red

Red. Three letters, one word and so many emotions. Thank you so much for this album.

If you know me, you knew this post was coming. One of my best friends, Alyssa and I have been waiting for October 22 this entire summer, and we've been waiting for Taylor Swift to come out with new music for two years.

I've been listening to Taylor since my junior year of high school, and with every album I fall more in love with her. "Picture to Burn" helped me get over my first crush, "Fifteen" reminds me of how much my teenage years shaped who I am and the song "Enchanted" takes me back to a wonderful moment when I met someone for the first time.

For those of you who don't know, Taylor gives her fans hints throughout her album cover. She capitalizes letters in the lyrics and when these letters are put together, they spell out a clue which reveals who the song is about.  

I'll start this post by listing the clues to each song.

 

1. State of Grace: Love You Doesn't Count After Goodbye

2. Red: SAG

3. Treacherous: Won't Stop Till It's Over

4. I Knew You Were Trouble: When You Saw Me Dancing

5. All Too Well: Maple Lattes

6. 22: Ashley Diana Clare Selena

7. I Almost Do: Wrote This Instead of Calling

8. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together: When I Stopped Caring What You Thought

9. Stay Stay Stay: Daydreaming About Real Love

10. The Last Time: LA On Your Break

11. Holy Ground: When You Came to the Show in SD

12. Sad Beautiful Tragic: While You Were On a Tain

13. The Lucky One: Wouldn't You Like to Know

14. Everything Has Changed: Hyannis Port

15. Starlight: For Ethel

16: Begin Again: I Wear Heels Now

Now usually, Taylor is pretty direct with these clues. If you're a fan of hers you can usually figure it out. But she didn't exactly "kiss and tell" with this album which frustrated me at first, until I figured out the puzzle.

This album is about one relationship. She has mentioned that these songs are about a relationship that made her think of red. Her moments falling for someone, missing him, getting over everything and moving onto something better. Many people are saying that the album is about multiple people, which I don't agree with. Some songs are about meeting new people, but they still center around this main relationship. It centers around one person, remember that.

See the clue maple lattes? I base all of my assumptions off that tiny clue. The clue goes along with a song called "All Too Well" which is clearly about a particular ex.

Taylor definitely did this on purpose. She gives this one distinct and obvious clue because once her fans figure it out, they can put the other pieces together. The rest of the clues show us that she experienced many emotions with this person and each song brings us along on her journey.

The clue, "maple lattes" is easy. If you search "Taylor Swift" + "Maple Lattes" on Google you are immediately directed to hundreds of sites discussing Talylor sharing Thanksgiving maple lattes with Jake Gyllenhaal. See, Taylor knew this clue would be easy for her fans to find. She wants her fans to figure it out! If we solve it, we serve her relationship justice. Do this with other clues, and it's very difficult to find any information.

She's very blunt in saying it's Jake throughout this particular song. She sings about going to his sister's house in the fall and looking at pictures of him as a little boy with glasses. Both are true. There are many pictures of the couple while they visited Jake's sister, Maggie Gyllenhaal for Thanksgiving. There are also multiple pictures of Jake with glasses.

Many other clues throughout the album reveal that this red relationship was with Jake. Taylor explains several moments with "maple latte" boy through her remaining clues. For example, the rest of them start with "when this happened" or "while this was going on" or "when I did this."

In the "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" music video, she's wearing a bracelet similar to the one Jake gave her. I also think the guy in the music video resembles Jake.

"State of Grace" mentions twin fire signs and four blue eyes. Taylor and Jake are both Sagittarius, and both have blue eyes.

Before I bought the album I was sure "I Knew You Were Trouble" was about John Mayer. It's a song about knowing someone is wrong for you when you meet them, but going for it anyway. But, she had me fooled. Taylor uses a "when this happened" clue explaining that she felt this way when Jake saw her dancing. I've also read that Jake was scoping Taylor out before he met her and asked friends to set them up. This explains her lyric, "I was in your sites, you got me alone."

There are a couple of happy songs included in the album. 22 is an upbeat song about having fun with friends. There are also a couple of songs about Conor Kennedy, which is her current beau. Although these are about Conor, they still involve her moments getting over Jake. Her song  "Everything Has Changed" is coupled with the clue, "Hyannis Port" which is where the Kennedys have a compound. It's a song about wanting to know someone and remembering the wonderful moment when everything starts. Her song "Starlight" is about Ethel Kennedy and her experience with Robert Kennedy in 1945. The clue for this song is "For Ethel."

