OOTWKD - Black & White

We really enjoyed our weekend - had good workouts, took Ella Grace to the park, and enjoyed Alki Beach today. Yesterday, it was not warm enough for shorts and a tank but not cold enough for jeans, so I pulled out this really old maxi dress. It was actually my Mom's. She gave it to me weeks after I had Ella because I really liked it and it was the perfect, super comfy attire for that time. Well, I held on to it and still love it today (plus, it has built in bra cups!!). So, I threw it on, added a pop of color with my red flats, put Ella's "Nemo" dress on, and we were out the door!

 Take 1 - Ella wanted to be in the picture but we weren't successful with the smile, or even looking at the camera for that matter.

 Take 2: Without my mini me

Banana Republic Maxi dress

Banana Republic gladiator flats

 Ella insisted on taking a picture....with her rainboots on.

Little English Fish Bishop dress

I hope you had a great weekend! We're off to Lake Chelan on Friday so I want the next 4 days to go by really fast. Do you have 4th of July weekend plans?

i.heart.lulu

I had a really, really, really hard personal training class this morning. Usually, I have my sidekick, Sylvia, with me to endure the torture with but she got stuck in traffic (Rock N Roll Marathon was in Seattle this morning) so she didn't make it. I knocked on my trainer's door and was greeted with "it's just me and you today." I immediately replied "oh really? great!"...very sarcastically, I might add. 

Anyway, I'll just keep it short and sweet - it involved numerous, TORTUROUS sprints up huge, steep hills. My lungs hurt, I felt like I was just running in place as I stared at that finish line in the distance, and I pretty much let him know I hated it. BUT, I will say, I like the torture because you feel so good after a hard workout, even if you end the session with your legs elevated because you're so light headed:) So with that, I leave you with my favorite workout attire. 

I HEART lululemon. It's all I wear other than my favorite Nike running shorts. Super comfy, the styles are cut in all the right ways to show off your figure and great patterns and colorful solids. This is my go-to attire for working out, hip hopping around town, and most of all, traveling! If you don't own anything lulu, I highly recommend you try it out. It is relatively pricey but worth it. I still wear tops I bought 4 years ago!

 Power Y tank

Groove Pant (they're reversible)

 I can't remember what this jacket is called but it has a hood, thumbholes, and is one of their best sellers. I have several of these and love them!!

Cute patterns. Reverse side is all black.

I apologize now for any of you who get hooked. It's an addicting brand, expensive, but well worth it if you wear your lulu attire all the time like I do. 

Happy getting into trouble!

OOTD - A Goldfield Kind of Day

That is - to wear the Goldfield skirt. Seattle weather was at an all-time high for the year - 76 degrees! Woo hoo! My kind of weather! So, I considered it to be the perfect day to wear my newly coveted skirt. I sent my Mom on a search for this skirt when it was on sale a few weeks ago. She found it at our hometown store in Germantown, TN and I paid a whopping $32 for it (orignally $148). That's a steal, huh?!

 Anthropologie Goldfield Skirt 

Anthropologie Pleated Yoke Tee in Pink 

Banana Republic wedges

Palabra Designs Angel Necklace 

And, speaking of Palabra Designs, I love this jewelry. I'm a huge fan of handmade stuff, hence my Etsy addiction. Karen is super talented and even better, she's a friend of my Mom's and from my hometown (so I can brag about her even more!). You should check out her Facebook page. Here are some of my favorites! She has tons of cute stuff!

Palabra Designs Jewelry

 And, for my Germantown friends, she now sells her jewelry at Bella Vita!

Enjoy the rest of your night!

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to my Dad, my baby's Daddy, and every other Dad out there! You're the best!

 in Carillon Beach, FL with my Dad for my sister's wedding

 heading to Disneyland for the Princess breakfast

at Bayou Bill's in Panama City Beach, FL

TGIF - Dandelion Detail

TGIF! Ella and I have already celebrated with ice cream. It was mighty tasty! I'm not even hungry for dinner after a waffle cone full of french orange and coconut ice cream!

I was really hoping my Goldfield skirt would arrive so I could wear it today...but it didn't, and honestly, I wasn't feeling like putting much effort into getting dressed today. 

I decided to throw on:

 Anthropologie top

GAP jeans

Target belt

Target shoes

And, I was oh, so comfy at work! And, I call this top the dandelion top. How I wish I actually kept tally of the unique names Anthropologie comes up with for their clothing. Some of you bloggers are really great about remembering not only the names of your Anthro items but even the year they came out. How do you remember? Do you track the style number online? Do you keep an archive? I'm really curious!

There's nothing on our agenda for the weekend and I wouldn't have it any other way! Have a great one!

June Birchbox

It's that time again - the monthly Birchbox reveal! After last month's sub par items, I was not sure what to expect. However, this month's items are SO MUCH BETTER!!! I haven't tried them yet but this is what was in mine:

Amika Obliphica Hair Treatment

 A serum for hair to add softness, shine, reduce frizz, tame flyaways, and protect from heat styling. It has a nice light scent - can't put my finger on what it is but it's not bad.

 Pangea Organics Face Toner 

 It is a spray toner used to balance and hydrate skin. Now, this has a funky smell. The bottle mentions a citrus scent but to me, it smells like tea tree oil. Ick! But, hopefully it will be a better experience on the skin.

