Photo Diary: Charleston, Day 2

     Hello Lovelies!

     Here is day two of our spring break adventure! Today we all got manicures, went to the infamous Charleston Museum, and ate a delicious lunch! 

     Enjoy!

     Stay Gold, 

     Kayla

Photo Diary: Charleston, Day 1

     Hello Lovelies,

     Hooray! It's finally spring break! This year, Morgan and I (along with a friend) have ventured our way to Charleston, SC. We love it here! 

     In order to commemorate our stay in this beautiful city, I will be posting a photo diary every day. 

     Hope you enjoy!

The Old Village 

Nature is beauty, beauty is truth.

    

     Hello Lovelies!

     This past week has been crazy. The type of crazy that overwhelms you. I could easily count off a list of things on both hands that either stressed me out, upset me, or made me want to give up completely. When Friday rolled around I was ready to find some way to release my emotions. To cleanse my body. To clear my mind.
     My English teacher is very wise. He has not only taught me about the English language, literature, and composition, but he has also taught me about life by quoting authors, philosophers, scholars, and even giving his own two cents worth. Henry David Thoreau spent a year in seclusion, way off in the woods, living in a cabin he built, and surviving off of the food he planted in a garden. Thoreau believed that in order to understand life he had to escape society. He once said in his book, Walden: Or, Life in the Woods, "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately". So, I took Thoreau's advice this weekend. I ventured into the woods in search of peace and understanding. And I think I found it.
     Here are some photographs to document my quest for truth.

     Stay Gold,
     Kayla

In The Kitchen: Making Macarons

Hello, Lovelies!
Today was my first day of Spring Break and I decided I'd do a bit of baking. I decided to make Macarons! Now, I've never had a "real" macaron from a shop or bakery or anything, but, I thought why not? I'll give it a go! And, they actually turned out pretty well! I found my inspiration from a few pins on Pinterest (mine is http://www.pinterest.com/hnicole40/) and also from Zoella's YouTube Video "Baking Macarons with Tanya." I followed mainly their recipe with the help of this other video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L1zbAOQ3EI. Both were extremely helpful and I sort of used tips/directions from both. So, without further adeui, this is how I made Macarons! Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients: 

4 Egg Whites (2 refrigerated the night before)

230 Grams of Powdered Sugar 

130 Grams of Ground Almonds

60 Grams of Granulated Sugar

Steps: 

1. The night before, put two egg whites in the fridge.

2. Put 230 grams of powdered sugar in a mixing bowl.

3. Add 130 grams of ground almonds (almond meal) in with the powdered sugar. 

4. Whisk slowly and then use a sieve to sift the two ingredients. (This takes a LOT of patience and was probably the most grueling part.) 

5. When finished sifting, add the two refrigerated egg whites on top of the mixture but DON'T mix it yet.

6. In a new bowl, put two more egg whites and add 60 grams of granulated sugar.

7. Use an electric mixer to make a meringue. (This will take time, just be patient. It should be the consistency of shaving cream - light and foamy.)

8. Fold the dry mixture into the meringue until they are thoroughly mixed. (Don't Stir)

9. This is when I separated my mixture and added a few blue and green food coloring drops to one and blue and red to the other to make a pretty mint green and a light purple color. 

   

10. Next, prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. (Hint: I used this template under my parchment to guide the size of my macarons and then removed it before I put them in the oven.)

11. Next, you can use either a piping bag with a large end or a ziplock bag with a hole cut in the corner to pipe your mixture onto your baking sheet. (Hint: the ziplock bag actually worked better for me.)

12. Remove outline and gently tap the pan on a counter top to bring all bubbles to the surface.

13. Let rest for 20 minutes.

14. Bake at 300 F for 10-12 minutes or until they have risen and the tops are slightly hardened.

15. Let cool and fill with any kind of frosting, nutella, or anything you want!

All my love,

Hailey

Jewelry Haul: Forever 21 & Urban Outfitters

Hello, Lovelies!
Recently I realized my jewelry collection is a little bare and what I did have I didn't really like anymore. So, I went to Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters and picked up a couple new things. Hope you enjoy!

Left to Right: Forever 21 - $2, Urban Outfitters - $5, Urban Outfitters - $5

Urban Outfitters - $10

Forever 21 - $14

Forever 21 - $6

Forever 21 - $8

Forever 21 - $8

All my love,

Hailey