Oh, hey there sleeping in!

I do this thing where I focus so much on the "big picture" of life that I forget about enjoying the smaller pictures. For example, this next month in my life is going to be extremely hectic. As you may or may not remember, I recently got a job and due to some staff changes I have quite a few more hours than I expected. So for the next month I'm working between 25 and 30 hours a week on top of going to school full time and trying to get through finals week in one piece. This stresses me out but I've found that focusing on the positive, making good use of my time, and taking things one step at a time is really helpful. It's silly for me to get stressed out about these things because 1) I really enjoy my job, 2) I love what I'm learning in school, and 3) I hoped and prayed to be busy and now that I am I'm second guessing my ability to keep up. If you're the religious type, keep me in your prayers, if not, send happy feelings in my direction!!

Enough of the rant! I've been meaning to talk about Thanksgiving since it happened but, like I said, I've been so busy! I went home to spend the week with my family and because I have recently fallen into the world of cooking, my dad and I decided to tackle the big meal together (usually he cooks everything by himself). We flipped through the November edition of Real Simple (I'm telling you people, this magazine is heavenly) and picked out the recipes that looked the best to us. Here's what we ended up cooking:

Bourbon Cranberries
Potato & Celery Root
Wildrice and Mushroom
Sausage and Sage Stuffing
Stuffed Mushrooms and Spinach
Chedder and Jalapeño Stuffing
Sweet Potatoes
Green Bean Casserole
Nutella Peanut Butter Brownies
Pumpkin Pie
Pecan Pie
Lavender Chocolate Chip Cookies

My favorites ended up being the Sausage and Sage Stuffing, Green Bean Casserole (CLASSIC!), and the Lavender Chocolate Chip Cookies (OH MY GOD SOOOO GOOD).









Of course, the day wouldn't have been complete without some quality time with my brothers :).





Did you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving break? I hope so! I'd love to hear about it :).

xo
Mal

Aidan's Monsters

Whenever I'm in Phoenix I have decent amount of down time to peruse the internet and find all sorts of fun things. I have a bit of a stockpile of interesting things to share with you so expect some fun over the next week or so! I watched the newscast about Aidan on Yahoo I couldn't help but show you some of his Monsters.

xo
Mal

leavin' on a jet plane

Back to school. Back to work. Back to Chicago.

"The most effective way to do it, is to do it." -Amelia Earhart

xo
Mal

Sponsor the Sugar

I'm currently accepting sponsors for the month of December. If you have a blog or small business you'd like to advertise, this is an amazing way to do it! I only accept 10 sponsors per month (5 large spots and 5 small spots) so you can be certain that your ad is not lost in the fray. I have EXTREMELY affordable rates and I'd love to have you as a sponsor :). Email me with any questions or to secure your spot at SundayMorningSugar@yahoo.com.

xo
Mal

Desert Botanical Gardens Outfit

Ah, just when you thought I'd given up on posting my outfit photos you get another! This is what I wore to the botanical gardens with my dad when we went on our photo outing. It was a little floral, a lot brown, and perfect for taking pictures of green leafy things :).


sunglasses: Ray Ban
top: Forever 21
sweater: Banana Republic
skirt: Forever 21
shoes: Juicy Couture

xo
Mal

Desert Botanical Gardens

Over the weekend my dad and I went to the Desert Botanical Gardens to take pictures in the butterfly exhibit (and around the gardens in general).











In the butterfly exhibit, most of the butterflies were resting on the net walls because it was cold outside. Apparently they'll all die within the next couple weeks so we were lucky to see them at all! I had a blasty blast taking pictures of the Arizonan plants though. It's funny to go to the desert botanical gardens because most people think of Arizona and picture a tumbleweed rolling along an expanse of dirt which really isn't the case at all! If you ever have the chance to visit Arizona I'd highly suggest it (NOT IN THE SUMMER) because it really is beautiful!

That's all I have for you today :)
xo
Mal

Jewelry Gift Guide

So it's been a long time since I've bought new jewelry. I don't wear much and when I do I like to wear unique pieces. Since Christmas is fast approaching, I thought it'd be fun to make a little jewelry gift guide. I would LOVE to have any of these pieces but my favorite BY FAR is the anatomical heart locket. Anyone want to buy it for me? Pretty pleaseeeeeeeeeee?

