High Five for Friday

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High-low Summer Dress

Yet again, Friday is here. And it’s glorious.

I have had a busy week. Lots to do. Extra projects popping up everywhere. But, I have a relatively free weekend ahead to tie up all the loose ends. . .so that’s good. And by tie up loose ends, I mean relax and not work on anything productive of course.

Here are my top 5 highlights of the week!

1. Did you get a chance to check out the RealSimple.com feature? I’m so grateful that I was given a second opportunity to create three bridal DIY hairstyles for them again. And seeing my name and face on their website is so cool. 

2. We had quite a dramatic storm blow in yesterday. We were warned about it all day, the weather service issued alerts, etc., so I was expecting a major storm. It arrived with a crazy wind and intimidating dark clouds, but then blew over relatively quickly in about 30 minutes. It knocked over some trees, but I don’t think anyone suffered any major damage. 
Every once in awhile I enjoy a good summer thunderstorm. As long as no one gets hurt, or no trees fall on houses, there is something cozy about being inside without power while the lightning flashes outside.

(no filter) 
(also, in case you are familiar w/ my neighborhood, please don’t speculate on where I live in the comments.)

I always thought the storms would be much worse in North Carolina than the midwest (where I grew up), but as it turns out we haven’t had a lot of major thunderstorms. I experienced many more, and much worse ones, in Illinois as a kid.

3. Since I mentioned last week that I was going to embark on a mission to make Pioneer Woman’s Cinnamon Rolls with my friend Allyson, I thought I’d follow up to let you know how it went.
First, don’t make them on an empty stomach. They take 3-4 hours total. Other than sticking your finger in the butter, sugar, cinnamon mixture and licking that, there is no cinnamon roll goodness for a long time.
The amount of butter Ree calls you to pour on the rolled out dough is crazy. I know she’s the butter queen and all that, but it was so much that as we rolled, it created a tidal wave of buttery sugary cinnamon goodness that was seeping out of the roll. And then the dough was too “wet” to hold together. 
Chilling the dough it majorly important. Almost essential.

So, if I were to make them again, and I probably will because they are delicious, I would half the amount of butter poured on the dough, pre-roll, and then once the rolls are sliced and placed in the pan, I’d drizzle the extra butter on top (prior to baking and icing).

(pre-bake)

4. I also mentioned a week or so ago and I was so excited for the Summer Movie series to start up at the Museum of Art (and Koka Booth–although I heard that location isn’t as good as MofArt) and tonight they are showing Life of Pi. 
AT 9:00PM. 
WHAT. 
If I see the any time in the nine o’clock hour on a clock, I whine about “it being sooooo late. oh my gosh it’s soooooo late.” Ideally, I’d like to be in bed by 8:30p, and asleep by 9:00p. 
Party. Animal.
And I was even like this before I got pregnant.

Plus, Life of Pi looks. . . .weird. I read the book in high school and can’t remember if I liked it or not. Probably because I was sketching out hairstyles in my notebook while I was in classes all day.

5. Finally, if there is one thing that I hope you can tell about my personality through this computer screen, it’s that I like to laugh. I’ve mentioned Essie, and YouTube-r, before as one of my favorite beauty gals to watch on YouTube, and at about minute 01:10 — 02:16 of her latest video is SO funny.
I was overcome with laughter. I don’t know why, it just struck me as so funny. And I think it’s the whole “I feel like I know her since I watch her videos so she’s kind of a friend and I like her because she’s funny and she keeps it real” sort of thing too. But man. I died. 


Finally, if you need more to read this morning, may I recommend the following:
Sweat-proof your makeup
Get that summer glow
Pink lipstick anyone?


(linking up with Lauren Elizabeth for HF4F)

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heatherbhodge says · 06.14.13

I absolutely agree with you on #5. I love Estee’! And after a long day draining day, that video was the perfect thing to watch as a pick-me-up!

Happy Friday!

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Emily Clark says · 06.14.13

Wow Life of Pi is one of the best, spiritually symbolic books of our time! If you don’t have any knowledge of other faiths (Buddhism, Hinduism) I can see how it may be hard to understand but the movie was visually stunning. The main character dabbles in different religions in the beginning of the book thus his way of coping throughout the story. It won multiple Oscars and was nominated for pic of year. Not so weird!

