The Paris Project

 

Yesterday I made a very successful

Chapel announcement in front of my peers.

You know the one I thought i'd throw up during...

Well good news, I didn't puke...yeaa go me!!

 

It actually went SO well.

I made a little joke in the middle of the announcement

and it was followed by audible chuckles from the audience ;)

They loved me!!

 

Oh and want to know something sweet.

That boyfriend of mine, the one who lives in England...

he sat down and watched me give my announcement on the

live Chapel stream our school offers online.

He's the best :) :) :)

 

The announcement was only the beginning.

After showing the video and giving the announcemnt

I just had to kind of play the waiting game.

 

I wasn't sure if I had reached out to anyone

who would be interested in studying abroad in Paris.

So when 4:00 rolled around I went to the room where the meeting was to be held.

And right after I walked in about 20 students all shuffled in to hear more about this trip.

The best part...i thought i'd only have 3 people show up.

That's what happened at my last meeting attempt.

But then 20 came in...

 

Granted i'm not sure they all were ready to sign up

but the fact that they came for information gives me hope for this program.

 

I'm just so happy it went well

and I hope to be announcing more additions

to our HIP group as soon as possible!! :)

 

I'm one step closer to Paris...crossing my fingers people sign up :)

 

Have a great weekend

-Emily

 



Liverpool in November :) :)

I like counting down to big occasions.

For example:

My 23rd birthday is in 6 days

Our 10 months of Tomily anniversary is in 8 days

Our 11 month anniversary is in 38 days

Halloween is in 63 days

our YEAR anniversary is in 68 days

I leave for LIVERPOOL in 85 days

I graduate in 107 days

& Christmas is in 118 days 

That's a lot of dates to be excited about.
But i want to focus on one very special day.
November 21st, the day i fly over to see Tom ;)

It still hasn't really sunk in yet that i'll be leaving the country in November.
I think i'll start to feel its arrival around October.
But for now it's so far in the future that it almost doesn't seem real.
Thank goodness it is real...I just can't wait to be reunited with my stud crumpet ;)

So i've compiled a list of things i'm most excited to revisit once i'm back over in England.

So lets get started..
1. I'm VERY VERY VERY excited to be reunited with my babeee!!

2. I'M SO EXCITED TO GO back TO PRIMARK!!!

For those of you who don't know primark....it's basically the most magical store ever.
It's a clothing store on the cheap cheap cheap and i've basically decided to bring a half empty
suitcase just so i can fill it up with cheap primark goodies...
I'm also taking orders...if you live in America and we're good friends and
you'd like some cheap apparel...just let me know ;)
I'll find a way to get something back to you!!
And Tom already promised to take me here sooooo....it's a done deal!!

3. I can't wait to eat some Wagamama!!!

Wagamama is a Japenese restaurant/noodle bar and it's delish!!
Tom has never been here and they have one in Liverpool and my heart is so happy!!
I'm going to take him on a date here...can i do that??
Take him on a date in his own city??

4. Go to Marks & Spencer

I feel like Marks & Spencer is like the British version of Target.
But a little fancier than Target...
Hard to imagine..i know..

I don't know why i can't wait to go here...i think it's mostly because
we went here for all of our grocery shopping while in the UK
and i grew to love M&S!!

It's so exciting to think about revisiting all of these fun
places that i went to a year and a half ago.

It's more exciting now because i get to go and explore these places
with Tom, and i'm just not sure he's ready for how American
i'm going to be when we're in these places.

I'm already giddy just thinking about it...
Once he gets me in Primark he's going to have to keep one hand on me
at all times or there's no telling where i'll end up.
Probably digging my way into a clearance bucket...

I'm just really excited about it, i know i know it's like 80 days away
but i remember a time when Toms arrival was 80 days away
and time flew by until he was finally here!!
 I'll be in Liverpool with Tom before i know it.

Ohhhhh....this is also a fun/cute/adorable/perfect story....
A few days ago i bought some printable quotes, you know
the fancy ones you can frame and hang on your walls...
Well i bought some and one of the ones i bought
was a Jane Austen quote...
You know...the one Mr. Darcy says to Elizabeth..

