March Outfits Of The Day

I feel really corny having all of these pictures be the middle school mirror picture, but I don't know how else to show you all my daily outfits other than this way.  I try to take a picture every day but obviously some days I forget.  So here is a glimpse at my style and what I have worn throughout the month of March. I really enjoy picking out my outfits and getting dressed for classes every day.  I think when you are dressed nicely it gives you more confidence and makes you feel better about yourself.

Outfit One (rainy day):

Hot pink scarf

Black sweater- Plato's Closet

Jeggings- HUE

Polka dot rain boots

Outfit Two:

Navy blue vest- Lands End

Gray knit infinity scarf

White long sleeve- Gap

Black jeggings- American Eagle

Chestnut boots- Clarks

Outfit Three:

Teal and Navy Baseball style shirt- Gap

Gray knit infinity scarf

Dark gray leggings-HUE

Chestnut Boots- Clarks

Outfit Four: 

Brown sweater- Jcrew

Dark jeans- American Eagle

Plaid shirt- American Eagle

Chestnut boots- Clarks

Outfit Five: 

Black cardigan- Old Navy

Jeggings- American Eagle

Pink scarf

Brown Boots- Clarks Originals

Outfit Six:

Long cream sweater-Gap

Striped dress- Anthropologie

Gray leggings-HUE

Chestnut boots-Clarks

Outfit Seven:

Green Sweater- Pac Sun

Blue and white Star Shirt- Plato's Closet

Black riding leggings- American Eagle

Chestnut boots- Clarks

Outfit Eight:

Brown knit infinity scarf

Lime crew neck sweat shirt- Jcrew

white tank top- American Eagle

Black leggings- HUE

Chestnut boots- Clarks

Outfit Nine:

Black sweatshirt- Nike

Navy vest- Lands end

Jeans- American Eagle

Chestnut boots- clarks

Outfit ten:

Pink scarf

Blue and white striped sweater- Banana Republic

Navy Vest- Lands End

Jeans- American Eagle

Outfit Eleven (Rainy Day):

Brown knit infinity scarf

salmon long sleeve shirt- American Eagle

Jeggings- HUE

Rain boots

Outfit Twelve:

This was the same outfit as outfit ten.

This picture was just taken without

the vest on.

Outfit Thirteen:

Black and white sweater- Plato's Closet

Salmon long sleeve collared shirt- American Eagle

Jeans- American Eagle

Chestnut boots- Clarks

Outfit Fourteen:

Black Sweater- Plato's Closet

Plaid long sleeve shirt- Hollister

Jeans- American Eagle

Chestnut boots- American Eagle

Outfit Fifteen:

Polka Dot Cardigan- Jcrew

Black Scarf

Mint pocket tee- Tillys

Jeans- American Eagle

Navy Blue shoes- TOMS

Outfit Sixteen:

Yellow cardigan- Forever 21

Striped 3/4 length shirt- Forever 21

Jeans- American Eagle

Chestnut Boots- Clarks

Outfit Seventeen:

Royal Cardigan- Gap

Striped long sleeve shirt- Plato's closet

Jeans- American Eagle

Chestnut Boots- American Eagle

As you can probably tell from all the pictures. I am really into scarves.  I like them because they keep you warm and they are really cute.  I also am a huge fan of boots, especially the clarks chestnut ones.  I got them for Christmas and I wear them too much, oops. 

Happy Easter everyone! I hope you enjoy your last day of March.

xoxo

-mQs-

Hoppy Easter

Since Easter is this Sunday I thought it would be appropriate to post about Easter.  My family is not super religious so this holiday is not very significant to us.  The "Easter bunny" comes to our house every year and we have a family dinner, but that is about the extent of our celebrating.  This year I asked that the Easter bunny not bring me candy.  I do not need anymore sweets in my room!  

Everything on this post can be found on my Easter Board.

Make your own Lilly eggs! Take an old agenda and mod podge onto wooden eggs. Display in a clear bowl, and you have a cute decoration for your home.

