Shop Seasonally: Spring Edition

As I am writing this post, the sun is shining through my window and I can hear birds chirping in the background. Flowers are starting to pop up all across campus, and I think from the looks of it that spring has finally sprung! Spring is probably my favorite season (though fall is a close second!) not only for the beautiful weather, flowers, and sense of refreshment that it brings after a cold winter, but also for the great fresh fruits and veggies that are in season during the spring months! Though some of these fruits and vegetables are sold year round, they taste so much better when eaten during their peak harvesting time! I have seen so many great recipes showcasing seasonal spring produce and can't wait to share these with you all! Unfortunately I do not currently have a kitchen in my dorm to try my hand at some of these delicious recipes, but I am already looking forward to doing a seasonal summer post when I will be cooking and baking like crazy in my kitchen! 

1. Peas and Asparagus Pasta- The combination of peas and asparagus is a great fresh spring combo that can be used in so many recipes! Whether it's a green salad, a quinoa or rice salad, mixed with pasta, or simply sautéed together, these veggies complement each other well and make a quick and easy combination! This recipe from Martha Stewart adds avocado to the mix, and the flavor combination sounds great! I would probably opt for wheat pasta or try it with quinoa! 

2. Strawberry Rhubarb Galette- Strawberry rhubarb is such a classic spring/summer combo that is so tasty and can be made into such a variety of delicious desserts! There are so great many recipes for pies, oat bars, crisps, tarts, cookies, and more! I love to make galettes, as they have all the essentials of a great pie but not too much crust! These mini galettes from The Kitchen McCabe are so pretty and calling my name! 

3. Bright Spring Greens Salad- This recipe from Love and Lemons is a wonderful example of how great spring produce combinations can be! It has peas, radishes, asparagus, salad greens, mint, and other great ingredients! I just discovered the blog Love and Lemons, and boy I am in love! Everything looks so tasty and the photographs are beautiful.

4. Broiled Grapefruit with Honey and Bananas- I love all things citrus and grapefruit is probably my favorite of them all. It is always so fun picking fresh grapefruit off the trees whenever I go to Palm Springs, CA for spring break! I love having grapefruit for breakfast, tossing grapefruit slices in salads, and broiled grapefruit is something I need to try! This recipe from She Wears Many Hats looks so tasty! 

I hope everyone has a Happy Earth Day and enjoys these recipes! I'd love to hear if there are any spring seasonal combos or recipes you enjoy!

xo,

Hannah 

Lilly for Target Success!

Mary and I really had no idea what we were getting ourselves into when we made our way to Target this morning for the Lilly for Target release! We did our "homework" looking over the collection and made sure to get to the store about an hour early, and there was already a line of about thirty people (more or less) at 7AM! By the time it was almost 8AM, there were at least 300 people in line eagerly anticipating the opening of the doors! It was both of our first time at a big sale event, and neither of us knew how crazy things could possibly get when the doors opened! 

image via Target

Last night when the collection was released online, I was luckily able to snatch a pair of the navy patterned espadrilles I really wanted, which was a feat in itself! It took lots of tries (and a lot of patience) refreshing the page again and again after it crashed many times and once my order was confirmed I was happy I would have at least one item from the collection! While waiting in line, Mary and I decided that if we both came out of the store with at least one thing we would be happy! Mary really wanted the white crochet tank and I really wanted one of the fun scarves! Though from the moment the doors opened things were much crazier than we thought, somehow Mary and I were lucky and each ended up with four things! It was a mad dash of people grabbing anything and everything, and I think the whole collection had been wiped out by 8:05AM! 

One of the smart things Mary and I chose to do was check out the kids section after I had grabbed two scarves and Mary grabbed the crochet tank and the navy shorts for me (she's the best)! We both fit into the larger kids sizes, and both of the shift dresses were only $26! I still can't believe how great the prices were, and the pieces are really decent quality, especially the dresses! 

Though the colors are a little bright, especially the pink shift I ended up with, all the pieces will be perfect for summer and the price was right! We can't wait for the weather to warm up a little to break out some of our new pieces, and are already looking forward to wearing our Lilly for Target things while in Hilton Head this summer! 

