Darcie Bakes //

Currently // 08.03.2015.

Oh hai.

It recently hit me that I have not done one of these “Currently” posts in quite some time. Without further ado, let me update you on my life {whether you care or not}. 🙂

So here’s what I’m currently…
MAKING A to-do list for all the stuff I have to get done in the next three days.
COOKING Nothing today, but I am making chicken/broccoli/quinoa casserole tomorrow. It’s so delicious. I’m also making some boozy brownies. Yesssssss.
DRINKING Water + Arnold Palmer iced tea from Whole Foods.
READING Nothing at the moment. I purchased a copy of Alice in Wonderland from Anthropologie around Christmas time. It’s one of those books with the gorgeous covers on it. I should probably get on reading it soon.
WANTING I want many things. I need to learn to want less.
LOOKING My outfit is on point today, not gonna lie. So I look pretty good. Hey everyone, come see how good I look! 😛
PLAYING No music right now. I’m on an all day online training session for work [this blog post is a break from staring at a screen and listening to someone talk for six hours].
WASTING Nothing? I try to not waste too much.
SEWING Lulz, I can’t sew.
WISHING That I could be done with my day job so I can go do other things. Story of my life? Haha. Story of everyone’s life.
ENJOYING My hair. I bought some new Herbal Essences Naturals shampoo, and my hair is so soft and silky smooth! Ha.
WAITING Patiently (or not-so-patiently) for the end of the work day. 🙂
LIKING My new role at work. I am on a great team and my work is pretty fulfilling.
WONDERING How I’m going to get everything done before I take a mini-vacation to Tennessee.
LOVING This black cherry yogurt from Whole Foods. It’s converted me to actually tolerating yogurt!
HOPING That the brownies I’m going to make tomorrow turn out well.
MARVELING At how amazing it’s been to do more volunteer work as of late.
NEEDING More water. I’m developing a bit of a headache.
SMELLING The hand lotion I keep on my desk. The cheap soap in the work bathrooms always dries out my hands…
WEARING Black skinny pants, black Tieks flats, a multi-colored, flowy top, and a light green cardigan.
FOLLOWING My heart. Or at least I attempt to find a balance between my head and my heart.
NOTICING That my contacts are starting to get dried out. Argh.
KNOWING That everything is going to turn out just fine, and possibly even better than expected.
THINKING I’m currently thinking about agile project management concepts and how they relate to Microsoft Team Foundation Server [IT nerd probz, haha].
BOOKMARKING Several articles on privacy in the digital age. I’m in the very beginning stages of collaborating on a published paper with one of my former undergrad instructors.
OPENING My bottle of water.
GIGGLING At my friends. Always. They usually have a way of making me laugh.
FEELING Decent!

// Photos from Instagram. #oninstagramstraightflexin

currently071515

Top Row:
01. As I’ve mentioned, I spent two weeks in Germany and other parts of Europe back in June. This is a picture from one of the information security classes I took in Deutschland.

02. The lookout towers in the forest preserves in the Czech Republic are way cooler than ours!

03. In keeping with my new tradition, again I gave some baked goodies to some fellow STL foodies that I met IRL [in real life]. This time I made browned butter chocolate chip cookies for Christine and Kate. They loved my cute little pink bakery boxes, the emoji stickers, and my custom-made Darcie Bakes stamp! Hooray.

Middle Row
01. I saw so many pretty little gardens throughout the small town of Deggendorf, Germany.

02. These “Live Free, or Chai Trying” growlers are at a local STL brunch place called The Mud House. The Mud House is awesome and I really want one of these growlers, just cuz.