Easter Smores using peeps.

Hand Painted wooden Lilly Eggs.

Lilly Pulitzer Acrylic Monogram Easter Basket Tie-On

I plan on making these this weekend.

Soft Chewy M&M Cookies:

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Makes 22 cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking soda

pinch salt, optional and to taste

1 1/2 cups milk chocolate M&Ms (or another variety of M&Ms, or chocolate chips may be substituted)

Directions:

To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugars, egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until well-creamed, light and fluffy, about 5 minutes (or use a hand mixer and beat for at least 7 minutes). Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, optional salt, and mix until just combined, about 1 minute. Add the M&Ms and fold in by hand.

Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, form heaping mounds. Place mounds on a large plate, flatten mounds very slightly with your palm, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 5 days, before baking. Do not bake with warm dough because cookies will spread.

Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with parchment or spray with cooking spray. and place them on the baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart; I bake 8 cookies per sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until edges have set and tops are just beginning to set, even if slightly undercooked, pale and glossy in the center. Do not bake longer than ten minutes as cookies will firm up as they cool (The cookies shown in the photos were baked with dough that had been chilled for two days, allowed to come to room temp for 15 minutes, and were baked for 8 1/2 minutes, with trays rotated at the 4-minute mark. They have chewy edges with soft pillowy centers). Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling.

Adapted from Chocolate Chip and Chunk Cookies

I hope everyone enjoys their Easter weekend! I will be going home for the weekend. 

What Easter traditions do you have?

xoxo

-mQs-

Lilly Loving

What better way to brighten up your day than with some Lilly.  These are some of the pieces on the Website that I am loving right now.  

1. Elsa Top ($158) I love all the different patterns this top comes in. Also the tunic style look is adorable

2.Malibu Blazer ($198) I think the classic look of a blazer like this is always a good choice.  The pink and navy color combination makes the look of a blazer really fun and playful.

3. This is the same elsa top as # 1, just in a different pattern.  I think the shirt looks completely different in this pattern.

4. Shoreline Tote ($78) This is a great bag.  Perfect to carry books in for school or take to the beach. 

5. Kaleb Dress ($98) The length of the sleeves on this dress are great.  I am a huge fan of stripes, so obviously this dress is on of my favorites.

6. Joana Sweater Dress ($218) The navy and tan color combination is always a good one.  This dress has a great shape to it.  I love how the stripes are different thicknesses.

7. Midori Maxi Dress ($188) I am a huge fan of Maxi dresses, but I can't seem to find one that fits me right.  The style of this dress is adorable, and green is a great color for spring and summer.

xoxo

-mQs-

Liebster Award (again)

I would like to start this post off by thanking Virginia from ginnyschoice for nominating me for the Liebster Award.  Please take the time to check out her blog!  Since I recently just did the full liebster award, I am going to modify this one by just answering the questions Virginia asked.

1. Are you an organized person?  I am extremely organized. Actually, today my boyfriend told me that he thinks I might be more organized than Sheldon Cooper (from the Big Bang Theory).
2. Are you into healthy food? I try my best to eat well. I like the way my body feels when I eat healthier foods.
3. What's your biggest dream? My biggest dream is to travel to France with my mom eventually.
4. Have you ever been to Italy? If yes, where? If no, would you like to visit it? No, I wish.
5. What's your favorite movie? (Ok, this is hard, you can list 3) I'm going to say the blind side, finding nemo, and the notebook
6. What's your favorite book? (Same as before, list 3) I don't really have one.
7. Are you an introvert or extrovert person? I think I am a combination, if that is even possible.
8. Do you like animals? Do you have any pet? I do like animals. I have a yorkie.
9. Where do you live? I am from PA.
10. Are you into make-up? I am into very minimal make-up, I prefer the natural look.
11. Do you have plans for next summer? I am currently in search of a summer job.  When I am not working I hope to be spending time at the beach.

xoxo

-mQs-

What I Know For Shore

Welcome to the first edition of "What I know For Shore"! I would first like to acknowledge my lovely mom for helping me come up with the idea for this post.  As you have probably guessed by now, the title of this (soon to be) monthly post is a play on the title of my blog.  Each month I plan on giving you a list of things that are going on in my life that I know for shore.  Personally in my life, I find that there is so much uncertainty about so many things that it is important to recognize the things that I am certain of. This could range from something serious to my favorite trend in fashion this month.