Laura Geller Baked Blush N Brighten 

 I received the Honey Dipped shade and love it! I think I'm really going to like it. You can use this on your cheeks or use the individual colors on your eyelids. Pretty cool!

Dr. Dennis Gross Powerful Sun Protection SPF 30 Towelettes

Sunscreen on the go and in towelette form. I like it! I'll have to try these babies out.

Kate Spade Twirl Perfume

As you know, I'm not a perfume fan so I'll pass on this. It is described as a fruity floral but I consider it another strong smelling distraction I want to run away from. Maybe you'll like it though! Gotta keep the glass half full here:)

 My favorite product from May:

Ahava Mineral Hand Lotion 

Love this stuff! It makes my hands nice and smooth and I like the light florally fragrance.

That wraps up my June birchbox. As always, I'll come back a month from now and share my favorite product.

What I'm Wearing - An Artistic Side

Happy Wednesday! I don’t know about you, but I am ready for the weekend! No plans but I am just so exhausted! Today, is a casual day for me. In fact, every day seems to be a casual one. I work for Amazon.com and our work attire is super casual. Thank goodness, because I don’t have to invest in two wardrobes and with the way I’ve been feeling the last week and a half, I can roll in with tennis shoes, a fleece, and a ponytail and it’s considered normal.

I took it up a notch today and threw on this really old Anthropologie top. Every year when I clean out my closet, I look at this one and still hold on to it. I just love the artistic look of it and the variety of colors. It makes me happy and I can wear it so many ways – jeans with a belt, jeans with no belt, tucked in a skirt, etc.

Anthropologie Top

Anthropologie Jacket

Banana Republic Jeans

Target Flats

Weekend Awesomeness

 The weather was decent enough to go to the beach... AWESOME.

 My cutie patootie loving the beach.

 I enjoyed many of these...AWESOME.

 I tried the Lemon Lara Bar for the first time, DOUBLE AWESOME!

 Did you know flat marshmallows exist? Well, they do and I'm obsessed with S'mores. So obsessed I've had one every night the last week. AWESOME.

I ordered this wristlet off of Etsy; a much needed item as I hate carrying my purse around. I hope it's AWESOME when it arrives.

And, last but not least, I don't own this yet but know it's AWESOME. I spent some time last night researching which one I want to buy. After experiencing this awesomeness at The Wailea Fairmont in Hawaii and then again at Chris and Steph's house, I decided I need one.

For the Culinary Challenged - Soppin' Shrimp

So, I really do not like cooking. In fact, I hate it. I don't have time and find no "peace" at deciding what we're going to eat each week, much less actually cook it. However, I do love to bake. Anything involving sweets is my friend. Ok, back to where I was getting at...

There are few things I cook. Here is a really easy one for those who love seafood, especially shrimp.

Grocery list

 2 lbs. shrimp (1 lb is good for 2 people)

1 lemon

1 bay leaf (I use 3-4)

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. ketchup

1/4 c. worcestershire sauce aka woosty sauce

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 1/2 Tbs. Old Bay seasoning

1/2 tsp. dried rosemary

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

french bread

I try to "lean" it up as much as I can so use alternatives for butter.

Place shrimp is 13x9 pan, top with lemon wedges and bay leaves.

Stir together all other ingredients on stove top. 

 

Pour over shrimp.

 

Bake uncovered at 400 for 35 min (I did 20 for my shrimp because they were butterflied for easy peel) or until shrimp are pink stirring every 10 minutes. Warm up the french bread.

Now for the best part....wonder what "soppin'" means? That is the sauce all those yummy ingredients up above make. And, what you do is tear the bread into pieces, set in a bowl of the sop, get them nice and soggy, and eat them as you eat those scrumpious shrimp.

This is a family favorite for us and definitely something I call a tradition when we're at my parent's condo on the beach in FL. We always eat it 1 night while we're there. So good! You should try it.

Big Anthro Sale! What Did You Buy?

As most of you already know, Anthropologie announced a pretty big sale today complete with an extra 25% off apparel sale items and free shipping for purchases $150+. I did good and only bought one item from my wishlist but below are some sale items I really like. All I can say is THANK GOODNESS Seattle summers are short. I'm by far a summer apparel person and our short Seattle summers tell me "No" A LOT when determining what to buy.

Here are my likes (but I didn't cave in and buy):

Darting Dragonfly Dress 

$79.95

Crochet Caricature Blouse 

$69.95

Sidewalk Cafe Blouse 

$39.95

Drawing Parellels Skirt 

$39.95

 I have this skirt in the purple/wine color that is now sold out. I love it!

Golden Grove Sandals 

$49.95

Fresh Coat Wallet 

$39.95

Tea Rose Wallet 

$59.95

Balmy Belt 

$29.95

I like how it's reversible - super versatile!

Skinny Weave Belt

$19.95

What I did buy was on my wishlist and I'm so glad I did, because it's no longer online - the Golden Rays Skirt - as seen on Kim from Anthroholic here. $39.95 + 25% off. It was a steal! Hope it fits:)

Is it just me or are you noticing 2 trends here - I obviously need a new wallet and I like the color mustard?!?!

And, what I'm loving on the new arrivals...

Baubled Fan Pullover 

Endless Ombre Skirt 

Million Pleats Midi 

Expanding Universe Tank

Finding Roses Blouse

Cutaway Tee

Pleated Yoke Tee

I'm ready for Hump Day tomorrow. 3 more days closer to the weekend!!!