slightly elegant

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Oatmeal baths. Seriously! I suffer from severely dry skin on my legs during the winter. When I say dry, I mean scaly, fishy looking skin that sheds in flakes. Gross, I know. I would lay awake at all hours of the night scratching my legs raw until they bled. And, getting in the shower to next morning was miserable, because the sores I had caused to myself would burn as the warm water touched them. I've tried a many  different types of lotions, but the only eased the itch for a few hours before I had to reapply more. Applying lotion isn't so bad, but having to do it two or three times a day is sort of inconvenient. Please someone tell me I'm not the only one turning into a fish! Anyways, a dermatologist came into work one day and we somehow got on the subject of dry skin. She told me about the magic behind the oatmeal bath. You can prepare your oatmeal bath two ways: 1. Fill a coffee filter or a tea filter full of plain (not instant!) oatmeal. Tie it up at the top, ...

Thrifted(very ancient wool)- Sweater Vest // L.L. Bean - Shirt // Polo - Bow tie  //  L.L. Bean - Boots When people(especially young men) decide to start dressing well, they usually tend to go overboard with accessories, and hence wind up looking like they're wearing a costume. I try to avoid this by wearing no more than one 'loud' accessory at a time. In this case it's one of my favorite bowties. I love the color, and the geometric pattern is nice and subtle. L.L. Bean makes my favorite button-down shirts. They're a little stiffer feeling than Brooks Brothers, etc, and I like that when I'm wearing a tie with a shirt. I'm also a very avid supporter of the classic Bean boot, which has been keeping my feet warm since I was a child.

Old Navy -  Solid Blanket Coat    // Target -  Similar Ankle Booties  / / New York and Company - Similar T-Shirt Dress There's a severe weather advisory in Tennessee for ice. Lots and lots of ice. Man, they weren't kidding! It's perfect weather for my "very Mary Tyler Moore" coat. I actually fell in love with this coat when I saw Kendi from Kend Everday wearing it. I had been eyeing for awhile on the Old Navy website, and I finally decided to buy it on Black Friday when it was 50% off!

I'm trying to remember mental images from this flying time in my life. Do you do that? It feels like yesterday I graduated from high school. I feel different from the way I did when I walked across the stage to grab the end of my childhood on a piece of paper. More grown, more mature, and a better grasp at what I want out of life. I'm counting down the days until I walk across that stage again, only this time to grab the start of real adulthood. College is a limbo of sorts, you're stuck between not actually being a child and not actually being an adult. My limbo is drawing towards it's end. This is my last spring semester as an undergraduate. I finish up my final computer science classes next semester, complete an internship during the summer, and walk that short journey to my diploma in August. Am I sad that this beautiful time in my life is coming to an end? No. College has been one of the hardest things I have done thus far. Feelings of inadequacy crept in o...

My go to nail colors for the cold weather: 1. Sally Hansen Mega Shine Top Coat - Not really a color, but it's worth mentioning because I have not found a better top coat that keeps my nail polish from chipping! 2. Essie in the color Wicked 3. Maybelline Color Show in the color Twilight Rays 4. Maybelline  Colors Show in the Color Impeccable Greys Let me know what you are wearing!

If you went to university, you know exactly what I'm talking about. There are those days (most days) where all of your professors expect too much of you, so your schedule is perfectly imbalanced. As it should be as a student, I suppose. I don't really believe in going to class in pajamas when you just can't get up in the mornings. It's just not my thing. But, I do have those days with no make up, hair-unwashed-in-a-ponytail, and I just throw something on so I'm not late for my class that starts in 20 minutes. Here's a quick-n-easy outfit for those "I spent all night studying and I'm running on two hours of sleep" days.

Around mid-October, I went to New Orleans for the ACP/CMA National College Media Convention with my university's newspaper. The city is rich with jazz music, delicious food, and plenty of nude people roaming the bustling city night life. I stayed in the French Quarter, the oldest neighborhood in the city. Although it's called the "French Quarter," the beautiful architecture is influenced by Spanish tastes, under whom the city was ruled at the time the area was built. The sites I visited: 1. The French Quarter 2. Café du Monde - "The original French Coffee Stand." Oh the beignets! French donuts covered in powdered sugar. My mouth never tasted such a thing! You must try them if you go to New Orleans. 3. Bourbon Street - The is the reason mont people come to New Orleans. Parties all over the street. Bachelor and Bachelorette Parties. Nude Parties. Every where. Don't go to Bourbon Street if you can't handle the smell of alcohol, weed...