What I Know For Shore- March Edition:

1. I am obsessed with stripes.
2. I have a great support system thanks to my mom, dad, brother, boyfriend, roommate, and best friend.
3. I am ready for warmer weather even if that means the temperature is consistently in the mid 50s and sunny for one week.
4. I need a summer job.
5. I want to become a teacher.
6. I like to be dressed well as frequently as possible.
7. I can not wait to go to the beach.
8. Chicken enchiladas are delicious
9. Being organized is essential to my personal sanity.
10. The frequency that I straighten my hair is definitely does not make for healthy hair.

Snow Day in Spring

This morning I woke up to the wonderful alert on my phone that classes were cancelled today due to inclement weather.  What a great way to start the week! I am more than ready for warmer weather, but I  don't mind a day off from classes.  I am hoping that this is the tail end of winter weather.  

So What am I going to do on my day off...

It is so tempting just to curl up in a blanket with some hot tea and watch netflix all day.  Last night I started watching the show Greek again, I'm currently on episode nine.  However, in the next three weeks I have a significant amount of work to do so that probably would not be the best idea.  I think I am going to get one of my papers done, do some reading for my Psychology class, and meet with the members of my group for a group project that is due Thursday.  Then I will reward myself for being productive by watching Greek and relaxing. 

But before I do that I am going to spend some time reading some blogs because I haven't done that in awhile.  Looking at other people's blogs helps give me inspiration and ideas on what I can improve in my blog.

There is a possibility I might post more than once today.

so ta ta for now

xoxo

-mQs-

Spring Fever

 On Friday my mom picked me so that I could could come home for the weekend. We stopped at the mall on our way home.  The weather was really cold, but ignoring it I went for all spring clothes.  I am ready for warm weather and spring fashion.

I bought these two cardigans at Forever 21.  I love the mint and navy combo.  Mint is one of the in colors this Spring, and color blocking is a huge in concept.  I love how this sweater combines these two concepts into one piece.

I'm not usually one to wear yellow, but my wardrobe is in some serious need for color so I bought it.  I actually really like how the color looks on me. 

This shirt is from anthropologie.  Another big component to this year's spring fashion are stripes.  I am a huge fan of stripes. This is a loose fitting shirt with a floral pocket. It is really soft and comfortable.  It will be great to wear with leggings, shorts, or jeans and my navy TOMS.

I had a 20% coupon to South Moon Under for one item, from my birthday.  I decided to use it to purchase new black leggings.  Black leggings are a staple when it comes to my wardrobe.  My favorite pair were getting worn out so it was time for a new pair.  HUE has, in my opinion, the best leggings.  They are super comfortable and actually made out of a substantial material.

My favorite purchase from the trip was my purse.  I have been looking for a bright colored small satchel for some time.  When I saw this one I loved it.  It was originally $298, way out of this college girl's budget, but I got it for $74.  Such a great deal, I couldn't resist.  This is my first coach bag. I don't really like coach bags just because everyone makes such a big deal over them.  This one is different from the average coach bag, so I guess you could consider it an exception.  

xoxo

-mQs-

iphone apps

I am constantly looking for fun new apps for my iphone, so I'm sure you all are too.  I thought I would share with all of you some of my favorite apps outside of the norms (instagram, facebook, twitter, etc). I'm all about the free apps so all of these are free except for BlogGo.

Sworkit: This app is great for working out without going to the gym.  It provides you with tons of exercises that don't involve any equipment.  You can choose the type of workout you want to do, choose the length, or create your own work out. 

