Hello everyone!

I have to say, I have been really excited to share this post, as my family and I are planning a trip to Mexico (and this dress is sure to get me in the Mexican spirit- plus I really just want to be there right now). But until then, I thought I would wear something that made me feel as though I was somewhere warm, endearing and far away.

This dress really does remind me of travel, because I actually wore this dress on my first trip to Mexico which means it’s full of really crazy memories of being totally submerged in a different culture. That was actually the first time I had been out of the country, and it was such an interesting experience. It really doesn’t matter how many movies you watch or pictures you see, because as soon as you arrive somewhere new all of your senses are enveloped into an ocean of something totally different. I find that my mind is widened by being in new places, and it definitely encourages my natural incentive to explore.

Whenever you enter into a new destination, there is something so ethereal about everything- the food, the scenery, the people and so much more. Obviously Mexico has definite differences from where I am, but even when I travel semi close to home I get that same feeling of curiosity and excitement.

I also love seeing in other cultures how normalcies for them are such a surprise to me, and visa-versa. Mexico has a sultry, ethnic, serene beauty and I can’t wait to visit there again. When I wear something that reminds me of a faraway place, I can’t help but feel like that same attitude of being on vacation is with me wherever I wear it; even when I’m still in my home town.

What places do you guys dream about visiting?

xx Hailey





















Dress: River Island Misha Mexican dress

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There is something sweet yet sultry in a rose, and I believe that we all have those same characteristics inside of us; it’s all about capturing them and embracing them so that we can explore all sides to our personality. Now coming into fall, it was so exciting to be in a beautiful rose garden that is still in full bloom. All of the colors, blue sky, and of course- the smells- were quite harmonious if I do say so myself. Even though I love winter, it made me sad to think that summer was on its way out. It did, however, decide to stick around long enough to give me a sun filled, park strolling day.

I decided to wear this charming, airy dress that I felt was perfect for the occasion as I was totally hoping to get a chance to lay in the grass and relive childhood daydreaming. I’ve always felt that white cotton summer dresses and I have a sort of draw towards one another... they are such a breezy, simple, elegant look that anyone can pull off and are perfect for any outing (as long as the weather will allow it of course).

Before we arrived at the park, we walked around the heart of downtown, and decided to stop for Chinese- it will always be my choice if I have a say in the matter! We were able to catch the park before it had been transformed into the annual Art in the Park, which of course I attend every year. It’s filled with vendors of all different aesthetics who are displaying their works of art, and in no doubt give me, and many others, an abundance of creative inspiration. But until then, the park and rose garden was a tranquil spot to enjoy the gorgeous afternoon.

So I definitely encourage you guys to savor the last of the summer weather, grab an ice cream, take a stroll, or like I do- listen to Jack Johnson and pretend like you’re on the beach (if you are actually on the beach than I am super jealous and hope you enjoy it twice as much for me). No matter what you’re doing, an outfit can make all of the difference, so don’t forget to choose one that makes you feel like slaying the day, or even just moseying through it. :)

xx Hailey




















OUTFIT:

White dress: Gap

Similar: Topshop Strappy Appliqué Babydoll Dress

I have to say, I don't really believe in coincidences- I think that everything happens with a greater purpose in mind. It may be easy to say that, but sometimes not so easy to really feel that those small things in life, especially the hard ones, mean something important. The big things we can look back on and notice how they made such an impact in our lives; but what about the small, everyday things? The things that slip our minds like meeting someone at a shop, watching a movie (or commercials for that matter), having small conversations with people, or even waiting in traffic- and the emotions that we feel because of them.

When you think about it, these moments make up the bulk of our lives. We are given all of these opportunities to consistently grow as people and learn how to work through life. Life has an extremely powerful process, but how we treat that process is what defines who we are.

We breathe in experiences, and exhale reactions; we are formed out of all the things that occur from moment to moment. It's easy to race around from place to place, rushing to get somewhere or do something- and forget to cherish our lives as a whole. It's important for us to not focus on where we will be, and keep our mindset on where we are so that we can truly live life to it's fullest. Every moment is a gift, and it our our job to utilize those gifts.

Following the process of life can be challenging. We may not always have the control we desire. But thinking that we have complete control will only hurt our lives in the long run because not everything will go our way. Even when we are busy and rushing, we can remember to relax, sit back and enjoy the process. Keep in mind that the little things matter. Everything that happens to you is creating who you are and giving you opportunities to make you stronger. Either the universe is working against you, or it is working for you by giving you all of the experiences that you need to create your perfect you. Which side will you see?

xx Hailey

The view from the top!


We found these gorgeous flowers a little off the path, and I had to take a picture!


A local vineyard that we passed on our way up.







Yesterday morning, my sister and I decided to go on a hike to what is called "Table Rock". It's basically a giant foothill with a plateau on the top of it which is perfect for looking out at the entire valley after your hike. It's an unbelievable view, and a pretty motivating reward I would say! Knowing what's waiting for us at the end of the workout generally helps us make it the whole way- it's a pretty long hike! The whole hike goes through the brush and wildflowers native to Idaho, and sometimes we even see animals like sparrowhawks or wild rabbits. It's a bit of a drive, and quite a walk, but it's always worth it.