"You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you"

Yea so I got Tom to say that to me and i almost passed out.
Not kidding...almost hit the floor out of pure swoon!!
His british voice...this quote...I mean sorry i swoon so hard for him, but i do!!
He's going to laugh when he reads this...
And maybe he'll realize the effect it had on me and will
just randomly start quoting Mr. Darcy quotes...the nice ones ;)
I mean it's ok if you want to do this Tom..
No one's stopping you ;)

-Emily ;)

Stone Age

So I haven't posted anything for the past two days because the Internet has been down for the past 48 hours at my beloved university. When will this problem be solved?? Who knows... 

I'm using my blogger app on my iPhone to write this and it's all being powered by 4G...so dad, if I go over this month on my data usage then you can blame my university ;) 

It's a funny thing to lose Internet, you kind of realize you don't know how to live without it, especially when you're on a college campus and everything is done through an online medium. It's sad that we rely so heavily on it...Hopefully it comes back on today!! 

I've been hard at work on promoting Paris over the last couple of days :) 

I've given speeches, I've made flyers, and I've drawn Eiffel towers in chalk with the help of my two besties. 

 

ALSO my birthday is a week from today!!! Next Wednesday i will wake up a 23 year old!! That's so crazy, I'm not sure how I feel about it ;) I feel like I'm creeping into adult territory. 

In other news I've taken up tennis. Sam, my best friend, decided to start playing so I've gone with her and our friend clay to play. It's turning out to be so much fun and such a good workout!! 

Anyways that's all I have for now...

I'll be back soon with a post about the things I'm most excited to do and see when I go visit Tom in November :) 

Y'all have a great day!! 

-Emily

Public speaking makes me want to vom!!

Vom is obviously another word for vomit but

no one actually likes saying vomit so i'm saying vom.

well this blog post is off to a good start...

This thursday i have to make an announcement in Chapel.

In front of like....a few thousand students.

What's even better is...

I have to give the announcement twice...

because we have two Chapels...

vom vom vom

No one likes to hear about vomming so here's a pretty
picture of Paris to take your mind off of it ;)

    I just finished the video that i'm going to be showing

and it's really really good.

I mean i don't like to brag but if i did

then i'd say how spectacular it is...

I mean i've spent like 20 hours creating it sooooo

really it should be pretty amazing!!

Which it is...ahem..

       

Here's the lowdown on how this Paris thing is going.

Not.good.

Now i'm not one to be pessimistic...and i'm really not trying to be

BUT...I have 7 students signed up and i need 12 more

I need at least 19 students signed up for this trip

Spring of 2012 we only had 9 students go...yeeaaa

And the first Paris meeting for the group going is tomorrow

LOLLZZ

I have till about October to recruit people.

And i'm going to do everything in my power to do so.

I guess i'm just lucky that if this doesn't work out

that i have a boyfriend who already promised to take me back 

to Paris when i'm over there next year ;)

Lucky lady over here!!

But still i want this to work.

It's because i know how beautiful and amazing Paris is!!

I want other people to experience it for themselves.

I want to inspire these students to take trips like this

that can and will change their lives...

{I think i might use that line in my speech}

So we're just going to see how this goes.

Keep me in your thoughts and prayers because i don't want

to be that girl that voms all over the stage...

Have a good monday HW readers!! 

-Emily

Plum Paper Designs {DISCOUNT CODE}

While perusing Etsy i regularly come

 across a shop that speaks to me.

Chances are i just really like whatever the shop is selling.

Go figure...

So i came across Plum Paper Designs the other day

and i fell IN LOVE with their planners.

Above are three of my favorite Planners from their collection!!

AND...not sure if you noticed but they're personalized...

Which is so in right now!!! 

Plus school just started which means everyone is on the hunt for 

some amazing school supplies that will make learning or organizing fun!

I contacted the lovely people behind Plum Paper 

and they've given all of us a little treat!!!

You will receive 10% off the planner of your choice if you use the discount code HOPEFUL10

The planners are already super affordable...not to mention super adorable!!

So getting an additional 10% off is amazing!!

This code is good for the next month.

So go get yourself a new planner from Plum Paper!!

I can't wait for mine to come in the mail!!

I get a little giddy over organization these days...

Don't judge me ;)

| Click here to find Plum Paper Designs | Click here to follow me on Bloglovin |

-Emily

Distance

I miss Tom, Tom misses Emily!
That's our life at the moment.

