Book Club

Every summer I make it my goal to read at least 15 books, a lofty goal I know but I love to read so its really not too difficult for me. This past summer I read a fantastic book called Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resiliance and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand. The book is a biography about Olmpic runner and World War II survivor Louis Zamperini. Here is a little synposis about the book...

"On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood.  Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared.  It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard.  So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War." (courtsey of amazon.com)

The book follows Louis life story starting with his troubled childhood, to his teenage years where he developed his love for running, to running in the Berlin Olympics, to his military service and eventually his stuggle to adapt to a normal life after returning home from the War. Laura Hillenbrand does an amazing job at bringing to life the amazing and unforgetable journey of one man's life and shows us how resiliant the human mind, body and spirit are when it comes to fighting for one's life. I highly suggest picking up this book and reading it. It is perfect for your monthly book club and even though it is on the loger side, you will find it hard to put down once you get into it.



         

Enjoy!

xoxo Katelynn

Pinterest...an addiction



Back in May when my sister and I came home from college, she turned me on to this little known website called Pinterest. She described it as a this website full of pins and boards and clothes and recipes and more. I had no idea what she was even trying to get at so she sent me an invitation, I created my account and sat down one night to give it a try. Seeing it for the first time made so much more sense then having my sister explain it to me. And instantly I fell in love, mostly because its a great way to store all these wonderful recipes you come across. I am notorious for finding recipes on line or in a magazine, forgetting about them and then never being able to make them, so this was the perfect way to NEVER lose one again. Pinterest is not only great for keeping track of your recipes but it gives you all these great syle ideas, decorative ideas, do it your self projects and more. Basically people upload onto their boards pictures of things they like, say its a sweater from JCrew, and once they pin it, others can repin the picture onto their board for safe keeping. Its fantastic and now more and more people are finding out about it and I heard the other night there is even a waiting list to get on! Here are a few of my recent pins (out of my 4500 pins..eek)

No need to explain lol

A little Thinspiration as I call it...keeps me motivated to eat healthy, workout hard and finally lose the weight

Ultimate Gial



Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes- I made them first for father's day and they have been a hit ever since!

How precious- I have a board called "Winter Wonderland" which is dedicated to all pictures taken in the snow



It even gives you great fashion advice!



Just beautiful



Enjoy!

xoxo Katelynn

The Perfect Stocking Stuffer

Growing up I loved Lilly Pulitzer and always wanted to work there. But because I had other summer jobs and babysitting and sports I never got the chance until I decided that I had wayyyy too much time on my hands after my day job so I went into the store, applied and 3 days later I was hired! Needless to say I was a very happy camper and love working there. It means my days are very long, working until 9 usually but I enjoy so its worth it. With that said, I'm sure I am not the only one out there who has yet to even START their Christmas shopping. I envy those who have but its definitely my fault that I have bought nothing, I haven't really even thought about Christmas yet...woops. So in the spirit of Christmas and because I love Lilly so much I though I would share with you some great stocking stuffers for all those Lilly lovers in your lives

Shown: Zippity-Do Makeup case in Skip-on-it, Business or Pleasure Duo in Nice to See You, Glass Christmas Ornament, Necktie for men in Turquoise Coral Cascade

Shown: Carded ID Wristlet in Skip On It and Nice To See You, Murfee Scarf in Bellina and Nice to See You

Lilly Pulitzer Agenda



Lilly Pulitzer Iphone Cases (available for both 3G and 4 models)

 Enjoy!
xoxo Katelynn

Book Club Update

Recently I just finished (for the second time) the Hunger Games trilogy. I absolutely LOVE them! I'm sure you have heard all about them and seen them in the bookstore.Even though they are kids books I highly recommend reading them. I was first turned onto them buy a guy I worked with over the summer who said his fiance was reading them, so I went ahead and downloaded the first one on my ipad and was hooked. I could NOT put it down. I think I finished it within 2 days and was so thankful that the second one had already come out (with the 3rd was due out in a few days) so I was not yearning for more. And I am even more excited because the first movie is coming out in March! I have told all of my friends that they have to read them because I don't want to go to the movie alone and be the only semi-adult in a room full of kids haha. Here is a little synopsis of the first book that I pulled off of Amazon.com for you to take a sneak peak :)

"Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games." The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When Kat's sister is chosen by lottery, Kat steps up to go in her place."

