Strawberry & Brownie Cups!

I found an idea online and modified it a little bit for myself. I loved it so much (and so did all of my co-workers) I just felt the need to share. Especially since it is so darn easy! I just followed the instructions on the boxes and it really is as easy as that!

I got regular brownie mix and strawberry cake mix. Following the generic mixing instructions, I poured the brownie mix on the bottom of the tray, filling about 1/3 of it, then layered the strawberry cake mix over it. I baked it for 17 minutes and BAM! Amazingness. I used cream cheese icing to top it off.

For Valentine's Day I used the same recipe, but made them in my heart-shaped cupcake pans and it turned out super cute. But no matter what your variation is, it definitely makes a unique and devilishly delicious treat!


Love always,

Elle

"There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind" -C.S. Lewis

So world it has been a while. My last post was very emotion filled. After re-reading it now almost two months later, I wanted to take it down- because I am not that angry anymore, or really care at all honestly. But I decided to leave it, because at that moment that is exactly how I felt, and I don’t regret it, and I won’t apologize for it. It is exactly what I needed to do. After all that’s what this whole thing is about right?

As I talked about last time, I have really been having a ton of fun lately and been opened up to so many new things. Next weekend I am traveling to Charlotte to go white water rafting for the first time ever! Knocking one thing off of my bucket list at a time! I am going here: usnwc.org! There are so many amazing activities; I can barely contain my excitement! Going to Charlotte also means I get to go to Ikea which is a whole other story! Eek!

I had another vacation (I officially have the best job ever, incessantly having vacations) and went back to Florida. It was so much fun! I spent every day on the beach and got a lot of well-needed family time. It was a milestone time for many in my family including a graduation and wedding- all the good reasons families get together, instead of the bad! It also ended with me in a very long car ride with my family, which actually, surprisingly, ended up being a lot of fun! I got to see my ‘Noles play for the first time all year, and got to spend some time with my #1 girl! It was great.

In other news, I was invited to be a part of a “fast-track” program at work. They essentially selected a small group of people out of all of North and South Carolina to be a part of the group and work specifically on moving them along as fast as possible. I felt very honored to be invited. We have already had one meeting where I had to go to Winston-Salem, about 2 hours away, and we will continue to meet on occasion. So much has been happening at work lately, and it makes me extremely excited for the future.

For instance today, the entire district team came into our store. Every time they come it makes me feel one step closer to my goals and dreams, just getting their feedback and listening to how they see my progress. I am really starting to feel settled into my new assignment and that my team is beginning to click and really get it!

I also just signed a lease for my new apartment. This is my new recent obsession. It is funny though how life really comes full circle. I ended up signing a lease for a place I became obsessed with before I even moved to Raleigh, but could not afford living in at the time. Now, over a year later, and after looking at millions of different places- it is exactly where I ended up! I cannot wait, and I also cannot help but think it is fate! All I am saying, is Ikea better watch out next weekend.

My life has changed so much in the past 3 months is it insane. But I am in a happy place. I am in a better and bigger place. Before I said that I would have never imagined everything happening the way it did- but now I can’t see it any other way. Everything really does happen for a reason, and I am by far much better for it. It is just another chapter in my metamorphosis into a Big Girl. And I can honestly say I am nothing but excited to see what the next chapter brings!

I do not think the book will ever end. I do not think I will ever truly be a Big Girl. I will be ever changing, ever growing, ever learning, and that is just the way I want it.

Love always,

Elle

Tough times don't last, but tough people do. -Bobby Bowden

Well world, a lot has happened since I last posted. I might as well just dive right into it.

