Nesting Cups

Just thought I'd share these beautiful nesting teacups I saw at Starbucks this morning. Each holds 8 oz., but they are all different sizes (the blue is shorter and wider and the red is taller and skinner). I think they are so fun! You could use them for tea, or just as a place to keep your loose change or extra hair ties. LOVE!!

DMB!

YAAHOOOOO! Just bought tickets to see Dave this summer in Hartford! We'll be going with Hannah and Todd and some of their friends and I am so excited I could BURST. It's so exciting isn't it? DMB in the summertime?! SURE IS.

I don't know how many of you know this, but me and Dave go waaaay back. We're tight.

Carter Beauford on the drums, Carter Beauford on the drums!!!

Heck yes, we are going to DMB.

Be kind.

Thanks to children's book author Grace Lin for this great quote

via her blog outergrace:

"Be kind to unkind people; they need it the most."
-Chinese Proverb

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Have a great weekend!

Polyvore Perfection.

I'm here tonight to tell you about Polyvore. A SUPER fun website where you can design your outfits. Caroline told me about this about a year ago and I sort of forgot about it until now. But since spring is just around the corner I felt inspired to get to work putting clothes together and seeing what I can come up with. A great waste of time (which I really don't have a lot of!) plus you can discover new ways to put together all your stuff. I love it-- I'm working on my outfit for tomorrow as we speak. It's Friday: comfy jeans and chuck taylors are in order. Try it out!

adorable spring outfit by AEBurns featuring J Crew

Tomorrow's Outfit by AEBurns featuring J Crew

Confessions of a shopaholic.

I failed.

I've been dreading telling you the news, but it's true. I couldn't help myself. The pink j.crew skirt was just too pretty. And then the Banana jeans were just too cool. And the gap cardigans were just sooooo classic.

I think I'll try starting again next month. March has been hard.

I blame the warm weather.

Whatever, I'm over it. I tried.

Speak

Ok WOW this book was intense. But very good. An emotional book for young adults about a girl who's been abused. She needs to speak up, but she can't. An important theme, an important subject. A hard topic, but a realistic one. I couldn't help but cry for Melinda. This book is meant for YA readers, but everyone will get something out of it. The story hooks you in from the beginning and you don't want to put it down. A powerful book.

Speak

by Laurie Halse Anderson

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Some things cold and sugary and delicious.

This weekend in the Bean was beyond gorgeous. We're talking 70 degrees and sunny. On Saturday I was wearing a sleeveless shirt. No sleeves! And I was perfectly comfortable! Heaven. I bet it's like that in heaven. I know in my heaven it will be that's for sure. Aaaanyways. Warm weather calls for cool treats. And I sure got my fair share of them this weekend.

Let's start with ice cream. YUMMY yummy ice cream. So creamy and delicious and fattening. I love it. My favorite? JP Licks Oreo Ice Cream. It is devine. It's literally like mushed up oreos and milk. The taste is indescribably spectacular. Superb. Fabulous. Ok, ok.. you get it.

JP Licks

Boston's Best Homemade Ice Cream

Click here for locations near you!

Next up? Smoothies. Oh, fruity smoothies you are so good.

Berry Freeze is the newest frozen yogurt joint to hit Coolidge Corner. This phenomenon has been around NYC for a few years, but we over here in Boston-- we lag a bit with the trends. It's a great idea though and I'm glad it's finally caught on over here... makes you feel slightly less guilty as opposed to eating ice cream. But still, only slightly. They have an amazing fruit bar filled with glorious amounts of fruits and nuts and sugary cereals and CHOCOLATE.

Looks good doesn't it? Mmm hmm it does.

Check it out!

Berry Freeze

273 Harvard Street

Coolidge Corner

Brookline, MA

200!!!!!

I did it! I reached 200 posts today. Woohoo!

I'm just whizzing along like a 5 year old on a scooter.

Thanks for reading!

I LOVE the Booksmith.

Brookline Booksmith.

I love.

I was just wandering around Coolidge Corner today soaking in the 70 degree weather and of course I wandered into Brookline Booksmith. And I couldn't help but think to myself, as I do every time I go inside: What an absolutely AMAZING bookstore. I love it. It has such a wonderful feel, like a old worn in pair of jeans. Well fitted, comfortable, and classic. I love the rows of wooden bookshelves with the old rolling ladder. I love the used bookshop in the basement. And I love all the knick-knacks and notecards throughout the store.

