lifeofcait

My Favorite Things

2013-01-21T20:55:00.001-08:00

My Favorite Things by cait-conner featuring a lip care

Iowa State Fair 2012

2012-08-14T11:52:00.000-07:00

So for the past two years I have made an effort to go to the Iowa State Fair, which to some it may sound surprising because the misconception is that every Iowan goes to the State Fair all the days every single year of their life upon birth. Actually though, I can honestly say I've only been to the State Fair a handful of times. So today I woke up early, grabbed a cute outfit & curled my hair and met up with my friend Cody to have our little adventure at the ISF.

Once we got there, we parked the car in some lady's yard for $10(they really make bank up around there this time of year) and began to walk towards the entrance. We had prebought our tickets at a grocery store since they were cheaper($7) so the entry was a quick and simple process.

It was probably around 10ish a.m. when we got there and what did we do? We ate! Not just anything but a double bacon corn dog! Only in Iowa right? The ISF actually is home of over 50 foots on a stick, which is including salad, PB&J, and even beer! We kind of take pride in that little tradition and each year its interesting in seeing what the creators at the fair will think of next.

So we ended up walking around, going through the buildings and seeing what the vendors had and even looked at the fair projects the 4-H & FFA groups in Iowa did. We watched some shows(Bill Riley Talent Show and some music shows) and ate some more(chocolate chip cookies! YUM) And of course we had to go to the old soda fountain and order some Chocolate Cherry Cokes!

Honestly, I have to say the best part of my fair experience(and perhaps the most tiring) was when I had made a fool of myself on the Bungee jump attraction at the state fair. Everything was going fine...until I almost face planted due to bad landing. It was fun, but I was defiantly thirsty after the ordeal. Luckily my friend Cody saved the day and bought me a lemonade (:

I pretty much had to take a picture(left) of one of these things. With Iowa's new strive to become more energy efficient, we have wind turbines almost everywhere! My brother in law actually is certified to work on those. SCARY! I wouldn't want to climb up that high!

Elvis Duran was kind of the real reason of us going to the Iowa State Fair. BUT the line was so huge. So we simply had to watch from afar :(

I got to pet a Kangaroo!

As I said before, the Iowa State Fair prides itself in its food choices. And of course you cant go to the Iowa State Fair without sampling some of the most amazing chocolate chip cookies EVER! They are so warm and moist, even now I'm craving to hop in my car and pay the admission to just get some of these bad boys!

And of course you cant forget to hit up the Historical Village to go visit the real live Soda Fountain! I used to live in Albia,Iowa so we had a Soda fountain and I visited it frequently and ordered Chocolate Cherry Cokes(which is whats in the picture) They are delicious! So defiantly try one when you can!

And I pet a Zebra! How many people can tell you that they have pet a Zebra and a Kangaroo(twice) in their life!?!

All and all I had an amazing day at the fair and defiantly suggest for those who have not gone to at least go once. We were exhausted by the time we go home :/ Unfortunately I literally had to leave again right after I sat down on my futon *sigh*

Stay Beautiful!

Cait<3

Just another Thursday

2012-08-09T10:10:00.001-07:00

Normally I get Thursdays off, but unfortunately since I want the 10th off for the Iowa State Fair(will be blogging/vlogging about it) I have gained quite a few days work-wise to make-up for it.

Right now its about noon(over slept) and I'm going to be hitting the gym before I go to work. I wanted something light, since I don't want my stomach to get upset while I'm running on the treadmill, and I still wanted a cup of coffee. (: Who could give up freshly brewed coffee!?

Coffee is simply Folgers with a tablespoon of French Vanilla Coffee mate and two Stevia packets.

The little number in the dish is Vanilla Chocolate Chunk Chobani with whipped cream and sprinkles! Though I normally don't dress up this particular Chobani, I wanted to try something new to brighten my afternoon before I kill myself working out.

The taste is amazing!