I don't think of the distance too much...

But It kind of hit me when Tom said this yesterday...

"You're all i've thought about for almost a year and i've only had you for 3 weeks"

First of all....girly sigh....

It's true....we've only actually been together for 3 weeks.

We feel like it's been more than that but sadly it hasn't.

Add on another week at Thanksgiving and we'll have a month.

At least it's a full month together...

I mean that's almost 750 hours with each other...

Or 44,640 minutes...

Or 2,678,400 seconds together.

When it's put that way it sounds like a lot more than a month.

We both know we won't get real time together till next year.

And we're both really impatient people.

Impatient when it comes to seeing each other.

Really really impatient.

So impatient that i'm flying over at thanksgiving ;)

Patience is something we're going to have to work on.

Because patience is key to long distance.

It helps that we're both really dedicated to each other
which makes being apart easier.

I know he's thinking of me when i'm thinking of him.

There's a lot of love in this relationship.

And a lot of trust, faith and hope.

The countdown to Thanksgiving has started.

Today we're exactly 3 months from another airport reunion.

 And this Airport reunion is going to be a little more intense than the first one.

I have never been more ready to see him!!!

-Emily

Sassy Tomily!!!

Blogging about Tom is easy, mostly because he's so amazing :)

Although yesterday he was being a bit sassy...

Luckily Sassy Tom is still cute and pretty hilarious so i didn't mind.

Plus i was being a little sassy myself.

We just have sassy days occasionally...

Yesterday was amazing.

It was the first day of school...which was meh..

But then i got to spend a majority of the day talking to Tom,

We skyped and chatted on the phone most of the afternoon.

I decided to go on a walk because i'm trying this new healthy thing...

I called Tom up via Skype and we walked and talked for about an hour.

On the walk i saw the moon and it was HUGE...

And i remembered something my parents do 

with each other when they are away from one another.

My dad will call my mom and tell her to go outside and then they 

look at the moon together for a while so they can feel close.

Which is a little gross when it's your parents ;)

But i asked Tom if he could see it out of pure curiosity.

Because in my mind if it's light out and i can see the moon then surly he can't...right??

Then he informed me that we see the same sun...duhhh

So tom looked out his window 

and he was looking at the same moon that i was looking at.

And it was a really magical moment.

We live in a crazy amazing world!!

The rest of the walk i serenaded Tom with songs from Mulan 

because he told me he's never seen it before.

And we had this whole conversation before hand about the moon and 

he said Pink Floyd which led to Dark side of the Moon which led to 

me serenading him with the song "Let's get down to business..to defeat...the HUNS"

And that's how the rest of the walk went...

He really liked it...don't let him tell you he didn't!!

Anyways...

I miss him..

I miss him a lot!!

I'm ready for Thanksgiving to be here!!

I'm ready to see him!!

But for now i'm in school and you know it's not too bad.

I've got some pretty school supplies from Target.

Spent just $7 on a binder/dividers and a planner!!

I'm making healthy yummy dinners all by myself.

I'm a stir fry addict!!!!!!

I have REAL pictures of the boy and myself in my room!! :) :) :)

It beats Skype pictures by a million miles!!!

I've got everything all decorated the way i want it!!

These shelves are from hobby lobby and i will keep them forever!

And i learned i have a serious scarf addiction that's only going to get worse!!

 Which is totally ok with me ;)

So that's life lately.

It's been a really great week so far.

I talked to about 200 girls last night about Studying in Paris.

This recruiting stuff is good for my shyness...It also makes me want to Vom!!

Anyways i hope you're all having a great week!!

-Emily

My Fitness Pal

I feel like things get real when you blog about them.

It's like this sensation comes over you when you realize

you've told the whole world something and now you have to stick to it.

So i'm writing about a life change...

A life change that i've been wanting to embrace for a long time.

I'll cut to the chase before anyone gets really nervous about what i'm saying.

I eat so so bad!!

There is just nothing good about the way I eat.

If you gave me the choice between a chocolate bar or an apple...

I'd choose me some chocolate.

If you gave me the choice between a giant cheesy pizza or a nice healthy salad...

I'd choose the giant cheesy pizza.

No shame!!

 I think that over the past few years i've tricked myself into believing

that i would never get cellulite or stretch marks just because i was young.

