Donuts and Pink Boxes

I've been having a craving for something sweet, light, decadent, and all wrapped up in a pink box.

There's a place on Freeport Blvd that sells the world's best donuts.  It's down the street from my old high school.  I've been going there since I was little and hardly able to finish one glazed puff of heaven.

As an adult, the little girl in me could not resist the beauty of multi colored sprinkles.  

I could kiss whoever thought of putting sprinkles on a donut.

What is your favorite kind of donut?
Please, do include all the wonderful other donuts from different countries.
And I do know the proper way to spell it is "doughnut" but I had a horrible experience during a spelling bee in first grade with that word and I haven't forgotten.

Blogger Epiphany

Me, having an epiphany.  Apparently it doesn't happen very often so we took a picture of it.  

I kid, I kid!

Last week I had a blogger epiphany that I have yet to share with anyone because I'm still thinking it over.  To help with this epiphany I would like to know a little something about you.

What is your favorite non-online magazine?

Real Simple, Martha Stewart, O, National Geographic, Shape, Glamour, Psychology Today, etc.

Thanks for participating!

My "What If?" Dress

When deciding what clothes to buy I often ask myself "What if?" What if I had to dine in Paris?  What if I'm going backstage at a concert?  What if The Sartorialist is in town?  I liked to be prepared so I shop accordingly.

I bought the following dress when I asked myself this question:

What if I get invited to a polo match?     The dress would have to be light, appropriate for outdoors, stylish, and complement a big floppy hat.

The fact that it had polka dots sealed the deal.

When going to a polo match you should have the right shoes. No stilettos.

Coincidently this is also a good dress for daisy picking.

I asked Mr. Branflake what scarf I should wear and he picked this one.

Similarly demonstrated in yesterday's post, he has an eye for style.

What are your "what if" outfits?

ps... I hope you all get to pick some daisies soon!

Daffodils

Trader Joe's has an amazing thing going on.  They are selling a bushel of daffodils for only $1.29 each.  I bought four of them, placed them in my new Ikea vase, and they instantly brightened up our kitchen.

Mr. Branflake kindly took pictures of me holding them.

When I asked him what I should wear he said, "Your Anthropologie apron!"

Oh, yes, my favorite apron.

He gave it to me for my birthday five years ago.

It was my first Anthropologie item and I treasure it.

What can I say?  The man has a good sense of style.

(Please excuse my marked up knees.  It's from dancing but I feel like an 8 year old kid with scabby knees.)

I call this dress (another Target find) my prairie dress.  My boots were on sale at Macy's for $8.

I fully intend on wearing them to the beach when it's rainy and too cold to swim in the ocean.

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

-William Wordsworth 

A Dancing Branflake Dinner Party Full of Spring

Happy Friday! I am excited to throw a dinner party honoring my favorite season.  Spring, as well as this dinner party, is all about celebrating the beauties of nature.  I hope you enjoy!


The Decor
Celebrate Spring and nature in this beautiful dining room from HouseBeautiful.
Aren't those benches the cutest?

The Menu

is a light and "Springy" array from Gourmet.com.

Find the recipes here and here.  Enjoy!

What I'm Wearing

A colorful springtime dress from Anthropologie takes center stage 

as neutral accessories from nature adorn.

The Favor

Guests will leave with a pot of their favorite plant from Linens-n-Things so they can enjoy the beauties of Spring well after the party has ended.

Why do you love Spring?

Natalie Portman's Ballet Teacher

A great thank you to The Blonde Duck who left a comment on Tuesday and kindly told me about this feature in Women's Health. Mary Helen Bowers trained Natalie Portman for her role in Black Swan for an entire year.  At one point they were training five days a week.  Eight hours a day.  That sounds like heaven to me.

In this feature she models clothes that combine dancer chic with runway style.

Gorgeous!

To see the entire feature, visit Women's Health.
Photographer:  Christian Witkin

I love clothes you can dance in.

I also love clothes that make you want to dance.

Bike Riding in the Spring

If you haven't heard, Blair from Wild and Precious was robbed.

They took everything- including her laptop.  Eek!

Today I'm guest posting at Wild and Precious to help her out.

If you love bikes and you love Spring then you'll love this post.

I hope you'll head on over and show Blair some love.

ps... She was named Nashville's Best Blogger for 2010.

Legit.

Pearls, Diamonds, Blackberries and Cupcakes

A friend of mine who is a baker had tubs of leftover frosting.  I happily volunteered to take it off her hands.  Cupcakes, feminine and sweet, have been on my mind.

The fluffy, pink raspberry frosting called for ladylike pearls.  

Every woman should own a strand.

 But my grinder full of vanilla sugar made me realize that nothing compares to diamonds when they sparkle so beautifully in the sun.

But I truly could not resist the plump and succulent blackberries sitting in my fridge.

I always forget to get my five servings of fruit and vegetables but today it was easy.

An array of pearls, diamonds, and blackberries made its way into my favorite serving dish.

We then delivered them to a friend who has two daughters who love to dance and a son just as rambunctious as any one and a half year old.  

I think she deserves pearls, diamonds, and blackberries more than I.

