Java Joy

Fun fact about me: I've been drinking coffee since I was a toddler. When my grandparents would watch us, they would give us a tiny bit of coffee, milk and some sugar (essentially it was coffee flavored sugar milk) and we somehow convinced our parents to let us have it at home. (Sidenote: Aren't grandparents the best? I miss mine terribly.) It did not occur to me until I was older that most kids did not drink coffee every morning before school while watching Recess. Sorry I've always been sophisticated. 

When I got to college, I started drinking lattes and normal coffee just did not cut it. I really like iced coffee, but I have a tendency to drink it too fast and then I feel awful the rest of the day. They also use so much ice that it waters down the drink and I only want half of it. But, I've been craving it since it's been so hot and I actually made my own at home and it was so good! It took me a couple tries to get it right, but here is what I did: 

-I took any left over coffee my family didn't finish and froze it in ice cube trays. I think this is the most important part because this will keep the drink flavorful the whole time. I used a few cubes of regular ice in the blender, but I also did two coffee cubes and poured the coffee over two coffee cubes. 

-I did a little more than half coffee and filled the rest with caramel flavored creamer and some caramel sauce. 

-I mixed it all in the blender and poured some more caramel sauce on top like they do at Starbucks. 

It lasted me a really long time and never once lost any flavor. It also didn't make me shake. Ryan likes vanilla flavored coffee, so I want to try that next. This will be perfect for the mornings when green tea just won't cut it. 

Have you ever made iced coffee at home? 

Sew Cool

I'm extremely picky when it comes to...well anything I'm spending money on. It took me three months to pick out tennis shoes last summer. (I kept going back to the same pair over and over again but couldn't justify spending that much money on tennis shoes. They finally went on sale at the end of the summer and I love them!)  I want to make sure I'm getting the most for my money! 


I have a habit of thinking up articles of clothing that do not exist, or that do not exist in any of the stores I frequent or in lines I can afford. My mom will ask what I'm looking for and I'll say, "Well, I'm looking for a top that has this and this in this color." 


We never find it. I've always wanted to be able to make my own clothes and often tried with only a needle and thread. Obviously that takes forever and then I give up. I've been toying with the idea of buying a sewing machine for a long time now. I'm trying to save a lot of money this summer for rent, groceries and furnishing my apartment next year, so I'm not looking to spend a whole lot of money, although I do think it will save me money in the long run because then I can just make what I want for a lot cheaper.  


I am definitely getting ahead of myself. I have this idea that I can just jump on the sewing machine and Voila! Perfectly made pieces by yours truly! I realize it will take time to learn, but I think it'd be really fun and cost effective. I'm a camp counselor, I like to make things. 


I did some browsing on Amazon and found some within my price range, but I'm still going to think long and hard about if for a few days. Does anyone have any suggestions on particular machines? I'd love any tips or suggestions! 

Friday's Fancies: Memorial Day

Happy Friday! This week we are putting together an outfit for the three day weekend. I'm going to a pool party this weekend, so I chose a look that is practical, but still festive. 

Friday's Fancies: Memorial Day by cmichler featuring a full skirt dress




I always love a simple navy suit and this one would be easy to wear under a dress. It'd look great with a tan, too! The white dress would be lightweight enough for a St. Louis summer without sacrificing any style. I threw in a red necklace to give the look a fun twist and topped it off with simple wedges. Don't forget the shades and the sunscreen! 


Have a great holiday weekend! What are your plans? 

Travel Tuesday: I'm back

I'm so happy to be back linking up with Megan for Travel Tuesday! While packing for my two week French adventure was daunting, it was nothing compared to Megan's whirlwind trip across the world! Make sure to check it out, she has really useful tips you'll be glad you read next time you travel.

Looking back on my trip, I definitely could have packed better. We could not do laundry for two weeks, so it was important to bring practical items that could be worn more than once like sweaters and skirts. Before we left for France, we had a series of meetings about what to pack and our chaperones did an exercise to scare us away from overpacking. They packed a fifty pound suitcase that we had to carry up and down the stairs at school. We were responsible for carrying all our own luggage and they wanted us to get a feel for what we would be doing since we stayed in small hotels and changed almost every night.

Here are some pictures of my exceptionally well-organized packing method.

I kid. 

Happy travels! 

Let's try this again

Ok, let's hope I don't have to write one of these apology posts for not posting again for a long time. I was going to be so much better about blogging, but then I got dry sockets* and couldn't do anything but cry in my bed.