HA!! Jokes on me.

No, i'm not talking about losing weight because i don't like how i look.

I love how I look, i think i look perfect!!

I do, however, feel gross.

This all came to light last week while my family was on our foodcation.

I mean, yes, I loved every second of stuffing my face with things that aren't good for me.

But afterwards i felt sick, sick and gross.

And i don't want to feel gross.

So i'm not going to feel gross anymore!

I came across this App called...

What's so cool about this app is it makes keeping a food journal fun.

I never thought it would be fun to keep a food journal.

I always thought it would be a hassle, but this little app has changed everything.

My good friend Heidi got me hooked on this app.

She is a trainer at our local 24 hour fitness and she uses the app.

And heidi is like the fittest person in the whole world so if she uses it then you know it's good!

So i got mine all set up and started playing around with it.

You have to enter some personal information like height and weight 

and how much you want to lose and how active you are.

That way it can tell you how many calories you need to consume daily 

to lose weight in a healthy way.

When you want to add food into your diary

you start by searching for what you are eating.

Then it comes up with all of these choices and you just click on the one

that applies to you and it inserts it into your diary.

It also counts how many calories are in what you're eating and

it subtracts it from the calories you have remaining for the day.

It's really really magical!!

And it's interesting to see if the food we eat is actually healthy or not.

I mean do you really want to spend all of your calories on one meal??

No, no you don't, so make better choices!!

It's as easy as that!! 

My mom and sister are starting to use it.

I just found out my good friend Lauren is using it.

And I found out Tom has the app as well..so we're not only bf/gf

but we're also in a fitness relationship.

Trying to look good for the Caribbean?? ;) Perhaps...

It's really great to have a support system when you're going through a life change.

So if any of you have this app and want to be friends then just add me to your friends list and

i promise to accept, the email you can use is hopelesswanderings@gmail.com

Anyways..if you're looking for a new way to boost your

life in a positive and healthy direction, then get this app and get healthy!!

We can all do it together!! :)

-Emily

Moving Forward!!

So I am back at school adjusting to College life yet again.

For the last time.

I'm sitting In my pretty Apartment in my pretty kitchen

and i'm just in awe of the changes happening in my life.

It's funny that a pretty apartment set off some serious emotions about life.

But i remember freshman year sitting in my dorm room from 1970 

and thinking to myself that this was hopeless.

I had no hope for the future as i tried my best to cover the sea foam green counter tops

and cover the cement block walls with as many posters as possible.

Now i'm sitting in what looks like a brand new beautiful apartment

and i'm amazed at all of the changes that have taken place in a few short years.

It's true that your college years fly by.

what's even truer is how much your life changes in those few years.

I'm now about as independent as they come...

but four years ago i was having a melt down on my first day being away from home.

I've traveled bits of the world.

When four years ago i hadn't gone anywhere without my parents.

I'm now in a relationship.

four years ago i thought i'd be single forever.

I'm just so happy that my life has taken some amazing twists and turns.

I've definitely grown into a stronger version of myself since 

i started school 4 years ago..

Oh by the way...i'm taking a victory lap this semester!!

I'm a four and a half year senior...Holla!!!

That's all for now...

I may be a slow blogger this week

since i'm getting back into the groove of things!!

Have a great weekend!!

-Em

VLOG :) & Back to school!!

I'm all packed up and hitting the road for Arkansas today!!

It's amazing that 4 years ago was my first semester of college.

It started out rocky...I hated college...I just wanted to go home.

In the end I stuck it out and I have some fond memories of that amazing place!

My heart is happy that the studying is coming to an end

but it's also heavy because this school has changed my life!!

I would have never gone to Paris, and i wouldn't have the opportunity to go back.

I wouldn't have met my best friends Sam, Jess and Lauren!!

I wouldn't have become my own person.

I wouldn't be who i am without this experience.

The first time i talked to Tom face to face on Skype was in my dorm room at 8am.

Who knows where i would have been if I hadn't of been at my school.

I might have missed out on Tom completely.

I was put where i am for a reason and I'm so so happy

that I have a God who's plans for me are much greater than my own!!

...

In other news...Tom and I made a little Vlog!!

And by little i mean it's like 9 minutes long haha

I'm not sure how we made it so long.

It's worth a watch.

We're goofy and funny and ridiculous!