Whats your favorite pre-workout snack? Leave me comments below ;)
Stay Beautiful~
Cait<3

Gym Favorites

2012-08-02T10:07:00.001-07:00

I am a soul believer in its important to be comfortable when you to go the gym; however, I always feel awkward when I go with my gym getup looking disarray. This is very similar to what I wear to the gym using the Polyvore outfit creator.
Victoria Secret T-shirts are probably the most comfortable t-shirts that you can EVER wear. Plus they are a light fabric, so even if you are running miles you wont be dying in this t-shirt. Pair it up with some Danskin athletic shorts and its a very cute, work-out combo.

I added pumas mainly because I LOVE my puma tennis shoes. They offer me great support since I have extremely high arches in my feet and they have less of a bulky shoe affect that I find Nikes have on my feet. To finish this look off I put Victoria Secret Athletic bands, but Walmart or any other headbands work. Since my hair is layered I have issues with keeping my fly aways in place. Especially since I do a lot of running in my workouts, my hair doesn't stay in the bobby pins. :/ Headbands just make extra sure my hair stays in place so I wont have my hair flying into my eyes while I run on the thread mill.

Gym Favorites by cait-conner featuring v neck tees

What do you wear to the gym? Leave a comment below (:

Stay beautiful!

Cait<3

Bright and Early Pineapple & Chobani breakfast (:

2012-08-02T09:37:00.000-07:00

Okay, so a couple new things that have been happening in my life since my last little blog post.
1. I am now an official member of a gym. I decided that since I was starting to get lazy and gaining some extra weight I desperately did not want...instead of buying new clothes for my new size...I was going to try and lose weight so I can still fit into the clothes I have/maybe even buy smaller ones. (: Good plan right?

2. I wanted to get healthier/toned out because I have been feeling sluggish lately and I found out about a month ago I'm going on a cruise in February to Mexico with my boyfriend and his family. My main plan is to spend most of the cruise in my bikini; however...I have one little problem. My insecurity....my thighs!

I've always been really insecure about how big my butt and thighs are. I swear, it's had me miss out on a lot of cute clothing opportunities because of my Kim Kardashian booty. I'm not saying that she isn't beautiful or that you shouldn't love the way you look...but I feel if I had thinner thighs I may be more confident in myself. (:

So to start out the new me, I decided to hit up the undressedskeleton's blog(I often use Taralynn's advice on munchies or even good recipe ideas) and remembered seeing her review her breakfast at a restaurant she had visited with her boyfriend.

I happen to LOVE pineapple and yogurt and decided to whip up my own little creation of Taralynn's find.

MMMM! Doesn't it look yummy!?

I used half a pineapple, one container of Chobani Vanilla yogurt with 2 packets of stevia mixed in. I topped it off with some vanilla & almond granola and a few raspberries. AND of course, since I'm the whipped cream queen...a few dollops of reddiwhip.

I paired it up with a cup of coffee and ate a way. Every last bite was very much enjoyed and now two hours later I'm not hungry at all and feel quite energized for the day.

I work today, but afterwards I plan on going to the gym to start my transformation. (:

Remember, you are beautiful the way you are...don't let anybody make you believe that you aren't. Keep your chin held up high and a big smile on your face. Like Audrey Hepburn used to say "Nothing in this world is Impossible, even the word itself says I'm Possible!"

Stay Beautiful!
Cait<3

Crafting with Cait

2012-07-25T10:57:00.000-07:00

So I've been working with my "unofficial" mother-in-law(shabbygalsnest) on a few projects during my spare time. This one I saw on another blog and I had to try for myself!

I really should of done before and after pictures, but I really didn't think I would be blogging about this until last minutes. (: It was a pretty easy project to do and I think it turned out really super-cute. What do you think?

All it was was an old suitcase that I got from Salvation Army up in Desmoines, Iowa that I spray painted blue and modpodged a pretty patterned tissue paper to.

I got a table leg kit from Menard's and screwed them onto the bottom of the suitcase(after my boyfriend kindly cut out a piece of ply-wood for me to make it sturdier on the bottom of the suitcase table.

I had to end up taking some of the patterned tissue paper and modpodge it inside due to us having to tear out the liner on the bottom of the suitcase. I then took some padding that Traci had and covered over with drop-cloth to hide the plywood.

