Travelling Lore

Earlier this week was my boyfriend's birthday.  And what better way to celebrate it (and channel Spring) than with a delicious lemon poppy seed bundt cake.  I found this recipe on Sally's Baking Addiction  via Pinterest, so please see her site for the  full recipe .  Be prepared to use a lot of lemons (it's totally worth it, though!) and expect to eat more than one slice in a sitting! Preheat the oven to 350F.  Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl and stir the poppy seeds into the dry mixture.  Set aside.  In a separate bowl, beat the butter for one minute until creamy.  Then add the sugar and beat on high for an additional two minutes until they're blended well together.  Beat in the lemon juice and zest.  (I didn't include zest as I don't have a zester.) Combine the dry and wet ingredients along with the buttermilk and blend on low speed.  Pour the batter into a bundt pan and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a...

I know my last post said I would focus more on wineries/breweries, cooking, and travelling.  However, I will still blog about some beauty (and fashion) topics from time to time, including this monthly manicure roundup segment.  Without further ado, here is April's manicure roundup! Essie "Sunday Funday" : a shimmery, bright coral Essie "Fiji" : a pale, delicate ballet pink Sally Hansen "Pacific Blue" : a vibrant, rich blue Essie "Urban Jungle" : an opaque bone white Rimmel "Stiletto Red" : a classic red Essie "Spin the Bottle" : a dusty pink neutral By the way, I just made the most amazing  buttermilk biscuits for dinner.  Not to mention a pretty awesome lemon poppyseed birthday cake for my boyfriend earlier this week.  Recipes coming up on the blog soon!  Stay tuned!

When I started my blog I’d originally intended to primarily write about winery tours, cooking adventures, and travelling. I created it for myself in order to have an artistic outlet outside of my technical full time job. I told myself to avoid falling into several “newbie” blogging traps of A) creating content for content’s sake and B) promoting it in hopes of somehow magically attracting sponsors. In short, I didn’t want to compromise my blogging goals by word vomiting (to borrow a phrase from Mean Girls) all over the place. However, anyone who’s ever tried to maintain a blog knows how time consuming it is to create content for each new post, whether it’s just for yourself and a few friends or for hundreds of loyal readers. Whatever you choose to blog about, it takes time, and often money, to visit places, document a recipe, and/or keep up with the fashion and beauty products. This, combined with the addition of a part-time job, quite a bit of traveling for my full time job,...

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J.R. Watkins hand soap | Essie nail polish | L'Occitane Angelica Face Toner | Philosophy lip scrub | Neutrogena Naturals multi-vitamin nourishing night cream Do you ever have those skincare or beauty products that you reach for over and over again?  That you love after using them just once?  Well, that's how I feel about these products in particular.  I decided it was out with the old and in with the new. 1. J.R. Watkins Aloe & Green Tea hand soap ($4.99) I was sick and tired of the Bath and Body Works Iced Gingerbread soap that'd been in my bathroom for months. I don't know what it is, but I cycle through products very slowly, so by the time Spring came around I somehow still had a winter soap scent to finish and I just wasn't digging it anymore. Cue this J.R. Watkins hand soap, which is very light and fresh in scent--perfect for the change in seasons and a nice change from iced gingerbread. There's a slew of other scents as well and t...

Life has been great but rather hectic lately, hence the lull in social media posts and blogging.  Lately I've been traveling for work every couple of weeks.  And lo and behold--that's what I'm doing currently! But I'm still alive and well! Last weekend my boyfriend and I took advantage of the lovely weather and went into Washington, D.C. to see the  cherry blossoms .  I knew I wouldn't be around for  peak blooms  this week, so we took a small gamble and hoped that there would be some cherry blossoms blooming.  And what luck--there were quite a few lovely blossoms to behold! For those who are unaware of the history of the history of the cherry blossoms in D.C., the National Cherry Blossom Festival commemorates the gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Japan to the United States in 1912.  It's an annual celebration that honors the continued friendship between the two countries. The  cherry blossoms surround the Tidal Basin in ...

In case you missed it, one of the beauty trends that has been on the rise is beauty box subscription services.  These companies ask you to complete a questionnaire about your beauty preferences and then hand pick and mail out beauty products for you to try.  If you end up loving any of the products you've received, you can often buy them directly from the company's website or be redirected to the specific brand's website.  Some of these companies include Goodebox , Birchbox , and Glossybox , to name a few. I have a skincare and beauty routine that works great for me.  But I also wanted to be able to discover new products without spending a ton of money on a full-sized item.  I also wanted to discover new products that are more environmentally friendly than the average drug store or super market carries.  So I was thrilled when I found Goodebox. Goodebox describes themselves as "a trial & discovery subscription box service providing expertly...

I want to thank all of my friends and family for wishing me a happy birthday and for the thoughtful gifts.  I feel so loved!  I always try to do something different for my birthday each year.  Last year we went to a winery and this year we visited a local brewery, Old Bust Head Brewery , in Warrenton, Virginia.  Thanks to everyone who was able to come out and enjoy some new beer with me! I was very impressed by Old Bust Head's beer list.  They have a lot of IPAs, which seems to be the norm these days (I'm personally not a fan).  But they also have plenty of beer options for the non-IPA lover.  Most of us chose a flight (or two) to start off with.  From left to right, I chose the Bust Head English Pale Ale, Vixen Irish Red, Oatmeal Stout, and Caramel Macchiato Stout. My favorite by far was the Caramel Macchiato Stout.  This is the perfect beer for fancy coffee lovers.  It smells and tastes like coffee with a smidge of caramel o...