All the leaves on the trees will soon be falling and that means...

Hello anyone who actually reads this blog! I apologize for not having written on here in a while. Summer was busy, but FALL is here and I'll probably be even busier. Somehow that makes it possible to accomplish more. It's just one of those enigmas of the world.

Speaking of FALL...we are almost in one of the most interesting fashion seasons of the year! But before I introduce you to some lovely fall fashions, I have to get on my little soap box for two seconds. I was introduced today to the wonderful marvel that is Pinterest.com. You really need to check it out if you haven't already. But in a nutshell, it's a place where you can collect images and ideas from all over the internet and keep them "pinned" on your collection of bulletin boards. It is basically a breeding ground for creativity so of course I'm all over that. Anyway, I created a board for fashions that I adore so I was trying to find images to pin onto it. I came across a website that had Pretty Little Liars inspired fashion ideas, which I pinned to my fashion board.

Aria Style

But it was on this website that I became somewhat clued into the fall fashion scene for this year. Not that I agree completely with what they are saying, but I thought it would be fun to clue you all in too and commentate while I'm at it.

So, the first thing that this website mentions is the colors that are in style for this season. Among them are taupe, deep plum, silver, dark teal....and mustard yellow. Okay, so some of these aren't so bad. I love me some dark teal quite often actually, but there is just never a time and place for an overload of taupe and mustard yellow. I think those can be great colors as accents and for small pieces in your wardrobe or even for accessories, but for heaven's sake (and mine) please do not buy a mustard yellow trench coat.

Bleh. School bus is the only thing that comes to mind...

Then I clicked on another article about the actual fashion styles. Apparently the things that are so "in" this fall are camo print, peplum silhouettes, plaid and polka dots, colored pants and chunky sweaters. The peplum silhouettes are, in my opinion, the only thing that is really going to fly in the progression of fashion. The others are either so overused (plaid/polka dots), so 2001 (camo print), or so obnoxious (colored pants). I must say though that I am looking forward to buying a cute chunky sweater, because let's be honest. It get's really cold here and I need every excuse I can get to bundle up and stay warm and if that excuse so happens to be that collegefashion.net said it was in style this fall, then so be it.

I especially like the blue and green ones and even the TAUPE one on the bottom left...shocking, I know.

The Summer Things in Life

There are two things that I want to aim to cover in this post. Both are very pertinent to the world of fashion as well. I mean, how could they not be if I am so adamant about discussing them on the fashion portion of my blog?

These two things are summer/casual dresses and the new Rihanna fragrance.

First things first, I am currently OBSESSED with dresses. I don't even feel like wearing jeans or shorts anymore. That's how much I'm loving casual dresses. In fact, I'm getting ready for an upcoming trip to Vegas and all I can think about is going out to find dresses to take. And I probably will do just that later afternoon.

Talk about the epitome of femininity. Now, some of you may not realize but there was a time when women could not even lay a finger on a pair of pants. Jeans in their wardrobe? Unheard of. Every girl wore a dress no matter what they were doing and how dirty they got doing it. I secretly wish for a regression in history. I want it to be the norm again for women to wear dresses every day. But in the meantime I guess I can just start wearing dresses more often and hope that maybe someday other people will start doing the same.

I just thought I'd share some pictures with you of some of the casual, summer dresses that I have come across and absolutely adore.

The above is of course the amazing Sarah from Wearing It On My Sleeves


This is actress Lucy Hale, playing Aria Montgomery, from the ABC Family show Pretty Little Liars. I seriously love her character's wardrobe.


Kailee from An Outfit A Day Keeps the Fashion Police Away is totally styling in this cute and casual dress!


From I Get Dressed, Camille also posts her many adorable dresses.

As you can tell, these Mormon fashion bloggers are my casual dress heroes. And also, I quite like jackets over dresses. I think it not only makes a dress even more fashionable, but modest is truly hottest. :) Well, that's all the fashion spill for now so I'm going to go out and find me some dresses! (Which I will post if I find anything amazing)

The last thing I wanted to mention was how much I love Rihanna's new fragrance, Reb'l Fleur. I got a sample at the mall last week and I don't know what I'm going to do when it runs out...Well, I'll probably go out and actually buy it because it is that good. Try it. Seriously.

The Amazing Dia Frampton

This is Dia's performance from the final night on The Voice. She is absolutely lovely and her voice is gorgeous!

Tonight was the results show and we found out that Dia got 2nd place (by a miniscule 2 percent!) right behind the also amazingly-talented Javier Colon. This song, "Inventing Shadows" will definitely be purchased by me ASAP because it is a must-have!

Have a listen and then go out and support the Utah native, Dia Frampton, by buying her CRAZY GOOD song on iTunes.

Easy, Healthy and Delicious: No Bake Mac and Cheese

I found this eye-catching recipe the other day on www.eatingwell.com (click here to see it) and it became a must for me to try to make this mac and cheese! I have to say up-front that this is definitely going to be added to my recipe arsenal and it turned out to be seriously delicious and apparently healthy too! Score.