I think it turned out really cute! Too bad I don't have enough room in my apartment to keep this little number! :/

Stay Beautiful!
~Cait<3

Peachs N' Cream Chobani Smoothie

2012-07-25T10:48:00.001-07:00

Whew what a weekend! Even though its the middle of the week I'm still super tired from my extremely busy weekend. Then followed work and a day of lounging around and I feel like I've gained my barrings once more.

This time of year, theres one thing on an Iowa's mind. You see it in deserts, you see it in entrees, etc etc. Peaches. As I was flipping through HY-VEE's Seasons magazine I saw come pretty tasty recipes and decided to jump on the bandwagon and create a tasty Chobani creation myself.

This little number is actually extremely easy to make(with only four ingredients!)

1 cup of Vanilla Almond Milk
1 container of Vanilla Chobani
1 Peach
1 cup of Ice

Blend to desired thickness and enjoy! Its super creamy and really sweet. Enough to quench your thirst on a hot Iowa day. (:

Stay Beautiful!
~Cait<3

Blueberry-Banana Chobani Smoothie

2012-07-21T13:45:00.000-07:00

These past couple of days really have been hectic. I worked in the morning and then went straight to my parents house for a visit. My busy days are a death sentence for me, reason being...I don't eat as healthy as I should have.

Especially when I went to my parents house! We're a good ole fashioned Iowa family that live in the country and eat hearty meals. Going home this time is mostly like the rest...I ate and ate and ATE! After the greasy burgers, hash browns(weird combo I know but delicious nonetheless because I ADORE hash browns!), baked beans, etc etc. I finally managed to eat some almonds for a movie snack;however, they were dark chocolate flavored ones.

I think I made up for my splurging today though with barely eating anything because I wanted to get on the road early to head back home. Couple handfuls of cheerios was about my breakfast/early lunch equivalent today. I was feeling peckish and needed some form of pick-me-up...so I went to my blender for the answer.

Its a really blurry picture, I apologize, I desperately need my camera back from Taralynns! Anyway, I digress...

Its a lovely shade of pale purple and the taste is absolutely amazing. Its sweet and very filling for an afternoon pick-me-up snack.

Ingredients

1 container of Blueberry Chobani Greek Yogurt

1 Banana

1 cup of Vanilla Almond milk

1 cup of ice

Blend until smooth. I would of garnished with a little bit of whipped cream, but alas...I ran out!

Hope you enjoy!

~Stay Beautiful!

Cait<3

A Wonderful Day in Chobani Land

2012-07-19T10:33:00.002-07:00

I love my lazy days off! I woke up this morning(pretty late...later than I would of liked) and made a pot of coffee. I absolutely love the smell off coffee in the morning....or just the scent of coffee in general.

Coffee is basically the miracle creation from the heavens. The taste is amazing and the aroma is like a siren beckoning you to come take a taste! The scent is also used in fragrance shops when you are testing out smells of perfumes. The coffee bean's release the scents in your nasal passage so you can continue smelling away at the other fragrances without having remaining smells in your nose! How neat is that!?

So this is my breakfast today! A cup of coffee mixed in with a couple lumps of sugar and a table spoon of Vanilla Latte coffee creamer from Coffee Mate(They didn't have my favorite: White Chocolate Caramel Mocha :/) and a Vanilla Chocolate Chunk Chobani Champions(whoa...try saying that 3 times fast!)

Alas this is my last Vanilla Chocolate Chunk Chobani, which saddens me; however, I have lots more flavors in my fridge. So its not quite time to stock up on Chobani just yet.

I absolutely love my coffee cup I found at my local Dollar General store! I was in desperate need of cute coffee cups since I may of only had one or two with an actual design and the rest being this big white ones that came with my dine ware set.

Whats your favorite, quick breakfast craving?
Usually mine is Chobani or oatmeal....or both together with fresh fruit!

~Stay Beautiful!
Cait

Chocolate Strawberry Chobani Smoothie

2012-07-18T10:07:00.001-07:00

Like promised, I came up with a strawberry chocolate smoothie. Although its not my favorite one, its still pretty tasty.