Taylor ends the album with "Begin Again" which is a song with a soft melody. It's about being on a date with someone wonderful after being in a horrible relationship. (Just a guess... Maybe she's talking about her relationship with Jake?) Her clue for this song is "I wear heels now." One of the lyrics in the song is "he didn't like it when I wore high heels, but I do." This is Taylor's way of saying she's now able to be herself. Plus, Conor is taller than Jake, so she can wear heels. :)

This album is very unique. Each song is very complex and the entire album shows a different side of Taylor. Like always, Taylor expresses what most girls have been through.

A lot of people have been very negative about her music, this album and the lyrics associated with her songs. I don't want to hear it. I commend her. She is able to express herself and at the same time bring wonderful music to the world. I am in love with this album and I'm convinced most of her fans are too.

My favorite songs so far are: "State of Grace", "Treacherous", "Everything Has Changed" "All Too Well", "The Last Time" and my number one song right now is, "Holy ground."

I could go on forever about what melodies I enjoy and which lyrics speak to my heart the most, but I'd be here all day. Plus, it's different for every person. Listen to the album and have your own experience with Red. 

Stay beautiful,

Marina

painting pretty pumpkins

I decided to take advantage of a crafty opportunity Halloween has to offer. I convinced my friends and boyfriend to join me on my adventure which was time consuming, but fun. Reid and Brett carved their pumpkins and Dana and I painted ours.

Doesn't Dana's pumpkin look so pretty?

I've always loved the way black, white and red look together. At the moment I'm also obsessed with stripes, which explains the look of my pumpkin. Waiting for paint to dry and creating semi-straight lines resulted in this craft taking several days, but the finished product was worth it.

I started off painting the pumpkin white, and then outlined the crevices with black permanent marker in order to create boundaries for the stripes.

The lines aren't straight and I had to continually repaint each stripe, but I think it looks pretty. I just love the the pop of color!

Whether it's carving, painting or cooking pumpkin seeds, I hope you spend some time with pumpkins this Halloween.

Stay beautiful,
Marina

chocolate dipped peanut butter cookies

My boyfriend turned 24 a couple days ago and in honor of his birthday, I made peanut butter cookies. Not just ordinary peanut butter cookies... peanut butter cookies dipped in chocolate.

Now what I'm about to say is embarrassing, but I'll admit it. After four years of knowing my boyfriend, I didn't know his favorite dessert. Horrible! In my defense, he loves so many desserts that it was hard for me to deceiver which one is at the top of his list.

I absolutely hate asking these types of things because I love surprising people, but I had no choice. He told me that he used to buy Mrs. Fields peanut butter cookies dipped in chocolate. After hearing this, I connected with my good friend Pinterest and found a recipe.

I'll eat a peanut butter cookie, but it's definitely not one of my favorites. I prefer white chocolate macadamia nut. But when I tried this cookie, all of my previous thoughts changed. They turned out better than I expected, which is why I kept a few for myself. :)

The recipe that www.mybakingaddiction.com put together is so delicious! If you'd like to try them yourself, I listed everything you need to know below. Thank you, My Baking Addiction for bringing these delights into my life!

Happy birthday, Brett! I love you so much and I hope you enjoyed the cookies.

 Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter; softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup quick oats

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, white sugar, and peanut butter until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time until well blended add in vanilla and mix to combine.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in the oats until just combined.

4. Drop by tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until just lightly browned around the edges. Cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheet then transfer to cooling rack.
5. Once cookies are completely cooled, melt the chocolate chips in a double broiler until the chips are melted and smooth.

6. Working over the bowl of melted chocolate, dip half of the cookie in chocolate. Allow the access chocolate to flow back into the bowl. Sprinkle the wet chocolate with chopped peanuts and place on wax paper to harden.

There you go! They look pretty, don't they? Thanks for reading!

Stay beautiful,
Marina

covergirl nature luxe lip balm

I've been obsessed with dark shades of lip gloss for about a year and a half now. It all started when I bought Berry Blush Liplicious lip gloss from Bath and Body Works. I instantly fell in love with the color plum, and I still find myself desperately seeking outfits to accompany my favorite lip shade.

I didn't choose this color for any particular reason, but somehow it magically fits me, or at least I think it does. I love the way the dark hues make my lips pop, and I feel glamorous every time the gloss hits my lips.