03. Last week, I attended a meetup for entrepreneurs and creatives. I brought red velvet whoopie pies, and one of the photographers decided to snap a photo of me. I had the cookie/cake whoopie pie all over my teeth when he was taking pictures of me, so I didn’t want to smile with my mouth opened. “I have cake all over my teeth!…” His response: “Just put one of the whoopie pies in your mouth, like you’re eating it. Then it doesn’t matter.” The result was this picture. I think it’s pretty entertaining. 😀

Bottom Row:
01. Kate and I are very excited to be holding our “We Eat Stuff” stickers in St. Louis. {PS: People who like to eat really are the best people!}

02. A friend and I decided to try some gin drinks at a place called Cafe Natasha in the Lou. I never even knew I liked gin, but it was pretty fabulous. I’ll need to go back soon. {The Gin Girl, aka Natasha, is pretty rad too!}

03. The Lantern Festival at the beautiful Missouri Botanical Gardens was a fun sight to see.

xoxo. <3

Currently // 05.21.2015.

Dayum.

I have been quite busy as of late, but I gotta say that the past several months have been pretty glorious [for the most part].

I wanted to mix things up a bit, and make this post a bit different than usual. To do that, I’d like to share some morsels of knowledge that keep getting pounded into my thick skull these days. {Obligatory Disclaimer: Not tryna tell you how to live, yadda yadda. Just sharing some epiphanies that help me when I’m being a real dipstick.}

1. Take everything one step at a time. ONE. STEP. AT. A. TIME. Doing so will greatly reduce your anxiety levels. Just calm down. Everything will sort itself out in due time.
2. Learn to gracefully let go of things/people/places not meant for you. Sometimes, certain activities/things/people just are not meant for you. This is okay. It’s okay to change your mind. To say no. To politely decline. To realize and accept the fact that you’re just not meant for certain things. [And sometimes, these “not meant for you things/people” come in the form of unfortunate events/falling-outs. It will suck at the time, but often it’s for the best.]
3. Yoga is good for you. DO IT MORE OFTEN. Preferably erryday.

Oh yeah, and as usual, here’s a compilation of pics from my Instagram account for you to peruse, plus a brief description of each:

currently0521

 

Top Row:
01. I was able to go to a Cubs vs. Cardinals game at Busch stadium with other work people several weeks ago. Although I’m not a huge baseball fan, it’s always fun to see the infamous rivals! Go Cards! 😛 {But since I’m from central Illinois originally, I’m kinda split between the Cubs/Cards. Actually, I’m not really loyal to either… Because I don’t care. ;)}
02. Some pretty flowers sittin’ in my bedroom window sill. I love buying fresh bouquets when I have the chance. They always cheer me up.
03. I enjoyed a beer flight at a brewery in northern Illinois about a month ago. I love beer!

Middle Row:
01. I had the privilege of seeing one of my favorite bands for the second time – Death Cab for Cutie. They are always great live, and I would go see them again whenever they’re in STL again.
02. Some of my friends are from Louisville, Kentucky, so we recently took a little road trip over there. It has a lot of similarities to St. Louis. The architecture is pretty similar. Me likey.
03. I got the idea to paint some plain terra cotta pots with acrylic paints to give them a color block effect. Then I planted succulents in them. I love them!

Bottom Row:
01. Finally, I got a membership for the Missouri Botanical Gardens (aka MOBOT). This is one of the neat concrete walls in the Japanese garden. If you’re ever visiting the Lou, definitely check out the gardens. They’re super pretty and relatively cheap to visit!
02. I loooove brunch, but I think most people do. The Mud House on Cherokee St. is amazing. Mmm.
03. Some other STL foodies and I met up at Urban Chestnut recently. One of the husband and wife foodie teams – We Eat Stuff – captured an awesome photo of my #bakinghalfsleeve! I don’t think I’ve really posted photos of my tats on the blog, but… There it is! (Or at least part of it.)

Currently // 02.12.2015.

Wowza. I can’t believe that February is halfway over.

This year has been pretty great so far, and I’m really looking forward to what the rest of 2015 has in store for me.

