Tea time!

 Went to tea with my mother today, at the beautiful Briarwood Inn. It was perfectly decorated for Christmas and made this tea a great start to Winter Break.

My mother and I have been going to mother-daughter teas annually since I was starting elementary school and it is one of my favorite traditions. We used to go at the beginning of each school year but have since switched to during the holidays and it makes tea so much more festive!

Our meal began with our tea, we both chose the cinnamon spice that smelled like Christmas and warmth and everything happy! Then we proceeded to blueberry and cranberry scones, followed by a tomato bisque.

Finally, the best part of any tea. The tiny quiches and sandwiches and desserts on a three-tiered tray! We enjoyed tiny bites of asparagus and tomato quiche, and cucumber and salmon finger sandwiches. The desserts were red velvet cupcakes, apple crumb bites, shortbread cookies, raspberry tartlets, and peppermint fudge. It was all so delicious and festive!

We stayed for hours sipping our tea and left happy and full. 

Until next year!

Blueberry surprise french toast casserole

Thought I'd share one of my absolute favorite breakfasts ever. Technically, it is called a blueberry surprise french toast casserole but it is referred to as the 'blueberry poufait' in my family.

Combine the blueberries, cream cheese, and bread cubes.

Combine the eggs, milk, and syrup.

Pour the egg mixture over the bread mixture.

It's so delicious I couldn't even snap a picture of it before it was halfway gone!

Christmas nails

Celebrating the season with peppermint swirl nails!

Instructions here. 

Winter break has begun...

...and I have begun my free-time activities!

They include making a wreath...

...and baking cinnies!

In my near future...

I am less than 24 hours away from being done with finals! The only thing that is getting me through is the thought that soon I will be able to...

...paint my nails...

...knit a cowl...

...make a wreath...

...and bake of course!

Photo frame organization

I've been seeing sheets like this on Pinterest a lot lately and I really like the concept so I decided to make one of my own. I didn't want to waste the amount of paper it would take to use one for every day though, so I decided to make a re-usable one. I designed my own simple sheets using Word and Picnik and printed them out in sizes that would fit in some spare photo frames I had laying around. With this format, I am able to write on them using dry erase markers and start all over the next day without using a new sheet.

I made two sheets: one is a to-do list and one that has a spot for a to-do list, a homework list, a reminder list, and a spot to check off daily glasses of water, fruit, veggies, and exercise.

Unique ring finger nails

Playing with the essie matte about you a little more and jumping on the unique ring finger bandwagon :)

Although the matte finish is great (and velvety to the touch), it doesn't actually work that well as a topcoat. My nails chipped within a day or two. Also, it doesn't stay matte for long. It picks up all of the moisture from any water or lotion that touches your hands and eventually turns kind of satin-y but not in a good way. Still fun for a bit though :)