i'm in love.

I am so in love. period. paragraph. the end. I'm in love with this guy:

My man, Kev.
This is my baybuh. He's amazing. See that HEEEE-YOOOOGE (huge) smile on my face? This is us at the river, or "the riffah" as he says in one of his hilarious accents, this weekend!







Yep, tomorrow's the day. I'm posting a whole post about my amazing boyfriend. It's gonna happen, so get excited! :)

-Ames

sweet treat.

Okay so a small break from the "randoms". My new favorite breakfast. The best things about it? You make it the night before, it's tasty, and SUPER healthy for you! Overnight Oats. Another awesome recipe from Fit Foodie Finds.

 I layered fresh strawberry slices in between my oats and sprinkled unsalted sunflower seeds on each layer for some added crunch. mmm mmm mmm delish!

RECIPE:

1/4 C rolled oats
1/4 C oat bran
1 T Chia Seeds
*1/2 t cinnamon
*1/2 t vanilla
1/2 C water
1/2 C milk

*amount doubled from orig. recipe. More flavor :)

1. mix dry ingredients together first, then add wet ingredients and stir
2. pour into a tall glass and place in refridge over night
3. I layer my fruit of choice in between the oats in the morning, so essentially I use 2 glasses when it's all said and done :)
4. lastly, spoon and enjoy!!

The strawberries were delicious, but I think my fav combo is oats, fresh bloobs (blueberries?? hehe), and sunflower seeds.

bon appetite,
Amy

what's your fav breakfast?
have you ever had overnight oats before? lemme know how you like them!!

random numero dos.

Random #2:

accessory of choice? EARRINGS! I love earrings! You might say I have an obsession, but hey, there are worse things to be obsessed with right?! ;) I have 50+ pairs....I'm not gonna lie...and the bigger the better. Hey, what can I say? I'm a Texas girl!

-Amy

randoms.

Okay so I think I'm going to do a couple 'randoms' about myself for a lil while...so stayed tuned and enjoy numero uno!

Random #1.

I'm an icecream kind of girl. I owe this one to my 'grandaddy' and my dad :) It definitely runs in the Lanford genes. Ice Cream can cure anything....ok ok I know that is extremely unrealistic, but if only for a lil while ice cream makes you smile :) I can seriously eat ice cream ANY time. I could have just stuffed my tummy with a HUGE thanksgiving dinner, and you could offer me ice cream and I'm SO down! Nothing to do? Let's go get ice cream! Want a snack? Ice Cream! Forget meeting an old friend for coffee...let's go for ice cream! Birthday? forget the cake! Ice Cream! Oh! and that's the other thing...I enjoy the trip more than anything. I don't usually have ice cream at home in the freezer. I like to go out for it. Braum's, froyo, you name it! I'm ready. ok I think you get the point ;)

It's a beautiful day! Go celebrate, and treat yourself to some ice cream! :)

-Amy

what's your fav treat?

**sigh**, nope scratch that. **BIG SIGH**

**pictures taken at Holley's Yarn Shoppe**
**in Dallas, TX**

bran-nanner pancakes!

Good Morning Everyone! It's not very often you get me up before 9am on a Saturday that I have nothing planned, and especially during the summer!!! But today was special because last night I bought lots of new ingredients and was seriously excited to hop outta bed to get to makin'...
Bran-nanner Pancakes!
All the credit for this recipe goes to Lee Hersh, of Fit Foodie Finds! Thanks Lee! Of course I had to add my own spin to it though, so here it is:

Brancake time!

 the dry ingredients- 

 everything all mixed together! brancake batter, minus the fresh blueberries.

 skillet pourin'. Go Mama, Go!

 don't those berries look so good!!?

 finished product: topped with fresh sliced nanner, a sprinkle of

chia seeds, and warm syrup drizzled over top!

Ta-da! Breakfast for two!

 

And oh my gosh were they delicious!!! So grainy and absolutely scrumptious! The recipe made 5 medium sized pancakes, or 4 large ones! Mom and I used fresh blueberries instead of frozen ones and they were so juicy! Thanks Lee for the awesome recipe, and for inspiring me to eat healthier! For real!

Now, off to the gym to get in my daily workout and then to the store with mom to go buy some summer reads, and lay out by the pool! It's Summah time!

later y'all,

-Amy

becoming a foodie.

