Hello! I moved into my new apartment about a week ago. I’m excited to be living with a roommate and in a two-bedroom, but it’s a weird adjustment being in a new place! I’m in the same complex but on a different floor. I have to admit, I might have gone to my old apartment a couple of times on accident after moving! The living room space is a little smaller so I’m still figuring out how to move my old decor into the new place, but I’ll have an apartment tour up soon.

One of the very first things I did when moving in was bake chocolate chip cookies. I had some friends from work help me move my couch and a few other things and that was their payment – but I’ve realized that baking my mom’s recipe always helps make a new place feel like home.

Loving Lately

Watching

Modern Love: I watched Modern Love on Amazon Prime while I was moving/unpacking and finished it all in two days! It’s based on some of the stories from the long-running Modern Love column in the New York Times. I’m lucky enough to have a Times subscription from my college still (if you’re seeing this KU, please don’t take it away) and I love reading the little love stories in the weekly newsletter. All the stories were so sweet but the one with the doorman was my favorite. It was such a great piece of storytelling.

Good Girls: I started this series on NBC after my mom recommended it. The first two seasons are on Netflix and the third just came back on and I was SHOCKED by what happened!! I can’t recommend this show enough, it constantly keeps me guessing. Here’s the plot: two sisters and their best friend rob a grocery store, just for some quick money to stay afloat with their own personal financial situations. They get pulled way more into crime than they ever imagined it would go. I can’t say much else without giving it away!

Five little things

1. I’ve been obsessed with this citrus cucumber candle from Target
2. I baked a red velvet cake for Valentine’s day and brought it to work just for fun – there is no better feeling than getting compliments on something you’re proud of + sharing baked goods!
3. This Covergirl lipstick is the perfect nude for me – a little bit darker than my lips and with a great finish
4. Elena Taber’s Youtube channel. I’ve followed her for a few years now and I am constantly impressed by her content. She’s one of few channels that I can go back and rewatch her old videos and still be entertained
5. Big plants! I’m going to Home Depot this week to hopefully purchase a silver bay plant (maybe a different one if I see another that I like). Home Depot has a great plant selection for awesome prices – so underrated!

H&M try-on haul

I did a little try-on haul on my Instagram stories the other day (go follow me if you haven’t already) and got a lot of great feedback, so I decided to re-share that content here! H&M has a ton of great basics in lots of color options, I’d recommend if you’re trying to change up your wardrobe for less

Checked pink and black blazer

Red floral chiffon dress (comes in three other colors, the black would be super easy to dress up)

Red boat-neck striped sweater (comes in three other striped variations)

Fine-knit turtleneck – not super flattering on me but the color didn’t help

Fine-knit sweater in beige

Black short-sleeve sweater

Top with dolman sleeves

2-pack hair scarves – H&M has a TON of cute hair accessories and different-patterned scarves too

I also shared two videos of scarves but couldn’t embed them here. The first one is a neutral, super-wide scarf that would be great for travel and the second is a pink and black plaid flannel scarf that totally reminds me of Burberry!

Happy February!

xo, Hannah

I’m going to be honest here. January started off in the worst way possible. We had to put down Rosie, my 14-year-old dog. It was the humane thing to do, as you could tell she wasn’t really herself, but it was still really hard. It took me at least three weeks to stop crying every single day when I would think about something that reminded me of her.

If you’re not a dog person you probably won’t understand. That’s ok.

But Rosie was one of my best friends and such a key part of our family for 14 years and it’s so hard being without her. I miss her all the time. I’m glad my family still has Riley though – having her around makes it a little easier.

Life update:

I’m ending January home again in Kansas City for a friend’s wedding (which conveniently falls on Superbowl weekend), and I’m glad I’m able to spend some more time with my family before I go back to Salt Lake City for a longer stretch of time.

I went skiing for the first time ever on January 12th with Misty, one of my friends here (and soon-to-be roommate). We took a lesson at Solitude and unfortunately, I was definitely the worst of the group. I expected that though! I went again on MLK Day (the 20th) and I’m looking forward to getting back out there a few more times before ski season ends. I enjoy it, but I’m still getting the hang of learning how to turn and managing my speed. I’m very open to any and all tips you have!

Loving Lately

Watching:

I saw Little Women when I was in Kansas City, with my friends Jordan and Abigail. I seriously cannot say enough good things about the movie! I read it back in high school at one point and now I’m on the list at my library to re-read it again. The visuals, the storyline, the costuming, the casting, EVERYTHING was perfect. It’s the sort of movie that deserves to be seen on the big screen, so go see it in the theaters while you still can.

I also watched the movie The Farewell on my flight back to Salt Lake City from home. It was so sweet and I expected to cry at the end but was pleasantly surprised with the ending.