My Fitness Pal: This is a great food journal.  It helps me log my exercise and food intake.  It shows you the amount of calories you should consume in a day, and what nutrients aspects you are missing based on what you have logged for a given day.

Waze: This is a fun navigation system.  I have found it to be incredibly helpful.  I hardly use my actual GPS anymore because I have this app.

GroupMe: This app is great for group texts.  Especially when it comes to group texts with a group of people who don't all have iphones.  This app has helped me stay in contact with my best friends from high schools.  Without this app I'm pretty sure we would have no idea what was going in all of our lives.

TWC: I check the weather every morning with this app.  I like this weather app better than others because you can really personalize to fit you. 

Snapchat: I know I said I was going to showcase apps that were out of the norm, but I just couldn't resist this one.  I think I could Snapchatting down as one of my hobbies.  

Urbanspoon:  This app is under my "road trip" category.  All you have to do is enter your location and it categorizes all of the places to eat that are relatively close to you.  It is great when you are traveling in an unfamiliar area.

BlogGo: This is a great blogging app.  As I mentioned before this is the only paid app that is on my top app list, but I'm pretty sure this is only like $1.99.  You can easily create new blog posts and view the blogs you follow.

xoxo

-mQs-

March Madness

 I've pretty much grown up around basketball.  My dad was a student manager at a division one school when he was in college, so he is obviously really into it.  My younger brother eat, breathes, and lives basketball.  I played for four years when I was in elementary school, but I never really understood what I was doing (hence the reason why I stopped playing). Of course my dad was my coach at the time.  He now coaches my brother, it's something that they are both passionate about so it bonds them.  During the winter my house is pretty much centered around basketball: my brother playing in high school, my dad coaching the middle school team, watching it on TV, talking about it, etc. It usually gets to a point where my mom and I become uninterested by it.  However, once March comes around my interest level increases again because of the NCAA tournament.

  Every year my family has our own pool of brackets.  It's just a fun thing that brings us all together.  I don't always pick the highest ranked teams when choosing who I want to win.  Confession: I usually pick the school who's colors or name I like better. I took a screen shot of my bracket but it is really hard to see (sorry!). The games started this afternoon, so far I have four wins and one loss.

xoxo

-mQs-

Words of Wisdom (five)

I love everything about this quote from the meaning of it to the way that it appears visually.  It is so simplistic but carries such a strong meaning.  The message it has is so incredibly true.  In life if everything came easy we would never learn from it.  It's important to find the positivity in the negative things that happen in your life.

On a different note, Happy first day of spring! Hopefully warm weather is right around the corner now! Don't forget your free Rita's today.

xoxo

-mQs-

Snack Attack

Going to college presents many challenges to a first year student, especially when living in a basic dorm room.  One of these many challenges is figuring out what to eat and what snacks to keep in your room. The dining hall supplies you with meals, but lets me honest no college student can endure an entire day without consuming at least one snack.  In fact, it is actually better for you to eat about six times a day (three meals and a snack in between each meal).  Living in your basic dorm room I  have a microwave and a mini fridge, when it comes to cooking utilities.  There is a kitchen in the basement of my dorm, but I think it is dirty and I don't have pots/pans to cook things anyways.  This leaves me with what one would think of as limited eating possibilities.  However, this is not the case.  I have learned that you just have to be creative with what you eat.  You can actually cook a whole bunch in the microwave. My Pinterest Board has some ideas for snacking. 

Food Essentials for the Dorm Room 

1. Fruit: I always keep bananas and apples in my room.  It is important to have fruits and veggies in your diet.

2. Pretzels: I always keep pretzels in my room. Personally I like the Snyder's snaps pretzels.

3. Peanut Butter: This is a good source of protein.  I eat peanut butter with bananas or apples and I dip pretzels in it too.

4. Yogurt: I like the Trader Joe's Yogurt cups.  These are small but mix them with granola and they may a great breakfast.

