The BEST Cheescake Ever.

I don't know if you guys know this or not, but I LOVE to bake.

You also may not know that I'm sort of known for my chocolate chip cookies. And I won't lie, they're pretty epic. And though I've baked many different things, I've never made a cheesecake before. So last week, I decided I'd give it a shot and make one for Thanksgiving. Well, I actually made two. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so naturally I made a "practice" cheesecake a few days before, just to make sure it turned out OK.

Seriously, it was the best cheesecake I've ever had. The second I made it I knew I had to share the recipe with all of you. I was a bit nervous about making a cheesecake, but it was much easier than expected!

I found the originally recipe here, and the only thing I changed was how I baked it. Prepare yourselves, for the amazingness that is...

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

Ingredients:

-1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs ( I used Oreos)

 -3 tablespoons white sugar

- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

 - 1 (10 ounces) package of frozen raspberries

- 2 tablespoons white sugar

- 2 teaspoons conrstarch

- 1/2 cup water

- 2 cups white chocolate chips

- 1/2 cup half-and-half cream

- 3 (8 ounces) packages of cream cheese, softened

- 1/2 cup white sugar

- 3 eggs

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Supplies:

9 inch springform pan  

Mixer

Spatula

Strainer

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together cookie crumbs, 3 tablespoons sugar, and melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom of your pan.

2.In a saucepan, combine raspberries, 2 tablespoons sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to boil, and continue boiling 5 minutes, or until sauce is thick. Strain sauce through a mesh strainer to remove seeds. Warning: this is the most time consuming part of the process. But it's SO worth it. I also added a bit more sugar to the sauce, as my raspberries were extremely tart.
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt white chocolate chips with half-and-half, stirring occasionally until smooth. You can also do this in the microwave. Just simply heat it only 30 seconds at a time, stirring it after each 30 seconds until it's mixed.

4. In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time. Blend in vanilla and melted white chocolate. Pour half of batter over crust. Spoon 3 tablespoons raspberry sauce over batter. Pour remaining cheesecake batter into pan, and again spoon 3 tablespoons raspberry sauce over the top. And the best part is using a knife to swirl the sauce to create the beautiful marbled effect.

 5. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until filling is set. Cool in the oven for 40 min, and then on the counter. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 8 hours before removing from pan. Serve with the rest of the raspberry sauce.

 The key to getting a cheesecake to cook absolutely perfectly, is by using the water bath method. What you want to do is wrap your pan with a few layers of foil to keep it dry, and then place it in a baking pan. After you place it in the oven, fill the baking pan up about halfway with boiling water. This helps the cake cook evenly, and helps maintain the custard like texture without overcooking it. 

Another tip is to let the cake cool down for 40 min in the oven. Just turn off the heat, crack open the door, and let it cool down. Then make sure you let it cool on the counter until it is barely warm before you put it in the fridge. This will prevent it from cracking.

The cake was a hit at Thanksgiving! It's a great recipe for a holiday meal, and I really suggest you try it out!

Let me know if you try out this recipe. I guarantee it will be gone in just a day or two!

Happy Wednesday!

xoxoKelsey

 

Poppy

Hey there, blogging friends!

So I have some very exciting news:

Yes, it's true! 

This June, we'll be welcoming a little baby into our family of two. 

You guys, I wasn't sure I believed it when women said that you instantly fall in love with your baby the second you find out you're pregnant, but it's true. I just love the little babe so much already! So much so that I have burst into to tears just thinking about it. Although, I'm sure a big part of that is my crazy hormones, ha ha. We are so excited for this little baby, and feel so blessed that the Lord has given us this gift. Sure, I'm a little (a lot) freaked out about being a mom, but more than anything, I cannot wait! 

Two weeks ago we got to see our baby for the first time. Talk about the COOLEST thing ever. After seeing and hearing the baby's heart beat, I was so much more at ease. It was so nice to see that the baby was alive and well. We've nicknamed the little babe Poppy, since he/she was the size of a poppy seed when we found out we were pregnant.

Dear Poppy, you are SO loved by your mama already!

On another note...I've decided to kind of change my blog up a bit. I used to focus mostly on beauty/fashion, and I think I want to have a bit more of a "lifestyle" feel to it. I've been struggling the past few months about what direction I want my blog to go. So in addition to my love for blogging about beauty and fashion, I'm going to start adding in some more posts about my daily life, and a lot of crafting posts. Since I'm preeetty much the biggest crafter of life. 

 Happy Monday!

 xoxoKelsey

Lately.

OK, so it's been forever since I've done a little update on my life. I blame life itself, for being so darn busy! 

