Is it already February? For a second I thought we were headed for spring weather when it hit the high 40′s last week. Wisconsin weather is a cruel mistress though and as I write this it is -6 degrees Fahrenheit! One thing about the weather is that it gives me an excuse to run the oven to heat up our place (as if I needed an excuse!). I made these coffee cake-chocolate chip-cappuccino muffins for breakfast on a day off from school. They have so many delicious elements in them – espresso, chocolate and coffee cake!
I finished my last job interview last week looking at Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City. Pat joined me, as well as two of our friends, and we spent the weekend at the Sundance Music Festival in Park City! Sundance has been on my bucket list for several years and I was so excited to hit the slopes and see some films. The weekend was a blast and I can’t wait to share photos!
Coffee Cake-Chocolate Chip-Cappuccino Muffins {Recipe}
Adopted from The Kitchy Kitchen
Ingredients:
2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. lightly packed brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. whole milk
2 T. instant espresso powder
4 T. unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. chocolate chips
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. lightly packed brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. whole milk
2 T. instant espresso powder
4 T. unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. chocolate chips
Coffee Cake Topping:
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
2. Combine milk and espresso powders until granules are dissolved. Add butter, egg, and vanilla.
3. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just moistened. Add chocolate chips.
4. Fill greased and floured or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full.
5. Mix dry ingredients of streusel mix. Cut in cold butter. Sprinkle over muffins.
6. Bake at 375 degrees F for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes and remove from pan to wire rack.
Choosing running gear is tricky, especially here in the midwest with our huge temperature swings. With every season change, I have to remind myself what I am most comfortable in for any given temperature. Long sleeves or short sleeves? Shorts or capris? Lined tights or unlined tights? I thought that if it is as confusing for you as it is for me, it is probably worth putting down in a “What to Wear When Running” guide based on temperature.
Brooks is far and away my favorite running company. As a member of the Brooks Inspire Daily program, it is awesome to be associated with Brooks and I am proud to wear their products. They are the only major sports company the focuses purely on running and they are leading the field in innovations for runners of all skill levels. The work they put into their products shows with how long they last – I have run hundreds of miles in some of their gear and it still looks almost new.
Without further ado, here is what I wear for all different types of weather, with links to the Brooks website for you to check out the clothes for yourself.
A few caveats – this is just a guide, obviously. You may want to “jump down” a category if it is windy, dark, rainy, or depending on the intensity of your workout. Also, please contact your healthcare provider before starting a new workout routine.
What to Wear When Running – Hot Weather
Featured clockwise from upper left: Versatile Bra | Nightlife Hat | Glycerin Support Tank | Nathan Water Bottle | Infiniti Short Tight | Versatile Low Cut Socks
———————————————————————————-
What to Wear When Running – Warm Weather
Clockwise from upper left: Sunshield Visor | Brooks Podium Short Sleeve | Women’s Infiniti Short II | Versatile Low Cut Socks 3 Pack
—————————————————————————————
What to Wear When Running – Cool Weather
Clockwise from upper left: Podium Short Sleeve Tee | Epiphany Long Sleeve Tee | Glycerin Capri II | Versatile Low Cut 3 Pack | Pulse Lite Glove
—————————————————————————————
What to Wear When Running - Cold Weather
Clockwise from upper left: Infiniti Tight II | Epiphany Long Sleeve Top | Pulse Lite Gloves | Infiniti Headband | Nightlife Socks
—————————————————————————————
What to Wear When Running – Freezing Weather
Infiniti Beanie Clockwise from upper left: HVAC Glove | Nightlife Essential Long Sleeve 1/2 Zip | Nightlife Sock | Utopia Thermal Pant | Essential Run Vest II
—————————————————————————————
What to Wear When Running – Frigid Weather
Nightlife LSD Jacket Clockwise from upper left: Nightlife LSD Lite Jacket III | Balaclava | Essential Run Vest II | Utopia 2 in 1 Mitten | Silver Bullet Wind Tight | Nightlife Sock | Equilibrium Long Sleeve Top
Here is the second day of shooting for our engagement photos from Kinsey Mhire Photography. Pat really wanted to capture our coffee by the lake ritual that we do many weekend mornings in the summer. It’s so nice to start the day without technology and just focus on being together without distractions. I’m definitely guilty of starting the day at full speed, so taking the time to wake up slowly with a cup of coffee is a luxury.
We live by the lake and have a canoe, so we also did a morning paddle. The light was so beautiful. I thought it would be fun to be “overdressed” for such an outdoorsy activity. I actually made the pouffy pink skirt that I’m wearing and I was so happy to have the occasion to wear it! Given how beautiful our engagement photos were, I am so excited for our wedding photos! Kinsey’s husband, Josh, will be joining her and doing some video as well. It’s all only five months away!
I first encountered musician Anna Vogelzang through the wonders of the blogosphere. Her wedding was featured on Green Wedding Shoes, one of my favorite wedding blogs. In addition to being beautiful and colorful, it caught my eye because she got married in my future venu, the Olin Park Pavilion.
