August 2011
1 post
6 tags
the perfect saturday
[I’ve been eager to put flowers in this teapot for quite some time.]
I was looking forward to a weekend at home. It seemed like the first I’d had in months. Marshall visited, and we planned to not make any plans. There were a couple things that I wanted to do to soak up the last moments of summer: get a drink on a patio outside, and go to the farmer’s market, but I...
July 2011
4 posts
8 tags
no place
My gas stove (I hate everything about cooking with electric stoves!) and new tomato spoon rest from World Market.
Believe it or not, I’ve barely stepped foot in my own apartment for the past month. I’ve been spending most of my time in Indiana, working out of the office in South Bend. Although I’ve thoroughly enjoyed spending so much time with Marshall and his family,...
3 tags
happy birthday colleen!
My history of posting people’s birthdays on this blog has not been very consistent. It really has nothing to do with how much I love the person, since I’ve often forgotten to post birthday wishes for my own parents or best friend of almost ten years. Rather, it is more likely a reflection of how close I am to my computer/blog on the very day of their birth.
However, on this...
8 tags
3rd favorite
The 4th of July has always been my third favorite day of the year (second only to Christmas and my birthday.) I can never remember a 4th when it rained or that I didn’t spend the entire day outside. It’s that perfect mix of sunshine, family, friends, food, and general relaxation. Yesterday was no exception. It was that quintessential kind of summer day without a cloud in the sky...
7 tags
fashion fix: got some new shoes on
You’ve probably noticed that it’s been quite a while since I posted an outfit on this blog. In fact, there was snow on the ground the last time that I did. Truth be told, I’ve been in a bit of a creative slump, and my checkbook was having a slump of its own. I’d mixed and matched, matched and mixed all of the clothes in my closet, and didn’t feel like sharing...
June 2011
3 posts
5 tags
south cackalacky
Truth be told, this wasn’t my first trip to South Carolina. I have visited Myrtle Beach once before with my family. However, I’m told by true Southerners that Myrtle Beach doesn’t count. I assume this is because it is viewed as nothing more than a tourist attraction. That being said, I feel very lucky that my trip to Greenville was my third trip of 2011. Even though times...
better late than never
Happy Father’s Day, dad! Here are the top 10 reasons that I love you!
You are hilarious
You have always been incredibly interested in my day-to-day life and friends
You tell me that you are proud of me even when I don’t feel proud of myself
You have great fashion sense
You are a great listener
You are the most devoted football fan I know
You taught me how to play soccer, do...
vacation
On Friday, I’ll be going on a mini-vacation to South Carolina. I can’t wait to escape for a few days and explore a new part of the country.
It seems as though I’ve taken a bit of a vacation from blogging lately as well. But, don’t fear. There are many new and exciting things in the works that I’ll share with you soon. I’ve got some big plans to do some...
May 2011
4 posts
8 tags
i know it's been a little quiet around here....
….So here are some updates for you…
I dyed my hair dark for the first time in my life.
Marshall turned the big 2-4.
And a large majority of my favorite people were there to celebrate.
We booked a trip for Greenville, South Carolina in June!
I’ve been catching up on Mad Men Season 4.
I’ve started spring cleaning. But there is much more to come. Will...
4 tags
bubble bath
My mom tells me that when I was a baby, bath time was my favorite part of the day. However, due to less than stellar bath tubs in my college apartments, I stopped taking baths when I was 17. Last week I was reading Simple Abundance, and the author was talking about the importance of taking baths for relaxation and meditation. So, last Thursday night, I gave it a whirl. I used some bubble...
from the bubblz/issue archives
I just found this picture. This picture was taken at Nitty Gritty the day before Bri/The Issue moved to Seattle. This picture was taken when Bri/The Issue still had platinum locks. This picture was taken when Bri/The Issue first learned of her disastrous spider bite that plagued her for the better part of a year. Also, this picture makes me smile. That is all.