Here’s what I’ve been up to as of late! [Photos from IG; you can follow me @darciebakes, if you’re so inclined!]

currently0212

Top Row:
01. My roommate’s friend taught us how to make baguettes one afternoon. It was very cool! Thank you, Glenn!
02. I like to buy myself fresh flowers every other week or so. I found these cheery, bright yellow daffodils at Trader Joe’s several weeks ago. They bring me joy.
03. I made vegan, gluten-free peanut butter granola. [Recipe from Minimalist Baker; I need to make it again and feature it on here soon!] It was a lovely, simple breakfast to enjoy with black coffee.

Middle Row:
01. Recently, I had the opportunity to visit the other side of Missouri. I spent the weekend exploring Kansas City with some of my college friends. I got to do a tour of the Boulevard brewery, visit with some sweet kitties, and have lots of tasty vegan/gluten-free noms! Thank you to Emily and Dustin for allowing me to stay with them. 🙂
02. I had never been to Lush Cosmetics before. But I finally went inside of one in a Chicago suburb, and I have seen the light. One of the employees showed me several products, and even let me test some out. I will be back to get more bath bombs!
03. This, my friends, is a float from Ices Plain & Fancy in St. Louis. It’s made with nitro banana ice cream [with chocolate chunks], 4 Hands’ Milk Chocolate Peanut butter stout, and candied bacon! I’ll have to do a “Local Noms” post on this shop soon; it’s a pretty neat place!

Bottom Row:
01. On my way to Chicagoland, I had an impromptu visit with my cousin and one of my best friends, Nadia. Her mom got me a winter cap that says “MEOW” across it. Needless to say, it was a pretty spectacular visit!
02. Tattoos truly are addicting; I got this whisk added onto my #bakinghalfsleeve [it’s a thing!] a few weeks ago, and it’s pretty much healed now. I really need to write about my tattoo experiences soon.
03. This is a building in the historic neighborhood of Soulard in St. Louis. That “old world charm” and older architecture is what I really love about St. Louis. Isn’t the purple and brick just gorgeous?

What have you been up to these days? I hope 2015 is treating you well! <3

 

Currently // 01.05.2015.

The past several weeks have included the following: lots of baking, eating a ton of food, drinking too many tasty beers, spending time with loved ones, being very lazy, and not working.

So basically, my holiday break was a great success. And I’m feeling quite refreshed and ready for 2015!

Here’s my recap of what I’ve been up to lately. {Photos from IG.}

currently010515

Top Row:
01. I have been enjoying some tasty Portillo’s every time I visit Chicagoland these days. It’s just good [albeit unhealthy] stuff.
02: I went to my first NHL game in the beginning of December. I think that hockey is about the only sport I can follow; I don’t enjoy sports too much otherwise. I am still debating if I want to be a fan of the Chicago Blackhawks, the St. Louis Blues, or the Nashville Predators. Several of my friends will argue with me on this subject; for now I remain semi-neutral/loyal to all three teams. 😉
03: I had my own nifty business cards printed from Social Print Studio! More on these soon. PS: Mint green nailz 4 lyfe.

Middle Row:
01: I spent lots of time with my brother’s beautiful [or shall I say handsome] cat, Ollie. He is naturally photogenic.
02: I’ve been experimenting with royal icing on cutout sugar cookies lately. I’m thinking I will work on some pastel/spring cookies soon and actually blog about it. I still need to work on my piping skillz a bit more, though.
03: Exploring in downtown Chicago! Chicago is one of my favorite cities to visit [although I may be biased since I am from Illinois, haha].

Bottom Row:
01: Just showing off the vintage-style apron that my mom and I sewed while I stayed with them in Tennessee + my tattoos + peanut butter blossoms. #GangsterBettyCrocker 😎
02: Eating a very tasty brunch in the middle of nowhere in Tennessee: apple pancakes with raspberry sauce, Gouda grits, hash browns, and maple bacon. {No, I couldn’t eat all of it in one sitting, for the record.}
03: Holding two of my favorite canine friends while wearing my “Merry Christmas, Ya Filthy Animal!” sweatshirt at a friend’s ugly sweater party. I just love befriending other peoples’ pets!