Especially in the summer, we like to go before the sun rises over the hill so that we will be shaded on our way up. This requires getting up at about 5:45 and getting there around 6:30. Although I'm not particularly fond of the 'getting up' part, I love being there at early dawn because everything looks so calm and quiet. When we made it about 1/4 of the way up, we saw a young buck still with velvet on his antlers! He actually climbed up onto a hill right near us, and then went down the other side into some brush. It's SO cool to start off my day by seeing such incredible bits of nature. Luckily all the animals we tend to see are mostly small ones that aren't violent, like bunnies or deer; otherwise I probably wouldn't think it was so cool.

Exercising outside is my favorite way to get active, it makes me feel so much better when I can see whats around me, and appreciate the natural beauty! I love early morning- it's probably my favorite time of day. Being up when the everything is so quiet and I know that there are so many possibilities for the day to come always excites me. Combine those two things, and for me it's the perfect morning excursion :)

What are your guys' favorite ways to get outdoors? Leave your best stories in the comments and remember to follow me here!

My mom recently celebrated a Birthday, and for me, it meant a bright green light to make a delicious dessert. If you haven't figured out already, I LOVE making/baking desserts and getting to share them! I was scrolling through Pinterest, (as I do when trying to come up with ideas) and came across a recipe for Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Curd and Blackberry Buttercream Frosting from the blog Cake-N-Knife that looked totally delicious. She has her own recipe for vanilla cake from scratch, and even though it sounded delectable, I didn't quite have the time before the celebration. It already being quite late that evening the day before the party, I decided to run to the supermarket and get the lemon curd, buttercream ingredients and a vanilla boxed cake to guarantee they would be done on time.

For the Cake

Like I said before, I used a pre-made vanilla cake mix, but to give it that "made-from-scratch" taste I added a teaspoon of vanilla extract for extra flavor, and about a tablespoon of sour cream in order to make it nice and moist. Then, use the directions on the box and you're good to go!

For the Frosting

Her recipe calls for:

1/2 cup blackberries, pureed and strained
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
4 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/4 tsp salt
Additional blackberries for garnish (Although I personally candied some lemon peel because I had some lemons at home!)

I actually decided to whip my frosting to ensure it was soft and fluffy. Instead of a blackberry puree, I bought frozen blackberries, measured them, microwaved them until malleable, then using a spatula and a sieve mushed them through, straining out all of the yummy blackberry juice into a container. Then, I took 1/4 of the seeds in the sieve and put them aside, discarding the rest. I put two sticks of room temperature unsalted butter into the stand mixer and using the paddle attachment, beat it for 4-5 minutes. This is a trick I use in all of my buttercreams to help ensure they are smooth and not grainy.

After that's all nice and silky, slow the speed of the mixture to low and put in half of the confectioners sugar and beat for about 2 minutes on medium speed. Then put in the other half and beat on medium for another 1-2 minutes. Add in the blackberry juice, the seeds, and the salt and give it another good whip until it looks nice and combined and has the texture you were wanting. I added that small amount of seeds back in to give it a texture that it would have lacked- but it's totally optional!

The lemon curd is very sweet and tart, and matches perfectly with the frosting. I put the lemon curd into a pipping bag with a long tip and squeezed about a 1/2 tablespoon into the middle of each cupcake.

Candied Lemon Peel

So, since I had some lemons on hand, I decided to bring the lemon flavors back into the spotlight- I didn't want them to be overshadowed by the blackberry buttercream! What I did was cut the lemons into slices about 1/4 inch thick and removed the juicy part. I put that into a tupperware to use later. I then cut the rings in half so the peels were in long strips. I put a couple of cups of water on the stove and put the lemon peels in while cold, then I brought it to a boil. I drained the water and rinsed the peels, then repeated the process with fresh cold water.

You're supposed to do that three times, but I wanted my lemon peels extra sweet, so I did it five times. After the last time, I put in two cups of fresh cold water and two cups of sugar, and I brought that to a boil until I had a light syrup. Then I brought the syrup to a simmer and threw in all my blanched lemon peels, and cooked them on low until the white fluffy part of the peel was completely translucent. I brought them out to dry for about 10 minutes and then tossed them in sugar. After they are all nice and sparkly, pop one on top of your cupcake and they will look absolutely beautiful!

Everyone at the party loved them so much that we actually made it into a cake for my grandma's birthday! I'll share some details from that in another blog post, so stay tuned! Don't forget to follow me here and follow my friends over at Cake-N-Knife :)

What are your guys' favorite flavors to use in summer desserts?

Our craft this afternoon was a modified version of a button-based picture that I found on Pinterest a few weeks ago! I got some frames at the dollar store, and some cute dark blue denim on sale at the supermarket as well as some red, white and blue buttons. We backed the frames with the denim and used school glue to arrange adorable little pictures. They took a while, but everyone loved making them and the end result was so worth it.

Any of these ideas are perfect for any holiday- just change the color scheme and you're set!