8 tags
recipe: best dessert of your life
For some reason, I always eat peanut butter and chocolate desserts for Easter. Thanksgiving has pumpkin pie. Christmas has sugar cookies. For me, Easter has peanut butter and chocolate. I think it goes back to those delicious Reese’s eggs, and my aunt Judy’s out-of-this-world peanut butter and chocolate cheesecake. However, I can’t eat either of those anymore. Enter my...
April 2011
4 posts
give me sunshine
I love everything about this look. I want to dress like this every single day. This is why I need to move to a warmer climate. ASAP.
Also, I noticed that I’ve liked two pictures from this blog this week. Seems like a really good blog. And she lives in Chicago. Bonus.
home is where the heart is
(Beautiful flowers at the Lincoln Park Conservatory. Such a peaceful place.)
Things have been unusually quiet around here for the past few weeks. I guess I’ve never really come out and said exactly why. I’ve been working 3 days a week at our office in South Bend, Indiana for the past few weeks. South Bend is 2 hours away from Chicago, and I’ve been living out of a suitcase...
whirlwind
(1. The people on the rooftop were exponentially more attractive than those downstairs. Some of them even had Australian accents. I think you know how I feel about those.)
I hadn’t even been back from Vegas for 12 full hours, and I got a call asking if I could come to Indiana for the week to fill in at our office there. Without even putting away my party clothes, I packed up more...
March 2011
8 posts
3 tags
roasted veggies
Again, I know it’s been rather quiet around here lately. I feel as if I’ve barely been home for the past three weeks, and even though I feel like I just got back from my amazing trip to Seattle, it’s time to jet set again to Las Vegas this weekend to visit Sarah!
In preparation for my trip*, and the possibility that I will in fact be seen in a swimming suit this weekend,...
2 tags
calvin in chicago tomorrow!
For those of you who love Bravo (which is probably all of you), you may have heard of Calvin Tran. He was on The Fashion Show this fall, and got second place. He also happens to own the store that I’ve been working at again lately. Best of all, he’s coming into town tomorrow-Monday (March 24th-28th). If you live in the Chicago area, you should definitely come to meet and shop...
tiffany necklace for sale
This is just a little side note, but I’m selling one of my Tiffany & Co. necklaces on eBay. If you, or anyone you know would be interested let me know! Here is the link to the eBay post. You can always email me with additional questions at jtiffanyrice@gmail.com.
Have a great weekend!
2 tags
the small things
(Cabs hurry through the intersection that my roommate calls Times Square.)
Yesterday, I spent one too many hours engrossed in this website. Not surprisingly, it made me want to: a. move to the beach - immediately. b. workout for 12 hours a day. c. eat only fruits and vegetables for two weeks, and d. get a serious tan. All of this (in addition to the plethora of drunkards roaming the streets...
sufferin' succotash
Wow. Last week came and went, and I barely had the time to do two loads of laundry! As happens every couple of months, my life has taken a completely new, albeit exciting direction. I’ve always been a fan of fresh new starts, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy for me to smoothly transition from one routine to another. The past few weeks have been at time incredibly stressful,...
2 tags
gettin' my hurr did
I’ve never been one to really experiment with my hair color. There was a brief stint last winter when I tried my luck at being a red head. What did I learn? Blondes really do have more fun. Well, it seems that some of that pesky red color is still in parts of my hair. My dark roots are showing. To put it simply, I feel like my hair has never looked worse. Everyone assures me it...
3 tags
every day
Have you ever been asked the following question: if you could only pick one outfit to wear for the rest of your life, what would it be? Remember, the outfit would have to transition easily from day to night, from brunches to dinner parties and after parties. Well, my friends, this is it. I think I could perfectly happy wearing this (or some variation of this) outfit every day/night for the...
February 2011
14 posts
happy birthday weekend
I’ll be celebrating this little lady’s thirty-first year on this lovely planet this weekend. I’m sure it will be full of shenanigans, jello shots, my favorite shih-tzu, fine Madison cuisine, and a plethora of new inside jokes. For the first time in a long time, I don’t have to take the road trip to Wisco all by myself thanks to Ms. Emmy Bawden.
Happy Birthday Weekend...