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lacy blaine says · 06.14.13

I agree! I think the Philosophy major in you would really like it! And, as Emily said, the cinematography is unbelievably beautiful.

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R2P2 says · 06.14.13

Oh I would encourage you to give Life of Pi another chance. I read it and immediately wanted to teach it to my high schoolers. The first part is for people really into theology/philosophy. Pi spends a lot of time exploring different faiths and making observations beyond the casual life observer. And then once he’s on the boat + the ending has some deep implications about storytelling, narrative, and why we do it. But I agree, outdoor movies in the summer are so tough because they can’t start until late! It wouldn’t be so bad if I didn’t live 30-40 min outside of Raleigh. I have to factor that into my late-night events, too.

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eatgreatbegreat says · 06.14.13

The sky looks so scary! We were expected worse storms yesterday too, but it mostly downpoured and thundered. It wasn’t too horrible! Life of Pi is one of the books on my reading list. I hear the movie and the book are supposed to be good.

Happy Friday!

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Jessica Anderson says · 06.14.13

Life of Pi was an amazing movie! I never read the book and I was really skeptical about the movie but it was amazing!

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Chelsea Mac says · 06.14.13

I love the piece you did for Real Simple – Gorgeous options! And 9:00 pm is my ideal bedtime as well. Solidarity sister! Happy Friday!

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Ashley says · 06.14.13

I live in Raleigh as well and was scared all day about the storms. The wind was awful for a little while (we even lost power for 30 minutes or so), but the whole storm was over almost before it got started!

I’ve also always thought Life of Pi looked strange. Given the other commenters, I may give it another chance, but for now, I’m with you. 🙂

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Leslie Ruth Petree says · 06.14.13

Hooray for Friday! Ok, PW’s cinnamon rolls are one of my favorite things to make and I PROMISE that they get easier to make each time you do it. I did a whole post on making them ( http://leslieruthpetree.blogspot.com/2011/12/i-brag-freely-about-this-skill.html ), but I totally agree with you about the butter thing! I don’t use as much as she calls for either. Two other things:

– Don’t be afraid to add more flour after the dough has risen. It doesn’t affect the overall taste and also helps it be less sticky and “wet”, like you mentioned.

– It looks like you used pie pans instead of cake pans. Did they bake up ok in those? I’ve only ever used the cake pans because there’s more room for them to rise and bake up nice and fluffy.

Cinnamon rolls for everyone! So delicious 🙂

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Kylie Jones says · 06.14.13

I feel cinnamon rolls fit best in a pie dish!! I never bake them in anything else though I don’t make the pioneer ones. My moms recipe is to die for and I make those…in fact I made them yesterday 24 amazing cinnamon rolls. Also I have discovered with the frosting it tastes so much better with almond extract versus vanilla!!!

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Kylie Jones says · 06.14.13

I feel cinnamon rolls fit best in a pie dish!! I never bake them in anything else though I don’t make the pioneer ones. My moms recipe is to die for and I make those…in fact I made them yesterday 24 amazing cinnamon rolls. Also I have discovered with the frosting it tastes so much better with almond extract versus vanilla!!!

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simplysophisticatedblog says · 06.14.13

I didn’t think I’d like Life of Pi at all! It honestly looked really BORING. But I ended up enjoying it a lot! It is definitely visually stunning, but I enjoyed the story-line too. However, you can rent it at Redbox and watch it from the comfort of your own home at an earlier hour if you don’t want to stay up that late! 😉

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Mrs. DeVore says · 06.14.13

I’m so with you on the 9:00 bedtime, makes me feel like an old lady but what can I say I love my sleep!

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Cari B. says · 06.14.13

I am an early to bed gal now as well! I’d rather have more daytime hours and get up earlier, especially on the weekends! I want them to last 🙂

Those skies look scary! I’m glad that it wasn’t too bad and a belated and big Congratulations on your pregnancy!! xo

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Melissa says · 06.14.13

I’ve made P-Dub’s cinnamon rolls a few times and can tell you from experience: USE ALL THE BUTTER SHE CALLS FOR. Trust me. I’ve tried using less and it didn’t come out the same. So even though you’ll get the tidal wave of butter squishing out when you roll up the dough, trust me, it’s better than the alternative. 🙂

What I like to do is make the dough right before I go to bed the night before and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. I use my enameled cast iron dutch oven, which has a nice heavy lid, so it can’t rise out of the pot. then the next morning it is super quick to just throw the rolls together.