Currently....

Reading: Insurgent, by Veronica Roth. This is the second book in the Divergent trilogy, and it's freaking amazing! Honestly, I can't put it down. The series is similar to The Hunger Games or The Maze Runner series, but is very unique at the same time. I am pretty bummed that the third book doesn't come out for awhile, and for that reason I'm going to try and avoid finishing the last few chapters too quickly so I don' t have to wait as long!

Watching: The Vampire Diaries Season 3. You guys, I am obsessed. When I first heard about the show, I was like "oh great, another cheesy vampire love triangle story with awful acting." But I was wrong, and I regret ever having those thoughts! The show is completely amazing and addicting. And don't even get me started on the Salvatore brothers..

Listening: I've been loving the new Mumford and Sons album. I especially love the songs "Hopeless Wanderer" and "Below My Feet". If you haven't heard their album yet, you need to go buy it right now!       

Planning: Our Halloween party! My sister-in-law and I are throwing a Halloween party next Friday, and I'm really excited for it! I've never really thrown a themed party besides a bridal shower, so I'm pretty nervous about it. I won't lie. We decided to have a costume theme, so we're having every come as their favorite TV or movie character. I have yet to put my costume together. I should probably get on that.

Working On: A lot of crafts! This past month, I've been helping lead a small group at my church called "Pin Your Heart Out". We chose projects from Pinterest, and make them each week! It's been so much fun, but has turned me into even more of a crazy crafter. We actually have a blog here. If you like to make crafts, you can follow along and make them each week with us! Anyways, I've always been a crafter, but this small group has made me a crazy craft lady! I have about five projects going at once, and I'm hoping to have them done before the holidays are here!

Excited For: Christmas! I know, I should just enjoy fall and let it have it's moment, but I can't help it. My heart just belongs to Christmas. I'm already thinking of potential Christmas presents I can make and things to do. It's only about 10 weeks away. So crazy!


Life lately via my iPhone:

1. Breakfast dates with this guy are my favorite.
2. One of the crafts from my Pinterest small group!
3. I've been wearing this headband non-stop.
4. Just a little leaf garland I made. It's super easy, too!
5. Coffee and big comfy sweaters. Need I say more?
6. Ian and I at the Crosby, Stills, and Nash concert last month.


Hope you enjoyed my little life update!
Happy Tuesday!
xoxoKelsey

Guest Post: The You Are Project

Hello my lovely readers! I know I haven't posted in a little while (OK, a LONG while). So as a way to kick off getting back into the game, I wanted let my friend share a post with you guys. I've been writing a beauty column for The You Are Project for a few months, and I am truly honored to be a part of this organization!

I know you'll love the site as much as I do!

xoxoKelsey.

 Hey Ladies!

My name is Lauren, and I’m the co-founder and Web Manager for The You Are Project, an online magazine for Christian women. I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you about our vision for this organization.

The mission of The You Are Project is to help women discover WHO THEY ARE in Christ. (You can learn more by reading our actual mission statement. Once we know who God created us to be and are confident in Him, amazing things begin to happen:

1. Our confidence, paired with a Godly love for others, will draw people out of their insecurity. I firmly believe that a compliment or support from confident woman has more power than we realize. Our confidence isn’t for ourselves— it is meant to change the people around us.

2. Jealously will evaporate, and relationships between women will be restored. Our unity is a weapon, and will further destroy the enemy’s strongholds on us.

3. We will be unafraid to use our passion and God-given talents in the way that He asks us to.

Can you imagine what God could do with a group of women who are confident, strong, unified, and in love with Him? The world would never be the same! Catherine (my co-founder) and I dream of seeing women set free and seeing this vision realized.

Right now we are taking baby steps, and our online magazine has articles on everything from fashion tips to the scoop on up-and-coming authors and interviews with women who are changing the world. We also have many new projects in the works, from online resources to workshops that will help women discover their purpose and grow closer to God. We would love if you supported us by making a donation, or simply by visiting our website at www.theyouareproject.com and sharing our posts with a friend.

I would like to thank Kelsey for the opportunity to share with all of you! I hope you enjoy our magazine. Feel free to email me at lauren@theyouareproject.com with any questions or feedback;
I love to hear from you!

Hat person.

                    Outfit details: Top-H&M, Jeans- Forever 21, Flats- Target, Hat- Forever 21                           

Confession: I've always wanted to be a hat person. What's a hat person, you might ask? It's someone who wears cute hats all the time, and totally pulls it off. I've always had such short hair, that hats always made me look bald. I don't pull off bald very well.  Every time I see a girl who is rocking a hat, I won't lie, I get slightly jealous of how awesome they look. But now that my hair has grown, I feel as if my time has come to start rocking some hats myself.