2 tags
random acts of kindness
On Monday night I arrived home close to 9:30pm. It was a long day at the office, followed by a long-overdue intense cardio workout. My plan was to come home, and go to bed. But then I saw these lovely teal mittens with a card on my bed. They were both from my roommate, and the card read, “Happy working your tail off!” It totally made my day. Makes me want to do something like...
6 tags
fashion fix: weekend work attire
I wasn’t planning on photographing this outfit. However, almost instantly upon arrival to the office on Saturday, my newest photographer, Nanci, asked if she could take a picture of my outfit. It’s always fun when people are as excited about what I’m wearing as I am. Plus, if you’ve got to be sitting at a desk all day, you might as well be wearing a little sparkle, a...
3 tags
recipe: black eyed pea croquettes
When I first saw the word “croquette” in my recipe book, I thought that it translated to “difficult to make.” This is simply not the case if you have a good food processor. I use my food processor often, and it has revolutionized my life in the kitchen. These little fried goodies are a nice, healthy way to incorporate beans into your diet. I haven’t been the...
2 tags
try not to smile
Even if you’ve had a terrible day, I don’t know how you could not smile when you look at this picture.
And even if you keep saying year after year that you want to wait ten more years to have babies, I don’t know how you could not someday want kids when you look at this picture.
And even if you’re super duper jealous of everyone that got to go to NYFW this week,...
8 tags
wanna get away?
This week has just been one of those weeks. As I was walking home from my friend’s house on Monday night, I saw a huge orange ticket on my car. Then, today, as I was driving back to the office, I got yet another ticket. I’ve been staying at work late, and getting to work super early. Needless to say, I’m pretty exhausted.
Days like today really make me think about taking a...
4 tags
how to succeed
This past weekend I road-tripped it down to Normal to watch two of my favorite people perform in one of my new favorite shows: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. If you like Mad Men, you will love this show. If you get the chance, see it immediately. My dear brother looked like a young Don Draper. I haven’t seen him without a beard/scruff for who knows how long, and he...
2 tags
V Day
When I was a little girl, I loved Valentine’s Day. I loved the excuse to give cute cards to friends or crushes and eat ridiculous amounts of sprinkles and chocolate. As I got older, I grew less and less fond of the holiday. It seems so superficial, so commercialized. Even when I’ve had a boyfriend on February 14th, it’s never come close to being one of my favorite...
schrute farms beets
I stayed up until 1am cooking last night so that I could bring some healthy fare down to Bloomington-Normal this weekend. Let’s face it: a 21-year old college brother isn’t going to have his fridge stocked with tofu and lentils for me. I don’t even really know what he eats on a daily basis. (We’re planning to make a show: College Cooking with Danny. I’ll keep...
fitness: arm balance postures
If you’ve been reading this blog for any amount of time, you probably know how I feel about yoga. I’m obsessed. One of my goals for 2011 was to do yoga three times per week. January got off to a rough start, but I’ve already done it twice this week. I started really getting into yoga last March, and it is has added so much to my life. It has helped to calm my stressed...
6 tags
pretty please?
The sub-zero weather and endless mounds of snow are really starting to get to me. Not to mention the fact that my least favorite holiday, Valentine’s Day (not because I’m a man-hater, because I worked in the service industry. If you ever have, I’m sure the day is ruined for you, too) is right around the corner. Ok, life isn’t all bad. I do get to see my parents, my...
4 tags
how to: monogrammed cards
(You can start by buying a package of different colored, plain greeting cards from a local craft store. I got this 50 pack at Hobby Lobby for $8.)
I made these cards so long ago (for a few special girlfriends for Christmas) that I almost forgot to post pictures of them here. I couldn’t post them when I made them, because I still hadn’t given them to my friends yet, and I...
4 tags
2 tags
snowed in
Sorry for my lack of posts this week. For the past three days, I was entirely snowed into my apartment. Chicago had the 3rd worst storm in history this week, and my roomie and I made the best of it! On Tuesday, she got done with work early, and we started the storm off right with a trip to the Burwood Tap. We sat next to some girls who were taking a shot for each inch of snow that fell. ...