Camo man and I broke up about a month ago- a few days after my last post. That is why I have not posted anything- I felt so embarrassed and ashamed and did not want to talk about it. But I finally feel like I am at the point where I can do so. Essentially, a long story short, it turns out he had been cheating on me almost the entire time since I moved up to Raleigh. I just do not understand how people can go through their lives with blatant disregard for anyone else in the world. It is insane to me. I have spent many many a nights the past 5 weeks crying myself to sleep. And while I am sure there will be more to come, I am beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel. While there are still so many other emotions wrapped into it (love, hate, hurt, etc.) part of me almost feels free. It has forced me to actually get out and enjoy life in the NOW. Not sitting at home waiting for my boyfriend to get off work so we can skype- little did I know while I was sitting at home waiting on him all night he was off fucking other women and lying to me about having to stay late at work. I had started growing suspicious of this, his lies slowly began adding up less and less, then basically it all came to a head one night when he was “working late” again and I called his cell phone and a GIRL answered it, giggling and teasing me. Guess the jokes on me… how funny. I think what hurt the most was just his indifference to the whole thing. Not only did he completely rip my heart out- he did not even care that he did. He still does not care. And I know that he is just going on living his happy little life, while I am up here completely shattered. And I hate him for it. So he can go back to being a drug-dealing, college flunk-out, like he was when I met him. And I will go on being awesome. Have fun losing all of your scholarships, dropping out of college and probably ending up in prison where you belong. I will move on, and be enormously successful.

So in my last post I talked about how I was moving into my beautiful perfect townhouse- well he screwed me over there too. Since he was planning on moving up here and we were supposed to live there together. So I am completely screwed over in that aspect. But thankfully I have been able to find some other places I think are decent and affordable on my now single person income. I have it narrowed down to my top 3 so far, and will be moving in July.

In my last post I also talked about my upcoming trip to Florida. Another way he screwed me over, since all of this happened just days before I was going down there and left me with nowhere to stay. But my Pretty Bitches saved the day! Instead of doing all the things I had planned before, with him, my girls ended up finding us a camp site and we went camping for a few days! So we spent the week on the beach and in the woods- single handedly my two favorite things to do in the world! It ended up being a lot of fun. Someone could have made an awesome comedy out of the 3 off us trying to camp though- between trying to cook, make a fire and pitch a tent.

But all of this feels like it happened so long ago. When I first got back, it was really hard just trying to make it through each day. But so much has happened since then. For instance, I filed my taxes for the first time ever. I also had my first review ever, and got my first raise ever! Also, my boss is going to do a one-on-one mentorship with me. During my review she basically told me she wants to get me promoted as quickly as possible and is going to work on side projects with me to get my name out there. I am really excited and pumped to have a real goal to work towards!

And of course I have been coping in the best way I know how- going out as much as possible. As I said earlier, in a sense it has freed me. I have met more people and done more things in the past month than I had the entire six months prior living here. I went and saw a Michael Jackson tribute band which was AMAZING. Then this past weekend I went out to this indie show The Naked and Famous in this back alley little venue out in Chapel Hill that made me feel like I was in high school all over again. And on the way back we played cash cab with the cab driver, except I was the one asking the questions! Haha.

And then of course, I have been dating. Dating is so much different as a big girl. It’s no longer these going to “hang out” at a tailgate party or “do you wanna chill?” crap that guys always did in college because they do not have the balls to take a real lady out on a real date. It is like real life dates with real life adults. And that is something I am glad I am getting to experience. It is hard for me to explain why it is so different, but it just is. And it just adds to me feeling like a little yuppie, going out to these downtown bars and having a cocktail after work. HA!

So much has happened, and I have been on every notch of the emotion scale in the past month, it is hard for me to sit here and pinpoint the highlights in some concise and witty form for you to read. I knew I was making a decision to change my life when I decided to move here. I knew lots would change, things would be different, and there would be a lot of growing up and new experiences. However, I did not think this was going to happen in any way shape or form.

“Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 pm on some idle Tuesday.”

It is hard for me to say I am better because of it, but if not better, I am bigger. I am a bigger person, I am bigger than the situation, I am bigger than being defeated. I am a Big Girl.