Okay, so I think I can officially say that I'm becoming a foodie! and a healthy foodie at that! Wanna know why I think so?

The Evidence:

Numero Uno- Excited for a strange reason.
CHIA SEEDS!! It's weird how excited I was when I bought some...like not normal how excited I was. Seriously, mom gave me the strangest look when we got back to the car and I was so giddy because of stinkin' SEEDS! haha but I've been dying to cook with these lil' suckers!! Unfortunately as you can see, they aren't cheap, so they'll be treats every now and then. First recipe...TOMORROW mornin'. Mom and I are gonna make chia/bran pancakes for breakfast :) I'll be taking lots of pics don't you worry!!

Numero Dos- Buying things in bulk. Yep. Whole Wheat Flour. Chia Seeds. and Oat Bran. all in bulk. Why do I feel so cool? yep...I'm becoming a foodie.

WHY? you ask. Well I think it's just the simple fact that I'm home from college, finally have access to a kitchen (yeah I had one in the dorm...but it's just not the same), and I'm getting really really really excited to be "on my own" in an apartment (with 3 other AWESOME girls as well) and getting to cook for myself! I've gotta try some new things and especially need to figure out things that work and that are FUN to make!

Okay so admit it-you're excited now too, to see my breakfast creation in the morning. It's okay. :)

till then,

Amy

what do you LOVE to cook?

 

up early.

Got up early early early today! Took mom to work this morning around 7 am. and arrived back home to a parking ticket on my windshield...what the heck?? Yep, folks....you can get a parking ticket for facing the wrong way in front of your own house. The worst part about it too is that it was last night at approximately 9:07 pm. when I was right inside...GEEZ!!! So $45 dollars later...I'm headed to the gym to blow off my frustration! Decided to try a new Sammy recipe for lunch when I got back home! Wanna see?

Ingredients:
whole wheat bread, toasted
slices of fresh apple
turkey and cheese
and a dollop of dijon mustard and honey mixed together!

It was super delish!! Thanks Jillian Michaels app for the new idea!

Hope you're enjoyin' your day, and that the weather, where ever you are, isn't so overcast and grey out :-/ yuck!

later,
Amy

yarnbombing pt. 1

Ever heard of it? No? Well here, take a peek:

a tree.

a suspension bridge.

public transportation.

a bike rack.











How can this not make you smile!?

Yarn bombing, yarnbombing, graffiti knitting, guerrilla knitting, or yarnstorming is a type of graffiti or street art that employs colorful displays of knitted or crocheted cloth rather than paint or chalk. While yarn installations – called yarn bombs or yarnstorms – may last for years, they are considered non-permanent, and, unlike graffiti, can be easily removed if necessary. The practice is believed to have originated in the U.S. with Texas knitters trying to find a creative way to use their leftover and unfinished knitting projects, but it has since spread worldwide.
While other forms of graffiti may be expressive, decorative, territorial, socio-political commentary, advertising or vandalism, yarn bombing was initially almost exclusively about reclaiming and personalizing sterile or cold public places. It has since developed with groups graffiti knitting worldwide each with their own agendas.
The movement has been said to be "changing the face of craft" as stitchers are more and more frequently being viewed as fibre artists.

So, this phenomenon has gained a lot of publicity lately and it's about to make A MAJOR statement in Dallas, Texas in the coming month! I'm really excited! More to come later**

toodles,
Amy

do you knit or crochet?
have you ever yarnbombed or know someone who has?

yarnbombing pt. 2

So that MAJOR statement I talked about in a previous post...yep it has started! A whole report was done this morning on yarn bombing in Dallas on Good Morning Texas {watch it here!!!}Want in on a little secret that wasn't revealed in the report? ;)

The Shabby Sheep, this adorable lil yarn shop in Dallas, and K Witta, of the above video, are teaming up with the Winspear Opera House this summer for a PLANNED yarnbombing!!! They were asked, along with tons of their customers and other volunteers to transform the outside entrance and grounds around the opera house for the opening of the Broadway Musical "Hair" in September!                                               



Here's the site that will be transformed and where
the bombing will take place!!