Our fun finds! (Both dresses, pink shorts, and blue and pink shorts are kids!) 

Loving my new scarf!

 Though this morning was insanely crazy and already seems like a blur (everything went SO fast!) we both had so much fun finding such cute pieces! Now I can't wait for my shoes to come in the mail!

Did anyone else grab any great Lilly for Target pieces this morning? I'd love to hear about your favorite finds!

xo,

Hannah 

Vacation Spotlight: Hilton Head Island

I am very excited to be sharing a fun guide to one of my all time favorite vacation destinations, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina! My grandparents purchased a timeshare about twenty five years ago, and Mary and I have been going for one or two weeks in August ever since we were born! Vacationing in Hilton Head is probably my favorite of our many family traditions, as I have had so many unforgettable memories growing up vacationing on the Island! I can't wait to share some of my favorite outdoor activities, restaurants, shops, and pictures from my Hilton Head vacations! Mary and I have really gotten to know the in's and out's of the Island over the years, and it almost feels like another home for both of us. 

Outdoor Activities: 

Though Hilton Head has its share of amazing restaurants and shops, nothing beats the amazing outdoor activities that the Island offers! The beaches are gorgeous and yes I could probably spend most of the week simply spending time at the beach, but there are so many other great activities that are so enjoyable, educational, and showcase the uniqueness of the Island! Two of my favorite Hilton Head activities (aside from the beach!) include kayaking and biking.

Broad Creek Marina, Shelter Cove

1. Kayaking: Every year my family takes a dolphin kayaking trip around Broad Creek Marina in Shelter Cove, and we always have the best time searching for dolphins, birds, and enjoying the ocean life! We always take our tours through Outside Hilton Head, a great company with very knowledgable guides who make the kayaking experience so fun and interactive! I think we have seen at least one dolphin on every trip we have gone on, and sometimes the dolphins have come right up next to our kayaks! Kayaking is a must do activity if you're vacationing in Hilton Head!

2. Biking: Hilton Head is a very bike friendly island with countless bike trails and so many places to rent bikes! We rent bikes every year and have lots of fun taking long rides to our favorite spots across the Island! One of my favorite bike trails is the trail through Sea Pines, where you can really get see the beauty of the island and ride among the big live oak trees covered in Spanish moss! The Sea Pines  trail can also lead you to the Salty Dog Cafe, a fun touristy spot with the famous Salty Dog t-shirts! Though the cafe isn't the greatest in my opinion, most people honestly go for the shirts and the ice cream and it's worth a trip!

There are so many other great outdoor activities available on the Island, including lots of golf courses, tennis, boat cruises, parasailing, and zip lining, and many others. Mary and I love heading to the driving range to get some lessons from our grandpa, and each year we love taking tennis lessons at our timeshare! (The tennis instructor actually knows us pretty well now that we've been coming for so many years!)

Cotton candy sky!

Sunset on Broad Creek Marina

Shopping:
Shopping on Hilton Head Island is another one of my favorite activities and they have greatest unique, local stores that we must visit each year! I love shopping in Harbor Town at Sea Pines, and at Coligny Plaza, both which showcase many little shops from which sell anything from fun beach clothing to shells, jewelry and souvenirs! The Lily Pulitzer signature store at Wexford Village is another one of my favorite spots, as they have all things Lily imaginable! Mary and I also check out the Tanger Outlet mall each year, which is right before the bridge you take to cross onto the Island!

Harbor Town Sea Pines Lighthouse

Restaurants: The Hilton Head food scene is so great and I love having both old favorites and also trying some new places that open each year! Here are some of my favorite Hilton Head bites. 

  

1. Truffles Cafe- Truffles has delicious New American food and really such a diverse menu! The fish options on the menu are all great, and the food never disappoints!  

2. The Crazy Crab- Eating at the Crazy Crab has become a family tradition and I order the crab legs every year! Though there are quite a bit of fried fish options on the menu, not my personal favorite, the crab legs are delicious and fresh! 