Triple Threat Ring

Snake Bone Ring

Fish Bone Ring

Diamond Slice Ring (another FAVORITE)

Sapphire Ring

I Heart Illinois Necklace (I may prefer an I Love AZ version!)

Annnnnd the best for last....

Silver Anatomical Heart Necklace

I'll be back all through December with more gift guides :). If you have any requests for compilations (mens gifts, mom gifts, etc.) please leave them in the comments!

xo
Mal

Have a Fabulous Thanksgiving

I hope you all have a fabulous day full of family, friends, and tooooo much food.

xo
Mal

Outfit Challenge... What?

You may have noticed that I am TERRIBLE at keeping up with daily obligations on here. While I have been participating in the outfit challenge, I have definitely been skimping on the pictures for you all which is really the point if you think about it. I really want a tripod so I don't have to depend on my family/friends/macbook to take pictures for me. I should start saving my pennies :). Anyways, here's my outfit from Saturday.



top: Theme
leggings: Forever 21
shoes: Gidigio

I loveeee this outfit. I've worn it to work before. I like it because it's not all black (like most of the things I wear) and the top is soo pretty (AND COMFORTABLE). It's really great for work because I look put together but I can still move around and be productive. It's pretty perfect :).

-Mal

Recycled Clothing

While playing on the internet I came across a picture of a rainbow made entirely of old clothing. Two artists collaborated on these pieces and I am really impressed by their work (my personal favorite is the tie snake) so I figured I would share :)! For more information and pictures, you can check here.

xo
Mal

Le Ragazze

My first day back in Arizona I spent time with my Mom and Grandma being pampered. I started the day with my haircut then snagged some lunch from a new restaurant that opened in my area. If you're in Arizona, I would highly recommend the delicious food from Le Ragazze. Here's how it went down...

We sat down to glasses of cucumber water (uhh yum).

Then ordered some french fries to snack on. They brought out these bad boys with house made chili cherry Ketchup. I could have eaten the Ketchup straight, it was SO GOOD.

Finally our main meal came out. I got a mozzarella lavosh with roasted tomatoes and oh babyyy was it good.


I hate that after I moved the food in my town REALLY kicked into high gear but I'm so happy to have delicious places to eat while I'm visiting home :). I'm having a nice, relaxing break so far. I also have a LOT more to post about so this week should be fun around here!

xo
Mal

One of my Favorite Quotes of All Time

“All a rainbow is is light that walks behind a raindrop and its colors fall out”
--A Wolf at the Table

xo
Mal

Hair Cut

Just popping in to say that I'm home safe and alive!

OH! And to show you my new haircut :).


xo
Mal

Waiting for the Plane to Leave

I feel like every time I have to fly I end up on a flight that is delayed. I, unlike most, loathe flying. I hate the ambiance of the airport, I hate the cramped seats on the plane, and rather than feeling free up in the air I feel trapped and anxious. I have a couple pre-flight and in-flight rituals that keep me calm but I'm almost always a grumpy flyer...no fixing that part. Since I'm bored I figured I'd post (and I thought it'd be a good idea to post because I have not done so today).

This morning I finished my second sewing project ever and I am SO proud of my work. I made a pair of shorts with pockets and a zipper! I'm pretty impressed with myself, even though they are grandma shorts (we use a standard pattern in a sample size in class). I am making my very first sewing DIY for you all right now and I'll post that as soon as it's appropriate (read: after Thanksgiving when you can officially decorate for Christmas). I'm really excited about it :)!

In other news, I am in charge of thanksgiving dessert this year and I've narrowed down the menu choices to the following:

Peanut Butter Nutella Brownies

Classic Pecan Pie (for my dad!)

Lavender Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pumpkin Pie (it's a classic!)

What are your favorite sweet treats for Turkey day? I'd love to have some input!
xo
Mal

P.S.
I am being featured over on Much Love, Illy today because I'm a sponsor over there! Go check out Ilene's blog and her sweet, sweet compliments about me (I'm blushing!).