I firmly believe that all things look better perched atop a cloud of fluffy, pink frosting.

Do You Have This Dress?

Do you have a dress that makes you feel prim and proper?  A dress that makes you feel dressed for a lunch of petite fours and cucumber sandwiches with the ladies?  A dress that calls for lace gloves and a parasol?

It's the same dress that makes you want to sit in a big leather chair and read a classic novel...

And break out the Betty Crocker cookbook to make some comfort food for your man...

Dress: Target, Shoes: Anne Klein, Necklace: Forever 21, Cardigan: Banana Republic

If you have a dress like this then you're in good company.

Bloggers Day of Silence

The response has been overwhelming.

Prayers every morning and night.

Many small things = Greatness
http://www.forjapanwithlove.com/

Mini-Dresses

 I love one piece bathing suits.  I think they are chic, elegant, and classic.  One piece suits are what cupcakes are to cakes: a smaller version of a beautiful dress.  Anthropologie has the best "mini-dresses" around.  Sparkling jewelry optional. 

This daring little red dress is the cocktail dress of swimsuits. 
Flattering and classic.

Channel a red carpet goddess in this Drawn to the Heart Maillot that will make you feel like a gorgeous mermaid in and out of water.

A little yellow bow accent goes a long way in this Surf City Maillot. 

Show that you're a little edgy, a little urban, and a little sweet.

The sweetheart neckline and endearing polka dots of this Natalie One-Piece scream Mad Men.

What kind of swim wear do you fancy?

~Also, tomorrow I will be participating in a blogging day of silence for Japan.

For information on this project started by the bloggers from Utterly Engaged click here.

Every little bit helps.  It is the small things that bring about great things.~

Being Prepared

~I started writing this post weeks ago but never finished.  I am sharing this with you now because I have not been able to shake the feeling that I am not prepared and I should be.~

The last few months I've been having evacuation dreams.  Sometimes we have an hour to pack up all our belongings into the car and sometimes we have less.  Sometimes there is no way out and sometimes we barely make it. 

I wont call them premonitions but the nature of the dreams are a bit haunting if not filled with warnings.

Mr. Branflake and I have our 72 hour kits yet they are not complete.  If disaster were to strike, would we be ready?  Here's what we still we need to do to prepare for a disaster, natural or manmade:

~Put all important documents in a digital format and send it to an out of town family member we trust.

~Pack our 72 hour kits with personal necessities like extra doses of medicines, contacts, a few pairs of underwear, and an extra pair of sturdy shoes.

~Put small dollar bills in our 72 hour kits in case the banks are not functioning and coins if cell phone towers are down.

~Always have at least a half tank of gas.

This is one MRE.
Food for three days in a seal pack bag.

FEMA and Ready.gov are great resources for US residents to help you prepare for emergency situations.  You never know what emergency you might face and you cannot prepare for every circumstance but I believe in having a plan and being prepared for what you can. 

Also, if you want a list of things that should go into a 72 Hour kit, visit these websites or just email me and I will send you a checklist.

Stripes and Gold in Black and White

I love cardigans because they are perfect layers for chilly dance studios and cool summer nights.  I cannot wait to bring this one to the beach. 

Cardigan: Target, Gold Necklace: Forever 21, Shirt: Target, Jeans: Express

Speaking of, I get to go back to Monterey this weekend and

I cannot wait to inhale the salty air and play in the cool sand.

We did all black and white photography because of the dim lighting.

But I thought I should feature at least one color photo so it could be a proper outfit post.

But I like black and white much better.

Do you love black and white photography?

Have you ever seen an all black and white outfit post?

I am very tempted...

Bloggers, Never Give Up

image via Dancing Branflake

"You're a beautiful dancer, just not in ballet."

Suzi Wood, a ballet teacher at BYU, said that to me my last year in college.  I remember this heartbreaking Jodi Sawyer moment like it was yesterday.  I knew I would never be a ballerina for a major company (my body type certainly does not lend itself to that) but telling me I wasn't good at all nearly destroyed all the confidence I had in myself as a dancer.  Looking back I realize now how completely inappropriate her words were for a college professor (and for a decent human being in general), but at the time I was just incredibly sad and lost.

I share this with you because throughout our lives we will not only have people telling us that we are not good enough but also that we should quit all together.  Bloggers, never say never.  For those who have Etsy shops and blooming creative ideas and businesses, please don't give up.   You have a vision and who is to say that your vision is not worth something?  You never know.  They never know.  You go with your gut and you remember that initial burst of creative inspiration and never let that go.


We don't do it for fame or glory but because we have a passion for our vision set before us.  The end result is unknown and that's okay because it will probably be much better than we imagined anyway.

I can't imagine my life if I had listened to her words and given up on ballet.  In fact, after graduation my love for it increased tenfold as did my confidence in it.  You just never know.

image via Tom Huynh

Dancer: Me

You can do it. 

You wouldn't have started if you couldn't finish. 

Dinner Table Jewelry

Loving these napkin rings from Pier 1.  An easy and fun way to add bling to your dinner parties.

These are so cute I kind of want them as rings for my fingers as well as my linens.