5. Granola: I enjoy munching on granola right out of the bag, but it is also good in yogurt too. I usually buy the Nature's Promise Maple Cashew Granola.

6. Tortilla Chips: These are great to just grab a handful and snack on. If you have shredded cheese they can be used to make nachos.  They go well with dips like salsa or buffalo chicken dip.  I usually make buffalo chicken dip when I am at home, so that I can put it in a container and bring to college as a snack.

7. Cheese: I like to have both shredded cheese and a block of cheese in my fridge.  This is a great source of calcium.  Paired with crackers or apple slices this is a great snack.

8. Granola bars: These are a great for on the go breakfast or a quick bite before you go to the gym in the morning.  I like the kind bars or quaker chocolate chip granola bars. 

9. Crackers: I usually have the tin crisp triscuits.  They are really yummy with cheese.

10. Something Sweet: I always like to have something sweet after I eat a meal.  While I was home I picked up power berries at Trader Joe's.  These are a good healthy version of something sweet. 

I know this isn't a snack but I just had to include it.  The one item I that is a necessity when it comes to college dorms is a brita.  It is important to consume eight cups of water every day.  Buying bottled water becomes expensive and is not green.  I am not a fan of tap water, so this buy was well worth the $30 I spent to get it. 

My fellow bloggers what do you consider as essentials for dorm room food, is there anything you can't go without?

xoxo

-mQs-

Spring Break Recap

It was so nice being on spring break last week.  I may  not have gone to some place warm and tropical, nor did I do anything terribly exciting.  However,  I was quite content with just being home.  The week flew by I was busy just about every day with doctor appointments, meetings, and catching up with friends who I haven't seen in awhile.  It took me awhile to actually relax, and before I knew it I had to go back to school. 

What I've Learned During Spring Break

1. My family (mom, brother, and Dad) are all obsessed with the show Greek
2. You can only control the controllables. If I try to control things that are out of my control my stress level is just never going to go down.
3. My brother is a workout freak.  He goes to the gym at 5:30 a.m. before school.
4. My family will support me no matter what.
5. I actually like eating edamame

Now it's back to the hectic college life.  There are only eight more weeks left. I'm on my final home stretch of freshman year. Looking back, the time has gone by rather quickly.  I am about to be consumed with school work like exams, research papers, and readings.  This year I have certainly learned how to manage my time wisely.  

This morning I received a package from my parents.  I guess they sent it before spring break but it didn't get to me in time. I love the color of this Ralph Lauren emerald v-neck tee.  My parents always know how to boost my spirits when I'm going through a rough patch.

xoxo

-mQs-

Something Green

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

I thought that it was only appropriate to write about different shades of green today.  These are some of my favorite sea foam green, mint, and emerald pieces.  You can find the links to these on my pinterest board Something Green.

Wishing you all a safe fun filled St. Patrick's Day!

xoxo

-mQs-

Casual Friday Night Baking

Yesterday afternoon I was able to catch up with one of my really good friends, bMl.  We met when I was in eighth grade, she was a junior in high school, through playing field hockey.  We have managed to stay friends over the past four and a half years.  We live parallel lives, it is quite comical.  Anyways, we met for sushi at Lilly's, it's a really cute place.  We split the salmon lover roll, fashion roll, and Mexican shrimp tempura.  I also discovered how amazing edamame is! 

Moving on, since we went for an early dinner, I was home by seven with nothing to do.  All week I have been wanting to bake, so I thought why not.  Well, I baked alright.  I made white chocolate brownies and chocolate chip cookies.  I don't have the best track record when it comes to cooking, but I can definitely bake.  The past few weeks I have been incredibly stressed out, and last night I discovered how therapeutic baking can be.  It was just what I needed to relax.

White Chocolate Brownies

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/3 cups of white chocolate chips

2 eggs

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tablespoon vanilla

1 cup flour

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350.

Grease/ flour an 8 inch square baking pan.

Melt butter and 2/3 cup of white chocolate chips together in the microwave for about two minutes, or until they are melted completely. 