Also, I do have to mention that I altered the recipe quite a bit from the one I found on Eating Well, so my annotations will be included next to the original recipe. I'm sure either way would be divine.

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 ounces whole-wheat elbow noodles, (2 cups)
• 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped broccoli
• 1 3/4 cups low-fat milk, divided
  

(I USED ONE PERCENT JUST FYI)

• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
  

(ALL I HAD WAS BLACK PEPPER AND IT WORKED FINE)

• 3/4 cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
  

(I SUBSTITUTED IT WITH MOZZARELLA AND USED ONE CUP)

• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  

(BROWN SPICY? AGAIN, ALL I HAD)

PREPARATION:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta for 4 minutes. Add frozen broccoli and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the pasta and broccoli are just tender, 4 to 5 minutes more.
2. Meanwhile, heat 1 1/2 cups milk in another large pot over medium-high heat until just simmering. Whisk the remaining 1/4 cup milk, flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl until combined. Add the flour mixture to the simmering milk; return to a simmer and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in Cheddar, Parmesan and mustard until the cheese is melted.
3. Drain the pasta and broccoli and add to the cheese sauce. Return to the heat and cook, stirring, over medium-low heat, until heated through, about 1 minute.

Servings: 4

Calories: 412 per serving

Total Time: 25 minutes

For more details check out the link to the recipe above.


Well, I hope you enjoy. I sure did. This will become one of my go-to meals in no time.

"Bang Bang Bang"

This is one of my current favorite songs! I sort of have an obsession with Christina Perri. If you haven't heard her "Jar of Hearts" you really really need to listen to it. I just love her sound and tone SO much! Enjoy. :)

Outfit #1

As promised, here are pictures of me wearing one of the new outfits I bought! Enjoy.

The Unseen, Unforgettable, Ultimate...

So, here I begin my dive into writing about fashion. I do have to say that I have always loved fashion, but never thought about it seriously enough to write a big portion of my blog about it...until now.

Today was the first time in a long time that I was able to go shopping! Even though hitting the stores is something I can do now without too much guilt, I still could never pay retail price for anything. Ever.

My favorite places to shop are Ross Dress for Less, Plato's Closet, and I've recently been introduced to the amazing, hidden wonders of the DI.

I may have gotten a little overly excited today finally being able to shop, but I did find some fabulous things!

I found this teal cardigan at Plato's Closet. Amazing deal. And gorgeous. Also I found the black and white camisole that's underneath at Plato's too. I kind of have an obsession with black, white and teal.

These gray skinny jeans and vintage print tank top were gems I found at Ross. If the teal cardigan weren't so amazing, these two would definitely be my favorite finds of the night.


Lovely snakeskin frame wallet I found on clearance at Target! Love it.


Super cheap necklace: Plato's.


Other super cheap necklace: Plato's.


On the right is a purse from Plato's. $8. Here's a snapshot of all of my recent purchases. I'm in love.

Well, that's all for now. I haven't actually worn these things yet, so there will definitely be more pictures when I do. I'll end with this great quote...

“It is the unseen, unforgettable, ultimate accessory of fashion that heralds your arrival and prolongs your departure.” ~Coco Chanel

Genesis

I am guilty of being blog-obsessed. If you are a first-time reader just know that I am not new to the world of blogging. In fact, you can check out my other blog by clicking here. That is mostly me and my thoughts and the things going on in my life. But on this blog, I intend to have a little bit more focus and specific kinds of entries. Lately I have been very interested in fashion (and therefore fashion blogging), cooking/baking and reading classic novels so I have decided to make a blog a little more narrow and dedicated to these types of specific topics. And I really hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

I really feel like this summer will be a time of change and growth for me. I really want to pique my abilities in each of the areas I've mentioned, and also I am very excited to embark on my quest to become much more fashionable, develop a style that is so..."me," and also get fit and healthy. Needless to say, I am eager to begin my journey and hope to document it on this blog.

Here's a good overview of what to expect as a reader:

• Fashion: Updates on my journey to revamp my wardrobe. Fun and adorable thrift store/bargain finds. Classic and essential pieces to create style. :)
• Cooking and Baking: Ideas for delicious and quick meals. Recipes. Creative and crafty baking. My journey to becoming fit through exploring a variety of healthy foods.
• Literature: Book reviews. Discussions and thoughts about the classic and modern novels I read this summer.
• Travel: The trips I take. The trips I want to take. Exploring the world.
  
• Fitness: What I'm doing to become fit. Adventures at the gym. Amazing workout routines.
• Music: My favorite songs. Music I make. My talented friends.
  

As you can see, there will be a variety of topics that I enjoy very much which I will be writing about. So hopefully at least one of those topics will be of interest to you as a reader. Thanks for being here and I hope you come back and enjoy this journey with me.