GAH, I'm such a nerd. This sounds so fun and can't wait to see how it turns out! You better believe I'll make every effort to be there for at least some of the "bombing" and of course for the reveal! Keeping my fingers crossed!!!

super giddy,

Amy

stuffed.

Well I don't think I've ever been so excited to bake anything in my life! I saw these cookies in a recipe about a  week ago and really really really wanted to try them out so here's my adventure. Enjoy:

Happy Sunday right? Lots of free time? let's bake! that's what I thought! Kev's (the boyfriend's) grandma has the most delicious family recipe for chocolate-chip cookies so we used that and added a twist to make...get ready for it...OREO STUFFED COOKIES. (Thanks for the great idea Fit Foodie Finds! P.S. If you haven't checked out Lee, she's awesome!) We also decided to add our own twist and use Reeses and peppermint patties along with the Oreos!

First we laid out what our surprise centers would be --

 Then you plop down your pre-made cookie dough and smoosh your center surprise right on top of your scoops!

 ACTION SHOT! then plop another scoop of dough on top and smother the suckers until they are all covered!

 ta-da!

 Mmm doesn't this guy look delish!?

Then throw them in the oven at temp around 345 degrees

 "Holy Cow! They are ginormous!!!!"

 After about 10 minutes watch the edges and when they start becoming brown, they're ready to be taken out and cooled! Almost eatin' time!

Cool on a cooling rack...hehe look at that not so lil' guy peekin' out! Seriously guys, these were the size of my hand!

 Then, ENJOY! with lots of milk of course! Kev said it best: "Milk's favorite cookie mixed with grandma's recipe. What a great combination!!!"

And boy were they delicious! 

Later blogsters, I'm going to NOM down, as the bestie would say ;) [Miss you Solange!]

-Amy

do you have any fun recipes like this one?
What do you like to bake?

Amy's Purls: knits

So I've mentioned my lil' company a couple times in my blog, and just wanted to share a little bit more about it with y'all!

So, if you can't already tell, I really enjoy knitting! My friends think I'm a total grandma, but in a good way of course ;) I began knitting lil' bow headbands for myself (like below) and started wearing them to school! A lot of my friends really liked them and several people told me to start selling them! At the time, I needed extra money to pay for my cell phone bill...So I took the idea and ran with it. At first it was just kind of a word-of-mouth thing: "wear and tell" type deal. I made them available in pretty much any color someone asked for and they were a huge hit!

'bow headband'



Then I decided to start a group on Facebook. It'd be a much easier way to keep track of orders. I came up with another product and BAM, people just kept ordering :)

'Winter Headband'
(can either be ordered with rosettes or a bow)

At the end of senior year, I added hair clips!

'vintage hairclips'

Then, I moved away from home and went to college in good 'ole Waco. [SIC 'Em BEARS!] The group was becoming a little hindering...it didn't do quite as much as I wanted and not everyone was able to join it, so I started a 'page' at the beginning of my freshman year! Within a week the page gained 100+ likes!!!! Woah! I was so excited! Since then, I've added lots more to the shop and have been toying with the idea of actually making an online store on an ACTUAL website... hmmm thoughts?

other products:



'i heart bows headband'
my new obsession!

'Rose hairclip'







'The Melanie Bow'






'The Sailor Headband'

Everything in the shop is made to order, except the 'vintage hairclips' which are pre-made. I ship to you, if you aren't close by, with a little extra cost. Headbands and hairclips make GREAT birthday, graduation, and babyshower gifts! To browse some more and check out the other items in the shop, go HERE! Spread the word and enjoy!

-Amy

yarnivore.

So I've have just been knitting like crazy since I got home!! It's been so nice to have all this free time, amidst the unpacking. I got a large order for Amy's Purls: knits right at the end of the school year...and by large order, I mean 4 winter headbands! Weee :) Not to mention they were for one of my girlfriends from high school who is graduating in June and headed to NY to be a theater star, which made them even more fun to make!! No kidding, this girl is major talented! Love you Chan, and I'm so proud of you! Anyways: wanna peek at what I've been knittin' on?



two bow and two rosette winter headbands!
in: olive, black shimmer, mustard, and white.



Hope you love the heck out of 'em Chan!