It's here where I get the gorgeous and inspiring Positively Green Cards and also today where I found these great folk and flora correspondance notecards by Repro Depot. So fun! I couldn't help but buy the notecards in hopes that I will start up letter writing again. Because really, who doesn't like getting an old fashioned letter in the mail? It's the simple things that are the best things.

Goat cheese baguettes with lemon chicken.

Two weeks ago or so Zan and I created our own bruschetta. It turned out FAB. It's not your typical tomato and basil bruschetta. Oh no, ours had goat cheese and caramelized onions. You heard me-- GOAT cheese (my favorite) and deliciously sweet caramelized onions (I give myself a big pat on the back for that one). I also added some grilled red, orange, and yellow peppers to some of the bruschetta. To make a long story short Zan is trying the Eat Right For Your Type diet (for health reasons) and there are a lot of restrictions on what he can't eat. I've been trying to get creative, thinking of yummy dishes he can try while still following the diet. This recipe was a hit. We made it again tonight with lemon chicken (chicken marinated in straight up lemon juice) and couldn't have been more please with the meal. Topped it off with some red wine and 2 episodes of LOST and I say we had a pretty great night.

Spring is here!!

Oh spring, beautiful spring. Not sure if spring is officially here yet, the northeast can be tricky like that, but it sure does feel like spring. I'l take what I can get when I can get it. My mood is so bright and I just feel like dancing in the streets (which sometimes I do, just because).

Here's a little list of some of my favorite things about spring:

1. Cadbury mini eggs (I've already gone through 2 bags)

2. The sun is out until 7:00. Yes, Mr. Sun, please shine down on me.

3. Rolled up jeans and shoes with no socks

4. Flowers on the trees (I spotted some buds yesterday!)

5. Happiness running through my veins

5. SUMMER is just that much closer

Oh summer, you are my favorite. Come soon, please.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I just ate a huge handful of green m&m's. Ok, fine. I lied. I ate the whole bag. YUM! Hope you had a green filled day! And may the luck O the irish be with you. xoxo.

Very awesome City Neighborhood Posters

A few weeks ago, while walking through Porter Square to class I came across this really cool map store, WardMaps on Mass Ave. I was early so I hopped inside for a minute to check things out. I love maps. I love all kinds of maps: old maps, new maps, funky maps, colorful maps. Maps are cool. WardMaps has mostly old maps of the city of Boston and surrounding towns. Most of them have an antique look which is nice-- don't know if they're truly vintage or not but they're interesting nonetheless.

One particular set of maps that caught my eye were these maps from Ork Poster. They are incredibly fun and colorful and I bought a Boston one right away! The print itself is on heavy paper and looks great in my $16 Target frame. I bought the blue one for my kitchen and I'm so excited to hang it up! I love it!

Jenny Beorkrem is the designer from Chicago. She wanted a unique and simple map for her living room but couldn't find the original design she was looking for. So she created it herself. From there she started to design different maps for popular cites. They are SO awesome. Check them out here and then visit the website to purchase one for yourself. A great gift for someone who likes simple, modern art.

Cool, right?! I know!!

Rain, rain, go away.

This rain needs to stop.

And winter needs to go away.

Because I want to wear pretty ballet flats.

Like these...

They're all so wonderful. And pretty. And SO NOT waterproof.

But wait!!

Look what I found:

Rainy day ballet flats?! GENIUS!!

(Another point for good old j.crew.)

Organized and happy.

Today while circulating around Target I found the most adorable office supplies. The company is called Greenroom and they make environmentally friendly paper products from recycled material. Besides being good to the enviornment they are fun! Goodbye, boring Avery binders. Hello, Greenroom.

They have binders, folders, notebooks, journals and stationary.

Here's a little look at how I organized my school stuff today:

So organized. So cute. So happy.

JEGGINGS

Did I tell you I went to UNIQLO?

Did I tell you I got JEGGINGS??!!