Reading:

In January I read three books: Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult, The Royal We by Heather Cocks and The Prized Girl by Amy Green.

Small Great Things was my favorite, about an African American delivery nurse that hesitates when helping a child of white supremacists. A trial ensues. It was interesting to read it from the perspective of the nurse, the lawyers, the white supremacist father and others.

The Prized Girl was your classic thriller about a former pageant girl that gets murdered. Typically I can figure out who the killer is about partway through the book, but in this one, I literally couldn’t figure it out until the very last pages when it was revealed. I was shocked! That made up for any shortcomings that the book may have had throughout.

The Royal We is your typical fanfiction-style book. It’s literally the story of Prince William and Kate Middleton, from college to marriage, just with fictional characters. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it, but if you’re not a fan of the Royal family then you probably won’t like it.

Hope you enjoyed!

xo, Hannah

Hello and happy March! I wish I could say happy spring, but it truly doesn’t feel like spring in Kansas City. I think the Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes summed it up the best…I am sick of the snow!

I need Kansas City to warm up a little bit…. it’s been about 3 months now below freezing

— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) March 3, 2019

Also, just had to share this part of an email from my granddad after my running post last week. My granddad used to run all the time (multiple marathons, including Boston!) and his fueling advice made me laugh. Totally sound, but I don’t think you would catch a lot of runners drinking soda on the course these days!

Interesting read on your half-marathon training and hydration. For what it’s worth, I always took a 20 oz. bottle in a holder I strapped around my waist with me. I filled it with half Pepsi and half water. The caffeine and sugar in the Pepsi seemed to help my energy level. If you prefer Gatorade, you might try mixing it half and half, or even weaker, since you had some problems with it full strength. 

I made this illustration last week of one of our football players. I’ve never done anything like this before but it was really fun trying out a new technique. I want to work on more digital (and paper!) illustrations in the future.

I was pretty sick last week – just a normal head cold, but still the worst. My mom suggested I take this elderberry syrup (also comes in gummies!). It’s a natural remedy and I took the ‘intensive routine,’ 4 doses of 10ml per day, while I was sick. I think it definitely shortened the amount of time I was sick for. I’m continuing to take the gummies once a day while it’s still cold season and I really think it’s helping.

I love Topo Chico with a twist of lime but cannot find it ANYWHERE in Kansas City or Lawrence except for Chipotle. Anyone have advice???

Loving Lately

Watching:

The Bachelor

Obviously!! I just finished the iconic ‘fence jumping’ episode with my roommates. The Bachelor at its core is honestly terrible, but it’s so entertaining to watch with friends.

Colton on the other side of the fence jump. #TheBachelor pic.twitter.com/WpUH2BAPyC

— Amanda Orr (@amandakokesh) March 5, 2019

Isn’t It Romantic

I watched this movie last week with a few of my roommates. I haven’t laughed so much at a movie in a long while. Rebel Wilson is hilarious and I loved hearing Liam Hemsworth in his real accent. Highly recommend.

 

Eating:

Cara cara oranges 

More people should know about these!! They were on sale at Aldi last week and I snagged a bag of 7 for 2.50. They’re sweeter, a little like a blood orange, and the best snack. I have a huge sweet tooth and always feel like I have to have something sweet after a meal for dessert and this makes a good, healthier substitute for dessert. (Although I still end up eating dessert afterward, don’t be fooled!)

Cinnamon roll pull-apart bread 

This was a total kitchen experiment for me. I took pre-made biscuit dough and laid each biscuit out with the edges slightly overlapping, then flattened them as much as I could. I then made the cinnamon mixture (1 tbsp cinnamon, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 4 tbsp melted butter) and spooned it out over the top.

You’ll end up with lots of extra liquid after spooning it out and spreading it across the biscuits – save it for later. Then roll them all together into one big roll, then cut it into slices like you would with a normal cinnamon roll. After laying them out in the pan, pour the extra liquid on top. Bake according to the biscuit instructions on the package. These were so good and definitely a treat.

I found this recipe that seems similar and made it yesterday. It’s more like monkey bread, but takes a little more time than the above recipe. I used brown sugar instead of white sugar for a richer flavor and I think that made it much better.

Wanting:

More Outdoor Voices pieces! If you haven’t seen it already, check out my blog post from last week about the pieces that I own. I’m very curious about the OV Hoka Cliftons, because my main workout is running. I can’t justify that purchase right now though while I have perfectly good running shoes, so this might be my next pair after I wear my current pair out. However, I’ve read that they’re heavier and I love how lightweight my current running shoes are, so I’m not sure. If you’ve tried the Hoka Cliftons let me know!

xo, Hannah