So if you want to endure 9 minutes of that then watch it ;)

You'll at least get a glimpse at how we are together!!

It's not the best quality but it will work :)

Enjoy!!

                     

Birthday Wish list & {Giveaway Winner}

First of all Congrats to Karen West!!

You were the randomly chosen winner of the $50 Etsy Giveaway :)

If you'll just e-mail me we can work out the details!!

And for everyone who entered but didn't get this one

do not fret because there is more where that came from!!

I'm already in talks with a few of my favorite etsy shops

and we're trying to work out a few upcoming giveaways!! :)

Which is so EXCITING!!

...

So my birthday is coming up...the big 23!!

I still feel like a 12 year old if i'm being honest...

I mean i snort laugh and I eat Frosted Flakes for breakfast!!!

If that doesn't scream pre-teen then i don't know what does...

But i have to admit my birthday wish list has changed a lot since i was 12.

I think I asked for a CD player when i turned 12...and maybe ear piercings??

Now that i'm older and obviously more grown up my wish list consists of 

Elephant Phone cases and Texas blue jean frocket t-shirts!!

I'm clearly an adult these days ;)

This wish list is very serious..

I'd cry tears of happiness if i was to have every item on this list.

I know that's probably wishful thinking...hence a wish list ;)

1. The Elephant Iphone 4s Case is so cute i can't handle it!!

Plus it's my favorite animal...on a phone case...and it's all tribally :)

I'm in love with a phone case!!

2. The Initial Necklace is such a pretty and dainty necklace.

I'd love to have a little 'e' around my neck!

3. I saw this Texas Frocket on pinterest and just about died over it!!

A frocket where the pocket is blue jean...ummm yes please!!

Plus the cute Texas and heart on the back totally won me over.

4. I've wanted Hunter Wellies for a while now.

And since i am going to hopefully be a frequent visitor of England

this seems like a completely necessary item to have in my luggage!!!

We want the feeties staying dry.

Dear mom and dad...Color: BlackorNavy/Size: 8

Please and Thank you!! :)

5. Again since traveling is in my future i'd love this adorable Passport Holder!!

Oh, the places you'll go...It's such a sweet reminder of the 

exciting opportunities that are ahead of me!!

6. And finally some of the cheapest Riding Boots ever.

And they're pretty snazzy for the price.

I really love the brown color of these and the style.

They'd keep the feeties nice and stylish.

So that is the birthday wish list.

If you'd like to partake in my birth and buy me one of these things i wouldn't hate it.

But really...

ok I kid I kid ;)

Y'all have a wonderful Wednesday!!

-Emily

This blog needs a VLOG!!

I feel like i have been withholding something very important on this blog.

Something that you're all dying to see more of.

So i'm going to try to right my wrong.

I asked Toms permission to write this blog today.

You know that's when things are serious...when i have to ask his permission ;)

I asked him if we could make a vlog together and post it on the blog.

It was something that i was going to do while he was here 

but i guess i just forgot to do it.

So recently i've found out the my Mac actually does screen recordings.

Which means i can record Skype conversations that Tom and I have.

Which sparked an idea in my head.

<<A TOMILY VLOG>>

A Vlog where we answer the readers questions!!

Have you been dying to know something about Tom or myself?

Have you wanted to know more about how we met?

Or maybe you just have random questions you want us to answer!!

I just thought this would be a fun little way for you to get to know us better.

Plus you get to hear Tom talk...which i know is why this works so well ;)

So post questions in the comments below or send them to me via email

Or just ask me on Facebook or Twitter

and i'll pick out a few for a little Vlog.

If there are lots of questions to sift through we may just have to 

break it up into multiple Vlogs!!! 

I think this will be fun but it does take audience participation ;)

So ask away so we can get to Vlogging!!!!

ALSO

This is officially the LAST day to take part

in my $50 Etsy Giveaway!!!

Don't miss out on this awesome chance at free money!!

Just follow the rules in THIS BLOG POST...

And you'll be entered to win!!

It's so easy!!

So after you leave a question on here

head on over there and enter to win!!

The winner will be announced TOMORROW!! :)

Have a wonderful day!!

-Emily

Marquee Letter DIY

I was cleaning my room at around 11pm this past friday night.
I know...I'm such a fun person...you don't have to tell me!!

