemed to be calming down from the Brooks breakup and coming to her senses. I would love to see her end up with Chris, but I think the upcoming episode is going to be full of more tears and Des sorting out her feelings. I will say that I will truly be disappointed if she doesn't choose anyone. That will be around 16 hours out of my life that I have spent following her journey to find love that doesn't end up having a destination... and that would just suck. I guess we shall see!

If you have any guesses as to what will happen, don't forget to comment!

-ck.

Foodie - The Pfunky Griddle

The Pfunky Griddle, located just outside the heart of Nashville, is a little, hole-in-the-wall taste bud dream come true! It offers it's customers a unique dining experience where they become the cooks. Each table has a griddle inset, giving diners easy access to whip up their creations.

I love trying new restaurants, especially ones that are unique to a city, so when a friend and I were looking for somewhere to go for brunch this weekend, The Pfunky Griddle seemed like the perfect place for us to go. (And I was right!) After browsing the menu, we accepted the all-you-can-eat pancake challenge. First, you choose from a white batter or a 5-grain organic batter (we went for the boring, classic white). Next, it's toppings time! There are about 20 options, ranging from the normal blueberries, strawberries and bananas to more alternative options like cottage cheese and apricot & almond spread. (Once again, my friend and I stuck in our comfort zone and chose various fruit as our toppings.) The waiter brings you all of your ingredients, gives a little directional spiel and then it's your time to shine!

I don't really know what makes this any different from making fruit-filled pancakes in your personal kitchen, but it is so much fun! If you are ever in the Nashville area, I highly recommend that you channel your inner "Top Chef" and go to The Pfunky Griddle for brunch.

Shout out to one of my very best friends, Tanya, for enduring the 9 hour Mega Bus ride from Chicago to spend the weekend with me! I had such an amazing time trying out new restaurants and exploring the city with you :)

-ck.