3. The Sea Shack- Mary and I found out about this place a few years back, and now try and stop every year! It is definitely more of a "dive" environment-wise, certainly not a fancy place, but the fresh seafood is delicious and you can order it cooked to your liking! It is a very small restaurant and the lines can get very long (the first time we visited we waited over an hour in line!) but if you're strategic about the time you go you can get a great, inexpensive meal with local flair! 

4. Alexander's-  Alexander's is another restaurant we visit every year, located in Palmetto Dunes! The food is great, and our family typically goes for the early bird special which always has a delicious and varied menu! My personal favorite is Alexanders' key lime pie! I don't really eat key lime pie anywhere else but at Alexander's! 

Dessert-

If you're in the mood for ice cream or another sweet treat, Hilton Head has some great local bakeries and ice cream shops! Hilton Head Ice Cream Company is a quirky place with great homemade ice cream that my family loves to visit! Pino Gelato is another favorite located in Wexford, they have so many flavors of creamy gelato! Lastly, Signe's Heaven Bound Bakery and Cafe has really good cookies, cakes, pies, and other baked goods! Last year we bought a Chocolate Raspberry cake from Signe's for my cousins's birthday, and it looked beautiful and tasted excellent! 

Hilton Head is really a great vacation spot with options for people of all ages and interests! Though I've been vacationing on the Island for nineteen years, each year I am all the more excited to check out my favorites and the new experiences and memories the Island has to offer!

I am already looking forward to my two weeks in Hilton Head in August! Have a great week everyone!

xo,

Hannah 

April Showers

In honor of the gloomy and rainy New England weather we've had these past few days, I thought I would brighten things up with some fun rain gear picks! As much as I don't enjoy the rain, as they say "April showers bring May flowers!" I'll take some rain for the flowers! 

I have two pairs of Hunter rain boots- a short and a tall pair, and they are both so easy to throw on in rainy weather and so easy to clean! I have even worn them in the snow when it wasn't too cold! There is really such a great variety of cute rain boots, jackets, and umbrellas out there that are perfect to brighten your mood on a rainy day!

1. Green (Joules)     2. Navy and White (Helly Hansen)    3. Navy (Joules)

4. Black (The North Face)  5. Light Blue (LL. Bean)  6. Coral (Joules)  

1. Navy Floral (Joules) 2. Green (Hunter) 3. Colorblock (Hunter) 4. Navy Dot (Joules) 

5. Green Floral (Joules) 6. Green Tartan (Hunter) 7. Navy Stripe (Joules) 8. Raspberry (Hunter) 

1. Black Stripe (Kate Spade)    2. Dog Print (San Francisco Umbrella) 

3. Light Blue Stripe (J. Crew)    4. Navy Pattern (J. Crew Factory, I have this one!)

5. Purple and Pink Pattern (Jonathan Adler)    6. Yellow Floral (Gap) 

As much as the gray and rainy weather may not be fun, it gives me an excuse to wear my cute rain gear! Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

xo,

Hannah 

Easter Weekend Fun!

I hope everyone had a Happy Easter! I just got back on campus a couple of hours ago after a crazy, fun-filled (but sadly short) trip home for Easter weekend! We were lucky enough to have Thursday and Friday of last week off, so Mary and I headed home early Thursday morning and had such a great time spent with family and friends! We did a bit of shopping, took some classes at our favorite fitness studio with Bailey, had some great food, baked some delicious goodies, and had a great Easter with lots of fun festivities.

In honor of our annual Easter baking project, Mary and I decided to make Easter/spring themed cupcakes to bring to our family's Easter dinner! A few weeks back in Palm Springs, I found the cutest cupcake liners and toppers made from William Sonoma made by Meri Meri, a company that sells adorable baking and party accessories! We used our favorite vanilla bean cupcake mix from Trader Joes and tried a new light and fluffy vanilla bean frosting recipe linked here. We decorated some of the cupcakes with the flower toppers from the Meri Meri kit, and others with Robin's Egg candies!

The beautiful cupcakes!

Easter cupcake cross!