 

 

Enjoy!
xoxo Katelynn

 

"A Date Which Will Live In Infamy"

"December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy, the United States of America was

suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire

of Japan..."

On December 8, 1941 at 12:30 pm, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt addressed Congress about the attack on Pearl Harbor the day before. His speech is now simply known as the "Infamy Speech", which so fittingly comes from the first line in which President Roosevelt says, "December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy", outlined the events of the attack and asked Congress to declare war on the Empire of Japan. Within an hour of the speech, Congress declared war on the Japan and officially ended the United States' isolationism and brought us into World War II.

The attack on the US Naval forces at Pearl Harbor is one of those moments that forever changed the course of history not only for the United States and Japan but for the world as well. We can only imagine how WWII may have ended if the United States did not enter the war when it did. Just as in WWI. The US is responsible for putting an end to Japan's aggression in the Far East and is largely responsible for breathing a new hope into the soldiers fighing Hitler and Stalin in Europe.

With the events of Pearl Harbor still fresh in their minds, American citizens began to recognize that they could no longer take a stance of isolationism and watch as Hitler destroyed Europe and the Japanese take over the Far East. Our country came together as a whole. Men and women a like took to the factories and started turing out tanks, planes and military ammunition necessary for war. More young men enlisted in the army, navy, air force and the marines and understood that it was their time to fight for their country, our freedom and the freedom of people in Europe. It was a moment that changed America forever and we can never forget the 2,400 service men that were lost, 1100 of them who are forever entombed in the UUS Arizona, on that fateful December day.



USS West Virginia





A destroyed B-17 Flying Fortress at Hickam Field







USS Arizona which was sunk by 4 torpedoes and still lies at the bottom of Pearl Harbor



USS Arizona Memorial. It's the final resting place of 1,102 of the 1,177 sailors of the USS Arizona who were killed during the attack. It was dedicated to the sailors in 1962 and on May 5, 1989 the remains of the USS Arizona were declared a National Historic Landmark

You can see where the remains of the USS Arizona lie under neath the memorial. Over 1 million people visit the memorial annually. 

Yes I know I am a little late (2 days) with this post but I have been very busy. Hope you enjoyed your little history lesson for the day :)

xoxo Katelynn

Happy Holidays!



Finally its December which means its officially the Christmas Season! I am a big believer in not even thinking about Christmas until December hits, that means no decorations, no music, no tree cutting, etc. I think people have lost the true meaning of Christmas and now its a total commercial holiday. People just don't enjoy the season enough because they are trying to out do their neighbors when it comes to decorations or getting the best deal of a kids toy at Target on Black Friday. For me Christmas is about spending time with your family, catching up with friends you haven't seen in a while, relaxing, baking delicious cookies and just enjoying life.

This year one of my best friends from high school is hosting a cookie exchange this and I am super excited! This will be the first one where I will acutally attend haha. Usually its my mom who goes and I just bake for her because its a great excuse to try out new recipes without having to eat them all! So I was on Pinterest (my new obsession which I will post about later) and found this recipe that just screamed the perfect Christmas cookie to me. Its called Peppermint Crunch-Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies and I found it on a blog called Culinary Concoctions by Peabody. In the past I have made suagr cookies with a hint of mint and candy cane pieces but would never have though to just throw some candy cane chunks into my chcoloate chip batter. As the author says "I'm not recreating the wheel here" which she isn't, the idea is still ingenious. I am so excited to have found this recipe and can't WAIT to make them for my cookie exchange. Here are a few pictures to get you excited for these amazing cookies...

Picutres courtsey of culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com

xoxo Katelynn

Beach Dreaming....



