fourteen things i love: number seven.

homemade lattes!

i have had a love of lattes for a long time and i mean good lattes. not starbucks or dunkin donuts, but ones from places like coffee by design or bloc 11 or crema (and the list goes on). but unfortunately, this becomes a very expensive treat.

for christmas, my mom got me a battery operated hand frother. it is nothing fancy, but it has given me the gift of easy, yummy, at home lattes. i have been experiencing with flavors. i started with vanilla. the next, and current favorite, was brown sugar and cinnamon. the best part of these is that i know what is going into them. i don't use syrup or any artificial sweeteners. just natural, yummy things.

even terry is getting into them. sure, he loves when i make them for him on the weekends, but today he wanted to learn how. he said so he could make them for me when i'm still sleeping. the problem was when pouring in the milk, because we don't have a proper pouring cup, it spills on the counters. he cried over spilled milk and let me finish them. oh, by the way, today's flavor was maple.

fourteen things i love: number six.

//photos using thrifted ll bean//

mom jeans!

they come high waisted and sometimes tapered and you can often get them for less than $10 at thrift stores and goodwill. the best is when you can find a pair of levi's cause they seem to have just the right fit. i don't know what it is that i love about these and i know many people don't look at them and think 'flattering'. but i disagree. they are more fitted than a boyfriend jean, but are another option to the skinny jean. the high waist brings everything up and in and gives you are nice hourglass shape. and most of the time you cuff them to show a little ankle (and shoe), so how can that be bad? the photos above are from a few years ago and since then, i have certainly upped my mom jean game.

if you think these aren't for you, check out these photos for a little inspiration that might change your mind:

//photos via pinterest//

fourteen things i love: number five.

fresh juice!

juicing and juice cleanses might be all the rage now, but it is something i really love. there is nothing like drinking something as fresh and full of nutrients as juice you just made. i had a 10 year old juicer that i had been using until i got a new one for christmas. my favorite juice to make right now is inspired by my favorite spot in portland, maine squeeze. they call it the lemon zinger. it is made with apples (red and green), ginger (i use A LOT), and a lemon. this makes me feel more energized than drinking a cup of coffee. yum!

fourteen things i love: number four.

tumbleweeds handcraft (@tumbleweedshc) and sissy (#sissythekitten).

i happened upon this instagram months ago some way or another and quickly became obsessed. this husband and wife duo makes very cool wooden sunglasses. they are also just overall badass. i would be lying if i didn't say i had a girl crush on beca. she is motivated and inspiring. she works super hard and knows how to use her instagram to benefit her business, by being true to herself. 

this also introduced me to my favorite internet kitten, sissy, who i think they rescued (which they do a lot) not too long ago. though i love my kitties to death and think they are just the cutest, i can't help but stare at the photos of this guy. it doesn't hurt that she captures the best moments and takes great photos of all things around them.

following them not only lets me see cute cat (and dog and bunny) photos, but they have introduced me to a bunch of other great small businesses. check 'em out!

fourteen things i love: number three.

my madewell transport rucksack.

i have been in love with this bag for a few years now. i would go into the store just to look at it. one day, i went in and they were having 20% off select bags. i asked the girl if this was part of it. she giggled and said that bag will probably never go on sale. sadden, i left (after looking around, of course).

fast forward to this december. i got an email saying that madewell was having 30% off their sale. as i was scanning through, i saw that, online only, this bag was marked down. it was only on sale for like $40 less than the original price, but it meant it was 30% off. i quickly emailed my mom. she had been asking what i wanted for christmas everyday and i had yet to think of anything. here it was. i knew i could put it into the hands of fate. because i know my mom, she would never give away a surprise for christmas. waiting was hard. i second guessed not buying it myself then because what if my mom didn't get it? but she did. and i am happy.

fourteen things i love: number two.

capes (more specifically, this one)!

my love for capes is not a new thing. it is something that has just grown deeper over the years. a couple years ago when i was still living in portland, i found an amazing red plaid cape at find. it had a gold chain at the neck that held it together. this one had small arms holes, was pretty heavy, and way more fancy. it is nothing something to wear often, but it is something i like owning. i have a sweater cape that is vintage, beautiful, and totally 70s. and one of my very first capes came from the gap. it was a tan felt-like material and had a belt around the waist. wearing this was sort of a big deal. it was something like a sweater and worn sort of like a cardigan, but some people didn't totally get it and usually made a big deal about it when i wore it. to me, it wasn't anything particularly crazy. 

but this one is different. this one i found a few months ago at goodwill. it was one of those finds that makes you giddy. for $5, this coat makes me strut down the street. i feel super cool and since i can layer under it, i feel super warm too. it is handmade from stanton apparels of maine. i tried looking it up, but couldn't find anything on it. if anyone knows about them, i'm interested! 

since you can't tell what it looks like while being worn here, you can see it in this post from a few weeks back, when i gushed about it for the first time. and you will see it again in a new outfit post that is coming up. and i guess if i ever get tired of wearing it, it will make a great rug for my cat (he already would not get off of it as i tried to photo it).

goodbye january, hello february.

//just a few instagram favorites from january//

i started the year off with some overall goals and some more specific to january. reaching these goals may not have been as easy or as successful as i may have hoped, but i am only one month in.

as a recap for january, i wanted to go to the movies at least once. this didn't happen. i do have a valentine's day plan to see one though. next was to read two books. i didn't do this either. i read some of one. i did, however, get a new mattress! this was the best thing i did last month! i wanted to get more sleep to go along with the new mattress, but man, that is hard. i didn't finish my '30 day challenge' posts and this was because i chose not to. i wasn't into it like i was before. it was helpful to get me out of a rut to start it, but i would much rather do outfit posts on outfits i am really excited about and not just posting them to post them.

looking back on last month, i really didn't do much in respect to my goals. this month, i hope to be different. so here it goes:

1. floss. this one is serious. it is not that i have bad teeth by any means. up until this past year, i went to the dentist every 6 months religiously. after moving, i never found a new one. i guess part of this goal will be finding a new one. but i do have a water flosser and it is easy to use. so now i just have to use it. every night.

2. organize my bathroom. our bathroom is small. and i mean, small. we have one tiered shelf, a cabinet on the wall, and a cupboard under the sink. over time, it had gotten a bit messy. i want to go through the products and tools i have and get rid of the things i do like or not need. i want to see what i actually have and i really want to give terry some space for his things too!

3. finish decorating projects in my living room and office. both areas have a few things up where i have started two different projects. in my office above my desk, i'm working on an inspiration wall. it will be forever changing, but i'm working on a few permanent pieces and my first round of inspiration pulls. in the living room, i have a paper deer head and a gold arrows head that will be part of a collage on a piece of the wall. i have just about everything i need. i just need to hang it.

4. exercise at least three times a week. with holidays and work and crazy schedules, i have really fallen off track here. i am trying to find workouts i like so that i don't get bored and instead, i am excited to workout after a long day of work. anyone in the boston area have any suggestions of things they like that aren't took expensive?

5. go to the movies. like i said, i have valentine's day plans to go to one, so hopefully i can see at least one this month.

6. read one book. maybe two books was too big of goal. one seems less scary.

7. read the magazines i get each month. this is not a new goal either. but i am wondering, what do you guys do with all the magazines you get after you read them? do you keep them? throw them out? rip out the pages for inspiration and other projects? let me know!!

here's to the month of love..

//and one to kick off february//