Love always,

Elle

DIY- Fashion Pillow!

So I found this idea on Pinterest that was originally from here. I loved the idea so much and decided to really make it my own. I used the same quote from the pin because I just loved it as soon as I saw it. But as you will see my quote is a little different from the original pillow, and both of us varied from the original quote Robert Fulghum quote. However you could use any quote or drawing or anything you want!

To start with, I of course, went thrifting! I found bins full of really nice pillows for $1.99! So naturally I bought all sorts! I picked out ones I thought had the best colors.

From there I just got a stencil and went to work! At first I tried to use the "fabric markers" like the original post suggested, however I quickly learned that was not going to work. I found two types of fabric pins; one being just like a regular permanent marker, but with a longer and thinnner tip, and then one that was like a paint pin that you had to pump. I had a feeling the paint pin would not work well, since they never have for me before, but they did not have the color I needed in the thin one. So after using the pump fabric pin and it not working very well, I ended up just using acrylic paint with the stencils. Please note though the thin fabric marker did work very well and I would recommend it.

So here is my final product!

Needless to say I am ABSOLUTELY obsessed!! And it was SO EASY to do! Happy crafting everyone! I cannot wait to make another one myself!

Love Always,

Elle

P.S. LIFE ALERT::: it snowed in Raleigh tonight!! We are anticipated to get up to 3 inches throughout the night. It is so beautiful outside! I felt like I was in a movie, it was amazing and made me so happy. I finally got to use my snow boots!! :) Loving the Big Girl life!



Where ever you go, go with all your heart.

Greetings cyber world! So much has happened since we last talked.

As I said before I finally feel like I am getting settled, and “making my house a home” should I say. Since I have gotten to know the city better, I do plan on moving in July. So I have been spending all my time dreaming of my new home and how I am going to make it beautiful! (Ikea here I come!) I have found these adorable townhouses that back up to a creek and the beautiful Lake Johnson. I cannot wait to sign my lease in the middle of next month and make it official!

Also, I just got a promotion at work! I am officially a Sales Manager and have 24 people reporting to me, all of whom are older than me. It is essentially the exact same thing I have been doing, except now I have a permanent position and am guaranteed a job. I also no longer have to clock in and out and am not eligible for overtime any more. It is a lot of fun, and has been a great journey so far. I am beginning to see the fruits of my labor and am excited for the future! I cannot wait to start working in the visual and design aspect of such a big corporation.

My company gives me so much vacation it is crazy. I feel like every time I blog and I am talking about my next vacation. It has turned into about every 8 weeks I have a paid week off. So I will again be going to Florida in a week and a half to celebrate spring break like a college kid all over again! I might be a Big Girl, but I will always rage like a Seminole. I am also going to FINALLLLY visit Harry Potter land like I have been dreaming about for 2 years now!

I have been spending most of my free time crafting and reading. I have found that when I make use of my free time, instead of sleeping incessantly, it feels like I have a lot more than I thought I did. I do not necessarily feel like I am ALWAYS working, when I keep myself busy with other things. This has been a nice realization and a big part of what I mean when I say I am settling in and finding my balance. I have decided to post my favorite crafts on here and will start doing so more often for all to enjoy!

I may be becoming a Big Girl, but I will always be a day-dreaming kid at heart! <3


Love Always,

Elle

Canvas Prints- on a budget!

Recently I have seen that canvas prints have become very popular. I have seen ones like these with a variety of different quotes in almost every store I have been in lately.

I definitely wanted to jump on this bandwagon, because I think they are so cute, but my budget does not justify spending $30 plus on something I always thought looked so simple.

So instead I have been improvising! And of course, it started at a thrift store.