January 2011
10 posts
recipe: squash curry coconut soup
Ok, I promise to make this the last post about my trip to Seattle. At least until I visit there again. I visited some family on the Rice side while out West, and my Uncle Paul and Aunt Sarah made this delicious, flavorful soup for a nice lunch at their horse ranch. Amy and I loved it so much that day that we decided to whip up our own batch exactly one week later. On a semi-unrelated note,...
top ten: pacific northwest edition
Besides meeting many four-legged friends, I did a couple of other memorable things during my Seattle vacation. Here are ten things I did (not in order of importance, however).
10. Celebrated Amy’s 25th birthday and tried some scallops
9. Practiced toe touches in the park with Brianna
8. Visited with Catherine and met her boyfriend, John
7. Saw the famous “gum...
dreary weather
This, my friends, is the glamorous view from my office. And wouldn’t you know, all the people who share this view were asking me questions about the awful Seattle weather after my trip.
“Doesn’t it rain there all the time?”
“Isn’t it cloudy?”
“Don’t you get sick of looking at all the gray?”
Oh yah, because this view is really...
dog bless you
(Amy with her horse puppy, Isla. And of course, Izzy.)
What an amazing trip I had to Seattle. It was the oh-so-perfect mix of pure relaxation, laughing uncontrollably, live music, road trips, and quality time with friends and family. To be honest, I cried a little bit in the airport on the way home. (Although I was consoled by the fact that the Green Bay Packers are going to the Super...
guess i should pack a raincoat....
It looks like Seattle will be living up to its rainy reputation this week when I visit. I’m not exactly sure what the difference is between “rain” and “showers.” Besides the fact I”m visiting about 12 different family members and friends, I’m excited that it will be in the 50s all week. Now that’s a winter I could get used to. I’ll...
2 tags
simple abundance
One of my favorite Christmas gifts this year was the book Simple Abundance. My mom gave it to me. She has read it, and so have my grandmother and great-grandmother. I take a little time each night to read the book, and journal about what I’ve read. It is divided into 365 sections- one for each day of the year. Simple Abundance is designed for daily personal development. It feels so...
5 tags
recipe: oatmeal cookies
When I was a little girl, my brother and I would always “help” my dad make oatmeal, peanut butter, raisin cookies when my mom was at her night meetings. Danny and I would both pull up chairs (so we could reach the counter), and take turns measuring and pouring the flour, oatmeal, and other ingredients. Baking cookies with my dad (usually followed by a hilarious game of Barbies -...
6 tags
back to the future
I opted to spend New Year’s Eve working at my old stomping grounds, fresco. I totally felt like I traveled back in time two years, especially because when I walked up to the museum door, I heard someone yelling, “Jess!” Despite the Rose Bowl loss, New Year’s Day 2011 was probably one of my favorite days. Ever. I got to spend time with many favorite friends that I...
4 tags
recipe: chocolate peanut butter pie
In my opinion, chocolate and peanut butter are the most genius partnership on the planet. At least on the planet of desserts. I made this pie as a Christmas gift for a friend. I altered the recipe slightly. I used a pre-made graham cracker crust, used Trader Joe’s peanut butter instead of Earth Balance peanut butter, and used hemp milk instead of soy. I was so excited to try out my...
December 2010
24 posts
5 tags
packers, guitars, and wedding dresses...oh my!
Here is the last post to catch you up on what I’ve been up to for the past week. On Sunday, the Grandparents Rice came to our house to celebrate Christmas. I also got my first Packer shirt from my Grandma Tiffany (a.k.a. “The Nons”), and decided to back the pack in green and gold while we watched them take down the Giants.
Let me just tell you how super cool my Grandpa...
7 tags
recipe: indian spice tacos
As you may know, I don’t have television at my apartment. This means that when I come home for a break, I usually watch disgusting amounts of TV to catch up on my favorites. When I’m able to drag myself away from Mad Men, I love to watch the Food Network. I love cooking, and watching cooking shows helps to give me new, fresh ideas to try out in the kitchen. It’s no secret...