Berry Blush and I have enjoyed multiple occasions together, sipping wine, celebrating with friends. We are  inseparable. Up until now, I thought I had seen it all... then, along came CoverGirl. 

I must say, CoverGirl has done a great job at marketing their lip line, they've already sold me on some of their products. Now, call me biased, but I'm going to base any increase in sales on a certain spokesperson named, Taylor Swift. You don't know her, do you?

Ok, so I'll admit, one of the reasons I bought the CoverGirl lip balm is because it's part of the line Tay promotes. I know, I'm a sucker. But before you start judging me, let me tell you, I have another reason that's legitimate, I really wanted to buy new lipstick! It's also one of my goals; try new beauty products! It just so happens my favorite celebrity wears the same line of lip balm. 

So, I didn't find the exact color I was looking for, but man did I find something great. The CoverGirl Nature Luxe Lip Balm lasts, doesn't smudge and is the perfect size. The shape of the lipstick is very small, but that's what makes it so unique. The top of the lipstick glides perfectly across my lips (it's so nice not going over the edge of my lip line.) The name of the balm is, Cabernet. It just sounds soft and luxurious, doesn't it? 

I would highly recommend purchasing this product. Not only is it soft on your lips, it lasts a really long time. To me, long-lasting lip color is really important.

I couldn't be happier with my purchase. Now I have two products that I adore: my new mate, Cabernet and my faithful friend, Berry Blush! I would love it if CoverGirl came out with a plum lip balm, now that would be perfection. Actually, perfection would be meeting Taylor swift and getting a lifetime supply of CoverGirl lip balm. :)

Stay beautiful,
Marina

spanakopita

Food. Great isn't it?

It's a huge part of who I am. Family gatherings surround it, sometimes it's given as a gift and it brings my family and I together. I have been spending great amounts of time with my family my entire life and we have all enjoyed countless meals together. Now, when I say family, I'm not talking about my mom, dad, brother and I. I'm including my aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. We all get together every single holiday, birthday and there are many moments we have nothing to celebrate, but we get together and eat anyway.

I am half Greek, half Italian, and all of my grandparents were born in Europe, so when I say food is a part of who I am, I mean it. I truly believe there must be traces of olive oil in my blood. :)

I grew up with my grandparents around my kitchen table, and many women who appreciate the art of cooking. It's their way of showing they care, and entertaining people at the same time. So, by nature, I truly love cooking.

I get a sense of pride biting into one of the dishes I've cooked. But like I said, I get my desire from the women who put the flavor in cooking, which is why I am very eager to learn from them as much as I can.

If you take a bite of Greek food, you'll probably taste a burst of lemon, olive oil and oregano. Doesn't that just make your mouth water? Lemon and the smell of Greek food will always remind me of my YiaYia and Papou.

About a month ago, I got the chance to cook with my YiaYia and Thea Voula. We made a Greek dish called, Spanakopita, which is Greek for spinach pie. It's flaky, filling and so good!

I am so glad I was able to spend time with YiaYia and Thea Voula, and learn something I can teach my family someday. Please try the recipe, which is listed below. Why not be Greek for a day? :)

Ingredients:

4 lbs of spinach
2 bunches of green onion (chopped)
Handful of parsley
Several basil leaves (cut into little pieces)
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup of olive oil
8oz container of cottage cheese
4oz of cream cheese (we didn't use this, but I've had spanakopita with cream cheese and it tastes great!)
1lb of feta
6 eggs
1 lb of phyllo (make sure it's country style)

 YiaYia and Thea Voula

Clean the green onions, split them and cut in half inches. Place them in boiling water for a couple minutes. Boiling the onions settles the strong taste.

Crumble the feta in a bowl.

Next add spinach, basil, parsley, green onion, salt, pepper and cheeses. Mix together.

Beat the eggs and add to the mixture.

Then, lay a piece of phyllo over the pan and brush olive oil over the entire sheet, especially the corners.

Don't fold the edges in yet, because the filling goes on top. Repeat with half of the box, one sheet at a time. Using olive oil is key, because the phyllo is not supposed to be dry.

Place filling over phyllo and spread evenly.

Fold  the sides over and and use the rest of the sheets in the box. Fold the remaining sheets before placing on top of the spinach filling. Fold them in a rectangle, so the sheets cover the pan like the picture above. Brush the top with olive oil.

Cut into small squares very carefully and place in the oven.

 The finished product. Enjoy :)

Stay beautiful,

Marina