I mean who doesn't like the taste of Chocolate and Strawberries, combine them together they are a blend of romantic tastes that can warm the heart of any female. Especially Godiva Chocolate covered strawberries!

Ingredients

1 cup of Vanilla Almond Milk
1 container of Vanilla Chocolate Chunk Chobani
4 Large Strawberries
1 tsp of Chocolate Syrup
Ice/ whipped cream and chocolate drizzle

A tasty treat, perhaps I'll even make these for Valentine's day (:

~Stay Beautiful!

Cait<3

Just a Plain Day in Chobani Land

2012-07-17T11:09:00.000-07:00

I honestly don't know what my problem is today! I feel like I have just the right amount of sleep, though I woke up far later than what I would have liked to initially today.

This morning I have been busy working on independent projects for TheShabbyGalsNext to try my luck at her booth this Saturday at the Swap Meet. Who knows, maybe I'll make some extra cash.

Fingers covered in spray paint(which I still need to go out and recoat my projects) and more layers of it to come, I decided to come inside and enjoy the air conditioning and grab myself a lunch. Nothing sounded good today! So I went to my go to choice to quench my hunger and get back to work on my projects I have been making.

As you can see, my finger tips are lightly coated with white and blue spray paint!

I decided while I was at the grocery store to mix things up and grab a box of Chobani Champions in Vanilla Chocolate Chunk because I thought that flavor sounded delicious! That and they don't sell the Vanilla Chocolate Chunk in regular Chobani sizes :/ Which makes me sad!

I topped it off with a little whipped cream and started munching in. The picture was after I had taken a few bites. (: Couldn't resist.
I have to say, since I've started blogging about Chobani and how to combine it as a base for your smoothies, I feel more fit and healthy(since the smoothies fill me up I'm not grazing on Doritos or other fatty foods I enjoy) Paired up with my exercise routine I feel like I'm getting closer to a healthier me.

So this post is basically dedicated to my all time favorite Chobani Flavors(as of so far)

Vanilla
Vanilla Chocolate Chunk
Strawberry Banana
Lemon
Blood Orange
Pineapple

That's pretty much a so far thing, I've got more flavors in my fridge and more recipes for smoothies cooking up in my mind. Perhaps a Strawberry Chocolate smoothie is in order?

Stay Beautiful!
~Cait

Slurping down Sunday

2012-07-15T19:57:00.001-07:00

Phew! What a weekend! Working Friday through Sunday, dinner/bowling with friends on Saturday night(which I beat Joshua! YES!--NEVER happens!) and odds and ends errands that I had to do all weekend, I was completely wiped out!

I stocked up on Chobani yogurt--looks like a rainbow in my fridge, and got to work on my latest smoothie number to share. I hope you like it, because boy did I!

I call this one, Paradise Kiss because it has very tropical, summery flavors.

1 cup of Vanilla Almond milk
1 container of Pineapple Chobani
1 whole banana
1/2 cup of mango(because I'm sure that's all I cut off of it.)
Ice/Top it off with some whipped cream and serve.

I really should get a new camera, because the focus is a bit weird on the picture--makes it look more brown when the real color is really a really light yellow color(like bananas).

Enjoy! Hopefully I get off this smoothie kick soon!

-Stay Beautiful!
~Cait

Slurping it down on Wednesday

2012-07-11T10:06:00.001-07:00

Okay, lets just face it....there are two things I'm addicted to in life: 1. Chobani yogurt and 2. smoothies. Those two together are a very deadly combination for me. I woke up late again this morning(darn those late nights on Facebook!) and did my daily exercise routine before rummaging through my kitchen to find something that would give me a boost today since i have to work tonight.

I was running out of Chobani, only had a blood orange flavored one left,(since we desperately need to go grocery shopping!) and I didn't have anything that followed any particular recipe...so why not make one, right!? Whats the worse thing that could happen? It would taste gross and I could simply just play with it to make it taste better. No harm done.

I started throwing things in a blender and much to my surprise, it tasted quite amazing! Better than the Strawberry Lemonade Smoothie I made yesterday!