There are certain flavors and spices I associate with certain times of the year. Cinnamon is one spice where when I taste it - be it in a drink, a cookie, or what have you, I think of the Holidays. The way some people are religious about not putting up Christmas decor before Thanksgiving is over,  I can't eat cinnamon any other time of the year. But come time for the Holidays, I can't get enough of it. If you share my love of cinnamon around the holidays, or just love cinnamon in general, get a load of this recipe. 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup butter 1 large egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt cinnamon sugar (for rolling cookie dough in) 1. Unlike the original recipe, I warmed the butter up enough in to microwave to be just slightly melted, but still mostly solid. I found it sort of exhausting to get all the dry flour mixed in well. 2. Mix ingredients in a bowl. Make sure butter and egg is mixed evenly. 3. Refrig...

Truthfully, I'm not completely sold on the idea of not being able to feel cheery about Christmas until the day after Thanksgiving. It brings people together. Why can't I slowly start to put up Christmas decorations, or light the Christmas scented candles already? Sure, I love the lights, and the all the other decorations. But, it has the wonderful ability to fly in in family members from all of the country to spend the Holidays with you. Or, create a reason for people host festive parties to bring old friends back that you haven't seen in the last year because of your busy lives. I hate the pressure that is put on family members to buy and spend outrageous amount of money on Christmas gifts. I love the idea of WANT, NEED, WEAR, READ. Something Wanted. Something Needed. Something to Wear. and Something to Read. Four small presents for someone you love. This is something Daniel and I will most likely practice with each other and our children in the future.

I want to share my love of Keds with you for just a moment. I wore Keds as a little girl, when I was in high school, and I have continued wearing them into adulthood. In fact, the first time Daniel and I saw each other, I was wearing a pair of plain white Keds, over which we occasionally reminisce. On another note, I've had something very heartbreaking happen to me. The one material thing I've cherished for so long is my dslr camera. I worked for three months at my very first job to pay for that wonderful friend. Taking pictures has been a passion of mine for so long, and the very thought of someone stealing my camera makes me sick every time I think about. Digital pictures will be rather scarce on my blog until I can save up enough money to but another camera. But, I suppose this will give me a chance to delve back into my film camera. Ashley

 Thomas and Conor left for Quebec yesterday; they will be gone for more than a month to immerse themselves in French culture. We spent nearly the entire week having festivities to celebrate our friends' departure, because the next time we'll be seeing them is when school starts. By then we will be burying our noses in academia. Daniels apartment has been littered with dishes reminiscing of good food we ate and laughter we shared.

Being an art minor means I've got creative friends in all the right places. It's great! Our friend,  Brena , did our engagement photos as a wedding present. Here are a few of the photos! She did a marvelous job, didn't she! Don't forget to stop by her blog . Ashley

Daniel has allowed me to help him decorate the bachelor's pad he and his school chum will be sharing for the next two years of their college careers.  Truth be told, he (and I!) doesn't like the idea of giving off a "bare college kid apartment" kind of feel. He was it to be a place of studious work and a place of gathering for friends and family. I absolutely obliged to his request for coziness. I am on a mission to help make his new home as home-y as it can possibly be. Ashley

  Is there anything better than a lazy Sunday morning? Ashley came over to my apartment this morning after church, and we made blueberry muffins for breakfast, washed down with piping hot coffee. While we ate, we listened to one of our favorite radio shows- NPR's "Says You".  Ashley and I are both very fond of listening to public radio, and we tune in frequently to our local station, WPLN in Nashville, TN. Daniel

Do you remember the crepes  I made that had the strawberry toppings on them from my last post? I thought it would be better to do the topping as it's own recipe because this topping is great on more than just crepes. So here's how you make it!  Ingredients: 2 cups of fresh strawberries, sliced 1/3 cup of white sugar 1 teaspoon of vanilla 1. Combine strawberries, sugar, and vanilla in saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally. (You will hear the ingredients sizzle at first, that's perfectly alright.) Using a wooden spoon mash the strawberries to help create the juice. Cook for 15 minutes. 2. (Optional): You can puree your strawberry topping for a more smooth looking topping. I prefer mine with the chunks of strawberries. This is also great on angel food cake! If you are interested in sponsoring Slight Elegant, I am offering 75% off Large, 3 month ads. Use the code  SUMMER13.

I love, love, love crepes. Especially with Nutella in them. So here's a recipe to use when you want to serve a sweet, tasty breakfast or even a dessert! Ingredients: 1 cup all-purpose flour 2 eggs 1/2 cup milk 1/2 water 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons butter, melted Nutella 1. Whisk flour, eggs, milk, and water. Add salt and butter, beat until smooth. 2. Heat oiled frying pan over medium high heat. Pour scoop of batter into griddle, making circular motions until the frying pan is cover in thin layer of batter. (How much you use per scoop depends on how big your frying pan is, and how think you desire your crepes.) 3. Cook crepe until lightly brown on botton side, flip and cook other side until lightly brown. Be careful not to overcook one or both sides because crepe may become crunchy and useless for filling. 4. Spread Nutella over the flat crepe, and roll. Top with strawberries, powdered suger, or eat them just the way they are! Yummo! Let me know how if...