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What have you been up to lately? I hope everyone had an enjoyable break, and is enjoying the new year! <3

Currently // 12.01.2014.

Wow. The past several months have been a bit rough. I’ve experienced several deaths in the family, and I just got over a post-Thanksgiving flu bug. Yuck.

Luckily I’m doing a bit better now, and I’m ready to get through December and move onto 2015!

Here’s a quick recap of what I’ve been up to in November.

shelves

Top Row:
01. Recently, I realized that my bathroom shelf/storage space is a bit lacking [stereotypical lady with too much stuff right here, and I call myself low-maintenance.. ha!]. So I purchased these white shelves from Target. I think they spruced up my space nicely; I have an even combination of decor and functional items on them. Don’t they look spiffy?
02. Some friends and I went out in downtown STL to celebrate my friend Steve’s birthday. Happy Birthday, Steve! 🙂
03. Several of my lady friends and I have started a new monthly [ish] tradition of a craft night. These are our crafts from our first craft night. I’d say it was a success!

Middle Row:
01. The main kitty that I grew up with – Charlie – recently passed away. Charlie lived a good, long life [he was about 19 years old!]. He was a goofy cat, and I unintentionally turned him into a con artist who begged for cat treats. But he was an important part of my life. Rest in peace, silly kitty. You’ll be missed. <3
02. I made vanilla bean cupcakes for Steve and Nick’s [friends] birthdays! Those metallic sprinkles are the bomb.com.
03. My neighborhood is a bit eclectic and eccentric. I like it. #STLProud

Bottom Row:
01. My roommate – Dani – makes homemade animal crackers. I made her a nice little label for the containers of them that she keeps at work. It was a fun way to be creative.
02. I like to occasionally purchase fresh flowers for myself. I found these pink Gerbera daisies from Whole Foods and just had to have them. Aren’t they gorgeous? I love fresh flower bouquets; they can really brighten up my mood.
03. I made pumpkin roll for Friendsgiving and for actual Thanksgiving. It is delicious. I’ll be posting that recipe ASAP. Yum.

I hope that y’all have had a better November than I have… To be honest, 2014 has just not been the best year for my family and myself. But again, here’s to hoping 2015 is better for all of us! Cheers.

// Photos from my IG account.

Currently // 11.06.2014.

Duuude. We’re six days into November.

My only response to that is:
Wat8
Don’t even try to tell me how many days there are until Christmas. I’m not a Grinch, but honestly… Christmas can just hold its horses until after Thanksgiving is done being its awesome, food coma-inducing self. To quote Kendrick Lamar, that’s just how I feel, nah, nah.

Moving on. Let’s do a quick review of what I did in October. It was a good month, for the most part. But it sure flew by too darn fast. Sadface.jpg.

// Photos from my Instagram Account. On Instagram, straight flexin’! 😎

adelaide

Top Row:
01. I bought a gorgeous purple orchid from Trader Joe’s. They actually have pretty good quality orchids. I named it Adelaide, and it’s a she. I hope I don’t kill her. So far she still looks good.
02. Two of my bestest STL friends – Ethan and Cassidy – got married on October 11th. The wedding and the reception [mostly the reception – open bars are bad, mmkay] were so much fun. In this picture, we’re doing the Bernie. Bernie’d so hard our necks hurt. If it ain’t about money, then it really don’t concern me. [Yeah, I’m way too easily amused!] 😀
03. I taught the lovely newlywed Cass how to make my favorite cinnamon chip scones. They’re her husband’s favorite, so she can make them for him. I shouldn’t be makin’ scones for someone else’s man. 😉 Also, I am really ashamed that I’ve not shared them on the blog yet. They are some of my favorite scones too, and I daresay that I’m basically an expert on them. I’ll stop holding back on you soon. Promise.