I found this hat last weekend while shopping with my husband. I tried it on, and didn't hate it. So I showed it to him, and he told me we were buying it. He obviously knew that I've secretly always dreamed of being a "hat person". I'm kind of in love with the hat now. I think it's a perfect accessory for Fall, and I'm hoping to get a lot of use out of it. It kind of reminds me of something Molly Ringwald wore back in the day. And we all know she rocked a hat better than anyone else.

Happy Friday!

xoxoKelsey.

Pink

 Blouse-H&M/Jeans-Forever 21/Flats-Nordstrom Rack (I think?)

. 

This blouse is something I purchased recently, and while it's definitely not something I normally would pick out (not usually a pale pink fan). I really love it, though! It's incredibly comfortable, and I can't wait to try pairing it with a few skirts. I also am really liking these jeans as well. I love that the inside of them is black, so you get a bit of a contrast when their cuffed. 

Random fact: I cuff all of my jeans. Short girl problems.

Is it starting to feel like Fall, or is it just me? We had our typical two weeks of Summer here in Seattle, and the weather has already started cooling down a little bit. I'm loving being able to wear more of my long sleeved shirts and cardigans again. I love warm weather, but for fashion's sake, Fall is truly the best.

Happy Wednesday!

xoxoKelsey

Geometric.

 Dress-Forever 21/Shoes-Target

I've been loving this dress for Summer. It's been so nice outside lately, and wearing lightweight dresses have been a life saver on these hot days we've been having. Plus this dress has an awesome geometric pattern on it, which I've decided is a bit of a shout out to the 80's. Hair from the 80's? Bad. Fashion from the 80's? Definitely still has potential.

Normally I like have pictures that show what I'm wearing in a bit more detail, but we were dealing with an extreme temperature today and wanted to get back inside. OK, it was only like 89 degrees outside, but us Washingtonians are big weather wimps.  

Also, can we talk about the fact that my skin color is about the same shade as my dress? I need a tan.

Happy Thursday!

xoxoKelsey.

Favorite Products of the Summer.

Here are some of my favorite products that I've been using this Summer:

Viva Glam Nicki by MAC. This lipstick is a really bright warm toned pink. It's a matte formula, which I think is really unique for such a bright color. It can be a little bit drying, but if you apply it over lip balm it's great.  I've been wearing it almost daily, so I'm thinking I need to invest in a few backups since it is limited edition. Aka you guys need to go out and get it right now!

Albatross by NARS. This is most perfect shimmery golden/champagne highlighter. I love it on my cheeks and as an inner corner highlight on my eyes. It's also gorgeous as an eyeshadow. It's very finely milled, and doesn't have any glitter in it. It's just amazing!

 Hair:

Surf Spray by Bumble and bumble: This is the best sea salt spray I've ever used. And I've used like a million of them (OK, 5). It gives your hair that perfect messy and undone texture without making it feel too heavy like creme product can. It's especially great for curls! I spray it in after each time I wash my hair and then diffuse it.

Texture by Bumble and bumble: This is the most unique hair creme that I've ever used. It's definitely on the heavier side, but it gives you amazing volume and separation, and a good amount of hold. It's matte, so it is great for a more natural look. Warning: This will make your hair big. Like, really big.

Skincare:

Coconut & Hibiscus shea butter lotion by Shea Moisture- I just discovered this lotion a few weeks ago, and I am in LOVE. Not only does it smell like heaven, but it's very moisturizing and doesn't feel tacky on your skin. It's organic and free of harsh chemicals, which is something I really look for with skincare products. I found this at Target, you guys definitely need to check it out!

 Nails:

Flip flop Fantasy by China Glaze- This Summer I was on the hunt for the perfect neon pink nail polish. If any of you love nail polish as much as I do, you know that this can be quite the task. I kept finding colors that were too cool toned, and didn't enough brightness to them. Then I discovered this color. It's seriously awesome. It's a bright coral matte pink. I get SO many compliments on this color, which is always a bonus. 

What products are you loving right now? I'd love it if you shared them!

Happy Wednesday!

xoxoKelsey.

Hair News.

Today is a big one in the world of hair.  Miley Cyrus did this. Crazy right? You better believe I discussed it for hours with my friend Jackie. That's what hairstylists do. We discuss celebrity haircuts for hours. OK, maybe we don't all do that, but I sure do!