I found this painting, which ended up to my surprise not being canvas at all but a big piece of wood, at a thift store for $4.99. I picked it because it had such vibrant colors. I originally had bought vinyl letter stickers to stick on to spell out the quote I chose, however the quote is kind of lengthy and after opening the pack I realized that I would need almost 4 packs to have all the vowels I needed. Being that the stickers were around $7 each I had to come up with a different plan. So, I decided to use masking tape instead and formed the letters out of pieces of tape. I then spray painted it with the color of my choice.

After I spray painted it I peeled off where the tape had been to reveal the quote.

After I peeled it off, I realized it did not quite turn out the way I had wanted it to. In retrospect, I wish I had used a more contrasting color like black or royal blue and I think it would have shown the letter better, but that just was not the color I wanted for the whole thing. So yet again I found myself having to improvise and decided that I could just simply outline everything!

In the end, I like the way it turned out. It has a child like quality which is what I wanted. In the future, I would probably choose a shorter quote to use the vinyl letters (since I already bought a pack!) and a contrasting cover color so the background stands out more. It was a fun project and something I cannot wait to hang up in my new home!


Love Always,

Elle

God does not play dice...

So I know it has been over a month since I wrote. I CANNOT believe how fast time has flown! My last post was kind of angry and I am happy to report that at this point I am in a much better place now!

The month of December flew by with me working so much, and did not suck nearly as much as I thought it would.  I did get to go see the North Carolina Ballet do the Nutcracker and it was amazing!! Christmas was actually very nice! I think I was so upset because everything was going to be completely different than every Christmas I have ever had for the past 22 years. But it made me realize that sometimes change is good. It was different, but it still felt just like Christmas. And it turned out to be a really nice day!

New Year’s was a blast. Camo man came up and we spent the night watching the legendary Raleigh acorn drop out of the sky. It was very nice and a lot of fun. I also got to live out my Serendipity moment and went ice skating at the outdoor ice rink in downtown Raleigh. It was beautiful and a lot of fun!

The past weekend I spent doing inventory until 5:30 in the morning at work! It was very interesting and definitely a great learning experience. I have never been through inventory with such a massive company and while being there all night was not the best, I did think I learned a lot. I also think I was able to prove myself. It is funny for me to look back at the past 4 months and realize how much I have learned so quickly! Especially how much I have learned about myself that was surprising! Hopefully soon I will become an official sales manager, be done with my training for good, and the whole world will open up to me then!

And, I get yet another vacation coming up! So in a week and a half I will be flying home to Florida and get to see everyone I missed so much over the holidays! I must say, they do if us a lot of vaca for all the hard work. I am so excited to go home and be in the sunshine!

Speaking of sunshine, I bought my first pair of snow boots last week. That was an eye-opening experience. I really hope I never have to use them. EVER. But at least now I am prepared! I am trying my best to be cold weather-chic.

Tonight I went and got my planner refills for the new year. I have sort of developed this ritual that I do every year when my planner runs out and I have to change it where I go through all the old pages of the year before and re-write quotes or other things I liked from the year before in the new one. I did this tonight, and it was so crazy to see how much has changed in one year!! Going through my old planner I relived so much: my first interviews for the company I now work for, going to Tenessee with Florida State, and then traveling to Raleigh to sign the lease for the apartment I am sitting in writing this, Graduating college! Camo man and I's first date (and now we just celebrated out 1 year anniversary!) my senior formal. On one of the Friday nights I had written "Going out with my boots out!" to my favorite country line-dancing bar in Tallahassee! So much has changed in my life in just a year! It was nice to go back and remind myself of everything I have accomplished. Remembering where I have come from, and exactly where I plan to go.

Overall, I would say I am getting more use to being here. I am beginning to fall into a pattern and find my balance- which is nice. I don’t feel like I am just here doing an internship and going back home soon anymore. I am beginning to feel like this IS home. Which is a weird thing to admit to myself finally. But I do like it. Some days are hard, as they would be anywhere, and I will definitely enjoy my vacation in Florida. But I don’t think coming back will feel so weird this time. Maybe I really am becoming a Big Girl?

Love Always,

Elle