confession: Sometimes I turn up my music really loudly, open the window, and have a dance party by myself while picking out my outfit for the day. Heck, I have a dance party when I'm cleaning my room, too. And when I'm doing school. Dance parties are essential to life, y'all.

coral love by carlottacisternas 

confession: While I still love the color grey, I've made room for the bright cheeriness that is coral. As evidenced by my new Polyvore collection, it's adds just the spunk I need to get out of winter's earthy palette.

confession: I maybe kind of sort of want to see Justin Bieber's Never Say Never movie. Just a little bit. I'm not his biggest fan, but I don't really mind him either. And it's gotten some pretty good reviews. In other words, I'm such a girl.

office space via cocoa & hearts

confession: If my office space looked like this, I think things like doing homework and studying for tests wouldn't be quite so bad. Love.

confession: I'm pining for summer. School seems to be dragging on eternally and I've hit that slump where all my energy is depleted, making it difficult to keep trudging through the seemingly endless pile of work to be done. Sigh.

confession: Even though I've had my braces off for nearly a week, I'm still smiling at my reflection every time I catch a glimpse of it. While I still had metal on my teeth, I trained myself to smile with my mouth closed for photographs...now? I have to keep telling myself it's okay to show my teeth ;)

confession: Following one more class next week, I'll be done with Latin. Forever. After six, nearly seven, long years of a subject I admit I don't exactly enjoy, I'm pretty darn happy.

confession: I'm unabashedly in love with spring and all the flowers that adorn it. The flowers in the above picture currently grace my coffee table and it makes me smile every time I walk into my room.

Do you have any confessions?

-carlotta

It seems that no matter where I turn, I'm surrounded by soft tones of every color. From the light green leaves shooting up to the pastel shade of pink my nails are sporting, it's a sure sign that spring is here.

I'm even finding pastels in ice cream sundaes. Sweet, glorious, delicious sundaes.

Freshly whipped cream, sweet strawberries, and ice cream piled high in curvy glass dishes equal a combination akin to heaven.

From the first bite to the last scraped up spoonful, it's something I honestly could eat everyday without fail. I can't get enough of it.

What's your favorite treat?

-carlotta

(self portrait photo challenge winner and finalists announced below!)

awkward

– Having a little girl come up to me and say, "I like your clothes. They actually match your skin!" I was wearing white. Thanks for letting me know that I'm really as pale as I feel.

– Pulling a door that says "push" in huge letters.

– I was sitting on the couch while watching a movie and leaned forward to put my plate of apples and cheese on the coffee table. As I was leaning forward, I fell face first on the floor. And my legs were still on the couch. Have I ever mentioned that I'm a total klutz?

just because it's pretty ;)

– Giving up having a messy room for Lent and having a (somewhat) messy roomy two days into it.

– I woke up in the predawn hours yesterday to Sarge barking nonstop. I looked at my clock, saw it was 6:45am, and got up (much too early for my taste, but I had to be somewhere early). After I'd been up for about ten minutes, I realized my clock was an hour fast. Sigh.

awesome

– Getting my braces off. Having had them on for two years, I was more than ready to get them off. I can't stop smiling! (psst...watch the video! ;))


braces no more from carlotta on Vimeo.

I am so ridiculously pale. Man. And I apologize for the loudness of the music in some parts...the movie editor I was using refused to cooperate. Also, I've been planning this little video/vlog for about a month and a half...and then the vlogging craze began in the blog world. Ha. Oh well ;)

– Finding a shirt for seventy five percent off. Score.

I didn't zoom or crop at all...this is really how close I was. (unedited)

– Seeing Ree Drummond (aka The Pioneer Woman), along with her two daughters and her brother Mike at her local book signing. Hello, dream come true?
Unfortunately, I didn't get to meet her – though I did get some pictures – as we didn't get there early enough and it would have taken at least two hours to work my way through the line. She only lives about an hour away from me, though, so I'm sure our paths will cross again somehow.

– Spring. Following a long, snow filled winter (though I really can't complain about winter...some of y'all up north have it much worse!), I'm always ecstatic to see the world burst into pastel blossoms.

– Thread. When the world was cloaked in a drab grey, I found myself reaching for a Mason jar and some colorful thread. Love.

––––

The finalists for the self portrait photo challenge are Mikayla, M, and Carmen.

The winner is...

Carmen! Congratulations! I was enthralled by your photo...the tones, the creative pose, it's all so gorgeous.

-carlotta

Since I was young, granola has been my thing. I was forever stealing my mother's granola – the nutty taste of the oats and the sweetness of the raisins kept me coming back for more. While the granola that can be purchased in grocery stores might seem the quickest and easiest route, it's often so expensive and isn't that nutritious. The remedy? Make your own.

Homemade granola is what I find myself eating for breakfast nearly everyday, usually studded with raisins and chocolate chips. A good, basic granola recipe is so versatile – the taste can be completely altered depending on the toppings. From plump, succulent berries to petite chocolate chips to dried fruit, the possibilities are endless.

Make this granola. I promise you'll love it. Not including roasting time, it only takes you about ten minutes to obtain premium granola. And when you taste the results, I think you'll know why I love it so.

What's your favorite breakfast food?

homemade granola

– six cups plain uncooked oats (such as Quaker's)

– 1/2 cup coconut oil

– 1/4 cup white sugar

– 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup

– 1 teaspoon sea salt

– additional spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg if desired

Preheat the oven to 250°. Pour the oatmeal on a large cookie sheet with sides. Add the sugar and salt to the oatmeal and combine. In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt together the coconut oil and honey or maple syrup. Once melted, pour over the oatmeal mixture. Stir until everything is coated.

Roast for one and a half hours, stirring occasionally. Wait until cooled, then transfer the granola to a container. Store at room temperature. 

-carlotta

(Psst...what do you think of the new header? Feel free to grab the new button as well...what can I say? I've got a bad case of spring fever ;))