Anyways, in even bigger hair news, this happened again:

I tried to stray away from red hair. I told myself "Do something new, be blonde for awhile!" Well, that lasted about two months. Having red hair feels more like me than the color that actually grows out of my head. One day I'll learn to not stray away! Now, I know you guys are thinking "Um, this is huge, why isn't she the one on the news because of her new hair instead of Miley Cyrus?" I understand. I'm wondering the same exact thing.

Happy Monday!

xoxoKelsey.

P.s. If you've not red my post titled "An Ode to Red Hair," then you can read it here.

Chair love.

Today was one of those days where I wanted to hide under the covers all day. 

OK, I kind of did, seeing as I didn't get out of bed until 12:30pm. 

 I just wanted to go to work, and get right back home.

But then I found this beautiful chair that someone abandoned.

 I somehow squeezed it into my tiny car, and took it home with me. My brother fixed the springs on it, and I cleaned it until it looked brand new. I have always loved antique furniture, and I'm pretty sure it was fate for this chair to come home with me.

I am in LOVE, you guys. It's just perfect.

Funny how the smallest things can make your entire day.

Happy Wednesday!

xoxoKelsey.

 

Outfit(s)

Hey, friends!

So I have been a bad blogger and have not made time to do any outfit posts in the past few weeks. I tend to share a lot of my outfits on Instagram (username is Kelseyrosie), so I thought I'd do a collaboration post with looks from a few different days. 

Two things:

Yes, I do like to put my hand on my hip in like every photo.

Yes, it does make me look like a model, glad you also think so! (just kidding) (kind of)

Hope you guys are all having a wonderful week! Life is finally calming down a bit, so expect some more regular posts from me soon.

Happy Thursday!

xoxoKelsey.

Crazy

Top and pants: H&M/Shoes-Target/Belt-Forever 21

Hooray! I'm finally back to posting outfits! I have really missed doing these posts, and I'm going to try my hardest to do them more often. Anyways...how awesome are these shoes? They were $19.99 at Target. Um, can we take a moment to talk about how awesome Target is? I can't leave Target without buying something I don't need. For example: these shoes. I casually walked through the shoe section, and I swear these babies called my name. So of course I had to try them on, and of course I had to purchase them.

One day, I'll be able to resist the shoe section at Target. One day. 

And in case you guys were wondering, I changed my hair color a few times this month! I really like the new strawberry blonde, although it's been a bit weird to get used to. Also, I shaved part of my hair. You can see it a little bit in the pictures above.

I love it! And yes, I know that I will look CRAZY when I decide to grow it back out. Hopefully I can somehow rock a side mullet (who am I kidding...it will be ridiculous).

I'll be back soon with a bit of a life update! And I promise that this time, soon will actually be soon. Haha!

Happy Friday!

xoxoKelsey.

Grad Weekend

This past weekend I got to visit my family in California for my little brother's graduation. It was warm, sunny, and totally refreshing. I also got to hangout with my best friend, which made my heart SO happy.

I don't know about you, but having a younger sibling graduate high school makes me feel incredibly old. Yet despite feeling sad about my new old lady status, I was so proud to be able to watch my brother graduate. He's an awesome kid, and he's moving up to Washington soon for college. Hooray!

Here are some pictures from the weekend:

1. My parent's dog, Kobe. AKA cutest dog of all time.

2. Oh you know, just riding in the car like a boss.

3. My best friend of 18 years. Love her SO much.

4. My sister twin, Madison, and my best friend Sharla!

5. My brother threw up the District 12 sign at his graduation. Um, coolest brother ever.

6. Sister twins: meaning we're twins...but 9 years apart. It doesn't make sense, but we like it.

7. My siblings and I. 

8. Jake the graduate. Either he's crazy tall, or I'm just short.

9. Sharla, Maddie, and I ran around the park on Saturday. I loved that it was warm enough to be barefoot!

10. My entire family. They are the best.

11. On the way to San Fran with the sister twin!

Oh, and if you were thinking that my best friend and I are probably total dorks, here's a little video to prove it. Watch it here.

I hope your weekend was as wonderful as mine!

Happy Monday!

xoxoKelsey.

I dreamed a dream

So, I have a confession.

 I LOVE Les Miserables. I was in the musical when I was high school (I was a lovely lady, of course) and I love the book. 

 I may have watched this trailer like 20 times already.

I may know every word to every song from the musical. 

I may tear up every time I listen to "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables."

I might have explained all of Fantine's story to my husband the other night while he was trying to go to sleep. 

I may have freaked out when I discovered who was playing The Thenardiers in this movie. 

 I may have teared up a bit while watching this trailer. 

And yes, you may now think I'm crazy and obsessed with musicals. 

Which is true.