When melted remove from heat and add the remaining white chocolate chips (2/3 cup). 

Stir to blend well and set aside. 

Beat the eggs and sugar until thick. 

Add white chocolate and butter mixture, vanilla and flour. 

Beat just until smooth. 

Add chocolate chips and mix in by hand.

Pour into pan and bake for 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 

Cool on wire rack.

Chocolate Chip Cookies (Original Nestle Recipe)

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) of butter- softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 brown packed sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.

Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until creamy.

Add eggs and gradually add the flour mixture.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Scoop cookie dough into balls onto the pan.

Bake for 9-11 minutes.  

xoxo

-mQs-

Wishing For Warmer Weather

Today it is 34 degrees out with 30 mph winds.  Sounds great, not so much.  We are half way through March, and I am ready for some warm weather.  What better way to pretend that it's warm than to buy some bathing suits.  That is exactly what I did yesterday.  I think I have a slight obsession with bathing suits for some reason.  They make me workout harder knowing that I have to look good in it and they allow me to hope for some warm weather.  Only five days until Spring and 98 until Summer. 

Most of my bathing suits come from Target, believe it or not.  I have a couple couple of bathing suits that are from small boutiques at the beach but the majority of them are from Target.  They have a large selection of styles, colors, patterns, sizes, etc.  I find it very easy to mix and match these and they are inexpensive. 

I think every girl needs a classic go to black bikini.  The top and bottom can be combined with other swim suit combinations too. 

I love this color combination.

Bandeau tops are my personal preference.  I love the gem on this bathing suit and, obviously, the cheetah print too. I actually have this bathing suit, it is one of my favorites.

It's always great to combine prints and solids.  Hardly ever do I actually a printed top with a printed bottom. I just like the look of breaking the pattern up a bit. 

This top is adorable. I always try to mix and match my tops.  It just allows for different looks and some variety.

I love polka dots! I actually just bought this top yesterday.  I didn't purchase the bottoms though.  I am hoping to find some red bottoms, a patriotic kind of theme. 

I only have eight weeks until this semester is over. My mission is to get that rocking swim suit body.  I am doing ab workouts everyday, well that's my goal anyways. 

xoxo

-mQs-

The Future

The future is something that is rather scary to think about. You can't really predict what is going to happen. You have control over where you attend college and what your major is in college.  But at the age of eighteen how many people really know what they want to spend the rest of their life doing?  It is difficult enough to pick a school let alone what you want to do. Even with a school, lots of people transfer somewhere else within their first two years for a number of reasons.  In regards to the major, most people end up switching majors or going to college more than one time to be certified in something else.  The economy is a constant roller coaster which makes predicting one's job outlook very difficult.  This can be influential on what one majors in too, unfortunately. All the uncertainty makes choosing a career path confusing.  I personally believe that you have to do what you are passionate, something that you really want to do, and not listen to the people who tell you not pursue this.

So what do I want to do...
I would like to become a teacher at the middle or elementary level.  I am currently attending school in Maryland, but ideally I would like to be certified in PA and teach there after graduating.  PA is changing their certification process, so I am looking to be certified in grades four through eight.  Now that I have finally decided on this, I just need to decide what my concentration will be in (math, science, or language arts).  Social studies is not even an option for me, I never liked learning about history or geography.  I am leaning towards science. Ideally I would like to have a dual concentration but I'm not sure if that is even possible.

In order to become a teacher you need to be incredibly involved and have an impressive resume.  So now my mission is to continue to build that resume to the best of my ability.  With that said, this leads me into a summer job.  To work or not? I do need the money.  The issue is where to work! I'm in the process of searching for a summer job that has some flexibility because I love being able to get away to the beach for a few days here and there throughout the summer.

I am exploring all of my options, but I find it quite overwhelming at times.

To my fellow bloggers:

1. Do any of you have suggestions for a future teacher? 
2. How did you decide what you are doing today, even if it's not teaching?

xoxo

-mQs-