Middle Row:
01. I made my own cupcake costume for Halloween in the Central West End (fancy Saint Louis neighborhood). It was so much fun to make, even though I sustained like three injuries from making it. I burnt my left ring finger pretty badly with hot glue, I cut left pointer finger on my box cutter, and got a few scratches, too. It was all worth it. The crowd loved it; I got so many compliments, and I’m in at least ten random peoples’ pictures. Great success! {PS: I also still have sprinkle residue on my nails…}
02. I visited some college friends in Chicagoland. I made it a priority to go to Portillo’s. Nom nom nom.
03. The “baking gallery wall” is making progress in our kitchen. I’m lucky that – even though I’m 99.4% sure she thinks I’m crazy – my roommate lets me do whatever decorating, and she enjoys my interior decorating skillz in our apartment. I should probably talk about where I’ve gotten some of these decorations. Soon, soon.

Bottom Row:
01. While I was shopping for supplies last minute for the cupcake costume, I saw this mixer ornament at Michael’s. It was indeed an impulse purchase, but I don’t even care. I’m planning on doing a baking themed Christmas tree this year, and I knew that this had to be the first ornament to go on the tree. I’ll talk more about this, later, though. You know, after Thanksgiving. None of that Christmas-before-Thanksgiving horse shit. 😉
02. I got my nose pierced. I KNOW. My roommate asked, “Was that an impulse decision?” And my answer is: yes and no. It was an impulse decision – I had brunch with a friend on Saturday after having a really awful mental breakdown on Friday – then decided, YOLO, it’s time for a nose piercing. But I have actually considered doing it for a long time; I just wasn’t sure whether or not I could pull it off. It turns out that I can pull it off pretty well, methinks, and I don’t regret it. Even my mom didn’t yell at me for it; she actually likes it, so that’s how I know I made an okay decision.
03. In mid-October, I went to my hometown to celebrate the life of my paternal grandfather. I wasn’t the closest to him growing up, and he was certainly a goofy dude. But it was nice to get together with family and remember him and his antics. This is a picture of him helping me open presents when I was a youngin’. Wasn’t I a cute little ginger? Anyway, rest in peace, Grandpa Phil. You will be missed. <3

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That’s enough of my random streams of consciousness for now. I hope everyone had a great October. Let’s hope November is pretty ballin’, too.

PS: I have some extremely ballin’ [I just like the word ballin’ today] baking posts coming your way soon. It may take me a week or two to finish them because I have a day job. Silly day jobs… 😉 But do stay tuned – you’re gonna love the next few baking posts because they’re gonna be epic! Even if you’re not into baking like I am, they will still be epic. xoxo.

Currently // 10.02.2014.

How in the heck is it already October? September was such a blur… But I think October is my favorite month, so I’m attempting to savor it and all of its fall gloriousness.

Here’s a little blurb on what I’ve been up to in September. 🙂

currently

Top Row:
01. Road trip entertainment: I’m currently reading Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk. It’s been… very interesting.
02. Scored some pretty sweet stuff from a craft festival in O’Fallon, Illinois last weekend. I’ll be writing up a separate post about those goodies soon.
03. I went to Atlanta for a music festival with friends.

Middle Row:
01. Our kitchen table is getting festive for my favorite season.
02. My amateur attempt at the STL skyline.
03. Korean tacos from Food Truck Friday a few weeks ago.

Bottom Row:
01. I just got another tattoo added on to my arm. It’s a lovely cupcake. I will definitely be discussing my thoughts on my tattoos and my experience with getting them very soon.
02. I love Trader Joe’s coconut body butter, but then I found this pumpkin body butter the other day. It is amazing.
03. Enjoying pumpkin spice tea in my beloved Anthropologie ‘d’ mug.

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Thanks for reading my random streams of consciousness. 🙂 I’ve got a few baking-related posts in the works, so hopefully I’ll have them finished by next week.

Currently // 08.26.2014.

It just occurred to me that I did my first “Currently” post nearly a month ago. Whoa. Cliché as it sounds, time really does fly. This past month has been such a blur.