Don't get me wrong, I love the winter time. I love the snow, football games in the freezing cold, sipping hot chocolate, having the house smell like spices at all times, the Christmas season, you name it I love it. But there is nothing that I love more than the beach and right now it has been unusually warm for this time of the year in New England. By this time of the year the temperature is usually in the low 40s but its been in the 50s and even 60s lately! It's making me wish it was summer again, so I'm using this warm weather as an inspiration for the pictures below. They are just to remind you of how much fun the summer is and what we all look forward during those cold winter months...



Need to find this hat!



Love their neon bathing suits! I want them all

       

Words to live by

Enjoy!
xoxo Katelynn

My Love for Reading



Since this blog is all about my life I guess I should let you in on a little secret....I LOVE to read haha. Big secret I know, but its the truth. There is nothing better than curling up with a good book and loosing yourself in lives of the characters. Growing up I hated reading just as much as any other kid. I think its because when you are in school you are forced to read all these books that you have absolutely no interest in and have to find the 'deeper meaning' whatever that may be. Well that was just not for me so needless to say I only read what was required of me and nothing more until I found the book (well series) that changed my life. I'm 21 so I'm sure you can take a wild guess at what popular series came out when I was growing up. If your guess was Harry Potter, then you are correct! I remember exactly how I stumbled upon this little series about witches and wizards and a Lord named Voldermort. I was in 5th grade and realized that I had a book report due in just a few days and hadn't even picked out a book yet. Well, I went down to the library and found muyself in the new release section of the childrens library and picked the first book in the bin...Harry Potter and the Prisioner of Azkaban. So home I went and started to read and by the end I was in love. I wrote my book report and decided to start the series from the start and its history. Harry Potter will always be my favorite book(s) and yes my (future) kids will be reading them.

Because I love to read so much and almost always have a book going, my plan is to make a weekly post about a book that I am either currently reading or have read in the past that I highly recommend. This week is obviously about Harry Potter. Even though the series has been done for a while, I highly suggest to anyone who has not read them yet to go and pick up the first one at your library or your local bookstore or download it onto your Kindle/Nook/iPad. Yes its a childrens book, but if you can accept that then its definitely worth reading. While there are some deeper meanings throughout the series, they are not hard to find and the  message is simple. I truly believe everyone should take the chance a read it.



Enjoy!
xoxo Katelynn

Whose the new Burch on the block?

Style icon Tory Burch has graced us with so many classic pieces from shoes to handbags but at a price that is not so friendly to the bank account. If it were up to me I would own every pair of Reva flats, but being a recent college graduate with not a lot of money that's quite of out the question. Over the past few weeks I have seen ads all over for this new store called C Wonder. I work part-time at Lilly Pulitzer and one day all the girls were talking about it and since I had no idea what it was they had to fill me in on it. C Wonder was created by none other than Tory Burch's ex-husband Chris Wonder. Esentially C Wonder is everything you love about Tory Burch but at a MUCH more affordable price. Here's a sneak peak....

 





As seen on Ellen. 20% of proceeds are being donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation

If your like me and don't have the luxury of living in SoHo or NYC for that matter, there are a few additional stores opeing around the tri-state area including The Westchester (White Plains, NY) Garden State Plaza (Paramus, NJ) and Roosevelt Field Mall (Garden City, NJ). I'm sure as the C Wonder brand beings to become a house hold name, we will see more stores opening up around the country. They are also in the process of launching their website where all products will be offered.

Enjoy!

xoxo Katelynn

A Thanksgiving Must Have

One of my favorite things to do when I'm bored especially is bake. My family hates it because they swear I'm trying to make them fat but I just love whipping up something that makes the house smell delicious and tastes yummy too. Since its Thanksgiving, time of course the ingredient of choice for most people is pumpkin. I LOVE pumpkin pie so much that I plan on skimping on the turkey and sides this Thanksgiving so I can have an extra large slice haha. I have to keep my calories in check some how right?! A few weeks ago I decided it was time to venture out past the pumpkin pie and try a few pumpkin inspired things. I came across these amazing pumpkin iced cookies and the most delicious pumpkin bread (or muffins) ever! Get ready for a long post!