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Alex Elizabeth Peschell says · 06.14.13

I make PW rolls all the time and you’re right! The trick is to use less butter than she calls for. I typically eyeball each time and only use enough to cover the dough but not drip over the sides.

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Leslie Ruth Petree says · 06.14.13

Exactly! Works every time 🙂

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Mallory says · 06.14.13

I watched Essie’s video last night! I watched her dancing part about 10 times, I was laughing SO hard! Aaaand those cinnamon rolls look amazing. Must try. Have a good weekend!

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Lauren Dark says · 06.14.13

I died too! I watched that part of her video no less than three times and even made my husband watch it. HILARIOUS! Love Essie!

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Jessica Roth says · 06.14.13

Have you found that pregnancy has changed your sense of humor at all? Before I got pregnant cutesy animy things were “Oh that’s cute.” And when I was pregnant it was all out tears streaming down my face rolling with laughter at anything remotely funny and animal related. My husband thought I was the weirdest thing ever. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you view it, that went away after my daughter was born.

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kristinwithani says · 06.14.13

As someone who lives not too far from you and I try pretty hard to not let on where I live also, it is crazy that you have to post this!

(also, in case you are familiar w/ my neighborhood, please don’t speculate on where I live in the comments.)

Really? Silly blog readers. Let’s stick together sistas.

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Sharon says · 06.14.13

Ahh yep, I live in the Fayetteville area and WOW that was a cool storm! Love that picture you got! I think y’all got a little more than we did, but we got some fierce winds and a tree went down and knocked the power out at my friend’s house! At least it’s cooled down a little bit today though, eh!! THANK GOD!!

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Alicia Halferty says · 06.14.13

Life of Pi looks strange I agree, and there are some parts that reminded me of Avatar in the way it all looked. However, the story and movie are AMAZING! There is a reason it won Oscars. Go see it if you can stay awake 🙂

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Lisa says · 06.14.13

Those clouds are beautiful in a scary sort of way…Congrats on your article.

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Carly says · 06.14.13

Oh no, 9:00 is WAY too late! I’ve always gone to bed early….but now it’s even worse!

Carly
http://www.lipglossandcrayons.com

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Juliette says · 06.14.13

We just watched ‘Life of Pi’ last weekend and loved it. Definitely thought-provoking and a great one for having discussions on faith, relationships, etc. I’d read the book before and my husband hadn’t (and really isn’t into anything abstract), but we both loved the movie and even went ‘nooo!’ out loud together once (we *never* do that in a movie!).

Give it a chance sometime, you might be surprised! =)

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Applebypie says · 06.14.13

I love Essie Button – Gangham Style Cardio Dance – ha ha ha! That made my day. X

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Genna says · 06.14.13

Life of Pi is so good but it is LONG. I would never start watching in at 9 pm!

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Kathleen says · 06.14.13

My 21 year old son was just teasing me because I don’t like to go out after 7:00 pm because I’ll be home too late or heaven forbid have to drive in the dark!

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Crosby says · 06.14.13

I started watching Essie because you had mentioned her in one of your other videos and I agree–she is freaking hilarious. In one of her videos she imitated Oprah when she gave cars away on her show (And you get a car! And you get a car!) and I could not stop laughing.

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Kate says · 06.14.13

I saw that one and I DIED laughing as well!

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Susan Barnes says · 06.16.13

Then you must watch her false eye lash video, lol (4/17/12 beauty products she can’t live without). Watch the begining and forward to the very end. Hilarious!

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mlalex84 says · 06.18.13

I can’t find the one where she imitates Oprah. . Can you post a link? 🙂

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Nikki B. says · 06.14.13

This comment has been removed by the author.

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Nik_chick says · 06.14.13

Right before the Oscars this year, my local movie theater was showing all of the Oscar best picture nominations back to back (over 2 weekends). I was planning to nap through Life of Pi because it looked pretty boring, but surprisingly I LOVED it! It was one of my favorites out of all 9 of them. Aside from being a really beautiful story, the tiger reminded me of my crazy cat!

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runtspickins says · 06.14.13

Hey I live in NC too! But don’t worry – I have no idea what neighborhood you’re photographing. I’ve lived here for three years and I pretty much know how to get to my job and back home so… LOL!