Just wanted to share this with you guys in case you have not seen it yet. Watch it. You won't regret it, I promise.

Happy Monday!

xoxoKelsey.

Hey there!

Hi! 

Yes, I know that I haven't written a blog post in what seems like years. But after feeling bad about it, I decided that a few weeks off was exactly what I needed. It was a bit of time to just relax and enjoy

There's a lot that went on in the past few weeks, including an amazing trip to NYC. (I'll be doing an entire post on that, later.) I've also been busy at work, and we've been frantically looking for somewhere to move in a month or so. Moving is not exactly my favorite thing to do, so I've been stressed x10. So needless to say, a break was good. But being busy is no longer a valid excuse to avoid blogging, I've decided!

 This is a really a simple little post, but I wanted to just let you guys know that I am indeed alive, and will be back blogging full force in the next few days.

Until then, I hope you guys are doing well, and that you've had a fabulous few weeks!



xoxo
Kelsey.

Guest post.

Hey everyone!

I was contacted by the ladies form the You Are project to do a hair tutorial for their amazing site.

I love their website, and they are all about supporting and empowering women. They have a ton of good fashion, DIY, makeup, and design posts that are a blast to read and I highly recommend them. 

I put together a little post all about styling scarves in your hair, and would love if you supported their site and checked out my post :).

For the entire post, please go to 

The You Are Project

Happy Sunday!

xoxoKelsey.

An ode to red hair.

Yes, you are about to read an ENTIRE blog post about having red hair.

I just needed to rant and rave about it in one paragraph. Or five. 

First of all, having bright red hair definitely has its perks. For one, my husband can always find me when we're in a store. I may be small, but my hair is like a flashing beacon of light when I'm lost. It's also a walking advertisement for my job, as it pretty much screams, "I'm a hairstylist!" When people call my work and they usually just say they want "the girl with the red hair." It narrows down who they're looking for pretty quickly. I've even had little girls say my hair looks like Ariel's. Which if you know me, that is pretty much the best compliment I could receive. 

      I like to think there is a sisterhood among redheads. Sure, it may not be natural, but us redhead wanna-be's tend to bond over our obsession with the color. I'd say it's kind of like how all men with beards have their own unspoken brotherhood (see here). My little sister is a natural redhead, and we call each other "twin" because of how alike we are. I like to think our hair has something to do with that.

But sadly, not everything about red hair is fun. It often causes strangers to say the most random and sometimes rude things to me. I've been asked if I color it red for the attention, which always cracks me up. Or many times I've been asked if it's my natural hair color. The answer to this is pretty obvious, but at times I wish I had the guts to respond with "Yes, I am a descendant of Ariel." I've had people ask me if I wear a wig, or if they can touch my hair. I've had people stare at me for about five seconds too long. And then there are the creepy old dudes that tell me how much they just LOVE redheads. 

Just. So. Creepy.

 Sometimes I hear people whispering behind me about my hair and how intense it is. I've had people stare at it and roll their eyes, or proclaim "woah, your hair is bright" when they see me. When checking out my license, that has a picture of me with blonde hair, people decide to tell me whether I look better with blonde or red hair. Thank you, random person. 

 Here is my response to these odd people on behalf of myself and all other (unnatural) redheads out there:

No, I do not color my hair for the attention. I simply love having red hair. It's bright, shiny, and frankly it just makes me happy. I've considered coloring it something more "normal" just to stop getting the stares and comments, but that would take a way a little part of my soul that is connected to my hair. Yes, I know my hair is red and really bright.  And sure, complimenting my hair is just fine, but your strange and at sometimes rude comments are not welcome. Us redheads are just like the rest of the world, in that we are aware of what color our hair is. 

To my fellow redheads, stay strong. Rock that bright hair, and remember that you are automatically awesome for having it. 

And to Lucille Ball, thank you for paving the way for all of us redhead wanna-be's. 

Happy Wednesday!
xoxoKelsey
(aka Red)

Hairspiration: Buns!

This month's hairspiration post is all about buns. There is something so chic and graceful about a well styled bun. And there's really a ton of different ways you can style this look, which makes it ideal for just about anyone.
Here are a few of my favorite looks that I found via pinterest:

                                                      Source: blog.modcloth.com via Becca on Pinterest

                                                        Source: weheartit.com via Michele on Pinterest

                                                          Source: weheartit.com via Natasha on Pinterest

                                                           Source: lookbook.nu via Sasimon on Pinterest

Oh, how I can't wait to have long hair so I can try out some of these looks!

Which one of these looks is your favorite??

Happy Tuesday!

xoxoKelsey.