That was a little dramatic, I actually did not cry, but I was in pretty bad shape this weekend. I had to go in for an emergency appointment Saturday night because I was in so much pain. Anyway, I am praying that I have turned a corner and will be 100 percent better in the next few days.

In other news, today is my parents' 30th anniversary!

Thanks for being such good examples of love and team work and working so hard for this family. Love you guys!



*If you are unfamiliar with dry sockets, (thank your lucky stars) they happen to about five percent of people after wisdom teeth removal. They are a result of the blood not clotting over the nerve endings. They "pack" the gum by pushing a little tiny sponge soaked in clove oil into the empty pocket to fry the exposed nerve ending. I felt almost immediate relief. Let's hope they do not return! 

I'm bringing Carenpants back

Sorry I have not been blogging lately. I had finals, moved home, attempted to unpack and organize, had a nice mother's day making crepes and planting flowers with my family, had a doctor's appointment, and then yesterday, I had three wisdom teeth removed. It's been a busy few days, but it's very nice to be home. I'm not in too much pain from my teeth, although I was wide awake at 5 this morning, but I took some medicine and went back to bed. 


Someone had be with me all day yesterday in case I had a bad reaction to the any of the medication, but I was fine. I'm sorry to report that the laughing gas did not make me laugh and the craziest thing I said was, "I feel like I'm wearing sunglasses," because the pressure of the mask on my nose reminded me of the pressure of sunglasses on my nose, but I don't think anyone understood that. My dentist told me I won the award for most cooperative and agreeable patient. I'm pretty proud even though I couldn't feel a single thing. 


My rockstar mom went into work before the sun so she could take me to the appointment and then waited on me hand and foot. I tried to take some Advil as soon as we got home,  but I was still too numb to even feel anything in my mouth, so she put the medicine inside a spoonful of Cherry slushy and fed it to me like a baby. My dad came home from work for a little while to check on me and we all dozed off and watched Keeping Up the Kardashians in our family room. Judge us. My brother even gave up his favorite spot on the couch for me all last night. Ryan and my friends have been checking on me a lot. I'm very lucky, thanks everyone! 


I'm hoping to be back to myself soon because I have a lot planned for the summer. For now, I'm spending a lot of time in bed to speed the recovery process up. 

I am sad to be missing the lovely weather we're having, but Ryan and I took advantage and took a long walk Monday night to get a pretzel from the mall before I couldn't chew. No camping for this girl in the near future. 

Glad to be back! 
Love, 
Carenpants 
P.S. Sorry for any typos, Vicodin makes me sleepy. 

Messy

via glamour on pinterest


DONE. 

This girl needs a haircut/hydration/highlights/someone to finish her creative writing story. Any takers? I would be impressed if you could do all of that.

I cannot wait to move out of the dorms. The water here turns my hair green.

I'm embracing messing everything for the next week or so. Finals are fun.

Take me homeeeee.

Derby Days

I'm loving this dainty white dress with the diva shades! I can't wait to see everyone's outfits! 

                 

Derby Days by cmichler featuring ankle strap sandals

Hangry

This post is called "Hangry" because it's how I get when I need to eat. I often experience it while in Rollins dining hall and they are serving Corn Chowder, Swiss Steak, Catalan Pork Stew, Baked Potato bar in place of pasta bar and too many other things to name. I am very fortunate to always have enough food, so please forgive my dramatic rant. 

via caroline on pinterest 

Last night my mom texted me to tell me she was making something I'd like: cucumbers, mozzarella, tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. Mozzarella? I'm all over that. I eat pieces of mozzarella for a snack. (They have the best mozzarella balls at Aldi and they are so cheap! I <3 Aldi) Then tonight she texted me about a smoothie she made with strawberries, bananas and lemon yogurt. Yum! 

I'm so excited to go home for so many reasons, but I'm really excited to cook this summer and never eat dining hall food again. I've found so many recipes I want to try! All of these recipes can be found on my pinterest board.  

Eggplant and mozzarella melt. I think Ryan would love this.
Not. 

Nutella sandwiches. You know I'm all about the Nutella. These remind me of these amazing caramel wafers my dad brought back from Holland. SO GOOD. 

Turkey taco lettuce wraps. I don't discriminate against tacos. Ever. 

I will miss Hungry Thursday (like Thirsty Thursday, but about food) when I ruin the great workout I just did at Turbokick with garlic cheese breadsticks and a Dr. Pepper from Rollins. #cheatday. I'm really looking forward to the restaurants in St. Louis and Ryan's cheese garlic bagels. 

What's your favorite recipe?