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Julie says · 06.14.13

Life of Pi is REALLY good. I didn’t read the book and I too though the movie would be weird, but it was really, really, really good. I thoroughly enjoyed it. And I think they start the movies so late so that it’s actually dark outside. If I didn’t have a 3 month old that needed to get to bed at 7 pm that I’d head out there to see it. Enjoy the flexibility to have your own schedule before the baby comes.

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Crystal @MyBlissfulSpace says · 06.14.13

I hear you about anything after 9:00. 😉 And I thought the same thing when I saw the previews for Life of Pi, but I finally saw it and loved it! You should check it out.

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Sarah says · 06.14.13

As far as Life of Pi goes – I had a hard time getting into the book, but the movie was great! I would honestly say it was one of the best I’ve ever seen, and the special effects are just out of this world.

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loveourboys says · 06.14.13

Life of Pi…so slow and weird like you said! Hey i just saw the cutest maternity blog and thought of you…mychicbump.com, anyway i am done having babies, i wish this blog was around when i was looking for cute maternity fashion.

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Kelley says · 06.14.13

I love PW cinnamon rolls. I’ve made them a few times and after the first time was so messy I tried it by spreading room temperature butter all over the dough instead of melted butter. It was soooo much easier to handle that way and tasted exactly the same! Hope that helps!

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Dana says · 06.15.13

So, I totally agree with you on Life of Pi. It does look weird. And since I can never stay up to watch a movie after 9 pm either, I think I’ll pass. The Help has been sitting on top of my DVD player for weeks. I’m sure Netflix thinks I’m keeping it.

And those skies are NASTY. I DO live in the Midwest and we had two tornado warnings from that storm on Wednesday. Not fun. My 9-year-old is thoroughly freaked out ever since his school evacuated to their “safe rooms” for another tornado warning a week after the Oklahoma tornado. It’s lovely to have to be the brave mom and appear calm when you’re a little freaked out yourself!

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Rikki Poynter says · 06.15.13

Oh, you live in North Carolina too? In Ablemarle, they had the worst in the state, I believe. They had a big ol’ downburst of winds and it created damage like a tornado could. I remember a house being flattened, a car being flattened, and mobile homes being turned over. A little kid ended up dying as well, but I’m not sure if that was in NC or not. It was a pretty nasty storm. North Carolina has been lucky for 2012 and 2013 so far. Our worst storm so far has definitely been the tornado outbreak here April 16, 2011.

Okay, weather nerd time OVER, hahaha.

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erin falagan says · 06.15.13

Just watched the Essie link- she is YOU!!! With brown hair and funkier. 🙂 LOVED IT!

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Julia Smoot says · 06.16.13

(also, in case you are familiar w/ my neighborhood, please don’t speculate on where I live in the comments.)

Please don’t tell me people actually do this, how creepy!

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PSIrwin says · 06.17.13

I never comment but I read faithfully and love your hair tutorials, etc. However, I am only slightly embarrassed that a discussion on PW’s cinnamon rolls is what is making me come out and actually comment! When I saw you talking about making them – probably on IG – I totally should have warned you about the excess butter! I made these multiple times every year to give as gifts and I get about 7 cake pans full of deliciousness out of every batch. I never chill – never occurred to me! – but I haven’t had a problem other than that and I follow her directions to the letter other than the excess butter use. Pour plenty in the bottom of the pan instead and all is well. Glad they turned out nicely – and either way, I could eat an entire pan, ugly or not! 🙂

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Lora says · 06.17.13

I have made PW’s cinnamon rolls and have found that instead of melting the butter I just get it super soft and slather it on the dough. That way I’m using all the butter called for in the recipe but I don’t get the tidal wave effect when I’m trying to roll them up. They are stupid delicious!

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walking dot photography says · 06.18.13

Oh geeze, storms are much worse here in Illinois! I just moved here (originally from North Carolina, haha! Asheville!) and I can’t believe how crazy of storms we’ve had in the past few months!
xox
giedre
http://www.walkingdotphotography.com

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TheDabblingCrafter says · 06.21.13

I haven’t tried PW cinnamon rolls but I did try her french toast casserole for a brunch I hosted and it was AMAZING. I had done a couple of test runs with Pinterest recipes and PW was the only one that was amazing.

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