I know no one probably cares, but these posts are super fun for me, so I think I’m going to start making this Currently post a monthly series. It’s a great way to visualize what I’ve accomplished in the last month, and it’s fun to look back on my fond memories. It reminds me of how many awesome things I have in my life, which really helps me to stay positive when I’m stressing over something trivial. And hopefully y’all will get some enjoyment out of it, too. 🙂

Okay, here we go: my life as of late for the month of August:

:: Photos from my Instagram account.

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{Top row, from left to right: Red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting that I made for a former coworker’s baby shower. Congrats, Kelley!; some of my favorite Instagram photos printed via Social Print Studio [I’m pleased with how the prints turned out, but I’ll probably dedicate a post to these later]; a successful roomie dinner of homemade orange chicken.}
{Middle row, from left to right: There are many gorgeous hibiscus flowers in my neighborhood; I found this bright pink one on one of my walks; my cousin and good friend Nadia came to STL for a brief visit, and we got a photo at the Handle Bar with an awesome doughnut background!; I made Saveur’s chocolate chunk cookies, which involved a very interesting dough-making method; I’ll share more on this later.}
{Bottom row, from left to right: One of my favorite STL 250 cakes that I’ve found thus far; sometimes I take pictures on my Forest Park jogging adventures; and some delicious iced coffee from a fun local shop + pretty pink nailz.}

:: This fun little update idea from blogger Breanna Rose.

MAKING A spreadsheet to keep track of all the fun potential blog post ideas swirling around in my head!
COOKING I’m becoming obsessed with red quinoa. I’m going to make a vegetarian [or vegan, actually?] quinoa chili next week and I am pumped!
DRINKING Just water. I’m boring, I know. But I gotta stay hydrated.
READING Well, the roommate and I actually went on a walk to the library the other day, and I got a library card. So now I’m starting to read Gone Girl; I heard that it’s a good one. Truth be told, I enjoy some leisurely reading, but I just don’t read books the way I used to.
WANTING I want to purchase this 35mm f/1.8 lens for my DSLR so bad. But alas, I must wait until payday.
LOOKING Err.. barefaced? I’m on a no makeup kick, and I’m not doing it to be cute or for some cause. I’m doing it because it’s so blasted hot that makeup would just melt right off my face. Sooo… yeah.
PLAYING I just created a Sir Sly station on Pandora. What can I say? I love Indie music.
WASTING Well, I waste a lot of time worrying about stuff. I’m working on this.
SEWING Once again, I can’t sew. Although I do need to repair the hem of a pair of black work pants… *sigh*
WISHING That the weather would go back to the nice pleasant temperatures that we’ve had all summer.
ENJOYING My last day before I begin graduate school courses! Eek.
WAITING For payday to get here. Story of a poor post-college grad. Ha.
LIKING Your face.
WONDERING How my jog is going to go this evening. Dat humidity.
LOVING Life. Feels good to say that.
HOPING That all of my baking endeavors go according to plan this week.
MARVELING At what an awesome city I live in. STL has its issues, and it often gets a bad reputation. But there are a lot of things to love about the Lou.
NEEDING Payday. Please. Haha.
SMELLING My hair. It smells gooood.
WEARING Dark blue straight legged dress pants, a blue dressy top with an abstract design [hard to describe], and black sandals.
FOLLOWING My heart. Duh.
NOTICING That I’m a lot more content these days. Again, it’s a good feeling.
KNOWING That everything is going to turn out just fine, and possibly even better than expected.
THINKING My brain is going 100 miles a minute. Yikes.
BOOKMARKING So many recipes! Ahh. Bake ALL the things!
OPENING Too many spreadsheets. I swear, I’m beginning to really dislike spreadsheets.
GIGGLING At my friends. They usually have a way of making me laugh.
FEELING Excited for the future and what’s to come with all of my personal endeavors.
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Thanks for checking in and suffering through my random streams of consciousness! Stay tuned for some more posts coming soon.