As I read the story of her wedding, I noticed that Anna is a musician in Madison. Intrigued, I found her website and listened to her music. I was absolutely blown away! My favorite song is actually about getting married:
I contacted Anna about performing at our wedding. The conversation that ensued answered a lot of my questions about choosing wedding music and even brought up a lot of things that I had never considered. I am so happy that she is letting me share her advice with you!
Q: What do you think about having musicians perform during the dinner portion of the wedding?
Anna: Dinner music for original musicians is tough, because most folks aren’t listening (but eating!) and you’re trying to fill a lot of time. there are some people who do it professionally and so for them it’s not a big deal, but i tend to play listening rooms, so it’s harder for me to get excited for a show where everyone’s chatting with each other — unless it is a big payoff, which weddings usually are. it’s also usually so far in advance that i need the budget to trump any other gigs that might come up in the mean time.
Q: Do you have any recommendations for incorporating live music into the dinner portion of the ceremony?
Anna: Instrumental groups are usually way better suited to the background music thing. For our wedding, we also had a playlist for the DJ to play during dinner thatwas separate from our dancing playlist, so that the jazz boys could break & eat but there was still music playing.
Q: Live music is definitely (and understandably!) more expensive than doing a playlist. Can you explain all of the work that goes into performing at a wedding?
Anna: My fee includes learning & arranging the songs, sending demos of arrangements to give you options & make sure you’re happy with them, attending the rehearsal, providing my own sound, and (the biggest thing), my time, since i’m never sure if i’m going to be in town or not — I need to commit to staying in Madison during that time.
Thanks again for all of your advice Anna!
For those of you in Madison, Anna is playing a show at the Frequency this Saturday, January 19th.
Click here for more details!
With the wedding only five months away, I’ve been doing a lot of DIY-ing and planning over my holiday break. This is includes one of my most daunting tasks – creating the wedding invitations. I’m not sure what it is about the invites that gives me pause. I really want to do them by hand, but the strategies I’ve tried so far, including this awesome Fiskars Stamp Press, didn’t work. Although it was awesome for arranging its clingy rubber stamps for repeated stamping, I just couldn’t get enough info on the page and have it still look nice. At this point, I’m thinking about getting a custom rubber stamp made on Etsy and then embossing the invites by hand.
We worked with Kinsey of Kinsey Mhire Photography and the blog Sincerely Kinsey. I cannot say enough how awesome she is! She was friendly and supportive – and patient! We ended up doing several hours of shooting in multiple locations. The day started with us on a tandem – representing our love of cycling and the fact that we met on a UW Cycling trip.
We were so lucky that the shoot was the first week in October when the fall colors in Wisconsin were at their peak and the temperature was in the 70′s!
Pat and I created a “campsite” with thrift store finds and a tent made with a simple wood frame draped with fabric. I also baked a pie for the occasion!
The night ended with homemade marshmallows and graham crackers.
I am absolutely ecstatic about how well the photos turn out. Kinsey really captured us as a couple and the photos really tell our story! This is only half of them! I’ll post the second half tomorrow!
Hello! I’m Lauren, the girl behind Click Clack Clunk (my blog), and LoloMade (my graphic design shop). Most of my life is focused around school work, but in my spare moments I love to craft, read, go on adventures, eat–and then blog about it!
It’s my pleasure to be guest-posting on Running Blonde today to share these pretty beaded earrings. As a pre-med student, Kelly has been an inspiration to me. She’s living proof that I can run the pre-med gauntlet and still keep my creative pursuits alive.
So, without further ado, here’s a little tutorial for some awesome and easy earrings.
A few days ago, I came across this goodie on Pinterest, but when I tried to explore further, there wasn’t a tutorial. GASP! This just shows how spoiled Pinterest has made me–I expect a full tutorial at the other end of EVERY crafty, neato pin. Well, it wasn’t there, so I figured it out by myself. So, here’s a quick little how-to for these nifty pretty beaded earrings.
Supplies: ~smallish beads of your liking ~sterling silver head pins ~pliers and wire cutters
First, you’re going to string up the beads in whatever fashion you want. I kind of went from biggest to smallest, but it’s up to you. You also want to curve the wire ever so slightly using your hands, or the pliers.
Next, using the needle-nose pliers, make a small little loop and the end of the beads.
Then, bend the wire so that it runs parallel to the beads. The gap between the two wires should be about 3/8 of an inch.
Then, all you have to do is cut the wires. Use a file (or something) to make the ends not so pointy, and you’re done! Super easy to make, and super fun to wear.
Thanks for reading, and happy crafting! Please stop by and visit me at www.clickclackclunk.com. I’d love it if you would.
—
Do you have a guest post you would like to share on Running Blonde? Please contact me!
-
Let’s Stay in Touch!
-
Check Out My Lovely Sponsors!