Tropical Chobani Smoothie

Recipe:

1 container of Blood Orange Chobani
1 cup of unsweetened vanilla Almond milk
1 8 oz. can of pinapple chunks
4 large strawberries(I used frozen)
2 cups of ice

Blend until desired smoothness(more ice the more thick it'll be.)
Top it off with whipped cream and enjoy!

It reminds me of a very tropical paradise drink that one would drink on a cruise ship on lounging on the beach in the Bahamas.

Stay Beautiful!
~Cait

Citrus Splendor

2012-07-10T14:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, so people are going to think that my diet mainly consists of liquids. Which wouldn't be a complete understatement. Since I live in Iowa, or as I like to call it the scorching hot oasis that even the locals are wary about staying here for the summer, its very important to keep hydrated by whatever means necessary!

Since I moved to Saint Charles, I have learned a lot about the locals and learned even more about some tasty treats they make. One of them being this tasty, citrus drink. Its really simple to make and adds a kick to your regular lemonade taste! After all, who doesn't like a nice cup of lemonade on a hot summer day?

Recipe: Make a regular pitcher of Country Time lemonade and then slice up one large, naval orange. Next put the slices of the orange in the pitcher of lemonade and chill in the fridge. Remove oranges after a couple of hours and garnish the glasses with the slice if so desired. Enjoy this tasty summer drink!

I think this recipe would be cute if you are having a little BBQ get together. Get some small mason jars and put a small slice of orange in each little container after pouring in lemonade. Mess free and really cute! Fits in with the rustic-chique theme that's really trending this summer!

Also, its really important to remove the oranges from the lemonade, otherwise it becomes really orange tasting and it over powers to lemonade taste altogether. So by removing them after a few hours it gives a perfect orange-lemon balance taste wise.

Stay Beautiful!

~Cait

Smoothing over Tuesday ;)

2012-07-10T11:12:00.000-07:00

Today, since it was my day off, it was a late start. I'm in a love-hate relationship with sleeping in. One hand it keeps me refreshed; however, on the other hand it takes away part of my day. After waking up, around 11:30 a.m., and going with the motions of my normal day: checking emails, Facebook, etc. I did my exercise routine and realized I had totally skipped breakfast!

I'm normally not a heavy breakfast eater and will only eat it on occasion if 1. I'm craving pancakes, or 2. my boyfriend and I are going to IHOP.(Love their red velvet cake pancakes!) I normally just drink a cup of coffee and eat a piece of toast. Though since it was around lunch time,(and I wasn't that hungry) I decided to make a smoothie since they normally quenched my hunger and taste amazing!

I'm a major addict of pinterest(and even have some of my own pins for this blog) I pulled out a great summer flavor from a pinner for the Strawberry Lemonade Smoothie using Lemon Chobani. Plus I had everything that the recipe called for in the fridge, so that was a plus!

Here it is! You can find the actual recipe on the blogger's website(which I'm going to link in because I don't want to steal.)

I followed the recipe pretty closely, except since I don't have a zest grater, I didn't put in the lemon zest and I topped it off with some whipped cream--since I think that's my favorite part of Starbucks/Panera bread coffee's or smoothies.

The taste is a little tart, so if I were to do it again I may add a few more strawberries or some Stevia to the mix. But its not too terribly tart---just depends on your preference if you like sweet or yogurty smoothies.

This is defiantly going to be a summer favorite and would be a cute idea for a kid's play date or party---or even a big kid's play date or party ;)

The weather is finally cooling down here(for now) But it will be back, so until then I'm off finding more thirst quenching recipes to share.

Stay Beautiful!
~Cait

Creative Sunday

2012-07-09T10:48:00.000-07:00

This really surprised me myself that I was so rearing to go for some creativity after a very long shift at work. I hit my my local Walmart for some crafting supplies(ribbon, fabric, etc.) and instantly a whole lot of ideas popped into my head in the Fabric/Craft section. Here are a few of the things that I made yesterday. (:

I made this glass for my boyfriend's mother, Traci ^^, because we're always having some sort of drink together out on her patio since the weather is now acting like it might be nice to enjoy.

I picked up the margarita glass at Walmart for $1.97 and took a paint pen($1.98) to write her name. I then added self stick bling($.97 for a pack!) to add a little sparkle to the mix. I think it turned out cute! And yesterday when we had strawberry margaritas she had a glass to drink it out of!