For those of you who haven't heard, jeggings are amazing and they can be yours for only $19.50. About 3 weeks ago Bailey introduced me to the phenomenon that is jeggings (jeans + leggings) and from that point forward I had been yearning daily and dreaming nightly for a pair to call my own. Jeggings can be found at many hip retailers these days, but UNIQLO has particularly comfortable, flattering and most importantly cheap jeggings for under $20. I didn't even know clothes existed for such low prices. It's incredible.

I went to UNIQLO and I got Jeggings.

Oh right, I already told you that. Maybe, probably, more than once. But doesn't it just make you want to go and get some for yourself? They're stretchy! They're stylish! They have an elastic waist! They're AWESOME.

UNIQLO

Soho

546 Broadway

New York, New York 10012

Goodies from Sephora

The other day I was applying my daily dose of powder and blush when I realized it had been a LONG time since I'd gotten any new make-up. Usually I just grab some Loreal while I'm at CVS on an errand. Nothing fancy, just the basics. I decided to step it up a notch and head to Sephora, where nothing is simple and everything is excessive. That store makes my blood pressure rise, which doesn't happen very often. The music is so loud, there are always tons of people and there is just too much to choose from! But my CVS blush was breaking into pieces and my mineral foundation was running dry so Sephora was a must stop for me. I do love looking at make-up. I love all the pretty colors and different types of face products and brushes. Sometimes, because I get too excited, I end up spending way more than I should on make-up. Multi-colored eye shadow? Unnecessary. $25 Mascara? Ridiculous. Still, sometimes I am a sucker.

This particular Sephora trip was very successful. I stuck to what I really needed-- no Dior mascara this time around. Here's what I picked up:

Blush Me! This is such a great color. Not too bronze, not too pink. Adds just the right amount of color to keep you looking healthy.

Professional Powder Brush. It's so soft! Kind of reminds me of the Bobbi Brown Squirrel Brush, but obviously not as fantastic.

Nano Eyeliner. This pencil is only $5! They have several color to choose from and it goes on super smooth. I like.

Best Dressed.

My apologies this post is a bit late. Since I wasn't able to attend the Oscars myself, I had to wait for the pictures to come out on the internet before I could write my post. I did watch the entire show this year, enjoyed hearing the award winners and specifically seeing all the movie stars! I love watching the red carpet pre-show (minus Ryan Seacrest). The fashion is the best part. Obviously, right? The glam and glitz and gorgeousness of it all.

Here are my personal favorites from the night:

Meryl Streep. FABULOUS.

Kristen Stewart. Can't help myself. She's awesome.

Maggie Gyllenhaal. I LOVED her look.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Rachel McAdams. He's beautiful. She's beautiful. BEAUTIFUL.

SJP. I think I like this dress. She looks amazing. It suits her.

This is my most favorite of all. Anna Kendrick. Her dress is SO elegant and I adore the color. Brilliant. I LOVE.

Great times with KPrime.

Oh Kprime, how I love thee. This weekend on my way to Brooklyn for Bailey's shower I took a detour to the Upper East Side. I just needed to see my friend, Katie (aka Kprime). For both of my trips to NY in the past 2 months I've made sure to stop on by her neck of the woods to grab dinner and drinks and catch up. Life gets so busy we don't get together too often so when there's an opportunity to see her I WILL NOT pass it up.

The first time I visited this year we stayed on her side of town and enjoyed a nice meal at Fetch on 3rd Avenue. They had really fun drinks and I had a delicious order of buffalo chicken quesadillas. Katie and her friend Sam ordered the Beef Stew over egg noodles, which looked and tasted delicious. What a fun little place to try on a Thursday night in the city!

This past weekend, while back in NY for wedding festivities, again I took the route to Brooklyn via Katie's apartment. This time she made reservations in the East Village with a bunch of her friends from NY. We went to La Palapa, a cute Mexican restaurant with the most delicious Margaritas. YUM! We got pitchers of both the pomegranate and blueberry and I think we all thoroughly enjoyed both flavors. My meal was excellent: TINGA DE POLLO chile chipotle barbequed chicken and BISTEC char-grilled marinated skirt steak. Yummy yummy quesadillas (yes, I love quesadillas) and a side of corn sauteed with epazote (grilled onions). The entire experience was muy bien. Highly recommended if you live in NY!