What's even better is i was watching Mary Poppins while cleaning.
And i don't know about you but when i watch Mary Poppins i just get
this cleaning bug and i can have my whole room sparkling in under an hour!!
It's just a magical movie...

Anyways...
I would occasionally take a break to watch the movie or peruse the web
and while perusing i saw a lady who was making a Marquee Letter.
It was seriously the coolest thing ever and after i saw that it was all i could think of.

I've had my big letter E for years now.
It's just been decorated with some sparkly ribbon...
But after i saw that picture i decided that my big letter E was
destined for greater things than some simple sparkly ribbon.

So after I finished cleaning I took the letter
off of my wall and started brainstorming how i could make
my own Marquee letter.

I didn't look at any DIY's when making this...i just kind of did it
and it worked really really well...so well that i wanted to share it with you!!

First of all you'll need these supplies

Paper Mache Letter {Can be found here}

Bulb lights {Can be found here}

Box cutter

Pen

Ruler

Then just follow these steps

First take your letter and lay it down in the correct way it should face. You'll be cutting the face off of the letter. Take your box cutter and go around the corners of the letter so that you're ONLY cutting the top layer of the letter off...That way your letter is open and hollow.

Like this!! 

After you have cut the face of the letter off you'll want to turn it over and measure the entire  back side of the letter. So take a ruler and lay it on every part of the back of the letter so that you know how much room you have to work with when putting in your lights. Ex. My letter was 66inches

After you've measured your letter count the number of bulbs you have on your strand. My letter was 66 inches and i had 25 bulbs. So I divided 25 from 66 and had 2.64 inches to spread out for each bulb. So i put a Pen mark where i wanted my first bulb to go, then i measured approximately 2.5 inches and marked my next spot...and so on and on until my entire letter had 25 evenly spaced dots on the back.

So now that your dots are placed you will need to unscrew your bulb from the strand, then make a little hole over your dot so that the light strand will poke through, then screw your bulb in on the other side so you're not making a huge hole. I did some trial and error runs on my letter...so some of the holes look worse than the others, but i finally figured out a system and it worked perfectly!!

So now your letter will look like THIS...

Cool Right??!!! :)

As you can see there are wires sticking out, I just used a few zip ties to pull the wires out of the way so that they are placed nicely behind the letter. You don't want wires sticking out...It kind of ruins the look ;) 

So now that all of that is done you're basically finished.

You just need to find the perfect place to hang this beauty. And you might need an extension cord since the plug is really close to the letter.

Warning - This is just a fun light to use for a minimal amount of time...since it is paper mache and it has lights on it i would be careful to not leave it on when no one is around...I'm not saying it will catch fire or anything like that but just be safe and only have it on if you're in the room.

And make sure the lights are evenly spaced and are not touching the sides :)

It really is such an easy little project and it has such an amazing effect once finished!! I am considering the idea of selling these if i get enough people interested....So far i've had multiple people asking so if you're interested feel free to message me about it :)

So there you have it...your very own inexpensive Marquee Letter Light :)

Dont forget to go get in on my giveaway!!

It's only open for two more days!! 

It's for one $50 Etsy Gift Card!!

GO HERE TO ENTER

Have a great Monday!!

-Emily

A Thanksgiving in England!!!!

Exactly 393 years ago English Pilgrims set sail on the Mayflower

for a new land...the land that is now 'Merica...

And on November 21st of this wonderful year at approximately 3:00pm 

I will be making the trek back to our homeland of England.

To see this handsome guy!!!

I'll be going to England on November 21st to
spend my Thanksgiving break with Tom!!! :) :) :) :) :)

It's been about a month since Tom went back home.

And just two weeks into the separation period we realized that

waiting six months to see each other again was dumb...lame..and not happening!!

This is when the Get Emily to Liverpool plan was born.

I'm still in school and i don't graduate till December...

which is why we figured it would be mid january before i'd get to see Tom again!!

Or even later if Paris happens.

Paris is kind of what sealed the deal for the both of us.

If i am fortunate enough to go back to Paris then it will be middle to late february before

i'd get to see Tom again....and well thats just not an option.

So we hatched up a little plan to make time go faster and give us some
time together in the middle of all of this waiting!!
It's only for 10 days...but it's 10 days we didn't have before.
And i know November is still a few months away.
But it's closer than next year!!