Even though I've only been living in my apartment a year, I'm still working on the decorating process of it. I define my style using the term French-shabby-chique. This term mainly means that I use a lot of French inspired pieces with a shabby-chique twist to them.

I am absolutely in love with the Fleur delis sign, I probably have it around my apartment in ten different places!

For my little door sign, I took the lid of a cheese crate I got from work and spray painted it white. I then took stencils and drew on the Fleur delis signs along with my boyfriend's last name and the french word for bedroom. "Chambre". I think it turned out really cute(even if the last word is a bit off center :/)

This project is more for my breaking into The Shabby Nest business with Traci. Though instead of me doing the big furniture pieces, I will be working on the smaller goods(lamp-shades, etc.)

<----I made this planter out of the bottom piece of the cheese crate and spray painted it white before stenciling/paint markering a famous quote from "The Secret Garden" I think it turned out really cute!

Finally the last piece I worked on Sunday(which it looks like I was quite busy with the whole crafting aspect of my day xD) was redoing a lamp shade that I had in my living room. Before it was a simple white lamp shade that came with the lamp that we had bought for the apartment. I covered it in burlap(my latest design love) and trimmed it up with ivory colored, flowery-ruffle ribbon. I'm not sure if my boyfriend likes it, but...he'll get used to it. I think this one turned out super cute, though I'm not sure if I should add a Fleur delis sign to it or not...would that be too much?

That was my Sunday! (: Plus I plan to do more crafty sort of things on my day off(Tuesday) so I'll be posting soon.

~Stay Beautiful!

Cait

2012-06-29T10:33:00.003-07:00

Lately my boyfriend and I have found ourselves swamped with either work or the summer heat. Since we live in Iowa, we've lately been experiencing nearly 100 degree weather on our end.

Since I work mostly nights, its hard to find the time to spend together. Half the time I'm either chatting it up on Facebook with my friends and he's playing his latest crave on his Xbox(Dead Space 2--God forbid what will happen when he gets the new one ==") So half our day/night we really dont interact with eachother.

Sure we have date nights, like go out to dinner, etc. But I've decided that we need a little more "together" time. Since we're both saving our money for next summer so we can actually go somewhere(maybe Mexico or some other location) We need cheap or better yet free.

Here are a few of my summer date(or double date ideas)
1. Beach it up!-Go grab your cute bikini and spend the whole day at the beach. Pack lunches in a cooler and just enjoy the summer sun together.

2. Minature Golf-Put put it away (: Try to have a friendly competition with eachother or just play for the fun of the game.

3. Out door movies- I haven't been to one since they start an hour before I get off work, but the town I work in does free out door movies every week(or every other week) Mostly they're kid movies, but I like the idea of just cuddling up on a blanket/next to eachother in lawn chairs. Dont forget the popcorn!

4. Star Gazing!-Something screams romanticism. Grab a blanket and go out to a place with few lights(the country in my case) and just look up at the sky all night. Point out constellations and enjoy a bottle of wine(or sparkling juice for those underaged couples).

I'm sure theres lots more and I will probably add more once I think of them xD Until then, stay beautiful!

Hai there (:

2011-12-02T10:03:00.001-08:00

Hai there!
lifeofcait is a pretty much self explanatory topic of what my blog is about. (: I go through either my daily life or what my topics detail on the sidebar.

I will be going through my life at Simpson, my life at work, my life just as a college student, and how I cope with it all. Along with cooking, advice, and fashion.

I will be working on my blog as much as possible, but with me being a Media Journalism student I have lots of homework and I tend to work a lot. (:

So dear reader, lets hope you enjoy my blog and stay with me through the process of my life. (I call it a process because I have just learned what being a responsible adult means--*sigh*)

So sit tight, relax, and read. (:

*Note* I do own all of the images so I appreciate if you want them to ask for them...that being said I will try out and possibly promote products for fellow readers. (:* Example: My Favorite Things page has my new watch on it. Plus I have her website down where to get her product. ^^

Ta!

-Cait