Monday, December 20, 2010

Louboutin Love


I wish this post was about my own Christian Louboutin heels, however that would require the kind of Christmas miracle that could only be achieved through illegal activities, or maybe Oprah. However, it sounds as though Blake Lively can certainly share the love. Not only does she have a pair named after her, but she recently visited an invitation-only VIP Louboutin sample sale and bought not one, not two... but 40 pairs of shoes. Naturally some were gifts for her friends and family, because what says love and Merry Christmas better than a $1000 pair of shoes?? Nothing.
Lots of love,
Jenna

Friday, December 17, 2010

Newest Obsession

As Kacy mentioned, I am back home in northern California for the winter break and loving every minute of it! Yesterday I went along with my mom to do some Christmas shopping and discovered possibly one of the best stores in existence. The best part is, it isn't some unaffordable ritzy boutique with clothes I only dream about, but an adorable craft and paper store! Paper Source offers adorable cards and crafting ideas, as well as knick knacks and things you simply cannot live without, such as Jonathan Adler pens and pencils. Although the stores are not very popular, their website (http://www.paper-source.com/) offers all their adorable merchandise! I plan on taking a class at the store in January to teach me how to use assorted crafting tools, as I dabble in card making when I have the time. Ill let you know how it goes! Enjoy my adorable collage comprised of my favorite Paper Source items!
xoxo
Jenna



Thursday, December 16, 2010

And the baking continues...

I am excited to announce that for once I have had a successful baking experience! Since Jenna left me a few days ago for California, I have just been sitting around the house, watching Christmas movies, and enjoying our much needed break from school. With so many amazing recipes out there I decided I ought to try a new one. From one of my favorite baking blogs, www.doughmesstic.net, I found a recipe for nutella & seal salt caramel fudge. I know, sounds like heaven! Well it tastes like it too. While I modified the recipe a bit due to the ingredients in my pantry, the fudge still turned out deliciously!

So heres to enjoying the few precious days left of the holiday season and 2010!
With love,
Kacy

Thursday, December 9, 2010

The French macaron debacle

I apologize for my absence these past few weeks. With the flurry of the holiday season brought my family's vacation to Cancun, Mexico. While I fully enjoyed my week of white sand beaches and lime mojitos, it was equally sad to miss all the holiday festivities happening in the states. Not only did I miss the most sacred of days (Black Friday) but I also missed making my annual holiday goodies. In lue of the normal pies I make this time of year, yesterday I decided to attempt one of the most delicious and complex desserts known to man- the French macaron. While apprehensive knowing how delicate these delectable cookies are to create, I presumed Martha Stewart could not fail me. I finally decided upon a gingerbread variation with lemon cream filling. Here is a picture of what they are supposed to look like:


And so began my french macaron adventure. While the preparation went easy enough, I realized I did not have one important component- the parchment paper to cook them on. I decided to look up if aluminum foil would work as a viable alternative. In the end a few bloggers had had success using foil so I decided to try it out. After the lemon cream filling turned out less thick than I would have liked, I become even more nervous about my macarons. However when I took them out of the oven they looked beautiful- that was until I tryed to take them off the foil. While I would have loved to post a beautiful picture of my own macrons, my results were less than blog worthy. All in all, the experience proved to be less than enjoyable. I think in the future I will stick to christmas cookies and leave the macarons to the professionals. Happy baking everyone!
Kacy

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Filoli Adventures


Once again, there is a serious case of neglect going on here. Deepest apologies. Less than two weeks until winter break though! For now, I want to share some divine pictures from my time at home over Thanksgiving. Every year my mom and I, along with some family friends, visit Filoli. A mansion built in the early 1900s, Filoli is now a historical landmark. The vast property, beautiful architecture and sheer size of the estate is amazing. During Christmas time each year the house is decorated with hundreds of trinkets, ornaments and gifts and people may wander through the house and purchase just about anything on display. Its a perfect way to get into the Christmas spirit! Enjoy! And Happy Holidays!
Jenna