Pumpkin Iced Cookies



Recipe from allrecipes.com



Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Icing: 

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.
4. To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.

My edits: I substituted 1/2 cup of brown sugar for the 1/2 cup of white sugar to give the cookies a deeper flavor. Most likely I added more cinnamon and pumpkin puree than the recipe calls for because they are just so good! 

For the icing, I used a piping bag and drizzled it on instead of fully icing the cookie but that's your choice to make. I even added some cinnamon to give it a little extra kick

They were perfectly moist yet so simple to make. So if its your turn to bring a dessert to a holiday party this fall, definitely give these a try. You won't be dissapointed and your guests will love them too :) 

Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread

Recipe from allrecipes.com



1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree

4 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup applesauce (I used the cinnamon one because that's what was in my fridge)

2/3 cup water

2 cups white sugar

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
3. Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean

Because this batter makes so many loaves and I only have 1 loaf pan, I decided to use the rest of the batter and make muffins. I topped a few of them with chopped walnuts and they came out fantastic. I would probably put them in the batter next time to keep them from getting a little over cooked like they did ontop. If using this at a dinner or breakfast party, I would recommend serving it with cream cheese :)

ENJOY!
xoxo Katelynn

Fall Fashion

As much as I love the summer, there is nothing more that I love about New England than the fall. There is something so special and wonderful about being able to watch the trees change colors adn throwing on a cashmere sweater and jeans. Because the weather is just so unpredictable you could be wearing shorts one day and just a few days later its snowing and your wearing your down jacket! But because of this you end up so many clothes that you could base a whole wardrobe around fall attire. Personally I love being in a long-sleeved shirt with my jeans and sperry's but at the same time I never want to give up the bright colors of the summer that I love so much. Obviously that's where accessorizing and working at Lilly Pulitzer come in handy haha. Here are a few fo my favorite fashion picks for living in New England in the fall...

Yes I know it is a little boys sweater, but they don't make them in women's anymore. Both me and my sister have them and not only are they comfortable, they scream patriotism and Fall attire to me.

Brown is the color of fall. Pair your brown boots with your favorite jeans and acomfortable sweater and you are good to go...perfect for any occassion.

 

 

This is why I live in New England! You will have a hard time moving me from here.

 

Both outfits are just perfect!

 

Perfection......Longchamp, dark jeans, oxford and Patagonia Retro-X Vest. LOVE!

 

 

Lilly Pulitzer Murphee Scarf in Bellina. These scarves are the perfect way to add a little color to your fall oufit. I love this with my white t-shirt, jeans and Frye Boots

 

A Little About Me

This is my first post and I am so excited to start blogging and sharing my life with you. If you have already ready my About Me section you may have had a chance to get to know me a little better but now its time to share some pictures with you to really show you my life....

I grew up in Riverside, CT which is about 45 minutes outside of New York City (and yes I do consider myself a New Yorker) and since I just graduated I am back living with mom and dad, saving up and waiting until I can move out on my own. I have a brother and a sister and 2 adorable dogs.

Me (right) Shannon (center) and Slater (left) at Shannon's high school graduation May 2010

In may 2011 I graduated from the University of Connecticut with a degree in finance. And yes I do have a job! I work as a financial analyst at Alliance Bernstein, just what I wanted :)

Me after graduation sporting my love for Lilly Pulitzer may I add

Missing all my UConn Girls! That's me in the center :)

During the summer, like any other girl, if you can't find me shopping around town you can find me sitting at the beach with a big bottle of water and a good book. I must say I am more than spoiled that there is a beach in my town and its all of a 10 minute drive through town and that includes getting stuck at lights.

Todd's Point Old Greenwich, CT

There's a little look into my life but with a lot more to come. I just got a better camera lense so I can't wait to start taking pictures of the dogs at the beach, town when it is covered in snow (oh wait it already snowed on Halloween haha) and of my family and friends over the holidays.

xoxo Katelynn