**sorry for the blurriness...I've had to use my phone
camera lately, because I've misplaced the charger for
 my real camera. BUT I finally got a new one today,
so yay for better pics :)

Check out my page, "like" it, and order away! :D
post about Amy's Purls: knits....comin' up!

-Amy

ommm.

Holy cow, it feels GREAT to be home!! I think I've almost caught up on my sleep! I woke up to an empty house, to peace and quiet...kinda lonely but it was nice to sleep with no worries on my mind. Woke up before 10 though, cuz I knew I had a lot to do today. My car was still packed up to the brim with clothes, suitcases, and boxes of things from school. Now, after a long day, it's only half-way packed to the brim with clothes, suitcases, etc. So that's my job for tomorrow, to finish unpacking "goldie-locks". <---my car's name ;)
I love waking up slowly: moseying around, watching some news (maybe hehe), drinking coffee, and eating breakfast until I'm ready to get outta my comfy PJs and get ready for the day. I did just that and then got to unpacking my car.
After that, I actually WANTED TO GO WORKOUT...wait what? yeah...I WANTED TO GO WORKOUT. strange....    really strange.... but hey! I knew I had to go since that was the case! Had one awesome workout too :D The gym was pretty empty, around noon, so I did a little extra weights today, seeing as how most of the machines were free.


So...slow morning with coffee, half an unpacked car, and an AWESOME workout! Sounds like one productive day to me! Well, to make it even better: mom asked me to join her and her bestest friend, Jamie, at their weekly yoga class. SWEET, I'm so in! Met mom and Jamie and had a rockin' yoga class too!



Isn't the studio super cool looking??



  

 Oh and props to my Aunt Nan, for knitting these awesome yoga socks for my mom to wear!

After lots of  "oommmms", giggles, and groans, now I'm enjoying another relaxing evening at home with mom and Lee. Besides missin' my Kev a WHOLE LOT, I'm one happy girl!

-Amy


do you yoga? if so, where?
what time of day do you like to go workout?

home sweet home.

Well, it's official. I'm no longer a freshman in college! I've finished out the year strong, and know the results of most of my finals and am really pleased. Took my last one this morning, and was outta Waco. <---well, it was more of a process than just leaving:

My amazing boyfriend, Kevin, came in early this mornin' and helped me gather the last of my things off the walls and clean up before my mom and brother would arrive to pack up our cars! We got to have breakfast downstairs together, which was SOOO nice. I don't get to eat breakfast with my baybuh very much! I had my last Collins' chocolate chip and pecan pancakes! Oh my lord, so delicious. I wish I'd have taken a picture so I could share...that's definitely something I'm going to miss: going downstairs in the morning and just picking what I want for breakfast. omelette? eggs to order and bacon? blueberry/chocolate-chip/pecan pancakes? cereal? bagels? fruit? hand-rolled breakfast burrito? yeah...super spoiled. I LOVE BREAKFAST! I could easily say it's my favorite meal of the day! mmmmmm

so anyways, enough of my food ranting haha sorry! After breakfast, mom and Lee arrived and we loaded about half of the room up into her car, yeah only half. oops, hey a girl needs her essentials right? Then we all headed to CG for one last Cowboy coffee! I've got my brother hooked (sic 'em). I enjoyed a delicious peach smoothie and then walked to my last final, Music Theory! While I was takin' it, mom and Lee and Kev packed up the rest into my car, and shamefully overflowed into Kevin's too. I was one thankful girl today! He had to make an unexpected, but very appreciated extra trip to Dallas, because everything wouldn't fit! Thanks babe! He's just absolutely the best! Blog about him will come soon, I promise. Cuz he's definitely worth sharing with the rest of the world! ;)

Yep, that's the empty 253. All emptied out!
Real depressing looking, if you ask me!

And now after a rediculously long day, tons of packing and loading, test-taking, and bittersweetness, I'm home sweet home!

I'm definitely going to miss BU, and the (254) over the summer, but I am soooo ready for a much needed break, and for some major catch up time with friends!


STAY TUNED FOR A RE-CAP OF MY FRESHMAN YEAR IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS!




This was my side, at the beginning of the year
when I first moved in! Super cute huh?!





good night bloggies and sic 'em,
Amy










My wonderful mom, and brother at lunch today!
Can you say, tired-looking?




almost forgot...what's your fav meal?