Plus when your British boyfriend suggests you go halfsies on
a flight just so he can get you over to England...you just don't say no!!!
Even my mom admitted that she'd do the same thing...
That was after she scolded Tom for taking me away at Thanksgiving ;)

And this is finally blog worthy news because the flight has officially been purchased.
Tom was looking into it yesterday when we found a deal on a flight
that we just couldn't ignore.

He got into sugar daddy mode and bought the flight.
I will be paying for half of it in due time ;)
But still...total sugar daddy...i'm one lucky lady!!

I'm just SO happy that i can go over there and meet his wonderful family
and show them what Thanksgiving is all about ;)
Food...and Family...and Food....and Food...Ha!!

Don't worry, i've already told my mom that we'll be skyping
her at each family meal on Thanksgiving Day.

Plus maybe next year it will work out to where Tom can
spend Thanksgiving with us here in America!!
The possibilities are endless...
Especially when you go halfsies on flights ;)

So there you have it!!
The BIG news :)

It's pretty exciting stuff!!
Know what else is exciting???
My Giveaway!!
It's running till next tuesday so
be sure to get in on it while you can :)

Have a wonderful friday and an amazing weekend!!
-Emily

Victoria Sponge Cake {a cake that will change your life}

So about two weeks ago I read a blog {Aspiring Kennedy} about a sponge cake.

And from that day i knew in my heart that i would one day make that sponge cake.

And that day was yesterday...And it was magical!!!

I'm not a professional baker...I mean i know it looks like i am but i'm not ;)

This just happens to be the simplest and most beautiful cake you could ever make!!

I would have failed miserably if my mom hadn't been home..

Hey mom whats the conversion of grams to ounces???

Hey mom what does fold the flour mean???

Hey mom what is Mascarpone ... I even pronounced it {Mass-Car-Pony}

But that's Toms fault...

I had my computer sitting on the microwave in the kitchen and Toms

handsome face was on the screen watching over the baking activities.

He was also looking into flights while i baked ;)

Yeeeaaa he was...mwahaha!!!

Anyways back to the cake...

It's just SO easy to make and so so tasty!!

Ingredients; 

1 cup self rising flour

8 oz Salted butter (softened)

1 cup granulated sugar 

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the filling;

Raspberry jam

1 cup of Cool Whip or Mascarpone

2 tablespoons powdered sugar plus extra for dusting 

2 teaspoons vanilla extract. 

Raspberries for the top of the cake

First Pre-Heat oven to 325 Degrees

Whip together butter and granulated sugar until fluffy.

Then add the vanilla extract and one egg and blend it again. 

Add each remaining egg with 1 tablespoon of your flour and blend thoroughly after each addition. 

Once mixed, fold in the remaining flour with a spatula until combined. 

Pour mixture into a round lined {or sprayed} 20cm cake tin and put into the oven. 

{Or do what i did and pour the mix into two round pans to create your halves}

Let it bake for about 40-45 minutes. check it around 40 to make sure it's not too brown.

Use a knife or toothpick to test the cake and make sure it's not sticky.

Then Leave the cakes to cool completely.

Once cold, cut the cake horizontally in two to put your filling in. {Or use your separate peices}

Spread the top half with lots of yummy jam.

Mix all the Cool whip or mascarpone, powdered sugar and vanilla in a bowl until fully mixed. Spread this mix on your bottom half and put the two halves back together. 

Dust the top of the cake with plenty of powdered sugar and then arrange raspberries on top of the cake. 

Then lightly dust some more powdered sugar on top of the raspberries. 

And Thats all there is to it!!

Now you can either eat it or just look at how pretty it is!!

I ate it...but i have no self control ;)

This is such a fun cake to make.

It really makes you feel as though you could open up your own little

sponge cake shop and spread the sponge cake love.

I mean that's how i felt ;)

So go...go make it..and never look back

because life will never be the same again!!!!

I'm serious...and eat it all in one sitting...Ok don't do that...or do do that...

I mean live your life...i'm not saying i did or did not eat most of it in one sitting...

Ok my family helped but still....It's so good, it would be wrong to leave it for too long..

Right?? Yes!!! Ok glad we're on the same page ;)

Have a great thursday everyone!!

-Emily