Keeney things in New Hampshire

One of my best friends since forever ago is now attending grad school in the adorable little New England town of Keene, New Hampshire.  Having never visited any states in this area, I was thrilled to feel like I was on set of Gilmore Girls!  A sweet little town with a white gazebo in the center, a big white church on main street, a cute antique clock, a surplus of benches around, many little shops and cafes, and even a town troubadour (a person who stands on the sidewalk and plays music).

Not to mention the ice cream shops and the victorian houses that line all the streets! I think I ate ice cream 5 out of the 6 days I was here (oops).  Pictured below is one of the pictures I took while running one morning - a pink house! Why aren't these more common throughout midwest towns? 

Thanks to Alli for letting me visit and for being such a great host!

Now that I am back home and planning on staying for a while (meaning I don't have any trips coming up) (also meaning I need to plan something...), I can put my suitcase away and try to get into some sort of fitness and healthy eating routine.  Maybe July I'll be able to get back on track.

I also plan to spend a lot of time this next month preparing for the upcoming school year! I hope to have a super cute, homey classroom for all the sweet fourth graders I will be teaching. So excited!

Xoxoxo,

Mainey Things

Willard Bech was the destination of choice for a relaxing afternoon of laying in the sun in Portland, Maine.  It was so enjoyable and a very pretty location! In fact, it was actually somewhat chilly when there was a breeze and not too hot at all. 

The view reminded me of exactly what I pictured the coast of the north east to look like: boats in the harbor, light houses prevalent, many rocks and lovely dark blue water.  

After freshening up at our hotel, we went to the downtown Old Port area to walk around and get supper.  I was surprised by the fact that almost all the buildings were completely made of brick, but it was really pretty.  There were quite a few neat shops to stop in to also.  

We ate at Vignola Cinque Terre, which was an Italian restaurant where I got a pizza.  It was pleasant, but the pizza didn't even compare to authentic Italian pizza.

Our absolute favorite street was Wharf Street, pictured below.  It was a small alleyway with a pedestrian only brick road, complete with many restaurants and live music on each side!  So quaint, and so fun to people watch!  For dessert we went to the Bar of Chocolate! I had a creme brûlée, and Alli and Tara got chocolate peanut butter cake and sea salt caramel cake. So yummy!

Xo,

I think I'll go to Boston..

My first destination of the New England states: Boston, Massachusetts.  I flew here on Wednesday and met up with one of my best friends who goes to school in New Hampshire.  We spend the day in Boston and stayed the night at Harborside Inn, a cute little boutique hotel in a perfect location.  

  

Our time here consisted of walking around and taking in the sights while taking breaks when we saw somewhere cute.  We enjoyed doing the Boston Harbor Walk, which allowed us to see a lot of the sights on the water. The weather was absolutely perfect to meander around and enjoy catching up! We also made our way to the Boston Tea Party Museum.  How crazy to be in a location that I had only read about - so much history everywhere around! 

We shared the most delicious crab cakes at Chart House for lunch, explored more and took photos in the afternoon, and that evening had more seafood at Legal Seafood before we made our way to the area of town better known as Little Italy.  Be still my heart! So nostalgic of Italy, and I admit that I may have shed a few tears multiple times.  Not to mention, many people were speaking Italian too.  Mike's Pastry was our first stop, as Alli had heard wonderful things about their cannoli.  It was quite good!  Then we spent the rest of our time in the area at a cute wine bar before we made our way back to the hotel.

  

A fun time in Boston for sure!

Xo,

A Weekend in the Windy City

I love when it works out for me to spend a weekend visiting my friend Caroline in Chicago, and what a sweet reunion we had after being apart for so long!  

I always take the train to Chicago, and as I was at the station Friday morning getting ready to leave, some of my best friends were also there taking the train to the city!  Such a nice surprise, and they so graciously let me spend the day with them since Caroline didn't get off work until around 5:00 that evening and I had just planned to kill time.  

The weather was iffy all day, so we started off shopping while we waited for the rain to pass (and then we realized via Snapchat filter that it was Best Friend's Day! How fitting!).  After a delicious lunch at the Grand Luxe (hello beignets - if you ever go here, you must order these!), we went to Navy Pier to ride the Ferris Wheel (so fun!)

We then went on a architecture boat tour (after buying sweatpants and a blanket to keep us warm) and it was neat to see all the buildings from the viewpoint of the river! 

After meeting up with Caroline I got to see the grand tour of her new apartment and meet her super sweet roommates.  She lives so close to Lake Michigan, so for supper we went to the grocery store and got fixings for a picnic and ate near the water.  It was so perfect to talk and catch up!  

Saturday morning started with brunch at the most adorable and Instagram popular location - Hampton Social - where we were lucky enough to sit by the iconic and famous "Rosé all day" sign.  Such a cute place, and delicious food.  Carol got chicken and donuts (which was soooo delicious) and I got butternut squash toast (which was also really good!)

Saturday night her and her roommates had a house welcoming party, and it was fantastic to meet more of her friends.  Sunday we went to church, brunch again (of course!), and spend the afternoon relaxing.  It doesn't matter if we do a lot or a little, it's always just nice to spend time together!  So thankful for a friend like her!

Xo,

Cupcake Cuteness

I was so happy to have a customer recently order UNICORN CUPCAKES! How fun it was to make these colorful, glittery creations.  

I used gumpaste to make the little ears and the horn, and painted color and sprinkled glitter on them!  I am so happy with how they turned out.

Lately I have been enjoying being in the kitchen and doing one of my favorite things: Baking cupcakes!  I often am asked by friends or people I know to bake cupcakes for birthday parties, baby showers, bridal showers, and I even have a wedding coming up!  Here are some of my favorite cupcakes that I've made recently.  

This is just a fun hobby that I do and that is so fun for me - especially when someone orders cupcakes and they allow me to use gorgeous colors, sparkles, and be creative.

Have a sweet day, and remember:

Xo,