In addition to the cupcakes, Mary and I wanted to try making chick macarons inspired by a couple of pins we had seen on Pinterest. We used this recipe for lemon macarons with a lemon buttercream and the flavors turned out just perfect! When making the macarons we used a macaron mat for the first time, which is a silicon baking mat with raised edges for helping pipe a consistent circle shape. While the macarons turned out alright, they were a little smaller and flatter than we would have liked! Lesson learned- our macarons from the past seemed to turn out better without the mat! We used food markers purchased from a local baking store for the eyes and feet, and turns out it was harder than we thought to draw them on without puncturing the macarons!

We always spend Easter at our grandparent's beautiful house and it was such a nice day with lots of fun and laughter! Here's a silly picture of my Easter getup- dress, sweater, and necklace from J. Crew Factory! 

It is crazy to think that Mary and I only have four more weeks left of school before finals! These next few weeks are jammed packed with activities, assignments, and babysitting and before we know it summer will be here! How crazy fast time seems to fly here at school!

I hope everyone has a great week! 

xo,

Hannah 

Boosting Creativity

When thinking back to some of my favorite projects and academic activities from elementary school until today, many of the most memorable assignments that come to mind are tasks that have involved creative thinking. I remember participating in Invent America in elementary school and (with some help from my dad) creating a kid-friendly apple slicer, which I believe my family still owns! I remember my presentation on Food in the Middle Ages my sophomore year of high school where I served a three course meal (including two types of homemade bread!) to my classmates. I remember my physics project my junior year of high school taking slow motion videos and freeze frame photographs of throwing a water balloon at my brother's face (sorry Jonah, but pictures turned out super cool!) Creative projects were "my thing" throughout elementary-high school and I remember countless other awesome projects that turned into family team-working and bonding efforts! 

From a young age, I have loved taking every opportunity possible to think outside the box and turn my imaginations into reality. While there seemed to be countless outlets for creativity in school when I was younger, I noticed that academic opportunities geared at boosting creativity began to decline somewhat throughout my high school experience. Over the years I have learned that creative thinking can and should be used in a much greater variety of settings, including outside of the classroom! I have also learned that boosting creativity can come in a variety of ways, including through actions even as small as trying a new recipe or learning a new word!

Sometimes when I feel like I've been studying for too long and need a brain break or have a sudden creative urge, I turn to some of the ways I have discovered help exercise my creativity! Here are just a few helpful, easy (and fun!) ways I enjoy unleashing a bit of my creative side!

1. Make a New Recipe-
Since cooking and baking are both things I love to do, experimenting with a new recipe is a great activity for when I'm having a creative urge (which is often)! It's so fun to try something completely new or take a shot at making some crazy difficult dessert! Creme brûlée is always fun (especially blow torching the sugar on the top!) Macarons are also a fun dessert to try making- check out my macaron post! 

2. Learn a New Language (or even a few words/phrases in a new language)-
I love learning foreign languages and spending some time learning new words or phrases in another language is such a fun way to me to use my creative thinking skills! I really enjoy the site/app Duolingo, a fun (and quite addictive!) language learning program, and I have completed the whole Duolingo Spanish program and am now working my way through program in French!

3. Exercise-
Just like your body, your brain needs exercise in order to "stay fit" and get the creative juices flowing! Taking a fun fitness class, going out for a run, or doing something fun like playing tennis or swimming are great ways to inspire creativity!

4. Write a short story-
Creative writing is such a fun practice that many people seem to stop after elementary or middle school! Once the focus shifts to writing papers and essays, it seems like creative writing is often ignored by many people but is such a fun way to exercise the brain in a new way. Last year I took a creative writing course and every day the teacher gave us a creative writing journal exercise that I came to love and really looked forward to! I have to admit, I haven't done much creative writing since, but really want to get back into writing fun stories and/or poems!

5.  Sit Outside-
When you're stuck in the classroom for hours each day and live in the confines of a small dorm room, sometimes having a change of scenery and sitting or studying outside is a great way to give your brain a fresh take on things! Though the snow in Boston has kept me inside quite a bit these past few months, lately it has been gradually warming up and I can't wait to soon be able to sit outside and enjoy the sun!

6. Create Something-
Creating something is one of my favorite ways to express creativity. Babysitting is such a fun outlet for me to utilize my love for arts and crafts, and I am quite the finger painting, card-making, and coloring pro! I have a box of markers and some paper in my dorm room and have taken out the art supplies multiple times this year!

7. Journal-
The past few years I have discovered that carrying a small journal around with me in my purse is a great way to record those random creative thoughts that seem to come up in the weirdest times! Instead of worrying about remembering the sudden life revelation or genius idea you thought of on the train, having something to jot down your thoughts or "brain dump" is a simple solution! If only they had something like that for me to record the genius ideas I come up with while in the shower... (apparently there is actually such a thing! Check out Aqua Notes...)

8. Organize-
I may or not be alone on this one, but one of the ways I also like to keep my creative juices flowing is through organizing! Thinking of creative ways to organize my desk drawers and/or closet is sometimes a fun activity, and something you'll thank yourself for later!

9. Listen to Music-
Listening to music is another way to exercise many parts of the brain and boost creativity! I love listening to music on Spotify, and really enjoy the different "genres and moods" of music they offer!

10. Read for Pleasure- 
Engaging in pleasure reading is a great way to exercise your brain and make more creative connections! I have read a variety of books this year from subjects such as food, health, psychology, and some great fiction reads! The latest book on my must read list is Eat Nourish Glow by Amelia Freer! Need to put it on the bookshelf ASAP!

One of my favorite quotes about creativity is by Maya Angelou, who states "You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." While I may still be amazed at the crazy creative projects I have completed in the past, I can continue to foster creativity and grow my creative capacities even through simple things such as these ten activities!

 I hope you engage in something creative this week!

xo,

Hannah 

5 Things I'm Loving This Week

I hope everyone had a great week! I am very excited for this weekend, as I will be volunteering for the OWN IT Summit here at Boston College so thought I'd share some of my favorites from this week before the next two crazy days!

1. Lilly Pulitzer for Target Lookbook-
I had heard about the Lilly Pulitzer for Target collection a few months ago, and knew that it came out sometime mid-April. I did not know they would be publishing the lookbook in March, so was very very pleasantly surprised when I came across a link to the lookbook yesterday! Oh my, are some of the things cute! I need to get my hands on one of the dresses, and the navy espadrilles, and there are many other cute things from jewelry to totes to towels and home accessories! I am sure everything will sell out incredibly quickly on April 19th, but I am still going to try and snag a few things! Such a fun, happy collection!

2. Cauliflower Tacos Recipe from Design Love Fest- 
I occasionally check out the Design Love Fest website for cute and free desktop backgrounds, and was surprised when this week I stumbled upon this amazing looking recipe! I absolutely love cauliflower (and I like good tacos too..) and these look amazing! Using panko breaded cauliflower in place of taco meat is genius and the combination of cauliflower and the mango black bean salsa looks amazing! This one went on my recipe list right away!

3. Caitlin Wilson Textiles- 
Lately I've been doing some Pinterest searching for ideas on decorating the common room in my dorm next year, and my love for the happy and fun Caitlin Wilson textiles prints resurfaced big time! I had seen Pinterest pictures of Caitlin Wilson fabric in the past, but only recently discovered how much I love the bright colorful prints and patterns! Now I want to fill my room with colorful Caitlin Wilson pillows, and the custom headboards I have seen made with her fabric are gorgeous! Aren't these color and pattern combos just adorable?

So fun and colorful!

4. Public Greens Urban Kitchen-
Mary just found this place while browsing online and told me about it today! Public Greens is an amazingly cool "urban cafeteria and microfarm" in Indianapolis, Indiana where all the profits generated and go to the Patachou Foundation, a foundation that works to provide nutritious after schools to at-risk children! All the meat and produce from Public Greens is also locally sourced, and the menu really looks delicious! Sounds like such a cool place with great food for a great cause. If I'm ever in Indy Public Greens will be a must visit!

5. Wool Felt Flowers via MyCakies-
While browsing Pinterest this week, I also found a super cool spring craft that I will definitely have to attempt soon! These wool felt flowers are so fun, and I love the wreath idea!

                                                       I hope you all have a great weekend!

xo, 

Hannah